Eat The World Tree

I woke up late, and Cheondo was sitting by the bed, reading a book from an unknown source, waiting for me.

[Captivating Disciples]

A title that seemed likely to linger in memory for some reason.

“Are you awake?”

I nodded at Cheondo’s casual question, and she gestured for me to tidy up my clothes. As I buttoned up and straightened my attire, Cheondo, who had been watching, closed her book and picked up the luggage beside the bed.

“Are you ready? There’s nothing else to do, right?”

It was her way of saying we had enough fun, and it was time to stop fooling around and slowly head back. I couldn’t leave my daughter alone any longer and nodded, but then a good idea popped into my head.

My daughter. I had been too busy to play with her properly. Could this really be called a family relationship when there were no proper memories of her father? Impossible. Children need many experiences for emotional development when they are young.

“Master, can we bring Shiba?”

I immediately asked Cheondo, and she shrugged as if it was not a big deal.

“But why suddenly?”

Why, indeed.

“Shouldn’t I play the role of a father? Taking her to the zoo on a day like this will ensure I’m not ignored when she’s an adult later.”

“So, the academy doesn’t matter to you.”

It was only a natural part of life to get by with a few tricks. Who knows when we will die? Would a few days of enjoyment really be such a flaw? Rather, we had been too busy until now.

Jin Dallae showed a photo of Lee Shiheon on her phone to Shiba, who was wearing a chick pajama.

“Try to imitate this. Daddy.”

“Dad-dy.”

Hugging the phone with Lee Shiheon’s photo, Shiba smiled and pulled it close. Her body had grown to resemble that of a 5-year-old child. The sprout on her head had shrunk, and small branches had sprouted on either side of her head—a typical appearance of a first-generation tree person. However, her rapid growth did not match her language learning, which was still underdeveloped.

“Chirp, chirp.”

Shiba rubbed her cheek against the phone with the photo. Startled when the screen switched to another photo, she cried out.

“Squeak!”

When the photo was switched back, she laughed merrily.

‘Isn’t it strange to learn so much in just a few days?’

At least she wanted to teach her the word ‘daddy’ before leaving. Born not long ago, she seemed to understand the meaning but couldn’t speak the words.

‘She’ll get it soon, right?’

The growth of a tree person far exceeded that of humans. Jin Dallae believed that Shiba would soon be able to speak, especially since she was Lee Shiheon’s intelligent daughter. Korean, being an easier language, would be quickly mastered once she started speaking.

Until now, communication was just squeaks and chirps, but that couldn’t last forever. If Shiba learned to speak, she might be able to gain Lee Shiheon’s favor.

Jin Dallae imagined Lee Shiheon’s face when he heard Shiba speak. She also remembered the pain in her cheek from that time. She wasn’t sure why that memory came to mind, but she naturally brought her hand to her cheek and smiled.

-Knock, knock, knock.

The sudden sound of knocking. Shiba, hugging the phone, ran to the front door, chirping.

“Squeak, chirp!”

“Don’t run like that.”

Since she had just received a message from Lee Shiheon, Shiba’s expectations would not be shattered. Wearing a light negligee that wasn’t see-through, Jin Dallae opened the door of the dormitory.

A familiar mask and another strange smile.

“Long time-”

“Squeeeeeak!”

Just as Jin Dallae and Lee Shiheon were about to greet each other, Shiba, who had jumped more than a meter high, hugged Lee Shiheon tightly. She was so happy that tears formed in her eyes. At a glance, it looked like Jin Dallae might have harmed Shiba.

‘I wasn’t that bad to her…’

She provided the cleanest and most nutritious water and food; though not excellent, education and even toys were given. During the time when she was worried about misunderstandings, Lee Shiheon gently stroked Shiba’s head and spoke kindly.

“Our daughter, do you like that?”

His voice dripped with honey. It was a tone she had not heard from him for the first time since meeting him.

“Squeak~”

“Which part do you like?”

“Squeeeeeak!”

Everything!

It seemed as if she was saying that. Hearing her happy cries, she was sure there would be no misunderstandings. Watching the father and daughter rubbing cheeks, Jin Dallae, standing at the entrance, eventually couldn’t help but chuckle with her arms crossed.

“Hehe.”

“Why?”

“Just because it’s nice to see.”

“Is that so? Well, our Shiba is pretty indeed.”

Thinking about it, it was astonishing. The fat man she saw during the entrance exam, before the opening ceremony, now had a daughter and lives a respectable life. And this all happened not long after they first met.

Yet, looking at Lee Shiheon now, it felt like he had been with her for a long time. Maybe it was because the changes were too extreme, or maybe because the density of experiences they shared was high.

Tired from taking care of Shiba, fatigue suddenly hit her. Yawning, Jin Dallae covered her mouth with her hand and turned around.

“Good job on the training.”

“Oh, right.”

What else did he want to say? She just wanted to rest.

“I’m going out with Shiba, do you want to come? I was going to go with Master, but she wants to rest.”

Jin Dallae nodded. Her desire to rest disappeared in an instant.

“I kind of want to rest now. My back hurts for some reason…”

Though their bodies were different, maybe certain sensations were connected. When Cheondo said that, I had to avert my gaze. Hwangdo seems to be sleeping soundly. Fearing only Baekdo might appear if the body changed, I quickly stopped by the dormitory and took Shiba and Jin Dallae out.

“Thank you~.”

Entering the zoo with the tickets, Shiba’s eyes widened. In front of her were numerous species of beautiful animals. Some were showing off their manes, others flaunting their unique patterned spots. Their appearance stimulated the imagination of a child. Feeling the strength in Shiba’s tiny fist holding my hand, I knew she was excited.

Jin Dallae, watching us, spoke from behind.

“…Is it really okay for me to join?”

“Why not?”

“It’s a rare chance for you and Shiba to be alone…”

“Do we really need to think about that while playing?”

“Is that so?”

She was worried about intruding on their time, but it seemed Shiba didn’t mind. She was more interested in the people passing by than the animals. It seemed like it was her first time seeing such a crowd.

“What do you want to see first?”

“Squeak, chirp?”

Shiba, clutching the hem of my pants, looked around at the people. Lifting her up in my arms, she grinned at the elevated view.

“Squeak~!”

She found everything fascinating. For me and Jin Dallae, this moment existed for Shiba.

Where to start? We began by casually walking around and exploring.

A lion strutting proudly across the dirt with its rough mane and a tiger roaring with dignity. These animals, often seen on TV but new to Shiba, were shown to her one by one.

-Growl!

“Squeak?!”

Startled by the confrontation between two tigers, Shiba clutched me tightly.

“Squeak… Squeak!”

“She’s scared.”

“Yeah.”

Rhinos, hippos, giraffes, penguins.

Certainly, in a society where magic was prevalent, there were far more animals in this zoo compared to the one in my world. Perhaps it was because magic made creating environments for the animals easier.

“Ah.”

Jin Dallae, leading the way, suddenly stopped at one spot. In a well-decorated enclosure, there were small and cute white bundles moving around. With their ears perked up, the rabbits were nibbling on something like carrots, tilting their heads cutely as they looked at us.

“Rabbits are nice.”

“Yes.”

I put Shiba down inside the enclosure. Intrigued by the rabbits, Shiba extended her tiny hand.

-Chirp?

Accustomed to human hands, a rabbit rubbed its head against Shiba’s small hand.

“Squeak?”

-Chirp?

“Squeak!”

Pleased with the softness, Shiba knelt down in the sand and hugged the rabbit. Then she looked up at me, spreading out one hand.

“Dad-dy. Dad!”

“Seems like she wants to be held?”

Tilting my head, Jin Dallae was the first to translate Shiba’s words.

“Really?”

Did I understand her? I prided myself on understanding Shiba’s language well, but I couldn’t quite catch what she just said. She hugged Shiba, who was sandwiched between me and the rabbit, and cried happily.

“Squeak~”

“Really.”

“But we’ve been together for several days now.”

I stroked her soft hair, and Shiba smiled happily, content with the present moment. Children were simple, but I felt guilty for not caring for her better.

Jin Dallae, watching us happily, then looked back at the rabbits.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”

A somewhat bittersweet statement. Perhaps she had come here with her father before. Seeing me with Shiba might have reminded her of the past.

‘Well, that’s that.’

I returned the rabbit and put Shiba on Jin Dallae’s shoulder.

“Squeak?”

“Wait, what are you doing?”

“What should we see next?”

There was still plenty of time. There was a mountain of things to show Shiba.

“We might not see everything today. We’ll have to come back. Let’s come together.”

Jin Dallae looked stunned for a moment at my words, then stared at me and soon smiled.

“…Okay.”

We continued strolling near the zoo.

Sharing cotton candy with my daughter,

Laughing together after getting splashed while touching dolphins,

Fun times passed quickly, and our zoo visit was over before we knew it.

“Squeak! Squeak!”

Shiba, riding on my shoulders, joyfully shouted and playfully kicked her legs. Her hands resting on my head felt warm.

“Shall we head back?”

“Yes, we’ve seen everything.”

The zoo was about to close. Jin Dallae also seemed to agree. The sky, tinged with the sunset, glowed with orange hues. It was the perfect time to head back to the dormitory.

“We had a lot of fun, even though it’s exam period.”

“Breaking the routine is always fun.”

Watching YouTube during exam periods was just as enjoyable. Adding that, Jin Dallae giggled, bringing her index finger to her lips.

“Squeak~ Squeak~”

Listening to Shiba’s singing, we walked along the sidewalk. Before long, the motel where Baekdo would be was in sight.

Then, a voice came from beside me.

“Oh, right. I have something to tell you.”

“Again? You always have something to say when you meet me.”

“Pfft, that’s not it.”

Whether it was apologizing for this or that. I didn’t know why she felt so guilty when I had made just as many mistakes.

But this time, Jin Dallae spoke more relaxedly than usual.

“Just wanted to say thank you.”

Her voice didn’t sound as gloomy as before. Suddenly feeling awkward, I scratched the back of my neck and continued.

“That’s good.”

“Yes.”

Jin Dallae nodded.

“Squeak?”

Shiba, expressing confusion.

“Let’s play like this again.”

I didn’t know when we could play like this again. But for now, I nodded in agreement with Jin Dallae’s words. The third day of my planned holiday was tomorrow. What should I do?

With that thought, I walked towards the academy.

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