The Babysitter Wants to Stop Dying

Chapter 18: If Your Dreams are Unsettling, It's Better to Stay Home That Day (2)

I don't even know how lunchtime passed. The time I had promised to work with Ahjussi had already passed.

"Arsen, why were you like that earlier?"

Mr. Philemon, diligently massaging my shoulders. I, who had been staring blankly out of the shop, leaning against the chair, finally snapped out of it.

This is no time to be like this.

"Ahjussi! Ah, no, Sir! What about that customer from earlier?"

Sparks flew in my head. A sharp premonition. A single silhouette coming to mind.

"Huh? Who?"

Ahjussi, tilting his head. I waved my hand in the air, retracing the faint memory.

"You know, that woman! The really tall one! Dressed in a pitch-black suit!"

"I don't know? Ah, come to think of it, there were a few people today who I've never seen before. On weekdays, it's usually just regulars except for the evening rush."

"...."

So that's how many regulars he has.

At the same time, I shuddered at the thought of the enormous crowd.

"Then do you know where those people went? At least the direction! You really don't remember the black suit at all?"

"Hey, how would I know that. It was already over an hour ago!"

Ahjussi, as if to say 'what are you talking about', put his hands on his hips and laughed heartily.

My heart pounded. The sound of Ahjussi mumbling something more grew distant.

No.

It's her.

That person was definitely the protagonist I had been looking for!

'Negative Contact.'

A strange notification I had never experienced before.

And to collect clues?

Anyone would be able to figure this out, no matter how slow-witted. The moment my gaze left the black suit, my brain felt like it was being scraped.

The usually fresh and light notification sound rang out so creepily.

As it was written there, a warning sounded when I met the protagonist without having collected all the clues. It was a guess, but this time I was very confident.

'Wait a minute. Then what's the relationship between Lottie and Camila...?'

If so, what are the clues I've collected so far?

What are the possible directions I can imagine?

"My head is going to break...."

I was racking my dizzy brain. A shabbily dressed newspaper boy threw a bundle of papers on the threshold and ran off.

"Ahjussi! The newspaper!"

"Oh, oh! Just leave it there. Thanks!"

Ahjussi, who had picked up the newspaper with quick steps, began to read it, flipping through the pages.

"I don't know what it's about, but look at this. The Rodeo Knights have annihilated the two Gates that had opened in the northern mountains of the 2nd continent. They said this one was so big that people were dying for over a week, but as expected, Romero is a hero sent by God! Kya. I'd have no regrets if I could just see his face once before I die. The only pictures that come out are always just silhouettes."

I can't concentrate.

Ahjussi, engrossed in the newspaper, didn't stop mumbling.

"Aigoo, that's right! But someone left this. What could it be?"

Ahjussi took something out from under the counter. My body, which had been about to get up, stiffened in its seat again.

"What's that?"

"I asked you. I don't know either."

Ahjussi, with a bright expression, placed a black box on the table. A luxurious box tied with a thin gold string the length of a forearm.

"Earlier, when you were suddenly staggering and I was finishing up with the customers, I turned around and saw that on the stall. Doesn't it look expensive?"

"It looks expensive. It's quite heavy too."

"Well, they'll probably come to get it tomorrow, right? Where should I put it?"

I kept my eyes fixed on the eye-catching box.

That's right. The glossy shine is not ordinary. And it's quite heavy.

But what is it. Would it be a stretch to say I have a feeling that black woman left this? My gaze wouldn't leave the box.

"...Ahjussi."

"Huh?"

"Can I come and help you with work tomorrow too? You looked tired today."

"I'm telling you, I have a good eye for people. In a world like this, there's really no young man like you."

Mr. Philemon, whose eyes sparkled without a hint of refusal, put a white envelope, which he had prepared at some point, into my arms.

It felt like I had only worked for about three hours, but the thickness was more than I expected. Hmm. I told him he didn't have to.

"Then see you tomorrow. Take that bag with you too."

"...It seems like you were planning to call me tomorrow from the beginning."

"Ahahahaha! It's just your feeling, just your feeling!"

Ahjussi, with a hearty but very guilty face, patted my back and pushed me out.

I took the bag of bread he had packed for me and left the shop with a farewell.

"They say dreams are the opposite, and it's true."

I thought it was an unpleasant dream, but to think I would reap such a great harvest.

I'm not even sure what will happen to my lodging tonight, but I have to go to Philemon Bakery tomorrow, even if I have to throw a fit.

If that woman comes looking for that black box, and if my prediction is right, if I hear that strange notification again, I will be able to confirm the protagonist.

"This is crazy."

I unwrapped a loaf of bread and put it in my mouth so that the gushing dopamine wouldn't die out.

The outside is moist and chewy, and the inside is fluffy yet firm.

As expected of Mr. Philemon. How can every bread he makes be so delicious.

After finishing one soboro and one Philemon original, I rummaged through the bag again. I wondered how much he had packed; it seemed I would have to eat only bread for several days.

"Oh! Lottie can eat this too. Shall I have a taste first?"

A plain-looking, glossy bread with no toppings. The moment I imagined her face, chewing with her few teeth.

"...Lottie!"

I just remembered that I had left Lottie alone in the room.

My heart sank.

This is unbelievable. Did the babysitter just forget about the child?

'Are you crazy, Arsen!'

I slung the bread bag over my back and started running.

"Hyung is coming now!"

***

"Uwaaaaaaang-! Hyung-aaaa! Hyung-aaaa!"

The force shaking the building was not ordinary.

"Heok, heok, heok, I'm, back...."

"Uwaaaaaaang! Hyu... Hyung-a! Hyung-aaaa!"

"Hey, where on earth have you been? The child has been crying so much!"

The lodging I entered after a simple security check was a scene of pandemonium.

"She woke up over an hour ago and has been crying all this time! Do something!"

Lottie, crying her eyes out, and the haggard Mago. The room, which was a mess as if he had tried all sorts of ways to soothe her. And Lottie, with her pajamas off, was wearing only a crookedly fastened diaper.

What, what did she do. Don't tell me Mago changed her diaper too.

"I'm sorry! I had some business to attend to.... Lottie, Lottie, come here."

The breath that had risen to my chin showed no signs of subsiding. I grabbed my legs, which kept giving out from running beyond my limit, with my mental strength and took Lottie.

"Uueueu, Hyung meenie! Hyung meeniee!"

Her face, a mess of tears and snot, was crumpled as she shrieked.

She's really sulking, what should I do. I must have lost my mind for a moment, from meeting Mr. Philemon after a long time.

"I'm sorry. Hyung is sorry. Were you scared, Lottie? Hyung is here now. Hmm?"

"If you're a sitter, don't leave the child's side. Really, it was so chaotic...."

As I held the small, warm body from all the crying, Mago, with a relieved face, let out a sigh.

"Hyung meenieee!"

The gushing tears stopped, and Lottie just repeated that she hated me. The small, hot breath on my nape.

But the crying is gradually subsiding.

"Meenie...."

"That's right. Shh."

Not long after, as she quieted down as if by a lie, a slightly surprised look appeared on Mago's face.

"A sitter is a sitter. It's strange. After crying so much, she quieted down in an instant."

"Haha.... I'm so sorry for the trouble."

That's what I said, but this isn't a privilege that works just because I'm the primary caregiver.

It's true that Lottie is easy to handle for me, but a full-blown tantrum is not something even I can easily quell.

She has excellent stamina and perseverance for her age, so the frequency is low, but once she's extremely angry, I have to struggle for a while.

'Increased unlock rate. I can quell even a big tantrum like this right away.'

My ability has definitely improved.

'Control of negative emotions'.

Very useful. Is this why the child sleeps so well and doesn't even wake up by my side?

Then what on earth happens when the ability unlock rate reaches 100%?

"Haa. I'm leaving now. I came to see if she was okay and was held up for a long time."

"I'm indebted to you."

Mago, who had nodded his head, rubs his sunken eyes and passes by us.

'Since we've met like this, shall I ask if there's anything special tomorrow?'

This person should know the rough schedule. I hope there's no problem with me going to Philemon Bakery.

Just before Mago grabbed the doorknob,

"Excuse me, Mr. Mago."

I called out to him as he was about to leave.

"What is it now."

It's natural, but his tone is different from when he's with Camila. And now I'm at fault too.

At his crooked gaze, I felt awkward and scratched the back of my head.

"But are we just staying here? You haven't told us anything since yesterday."

"You just have to stay put until Lady Camila gives the next instructions. Then."

"By any chance, are we staying like this tomorrow too, no, just a moment!"

He just leaves while I'm talking. I didn't think he was like that.

A face full of annoyance strode closer.

"You wait."

"...Wait for what?"

"You don't need to know that."

Fuck. I'm a person who really hates swearing, but I keep wanting to curse at the man who I was just indebted to.

Am I really possessed into some kind of enigmatic riddle village?

They don't tell me anything, they don't tell me anything.

If I had my way, I'd shake the person in front of me, Lottie or whatever, and dig out information, but let's endure it. I am a soft body pillow-like existence. Let's not get killed unnecessarily by provoking him.

'No. If he's a subspace owner, isn't his combat power just average?'

I twitched my nose and ran a simulation of kicking the opponent in the groin, but,

"Hyung meeniee! Meenieee!"

I had no choice but to turn my head at the sudden start of the meerkcat chant again.

Tak.

And in that moment, Mago had already left.

***

"Is it delicious?"

"Uu!"

"Nyam-nyam. You can't just swallow it."

"Nyam-nyam!"

Fortunately, Lottie, whose heart had softened, was eating the bread nonstop after a short nap.

She must be hungry. Even an adult would be hungry after crying so much.

"Shall we try this too?"

Seeing her small, red eyes, my feeling of guilt rose again. It must have been surprising to wake up and find only Mago.

She would have been alone with a strange ahjussi.

"Ah-."

"Ah-."

Lottie, who was copying me, chomped like a baby bird.

'Cute.'

A heartwarming smile spreads on its own. So this is what it feels like to be full just by watching someone eat.

I tore the bread without rest and busily put it into her tiny mouth.

"Uueu."

A face with slightly less passion. Is she full now?

"Done? No more?"

"Uu!"

She stands precariously on the bed she was sitting on and sticks to the window.

"Is there something?"

The little one staring out. I moved the tray to the side and sat down next to her. We watch the gradually setting sun side by side.

"Uu-uu!"

I lightly restrained Lottie, who was tapping the window with her palm, and wrapped my arms around her.

"Let's see from higher up."

As I got off the bed and stood by the picture window next to it, Lottie's eyes sparkled as she looked down.

By the way,

"Lottie."

"Uu?"

"Can you do what you showed me last time again?"

"Uu!"

Lottie, who just blinks as if she doesn't understand at all.

I was hoping Lottie would use her ability again and I could randomly copy it, but that hasn't happened yet.

Neither Stealth nor Foresight.

She's so young, it seems she has difficulty using her ability properly.

It seems to be one of two things: it comes out when she really needs it, or it pops out regardless of her will. It's a shame, but I guess it can't be helped.

"But what was that you showed me then? If it's foresight, is it something that will happen in front of us?"

The unknown scene that flashed before my eyes in the rubble.

And the voice that sounds familiar but I can't remember.

"Eum...."

It was when I was pacing by the window, holding Lottie.

Cheolkeok.

The door flew open.

"Mr. Neroro."

...Huh?

This voice?