Eat The World Tree

-Moksim January Issue: New Year’s Sister-in-Law’s Warm Floor Tofu Edition.

-“Brother-in-law, we’re one melon short today.” Stories of trees entangled in unspeakable circumstances. Let’s delve into their profound stories that emerge.

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Dendrophilia.

A kind of mental illness that one would never expect to encounter in a lifetime was considered a very normal and relatively healthy hobby here.

It’s so naturally accepted that even a middle school girl running around with an adult magazine was not seen as a problem.

“Thank you~ Big brother! I really wanted this!”

The half-distracted gaze she had while looking at the magazines was quite striking.

‘That such magazines are sold to minors.’

The future of this country seemed bleak.

Where was this magazine company that churned out such content? Reading each precious line makes me desperately wish for a brainwash.

-Hurry and unclog my water pipe.

-The tofu seller’s anus is soft and mushy.

Was this the feeling of those who encountered the abyss and went mad?

I couldn’t even laugh anymore.

Just looking at the cover made me feel like I was losing my mind, but our representative consumer, little Hwangdo, was still staring intently at the cover of Moksim, as if each sentence perfectly suited her taste.

“I’m so happy…”

Well, as long as she was happy. No matter how strange it was, it’s a preference.

Seeing Hwangdo’s genuinely happy face, I felt like I was sharing a bit of that vitality.

“I’m really happy about it, but nothing’s going to happen tomorrow, right? The gods might get angry.”

“Don’t worry unnecessarily, let’s just buy a gift for Baekdo.”

“Ah, right, I forgot.”

Hwangdo quickly clung back to my side with a realization.

Sneaking her arm around mine was a familiar act.

“But aren’t you and Baekdo not on good terms?”

“It’s not that we’re on good terms. Ever since I became Young Demon, she’s been picking fights with me.”

“Do you dislike Baekdo?”

“No? I actually like her.”

I immediately refuted Hwangdo’s suspicion.

No matter how much Baekdo and I couldn’t stand each other, that was in the present time.

This Baekdo was young, and here, we had no real reason to fight.

“I do want to get along. But something always seems off.”

“Mmm…”

Hwangdo murmured in response to my words, making a pained sound.

“Even if not for you, Baekdo dislikes you.”

“That’s true.”

“As long as you’re the successor of my father, he’ll probably dislike you for life. Baekdo wants Cheondo to succeed my father.”

“I know. She told me last time.”

From Dowon’s perspective, I’m just a stone that rolled in.

A boulder that brought a huge storm. Because of this, Hongyeon was wary of me.

Because of me, Cheondo might not become Cheonma.

So, I even assured Baekdo that I had no intention of becoming Cheonma. It seems that wasn’t enough.

There were various political issues with me becoming Cheonma, but Baekdo’s personal feelings probably took precedence.

“What do you think about Cheondo?”

“Cheondo?”

Hwangdo asked me with a very serious face.

“Hmm. Cheondo, huh?”

I could say it clearly.

“She’s very affectionate but doesn’t show it. She secretly takes care of people around her and thinks a lot but doesn’t show it, so she’s considered cold by others.”

Having fought Ents together and risked our lives in dungeons, I knew her well.

“She often suffers because of her nature, but she doesn’t mind. It’s rare but happens.”

Hwangdo, who was listening to all this by my side, seemed quite surprised.

“You seem to have a good eye for people. What about me?”

“Pervert.”

“…I’m not a pervert.”

After coughing a few times, Hwangdo, with her cheeks flushed red, returned to the original topic.

“Cough. Anyway, it’s similar… But Cheondo isn’t as strong as big brother says. She’s incredibly delicate. Really~ incredibly.”

Hwangdo spread her arms wide, forming a circle, implying Cheondo’s delicate nature.

I had thought that the young Cheondo from this era seemed to express his emotions quite a bit.

Hwangdo put her index finger to her lips, signaling to keep it a secret, and shushed softly.

“In fact, Cheondo is the biggest crybaby among us.”

“Crybaby?”

“When she was seven, she would cry at the slightest things, like falling leaves. Seeing a rabbit frozen to death in winter, her eyes would always turn red.”

“I see.”

“She sacrificed a lot for us. Always giving up food… She always took on tasks, helped with household chores. Everything.”

A person who was delicate yet had a brave side.

It seems her inherently kind nature has always been the same.

As Hwangdo continued, her eyes moistened, perhaps recalling those old times.

“In truth, Cheondo taking over after father was something she ended up shouldering. Baekdo and I hated training. Dad was so strict and scary during training… He’s always scary now.”

Becoming Cheonma wasn’t Cheondo’s grand ambition, it seemed.

But being the diligent Cheondo, she must have put in hard work.

“After entering training, Cheondo started living separately from us. her name disappeared, and no one knew of Cheondo anymore. And Cheondo, her personality changed a lot.”

After becoming Young Demon, she stopped crying. Her emotional expressions almost vanished.

Even towards her and Baekdo, she became quite stiff, Hwangdo said with a gloomy face.

“The training must have been really tough?”

Undoubtedly, the training was unbearable.

Thinking Cheondo underwent the same training as me, it must have been horrific for a child.

As I nodded, Hwangdo sighed more deeply, looking even sadder.

“…So Baekdo is also bothered by it. That Cheondo suffered a lot instead of us. Because it’s true.”

“So I don’t look good to her?”

“Right.”

It’s understandable for someone to be upset if they thought I was trying to take away Cheondo’s hard-earned position.

‘I wonder what Cheondo herself thinks.’

She said it didn’t bother her.

Hwangdo looked straight at me, then smirked bitterly.

“So, honestly, I feel a bit the same.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

I appreciated the honesty.

“Do you also dislike the idea of me becoming Cheonma?”

“I dislike it. But… I like it.”

“Huh?”

“If you become Cheonma, Cheondo won’t have to live like she’s in prison anymore. That’s good, but… I hate that her efforts would go to waste. Weird, right?”

Hwangdo appeared to be struggling with inner conflict.

Her droopy appearance was somewhat adorable, like a puppy.

“Because of this… you wouldn’t believe how much Baekdo and I argued. But there’s one thing I’m sure of.”

“What’s that?”

As soon as my question ended,

Hwangdo briefly set aside the gift envelope, stretched her short arms to wrap around mine, and then rubbed her cheek against my arm, looking up at me with a bright smile.

“You don’t seem like a bad person.”

Her face was like sunshine. Maybe because the day was a bit cold, I felt a warm comfort at my side.

“…I might not see Cheondo often. But you can see her often, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Then please be good to her. She’s a sister who can’t take care of herself because she’s foolish.”

Well, that’s obvious.

I had no plans of taking over as Cheonma, but perhaps there was no need to say that. Grateful for Hwangdo’s frankness, I tapped her head gently.

“Thanks. For telling me something I didn’t know.”

“Hehe. I can even show you my treasure, the first edition of Moksim, to you.”

“Why would you even have that?”

“Big sister gave it as a birthday gift… Ah. Did I not mention my big sister? The first edition of Moksim came out in nineteen fifty~”

As Hwangdo proudly recounted the history of Moksim, I played along and bought a few gifts for Baekdo to put in Hwangdo’s hands.

After visiting a few places she wanted to go, like the video room, time flew by, and it was soon time to head back.

“I don’t want to go, huh.”

When I dropped Hwangdo off in front of her house, she didn’t want to leave my embrace until the very end. It felt like watching a puppy that follows you out in the morning when you leave for work.

“Let’s go out together again sometime.”

“Really?”

Her face immediately lit up at my words, blooming like a flower.

“Sure, it’s a promise.”

Then, suddenly, Hwangdo stretched out her pinky finger. I was puzzled at first but then remembered a past event and hooked my finger with hers.

I could easily recall a song we had once sung together.

“Promise, promise. No going back on your word, okay?”

“Alright, I get it. Go inside now.”

“Wow! Have a good evening, big brother!”

Hwangdo, cheering joyously, went inside the house. She turned several times to wave vigorously at me as she went. I mimicked her cheerful gestures and watched her until she disappeared.

-Thud!

The sliding door closed, hiding Hwangdo from view.

-Rattle.

But then the door opened slightly, and a face peeked out.

“Thank you!”

The door closed again. This was repeated about five times before Hwangdo no longer appeared. Seeing a brighter and more lively side of Hwangdo than I knew made me unable to hold back my laughter.

Standing alone, I put my trembling hands in my pockets and stood in front of Hwangdo’s house for a while before I started my journey back.

“Sister!”

Awakened by Hwangdo’s echoing voice, Jin Saeyang was startled and sat up.

“What, what? What’s the matter?”

“I got this!”

Hwangdo, excited, spread out the magazines she brought back, filling Saeyang with astonishment.

“How did you get these without even going outside?”

“Big brother bought them for me.”

“Big brother?”

“Yes, such a person exists!”

What kind of crazy man bought Moksim for such a pretty kid? Even buying gold rings to impress her would be insufficient. Saeyang’s mind couldn’t fully grasp the story coming from Hwangdo’s mouth.

“So, he gifted you these? Uh… isn’t that just completely perverted?”

“Why?”

“Why? It’s obviously weird.”

Hwangdo tapped her lips with her index finger, pretending to think hard, then shook her head with a bright smile.

“Big brother isn’t a bad person.”

“Oh, really?”

“Bad people are those my sister meets on her phone…”

“Shut your mouth.”

Facts hit hard. Saeyang made a motion of wiping tears and sighed.

“Anyway, be careful choosing men. Like your sister… you know? It can lead to big trouble.”

“Big brother said the same thing.”

“Yeah. People like that big brother are the most dangerous.”

“…It didn’t seem that way to me.”

Hwangdo continued to deny.

Saeyang looked at her, tilting her eyebrows. Regardless of who Hwangdo had her mind set on, perhaps it was only right to offer some advice. Saeyang gave her sincere counsel.

“If that man isn’t strange, I’ll slit my wrists.”

Hwangdo, with her eyes wide, started to speak about that person.

“…It’s Master Young Demon, though?”

“Huh?”

That man, famous for being handsome and competent, was the subject of rumors.

Saeyang immediately closed her mouth, fearing that speaking ill might lead to being stripped and beaten for blasphemy.

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