MØNSTER HUNTER

Yudai insisted everyone call him K because it sounded cooler. Well, mostly because apparently there's plenty Yudai in his school which makes it awkward sometimes. Unfortunately, being cool didn't make dating any cheaper. He had finally worked up the courage to ask his girlfriend out, only to discover that dates were ridiculously expensive. Bus fares. Amusement park tickets. Snacks. Drinks. Those viral cafés everyone kept talking about. He wanted to take her everywhere and do everything, but his allowance barely survived the trip to school.

So when the Asakura couple called his mother looking for a babysitter over the summer, K practically lunged for the phone.

"I'LL DO IT!"

---

Fuma, meanwhile, felt his wallet cry every time the Pokémon Company announced yet another new release. A limited-edition plush. A collaboration café. A new card set. And, as if that wasn't enough, a brand-new Pokémon theme park had just opened in Kanto. He looked over at the shelf in the corner of his room, already overflowing with Pokémon games, plushies, figures, cards, and every piece of merchandise he'd ever convinced himself he absolutely needed.

"...Yeah," he muttered with a sigh. "That's where all my pocket money went."

So when his mother casually mentioned that their foreign neighbors were looking for a babysitter for one evening, Fuma volunteered before she'd even finished her sentence.

---

Euijoo.

Euijoo watched Fuma with eyes as round as coins. The five-year-old clung tightly to his mother's hand while she was already dressed for a night out.

"Mommy and Daddy will be back before you open your eyes tomorrow morning," she said, cupping his chubby cheeks and peppering them with kisses. "So be good and listen to Fuma-hyung, okay?"

His father, Byun-san, ruffled his hair before giving one cheek a gentle poke. "Listen to Fuma-hyung well, son."

Euijoo nodded with all the seriousness a five-year-old could muster. Then he let go of his mother's hand and waved goodbye.

The house fell quiet as they sat together on the couch. Euijoo blinked slowly, continued staring at Fuma.

"So..." Fuma cleared his throat. "What do you want to watch?"

"..."

The little boy simply continued staring with those impossibly round eyes. Fuma glanced around for inspiration before noticing the bright Power Rangers printed across Euijoo's T-shirt.

"...Power Rangers?" he guessed. "Do you want to watch Power Rangers?"

It was like someone had flipped on a light switch. Euijoo immediately scooted right next to him, practically glued to Fuma's side before he'd even figured out which button turned on the television.

"Fuma-hyung! Which Power Ranger do you like? Mine's the Red Ranger! Red is the coolest!"

"Uh..." Fuma admitted. "I don't actually watch Power Rangers."

Euijoo gasped. "Really?!"

The next thing Fuma knew, he'd been handed the greatest lecture ever delivered by a five-year-old. Apparently the Red Ranger was brave. The Blue Ranger was smart. The Black Ranger had the coolest fighting style. There was also a dinosaur season. And... a ninja season. And another season that was somehow completely different but still Power Rangers.

Fuma never did find the right channel. He wasn't sure there even was a Power Rangers episode airing that evening. It didn't matter though, Euijoo happily explained every single fact he knew until his own voice slowly faded into sleepy mumbling.

A few minutes later, the little boy had fallen asleep against Fuma's shoulder halfway through explaining why the Red Ranger was still objectively the best.

---

Jo.

K swore he could babysit this kid every single night until summer ended. Seriously. If every child were like Jo, babysitting might just be the easiest job in the world!.

The little boy barely spoke. He didn't run around. He didn't throw toys. He didn't ask a thousand questions every minute. Instead, Jo just quietly sat in the study room with a box of crayons, happily doodling on sheets of paper while occasionally mumbling something to himself that K couldn't quite make out.

An angel.

An actual angel.

K leaned back against the sofa with a satisfied grin. Easy money indeed. He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and began texting his girlfriend. One message became ten. Ten became thirty. Soon he was completely absorbed in deciding whether the shaved ice stand or the amusement park would make a better date.

The silence took him quite a while to notice. Not that Jo had ever been loud, but surely there was a difference between quiet...and too quiet.

K frowned. "Jo?"

"..."

Always keep your eyes on the kids. He was suddenly remember his mom's advice this morning.

"Jo?" Still nothing.

A tiny sense of dread crawled up his spine. He hurried toward the study room to find Jo was exactly where he'd left him. Still sitting politely at the little table. Still looking impossibly well-behaved. Still blinking at him with those big innocent eyes.

K let out a relieved sigh.

"Oh, thank goodness. I thought—" K froze when he realized jo was munching on something.

It's past snack time...

"Jo." The little boy looked up. There was something white sticking out of his mouth.

K slowly looked down and found tissue box beside him...was half empty.

"...Jo." The child blinked. Then calmly took another bite.

"What the—" K lunged across the room.

"WHY ARE YOU EATING TISSUES?!" Jo looked genuinely confused.

"...shweet."

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE FOOD!"

The next thirty minutes were pure survival, K frantically called Jo's parents.

No answer.

He's losing his mind. What if he died from... Who knows whatever tissue got in there.

So, with all the confidence of a fifteen-year-old who absolutely should not have been left in charge of another human being...

"Jo... I'm so sorry."

He carefully stuck two fingers into the little boy's mouth. Jo cried. K almost cried. The tissues eventually came back up as Jo threw up on his own shirt. Then K had to figure out how to wash a crying four-year-old.

By the time Jo had finally calmed down, changed into fresh pajamas, and fallen asleep clutching his favorite stuffed animal... K collapsed face-first onto the bedroom floor. He didn't even have enough energy to walk to the living room. The next morning, Jo's parents found one child peacefully asleep in bed...and one middle-school babysitter snoring on the carpet beside him.

K had judged far too quickly.