Chapter 35: A Picnic of Surprises

The next morning.

I rubbed my eyes and stepped into the living room.

At the same time, Raxy Bora, sitting on the living room sofa, waved a Churu in her hand as if she had been waiting for me.

“Harang, do you want this?”

I wanted it.

I wanted to lick the surface, and in the end, take a big bite.

But I had to resist.

“…Later.”

“Huh? I thought you loved Churu?”

“I do, but… It feels like something I shouldn’t eat first thing in the morning.”

The moment I put that in my mouth, I felt like I’d turn stupid.

No, it wasn’t just a feeling—it was certainty.

It truly made my mind go numb and turned me into someone simple and thoughtless.

‘Food that’s too delicious is a problem too.’

It’s scary when something can take control of your thoughts like that.

But it’s not like I could stop eating it either.

“Raxy.”

“Hm?”

“You have to be careful when eating Churu. It’s so delicious that once you start, your brain shuts off. It’s dangerous enough to turn you into a fool.”

I warned Raxy Bora, telling her that Churu should only be eaten with caution.

“R-Really? But from what I see, Harang, you’re still sharp even when you eat it.”

“That’s because I was born smart, so I somehow manage to resist it.”

“I see, that’s amazing.”

Raxy began to sweat nervously, as if I had scared her.

‘Maybe I overdid it?’

But Churu was really dangerous, enough to empty out your brain.

It seemed like it would be best to eat it only when the situation allowed.

Like on days when it didn’t matter if my brain went blank.

Or when I wanted to intentionally turn off my mind.

‘Let’s call it a brain break with Churu.’

Perfect.

While I was plotting out my future Churu plans, Raxy suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke.

“Oh, right. Harang, did you hear about our picnic today?”

“Picnic? You’re not going to work today?”

“Huh? It’s the weekend. We should rest.”

“Ah.”

So today was the weekend.

Since I had no sense of time, I hadn’t realized it.

‘Wait? So, can I eat Churu today?’

If it’s a day off, there shouldn’t be any problem with having it, right?

My eyes fixated on the Churu in Raxy’s hand just as she spoke again.

“Didn’t Jinhyang tell you we were going on a picnic yesterday?”

Well, I’m the kind of person who goes wherever Jinhyang tells me to.

There was no need for her to inform me, and I certainly didn’t have the right to refuse.

“Yeah, she didn’t tell me, but of course, I’ll go. Is there anything I need to prepare, Raxy?”

“You just need to relax and wait, Harang.”

“Ah, got it.”

I get to relax and have fun.

But what should I do for fun?

While I was thinking about it, Raxy Bora rustled around and pulled out a paper bag.

“Now that I think about it, I have a gift for you, Harang.”

“A gift?”

Could it be… Churu?

I looked at her with anticipation, but she pulled out a black ribbon from the bag.

At the end of it, there was a small bell attached.

“A ribbon and… a bell?”

“Yeah.”

It looked pretty, but what was it for?

While I was contemplating, she reached out her hand toward me.

“Your tail.”

“My tail?”

It seemed like she wanted it.

I placed my tail in her hand.

“Wait just a second.”

Raxy Bora started tying the ribbon around the end of my tail.

‘There…? Really…?’

I was a bit taken aback, but I decided to wait and see since I couldn’t just dismiss her gift.

After what felt like a fair amount of time, she finally spoke.

“All done!”

Raxy spread her hands dramatically.

The black ribbon contrasted with my white tail, and a silver bell hung in the center, so I ended up wagging my tail without thinking.

*Ding-a-ling.*

The sound of the bell was clear but not too sharp—it was nice.

It felt like the sound was cleansing my ears.

‘…Surprisingly, it’s not bad.’

With this, it wouldn’t be a problem to walk around wearing it.

The ribbon might even distract people from looking too much at my tail.

“Thanks, Raxy. The sound is really pleasant.”

“Right? Harang, why don’t you get up and try walking around?”

“Okay.”

Following her suggestion, I walked around the living room.

When I stepped with my left foot, I heard the bell ring on the right.

When I stepped with my right foot, it rang on the left.

The sound came from the opposite side of whichever foot I moved.

‘I guess my tail always swings when I walk.’

I hadn’t noticed it before because I wasn’t paying attention.

I had no idea my body had this kind of hidden quirk.

It felt good to discover something new about myself.

“Harang, why don’t you go show it to Yoon Bora? She’ll love it!”

“Really? Is it that great?”

“Definitely! She’ll love it for sure!”

I didn’t really understand women’s sense of aesthetics.

But since they’re twins, the other one wouldn’t dislike it, right?

Plus, there was the sincerity of the person who gave it to me.

“Uh, okay. But where is Yoon Bora?”

“Yoon Bora is probably in the kitchen.”

“Okay. I’ll go see her.”

I ran towards the kitchen where Yoon Bora was.

With every tap of my feet on the floor, the bell jingled loudly.

I loved the sound so much that I almost wanted to keep running.

“Bora!”

“Harang, huh?”

She perked up at the sound of the bell, seemingly trying to locate its source.

“Raxy Bora wanted me to show you this.”

“Show me what?”

“This! Raxy Bora did this for me.”

I wagged my tail in front of Yoon Bora.

*Ding-a-ling* The bell rang out.

“Oh my, oh my!”

Yoon Bora suddenly let out a strange exclamation and quickly covered her mouth with both hands.

“Is… is it bad?”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I tried to hide my tail.

But before I knew it, Yoon Bora had come up close to it.

“Harang, shake it more! More!”

“More, more?”

*Ding-a-ling*

At her request, I wagged my tail again, and Yoon Bora bounced up and down with delight.

“Haa…! I’m cooking right now, so I can’t even touch your tail!”

She stomped her feet on the spot, looking disappointed.

“Cooking?”

“Yeah! I’m making food for our picnic later.”

Now that I thought about it, the kitchen was filled with delicious smells.

I sniffed the air, trying to figure it out.

“It smells like kimbap… and sandwiches.”

“…You can tell just by the smell?”

“Huh? Isn’t it easy? You’re good at sensing things too, right?”

“Well, um…”

Yoon Bora’s voice grew quieter as she sniffed her arms, both left and right, even under her armpits.

“Harang, I don’t smell weird or anything, right?”

“No, you just smell like Yoon Bora.”

“Uh, what kind of smell is that…?”

If she asked me to describe it, I wouldn’t really know what to say.

Everyone had their own unique scent, and it was hard to explain each one in detail.

“It’s just a smell.”

“…?”

Yoon Bora looked confused and kept sniffing herself.

Leaving her behind, I approached the table in the kitchen.

“Wow.”

There were sandwiches Yoon Bora had prepared, and kimbap that was almost finished rolling.

They looked delicious already, but I thought they could be even better with a special topping.

‘Three should be enough…’

I quickly ran to the fridge and pulled out some Churu.

I wanted to tear it open with my teeth, but since it was for everyone to share, I thought about hygiene and cut the tip with scissors instead.

“Bora, can I add this?”

I asked Yoon Bora as I held out the Churu towards her.

“Uh, yeah. I made it for you anyway, Harang.”

As soon as she gave permission, I generously squeezed Churu into the kimbap and sandwiches.

*Squeezeee*

I added a lot.

“Bora, let’s eat this together later.”

“…”

For some reason, Yoon Bora fell silent.

She seemed to be lost in thought.

Jinhyang, the twins, and I were walking inside the park.

“Bora, are we going to eat lunch as soon as we get there?”

“Yeah. It’s a bit of an awkward time, but we can eat it as brunch.”

So we were going to eat right after we arrived.

Just imagining all of us sharing my special Churu-packed lunch was making me excited.

‘It’s going to be delicious, right?’

I knew we’d all be so happy eating it that we’d be acting like fools all day, but since it was a day off, it didn’t matter.

“Hehe.”

I smiled up at Jinhyang.

“Boss, don’t you have any special snacks for the picnic? Like Churu?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

Of course, I expected that.

Even at a picnic, Jinhyang was strict.

Her consistency wasn’t bad though.

“Harang, give me your hand.”

“Okay.”

“Me too!”

With Yoon Bora holding my left hand and Raxy Bora holding my right, we walked for about five minutes.

We stopped under a tree with unnamed flowers blooming.

“Unnie, is this spot good?”

“Do what’s comfortable for you.”

“Okay.”

Raxy Bora spread out the mat, and Yoon Bora placed the lunch boxes on top of it.

Kimbap, sandwiches, and salad.

I pushed the salad container to a place where I couldn’t reach it.

There was no way I was going to eat that.

“This one is trying to be picky again.”

Jinhyang said to me.

“I’m a carnivore, so I can’t eat that stuff. If I eat vegetables, I’ll die.”

I replied, showing my sharp canine teeth to Jinhyang.

“…Then shouldn’t you not be able to eat other stuff too? They’re mixed with vegetables.”

“Well… the tasty ones are fine.”

“Right, well. It feels petty to criticize you about what you eat. It’s not like you don’t eat anything at all.”

“Yeah, exactly! Complaining about someone’s eating habits is the worst. Churu too—”

Zap—

I had to quickly cut myself off when I saw Jinhyang’s eyes change.

‘Whew.’

Might as well just focus on eating the lunch.

I grabbed the chopsticks and reached for my special Churu kimbap.

“Let’s eat.”

After saying a short grace, I was about to push the kimbap into my mouth when—

“Harang.”

“Huh?”

“Aah.”

Yoon Bora brought a piece of kimbap near my mouth, so I ate that first.

*Nom nom*

It didn’t have Churu in it, but it was still delicious.

‘Should I feed her back too?’

I thought about it for a moment but figured it would be better to do so.

It was just good manners after all.

“Bora, you should eat too.”

I held out the kimbap I had in my hand towards Yoon Bora.

“That one has Churu in it… Haha, Harang, I’m too full. I ate a lot while making them earlier.”

“Eh?”

Feeling a bit awkward, I retracted my hand.

I didn’t want to put it back into my own mouth, so I redirected it towards Jinhyang, who was sitting nearby.

“Boss, here, have some.”

“…What’s gotten into you?”

Jinhyang hesitated a bit but eventually accepted the kimbap from me.

Since it was packed with Churu, it was bound to taste good.

Good enough to make her brain go fuzzy.

‘Delicious things should be shared.’

I looked at Jinhyang and smiled.