* * *

There was a stone sticking out of the pillar by the front door. I was wondering what it was, and then Mom touched it and a mechanical sound was heard.

Beep—

Is it a sensor? Fascinating.

‘Open sesame! Something like that?’

I looked around. This place was anything but ordinary; it seemed to have tight security.

‘Well, it’s the Sungjin Group mansion, so of course.’

At least, no thief could get in.

Mom confidently opened the front door and stepped inside.

“Oh, miss?”

“It’s been a while. Where’s the Madam?”

The employee spoke politely without any expression.

“She’s in the study.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

Mom carried me as she walked briskly. I waved at the people as they disappeared from view.

“Bye-bye!”

The employee’s eyes twitched slightly.

[One person likes seeing your cute face in the mansion]

[Love and Peace Coin increased by 50]

Indeed, this cuteness is irresistible.

‘It’s the little things that add up.’

Even small amounts will come in handy.

‘I need a big, impactful moment.’

When will the netizens notice me?

‘I hope they see me soon.’

This face isn’t meant to be hidden.

As I pondered these things, the shaking finally stopped.

‘Are we there?’

Mom took a deep breath. Being held, I felt every bit of it.
Her voice resonated low.

“Here we go.”

She opened the door.

‘My mom is seriously determined.’

She’s like a hero going to defeat the demon king.

Mom’s grip tightened as she held me. I quietly looked around.

‘This study is luxurious.’

It looked like something out of a painting, the kind of study you’d see in a chaebol’s house. More like a drama set than reality.

‘All the books are hardcovers.’

Each one gilded in gold, they looked imposing.

Mom took steps forward. For some reason, the atmosphere grew tenser.

Finally, her steps stopped. A short silence lingered.

Mom was the first to speak.

“It’s been a while.”

Her deep voice resonated from within. Once the top supporting actress in Korea, I could tell even in a baby’s body.

I slightly turned my head. There was a white-haired grandmother reading a book at an elegant wooden desk.

‘Hmm, she looks ordinary for a demon king.’

Though she seemed very refined, she looked like a regular person.
Grandma spoke.

“You brought the mutt.”

……Wow.

‘Forget refined or ordinary!’

A mutt, really?

‘Do people actually say that?’

Are you Hitler or something?

Mom faintly smiled. But I knew. It was a smile filled with anger.

“You haven’t changed.”

“Throw that thing out.”

She means me, right?

“If you can’t, I’ll do it for you. Mutts should live with other mutts.”

Wow…

I stared blankly at the woman called Grandma. Now she seemed like a perfect demon king.

At that moment, Mom’s body trembled slightly, as if she was laughing.

“You’re as consistent as ever. That’s your strong point, Madam.”

Mom held me tightly.

“Because I am still living in this house, I thought I’d show you our Kongja’s face. Of course, it’s a waste to even show our angel’s face to you, but I came so you wouldn’t have any excuse. I’m here to remove any pretext you might have.”

I felt Mom clench her teeth.

“I can imagine. If I didn’t show you, you’d claim you didn’t know and threw him out, right?”

Wow. Was she serious?

‘Sungjin Group is something else.’

Is it a group of psychopaths? Unbelievable.

Mom spoke cheerfully.

“Let me introduce him.”

Oh, boy.

‘It’s awkward, but I have to do my part.’

I immediately lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile.

‘I’ll show you the best smile.’

I didn’t know what the result would be, but my job was to collect coins.

At that moment, I heard a song.

-The child just smiled.

What? Mom’s deep voice created a melody.

-When I met his eyes, the child smiled.

It was a familiar melody. A song no actor could forget.

‘This is…?’

The signature number from the world-famous musical “Hero Leo,” a dream role for any actor.

‘It starts with a widow picking up a child.’

And that child becomes a hero who protects the country. But at first.

‘When the widow picked up the child, people stoned him, calling him cursed.’

The widow sings a desperate yet beautiful song while holding the child.

-My only wish is one thing.

I looked at my beautiful mother. She sang, enveloping me in her warm embrace.

The demon king’s eyes wavered.

‘Oh, she’s moved.’

Mom’s sincerity was reaching her.

-For you to be healthy……

Mom lifted me high. It was the iconic scene of the musical. Mrs. Noh Hwa-jin bit her lips.

‘I get Mom’s strategy.’

Expressing her sincere heart through a globally famous musical number.

‘And it seems to be working.’

Grandma’s shaking eyes were proof.

If she’s the mother of a famous actress from a chaebol family, she must be interested in cultural activities like musicals.

‘I should help, too.’

I enthusiastically clapped my hands. And I smiled brightly.

When a mother cries, it is often the child’s innocent laughter that deepens the sorrow of onlookers.

“Gyuu!”

What do you think, Demon Lord? This is not something you see every day.

‘If you’re moved, please give me some coins.’

The Demon Lord’s butterfly glasses slowly slid down his nose, his expression one of utter disbelief, which I found quite satisfying.

“…….”

The song ended, and with it, my mother’s performance. She held me and smiled.

“Madam, do you remember?”

My mother spoke calmly.

“It was the first musical we saw together.”

Wow, so it wasn’t just a random song. It had meaning for the both of them.

She extended her arms, holding me out towards my grandmother.

“Isn’t our little Kongja adorable?”

“Ma Soo-jung.”

The Demon Lord blinked as he spoke.

“Are you out of your mind?”

My mom gave a small smile.

“Oh dear, it didn’t work.”

“Ma Soo-jung!”

“You’re as relentless as ever. Well, it doesn’t matter now. I love the Kongja. Though I doubt you can understand that.”

My mother patted my back.

“No more to say? Then we’ll be leaving. Have a long and miserable life in this wretched house, Madam.”

My mother turned to leave immediately.

“Stop!”

The Demon Lord continued.

“That is not Maru.”

My mother looked down at me briefly.

“Getting a mutt because you miss Maru. Ma Soo-jung, have you lost your mind?”

My mother turned back and approached the Demon Lord, lifting me up and extending me towards him.

“Look closely.”

“What?”

“Look closely at my angel.”

The butterfly glasses stared at me with a sharp gaze.

‘A normal baby would cry at this point.’

But what to do? I am not an ordinary baby.

I extended my short hand and gently touched the Madam’s cheek.

“Gyuu!”

I lightly patted her cheek and smiled brightly.

The Madam’s eyes trembled. I tilted my head slightly, making the lion mane attached to my hoodie tickle my cheek.

‘What do you think, Madam?’

I babbled.

“Baa.”

The Madam’s pupils moved slightly, but she remained motionless. However, I knew.

‘Her cheeks are turning red.’

Indeed, she couldn’t resist this cuteness.

I kicked my feet together, causing the previously locked-up Madam to look away.

“How is it?”

“It’s just a baby.”

“Isn’t he cute? So, so cute.”

“What does that matter!”

“It does. The Kongja and Maru are different. Look! See, he’s different!”

The Madam stared at me intently. I clapped my hands again.

‘Oh, her cheeks got even redder.’

If I do it once more, maybe I’ll get some coins?

‘I need a strong, impactful move.’

What could I do?

On my wrist, as I clapped, was the striped pattern representing the lion’s mane.

‘Aha! I found it. The perfect move!’

I’m someone who uses whatever I can.

I rubbed my cheek with the striped sleeve and clenched my fist tightly. Then, I quickly twisted my wrist a bit.

“Gyuu-hng!”

Roar.

‘Ah, roaring is for tigers, isn’t it?’

Well, they’re similar enough, so it should be fine.

At that moment, captions appeared.

[Noh Hwa-jin is pleased to see your cute animal imitation]

[Love and Peace Coins increase by 200]

Wow.

‘Thank you.’

Two hundred coins! You must have been deeply moved.

‘She couldn’t resist this cuteness.’

The grandmother, her cheeks flushed, adjusted her glasses. But I saw clearly.

‘Her hands are trembling.’

Wow. This grandmother is more amusing than I thought.

“Well, he does look a bit different.”

“See? It’s not a mistake. Raising the Kongja has nothing to do with Maru. This child is my destiny.”

Noh Hwa-jin took a deep breath. I smiled brightly.

“Still, you shouldn’t bring home a black-haired beast!”

“Our Kongja’s hair.”

My mother showed my slightly wavy hair.

“It’s brown!”

“Bauu.”

That’s right. I am not a black-haired beast.

‘I am a brown-haired beast.’

So it should be okay to raise me, grandmother.

My mother adjusted her hold on me and turned sharply.

“Then, we’ll be going. Have a long life, Madam.”

The grandmother was too stunned to speak. But I didn’t stop waving as we moved away.

“Baa, babaa!”

See you again, grandmother.

My mother patted me as she closed the study door.

“Oh dear. Kongja, that was tough, wasn’t it? Let’s wash our ears as soon as we get home!”

Well, being called a mutt was quite something.

‘But I guess it’s not entirely wrong.’

Given that our coin count went up.

My mother quietly sighed. She seemed a bit disappointed.

‘I didn’t understand why I needed thirty thousand coins for Mom to be healthy, but…’

Looking at that grandmother, I started to understand a little.

My mother continued on. I smiled slightly. The road ahead was certainly long.

* * *