Retire 321

321 Guardian (1)

What Uirok was saying was simple.

“It’s awesome!”

Uirok, unusually excited, raised his voice.

“I want to do it too! Like this!”

With a flushed face, he stretched out his arms. The movement was clumsy to the point of absurdity, but it was clear enough what he was trying to imitate.

I wiped my face with a dry hand.

Yeah… I get it. I understand why he’s suddenly so eager to become a Hunter.

Ironically, I too once dreamed of becoming a Hunter at just about his age. It was a dream I had after watching my father smash up the research lab.

Overwhelming force.

Thanks to Noah Michel’s mana and Kim Chaemin’s magic, the schoolyard was saturated with all sorts of magical energy. It was mixed together like colored sand children play with, and must have looked almost like an oil painting. They didn’t know how dangerous that sparkling spectacle was, or how much trouble it could cause.

I hadn’t known either, the first time I met my father. No matter how much of a criminal he had arrested on the spot, I had no idea how much trouble would follow if a Hunter started hitting civilians. I’m sure my father had to write plenty of incident reports, too.

But back then he wasn’t a government employee, so maybe he didn’t. This is why people need power.

Maybe that’s why my own longing for overwhelming force didn’t last long.

After all, someone who wasn’t even an Awakened appeared and subdued my father.

“Like this! I’ll catch giants too!!”

But for Uirok, there was none of the subsequent shock that I had experienced.

“That’s not a giant, it’s…”

I closed my mouth.

Explaining any further would only fan the flames in Uirok’s heart.

Just in case, I glanced at Kim Chaemin. Kim Chaemin, who had been watching Uirok clinging to my waist with a bright smile, quickly turned away when our eyes met, pretending not to notice.

“Ah, whew, there’s still a lot of mana lingering here.”

Muttering nonsense.

Kim Chaemin was hopeless. Uirok shouted energetically.

“I want to be a Hunter too!!”

“So…”

“Hunter!”

“……”

“But the thing you used, hyung, was it a spear? Or a sword? You don’t use it anymore?”

“That’s…”

“I want to learn the spear too. Teach me!”

“……”

I leaned my head back. Think good thoughts, good thoughts.

Right. It’s a good thing Uirok wants to try something. It’s just like when he wanted to learn taekwondo. Isn’t this the age when you want to try everything? And kids his age, their interests change quickly. Today he’s making a fuss about becoming a Hunter, but tomorrow he might want to do something else.

“No, you should ask the ajusshi to teach you.”

“…What?”

So much for good thoughts.

“That ajusshi uses a spear too. Isn’t he the strongest in the world?”

“He’s not quite…”

“He must be the best with the spear too, right? You said it’s best to learn from someone who’s really good at it!”

“…Who said that?”

“Sabumnim did!”

“……”

If Uirok asked to be taught the spear, Hong Seokyeong would be all too happy to oblige.

Kim Chaemin had crouched down, burying his face between his knees. His shoulders shook. I was grateful enough that he wasn’t laughing out loud.

“No.”

I cut him off, unable to handle any more of Uirok’s demands.

Uirok had just been the first to run out, but now that Kim Chaemin had withdrawn his magic, the other kids would probably come out too.

That would only make things more troublesome.

“Why?!”

Uirok’s face crumpled at my firm refusal.

“You’re not a Hunter.”

“I awakened, so I can be a Hunter!”

Uirok was eleven years old.

He’d awakened, so training had to begin. At the very least, he needed to get used to the heightened sensitivity to mana, like Kang Taewoo.

But that was that, and this was this.

Remember: fundamentally, he is me. At that age, I was a troublesome brat who would rebel if told “no” without a reason.

“What are you talking about?”

I replied in a casual tone.

“If anyone could become a Hunter, then every dog and cow would be a Hunter by now.”

“You did it, so why can’t I?!”

“Are you a dog or a cow?”

“…Anyway! I’m going to be a Hunter!”

“Kids can’t even enter dungeons in the first place.”

“What? Why! Where’s that written?!”

“Where….”

…Wait. When was the law passed that prohibited Awakened under sixteen from entering dungeons? Wasn’t that one of the first things my father did when he established the Agency, along with the Dungeon Emergency Command Authority? I guess it doesn’t exist yet.

I glossed over it.

“To be a Hunter, you have to study a lot. You’ve seen how much the older kids study, haven’t you?”

“……”

At the mention of studying, Uirok flinched.

I could almost hear his thoughts spinning as fast as his darting eyes.

I could already guess what he was about to say next. Like Yoo Jieun, he’d want to go to school….

“Then I want to enroll here too!”

To think he’d say exactly what I expected. Now I understood why my father and sister used to laugh at me like that.

“First, become a middle schooler.”

“Ugh….”

“Until then, let’s just do some simple exercise together.”

“…Exercise?”

Now for the carrot. Just like my father used to do.

“Because you awakened.”

Uirok, not knowing any better, grinned brightly at my words.

I had never seriously wanted to become a Hunter. Entering dungeons and clearing them had been enjoyable in its own way, but that was a different matter. That was the kind of enjoyment you get from solving a puzzle game.

My father had promised to let me do anything I wanted.

But I couldn’t make that promise to Uirok. I wasn’t my father, and Uirok wasn’t in the same situation I was.

If I told Uirok now to do anything he wanted, he would, without a care for anything else, truly do everything he wanted.

Uirok now was an ordinary child with many things he wanted to do. He wasn’t like me, forced to search for something he wanted, even if he had to force it.

Because he had so many things he wanted, this was actually much better for a child who needed to find what he truly wanted.

“If, when you’re in high school, you still want to be a Hunter—”

I set a condition for Uirok.

“Then I’ll help you become one.”

---

“…When will you be back?”

—I’m not sure.

Hong Seokyeong’s voice was reluctant.

—Things are… complicated, you see.

“That doesn’t tell me anything.”

—No, I mean, Schneider, that guy…

Hong Seokyeong, uncharacteristically, let out a sigh.

—Seems he was pretty heavily affected by the magic rampage. Isn’t there any way to fix it?

“Hit him on the back of the head or something.”

—…Hm?

“It’s all a matter of willpower. Especially with mental magic. If you snap him back to reality, he’ll probably come to his senses.”

—Really?

“Think about how we got out of mental magic. And honestly, he might even be doing it on purpose.”

—Yeah….

Hong Seokyeong muttered gloomily. How long was he supposed to stay in America? Things were urgent here too.

—By the way, everything okay over there? Taewoo’s not back yet, right?

“He said he’d be back the day after tomorrow. I asked this Hunter and apparently he’s doing fine.”

I heard Hong Seokyeong laugh.

—How’s my son doing?

“Who’s your son?”

—Woo Heejae and Woo Uirok, the ones who never listen to their dad….

“I told you, no.”

I frowned, but since I had news to deliver, I spoke up right away.

Just in case, I didn’t go into detail. No matter what, I couldn’t let anything about Uirok or the lab leak to the Americans.

“Uirok has awakened.”

That was enough.

—What!!!

Hong Seokyeong shouted so loudly I had to hold the receiver away from my ear. His booming voice echoed through the room.

—Awakened! He awakened! I should have been there!

“What difference would that make?”

—I could have sung for him!

“He’d hate that.”

—You don’t know until you try!

Listening to his ridiculous blather, I felt my own tension ease. Right, it’s good to worry, but being too tense is a problem too. It narrows your perspective.

“So I’m letting him take a break from school for a while, to help him adjust.”

—Hm?

Hong Seokyeong paused.

“He just awakened. Like Taewoo, he’s having a bit of a hard time.”

He might act like a fool in front of me, but this sharp-witted man quickly sensed that there was something I wasn’t saying.

I spoke obliquely.

“Mr. Kim is helping out too… If he gets bored, I’ll have him help Mr. Kim in the garden. He needs that sort of thing.”

Of course, Hong Seokyeong knew all about the plants and defensive magic Kim Chaemin had set up in the garden.

After a short, unreadable silence, Hong Seokyeong spoke.

—Right. Take good care of him. I’ll hurry back so I can congratulate Uirok myself. What should I bring him as a present? Chocolate’s always safe, right? Or maybe a toy?

“Just come back soon. The other kids want to see you too.”

—And you?

“…Why would I?”

—Come on. You miss me, right?

Hong Seokyeong chuckled. Even that annoying laugh sounded oddly endearing to me now—proof, perhaps, of how much stress I’d been under lately.

Right. There was still so much work piled up.

I pressed my throbbing temples.

That’s right. There was something else I meant to ask.

“And I think we need to hire more staff.”

—Hm? All of a sudden?

“What do you mean, all of a sudden? Do you know how many students we have? I can’t just handle school affairs all by myself. I have a younger brother too.”

—Hmm….

“He doesn’t want to transfer, so I’m letting him stay… but honestly, the commute is a burden. Taking him to and from school is a job in itself.”

That’s when security is at its weakest. This time was no exception.

—That’s true. But you don’t need to worry.

“Sorry?”

Hong Seokyeong replied in a calm tone.

—I may not know about anything else, but when it comes to Uirok, I’m serious.

“You should be serious about everything.”

—That’s just a figure of speech! Of course I’m serious. But as you said, Uirok’s still young… and when you and I are busy, we have to keep leaving him in other people’s hands. That’s not good for him either.

Uirok wasn’t old enough yet to be happy just because I was coming home late.

When I agreed in silence, Hong Seokyeong continued.

—I’ve actually been thinking about this for a while. It won’t be bad for you either.

“For me too?”

I frowned reflexively at his words.

What did he just say? He’s been thinking about it?

No. This is bad. Hong Seokyeong’s deep thoughts always led to trouble.

“Wait… what did you do?”

—What do you mean, what did I do!

Hong Seokyeong burst out laughing, exaggeratedly.

—I’m telling you, it’ll be good!

I grew even more uneasy.

—It’ll be even better!

Now I was truly anxious.

And it didn’t take long for that anxiety to become reality.

Hong Seokyeong disappeared, saying he was off to smack Schneider on the back of the head, and I was left clutching my head as Uirok, still insisting on becoming a Hunter, waved an umbrella and mimicked my movements. Yoo Jieun, who seemed bored with Kang Taewoo absent from their usual lessons, played happily with Uirok.

They were a little different in age, but seeing them together reminded me of my sister. Though my sister and I had never laughed together quite like that.

Anyway, I learned what Hong Seokyeong’s ominous words meant two days later, when Kang Taewoo returned.

“Teacher, these are my grandparents.”

Kang Taewoo, his face plump and healthy, greeted me along with his younger sister.

The elderly couple, both with white hair, smiled at me kindly. No, “innocent” was a better word than “kind” for the look on their aged faces.

“Our grandchild!”