–Important Announcement–
I’m going to continue the manhwa. This means that the LN translations will be either a lot slower or nonexistent altogether. I just read the next few chapters and… they’re too funny to leave unscanslated :3
Rangii wrapped her two legs around my neck, hugging her body to my head. Maybe it's a child's unique smell, but although it was very small, I have to emphasize that there was a definite fragrance coming from Rangii's body as she pressed her chest to my head.
"Hey! What are you doing!"
"It's an expression of my happiness!"
So you express your happiness by wrapping your legs around people's necks? Is that supposed to be a wrestling move, too?
"I can't see in front of me! Get off!"
"Then I'll go like this."
Rangii skillfully moved to be on my shoulders before I could react. Rangii's long tail wrapped itself around my chest. You should change your job from cat to monkey, seeing as you're so similar to one. Will you be happy if you got to meet Jaecheondaesong? (tn: the Monkey King Sun Wukong from the story Journey to the West).
"……you're heavy."
A young kid weights 2-30kg, so it'd be weirder if having that kind of weight on your shoulders wasn't heavy. But the one directly causing said weight is going to deny that obvious fact.
"No way! A person you love is on top of you so there's no way it's heavy?"
While saying that she hit my head multiple times. It hurts. Why are you hitting me. Did I say something weird? Is what you said not incorrect, Miss Tiger? Although if the one riding on my shoulders was Narae I'd attest to your statement, but since this monkey-like, cousin to a cat little brat is on me, how could it not be heavy.
"It seems like you're thinking of something unpleasant."
She's quite perceptive. In order to shift Rangii's attention, I grabbed the ankle of the girl hitting my head and……,
"Why are you doing that?"
She turned around energetically.
"Ack, what are you doing now?"
Then a moment after she said that.
"Kyahahaha! How fun!!"
She lied flat, beginning to scream cheerfully. I'm starting to get dizzy too, so I should stop. Since if I make a mistake it'll be dangerous. I slowed down little by little, stopping. Wow, everything's spinning. Rangii hugged my head with her legs, making sure she was sitting up on me and then collapsed. Her waist is strong.
"Was it fun?"
"Yeah! So human bodies are so weak that this makes them dizzy? But that was fun!"
"The young master is shockingly good at caring for children."
"What do you mean shockingly? I took care of my younger relatives on my mom's side so I got used to it."
"No matter where I look, that kind of personality is nonexistent."
"Thanks for the compliment."
I spoke while Rangii, who made a nest on my head, was tapping her legs on me.
"Hey, now get down. Like you said, humans are weak and get tired easily."
"Okay."
The tiger released her legs from around my neck and tumbled backwards, falling. ……what?! I turned around, surprised, but I could see Rangii had landed on all fours, and a question mark formed on her head while she looked at me.
"What's wrong?"
Ah, you're a member of the cat family.
"The clueless young master worried about Master."
"So my being worried makes me an idiot."
"I'd prefer it if you were loving rather than worried."
"Ah, that's impossible."
Love can't suddenly form just from one word. Falling in love at first sight is an exception, but I already fell in love with Narae, so I can't fall in love with you.
"Where else could you find such a lovable girl?"
Puffing out her lacking chest, she spoke proudly while tilting her head up, and while she may be lovable, something was different. Rather than love for that girl, what I felt was…… That's right, fatherly affection. I suppose you could say that it's too easy to feel fatherly affection for her. And so, holding onto all that affection,
"That's right. Our Rangii is very, very lovable."
I patted Rangii's head. Seeing Rangii smile so happily at this, it made her really look like an innocent little kid.
"Really?"
"Yes–."
Since she's a lovable little kid. Rangii clearly showed a happy expression at my words, but strangely, it disappeared after a moment,
"Then what should…… I do……"
She started muttering something I couldn't understand.
What's wrong? This is the first time I saw a kid look so down after getting complemented.
Ah, this is the tiger from Dangun mythology. Could my words or actions have brought up bad memories?
Ah, I don't know. If she doesn't tell me, then I don't have a clue. For some reason I got upset and lied down in my room. Then at that auspicious moment, a stomach grumbled.
Guruuuk—(tn: not really sure how to make the sound in English, so I just translated it from Korean)
That was my stomach. Now that I think about it, I haven't eaten anything since getting here.
"Then, please excuse me. I shall prepare a meal for the pig-like young master."
Let's filter those words through my brain. That is easily my favorite thing that Saehee said today.
"Food?"
Baduk woke up after hearing the word food.
"Will you greedily eat what I bring?"
Are you hiding some side dishes, is what I thought. (tn: not sure)
"Yeah."
"I understand."
I came to regret what I said.
A moment later. Saehee came carrying a table with enough on it to break its legs. Even at a glance, I could tell there were over 10 side dishes on it. How bourgeois. I'm not jealous! There's no way I'm jealous of how luxuriously you can fill your table! I'm just going to gracefully eat it!
But after that well-endowed table was laid in front of me, rather than pick up a spoon, I raised a finger to ask Saehee a question.
"…..what is this."
"It is grilled salamander. Marinated, barbecued salamander."
"Then this."
"It is steamed snake. Recently caught with its internal organs removed, braised to keep taste and nutrition. Even the shape was perfectly preserved."
"And this."
"Deer antlers."
"That?"
"The gallbladder of a bear."
"That?"
"Centipede blanched in boiling water wrapped with kimchi made 3 years ago into bossam. (tn: Korean style of eating pork. Try Wikipedia)
I wanted to flip the table.
"What kind of side dishes are these! Are you making it so I only eat rice!!"
Even a frog's side dishes would be better!
"It is not good to be picky."
"That's right, being picky is bad! And I'm not picky!"
I was raised by an ill-tempered dad and my mother whose days spent at home I can count with one hand; I wouldn't have survived if I were picky about side dishes. But, but who can eat this stuff?! Do you think I'm a person from TV? This is clearly a dangerous animal. Did it seem like I was going to say "this is vital protein" and eat it?! Are you going to record Man VS Phantom? How the hell am I supposed to eat this!
"Who could eat this!"
"Looks great."
"Looks really extravagant."
I'm sorry. The residents are phantoms. Seeing Baduk eyeing the barbecued salamander and Rangii concentrating her sight on the bear gallbladder, it felt like I was Alice in a strange world.
"Say, Saehee."
"Yes, young master."
"I'm a human? A normal one at that until yesterday."
And I saw some shocking things, so I thought I'd finally started to revolt. Why, you may ask? Because before my eyes, I saw Saehee's eyes widen and her hand cover her open mouth as her brain comprehend this distorted information!
"Is, is that so?"
She's also stuttering?!
"I had always thought the young master was a thoughtless, moronic human."
"……Even if you say I'm a thoughtless, moronic human, I can't eat that."
"I understand. Then I will prepare the food again."
I spoke to Saehee while she was getting up.
"No, you don't have to. Well, I'll just eat it this time."
I may have difficulty eating such impactful side dishes, but if I look closely, I can see a few seasoned vegetables there. I had been holding a spoon, thinking I would eat like this without realizing that fact. There were only my eating utensils on the table.
"You're not eating?"
Rangii answered my question.
"We're going to eat in the kitchen so do not worry."
"Why?"
"That is proper etiquette."
Like I said, what era are you from.
"Who does that these days? Let's just eat together."
Rangii spoke, embarrassed.
"No, it's etiquette. We cannot do that."
……even though you're worrying over this now.
"Eating alone makes the food taste bad. Saehee."
"Yes, young master."
"Prepare the table so Rangii, Baduk, and you can all eat."
"What? Me too?"
Baduk looked questioningly at me. Why are you doing that?
"But I can just eat the mixed up leftovers?"
Ah, that's right, you're a dog.
Hm?
……ah.
Mother. Your son is finally treating a house-sized phantom, a phantom transformed into a human, like a normal dog.
If I saw Baduk eating my leftovers all mixed up in a dog bowl, I would lose something important to humans, so I'll have to make her eat with us by force.
"That's enough and just eat together."
"Yes, young master."
She may have made it seem like she refused once, but a little later, her tail was wagging and her head was nodding. She's not happy just because she gets to eat food sooner, right? Saehee left the room for a moment. Saehee came carrying rice, utensils, and more side dishes for me to eat on a tray and set them on the table. If you had that, you should have brought it out earlier. I let out a small sigh and held my spoon (tn: the original Korean literally says "eating utensil").
"Then let's eat."
"Yeah."
"Yes."
"Thank you for the meal~."
I heard each respective reply and with my spoon in hand…… but I put it immediately down and hit the tiger in the head.
"Ow?! Why are you hitting me? You're not even bothering Baduk while we're eating!"
That's because you're a tiger.
"Who eats food with their hands?"
Is this India? Look at who's next to you. Baduk's eating while using her utensils like a civilized phantom! She is eating a little too fast, but never mind that. How can a tiger not do what a dog can? (tn: not 100% accurate)
"What's weird about eating with my hands? I'm a tiger!"
"Ah, yes. You're a tiger who changed into a human. If you're going to eat like that, change back into a tiger."
"……is that okay?"
I only said one thing to Rangii who was carefully studying my expression and whose hair was creating a question mark.
"If you are, then go back to the cave."
"Uwuuuh-. How mean. Suddenly saying that, Sunghoon you're mean-."