Chapter 2

Chapter 2

[A Day in the Life of a Baby]

There were days when I didnt sleep for days.

This was because the monsters took advantage of Seonnyeo Im Gaeuls absence and swarmed the walls of the Seoul Cocoon.

There were not enough troops to go around, even though he had just graduated from the academy and had been called to the front.

Cocoons curtain crumbling.

An army of monsters swarming in at the crack of dawn.

A burning city center.

People fleeing for their lives.

There was no time for sleep.

Peoples minds were becoming increasingly frayed.

No matter how many monsters you killed, they kept coming back, and you were terrified.

The fight went on for days and days.

It was then that Eunha realized that people dont die even if they dont sleep.

And after more than 5 days, something irresistible got hold of him and he disappeared beyond consciousness.

When he finally opened his eyes, it was all over.

The situation reversed with the return of Im Gaeul, who was visiting other administrative districts.

Players, led by the Twelve, were able to defeat the monsters and reclaim the city center.

The citizens welcomed the returning players at Gwanghwamun.

They seemed heartened that they had crossed the line of death, but Eunha felt no emotion.

Was I fighting for these people?

He couldnt understand why so many people were waving at him.

Or the emotions of the players crying there.

If there was one thing he felt there, it was from the children who were wedged between his parents.

They were looking at the players with such innocent eyes, unaware of how cruel this world can be.

In that moment, an envy welled up in him, a ridiculous one.

Yes, you can be taken care of without doing anything.

For that moment, he wanted to be them.

No, he wanted to be a baby.

How nice it would be to do nothing.

I want to rest.

I dont want to think about anything.

Or so he thought.

Abu.

No way.

Im sick and tired of doing nothing.

I get up.

I eat.

I pack.

Sleep.

Wake up.

The routine was repeating itself.

I was sleeping more than 20 hours a day.

There were times when I tried to force myself to stay awake and resist the pouring sleep, thinking back to when I fought against a horde of monsters before regressing, but I ultimately failed.

How evil my mothers lullabies were!

More often than not, I would fall asleep in my mothers arms before the song ended.

How hungry I was again.

My empty stomach screamed at me, and I couldnt help but cry.

Even the breast milk that I couldnt adapt to at first was now desperately sought after by me, looking for my mother.

It had been months since I had been able to do anything.

Stress piled on top of stress, causing unnecessary frustration.

At times like that, father would come to see him whenever he had the chance.

Our Eunha, youve been waiting for me to come home! hed say, laughing. Father didnt seem to notice that I was glaring at him with a wild look

This was the kind of man my father was.

The good news is that there was some breathing room.

His tiny arms shook, but he succeeded.

Now he just needed to push his knees forward.

One step, then another.

He paid attention to the distance between his hands as he reached forward and moved his knees on the ground.

My brother is a genius!

Euna couldnt help but squeal, Hes a genius! and she ran over to him.

Where are you hugging me?

Why are you rubbing your face on my ass.

You smell so good~

Awwww~

Ugh, let me crawl around a bit. And get off my ass.

Kaaaa~! Youre so cute!

Maybe he should learn to talk instead of crawl.

Eventually, Eunha decided to stop practicing crawling at this point.

He had gotten the hang of it.

Haaa, I cant help it.

Oh, whats going on?

Just then, my mother, who was preparing dinner, came out of the kitchen.

Mom, Eunha is hungry!

Abu.

Sis my butt is not a pillow, can you tell her that, Mom?

Eunha puffed up his cheeks in a disgruntled manner, but it seemed that Mom interpreted it in the same way as Euna.

Mommy loves you too, Eunha.

Maybe I should learn to speak.

Our son will learn to speak quickly like this.

Yeah, Ill have to learn soon.

I cant help but complain.

Hey, Eunha, wanna crawl?

I had no idea what Moms outstretched arm meant.

Using the trick I learned earlier, I crawled over to her.

Ahhhh! Ah! So cute!!

Realizing what was happening, Eunha puffed up his cheeks, but he was already in her mothers arms.

His mother picked him up and patted him on the back, saying, You did well. She then showed him how to sit, saying, Next time, sit like this. She released her hand.

Then she let go.

Eunha held on to sit a little longer.

But as soon as she released her hand, he didnt last long and fell forward. If she hadnt caught him, he would have hit his head on the floor.

It would be a while before he could walk.

You can take your time. Its okay to be late.

She tells me that I dont have to rush my steps.

But it sounded like she was telling me that I didnt have to rush, that I could just grow up like everyone else.

It is true.

I dont have to be impatient anymore.

Sleepy again!

This was the limit of the babys physical strength.

Unable to fight off any more sleepiness, Eunha closed his eyes.

He listened to her mother and sister singing a lullaby in unison.

If mom goes to collect oysters~

in the shade of the island,

and the baby is left alone~

watching for home

to the lullaby that the sea sings,

with arms wrapped around,

slowly, slowly,

falling asleep~.