I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 128: Mimi! I need you!!!!!

Si Hon’s gaze lingered in the air for a moment longer, like he was still looking at something that hadn’t appeared yet. Then, almost absent mindedly, he muttered under his breath—

"Status."

The response was immediate.

A familiar blue interface unfolded in front of him, clean and quiet.

────────────────────────

Name: Si Hon

Level: 20

EXP: 300 / 1050

Tendency: Careful Strategies

Job: Unemployed

Title:

Still new but hanging in there — tap for more...

Thief — tap for more...

A Clown — tap for more...

Free Stat Points: 0

Strength: 29 (3.2) +

Agility: 27 +

Stamina: 49 +

Endurance: 43 +

Luck: 41 +

Intelligence: 23 +

Mana: 26 +

────────────────────────

He stared at it.

He just... stared.

Long enough for the numbers to stop feeling like— numbers... (A/N/ Tfuck am I yapping about...) and start feeling like something else entirely— something he didn’t quite understand yet. His brows pulled together slightly, confusion mixing with a strange flicker of excitement, like he knew this was strange... but didn’t know why it felt nice.

"I mean..." he muttered slowly, dragging a hand across his face before pointing lazily at the screen. "Some of these were way lower before... right? Like— below thirty... some even below twenty..."

A pause.

"So what is this?"

The question hung in the air for a moment before Si Hon tilted his head up just slightly, his gaze finally rising toward the hovering screen he’d been avoiding this whole time.

The stream.

The moment he acknowledged it—

It exploded.

「Done? You done ignoring us??!? (눈‸눈)」

「You’re lucky we’re loyal, Si Hon」

「Acardthatwasmaxxedoutwithcash: Si Hon? My beloved? Finally!!! You’re looking at us! Any questions? And please stop ignoring us... Did we piss you off or something? (｡•́︿•̀｡)」

「Shut your mouth above me, we’re NOT answering anything!」

「YES! WE PROTEST!」

「YES!!!! WE WON’T!!!!」

Si Hon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Not annoyed.

Just... unimpressed.

His gaze dropped instead, and was set on the ring wrapped around his finger— that quiet, strange thing that felt more reliable than the entire screaming crowd combined.

"Fine," he muttered under his breath. "Have it your way, bro’s."

His gaze lingered upward for just a second longer before it dropped again, chin lowering slightly as his eyes fell back down— away from the noise, away from the chaos— settling somewhere quieter, more useful, cute, reliable!

Still, even without looking, he could feel it— the shift. The outrage. The sudden flood of rainbow messages they themselves had once said cost more than they could afford. Pleading, spamming, shouting—

Ignored.

All of it.

Because he had something better.

His thumb brushed lightly over the ring, the motion absentminded at first— then just a little more deliberate, slow and gentle, like he was smoothing down a strand of hair that wasn’t really there. The faint, familiar texture steadied him in a way the noise above never could.

And then—

A shimmer.

Light folded in front of him, soft and quiet, gathering piece by piece until the projection formed fully in the air.

A small figure hovered there, suspended just above eye level— white hair falling neatly around her face, tiny frame steady despite the flicker that brought her in. This time, a pair of glasses rested on her nose, giving her that calm, look...?

S/H: ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ

And, as always—

A spoon rested in her hand like it belonged there.

"파파?" Mimi’s voice came out soft and drowsy, her eyes barely open as she blinked at him, then let out a small yawn midair, stretching just slightly. "Mimi was taking a nap..."

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

Beside him, Han flinched— The book in his hands dipped as his head snapped up, his entire focus locking onto the floating projection like his brain had just tripped over itself trying to understand what it was seeing.

"Dad?" he asked, cautious, confused, and just a little alarmed. "Who’s that...? And what’s that floating in front of you?"

Mimi tilted her head, eyes drifting toward him before a small giggle slipped out, light and amused, like she had just been handed something unexpectedly entertaining. "Papa?" she echoed playfully. "Isn’t that your adopted kid? Hehehe..."

That—

That did it.

Han froze.

Completely.

His mouth actually dropped, eyes widening as his gaze snapped between Si Hon and Mimi, back and forth, faster now, like his brain was desperately trying to connect pieces that refused to fit together.

"Papa? Dad? W-what is that?!" he blurted, voice rising in pure confusion as he pointed straight at the floating projection. "Why is that ’THING!’ calling you papa?!"

Mimi flinched.

Hard.

Her entire tiny form stiffened midair, glasses slightly tilting as she recoiled like she’d just been attacked. "T-THING!? I’m offended! (◍•̀⤙•́◍)" she snapped instantly, voice sharp despite her small size.

Si Hon blinked once, then glanced at her, eyes narrowed. "’I’m?’," he said. "Not, Mimi offended?"

Mimi froze for half a second.

Then—

"MIMI OFFENDED!! (◍•̀⤙•́◍)" she repeated, louder this time, puffing up midair like a tiny storm cloud ready to throw hands.

Si Hon sighed.

A full, tired exhale that carried the weight of someone who already knew this was about to be more work than it should be. His hand came up, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes half lidded slightly.

"It’s complicated," he muttered.

And it was.

The explanation that followed wasn’t clean, wasn’t polished— pieces of information dropped in uneven order, some things simplified, others skipped entirely. But it was enough. Just enough for Han to grab onto something solid instead of drowning in confusion.

Minutes passed.

Slowly, Han’s expression settled— not fully understanding, not even close— but accepting. His brows relaxed, his shoulders eased, and after a final glance between Mimi and Si Hon with a sorry right after, he gave a small, uncertain nod.

That was enough for him.

Without another word, he lowered his gaze back to the book in his hands, turning a page like nothing had just happened— like floating projections and mysterious "papa" titles were just another part of the day.

And somehow—

The moment moved on just like that...

AndCliffhanger.