A "Heartwarming" Gift
It began innocently enough.
A well-meaning (read: deeply misinformed) elder relative visited the estate and, inspired by tales of bonding with powerful spirit beasts, decided to gift Lee Yong-Su a mystical egg.
"To help the young master grow strong," they said proudly, placing the shimmering, pulsing orb on a velvet cushion.
Fen took one look at it and began sweating like someone who just saw their death certificate fill itself out.
"That's a spirit beast egg," she hissed. "He's barely out of diapers!"
"Exactly," the elder beamed. "They'll bond young!"
"The last one hatched into a three-headed fire lizard and destroyed a greenhouse!"
"Oh, hush, it only scorched the vines."
The Baby's Response?
Yong-Su stared at the egg with the intensity of a nuclear physicist meeting uranium.
He didn't see a pet.
He saw a living flamethrower.
He immediately began sketching potential armor plating.
"If it hatches, I ride it," he announced. "Or mount it on a goose."
Fen passed out. Again.
Tao-Tao's Dive-Bomb Training
While everyone debated whether giving a spirit beast to a literal toddler was wise (spoiler: it wasn't), Captain Beakface (Tao-Tao) was undergoing flight training.
Why? Because Yong-Su, after one too many war scrolls, became convinced aerial dominance was the next step.
He built a launching ramp using bamboo, hay bales, and physics he didn't fully understand—but trusted vibes.
"Featherblade, spot. Tao-Tao, mount up."
Tao-Tao, who now wore a stitched harness with a crude metal badge labeled Sky Unit 01, waddled onto the ramp.
"Countdown: three… two…"
A gentle shove.
WOOOSH.
For 2.7 glorious seconds, Tao-Tao flew.
Then gravity remembered its job.
He crashed into a laundry line and landed in a basket of undergarments—unharmed, but deeply offended.
"Adjust ramp angle," Yong-Su mumbled. "Add feathers to tail."
Fen, watching from the window, turned to Madam:
"He's trying to launch geese now."
"He's always been ambitious."
The Egg Situation Worsens
By the end of the week, the egg started glowing. And twitching.
And emitting soft growls like someone had locked a baby dragon in a blender.
Everyone began panicking.
Fen posted warning signs around the nursery:
"DO NOT FEED THE EGG""DO NOT PET THE EGG""DO NOT SPEAK TO THE EGG"
Naturally, Yong-Su ignored all of this and began reading bedtime stories to it.
"You'll like this one," he whispered. "It ends in fire and conquest."
The egg rumbled happily.
Emergency Spirit Consultation
At this point, even Madam grew nervous. She summoned a Spirit Beast Handler, a serious woman in moss-colored robes with seven scars and zero chill.
The moment she entered the room and saw the egg next to a baby chewing a flintrock, she said:
"…You have two disasters in the same cradle."
She inspected the egg. Her face paled.
"This is not a pet. This is a Crimson Flare Wymling egg. When it hatches, it will breathe fire, bite everything, and try to eat your roof."
Yong-Su clapped excitedly.
"I shall name it Kaboom."
The handler nearly fainted.
Fen looked into the distance, dead-eyed, muttering, "I should've gone into basket weaving…"
Night Report: Baby Log
Egg status: warming rapidly. Growls confirmed.
Tao-Tao flight rating: 4/10. Requires parachute.
Flame beast mounting viability: high. Needs saddle.
Fen loyalty: weakening. Bribery with pastries advised.
New equation:Dragon + Goose = Fire Goose Bomb™(Test later.)
Moonlit Madness
That night, as the candle flickered low, Yong-Su laid one hand on the glowing egg and whispered:
"You and me, Kaboom… We're gonna shake the heavens."
Outside, thunder rumbled.
Tao-Tao squawked softly from his perch.
And somewhere deep inside the egg, something growled back.