As usual, Yoon-Hee stopped by the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for dinner after school. On her way home, she noticed a child squatting on the corner of the street. They had porcelain-white skin and hair with a mysterious hue reminiscent of an aurora. They were staring intently at the street vendor selling cotton candy in the distance. Yoon-Hee approached the child and called out, “Hey.” The child looked up at her briefly before turning their gaze back to the cotton candy vendor. After a moment of contemplation, Yoon-Hee walked over to the vendor, bought a stick of cotton candy, and returned to the child. “Here,” Yoon-Hee said, handing over the cotton candy. “You can see me...?” the child asked in shock. The child’s eyes widened in surprise, as if finding this extraordinary. Then, eyeing the cotton candy Yoon-Hee offered, they asked cautiously, “Is that for me?” Yoon-Hee nodded with a warm smile, and only then did a smile spread across the child’s face. Taking the cotton candy, the child gently pinched a bit of the fluffy treat and placed it in their mouth. As soon as it touched their tongue, it melted, leaving behind a delightful sweetness. “It’s delicious! Just like Reum told me. So yummy!” the child exclaimed. “Reum?” Yoon-Hee asked. “Yeah, my friend. Hmm... but I don’t have anything to give you in return. What should I do?” Yoon-Hee waved her hand dismissively, patted the child’s head, and assured them that no repayment was necessary. But the child shook their head adamantly, saying, “No! Mom said that if someone shows you kindness, you must repay them!” After a moment of silence, the child seemed to have thought of a good idea. “Ah! I’ll lend you this for a day.” They removed a ring from their finger and handed it to her. “It’s okay, really. I don’t need anything. By the way, where is your mom?” Yoon-Hee glanced around, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find anyone who seemed to be the child’s mother. When she turned back to where the child had been, she gasped in surprise. The child had vanished without a trace, and somehow, the ring was now on her finger. “Is this an artifact...?” Examining its stats, Yoon-Hee was slightly taken aback. Warm steam filled the bathroom. Having finished dinner, washed the dishes, and cleaned up, Yoon-Hee felt a sense of relief that her day’s work was done. As she immersed herself in the warm bathwater up to her shoulders, she closed her eyes. Soon, December would arrive, and next year, she would be a second-year student. Time truly seemed to fly by. “Hmmm...” Yoon-Hee turned the translucent ring on her finger, examining it from different angles. This was the same ring she had received from the child just hours earlier. Known as the Ring of Dreams, this artifact allowed its wearer to enter other people’s dreams. She sighed softly. “No, that would be rude.” When she first discovered the ring’s abilities, she thought it might be fun to peek into her family’s dreams. However, upon reflection, invading someone’s dreams was discourteous and could cause resentment. Just the thought of being disliked by her family nearly brought her to tears. At that moment, a tiny, palm-sized demon appeared before her eyes. “Yoon-Hee, just do it! You’re curious, right? Don’t you want to know what kind of dreams people usually have? Are you really going to miss out on such a great opportunity?” the demon said. Then, a small angel appeared, sighing deeply. Flapping its delicate wings, it floated right up to her face. “This is a rare chance, you know. When else would you get to enter someone’s dreams? Don’t hesitate. It’s your bad habit to hold back at times ,” the angel encouraged Yoon-Hee. “Oho, we’ve been on the same page pretty often recently, huh?” the demon added. Yoon-Hee was taken aback by the unexpected partnership. Yoon-Hee usually went to bed early because she had to leave for the Academy early in the morning. However, today, she was studying under the light of the desk lamp. Next to her were two empty mugs—she had already drunk two cups of coffee. Do-Jun was sitting at the dining table, reading a book. He closed the book and got up from the sofa when he saw Yoon-Hee looking at him. Startled, Yoon-Hee quickly lowered her gaze back to her book, pretending nothing had happened. Do-Jun walked past her toward the bedroom, saying, “Don’t stay up too late.” “Y-yes! Good night, Father.” “Good night.” Do-Jun entered the bedroom and closed the door. An hour later, Yoon-Hee finally got up from her seat. What’s the trick to eating ramen without getting a swollen face? Was it adding milk? If that’s the case, I’d rather not eat it. Wouldn’t it be fine to just drink milk after eating? It all ends up in the same place anyway. Karsiel chuckled while folding laundry and watching TV. The clock on the wall showed 2 PM. Having used the Ring of Dreams on Karsiel, Yoon-Hee realized she had entered her dream and slowly approached her. “Ah, Young Master,” Karsiel greeted her. “What are you doing...?” Yoon-Hee asked her. “Hmm? As you can see, I’m folding laundry.” Even in her dreams, Karsiel was doing housework. Yoon-Hee felt a pang of guilt. Karsiel, being naturally kind-hearted, often helped her balance housework and studies by taking over chores like cleaning or laundry during weekdays. She was doing it even here, in her dreams. Without warning, Yoon-Hee hugged Karsiel tightly. “W-why are you saying that, Young Master?” “From now on, I’ll handle the housework, so don’t worry too much about it, okay?” At her words, Karsiel dropped the laundry she was holding. She looked deeply shocked, and moments later, a shadow fell over her face. “Does that mean I won’t be able to fold laundry while watching TV anymore? One of the few joys of this feeble dragon’s life... gone just like that. But if that is your order, Young Master, I’ll gladly obey.” Hearing that, Yoon-Hee panicked. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. Wouldn’t you rather go outside and play like the other kids?” “That sounds nice, but... I also enjoy doing this.” Karsiel gave a bittersweet smile. “T-then, could I ask for your help from time to time?” Yoon-Hee asked her. “Of course! Anytime you need me, just say the word.” At that, Karsiel smiled brightly, picked up the laundry again, and continued folding while watching TV. The next stop was Byeol's dream. Byeol was fishing with Kiriel at the lake on the first floor of the Core. Kiriel’s fishing rod twitched as a fish bit the hook. The float bobbed up and down, and Kiriel swiftly reeled in the fish. Without hesitation, he tossed the entire fish into a boiling cauldron. “Heh. Just wait a moment, and I’ll show you the ultimate fish dish,” he said. Byeol cried, “Ah!” and bolted into the distance. But Kiriel’s arm stretched dozens of meters, grabbed her, pulled her back, and forcibly seated her at the dining table. “Where do you think you’re going?” he said. “I-I wasn’t running away! I swear!” Kiriel took the fish out of the cauldron, placed it on a plate, and served it to Byeol. He chuckled as he deboned the fish, but Byeol, her face pale, kept her mouth tightly shut. Just then, a thudding sound echoed in the distance, steadily growing louder. Yoon-Hee was startled to see a swarm of Horned Squirrels charging toward them. “Save me, Squas!” Byeol cried out. Kiriel was equally alarmed. “Whoa! What’s that?!” “Haaa, let’s save Byeol!” The Horned Squirrels charged at Kiriel, slamming into him with full force and knocking him out cold. The squirrels, having “subdued” Kiriel, approached Byeol. Realizing she no longer needed to eat the fish, Byeol smiled brightly. “Good job!” she said. She toddled back to the table. The fish dish had somehow transformed into fried chicken. Byeol rewarded the squirrels with acorns and happily started eating the chicken. Yoon-Hee, smiling awkwardly, thought to herself, I should avoid cooking fish for a while. Yong-Yong was scrubbing the living room floor with a rag. Perhaps thanks to his effort, the house shone brightly. Wiping the sweat from his brow with a front paw, he opened a drawer and took out a notebook labeled “Braised Short Ribs Stamp Book.” Spotting Yoon-Hee, Yong-Yong dropped the notebook at her feet, and his tail wagged furiously. “Uh... do you want me to stamp it?” Yoon-Hee asked the expectant Yong-Yong. Yoon-Hee chuckled, amused, and stamped the notebook. Braised ribs, even in his dreams? She marveled again at Yong-Yong’s overwhelming love for it. It seemed like he only needed one more stamp to finally get his ribs. “Hehe.” Yong-Yong opened the notebook and counted the stamps. “Never change, Yong-Yong,” Yoon-Hee muttered with a soft chuckle. The sound of sparrows filled the air at 6:30 AM. Do-Jun walked to the front door, picked up the morning newspaper, and placed it on the dining table. Today was Saturday—the weekend. The kids would probably sleep in. After opening the balcony window a little to let in some fresh air, Do-Jun made himself a cup of coffee and sat at the dining table. About ten minutes later, Do-Jun put down his newspaper and looked up. Yoon-Hee was peeking out from the bedroom, her eyes meeting his. “You’re up early,” he said with a smile. “Want some coffee?” Do-Jun got up, took out a cup, and began boiling water in the kettle. But Yoon-Hee, who had been silent until now, suddenly approached him and hugged him tightly. Rubbing her face against his chest, she murmured softly, “Could you... pat my head?” Do-Jun chuckled softly and gently patted her head. Normally, this wasn’t like her at all. She was unusually affectionate this morning, but Do-Jun didn’t comment on it. He simply went along with what she wanted. “Thank you for everything, Father. Always...” Yoon-Hee clung to him for a while, unwilling to let go. Do-Jun lightly patted her back. He was deeply aware of how much Yoon-Hee sacrificed for the family and always felt grateful for it. Before long, she fell asleep in his arms. Do-Jun carried her to the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. As Do-Jun prepared a simple breakfast, someone entered through the slightly open balcony window. While the window had been left ajar for ventilation, Do-Jun had another purpose in mind. The visitor was a spirit—Illumia, the Spirit of Dreams. Illumia entered the living room and scanned her surroundings. “Ah! Here it is!” she said, spotting the Ring of Dreams on the living room table. She retrieved it and left the house. Satisfied that the apartment had gotten enough fresh air, Do-Jun closed the window. Shortly after, Yoon-Hee emerged from the bedroom, yawning lightly. “Good morning,” she greeted Do-Jun. “Morning. Did you sleep well?” “Yes. I even had a nice dream.” Do-Jun smiled warmly. “That’s good to hear.”