Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 152
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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 152
I barely managed to stretch out my arm and successfully stopped Tae-jae’s forehead from touching the ground.
“Hup… Hah!”
When I gently applied force to lift him up, his head rose without resistance.
I stayed tense until Tae-jae’s neck was completely stabilized… After confirming that the child’s head wouldn’t drop again, I finally exhaled.
“You, you don’t bow twice to a living person…”
“Teacher, I want to go here.”
Don’t subtly ignore what Teacher said, answer me first…!
“…”
“…”
Ugh…!
However, Tae-jae’s eyes looked so determined that I was overwhelmed by his intensity.
‘I lost…’
And before I knew it, I was also kneeling face-to-face with Tae-jae.
‘Right, what on earth is this about…?’
I had no choice but to look at the problematic paper again.
[ Healing Type Awakener Association, ‘Healer Grand Festival’ ]
‘Grand festival? Is it like some kind of festival or party?’
Below the large, neat title, concise phrases poured out.
To all Healing Type Awakeners,
We have prepared a small festival venue with grateful hearts for all of you who save countless lives every day with the power of healing.
Our Healing Type Awakener Association, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the association’s founding, aims to promote friendship and information exchange among healers belonging to hunter companies ‘BOND’ and ‘Mugang’, and we would like to hold a modest [ Healer Grand Festival ] this coming August.
‘Oh, they do things like this too.’
-Date: August XX, Year XX (Saturday), 19:00~23:00
-Venue: XX Hotel – Crystal Hall
-Participants: Healing Type hunters belonging to Mugang & BOND (family, friends, partners may accompany)
-Dress Code: Semi-formal
“Ooh…”
I’ve only seen things like this in dramas, you know, those events where doctors dress up in pretty suits or dresses.
“Wow, Tae-jae. Teacher is seeing something like this for the first time…”
“…”
I flinched when I saw Tae-jae’s eyes that I met for a moment.
‘It’s a look that says stop talking nonsense and just answer.’
Mm, right… Sorry.
‘I was just purely admiring it too much.’
Embarrassed, I cleared my throat unnecessarily and straightened my back.
“So, you’re asking me to go there with you?”
“Yes.”
But as you can see from the paper, I don’t fall under the participation requirements.
‘It says family, friends, partners can accompany… but I don’t qualify for any of those three.’
Besides, why me?
It’s not that I don’t want to, but Tae-jae’s choice puzzles me.
‘He has his parents and grandmother, and anyway there should be many other choices besides me?’
I suddenly remembered what Yu Jin-chae had said when she recommended that I visit the dungeon with Tae-jae before.
-“I went as his guardian last year. Tae-jae’s parents don’t answer calls. His grandmother said she would go, but…”
Back then too…
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never met Tae-jae’s parents.’
I definitely confirmed that both of them exist though.
‘Even during pick-up and drop-off, only his grandmother always came…’
Could it be that Tae-jae’s family situation is also somewhat complicated?
During the brief phone consultation I had with Tae-jae’s grandmother before, I didn’t receive any particular hints about family matters.
‘I didn’t ask because I was worried it might be rude.’
Should I look into it a bit?
While I was pondering with that one paper, things began to be placed in front of me one by one.
“Teacher.”
Only after hearing Tae-jae’s voice again did I barely tear my eyes away from the paper, and only then could I see what had been laid out in front of me.
“What are all these…?”
A piggy bank and, what’s that other thing… Is it a bankbook?
A bankbook with a famous children’s animation character on it was carefully placed on the floor.
“My grandmother said that when you ask for something, you should slip some money to make it a good deal for both sides.”
Grandmother!! Don’t teach him things like this!
I broke out in a cold sweat, worried someone might see, and quickly put those two items back into Tae-jae’s bag.
“…I appreciate the thought, but when making requests, a respectful attitude is more important than money like this.”
“Yes…”
That really startled me.
‘But what should I do about this… It’s awkward to ask directly.’
Can I ask what circumstances prevent his parents and grandmother from going together?
“Hmm…”
“Ooh…”
“Hehe.”
As my contemplation grew longer, I suddenly realized that the surroundings had become quiet.
‘Wait, the kids were definitely running around and playing?’
Sure enough, when I hurriedly looked around, I could see children who had surrounded me and Tae-jae at some point, quietly watching.
‘When did you guys get here?’
***
Nam Tae-jae alternately looked at his bag containing all his wealth and the teacher in front of him.
‘If Teacher also says no… I won’t have anyone to go with.’
Nam Tae-jae, who usually didn’t particularly desire things, would act like his brakes were broken whenever something he wanted came along like this.
And there was a reason for this happening.
It started about two weeks ago when Nam Tae-jae discovered mail someone had left on the dining table.
‘What’s this?’
The envelope had already been opened and checked by someone, but what caught his eye more than that was the name written on the envelope.
[ Nam Tae-jae ]
‘It came for me?’
Reading and writing his own name was no problem now.
Therefore, if only a name was written, he could figure out whose it was.
Nam Tae-jae picked it up out of curiosity and soon checked the contents.
[ Healing Type Awakener Association, ‘Healer Grand Festival’ ]
“Hea, ling, Type, Awa, ke, ner, Asso, what?”
Nam Tae-jae, who could read most fairy tale books by himself, tasted difficulty after a long time.
“What does this mean?”
It seemed like a paper made by scraping together all sorts of difficult words.
After much thought, Nam Tae-jae secretly put it in his bag.
And what he did with it was…
“Please read this.”
“Nam Tae-jae.”
He took it to the most approachable adult and asked.
“Mister, please read this. I don’t know what it’s saying.”
Lee Gyeon, the Field Team Ga leader.
Lee Gyeon abruptly stopped his steps at the sudden appearance of his assigned hunter on his way home from work.
He was already flustered to encounter Nam Tae-jae at the company on a weekend, but the shameless request that followed from the child left him speechless.
“You… Why are you here?”
“I came for a physical examination. Mister, please read this for me.”
“Where’s your guardian?”
“Grandmother followed some lady she doesn’t know.”
“What does that… Sigh, just give me that first.”
However, Lee Gyeon, who had been watching Nam Tae-jae for years, quickly resigned himself and sat in the cafe in the company lobby to read the mail.
After quickly reading through the contents, he finally provided Nam Tae-jae with brief information.
“They’re having a party.”
“A party?”
“Yeah, healing-type Awakeners are having a party together. BOND and Mugang together.”
“…Oh.”
“Do you want to go?”
“…No.”
I see.
At the moment he heard the simple explanation from the mister, Nam Tae-jae was just indifferent.
He only felt a small sense of achievement from finally finding out what was written on the paper.
However, his thoughts changed after the awakening test ended and he returned home.
‘What do people do at parties?’
The only parties Nam Tae-jae had experienced were birthday parties held at kindergarten.
Moreover, a party where healing-type Awakeners like himself gathered…
A sense of belonging different from kindergarten.
The glamorous and tempting word ‘party.’
It was natural that he wanted to go.
However, Nam Tae-jae had already quickly assessed the current situation.
The mail envelope that was already torn open.
That meant someone in the family had already checked it…
‘No one asked me to go together.’
Even if he asked first, his parents would say they were too busy, and grandmother had recently said her back hurt…
“I can’t go.”
Nam Tae-jae flopped down on his bed.
He curled up his body and burrowed into the blanket.
-“They say it’s at XX Hotel. If you’re going, go with an adult.”
‘But there’s no adult to go with me…’
Should I ask Noah to come with me?
…Noah would probably just say okay.
Then, he buried his head firmly in the pillow.
‘No, Noah would really suggest we go together just the two of us.’
“Then, Aunt would be shocked.”
He remembered.
The day when chaos broke out because his friend Noah went to the amusement park alone without saying anything.
‘Aunt told me not to wander around alone carelessly too.’
Though regret was evident, Nam Tae-jae gave up.
It was a familiar feeling.
He felt like he could endure it well this time too.
When another week had passed like that.
If only that phone call to grandmother’s cell phone hadn’t come…
“Tae-jae, Hae-cho called.”
“Lee Hae-cho?”
A healing-type Awakener of the same age as him who attended Mugang Kindergarten.
She was a child he had recently become close with because she was the granddaughter of a friend grandmother had newly made.
When he received the phone with the red leather case with both hands, a cheerful voice was heard after a moment.
-Nam Tae-jae!
“…Yeah.”
-You got the party invitation, right? I’m going there too! Our grandmother said you’re going too!
“I… don’t know.”
-“Don’t know? Why? Why don’t you know? I decided to go with Mom and Dad! You come too! Let’s play together!”
“Our Mom and Dad are…”
-“Oh, Mom says to hang up now! Bye! See you at the party, Nam Tae-jae! Hehe!”
Click.
Nam Tae-jae returned the phone to grandmother.
“What did Hae-cho say?”
“…She said let’s play together.”
“We can visit Hae-cho’s house together with grandmother later.”
“Yeah…”
Nam Tae-jae lied to grandmother.
‘Grandmother’s back hurts so she shouldn’t go far.’
The perceptive child knew that the moment he told the truth, grandmother would somehow go to the party with him.
‘But Mom and Dad don’t even answer their phones…’
The heart he had barely resolved to give up quickly crumbled the moment he received contact from a peer.
‘I want to go too.’
Once that thought firmly took root, stubbornness bloomed from deep in his heart.
At first it was ‘I want to go,’ then it became ‘How can I go’… and finally transformed into ‘I absolutely must go.’
And so, the method that smart Nam Tae-jae found was…
“Please, please go together with me.”
To ask his teacher, who had even gone to the dungeon with him, to accompany him!
Since bowing was a way to show respect in the dramas grandmother watched, he made sure to do it… (He thought the more the better.)
While bringing both his piggy bank where he saved money whenever it came in and his own bankbook that grandmother had opened a savings account for!
Nam Tae-jae looked at his teacher who remained silent at his request and strengthened his resolve even more.
‘If he says no… I’ll throw a tantrum.’
He had learned something from watching Noah do it beside him.
‘I just need to do it like Noah.’
***
Meanwhile, Na Hwi-yeon was dumbfounded.
From the mouths of the children who had somehow gathered in a circle around him and Tae-jae…
“Woo! Teacher, please grant Tae-jae’s request! Nam Tae-jae, tell me! I’ll grant it for you!”
“Teacher… Tae-jae is pitiful.”
“Teacher! Why do you keep not saying anything? Lee Seo-ra feels frustrated!”
“Seo-ra, me too.”
“Say something! Hurry! Tae-jae is waiting!!”
Jeers were pouring out.
‘No, kids… Give me some time to think about it.’
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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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