* * *

‘It increases too slowly.’

Why is that? I wondered.

‘Is there a limit to how many coins one person can give?’

At first, it was in increments of 100, but now it’s just 1 at a time.

‘Love and Peace, my foot. Love and peace always come in small doses.’

The conclusion was simple.

‘I need other people.’

If many people saw my cuteness, collecting 1,000 coins would be easy.

‘How can I get many people to see me?’

The nursery had strict hygiene rules, so not many people came in.
Just then, the door creaked open, and a small child walked in cautiously.

“Sister! I’m here!”

“Oh, Noah. Did you come to see the little prince?”

A small child stood on tiptoes to peek at me.

‘Oh! We have an audience.’

Given how few people come in, this was a precious opportunity.

I deliberately moved my arms and smiled.

Kyaa-

As I flailed, the child’s face turned rosy.

“So small, so cute.”

You’re small too, kid.

Noah eagerly stretched out his tiny hand to grab my foot.

‘Well, I am cuter, though.’

[Noah is delighted by your cute behavior]

[Love and Peace Coin +5]

Noah must be the child mentioned in the subtitles earlier. Still, it was only 5 coins.

I stretched out my short, chubby arms. It was a service.

Sure enough, Noah exclaimed in amazement.

“Wow!”

[Noah is delighted by your cute behavior]

[Love and Peace Coin +1]

[Total Coins: 79]

Oh no.

‘The amount I get is still decreasing. How can I collect 1,000 coins?’

This isn’t easy.

Noah stared at my face for a long time. His eyes were round and big.

Then the child turned his head and said,

“Sister, people are coming tomorrow!”

Oh.

‘Tomorrow? More spectators?’

If I act cute for them, will I collect more coins?

‘Great.’

But the nun sighed deeply.

“Hm? Oh, yes… They are coming.”

Huh?

She didn’t look very welcoming.

“Sister?”

“I’m worried. They just visit once and leave, but the children will miss them. It’s very appreciated, but still…”

Oh no.

‘…That makes sense.’

This kind of thing was common even when I volunteered. Some celebrities would show up once for a TV program and make promises they couldn’t keep.

‘Saying things like they’ll definitely come back.’

That’s truly a terrible thing to do. The innocent children believe those words without a doubt.

At least I never did such a thing.

‘I really did come back regularly.’

Eventually, the kids even told me to stop coming.

Sigh-
As I sighed, Noah scratched my sole lightly and said,

“A wealthy person is coming!”

“Oh, it’s the day someone from the Sungjin Group is visiting.”

“That’s why the other nuns are busy.”

The nun, who had just changed a child’s diaper, washed her hands and patted Noah’s head.

“I don’t really like that kind of thing, though…”

The nun looked at me with a worried expression. For the two of them, I smiled brightly.

“Kyaa-”

I laughed, but the nun only gently stroked my cheek.

“There’s no helping it if it means more support.”

She was right.

‘Please don’t feel guilty about that, Sister.’

That’s just how life is.

I flailed my arms to comfort her. When my short arms moved, this time both of them laughed.

“Oh, you little cutie. So adorable…”

The coins didn’t increase any further.

But I hated seeing the nun’s gloomy face. So, I acted cuter than usual, smiling and playing around for the two of them.

Their faces brightened up a bit.

***

A few days later, when I woke up in the morning, the atmosphere was different.
I flailed my arms and legs while drinking the milk given by the nun.

‘Increase, coins!’

Please, adore me! Quickly!

“Buu!”

But the nun wasn’t paying attention to me at all.

‘Is this usual, or is something else going on?’

Come to think of it, people from the Sungjin Group were supposed to come.

‘Is she still upset?’

With no sign of the coins increasing, I quietly drank my milk.

Soon, the bottle was empty, and the nun patted my back.

Buurp-

As I burped, the nun laid me down in the cradle and stared at me.

‘Why are you looking at me like that?’

I smiled, hoping the coins would increase.

“Byaa!”

I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt, and finally, the nun’s expression softened a bit.

[The nun is pleased by your cute smile]

[Love and Peace Coin +1]

Thank you, Sister. How about some cute flailing this time?

Just as I was about to flail my arms and legs, another nun entered the room.

“Sister Theresa!”

“Yes, Sister Maria.”

It was a nun I had never seen before.

“You know Ms. Ma Soo-jung is coming today, right?”

Sister Grace sighed.

“Yes, I know.”

“They want to take pictures with a baby for promotional materials. Which baby would be good?”

Sister Maria looked at me.

This is my chance! I blinked my eyes as cutely as I could.

‘Take that, eye attack!’

How’s that for cuteness!

I aimed my cute charm at Sister Theresa, but unexpectedly, someone else got hooked.

“Oh my, how adorable! Who is this baby?”

“Noah found him in the garden. His name is Kongja.”

“Kongja?”

The new face stood before me.

I happily showed my charm to the new audience.

‘Look at my little hands!’

I reached out and clenched and unclenched my fists. The new nun smiled brightly at that.

[The nun is delighted by your cute hand movements]

[Love and Peace Coin +100]

“Really, so cute.”

“Yes. He was outside in the cold for a long time, but he seems healthy.”

“Oh dear…”

Sympathetic looks were directed at me.

“Then…”

The new nun extended a finger toward me. I gladly grabbed it.

“Are we using this baby?”

I squinted my eyes.

‘Yes! It’s me!’

Sister Theresa said,

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“The pictures will come out well.”

Great!

But then both nuns sighed simultaneously.

‘I don’t know why, but they don’t seem too thrilled about it.’

I held onto the finger tightly. Sister Theresa looked at me and said,

“Then we should get ready.”

“Yes, let’s dress the baby in something nice.”

“Ms. Ma Soo-jung is definitely coming, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m worried there will be too many people crowding the place, and this is where the babies are.”

Aha. Now I get it.

‘Sungjin Group, Ma Soo-jung, babies.’

The answer was simple.

‘The company sponsoring this place is coming to take promotional photos.’

And for that, they needed a cute baby.

‘That cute baby would be me.’

But the nuns were worried that this kind of event might negatively affect the other children.

‘I understand how they feel.’

The nun dressed me in new clothes. I flailed my arms and legs.

The nuns looked at me with complex expressions. I smiled brightly, as if to reassure them.

‘It’s okay, Sisters.’

“Byap byap byap!”

‘I’ll smile hard and earn a lot of money.’

Well, it’s a bit odd, but money is money. You’ll use it for kids like me who were abandoned.

‘Life is always complicated.’

As I continued smiling, the nuns sighed simultaneously.

“When are they arriving?”

“They’re already here. They should be coming in any moment now.”

Just then, we heard noises from outside. The door opened just as the nun finished dressing me in clean clothes.

* * *