Retire 557
by Cristae557 (Hunter Academy Side Story 24) Lemon Candy_3
……
“…What?”
Woo I-rok had become much more of a person.
Kang Tae-woo felt the passage of time acutely. Was this what it meant to grow up? So-hee had grown a lot too, but honestly, So-hee had always been a gentle, well-behaved child. Not just because she was his sister—kids who’d grown up only in the lab were all like that.
In fact, Tae-woo was often surprised that So-hee had managed to adapt to the outside world without trouble. Well, not that there weren’t any issues. During her short time at the orphanage, So-hee had trouble getting along with people outside. She tried to act cheerful so her brother wouldn’t worry, but Tae-woo could see right through it.
In that sense, maybe it was a good thing she ended up in America, in a completely different environment. The orphanage, after all, was just an extension of the lab.
From the stories So-hee and Dr. Sandra told, it seemed she’d received regular child counseling in America. Not to mention the time spent with Isabella and Robert.
Anyway, while environment played a role, unlike the sweet and gentle So-hee, Woo I-rok was…
Woo I-rok was…
Tae-woo could never forget the first day he met him. That cheeky, arrogant little brat…
But now?
Even this kid was becoming more human as his environment stabilized.
“What is it?”
He was still as cocky as ever, but where he would have just snatched the candy before, now he was at least pretending to ask permission.
Others might not call that asking, but to Tae-woo, it was enough.
If anything, the kid’s arrogance now showed more in how he addressed people. In the past, he’d always called him “hyung.” Not because he really thought of him as a brother, but because it had the right annoying ring to it.
Now…
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, just… did you get taller again?”
At the mention of height, Woo I-rok forgot all about the candy and puffed out his chest. He tried to act grown-up, but he was still a kid. With a little praise or a reward, he’d grumble but always do what was asked.
“Right? Grandpa said I grew, too!”
“Good for you… Since Teacher Woo is tall, you’ll probably get even taller.”
“Yeah, probably.”
Woo I-rok shrugged. Maybe it was the lemon candy from Woo Hee-jae, but for some reason, it nagged at Tae-woo.
Feelings are complicated.
It was definitely something outsiders shouldn’t meddle in, but could he really call himself an outsider?
Tae-woo rolled the candy in his hand.
Legally, they were all family now, and Tae-woo knew things the Yoo siblings didn’t. Of the three kids from the lab, he was the de facto eldest. Even if Teacher Woo was technically from the lab, he wasn’t a test subject.
…Well, given how that place was run, who could say for sure.
But the kids who’d lived behind those stupid glass walls shared a kind of camaraderie. Especially Tae-woo, who’d looked after younger kids for so long—Number 3, whether he liked it or not, worried about Number 12. Even after moving to the orphanage, he’d sometimes wonder if the kid was doing all right.
If Woo I-rok had just been a dumb, mean kid, he wouldn’t have these worries. But for a smart, perceptive kid like him, he must have picked up on the vague sense of wrongness long before Tae-woo did. He wasn’t the kind of kid who wouldn’t recognize the brother who’d always been by his side.
Tae-woo swallowed hard.
Did Teacher Woo know? He probably had no idea that he and So-hee knew. He’d talked to the crow-masked brother, but they hadn’t been close. Even if that brother had talked about his little brother, he probably hadn’t mentioned the other kids.
Who knew what had happened between Teacher Woo and the crow-masked brother, but it didn’t seem like they’d had time to talk about the kids.
“Hey, you.”
Tae-woo called out to Woo I-rok, not even sure what he wanted to say.
But he gave up quickly. It was pointless meddling.
“What is it now?”
“…Nothing. Here, you can have the candy.”
“……”
Woo I-rok frowned.
“Oh, did she say something weird again?”
“Who?”
“So-hee, that kid.”
At least they called each other by name now. For some reason, that moved Tae-woo.
Woo I-rok looked indifferent, but he didn’t refuse the candy. He unwrapped it.
“You always eat lemon. Still?”
“Huh?”
“You know you were the only one who got candy with your medicine, right? Do you know how jealous the other kids were? You always shared other snacks, but you hid the candy.”
“……”
Tae-woo’s mouth opened and closed silently.
“We never said anything, but it was really annoying.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah.”
Tae-woo looked at the candy in Woo I-rok’s hand.
He’d thought he could look back on his time in the lab objectively, but maybe not.
He realized that getting candy might have been a kind of privilege. At least for him, he’d had a mother who remembered what candy he liked, who’d laughed with him while making cake.
Even if she didn’t look after him anymore, she still remembered his favorite candy.
The resentment he felt for being abandoned, and the love he felt for the mother who always gave him candy—those were what kept Number 3 going.
And shaking off all those tangled emotions and choosing to stay with his new family was Tae-woo’s hope.
Woo I-rok snorted and popped the bright yellow candy into Tae-woo’s mouth. The tartness jolted him awake.
“Forget about me. Worry about yourself. So-hee said you’re going to France after graduation?”
“…Yeah, I have something I want to do.”
“What is it?”
“To be a Hunter.”
“A Hunter? You can do that in Korea. I’m learning from Grandpa, too.”
“No, not that kind of Hunter. I…”
The candy rolled around his tongue. Tae-woo swallowed, the lemon’s sourness making his mouth water, and stumbled over his words. He did have something he wanted to do. He even had a plan.
But trying to say it all out loud just made him feel silly.
He struggled to find the right words, then answered with a weary smile.
“I want to help kids like us.”
“……”
“To do that, it’s not enough just to be good at fighting. I want more experience. I want to meet more people.”
“…You sound just like him.”
“Huh?”
Woo I-rok crossed his arms and tilted his head.
“Do your best.”
“Are you cheering me on?”
“If you’re too slow, I’ll do it myself.”
“…And if I do well?”
“I’ll ask to be parachuted in and then steal it from you.”
Tae-woo stared at Woo I-rok in disbelief. Woo I-rok stuck out his chin, shameless as ever.
Tae-woo rubbed the lemon candy against the roof of his mouth, then burst out laughing.
“Fine, fine. I’ll have to do a good job so you can’t steal it.”
“As long as you know.”
Woo I-rok tossed the empty candy wrapper at Tae-woo. Still as prickly as ever, but Tae-woo just laughed.
Woo I-rok clicked his tongue, looking bored, and turned to go—probably to find Grandma or Grandpa.
But instead of leaving, he turned back to face Tae-woo.
“What?”
“You’re my brother.”
Tae-woo blinked.
“We’re family.”
“……”
“So-hee, and that noisy Ji-eun, and Hye-eun noona, and…”
“……”
“…All of them.”
Woo I-rok mumbled, nodding slightly at Tae-woo.
“When I’m older, I’ll talk about it. So…”
Tae-woo understood what he meant. Smart kid. But it also meant Woo I-rok had come to understand Tae-woo, too.
Why? Because they were family.
Woo I-rok pursed his lips. His face stayed as scowling as ever, but his ears and neck were bright red. Tae-woo’s eyes widened.
“So stop worrying about me!!”
Woo I-rok yelled and ran off.
……
Tae-woo sniffled. The sourness of lemon candy stung his nose for the first time in a long while.
Just—
“Haha.”
He felt like everything would be all right.
“…For now, that’s all I need. I’ll let you know if I need anything else. How’s the language?”
“I’m listening to the lectures the teacher recommended. Grandpa speaks French, so I practice with him on weekends. I’m thinking of studying more seriously once break starts.”
“If you can talk with your grandfather, that should be enough. You want to do more?”
“I’m not just going to France to clear dungeons.”
Tae-woo spoke calmly.
He’d had the plan for a while. He’d refined it bit by bit, talking with Seung-yeon and the other graduates. It wasn’t a joke, and his feelings were sincere, but it was only after hearing about his mother that he truly decided this was what he wanted to do.
“You mentioned it before, teacher. Within the bounds of the law…”
“Awakened crime?”
“All of it. Crimes committed by Awakened, or where Awakened are the victims. There’s still a lot lacking here, and even in America, but I heard Europe is ahead in that field.”
“There are a lot of old mage families in Europe.”
“Ah, so that’s why…”
Tae-woo nodded.
“Since I have the chance to go to France, I want to study that more. That’s why I looked into universities.”
“It’ll be harder than just being a Hunter.”
“Have I ever had it easy?”
Tae-woo grinned.
“I heard you told Seung-yeon the same thing. That what he wants can’t be done with a guild.”
“…Do all of you know about that?”
“We’re making it together. If Seung-yeon does a good job, I can join in too… I need to be ready so I can.”
Woo Hee-jae studied Tae-woo. Tae-woo sat up straight, nervous, and Woo Hee-jae chuckled, then picked a lemon candy from the jar on the counseling table and handed it to him.
Tae-woo accepted it.
“Do your best.”
It was permission and praise.
Just before he left for his next training, Tae-woo remembered the conversation he’d had with Woo I-rok the previous weekend and paused.
“Oh, teacher.”
“What is it?”
He’d heard Tae-woo’s intentions, so he had no intention of interfering.
“Irok said something the other day.”
“Him? What?”
Like his sister, that sharp-eyed kid probably knew that he wasn’t really his brother.
Tae-woo wanted to say it was all right. Even if he wasn’t that brother, Woo Hee-jae was still his benefactor and family.
“He said we’re family.”
“……”
Tae-woo grinned mischievously.
“After I graduate, can I call you hyung instead of teacher?”
Woo Hee-jae looked at him in complete surprise.
He slowly approached Tae-woo and patted him on the back with his big hand, as if to give him confidence.
“You can call me that even now.”
“…Even in class?”
“Ji-eun will tease you to death. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“Ugh. No, thanks.”
Woo Hee-jae shook his head as if to say he couldn’t be helped. Tae-woo left the counseling office with a bright smile.
See? I told you everything would be all right.
As he walked down the hall, Tae-woo popped the candy Woo Hee-jae had given him into his mouth.
Kang Tae-woo likes lemon candy.