Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 149

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 149

 

Dozens, no, easily hundreds of people are all wearing wolf masks on their heads.

 

‘What the hell is this?’

 

In the moment I was stunned by the unexpected scene.

 

A street stall around the plaza catches my eye.

 

More precisely, something like an advertising banner hanging at a street stall selling wolf masks.

 

[ Wearing a wolf mask will drive away bad luck for the whole year! ]

 

[ 500 crowns each! Cheap, cheap! ]

 

‘Are you kidding me!’

 

On festival day, wearing wolf masks and walking around is the custom here?

 

In such an urgent situation, it’s not like we’re playing spot the difference – how are we supposed to find him here!

 

However, there was no time to complain.

 

Baek Cheonhyeong and I agreed to split up temporarily and began searching the area thoroughly.

 

“Cheonji!!”

 

Then, I did find someone about Cheonji’s height wearing a wolf mask like before.

 

“Huh? I’m not a child.”

 

They were all duds.

 

This place was also full of fairies.

 

It makes sense since there’s a Fairy Village nearby.

 

“Excuse me…!”

 

“Hiccup! Who’s grabbing someone’s shoulder like that!”

 

“I’m sorry!”

 

After getting about 5 duds like that, I was finally able to grasp the characteristics of fairies.

 

They all had similar heights to Cheonji and looked relatively young, enough to be confusing from a distance, but…

 

Crucially, fairies had a pair of wings on their backs.

 

‘How frantic was I that I only noticed this now.’

 

[ Pollen is flying! ]

 

[ Wow! Can’t I come out? ]

 

“Sorry! Let’s play later! Right now we need to find Cheonji first!”

 

[ Oh, right! Cheonji! We need to find Cheonji! Got it! ]

 

Fortunately, Nabi also understood that finding Cheonji was more important than enjoying the festival right now.

 

‘Thank goodness Nabi likes friends second only to snacks and her own body.’

 

Otherwise, a second game of hide-and-seek might have started here.

 

Setting aside the horrible thought, I ran like crazy again.

 

But in the end, we returned to Terminal Station empty-handed.

 

Baek Cheonhyeong asked while breathing lightly.

 

“Any progress?”

 

“None. Maybe even that person in the wolf mask we first spotted wasn’t Cheonji.”

 

There’s a possibility we mistook a fairy for Cheonji.

 

“What about the trace walkie-talkie?”

 

“…That thing.”

 

I took out the trace walkie-talkie that had become useless at some point.

 

“As you can see, it’s lost any clear direction now.”

 

Like a broken compass, it just spins around in place.

 

‘Looking at the Status Window, he’s definitely around here somewhere.’

 

I chewed the inside of my cheek while looking around.

 

‘Right, thinking about it, maybe we didn’t properly search around Terminal Station…’

 

As soon as we got off the train, we went looking for Fairy Village and then searched Harbor Square, so we might have missed it.

 

I was about to quickly suggest to Baek Cheonhyeong that we at least scan the area around the station. But.

 

‘What is he looking at?’

 

At some point, his gaze was fixed somewhere.

 

At that moment, I confirmed a brief flash of color in his dead gray eyes.

 

And.

 

“W-wait. Over there!!”

 

He who had been conversing suddenly started running toward some place without warning.

 

With my long legs, I was dying trying to catch up with Baek Cheonhyeong who was suddenly running like doing parkour.

 

But I didn’t bother to stop him with a loud shout.

 

‘Did he discover something?!’

 

-In a moment, the train heading to ‘Spring Village’ will depart.

 

-We ask that passengers board the train on time.

 

-Thank you.

 

Not long after, the train on the opposite track from the one we came on departs.

 

‘It looks like he’s trying to board that one.’

 

“Baek Cheonhyeong! That train is heading to ‘Spring Village’!”

 

“…”

 

Damn! Answer me!

 

Chasing after a train that was picking up speed was a bit too much even for me.

 

I gritted my teeth and chased after the running train and the S-rank Hunter’s tail.

 

‘Just because you two are fast doesn’t mean everything!’

 

Baek Cheonhyeong instantly caught up with the train, forced the train door open, and boarded.

 

‘Damn damn damn!’

 

I ran like my feet were on fire.

 

The moment I barely got close to the train.

 

Suddenly an arm popped out, grabbed my collar, and pulled me right up.

 

“!!!”

 

I dangled from Baek Cheonhyeong’s hand, then landed hard on my butt in the Train Corridor.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“…Thank you very much.”

 

“Don’t mention it.”

 

That wasn’t a compliment, you bastard.

 

Each step is urgent. I quickly got up and chased after Baek Cheonhyeong again.

 

‘But now that I’m on board, I realize this is illegal boarding…’

 

Sure enough, a startled conductor is shouting at us.

 

‘Now that I look, that bastard Baek Cheonhyeong didn’t force the door open – he completely destroyed the train door!’

 

The nicely opened train door is half-crushed and lying peacefully against one wall.

 

Watching Baek Cheonhyeong go straight ahead while thoroughly ignoring the employee’s calls from behind, I…

 

Ignored them together and followed along.

 

‘Sorry! We’ll find the child first!’

 

The sound of shoes cutting through the corridor echoes loudly.

 

Thump thump thump.

 

Beyond Baek Cheonhyeong’s back blocking my forward view, I glimpsed two silhouettes.

 

A man with white hair and… a small figure wearing a wolf mask?!

 

The two passengers holding hands slipped into some compartment in the Train Corridor as the last thing we saw.

 

Our footsteps quickened even more.

 

The closer we got to that compartment, the more violently the curtain and windows shook.

 

The air currents around Baek Cheonhyeong were unusual.

 

Though not visible to the eye, it felt like mana was violently fluctuating.

 

‘Please, just don’t go wild.’

 

If it comes to it, I’m really going to ask Nabi to smack the back of Baek Cheonhyeong’s head this time.

 

I’m also mentally prepared.

 

With that, Baek Cheonhyeong boldly threw open the door to the compartment they had arrived at.

 

Then, what came into view was festive flower petal confetti coming through the open windows… and below that, a child wearing a wolf mask sitting quietly in a seat.

 

He slowly moved his steps and knelt down in front of the child.

 

Then, with very careful hands, he removed the mask.

 

Another pair of gray eyes that had been hidden behind the wolf mask was revealed.

 

“…Baek Cheonji.”

 

“…Hyung? Really, is it really you?”

 

It was the Baek brothers reuniting after a whole week.

 

“Yeah. It’s me.”

 

***

 

Finally, on the train returning to ‘Spring Village’ after getting his younger brother back.

 

Two extra tickets were found in the bag his younger brother was carrying, so I and Na Hwi-yeon were able to remain on the train without any problems.

 

However, while relieved at the thought of finding Baek Cheonji, the person presumed to be his younger brother’s companion during this time had vanished without a trace.

 

And completely at that.

 

“His name was Jeon.”

 

“Yeah! He was kind and cool. He bought me food and this mask too… macarons and strawberry milk.”

 

I deliberately didn’t say that if it weren’t for that damn mask, we could have found him faster.

 

‘That back looked familiar.’

 

White hair in a business suit.

 

And even black leather gloves.

 

“…”

 

“Hyung, I’m… sorry…”

 

But that’s not what’s important right now.

 

Because I knew that now was the time to comfort and reassure the startled child rather than speculate about the disappeared man.

 

Na Hwi-yeon also read the situation and stepped aside.

 

Baek Cheonhyeong unconsciously uncrossed his arms and shook his head.

 

“No, you don’t have anything to be sorry for…”

 

-“Please speak a bit more gently. If you can’t fix your tone, at least consciously lower your speech endings.”

 

“…No↘”

 

“R-really?!”

 

To think this would be effective.

 

The child who would normally be intimidated no matter what was said was visibly surprised.

 

‘Was it really a problem with my tone?’

 

It was a bit absurd.

 

After this, Baek Cheonhyeong mulled over what he was going to say and eventually closed his mouth again.

 

‘What should I say after this?’

 

How did you get kidnapped?

 

I told you not to follow strangers, didn’t I?

 

Are you okay physically?

 

Are you hurt anywhere?

 

-“Please be gentle.”

 

…How am I supposed to say this gently?

 

Having a conversation with a younger brother who was 25 years younger was more difficult and harder than talking to the owner of any major corporation.

 

Naturally, their interests were different and they had no common ground.

 

Moreover, he was always busy.

 

From the moment he decided he would have to temporarily take over BOND, he was always busy.

 

Because if the company his younger brother would have to inherit later was in a terrible state, Baek Cheonji would suffer.

 

So although it wasn’t something he should say as an older brother, being alone with his younger brother was extremely awkward for him.

 

For Baek Cheonhyeong, who had lived his entire life as an only child, siblings were like that.

 

An awkward existence.

 

Minimal meetings and conversations.

 

…I don’t know how to treat young children.

 

Especially if it’s my own younger brother.

 

However, he instinctively realized that he shouldn’t stop the conversation for such a pathetic reason.

 

Because he had already heard certain words.

 

-“Also, don’t clam up saying you’re offended while talking.”

 

-“Try speaking sincerely, truthfully and plainly. Children can sense sincerity too.”

 

-“Having to teach everything one by one… What is he, a little kid?”

 

There were some rather irritating words, but they certainly became motivation to move his previously rigid thinking.

 

‘With sincerity.’

 

In the boring daily life of having to wear masks every day and repeat meetings and conferences…

 

‘How many people are there that I need to treat with sincerity?’

 

Yes, because I had this kind of mindset.

 

…At some point, I might have been treating even family in a stiff and formal way.

 

Baek Cheonhyeong identified his problems and thought deeply with sincerity.

 

And after simple organization and clean acknowledgment, he finally opened his mouth.

 

Although he still didn’t know how to speak to sound gentle.

 

Although he had no idea what words would comfort the child.

 

Let’s just try being honest and plain for now.

 

“If the things I said to you made you upset, I’ll apologize.”

 

“!!!”

 

I’ll admit it.

 

His relationship with his younger brother had recently gone beyond awkward to reach the worst point.

 

And he knew that was entirely the fault of him, the adult.

 

It wasn’t due to his younger brother’s sudden adolescence…

 

‘I really did speak like shit.’

 

“I just wanted you to grow up to be a proper adult.”

 

But that didn’t mean his intentions were like that either.

 

Because Baek Cheonhyeong didn’t dislike Baek Cheonji.

 

Long ago, when someone else filled his deceased mother’s empty place, Baek Cheonhyeong wasn’t angry or upset.

 

By then, he was already old enough.

 

He had already learned through various hardships that the world doesn’t revolve around his wishes.

 

And that was… the same when his unexpected late-born younger brother was born.

 

During the hectic time when he was belatedly enlisting and serving in the military, delayed due to late-starting business classes.

 

The feeling of encountering a newborn baby at his family home during leave…

 

‘At first, I wondered what I was supposed to do about it.’

 

But people around him would approach saying congratulations on having a brother, even if formally, and his stepmother kept insisting he hold the baby, so after seeing him a few times…

 

He ended up growing attached.

 

Clearly, it was a feeling separate from awkwardness.

 

And after growing attached became more of a problem.

 

He became more cautious and found it harder to approach.

 

The more he cared, the stranger his words came out, and as his younger brother grew, it got worse.

 

And Na Hwi-yeon’s assessment after hearing this briefly was:

 

-“Ah… Well, is he too precious so it’s difficult?”

 

Baek Cheonhyeong slightly frowned as he recalled Na Hwi-yeon saying with a coldly hardened face, ‘Then you should do better, human.’

 

“…Anyway, I’m sorry for being too busy to pay attention to you. During the sports festival too, since I know you’re a child who tries to do well at everything, I guess I unconsciously pushed you.”

 

“…Yeah.”

 

Baek Cheonhyeong’s lips curved up as he watched Baek Cheonji twisting his fingers and rolling his eyes.

 

‘Has it gotten a little better?’

 

Then, his expression hardened at Baek Cheonji’s next words, spoken with courage.

 

“Then, it wasn’t because Mom was different that Hyung hated me, right? I’m really confident I won’t get in your way…”

 

“…”

 

“Thank you for coming to get me, Hyung.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————