I Became a Raid Boss

“Oh dear…”

Kim Yerim.

To Da-eun, she is Mrs. Kim Yerim, or simply “Mom,” as Da-eun affectionately calls her. Yerim exaggeratedly grabbed her lower back as if feeling some ache.

“Am I getting old…?”

In her early twenties, she had met someone she loved, married young, and had a child, making her relatively young among parents with grown-up children.

But while she was younger than other parents with children of a similar age, she wasn’t exactly that young anymore.

“My daughter doesn’t even show her face. Sigh, I guess when you’re old, it’s time to just…”

Yerim, with a face that looked quite young for her age, muttered words that she didn’t truly mean as she briskly continued on her way. Since her only daughter hadn’t been visiting, she had no choice but to come herself.

It had been quite some time since she last saw her daughter’s face, so she figured the side dishes she’d brought before must be all gone by now.

The containers of side dishes clinked dully against each other inside the shopping bag she carried slung over her shoulder.

“She’s probably been eating whatever is convenient, as usual. What is she planning to do if she doesn’t take care of herself…?”

Although the illness that had plagued Da-eun was long gone, to Yerim, Da-eun was still a naive and fragile child.

Carrying all the things she’d packed, Yerim finally reached her daughter’s place.

“Hmm?”

She had been expecting the place to look a mess, as usual. But when she opened the door, she let out a curious sound.

The room, although not perfectly spotless, was surprisingly neat.

More things had been added since her last visit, yet the room seemed tidier than before.

“Did I tell her I was coming?”

It wasn’t like she’d planned this visit; she had come on a whim.

After a moment’s thought, Yerim shrugged. Well, it wasn’t a pigsty, so there was no reason to complain.

Thinking perhaps her daughter had finally matured, she went to put away the side dishes she’d brought into the fridge.

“Oh my, why is there so much junk food? Eating this kind of stuff isn’t good for you, you know.”

Though she frowned with disapproval, she continued tidying up.

“But where has she gone off to now?”

After all the containers were placed in the fridge and the shopping bag was empty, another thought crossed her mind.

If she hadn’t cared about her daughter, she wouldn’t have come to her house with food herself. It wasn’t that she lacked concern; she simply knew her daughter loved wandering around. 𝐫�

“Does she even have plans to get married…?”

She wished her daughter would finally settle down.

But since she was the kind of child who had more things she couldn’t do than things she could, it was hard to hold her back when she wanted to pursue what she loved.

And so, Yerim once again buried her wishes within herself.

She found herself hoping her daughter might find a nice husband while out on her travels.

“Sigh… I’m home!”

They say if you speak of the tiger, it will appear, and sure enough, Da-eun’s voice floated in from the entrance.

“Yes, you’re finally home?”

Yerim muttered with a hint of resentment, but her face lit up with a warm smile as she heard her daughter’s familiar voice.

Rushing out to greet her daughter, she was met with a familiar face.

“Oh my?”

And next to her, she saw a small, pink-haired girl clutching her belongings tightly, her eyes filled with cautious curiosity as she looked up at Yerim.

***

“It’s been a while since I made something like this, so I hope it’s alright. Does it suit your taste? It’s not too hard, is it?”

“Yes… it’

“Pffft… That way of talking is so weird! You didn’t just say ‘goo-goo gaa-gaa,’ did you?”

…As if I’d say that.

I shot Da-eun a sharp look for making such an absurd comment. Even though I had no trouble speaking casually to Edel when I first met her, it wasn’t as easy with the woman in front of me… that is, Da-eun’s mom.

How to put it… She just had this inexplicable aura.

As I crunched on my cookie, trying to read the situation, she gave me a warm smile and said, “If it doesn’t feel natural, you can speak casually.”

“Uh, uhm… okay…”

“As for what you can call me… Hmm, why not try ‘Ajumma’ (Ma’am)?”

*(Ajumma refers to a middle-aged or older married woman. It’s sometimes translated as “aunt”, but it doesn’t refer to a close family relationship.)

“Hold on a second!”

Da-eun, who had been grinning brightly, interjected.

“Not ‘Ajumma’—how about this? Since Kana is like my little sister, she should call you ‘Mom’! Go on, try saying it… Uh… Ah!”

Slap!

“What do you mean, ‘Mom’? Stop being silly and behave yourself!”

“Ow… can’t I even make a joke…?”

Da-eun let out a groan, clutching the spot on her back where her mom had smacked her. It was a sight that just lifted my mood.

But even her mom’s stern hand couldn’t hold Da-eun back. Recovering quickly, Da-eun jumped up and protested.

“Having a cute daughter like Kana should make you happy, right? Actually, Mrs. Kim Yerim should be grateful!”

“Wow.”

Is this what they mean on the internet by a “fire-attribute child”?

As I watched in awe of her daring words, her mom nodded.

“Hm, I suppose you’re right.”

“…?”

…Is that really something you should agree with?

I was caught off guard by her response, which was so far out of the expected range that I was briefly left speechless.

‘Ah, right.’

That warm smile had made me momentarily forget, but the person in front of me was indeed Da-eun’s mom.

In that case, maybe it made sense after all.

Thinking this, the questions that had been swirling in my mind melted away.

“But this child… was her name Kana?”

“Yes.”

“Then Kana must have her own parents. With such a lovely child, they must have cherished you dearly. If you were to call me ‘Mom,’ it might make your parents who raised you feel hurt. As a mother, I couldn’t do that to them.”

“…Oh.”

“….”

Da-eun gulped audibly.

Though I didn’t mind at all, Da-eun suddenly covered her mouth, glancing at me with a look of concern, making the atmosphere feel a bit strange.

“…Why are you acting like that?”

From what I had observed so far, Da-eun’s mom was quite perceptive.

And judging from her reaction, it seemed my hunch was right, as she cautiously asked, “So… about that, um…”

“Parents… aren’t here.”

Even though she said I could speak comfortably, there was still some hesitation.

As I stumbled through my words, Da-eun’s eyes softened with sympathy, perhaps misunderstanding my awkwardness.

It really didn’t matter to me, though.

While it was true I didn’t have the best memories of my birth parents, the memories had faded a lot by now.

And thinking of my father… Garid still left an ache in my heart, but I had resolved to move forward. I couldn’t let myself be trapped in the past forever.

“…Huh?”

“My birth parents passed away long ago, and my father died a few years ago.”

“…Birth parents? Father?”

Yerim’s eyes spun, unable to keep up with the rapid information that poured out.

“…Mom. Could you come here for a second?”

Unable to watch any longer, Da-eun took her mom’s hand and disappeared into another room. I could have listened in if I wanted, but I chose not to bother. After a short while, the door opened again.

Ajumma, now seated before me once more, looked at me with slightly reddened eyes.

“Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“?”

“Or has Da-eun been bothering you at all? If she’s giving you trouble, just let me know, and I’ll scold her properly.”

“Mom!”

The already warm atmosphere grew even cozier. Listening to her voice, now soft enough to melt, I tugged at Da-eun’s clothes and whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

“…What exactly did you say?”

“Oh, I just told her about your past. I couldn’t tell the whole truth, so I adjusted it a bit. …Ah, come to think of it, I didn’t get your permission before sharing. Sorry…”

“It’s fine. If you hadn’t said it, I would have, so it doesn’t matter….”

“My mom is naturally pretty sensitive.”

“Seems that way.”

Whispering.

Da-eun filled me in on the details.

I had to admit, my past wasn’t exactly pleasant. But I couldn’t help but think, was it really something to react this way over? Having an unpleasant past doesn’t necessarily mean it’s uncommon.

In Silia, there were many people with pasts similar to mine and even more with worse ones.

A long time ago, during the days I spent in back alleys, the group I belonged to was a prime example of that.

“But that was in Silia. If something like that happened in Korea, it would have been a huge deal.”

“Hm, really?”

I guess that’s true.

Different worlds, different perspectives.

“You should be helping someone like her, not the other way around. Really…!”

“I told you, there were circumstances!”

“Circumstances? What kind of circumstances could justify relying on a child like that? And you think you can talk back?”

“Ouch, ouch!”

“…I’m not a child, though.”

I didn’t know exactly how Da-eun had explained it, but seeing her get smacked on the back repeatedly and crying out, I figured it was probably fine. As long as it all worked out in the end, that’s what matters.

“…It’s not fine at all!”

I thought I faintly heard Da-eun’s shout, but perhaps it was just my imagination.

***

Did my past really leave such a deep impression?

“So, you’re planning to live with Kana from now on?”

“Yes. She has some relatives, but they’re too busy to properly take care of her. So I volunteered.”

“Oh, really? Good for you.”

Even upon hearing that her daughter would be living with a stranger, she accepted it without hesitation. There was a minor inconvenience where Edel became my relative for explanation’s sake, but I managed to hold it together.

“In that case, you’ll need more side dishes, right? You’ll also need extra money for the two of you to live. How about I give you a bit of allowance?”

“No, thanks. You know I earn plenty on my own.”

Despite Da-eun’s insistence that they could make do with what they had, her mom went out to buy more groceries and ended up setting up a big spread.

“It’s nice to see you eating so well. Here, try this too.”

“….”

“Mom, Kana doesn’t eat vegetables.”

“Oh dear, picky eating isn’t good for you….”

Throughout the meal, she kept looking at me with a pleased expression. It would be a lie to say it wasn’t a bit overwhelming…but, it wasn’t all that bad.

“Well then, I’ll be heading out now. But if Da-eun bothers you, make sure to tell me. You saved my number, right?”

“Yes.”

“Who’s bothering who…?”

“Alright, alright. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be back soon.”

“No! Don’t come!”

Ignoring Da-eun’s protest, her mom got in the elevator. Watching the doors close and the elevator descend, Da-eun muttered.

“Seriously. I wonder who her real daughter is. If she was going to be like this, why did she scold me?”

“Da-eun.”

“Yeah?”

“How old did you tell her I am, exactly?”

She looked at me like I was a complete child. Did she exaggerate my age? With that meaning in mind, I asked, and Da-eun shook her head.

“I didn’t lie about that. Anyway, it’s true that Kana’s not an adult yet, right? So Mom probably thinks she should look after you.”

“Oh… I see.”

“Besides, Kana is really tiny.”

“Die.”

Pinch!

“Ow!”

She just had to say one more thing to get herself in trouble.

Just like her mom earlier, I ignored Da-eun as she clutched her side and went into the house.

“….”

Maybe it was just my imagination, but somehow, the house felt warmer than usual.

—

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