Chapter 95: Goodbye, Mangmung (2)

Choryeon, who had been passionately shouting about environmental protection, started to show interest in animal rights as well. Choryeon locked herself in the bathroom and shouted, protesting strongly.

"Father! Mangmung has rights too! He has the right to choose his own owner!"

"Woof woof-!"

Choryeon demonstrated a strong struggle with the door as her wall. Seeing this, I clutched my rumbling stomach and thought.

'...I'm dying to use the bathroom. Of all times, the protest had to overlap with this.'

If this continues, something terrible might happen.

A situation where Dad's authority gets completely shattered might occur.

I decided to try negotiating by carefully knocking on the door.

Knock knock-

"Choryeon. Can you hear Dad?"

"Yes, speak!"

"I don't think it's good to talk while hiding in the bathroom. How about we negotiate face to face?"

First, get her out of the bathroom. I carefully asked with that goal in mind.

However, Choryeon's response was cold.

"No! If I open the door, you'll take Mangmung away! I'm against it!"

"Woof woof-!"

This isn't easy. I broke out in a cold sweat at Choryeon's iron-clad attitude.

"...Alright. Let's talk like this then."

"Yes!"

"Then Choryeon. When we brought Mangmung home, you remember we agreed to keep him only until we found an owner, right?"

"...Lying is bad so I won't do it! Of course I remember!"

As expected of the good Choryeon. At this, I decided to calmly develop my logic.

"But the period of finding an owner for Mangmung has gotten quite long. No suitable person willing to be Mangmung's owner has appeared."

"M-Mangmung can hear everything! Please be careful!"

"..."

This isn't easy. I gently rubbed my stomach and squeezed out my voice with as much patience as possible.

"Anyway. The time we've been keeping Mangmung has gotten long. You've become friends with Mangmung during that time, but... since a new owner has appeared, I think we need to let Mangmung go."

"What Father says is right...! But Mangmung doesn't think so! Mangmung says he wants to stay with me!"

"Even though the new owner is completely rich? Even though he can eat meat whenever he wants?"

"...!!"

Did my words have an effect this time? A strange reaction occurred inside the bathroom.

"M-Mangmung! Don't drool! Don't fall for such words!"

"Woof..."

"Ahem, anyway, Mangmung says he wants to stay with me!"

I quickly spoke, taking advantage of the internal conflict.

"Mangmung seems to think differently."

"N-No!"

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I can understand Mangmung's heart! If you don't know, study!!"

Damn. The conversation returned to square one. And my stomach feels like it's about to burst.

At that moment, Hwaryeon, who had been quietly watching from behind, came forward and said to me.

"Dad, let's just keep Mangmung! Why do we have to send Mangmung to another human?! I'm against it too!"

"You've finally been contaminated by Choryeon's ideology, Hwaryeon..."

"No, I haven't!! Don't treat me the same as her!!"

Grit, grit-

Hwaryeon flared up angrily at being treated the same.

"I just want to tease Mangmung! It's fun to bully him when I'm bored! And we can eat him later if we get hungry!"

"...Is Mangmung emergency food?"

"Kind of like that!"

Hwaryeon declared proudly as she said this.

"And I don't want to give Mangmung to another human! It feels bad!"

"..."

I thought only Choryeon was like that. It seems Hwaryeon has also grown quite attached to Mangmung in her own way.

'This is why you shouldn't bring a dog home carelessly.'

You become attached without even realizing it. And is Suryeon the same?

Suryeon wiped my cold sweat and said.

"I don't want to give Mangmung to another human either. It's better if we raise him ourselves."

"...Suryeon, you're on that side too."

"I'm different from them. I'm confident I can raise him well."

Swish-

Suryeon showed me her Tamagotchi screen as evidence. The appearance of Mold #3 had changed from before.

"This is..."

"I succeeded in evolving it. I raised Mold #3 too. Raising one Mangmung is very easy."

Puff-

Suryeon's shoulders rose high. It seems her self-esteem has increased a lot after raising Mold #3.

"Anyway, I want to keep raising Mangmung, Dad. There's no need to give Mangmung to another human."

"...Everyone except Dad thinks the same."

"I don't like being on the same side as Choryeon, but that's how it is."

Did Suryeon's words reach the bathroom? Choryeon shouted loudly from inside the bathroom.

"What are you saying, Suryeon! That's too much!"

"Don't talk to me, Lee Choryeon. I'm different from you."

Suryeon said this and walked back to her seat, pressing the Tamagotchi buttons.

At this, I put my hand on my stomach and pondered. I was getting close to my limit.

'I never intended to keep him from the start. Is this why parents quickly chased away dogs or cats when we brought them home?'

Dogs and cats make you get attached too quickly.

Without realizing it, I find myself wondering where they are, and I get startled if I don't see them around. Maybe that's why my parents immediately chased away the scruffy cat I brought home when I was young.

"There was a reason for everything."

Is there no choice?

I gently rubbed my stomach, which was reaching its limit, and knocked on the door.

Knock knock-

"Choryeon."

"

Yes, Father."

"Let's keep Mangmung at our house."

With those words, the door opened carefully. Choryeon and Mangmung peeked their faces through the door gap and looked at me.

"Is that true? We're keeping Mangmung?"

"Woof woof-?"

Two pairs of clear eyes looking at me pitifully. I smiled slightly and answered.

"Yes, let's keep him at our house. The house is a bit small, but it should be fine until Mangmung grows up."

"Is that really true!? Father! I love you!"

"Woof woof-!!"

Whoosh-!!

Choryeon and Mangmung burst out of the bathroom and charged towards me. I fell backwards, embracing them.

'W-Wait, my stomach hurts...'

Not knowing about my condition, Choryeon rubbed her face against my chest, and Mangmung eagerly licked my face.

"Thank you, Father! Thank you for listening to me! As expected of Father! I love you!!"

"Woof woof-!!"

Rub rub-

Choryeon rubbed her face against me as a sign of gratitude. I patted their heads and slowly said.

"Yes, be grateful. Dad finally made a big decision."

More importantly,

"Dad's stomach hurts, so could you move aside now...?"

I need to use the bathroom. The kids continued doing what they wanted, not listening to me at all.

"I love you, Father! Really!!"

"Woof woof-!"

...When will I be able to go to the bathroom?

I couldn't move until Suryeon appeared and peeled Choryeon off me. Still, this negotiation could be considered quite successful as Dad's authority wasn't compromised, and we got to keep Mangmung.

'It was already tough with three, and now we have one more.'

But still, the studio apartment felt more lively than before.

Maybe it was because I was sitting on the toilet, but I felt pretty good.

***

With Mangmung joining as a new family member, we decided to eat meat for dinner after a long time. Pork neck grilled diligently by Hwaryeon's direct fire.

I put the pork neck on a plate and set it on the table.

"Everyone, enjoy your meal."

"You don't need to tell me, I'll enjoy it anyway!"

"I'll eat well."

"I'll eat well!"

Hwaryeon ate the meat. Suryeon mixed various side dishes appropriately, and Choryeon ate rice with tofu and seaweed. The kids had their dinner in their own preferred ways.

"At this rate, I might become a chef. It's like a course meal."

I wonder if the kids know how hard I'm trying. Even if they don't know now, they'll surely know later.

I smiled while thinking about their future. Then, I put some meat I had set aside on a plate and looked down.

"Woof woof-!!"

"You were waiting, Mangmung. Sorry for making you wait long."

I put the plate with meat on the floor. Mangmung approached the plate, spinning his tail propeller. I picked up a piece of meat and held out my hand to Mangmung.

"Hello, Mangmung. Welcome to our family."

"Woof-!"

Mangmung put his paw on my outstretched hand. He really was a smart one.

I gave him the pork I had picked up as a form of praise, and Mangmung took the meat and started his dinner.

"He eats well, just like his owners."

"Woof woof-!"

Family is formed by eating at the same time, in the same place. We're family members eating together under the same roof.

In fact, even if I didn't acknowledge it, Mangmung was probably already part of our family. I just didn't know it.

'Looking with a child's pure heart, they probably already thought of him as family.'

Tsk-

I've become unnecessarily sentimental after raising kids. Thinking this, I turned my gaze back to the dining table.

"Hey, Lee Hwaryeon! Leave some meat for Dad!"

"I'm going to eat it all! Roar!"

"You're not a Red Dragon, but a Red Pig."

"Eating only meat isn't good for your body, Hwaryeon!"

The dinner table became even more chaotic, but I didn't think it was bad. Rather, I liked that the atmosphere was livelier.

"Everyone be quiet and just eat!"

As I said this, a smile bloomed on my face.