[Chapter 207]
[A New Star (2)]
A son was born.
The world rejoiced at the news of Eun-ha's son being born.
[Congratulations!
It was even reported in the newspapers and in the evening news' entertainment section.
The child received all kinds of blessings as soon as he was born.
Of course, the child, who spent most of his 24 hours sleeping, didn't know how much he was being blessed.
"Baby, are you sleeping?"
"Pipi pipi papa..."
"Be quiet." "Pupu..."
"Kang."
Eun-ha frequently checked on the child.
He looked contentedly at the baby Han Seo-hyeon was holding.
The baby was sound asleep.
Just as breastfeeding seemed to end, he had fallen asleep.
Not wanting to disturb the baby's deep sleep, Eun-ha earnestly asked Buldak and Kang, who had followed him, to be quiet.
"Lalala♪"
While Buldak and Kang were rambunctious, Lala was very well-behaved.
So Eun-ha remained still even when he saw Lala gently touch the baby's cheek.
Buldak and Kang sulked at this.
Eun-ha paid no attention to them.
"The baby looks more like a person now. When I first saw his face, I thought his head shape was ugly."
"That's because he was in my belly and then came out of the uterus. But how can you say your child is ugly? Parents should praise their child no matter what they do."
"Okay, I'll remember that. He's very pretty now."
"Because he takes after me."
"Which part takes after me?"
"The part that takes after you... Ah, did you just see? His yawning takes after you."
"..."
"His toes take after you too."
Han Seo-hyeon was joking.
Eun-ha made a blank expression.
Yet he couldn't take his eyes off her holding the baby.
He had always thought she was pretty.
But now, after giving birth, breastfeeding the child, and putting him to sleep, she seemed sacred.
It felt like light was emanating from her and the child.
Dad's words were exactly right.
My wife and child are nothing short of angels.
Eun-ha strongly agreed.
"So have you thought about the child's name?"
It was then.
Han Seo-hyeon asked.
Eun-ha snapped back to attention.
Han Seo-hyeon had been telling Eun-ha to decide on a name since before giving birth.
It was a difficult task for Eun-ha.
"I've thought of a few, but wouldn't it be better to leave it to our parents or your mother? They seemed to want to name the baby themselves..."
"No. You must name our first child. That way you'll continue to feel attached to this child."
"Ugh..."
Even though he was already feeling attached.
Han Seo-hyeon still seemed uneasy and made Eun-ha name the child.
The funny thing was that her opinion convinced Eun-ha's family.
In the end, Eun-ha had no choice but to think hard and come up with a name.
"I have one in mind for a son, how about Yuseong? Noh Yuseong."
"Noh Yuseong?"
"Yes, Noh Yuseong."
Eun-ha nodded.
Since his own name was related to the universe, he wanted to give the child a name related to the universe as well.
So, between shooting star and comet.
Eun-ha chose shooting star (yuseong).
"Comet (hyeseong) is good too, but I like the sound of this better."
"Yuseong. Hmm, not bad. So you're thinking of using 'Yu' as the generational character?"
"That's what I'm thinking for now."
It wouldn't end with just one.
His children would be born in the future as well.
So Eun-ha thought of using 'Yu' as a generational character for broader use.
Yuri, Yuna, Yuhyeon, etc.
He could keep several names in mind.
"Yes, Yuseong is good. It's nice that it's similar to dad's name. Right, Yuseong's dad?"
"...That's right."
Han Seo-hyeon smiled slightly.
Yuseong's dad.
Eun-ha felt awkward as he newly realized the fact that he had become a father to a child.
However, just as his own father had done, he too would become a father like this, and Han Seo-hyeon would become a mother.
☆
"To think my little brother has become a father... Does that make me an aunt?"
"Wow, he's cute even when sleeping. Just like an angel."
As Han Seo-hyeon recovered her strength.
Visits to her were gradually allowed.
Today, Eun-ha's family visited.
Eun-ah and Eun-ae were preoccupied with watching Noh Yuseong sleeping in the bed.
"Well, I guess I'm at an age where it's not strange to be called an aunt. Some of my elementary school classmates have recently gotten married..."
"So are you saying you want to get married too, noona? No, you don't have to yet. Why do you want to do that?"
"Look at this guy. You've already been married three times, yet you're lecturing me."
Noh Eun-ah was now 30 years old.
Perhaps that's why she seemed to have all sorts of thoughts while looking at the child.
Eun-ha sensed her emotions and quickly intervened.
"There's no good person around you anyway. You should enjoy your freedom fully while you're single. You won't be able to live freely after marriage, so there's no need to be tied down by marriage already. Besides, noona, whenever you want, there will be men lining up..."
"So you're saying you're not living freely after marrying me."
"...When did I say that? I'm saying that's how it is for other people."
"Which other people?"
"..."
"Yuseong, your dad is really hopeless, right? But don't worry. Even though your dad is like that, mom will support us."
Eun-ha argued passionately with Eun-ah.
Then Han Seo-hyeon asked Eun-ha with a sharp gaze.
Eun-ha flinched and had to scramble to appease her mood.
"Sigh, my brother hasn't changed even after becoming a father."
Noh Eun-ah's sigh was an added bonus.
She took her eyes off the two and took a picture of the sleeping Noh Yuseong.
It was then.
"Ah, he opened his eyes."
Noh Eun-ae spoke.
The child who was sleeping soundly opened his eyes.
"Aww aww."
"Ah, so cute. Look at the baby smiling. Hello, Yuseong? I'm Aunt Eun-ae. From now on, Aunt Eun-ae will play with you a lot!"
"Kyaa, he's so cute."
The child smiled brightly.
Eun-ae's face lit up, and Eun-ah made a high-pitched sound as she tried to make eye contact with the child.
"He cried when he saw dad's face, but he smiles when he sees noona and Eun-ae's faces."
"Your father was very depressed. Well, he cried when he saw my father's face too. He cried when he saw my sister's face as well."
Eun-ha and Han Seo-hyeon were amazed.
They chatted about what had happened recently.
Father and father-in-law rushed to the hospital as soon as they finished work.
The two were delighted to see the child.
But they had to leave feeling depressed when the child burst into tears and made a fuss upon seeing them.
Of course, the child couldn't properly recognize objects yet.
Our dad is strange too. To be so sad over a baby crying...
By the way, Yuseong smiles well at women. Is it because he's a boy?
Ah, there were exceptions like my sister-in-law.
It was just the baby's instinctive behavior.
But parents were the ones who arbitrarily assigned meaning to every action of the child.
Eun-ha was no exception.
Then he suddenly remembered.
"Eun-ae, can you tell what Yuseong is saying now with your Gift?"
"Huh? Umm..."
When Eun-ae carefully held Yuseong after getting Han Seo-hyeon's permission.
Eun-ha asked her.
Eun-ae smiled along with the child and then listened to the child's emotions.
Then she said with a bright smile.
"He says he's going to poop!"
"""..."""
Shortly after she said that.
The child defecated.
Eun-ha had to change the diaper.
☆
After that, many people came to see the child.
One day, Bruno and Julieta came with their mother.
"Babies are really cute. How can they be so small? Bruno, say something too."
"Hmm..."
Julieta was talkative.
She exchanged greetings with Han Seo-hyeon and her eyes sparkled when she saw the child.
The child happened to be awake.
She handed the child to Bruno.
Bruno took the child, drawing on his experience of raising Avenier.
He held out his finger to the child.
The child grabbed it firmly.
A smile appeared on his lips.
"He has a good grip."
"...Really?"
Eun-ha was dumbfounded.
Even if he was blinded by love, he wouldn't think like Bruno.
But Bruno seemed different.
He spoke as if he had made up his mind.
"When this child grows up, I'll teach him martial arts so he can protect himself later."
"Ah, yes... Yuseong will like that a lot."
Bruno, the technical advisor of Pandora Clan.
He was sometimes a person who drove clan members harder than even Eun-ha.
Eun-ha felt sorry for the child's future.
Anyway, such things happened.
"─Wow, Yuseong is awake today?"
"Yuseong, have you been well?"
One day, Yoo Jung and Jung Ha-yang came to visit.
The two adored Yuseong just like others had done.
Rather, they tried to treat the child as if they had become mothers themselves.
Han Seo-hyeon smiled from her bed as she watched the two.
Then she said:
"You two should hurry and have children too. While I'm bedridden like this..."
"Even if we want to, Eun-ha comes to see you whenever he has a chance."
"Hmm, I'd like to have one too if I could."
"Haha..."
Three gazes poured down.
Eun-ha subtly avoided their gazes.
Especially Jung Ha-yang and Yoo Jung were persistent.
The two were staring at Eun-ha's face as if piercing through it.
"You should quickly make a sibling for Yuseong. Right, Yu-jung?"
"That's right. Yuseong will be very lonely growing up alone."
Such things happened.
Han Seo-hyeon just watched.
The child just smiled brightly.
Eun-ha was troubled.
I'm going to be overwhelmed by childcare at this rate...
Maybe I should quit being a Clan Lord and become a childcare master.
Eun-ha couldn't deny the imagination he had jokingly thought of.
☆
On this day, Pandora Clan members came.
Because there were so many clan members, they came in groups.
So Ariel, Kaede, Ryu Yeon-hwa, Jo Ara, Iriya, and Ha Baek-ryeon came to visit.
Their reactions were all the same.
"Baby! Ariel noona who just finished a performance is here!"
"Get her out. Or put a mask on her mouth."
"Wubwub...!"
With a bang.
Ariel entered noisily.
Kaede took out a mask from her pocket as if she was used to it now.
She put it on Ariel's mouth, sealing her voice.
"Wuub..."
"Be quiet."
Ariel struggled.
But she couldn't take off the artifact made by Byeok Hae-su by herself.
She couldn't take it off unless Kaede removed it.
In the end, Ariel had to greet the child while wearing the mask.
The child seemed to like it and played with her hand.
"He's cute, though I've seen him in pictures. Is this really Noh Eun-ha's second generation?"
"Of course."
"Child, you must grow up to be a good person unlike your dad. You'll listen to auntie, right?"
Jo Ara's face softened.
The child reached out to her.
As if asking to be held.
Jo Ara was moved and carefully held the child.
"He's soft and squishy. So cute."
"He takes after me, right?"
"Yeah, he takes after you, Eun-ha. Here, his feet, and ah, he's yawning now."
Ryu Yeon-hwa also held the child.
The child in her arms unhesitatingly put his hand on her chest.
Ryu Yeon-hwa couldn't hide her smile at the child's behavior, as if he was mistaking her for Han Seo-hyeon.
Meanwhile, Ha Baek-ryeon leaned her head towards the child.
"Is this uncle's child?"
"Yes. Isn't he cute?"
"He's cute because he takes after Seo-hyeon unnie."
"Ah, right..."
"What will he call me when he grows up?"
"Well... I guess he'll call you noona? Since you're his older sister, from now on, Baek-ryeon, you should become a great older sister."
Eun-ha chuckled.
In a way, the child had gained absolute power.
He would have the future Fairy as his older sister in this world.
He was born holding a spoon that no one else in this country could have.
"But why are you just standing there?"
"What, what should I..."
Then Eun-ha's gaze turned to Kaede.
Her eyes were sparkling.
But as if trying to maintain her dignity, she wasn't trying to hold the child.
Her face showed she was conflicted.
Eun-ha made her hold the child.
"You hold him too."
"..."
"Isn't he cute?"
"He is."
The child grabbed Kaede's hair.
Kaede looked at the child with loving eyes.
Her face melted.
It looked like she was about to melt completely.
It seemed she had thrown away her dignity.
So Eun-ha felt like teasing Kaede more.
"You can't take him home in your pocket."
"Noh Eun-ha..."
"No, just know that."
"I hope your son doesn't grow up to be a prankster like you."
Phew.
Kaede clicked her tongue.
She frowned when looking at Eun-ha but softened her face again when looking at the child.
☆
Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province.
The woman who finished her day's work could finally go home.
"Sigh... Why am I working so foolishly for such a measly salary."
The woman lamented her situation.
Working as an administrative officer for Yongin Clan, she was dissatisfied with her life.
The wages were low, and work hours ended late every day, so it was understandable.
But what could she do?
This was her fate.
"It's really hard to live as a person."
The woman grew up in an orphanage.
Thrown into the survival of the fittest world called society right after graduating middle school, she had to live buried in work like this.
Yet life didn't seem to be getting any better.
I don't know if it's this country that's wrong, or if I'm wrong.
Should I look for another job?
Thinking about this month's utilities, rent, and phone bill, there wouldn't be much money left to use.
She sighed deeply.
She felt like going to Gwanghwamun and staging a protest.
But she didn't have time for that.
Above all, she knew well what had happened to the PKK Group that had recently staged protests.
She too would have been branded as a social outcast if she had been tempted to participate in the protests.
"Sigh, I should go home for now. There's not much time to clean, so I'll just have a can of beer and go to sleep. There's not much time to sleep either."
It's nothing short of an evil corporation.
She thought about changing jobs to Pandora Clan, which was said to have quite good welfare benefits, using her experience.
"I heard Pandora Clan only looks at ability... Maybe even someone like me could apply."
As she left the convenience store.
The woman walked staggering.
With her shoulders drooping, she muttered and decided to go home for now.
Her body felt heavy.
She felt dead tired.
It was then.
"Huh?"
She paused.
A strange energy was detected.
Though not a player, she knew how to handle mana quite well.
Her intuition was telling her.
That a distortion had occurred nearby.
I should report this to the clan.
Who was on duty today?
The woman looked at the alley.
No monster seemed to have appeared.
If so, it would be better to accurately report after assessing the size of the distortion.
The woman who was discontented with society was, quite paradoxically, diligent, exemplary, and righteous.
She moved her steps towards the alley, her heels clicking.
What is this?
Soon she discovered the distortion.
She frowned.
It was strange for a distortion.
She examined the purple energy and was about to make a call.
Right then─.
"─...!!"
A new distortion occurred.
It suddenly appeared behind her back.
She was startled by this phenomenon she was experiencing for the first time.
But whether she was startled or not, the two distortions combined into one according to their attractive properties.
In the process─.
─Whoosh!!
She was engulfed as well.
The distortion swallowed her.
That day, the Mana Management Agency's Surveillance Bureau observed a massive distortion in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province.