I Became a Raid Boss

“Hmm, hmm~”

Da-eun hummed a tune.

Bubble, bubble

The sound alone was enough to lift anyone’s mood.

Each time she stirred with the ladle, waves rippled through the red-tinted broth.

It looked quite spicy at a glance—

“Mmm! Perfect!”

Da-eun’s face brightened after tasting it.

It was a bit spicy, but still within acceptable limits.

The perfect balance of spiciness, deep umami, and the subtle aroma of the broth coming through.

“It’s perfect…”

Da-eun marveled at her own cooking skills.

“I could totally compete in a cooking show at this rate, don’t you think?”

She muttered, recalling the cooking competition show she’d recently watched with great interest.

She’d enjoyed it so much that her frequency of ordering takeout had significantly decreased afterward.

Instead, she pulled out a white chef’s jacket she didn’t even remember buying, proclaimed herself a chef, and began cooking her own meals.

And as it turned out, it was more fun than she expected.

Prepping ingredients, cleaning up afterward, including washing dishes?

Sure, it was tedious.

But even so, the positive aspects of cooking far outweighed the annoyance for Da-eun.

The satisfaction of making and enjoying exactly what she wanted to eat, saving on food expenses, reducing waste, and the sense of eating healthier…

But even when considering all of those reasons together, none could surpass one thing.

“This will make Kana happy, right?”

The greatest joy was seeing someone she cared about enjoy her cooking.

Da-eun chuckled softly to herself.

She never thought she’d have someone to associate with the word “love” other than her family.

No, wait.

“It’s family.”

What was she even thinking, calling her precious younger sibling that?

Shaking off the thought, Da-eun returned to cooking, her smile turning into the kind Kana would teasingly call “silly.”

The longer the broth simmered, the richer and more aromatic the scent wafting from the pot became.

“This should be good!”

Da-eun lowered the heat and checked the time.

It was a bit later than she’d planned, but not late enough to call it brunch.

Her previously relaxed pace quickened ever so slightly.

She opened the door and stepped into the room, immediately catching sight of the large bed.

At first, she regretted buying something so big, but now? It had proven to be the best decision.

Life always has its surprises, she thought, as she carefully perched on the edge of the bed.

From under the fluffy comforter, a few strands of pink hair poked out.

“Doesn’t that feel suffocating…?”

The face beneath was only partially visible, with half of it covered by the blanket.

Only Kana’s closed eyes peeked out as she slept soundly, her rhythmic breathing peaceful to watch.

“Oh no, what am I doing?”

Da-eun snapped out of her daze, realizing she’d been staring at Kana’s face for quite some time.

The scent of the food wafted in through the open door, bringing her back to her senses.

“Trying to hypnotize me with your sleeping face… What a scary kid…”

She mock-shivered as she gently pulled the blanket down from Kana’s face.

Kana’s expression crinkled slightly.

“Mmm…”

Kana stirred and let out a small whimper, twisting her body to burrow deeper into the warmth of the comforter, clearly displeased by the loss of warmth.

“…Ack!”

Don’t lose it, heart!

Da-eun clutched her chest, her breath coming out in short gasps.

Click!

Yet, she didn’t forget to snap a picture.

“Should’ve taken a video,” she muttered.

The brief regret faded as she glanced at her growing collection of pictures, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

“Kana, wake up.”

“…”

“Breakfast is ready. Time to eat, right?”

“Uuuuh… I don’t want to eat…”

“No.”

At first, Da-eun had been helplessly swayed by Kana’s nonchalant whining, but how many times had this happened already?

Strengthening her resolve, Da-eun gently but firmly dismissed Kana’s complaints.

Kana’s eyelids slowly lifted, revealing pink pupils.

Her gaze was heavy with drowsiness, as though she still hadn’t fully woken up.

It wasn’t like she had stayed up late, nor had she slept less than the recommended amount. And yet, she was still so sleepy.

“Such a sleepyhead…”

Aeron’s words echoed in Da-eun’s mind.

“Kana always sleeps a lot.”

At the time, she hadn’t understood what he meant, but now she knew all too well.

Sometimes she worried that Kana might be sleeping too much—

‘Kids naturally sleep a lot.’

“…You’re having weird thoughts again.”

“…No!”

Kana, squinting groggily, gave Da-eun a suspicious look, causing her to flash a wide smile.

Her answer was a little delayed, but it should still be acceptable, right?

Stretching deliberately, Da-eun pretended to be completely unbothered.

“I’ll be waiting outside, so wake up and come out soon. Don’t take too long.”

Feeling Kana’s piercing gaze behind her, Da-eun hurried out of the room with quick steps.

Not long after she left, the door opened again.

Kana emerged, rubbing her half-open eyes and walking toward the dining table in a sleepy daze.

Looking at the empty table, she pouted.

“…You said it was ready.”

“It’s almost ready. Just wait a bit.”

Da-eun pulled the same trick her mom used to play on her as a child.

Grumbling, Kana obediently sat down at the table, only to start nodding off again shortly after.

In truth, Da-eun had called her out early just to see this drowsy side of her—

“No, no. That’s not it. Really. I called you early so the food wouldn’t get cold and so you’d have time to wake up…”

Da-eun mumbled an excuse to no one in particular, preemptively defensive.

Her behavior might have seemed suspicious, but Kana, already halfway to dreamland, didn’t hear her.

“Alright, time to wake up, Kana!”

Da-eun clapped her hands, setting the table and rousing Kana.

The meal wasn’t exactly to Da-eun’s taste—morning meat dishes and a slightly milder broth than the recipe called for—but…

“How is it?”

“It’s good.”

Watching Kana eat, her face now free of sleepiness as she chewed, made Da-eun feel like none of that mattered.

It wasn’t her favorite style, sure, but it wasn’t bad, nor was it something she disliked.

And seeing Kana happily eat what she’d made was more than enough to make her day.

As they chatted over breakfast, a sudden quiet settled over the table, unprompted by either of them.

Watching the little girl diligently chew her food, Da-eun set down her chopsticks.

“…If not for the Dimensional Creatures, none of this would have happened, right?”

“…?”

Kana tilted her head curiously, confused by the sudden statement.

Even so, with her cheeks puffed out from the meat she’d stuffed in her mouth, she reminded Da-eun of a squirrel hoarding acorns.

“If there were no Dimensional Creatures, Grasis wouldn’t have fallen. Kana wouldn’t have been trapped in that mountain, and I wouldn’t have climbed it either…”

“If you start thinking like that, there’s no end to it.”

Kana swallowed the meat with practiced ease before replying.

“Besides, Grasis would’ve fallen even without the Dimensional Creatures.”

“Really? But I heard people say it could’ve lasted at least a few more decades.”

“Decades? No way.”

At that point, Kana let out a cynical laugh.

“A kingdom that could last decades wouldn’t have fallen like that.”

“Wow… Every time I hear you talk about Grasis, it’s clear you really hate it.”

“Is there a reason to like it? Not everyone likes the country they live in, right?”

“Well… that’s true.”

Da-eun couldn’t refute that.

A quick glance at online communities would reveal countless posts full of criticism.

People mercilessly tearing apart the country they were born and raised in.

Some of the reasons were understandable, while others were just baseless hatred—

‘…Let’s not think about it.’

Da-eun shook her head.

What she was trying to say was that such posts existed in abundance; there was no need to delve into specifics.

“Kana, you better not write posts like that. If you do and get caught, you’ll get a scolding.”

“…Posts? …Scolding?”

“Do you even have the authority to do that?”

Kana’s expression, as she held a fork in her mouth, seemed to ask the question.

Resolving not to back down, Da-eun replied to herself,

I’m Kana’s guardian, so I can’t let this slide.

I need to teach her what’s right and wrong.

“…Anyway, it’s true that we met thanks to the Dimensional Creatures, right?”

But what actually came out of her mouth was a complete diversion from the topic.

It was akin to realizing at a crossroads, “Oh, this isn’t the right way,” and turning back.

“Well, if you want to call it ‘thanks to,’ then sure. It’s true.”

Kana nodded this time.

For Kana, who had secrets she hadn’t shared with Da-eun, it was a statement she couldn’t deny.

After all, Kana’s reincarnation from Earth to Silia was due to the battle between Edel and the Dimensional Creatures.

“Moments like these make me think that the phrase ‘blessing in disguise’ might be true. Ah! But that doesn’t mean I’m defending the Dimensional Creatures. It’s just… ironic when you think about it.”

“I know.”

Kana poked her fork into a piece of meat, responding indifferently.

“Da-eun, you’re such a scaredy-cat.”

“Scaredy-cat? That’s not fair…”

Unable to argue against the truth, Da-eun let out a soft whimper.

“…But I am grateful for it.”

Kana murmured softly, not meeting Da-eun’s gaze.

However, Da-eun didn’t miss Kana’s words.

And since Kana kept her head down, she didn’t see the warm smile spreading across Da-eun’s face.

“But gratitude is gratitude, and…”

Crunch!

Under the sharp pressure of Kana’s fork, the piece of meat was crushed.

“I still have things to do. So don’t worry about it.”

“…Hehe. You’re so reliable.”

Da-eun hadn’t said it out of concern; it was a passing thought.

But not wanting to ruin the atmosphere, she simply looked at Kana with pride.

And she hoped—

‘I wish moments like this could last forever…’

She silently wished.

—

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