Chapter 65: Who Wants to Watch TV?

Our first family trip with the children was satisfying.

I enjoyed the sea after a long time, and Suryeon overcame her fear of going out.

'I wonder if we got too much sun.'

Looking back, I forgot about sunscreen. I checked my face in the mirror before leaving for work.

"Tsk, I got too tanned. I should have applied sunscreen."

The UV rays were strong indeed. I checked my slightly browned face and left the bathroom.

Of course, the dragons lying in the living room were also slightly tanned.

"Ugh, why has my skin become like this?"

"My skin isn't perfect. I feel bad."

"We received the sun's energy! This is proof that we've become healthier!"

Yay—!

Choryeon claimed they became healthier from the sunlight. However, Hwaryeon and Suryeon's gazes were sharp.

"What do you mean, healthier?! If you get burnt by fire and turn black, does that make you stronger?!"

"Talk sensibly, Lee Choryeon. Don't say nonsense."

Dejected—

Choryeon's spirit was crushed by her sisters' joint attack.

She hid behind me and quietly expressed her dissatisfaction.

"Father, my sisters are bullying me... I just said what I thought... I feel upset..."

How cowardly of them to attack Choryeon together. I should say something stern. I hid Choryeon completely behind me and said to the children.

"How dare you bully your younger sister! Apologize to Choryeon, all of you!"

"Dad! What did I do! This is unfair!"

"Tut-tut, you two pressured our youngest and scared her. Won't you apologize?"

"Th-This is favoritism! It's unreasonable tyranny!"

Hwaryeon shouted in indignation and stomped her foot on the floor. I pondered Hwaryeon's words.

'Now she even knows words like favoritism and tyranny. Her vocabulary has improved a lot, hasn't it?'

Is she finally starting to become smart like a dragon?

I didn't care about Hwaryeon's anger, but I was so moved by her growth that I had to hold back my words.

Choke—!

"Our Hwaryeon is finally starting to become smart...!"

"What have you been thinking of me until now?! I feel bad!"

Anyway, after saving Choryeon from the threat and sternly speaking to the children, I quickly prepared for work as I had a call today.

'After enjoying the vacation, it's time to work hard again.'

There's still a lot of money to pay back.

I finished all preparations and headed to the front door. The children were watching me like meerkats to see me off.

'Now that we've been on a trip, their thirst for going out should have decreased.'

I waved to the children and said.

"Dad's going now."

Without saying not to cause trouble and stay quiet. The children waved back and said.

"Take care!"

"...Come back soon."

"Be careful, Father!"

Bye-bye—

I looked at the children seeing me off and closed the door to go to work. It felt like I could work hard today too.

'Let's earn some money diligently today as well.'

It was a send-off that automatically energized me.

***

After Dad left the house, only the children remained at home.

"Shall we watch TV while Dad's gone?!"

Hwaryeon, the highest in the hierarchy, turned on the TV. The right to choose the channel always belonged to Hwaryeon.

'The strong make the rules! Survival of the fittest! This is the world of Red Dragons! Come at me if you dare!'

Hwaryeon struck a proud pose while watching TV. She was putting on airs, but unfortunately, no one paid any attention to her.

"I should read a book."

"I'll draw pictures!"

Plop—

Suryeon and Choryeon found their own toys to play with. Hwaryeon looked at the TV screen alone and muttered quietly.

'Don't they watch TV? There are so many fun things on TV! Why does it feel like I'm the only one watching TV these days?'

Was it not fun watching alone?

Hwaryeon kept glancing at Suryeon and Choryeon while watching TV.

'Everyone except me seems to be having fun! Why aren't they watching TV together?!'

I don't like this.

Hwaryeon puffed up her cheeks like a pufferfish. Becoming a fierce pufferfish, she approached Suryeon, who was quietly reading a book, and said.

"Hey, Lee Suryeon!"

"What is it, Hwaryeon?"

"Why aren't you watching TV! There's so much knowledge you like on TV!"

"Hmm."

Why is Hwaryeon suddenly acting like this?

Suryeon was annoyed but tried her best to answer.

"You always turn on weird channels."

"Wh-What do you mean I turn on weird channels! Don't make me out to be a strange dragon!"

"Masked Rangers, Pro Wrestling, Dinosaur Adventure, Martial Arts. You're always watching weird channels. I don't find those interesting. They're boring. Totally boring."

"B-Boring, you say!"

It's natural to get upset when someone calls what you find fun boring.

Hwaryeon's face reddened as she pointed at Suryeon's book and shouted.

"That book is boring too! More than those paper scraps! TV is much more fun!"

Suryeon lightly defended against Hwaryeon's sharp attack.

"If you're stupid, you might dislike books. That's possible."

"You're always causing trouble! Who are you calling stupid! You're the stupid one!"

"Hwaryeon unnie. Are you done talking?"

"What if I am?! Come at me if you dare!"

Swoosh, swoosh—

Hwaryeon swung her fists in the air threateningly. Suryeon looked at those fists and thought to herself.

'...They are a bit fast.'

After assessing the power of the fists, Suryeon turned her attention back to her book.

"Fighting is barbaric. I won't do it."

"Hmph, you're just scared! I win!"

Hurray—!

Hwaryeon struck a victory pose right in front of Suryeon. Suryeon felt a surge of anger, but she managed to control her emotions.

'Dad wouldn't get swept up in emotions and would endure. Because he's an adult. Adults know how to endure.'

I'm an adult, so.

Suryeon thought this as she endured Hwaryeon's taunting. As Suryeon stopped reacting, Hwaryeon soon lost interest.

"Hmph, boring!"

Hwaryeon decided to leave Suryeon alone. She approached Choryeon, who was lying quite far from Suryeon. Choryeon was busily drawing in her sketchbook with crayons.

'I got scolded by Dad unnecessarily because of Choryeon today. What's with the youngest.'

The tiniest Choryeon. Hwaryeon sat next to Choryeon and casually asked.

"Hey, Lee Choryeon. Why aren't you watching TV?"

"Me?"

"Yes, who else would I be talking to?!"

"Hmm, the reason I'm not watching TV is!"

Choryeon smiled brightly and said.

"Because the channels you watch don't match my taste, unnie!"

"Are you saying the channels I watch are boring?!"

Jump—!

An enraged Hwaryeon stood up. However, Choryeon calmly gestured for her to sit down.

"That's not it, Hwaryeon unnie. I mean it's a difference in taste."

"Difference in taste?"

"Yes, like how you dislike vegetables but I like them. It means we like different things. It's not that they're not fun."

"Hmm... I kind of get what you mean! Anyway, you're not saying it's boring, right?!"

"That's right."

"Then it's fine! I'm not upset either!"

The conversation passed without any fight thanks to the pacifist Choryeon's words. Naturally, Hwaryeon's attention turned to the drawing Choryeon was working on.

Hwaryeon asked about the picture Choryeon was drawing.

"By the way, what are you drawing?"

Choryeon covered her face with her hair out of shyness.

"Oh, it's embarrassing. I was drawing what happened yesterday. I wanted to capture our beach trip in a picture."

"Ooh, I want to see it closely!"

Let's see.

Hwaryeon looked closely at the drawing in the sketchbook. An orca and Lee Hwaryeon swimming in the sea, Lee Choryeon swimming with Dad while wearing a tube, and Lee Suryeon sitting quietly under a parasol.

"Huh?"

At that moment, Hwaryeon noticed something strange. For some reason, only Suryeon was under a parasol far from Dad.

"You said you drew what happened yesterday...? Wasn't Suryeon mostly sticking close to Dad yesterday? Choryeon, are you remembering it wrong?"

"..."

Swish—

Choryeon silently took her sketchbook. Then, looking straight into Hwaryeon's eyes with a smile, she said.

"It's a difference in taste, Hwaryeon unnie."

"Uh, huh?"

"It means I can draw however I want. Can you give me back my drawing, unnie?"

"Uh, okay..."

Dazed—

Hwaryeon immediately returned the drawing. Choryeon then returned to her usual self.

'What's this? Something's off.'

There's a smell, the smell of a fight.

Hwaryeon had a keen nose for detecting fights, so she sensed that something had happened between the two dragons. However,

'Well, it's good for me if they fight! I'll just watch and stop them if needed!'

She didn't seem to have any intention of mediating between the two dragons. That wasn't what mattered to Hwaryeon.

'Anyway, if I combine Suryeon and Choryeon's opinions... they don't like the TV channels! So if I change to channels they want, will they watch?'

Honestly, it's not fun watching alone.

Hwaryeon picked up the remote and started changing channels. Not the usual channels, but a variety of different ones.

Hwaryeon shouted loudly to get the children's attention.

"Wow, there's nature on TV! Pretty Cure is on too! Anyone want to watch?!"

At this, the children who showed interest in Hwaryeon's actions gathered in front of the TV.

"This looks interesting."

"I think so too, Ms. Suryeon."

"...? What did you just say?"

"Nothing, Suryeon unnie. I misspoke. It was a slip of the tongue."

"Hmm..."

There was a subtle tension between the two dragons. Still, the two dragons soon started focusing on the TV.

Although it wasn't the channel Hwaryeon usually enjoyed, she found it much more fun than watching TV alone.

'I hate to admit it, but TV is definitely more fun when watched together!'

Today, Hwaryeon learned the joy of compromising and doing things together.

Although still clumsy, Hwaryeon was unknowingly learning and practicing the behaviors of an older sister.

Meanwhile, the gears between the younger siblings weren't meshing smoothly, but that's another story.