02
The Guardian of the Forest appeared, lifting the newborn gently into his arms. As he touched the baby's cheek, he felt it—cold as ice. He knew immediately: the baby was close to death.
Even in such an urgent moment, the guardian met the baby’s eyes and, though she could not possibly understand, he spoke softly.
"So... your name is Choseung, huh?"
Just then, a dull thud sounded behind him.
Someone had struck the back of his head.
Annoyed, the Guardian of the Forest turned sharply to see who it was.
"What the hell are you doing, idiot?"
It was the Guardian of Fire.
"Is this... a human baby?"
The Fire Guardian looked down at the newborn, who was still crying. He, too, could sense it—she was dying.
He glanced at the Forest Guardian.
"You gonna kill her?"
"She’s just a baby," the Forest Guardian muttered. "I’ll raise her. If I don’t like her later, I’ll kill her then."
With that, he handed the baby to the Fire Guardian.
The warmth from the Fire Guardian’s body began to revive the infant. But even that heat should have come too late. She should have died.
But she didn’t.
Of course—she had already been saved. The Forest Guardian had saved her.
Gradually, the baby's body warmed. Her sobs quieted.
The Fire Guardian followed after the Forest Guardian, arriving at the center point of the forest where the Guardian of Water was already waiting.
"What’s up with that baby?"
"No idea. Some human left her with Park Jimin," the Forest Guardian replied casually, already shifting into a green dragon and disappearing into the trees.
Park Jimin—that was the name of the Forest Guardian.
"So you’re not going to kill her?" the Water Guardian asked.
Before answering, Jimin leapt forward and attacked him out of pure annoyance. The Water Guardian, seemingly experienced with Jimin’s temper, dodged easily and hit Jimin square in the face with a mid-sized water droplet.
"Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung—you two always say the same annoying things."
The Water Guardian was Jeon Jungkook.
The Fire Guardian was Kim Taehyung.
They were supposed to be incompatible—water and fire—but they actually got along better with each other than with Jimin.
Jimin snarled at them both and glanced down at the baby, now asleep in Taehyung’s arms. She was peaceful.
Unlike when she’d been with Jimin.
That irritated him.
He roared, a sound that echoed through the forest like a furious tiger.
Naturally, the baby began to cry again.
"Why are you scaring her?!" Taehyung barked.
Jimin growled something under his breath and stormed deeper into the woods. This place—their meeting point—was neutral ground, meant for all three guardians.
Taehyung lifted the baby.
"What am I supposed to do with her?!"
Jimin didn’t answer.
"Just take care of her today," Jungkook said.
"Isn’t he always in a bad mood?"
Apparently, some idiot had drunk and vomited in Jimin’s territory that morning, and the culprit was still unknown. Understandably, Jimin was extra irritable.
Taehyung sighed and nodded.
The next morning, all three guardians were up early—as usual. Around 6 a.m.
Jungkook, the Water Guardian, transformed from an Imoogi and stepped out of the water in human form.
Taehyung had been flying around as a phoenix but transformed into a human to check on the baby.
Jimin remained a green dragon, yawning deeply before blinking his eyes open. Curious, he flew to Taehyung’s territory to see how the baby was doing.
The territories were invisible to anyone but the guardians, so he flew freely.
Jimin landed in the heat of Taehyung’s volcanic domain. Lava bubbled around him. At the mouth of the cave, Taehyung sat holding the baby, who looked quite content.
"You came for the baby, right?"
"Yeah. Give her to me."
Jimin reached out.
Taehyung handed her over without hesitation.
The baby smiled.
Jimin, seeing that, smiled back—without meaning to.
Taehyung blinked.
"Did Park Jimin... just smile at a baby?"
Jimin noticed the stare.
"What are you looking at?"
"N-nothing."
Taehyung quickly transformed into a phoenix and flew away.
"...Let’s go."
-
Jimin returned to the forest and laid the baby under the cool shade of a tree.
She fell asleep instantly.
"Choseung, huh..."
He lay down beside her, staring at her sleeping face.
After a long moment, he stood and picked her up again.
"Choseung is no longer your name."
"Your name is Kim Heeyeon."
From that moment on, the baby was known as Kim Heeyeon.
Jimin raised her for years. By the time she was five, she was walking and speaking with her tiny mouth.
Jimin taught her a few hours a day—though most of the time she ran off mid-lesson. Still, she learned, slowly.
"Kim Heeyeon! Where are you?!"
One day, he woke up to find her gone.
She usually slept curled up in his dragon form, so he panicked.
He first went to Taehyung, who hadn’t seen her.
Then to Jungkook.
"Yo, Jeon—"
"Kyahaha~!"
"You’re here."
He found Heeyeon playing in the water with Jungkook. Relieved, he called her name softly.
She was rolling little water beads like marbles, but paused and looked up.
Her face showed guilt.
She walked over, cupping her hands in apology.
"Come on. Let’s go."
Normally, Jimin would’ve carried her, but today he was mad.
So Heeyeon quietly followed him.
When they stopped, Jimin sat down.
Heeyeon fidgeted with her fingers, clearly nervous.
Jimin watched.
Then he gestured.
Heeyeon was lifted into the air, spinning like a gentle whirlwind.
She laughed.
"From now on, I’ll be the one to play with you. So don’t go anywhere without permission."
"...But Uncle Jungkook is better at playing."
"How does he play with you?"
Heeyeon used hand gestures to describe the round water bubble from earlier. She said it was soft and fun.
Then Jimin began crafting something from the grass. Heeyeon watched intently. What he made wasn't transparent like the water bubble, but it was round, green, and bounced softly.
Heeyeon let out a cheerful "Wow!" and started rolling and playing with it happily.
"If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll make it for you."
"Okay!!"
"Didn’t I tell you not to go anywhere without permission?"
"But Uncle, your grass is different from the other grass, isn’t it?"
"You… went down there, didn’t you? I told you not to go."
Heeyeon had secretly gone down to play. The grass there darkened when stepped on, unlike the grass near Jimin. She had wanted to ask about the difference, but it gave her away.
"...I just wanted to try playing down there."
"Geez… you always do what I told you not to."
Jimin scolded her again and again, warning her never to go down there again. Little Heeyeon nodded obediently.
Only then did Jimin hug her.
Being the Guardian of the Forest, everything around Jimin was lush and vivid—the leaves, the soil, the trees. There were no bugs in the soil, only pretty creatures like butterflies. Even if stepped on, the plants didn’t wither or change color.
"Hey, Uncle..."
"Did you... pick me up from somewhere?"
W-What…?
Jimin was caught off guard by the unexpected question. She wasn’t asking who her mother was—she was asking if she’d been picked up.
He fumbled for a moment but quickly regained composure and answered.
"I didn’t pick you up."
"Then… what?"
"I made you."
"I’m a guardian, so I can do things like that."
Heeyeon looked like she was about to cry but quickly brightened at Jimin’s words.
"Yeah!! That makes sense! You’re a guardian!!"
She hugged him tightly.
Jimin sighed in relief. 'Good, that worked...'
He patted her back and told her to go play.
Heeyeon rolled the ball around, sometimes even rolling along with it.
"When did you get here?"
"Me? Just now."
Taehyung said he came because he was bored and watched Heeyeon playing joyfully.
Then he looked at Jimin.
Jimin was watching a butterfly resting on his hand.
"But are you really going to keep her like this?"
"Keep her how?"
"I mean... she should at least have a friend, right?"
A friend... Yeah, Jimin understood why Taehyung said that.
Other than the guardians, no one could come into this place. So Heeyeon had no friends. She didn’t even see the guardians as friends.
Jimin understood Taehyung’s concern.
But he didn’t agree. He was teaching her himself. Friends? He hadn’t even considered sending her out.
"She doesn’t need any."
"She’ll realize it eventually—that she needs friends."
With those parting words, Taehyung left, leaving a stir in Jimin’s heart.
There was something Jimin had always been worried about.
——Heeyeon’s family.
He feared they’d meet someday.
He feared she’d be hurt by that.
She might have parents who abandoned her. When she grows up, she might come to hate Jimin.
That’s why he kept her from the outside world.
And then——
The infamous "rebellious phase" that everyone warned about finally hit Heeyeon.
Jimin had it rough. So did Taehyung and Jungkook.
She did everything she was told not to do.
She lashed out in return.
No one could stop her.
One day, Jimin got seriously angry.
Heeyeon had gone down again without permission.
He was furious.
"Hey, where were you today?"
"...You already know, don’t you?"
Heeyeon ignored Jimin and walked past him.
Jimin grew even angrier and followed her through the trees to a clearing.
It was a soft, comfortable place where they often slept together.
He chased after her.
"Kim Heeyeon, stop right there."
But Heeyeon ignored him and kept walking.
Jimin grabbed her arm to make her stop.
"Tell me the truth. What were you doing?"
"Why should I? It’s not like you ever care about me."
She yanked her arm away.
She tried to head toward Jungkook.
That only fueled Jimin’s anger. He grabbed her again.
"Let go of me."
Heeyeon didn’t shout but looked visibly annoyed as she shook off his hand again.
"Hey."
——Listen while I’m still being nice.