Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 146
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 146
The situation where Baek Cheonhyeong had created complete chaos while dealing with the robbers who had invaded the train car.
At the same time, his younger brother Baek Cheonji was holding the hand of his companion Jeon as they had just escaped from the Fairy Village.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.”
“…I told you I’m not a fairy.”
A small sigh escaped.
Well, of course, since he had been rejected at the Fairy Village they arrived at for not being a fairy!
‘It was an obvious result.’
Baek Cheonji was not a fairy.
Therefore, being rejected at the Fairy Village was also an obvious result.
However, since it had been a long journey of riding the train for two whole days, he had clear expectations for the outcome… The disappointment was unavoidable.
‘I thought I’d be able to go home.’
He thought the Fairy would use magic to send him home or something.
Little did he know that Jeon had mistaken him for a real fairy and planned to return him to the Fairy Village.
“By the way, Cheonji really wasn’t a fairy after all.”
“Jeon, I kept telling you. I’m a human.”
“Sorry! Fairies are good at lying, you know. I thought that’s what it was.”
“…”
As the child bit his lips tightly and hung his head, a gentle voice rang out above his head.
“Hmm, Cheonji. For now, let’s go back to the warm lodging, sleep for the night, and when the train comes again, we’ll take it back.”
“…Where to?”
“To Spring Village, where you appeared. When you’re lost, retracing your steps is also a method.”
“…Yes.”
“Just trust me. I have a good feeling about this time.”
Having decided on their destination again, they returned to the lodging, had dinner, and went to sleep.
Due to the exhausting schedule, their tired minds called for sleep earlier than usual.
That night, Baek Cheonji had a dream that felt really like reality.
To be precise, a dream of the day he fell into this fairy tale world.
People wearing all kinds of animal headbands, village residents with mysterious appearances.
Baek Cheonji, who had entered among the bustling crowd, wandered around the entire village all day without getting tired.
Looking around the shopping district.
Watching the fountain at the plaza.
Getting snacks from unknown adults.
The solo activities he had never done before and the completely new experiences brought various emotions along with fresh impressions to Baek Cheonji.
Freedom.
A sense of liberation.
Following closely behind were pure joy, a yearning for curiosity, and complete satisfaction.
As he quickly savored the emotions that rushed in like waves, making his head dizzy… before he knew it, evening had arrived.
Only then did Baek Cheonji belatedly realize the reality of his situation.
And the moment he realized reality, the fairy tale world was no longer fairy tale-like.
‘But where is this place?’
All those emotions he could feel from being alone just moments ago came to him differently.
Freedom became the loneliness of being left alone.
The sense of liberation became the anxiety of having no one to rely on.
The day was getting darker, and there was no one he knew.
‘I’m scared.’
Upon realizing the truth, tears began to well up in his eyes.
‘I want to go home.’
“Oh my, who are you?”
“Who’s crying?”
“Hmm…? He’s small? Is he a fairy?”
The village that becomes quiet in the afternoon.
Baek Cheonji’s crying, which was louder than expected, succeeded in stopping the residents who were hurrying home.
“Why are you crying?”
Baek Cheonji barely swallowed his tears at the sudden multiple voices and raised his head.
Then, whoosh- all kinds of animal-like faces were surrounding him in a circle, looking down at him.
‘Up close, they’re scary!’
…But he had to speak. That was the only way he could go home!
Baek Cheonji clenched both fists and shouted in a sobbing voice.
“I… I want to go home!”
“Home? Where is your home?”
“…I don’t know.”
He didn’t know.
That was the problem.
A daily life of always riding in cars, with someone coming to pick him up and drop him off.
So Baek Cheonji didn’t know where his home was.
“Hmm~ But is he human?”
“No way. I’ve never seen such a small human before. Isn’t he a fairy?”
“Ah… That’s right! He’s small, and he has grass and flowers in his hair too. You’re a forest fairy, aren’t you?”
The grass and flowers stuck in his hair were from rolling around in the field.
Baek Cheonji realized he had to speak clearly this time.
“No, I’m…”
“A fairy? Wow~ He really is a fairy! But you should be in the Fairy Village, so why are you here?”
That’s when Jeon appeared.
A man with snow-white hair.
Unlike other residents, he wore no headband and didn’t have a fairy tale-like face.
However, in Baek Cheonji’s eyes, he was the most special among everyone there.
Because he was dressed in a way that Baek Cheonji knew, or rather, was familiar with.
‘What Hyung wears every day!’
A neat business suit that fit perfectly from top to bottom.
Even the black leather gloves were exactly the same!
‘He must work at a company like our Hyung!’
Baek Cheonji’s wariness completely crumbled at the sight of the familiarly dressed man in the unfamiliar environment.
Baek Cheonji forgot about correcting his identity to the residents and grabbed Jeon’s pants.
“Hyung.”
“…Huh?”
“Please take me home.”
“…”
“Please…”
It was an instinctive movement.
And this choice of his wasn’t wrong.
Jeon was a good person.
“Alright~ What’s your name?”
“Baek Cheonji.”
“Let me see… My name is Jeon.”
That’s how Baek Cheonji boarded the train with Jeon the next day.
Wearing clothes that Jeon bought for him.
Wearing something like an animal mask that Jeon gave him.
After spending a full two days on the train like that, they arrived at the terminal station.
Getting off at the station and walking for a full half day, they were finally able to reach the Fairy Village.
However….
“Hey, Jeon. This child isn’t our child.”
“Hmm? Really? Look carefully.”
“He doesn’t have wings, you idiot!”
“Ah~ You’re right~”
Jeon laughed sheepishly and apologized.
Ugly Fairy got angry, asking why they called her for something like this.
Even himself feeling disappointed.
The remnants of the dream that had been showing one by one wavered, and with the last image of them returning to the lodging….
Feeling his hazy mind gradually becoming clear, his eyes snapped open.
“Cheonji, are you awake?”
He had returned to reality again.
To a reality that was no longer like a fairy tale.
Since the train was supposed to come the next day, Baek Cheonji didn’t leave the lodging all day today.
This place, close to Terminal Station, doesn’t get snow.
At some point, Baek Cheonji found himself thinking of Spring Village where it had been snowing.
The snow that had gently fallen on the green fields and the residents who had run out to the streets in surprise upon seeing it.
…Was it because Jeon had said it? For some reason, he wanted to return to that village again.
‘If I go there, I feel like I’ll be able to find it.’
Whether it’s home, or someone….
Baek Cheonji, who had been gazing out the window endlessly, opened his mouth.
“What if Mom and Dad forget me?”
He had already spent five nights in this place.
It wasn’t an incredibly large number, but…. Mom and Dad forget everything frequently, so who knows….
Jeon, who was drinking tea beside him, looked down at him and spoke.
“That won’t happen.”
“…What if my friends forget me? My friends like so many things, they might quickly forget me too.”
“Among the things they forget, they probably like you the most. So they won’t let go of you from their memories for a long time.”
“Hyung…. might be happy that I disappeared.”
“….”
He was certain about this one thing.
Having spent two nights together on the train and having many conversations with Jeon, Baek Cheonji had opened his heart to him.
So, he told him his secret that he had kept hidden even from his friends and Teacher.
“Hyung and I have different mothers…. So everyone told me not to interfere with Hyung.”
“Cheonji.”
“Actually, I don’t understand what that means…. But is that why Hyung doesn’t like me? Because I’m in the way? Or because we have different mothers?”
I… still like Hyung though.
Even if Hyung doesn’t talk to me much.
Even if we might see each other only once a month because he’s working.
…Even if he was too busy to pay attention to me during the sports festival.
“I still like him.”
***
Surprisingly, I didn’t need to step forward to clean up this mess.
The train crew who came after hearing the commotion checked the situation and skillfully began cleaning up.
And to us, who looked like the obvious criminals at the scene…. they didn’t even ask for any explanation of the situation.
‘If this were outside, we’d be heading straight to jail….’
They just silently guided us to another car.
‘They probably figured out what kind of situation it was just by looking.’
The rumors about bandits running rampant on trains weren’t just empty rumors, it seemed.
Among the train crew who discovered the scene, there was more visible exhaustion than surprise.
‘Though I never wanted to experience this firsthand to realize it.’
I entered the clean first-class car where not a trace of blood could be found and exhaled.
As the pile of corpses and blood disappeared from my sight, my churning stomach was slowly…. settling down.
Still, I sat down and closed my eyes until I felt completely okay.
“Hah….”
‘But…. Damn it, I keep thinking about that scene.’
In the end, I could only confirm that the trembling in my hands had subsided before opening my eyes.
Across from me sat Baek Cheonhyeong, looking composed.
He looked so peaceful that he didn’t seem like someone who had just committed murder.
But I knew.
‘Since he exploded once, he’s probably in a lull now.’
Having used the anger and anxiety he’d been keeping inside to beat up the bandits, no wonder….
‘Still, I didn’t expect him to finish them off so completely without any chance to rein him in.’
Feeling my sweat-soaked hair slowly cooling, I lifted my head from the wall.
‘…No, maybe this turned out well.’
Stress and anxiety that reach critical levels eat away at the mind. But once you release it somehow….
‘At least he’ll have the capacity to listen to what others have to say.’
Perhaps now might be the most appropriate timing to have a proper conversation with Baek Cheonhyeong.
…Of course, the problem is that his stress relief method involved somewhat bloody cruelty that would cause PTSD in anyone watching.
‘Once I find Cheonji and get out of here…. I’m definitely booking a psychiatric consultation first.’
I pushed my hair back, took a deep breath, and opened my mouth.
“Brother Cheonji.”
“…Yes.”
But let me say what I need to say before we start.
“Please keep in mind that I’m not in my right mind right now.”
“…I suppose so.”
“You bastard.”
You’re dead.
Did they say this train travels for two days?
Then from now on, you’re having an all-night counseling session with me for two days.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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