Chapter 161

The first thing Ruby noticed was the silence.

No humming heater.

No television.

No soft music playing from the kitchen while her Mommy cooked breakfast.

Just-

“…Mama?” Ruby’s sleepy voice cracked through the dark bedroom.

A loud howl of wind answered her instead.

The windows rattled violently as rain slammed against the glass hard enough to make the four-year-old jolt upright in bed.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the room for half a second before everything disappeared into darkness again.

Ruby blinked.

Then blinked harder.

“Why did the house disappear?”

From beside her, Lisa snorted awake. “Baby, the house didn’t disappear.”

“Yes it did!” Ruby squeaked, immediately climbing onto her Mama like a frightened koala. “The lights are GONE!”

Another thunderclap boomed across Seoul.

Ruby screamed dramatically into Lisa’s neck.

Outside, the super typhoon was tearing through South Korea with brutal winds and nonstop rain. Emergency alerts had been buzzing on everyone’s phones since yesterday.

And now-

Complete blackout.

The entire district lost power.

Jennie walked into the room carrying two battery lanterns like she had been waiting her whole life for this moment.

Meanwhile Lisa looked half dead.

“Kim Jennie…” Lisa stared at her wife in disbelief. “Why do you look prepared for the apocalypse?”

Jennie proudly lifted a massive emergency bag.

“Because unlike you, I actually listened to the weather warning.”

Lisa gasped dramatically. “I listened emotionally.”

“You bought chips.”

“They were emergency chips.”

Ruby peeked over Lisa’s shoulder with wide eyes as Jennie calmly started setting up lanterns around the room.

One light near the bed.

One near the bathroom.

Portable fans fully charged.

Power banks lined up.

Emergency radio.

Bottled water.

Blankets.

Snacks.

Candles.

Even tiny glow sticks.

Lisa stared at the setup.

“…Are you secretly a survival expert?”

Jennie flipped her hair. “No. I’m a mother.”

Ruby looked genuinely amazed.

“Mommy is stronger than electricity…”

Jennie immediately melted. “That’s right, baby.”

Lisa pointed at the stack of instant noodles. “You even bought enough ramyeon for a month.”

Jennie crossed her arms smugly. “I know my family.”

The storm continued raging outside all day.

The apartment building remained dark.

No elevators.

No internet.

No TV.

And unfortunately for Ruby-

No cartoons.

“This is the worst day of my life,” she whispered dramatically while laying face-down on the couch.

Lisa nodded solemnly beside her. “You’re so brave.”

Jennie threw a pillow at both of them.

By nighttime, the storm got even louder.

The wind outside sounded terrifying enough that Ruby refused to leave her parents’ sides for even one second.

So the three of them ended up making a giant blanket nest in the living room with lanterns glowing softly around them.

Mochi the corgi was snoring in the middle like an oversized potato.

Lisa held Ruby on her lap while Jennie handed out sandwiches.

Ruby whispered quietly, “Mommy…”

“Hm?”

“…What if the lights never come back?”

Jennie kissed the top of her fluffy hair.

“Then we’ll survive without them.”

“How?”

Lisa grinned. “Your Mommy prepared enough snacks to feed an entire village.”

Jennie looked offended. “It’s called responsibility.”

Ruby looked around the glowing blanket fort.

The rain.

The thunder.

Her Mama’s warm hoodie.

Her Mommy fixing lantern batteries while looking ridiculously calm.

And somehow…

The blackout stopped feeling scary.

It felt cozy.

Like camping.

“Can blackout happen every weekend?” Ruby asked suddenly.

Jennie and Lisa stared at her.

“This child cried because the TV turned off this morning,” Lisa whispered.

Ruby defended herself instantly.

“That was BEFORE the blanket nest.”

The blackout lasted two full days.

And somehow, Ruby ended up loving it.

They played shadow puppets with lanterns.

Jennie taught Ruby old childhood games.

Lisa made dramatic ghost stories that always ended with Mochi farting.

At night, they all slept together while rain battered the windows outside.

And when electricity finally returned on the second evening-

The apartment suddenly lit up.

The heater beeped alive.

The fridge hummed.

The TV flashed back on.

Ruby blinked at the bright room.

Then slowly frowned.

“…Aw.”

Lisa burst out laughing. “You’re disappointed?!”

Ruby crossed her tiny arms.

“The blackout was family time.”

Jennie nearly cried on the spot.

Lisa pointed accusingly at her wife. “See? This is because you made the apocalypse cozy.”

Jennie hugged her baby proudly anyway.

Ruby buried herself between her parents with a sleepy smile.

“Next typhoon,” she mumbled, “we make two blanket nests.”