Retire 361
by Cristae361 New Employee (3)
The kids, fresh from their second successful dungeon raid, could barely contain their excitement. I wasn’t so strict as to immediately demand a review of their mistakes—there was no need to kill the mood.
Luckily, they were so absorbed in the dungeon that they seemed to have forgotten whatever they’d been discussing right before entry. I hoped they wouldn’t get any more curious about what had happened at school.
Of course, as someone who was once a teenager myself, I knew that was a hopeless wish.
In any case, it was time to return to the usual headaches.
I went back to school, carrying with me the hope of the kids’ newfound friendship and growth…
“What’s that?”
“Walnut pastries.”
“Wow!”
Kim Chaemin was more delighted by the walnut pastries in my hand than by news of the kids.
“But really, the kids would’ve been fine. If they failed to clear a dungeon at their current level, they shouldn’t be Hunters at all.”
It was blunt, but not wrong.
“And if anyone had gotten hurt, you wouldn’t have come back looking so relaxed.”
“What kind of face do I have, then?”
“A face that says you really don’t want to be at school.”
“……”
I didn’t reply. Kim Chaemin waved her hand, munching on a pastry.
“So, where do we start?”
“Is there really a set order?”
“Oh, it’s not the worst.”
“What’s the worst, in your opinion?”
Kim Chaemin shrugged.
“The school collapses?”
“Come on, that’s not going to happen.”
“I get a hole in my stomach and have to take sick leave?”
“……”
That one seemed plausible.
But Kim Chaemin looked healthier than ever.
It had been exactly a week since I’d left Hope in her care and left the school. Honestly, I could have come back sooner, but I kept putting it off with one excuse or another. Sometimes, even I want to get away from all the headaches.
Woo Irok had started to notice how long I was staying at home.
‘Hyung. Don’t you have anything to do? Are you just going to stay home forever?’
That moment came sooner than I’d expected. Kids really do grow up fast…
I stole one of Kim Chaemin’s pastries and asked,
“So, what should I start with?”
“There’s good news, annoying news, and funny news.”
“No bad news?”
“That’s the good news.”
“……”
Kim Chaemin lifted her chin with shameless pride.
“Then what’s the annoying news?”
“Do you remember what you said to Mr. Han?”
“What I said to Mr. Han?”
“Yeah. Before the training.”
Before the training?
I tried to recall what I’d said to Han Taekyung.
I didn’t remember saying anything especially noteworthy—just dangled the “junior” bait to get him involved, since he hated thinking.
Hmm.
Was that a mistake?
Kim Chaemin looked at me and snorted.
“The school’s gotten a lot noisier with one more person around.”
That’s when I realized what she meant by “annoying news.” I already felt tired, even without hearing the details.
I’d tried to escape this by running off to training. Yeah, a week wasn’t enough. If I’d stayed away for a month, maybe everything would have settled down by the time I got back.
It was inevitable, really. Hope was already a handful, and Han Taekyung—don’t even mention it. I’d hoped putting the two together would produce some positive effect. At the very least, if I concentrated all the noise in one place, maybe I could enjoy some peace.
“What’s the funny news?”
“You can look forward to it.”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
Kim Chaemin spoke with such confidence that it made me uneasy. Wasn’t this actually the bad news?
“Oh. Here they come.”
She glanced toward the field with a grin. I narrowed my eyes and looked where she was looking.
There were only a few people at school right now—besides us, just three: Gamble, Hope, and Han Taekyung.
Of those three, it was obvious who would come running and making a scene from far away.
Kim Chaemin burst out laughing.
“Mr. Han and Alex.”
Alex? When did they get so close?
“Did you know they both hate each other for being out of their minds?”
“Senior!!”
“Hey!!!”
Crash!
The staff room door burst open and Han Taekyung and Hope tumbled in together.
“What is with this guy?!”
“He’s weird!!”
With Kim Chaemin’s laughter in the background, I pressed my fingers to my temples.
Yeah.
It really was funny news.
“Just listen to me.”
Han Taekyung sat in the counseling room.
I’d thought this room was for the students.
With a troubled look, I made myself a coffee in a paper cup. The moment I set it down, Han Taekyung casually snatched it.
“……”
“Hm?”
That ungrateful…
“So what’s the problem?”
Han Taekyung sipped the coffee, silent. If he were a student, I’d wait patiently for him to calm down, but… well, Han Taekyung wasn’t my student.
Besides, just look at him. If something truly serious had happened at work, that would be one thing, but this was just the face of a coworker here to complain about someone he didn’t like.
Not the expression a grown man approaching thirty should be making.
And it wasn’t just because he stole my coffee.
“Mr. Han.”
I let out a deep sigh.
Han Taekyung, sulking in his seat, finally spoke up, as if giving in. Han Eunyoung was much more mature by comparison. In fact, it was almost unfair to compare them—she really was mature.
“Just hear me out, senior.”
“I’m listening.”
“It’s not like I’m just complaining for no reason.”
“I said I’m listening.”
Of course, Han Taekyung ignored my words and started in on what he wanted to say.
“Of course, I know. I’m not exactly what you’d call a model employee, am I?”
“……”
He knew that?
I was genuinely surprised.
He knew and still acted that way? Was it on purpose?
I barely managed to swallow my irritation. This Han Taekyung wasn’t the one I remembered. I could still shape him if I tried.
So, he didn’t like Hope?
According to the sages, you can learn by observing others. Maybe this was the crossroads where I’d decide how to raise Han Taekyung.
“It’s kind of funny to even use the word ‘employee’ for a Hunter.”
Han Taekyung kept talking, oblivious to my thoughts.
“But you get what I mean, right? I hate having to worry about what other people think.”
This guy…
“Still, it’s not like I’m just here to slack off. My mom always said, since I was a kid, don’t eat if you don’t work. You know, that old saying?”
He didn’t seem to want a reply, because he went on right away.
“But like I said before, I really hate thinking too much about things.”
“…And yet you manage to clear dungeons?”
“That’s different—it’s like a kind of self-discipline.”
“……”
I really didn’t get it. For all his supposed self-discipline, Han Taekyung had turned out to be a pretty angry adult.
Of course, I learned a lot from watching him, too. The kind of adult I didn’t want to become…
“But even for me, that Alex guy!”
Han Taekyung crushed the paper cup. Thankfully, he’d finished the coffee, so there was no mess.
“He’s just so thoughtless!!!”
“Ah…”
“My little sister was raised well by our parents. You can tell by the age gap, right? They had her late in life, so they doted on her. I doted on her, too.”
Why was he suddenly bringing up Han Eunyoung? I just nodded.
“But Eunyoung turned out fine—she’s a good kid. Sometimes she blocks my number, but I hear all little sisters do that?”
“I wouldn’t know… I don’t have one.”
“How’s the little guy doing these days?”
“He’s fine.”
“Haven’t seen him in a while… That brat, she doesn’t even answer my calls anymore.”
That was a shocking statement.
“Calls?”
“She was bored, so I played with her sometimes. Anyway! Even my precious Eunyoung never turned out as empty-headed as that guy!”
I felt like I shouldn’t just let that pass, but before I could say anything, Han Taekyung burst out,
“He’s worse than just being empty-headed! If he were just ignorant, I wouldn’t mind. Ignorance isn’t a crime—you can always learn.”
“I… see.”
“But that guy, he knows everything and just slacks off!!”
“Ah, right…”
Isn’t that the same as what you just said about yourself? Isn’t he doing exactly what you do?
“I mean, where did he even… No, I don’t want to know. But you should know, senior. That guy is not right in the head. Seriously. He’s completely nuts.”
I just looked at Han Taekyung. Didn’t he feel a pang of conscience, saying that? But he didn’t notice my gaze, and instead put on a serious face.
It was just funny from my perspective.
…Kim Chaemin had relayed it well. This really was funny news.
I sighed.
“I know Alex Hope’s personality is… a little unusual.”
Han Taekyung’s face brightened, thinking I was taking his side.
“But that’s exactly why I asked you to look after him.”
“What?! Why?!”
“Because I believe you’re the right person to guide Hope.”
“…Me?”
Han Taekyung looked at me like he couldn’t believe I was serious.
This guy… My irritation flared, but I kept my tone as earnest as I could.
“I’m not asking you to be strict or authoritarian. Hope’s upbringing was very unusual, so you can’t take his stated age at face value.”
“Hmm. Then?”
“Well, Dr. Gamble would know better, but I’d say think of him as a middle schooler.”
“…Didn’t you tell him to call me senior?”
“Yes, you’re his senior. But not the scary kind—more like a mentor who can be a friend.”
Han Taekyung understood immediately. He really did hate thinking. I clicked my tongue inwardly.
“I can’t do what you do, Mr. Han. I’m in a supervisory role.”
“……”
“It won’t be easy, but I’d appreciate it if you could look after Hope. I’ll warn him, too… If he doesn’t listen to you, let me know.”
Han Taekyung carefully set down the crumpled paper cup. Not that it would return to its original shape.
The Administration Bureau was, in the end, a place where people worked in close quarters. As a manager, sometimes you had to mediate conflicts.
This was just another one of those times. I steadied myself. Isn’t the counseling room open to everyone? So…
“Isn’t that guy really weird?”
Now it was Hope’s turn.
I didn’t set my cup down, just in case he tried to steal it.
But I’d underestimated Hope.
“I’m telling you, that guy’s weird!”
Hope snatched the cup from my hand.
…Why, though?
“Ow, hot!”
Hope took a gulp, burned his tongue, and jumped up.
“Ugh. Why do you drink this stuff?”
“……”
“Caffeine is poison, you know. Just drink water.”
Kim Chaemin really had told the truth. Funny and annoying news. Funny, but definitely annoying.
No matter how much I braced myself, it was still a pain.