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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Baby Mukbang Star
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"I'll get some water."
Seo Eunhye went to the kitchen and came back with appropriately warm water. She added formula to a baby bottle and poured the water in.
Soon, the nipples of the bottles were in the mouths of the babies, who were lying in a circle on a clean blanket.
But the babies shook their heads. They latched on but wouldn't suck. They whimpered from hunger, yet they didn't want to eat.
"Oh, Jiyun. If you're hungry, you should eat."
Jiyun's mother sighed at her daughter, who whimpered but absolutely refused to eat. The other babies were the same.
Only Seojun was sucking on his bottle, drinking his formula.
Watching the anxious mothers, Seo Eunhye picked up Seojun. It wasn't her fault, but she felt self-conscious seeing her son eating so well all by himself.
Suck, suck—
In his mother's arms, Seojun observed the situation.
His mother held him, looking troubled, while the others were trying to coax and soothe their babies, who couldn't possibly understand, begging them to take just one sip.
Suck, suck—
Seojun thought for a moment while drinking his formula, then raised his right hand. If left alone, it seemed the babies would continue to be noisy, and the mothers might just burst into tears.
'I don't know if this will work, but…'
On the baby's right hand was a leaf-green staff pattern, invisible to others.
'I've never used it like this before…'
To be honest, it was his first time using a skill like [Fairy's Sparkle].
In the monster ecosystem, where it was survival of the fittest, there was no need for such a showy ability. In fact, it was dangerous.
After days of only using skills for fighting and brawling, to finally use a skill like this felt rather refreshing.
'Sparkle.'
[Fairy's Sparkle - Lowest Grade - is sparkling. It captures the attention of the young, who can see all things.]
Normally, a fairy's wings would sparkle, but since Seojun had no wings, the baby's hair and skin glittered faintly instead.
The crying babies' gazes turned toward the magically sparkling Seojun. The mothers didn't see it.
Only the babies, untainted and without prejudice against the world, could see the Fairy's Sparkle.
As the babies stopped crying and stared at one spot, the mothers' gazes followed.
They saw Seo Eunhye holding Seojun. She was sitting on the floor, holding Seojun with one arm and supporting the bottle with the other.
Suck, suck—
Only the sound of Seojun sucking on his bottle could be heard.
Drinking his formula, Seojun leisurely waved his right hand. He was waving the sparkle.
[Fairy's Sparkle sways. Someone will want to imitate you.]
When a fairy's wings sparkled, it caught the children's eyes, and when the fairy danced, the children would dance along.
Fairies would often play pranks on those who imitated them. Sometimes they would lead children into the forest and get them lost.
Fairies would dance, sing, or do strange things. Most of the time, it was strange things.
It was all the power of the sparkle.
Suck, suck—
Along with the sound of Seojun sucking on his bottle, sounds began to come from the bottles in the other babies' mouths.
Suck, suck—
The babies, influenced by the sparkle, had started to drink their formula.
"Oh my goodness!"
Though none of them knew why, they all realized that the babies were imitating Seojun.
Where had the babies who cried and refused their formula gone? My goodness! They were eating so well, as if they had never tasted such a delicious formula in their lives.
"Seojun is amazing!"
"I know, right? They're all eating because they see Seojun eating!"
The mothers exclaimed, overjoyed.
"It's so wonderful to see them eat like this!"
Jiyun's mother, holding Jiyun who had barely eaten for the past few days, said with a half-choked voice.
She had truly cried, begged, and pleaded at every meal, but Jiyun wouldn't eat. The thought of mealtime gave Jiyun's mother a headache and brought tears to her eyes.
The other mothers nodded in agreement. Stroking Mina's golden hair as she diligently sucked on her bottle, Mina's mother spoke.
"You know, I think this is like that thing?"
"That thing?"
The mothers' gazes turned to Mina's mother. She grinned and said,
"A mukbang for the baby world!"
At Mina's mother's words, a "Pfft-!" escaped the mothers' lips.
Mukbang!
A mukbang for the baby world!
"Ahahaha!"
They all burst out laughing at the half-joking comment from Mina's mom, who was a vlogger on N-tube, documenting her daily life.
"That's it!"
"He could really do a mukbang at this rate!"
"He's a total mukbang star. A star!"
Mukbangs, where people display delicious-looking food in front of a camera and eat it in various combinations, could provide vicarious satisfaction and even help people on diets, but they could also make viewers order the same menu and eat along.
Seojun's eating had the same effect, making the other babies eat along with him.
As if they had no interest in the laughing mothers, the babies watched Seojun slurp down his formula and followed suit.
Soon, the formula in the bottles was all gone, and the mothers picked up their babies.
Burp-!
Seojun, who finished first, burped first, and Seo Eunhye then picked up his twin brother, Jiwoo, to help him burp.
Like a round, the sound of babies burping echoed through the living room. Fortunately, since they had all eaten well, they burped well and didn't seem likely to spit up.
The mothers placed the babies back in a corner of the living room and continued their conversation, occasionally glancing at them.
"Seojun's mom."
"Yes?"
Jiyun's mother called out to Seo Eunhye. Mina's mom might have been joking, but for a mother with a baby who didn't eat well, it was a different story.
Jiyun's mother spoke, a little embarrassed but willing to do it for Jiyun.
"I'm sorry to ask, but could you maybe film Seojun eating and send it to me?"
Everyone was surprised by her words. Mina's mom, in particular, exclaimed in shock.
"Hey, I was just joking."
"I know."
Tears welled up in Jiyun's mother's eyes. The mother of the twins quickly pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.
"My Jiyun doesn't eat well, so they say she's smaller than her peers. I try my best to feed her, but she just won't eat…"
Jiyun's mother started to cry.
The mothers' gazes turned to the babies. Jiyun, who was opening and closing her little fists, was certainly smaller than Seojun, who was also seven months old. Among the five babies, Jiyun was the smallest.
Seo Eunhye, who had thought the size difference was just because Seojun was unusually healthy and tall for his age, quickly waved her hands.
"No, Unni. Seojun is much bigger than his peers, so it just looks that way."
"...The doctor said I have to feed her well... *sob*..."
Jiyun's mother finally broke down in tears. As if sensing his mother's crying, Jiyun's face twitched.
Seeing this, Seojun sighed inwardly and raised his right hand to summon the sparkle.
'I'm not even hungry. I refuse to listen to any unnecessary crying!'
[Fairy's Sparkle is sparkling. It captures the attention of the young, who can see all things.]
Soon, Seojun's hair and skin began to glitter. The babies' eyes were drawn to him.
'Argh! I forgot.'
The babies flocked to Seojun. Unlike before, when he was safely in his mother's arms, he was now defenseless on the floor as the babies descended upon him.
These were babies who would grab anything and put it in their mouths. Something fascinating that caught their eyes was right in front of them. They weren't about to miss it.
Seojun's sparkling hair and fingers went into the babies' mouths. Suck, suck— He was being sucked on, and it wasn't formula.
'Mom!'
Seojun looked at Seo Eunhye, but she was busy comforting Jiyun's mother. His whole body was being covered in baby drool.
He could have cried 'Waaah,' but judging from their expressions, the mothers seemed to be in a serious conversation.
Seojun let out a deep sigh and surrendered his body to the babies. He decided to sacrifice himself so as not to disturb the mothers' conversation.
Suck, suck—
'But why does it feel like my soul is being sucked out?'
"Really, I'm just asking this one favor... *hic*."
Jiyun's mother pleaded, clasping her hands together. Seeing this, Seo Eunhye's heart softened.
Her own son ate everything, slept anywhere, and pooped well. He had never been sick and was always healthy. She knew, even in her own opinion, that he was a rare baby.
Even though she had raised him without much worry, she was still a mother. She understood Jiyun's mother's feelings all too well. Besides, it was just filming him eating.
'It's not like she's asking for money.'
And it wasn't like she was asking to bring Seojun over every time Jiyun refused to eat. After a moment's thought, Seo Eunhye said,
"Okay. I'll film it and send it to you."
"Really?!"
Jiyun's mother asked in surprise. Then she squeezed Seo Eunhye's hands tightly.
"I'll... I'll really only show it to my Jiyun. Only my Jiyun..."
As Jiyun's mother spoke through her tears, Seo Eunhye said,
"But, Unni... I don't know if Jiyun will eat well just by watching the video. This might have just been a one-time thing..."
"I know, but... really, even a little effect would be enough. If she eats just once after watching it ten times, that's enough for me..."
Jiyun's mother had considered that. No, honestly, she thought it was probably a coincidence.
But she thought, maybe if her daughter saw her friend eating in a video, she would imitate her friend and eat too. Even a little bit would be good.
A very thin straw had appeared before her as she was drowning. She was determined to grasp even this weak-looking straw. It was for her daughter, Jiyun.
"Then I'll film Seojun when he eats later and send it to you on BananaTalk. He's full now, so he probably won't eat."
Wiping away her now-subsiding tears, Jiyun's mother nodded.
"I'm so grateful. Really... thank you... I'll definitely repay you..."
"It's nothing. Really, if Jiyun starts eating well after watching the video, you can repay me then."
The mother of the twins and Mina's mother, who had been watching the two, thought for a moment before speaking up.
"Um, Seojun's mom. Could you send it to me too?"
"Me too!"
"My twins aren't picky eaters, but there are times when they refuse to eat..."
"Mina doesn't eat her baby food well... could you maybe do a baby food version?"
At their requests, Seo Eunhye nodded her head.
"Sure! It's just filming him eating, after all. I'll film both the formula and the baby food."
Only then did smiles return to the others' faces. Seeing their relieved expressions, Seo Eunhye smiled too. Then she turned her head toward her son, who ate well and slept well.
"Oh my, Seojun!"
"Mina!"
"Jiho, Jiwoo!"
"Jiyun!"
Seo Eunhye's son was half-resigned, pinned down by the other babies.
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