Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 162

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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 162

 

I thought we would finally be able to return home, but the place we arrived at was none other than BOND Headquarters.

 

I stared blankly at the healer who was setting up an IV drip in my arm with a dazed expression.

 

“You’ll need to wait about two hours.”

 

“…Do I really have to get all of it?”

 

Can’t I just go home?

 

I want to rest a bit.

 

However, the healer shook their head firmly with vacant eyes.

 

“This is an IV drip with recovery potion in it, so it’s expensive. Get it all before you go.”

 

“Yes….”

 

If you put it that way, I have nothing to say.

 

Right…. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and they’re giving me expensive potion for free, so I should get it.

 

I had no choice but to give up on going home and leaned my back against the hospital bed’s backrest.

 

And as soon as I did that, the inpatient room door opened and someone came in.

 

“What are you doing here instead of going home?”

 

It was Yu Jin-chae and Kwon Hae-seong entering with black plastic bags full in both hands.

 

They were also the culprits who shoved me into the emergency center.

 

Yu Jin-chae grinned and slightly lifted up the plastic bag.

 

“Since it’s late at night, we should eat a late-night snack. We all couldn’t even eat dinner.”

 

“…That’s right, let’s just go home-”

 

“Oh no, if you do that, Teacher’s body will really break down completely? Get some potion IV drip, recover a bit, then go home.”

 

“Just listen to what we say….”

 

They’re doing this because they feel sorry.

 

However, having been banned from saying ‘sorry’ and ‘I apologize’ on the way to headquarters, I had nothing to say.

 

‘I wish they would just leave me here and at least the two of them go home….’

 

Seeing how they were taking packaged food out of the plastic bags, that wasn’t going to happen either.

 

“Why did you buy so much?”

 

Vegetable gopchang, sundae, tteokbokki, chicken feet, and even jokbal….

 

Yu Jin-chae grinned and looked at Kwon Hae-seong who was neatly setting wooden chopsticks on the table, then said.

 

“Hae-seong eats a tremendous amount. And, Teacher, wouldn’t the shock be somewhat lessened if you listen while eating delicious food?”

 

That’s… true.

 

I hesitated, then got up from my seat and headed straight to the table.

 

Then I looked down at the table full of food and picked up some tteokbokki and put it in my mouth.

 

There, are you satisfied…. Only then did they nod with something resembling a smile.

 

Only at times like this do the two of them get along.

 

“It’s delicious….”

 

“Good. Let’s eat~!”

 

“…Thank you for the meal.”

 

And so, we ended up having a late meal.

 

By the way, Nabi is occupying the hospital bed in my place and watching videos on the mobile phone.

 

‘These days she’s obsessed with snack mukbang again.’

 

“It’s delicious, right? This is tteokbokki sold at a famous food cart right up front. It’s rumored to be a regular spot for male idol groups.”

 

“Really?”

 

Wow, I wanted to try eating there.

 

At Yu Jin-chae’s words that she had swept up famous restaurants, I was somewhat excited and focused only on putting food in my mouth.

 

Then suddenly.

 

“Teacher, it’s been a week since you went missing.”

 

I heard this bombshell statement.

 

I dropped the chopsticks that had just picked up sundae and opened my mouth slightly.

 

“Uh….”

 

“Haha.”

 

“Ah. Ah…”

 

So that’s why they wouldn’t tell me!

 

I begged them so much to tell me the date, but they kept their mouths shut!

 

“Hae-seong said you’d collapse from shock if you heard, Teacher, so we should at least feed you first before telling you~”

 

Kwon Hae-seong!!! Why do you only get considerate at times like this!

 

“…It’s nice to see you eating well.”

 

I moved my lips that had stiffened from shock and barely managed to form a sentence.

 

“Th, then, what about my work? Don’t tell me… I got fired.”

 

Even including the weekend, I must have been absent without notice for at least 4 days.

 

‘Don’t tell me, am I screwed?’

 

I was gritting my teeth and gripping my trembling legs when Yu Jin-chae spoke in a casually cheerful tone.

 

“Of course not. Instead.”

 

“Instead?”

 

“We scraped together all your annual leave to cover it. Of course, we took turns watching Dolphin Class during that time.”

 

‘Is, is that fortunate…?’

 

Of course, it seems like all my precious annual leave got wiped out, but at least I wasn’t fired, right?

 

I was barely able to nod my head to show I understood.

 

“And, about your family members, Teacher… We had no choice but to tell them the truth. On the second day you were missing, they called the kindergarten.”

 

Ah, that’s… of course.

 

‘It can’t be helped. Aunt and Hyung must have been really worried.’

 

If your younger brother who left for work didn’t come home for two days, it was natural to call.

 

Kwon Hae-seong, who was pouring a drink into a paper cup and handing it to me, added.

 

“We reassured them. We contacted them just a while ago to say we found you…”

 

“Since the company was already under investigation due to Section Chief Gwak Cheol-man’s disappearance case, we wove it together and explained it well.”

 

When Yu Jin-chae said they must have been surprised so I should comfort them well, I answered that I understood.

 

The conversation continued after that too.

 

Following this incident, the Product Development Team would thoroughly prevent external removal of Discarded Products, among other aftermath stories…

 

Even the shocking process of how they recruited Eternal Hunter.

 

“Then, do I have to give my Wave to Eternal Hunter later?”

 

No, that’s crazy.

 

Apparently, in exchange for Eternal Hunter making trace walkie-talkies, she proposed extorting Waves from both Yu Jin-chae and Kwon Hae-seong.

 

‘She’s an amazing person in many ways.’

 

“Originally, if you’re a Hunter, you submit it during health checkups when joining the company. But normally, you don’t do it twice in your lifetime…”

 

“Won-ha asked us to extract it separately because she wanted to use it personally…”

 

As far as I know, the process of extracting something called ‘Wave’ from an Awakener’s body isn’t very smooth.

 

‘Isn’t that quite difficult, and painful.’

 

However, before I could even open my mouth to say anything, Yu Jin-chae stood up with her mobile phone.

 

“Ah, I got a call. Keep eating.”

 

My heart felt heavy.

 

***

 

After eating the late-night snack and finishing the IV drip, I was able to return home.

 

‘I wanted to greet Section Chief Gwak Cheol-man on the way.’

 

I went to visit the section chief who was in the inpatient room right next door, but he seemed to be unconscious and sleeping, so I just left.

 

‘I should visit him next time.’

 

I lay down on the bed right away.

 

I was completely drained after hearing all kinds of worries and nagging from Hyung and Aunt until just before.

 

‘But, Hyung was a bit…’

 

-“Hey, are you really okay?”

 

-“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Look, I’m perfectly fine.”

 

-“Can you breathe well? Does your head hurt? This won’t do. Let’s go to the hospital again.”

 

Of course, it’s natural to be surprised when seeing your younger brother who returned after being missing for a week…

 

His face turned pale white like someone who had seen a ghost, and he couldn’t even come to his senses properly, so I broke out in a cold sweat trying to calm him down. Even my aunt had to tell him to calm down from the side…

 

‘He quieted down a bit when I said I’d already received all the examinations at BOND.’

 

Anyway, the atmosphere became strangely heavy, so I hurriedly entered my room.

 

‘My head is already complicated enough…’

 

Throughout the entire journey of receiving examinations, eating, and coming home, my mind was complicated.

 

‘It was somewhat better when Yu Jin-chae and Kwon Hae-seong were beside me, but’

 

Ever since hearing those words, all my nerves have been focused in one direction.

 

-“You have a problem with your memory.”

 

The words that Discernment’s Lieutenant said at the end.

 

Strangely, after hearing those words, this thought arose in a corner of my mind.

 

‘There really might be a problem with my memory.’

 

Before high school, that is, precisely during middle school.

 

To be more precise, my memories from before the time when my parents passed away weren’t intact.

 

The more I tried to recall events from that specific period, the more my head hurt.

 

It even felt as futile as trying to grasp floating air with my hands.

 

‘Even though I’m simply trying to recall memories.’

 

Once I became aware of it, a sense of alienation washed over me like waves.

 

‘Why have I never seriously thought about this until now?’

 

I racked my brain trying to somehow piece together the mixed-up thoughts.

 

The meaningful words that Discernment’s Lieutenant had said…

 

And also the words I heard from that woman who was supposedly a criminal I encountered at the BOND Branch Office.

 

-“You’ve grown a lot. Your name is, well, Hwi-eon… no, was it Hwiyeon?”

 

-“You look exactly the same as when you were little. I almost didn’t recognize you! But you’re a spitting image of your dad!”

 

It’s surprising that there’s an acquaintance of my parents that I don’t remember…

 

‘Moreover, that person is clearly a suspicious individual.’

 

Even more, the fact that what that suspicious individual was obsessed with was none other than Nabi’s eyes now bothered me too.

 

I’ve asked Yu Jin-chae to look into this, so I should check on it later…

 

I sat in my computer chair, eating snacks while watching Nabi spinning around in circles.

 

“Look at this! I can eat bean chips while spinning!”

 

‘Is it just a simple coincidence?’

 

Or am I overthinking things unnecessarily?

 

“I think I need to look into this properly.”

 

It was something I muttered unconsciously.

 

Then, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.

 

‘Ah… Right, the Status Window.’

 

『 [aka. Discernment’s Lieutenant] : Due to low favorability, Command/Education/Status Window Access is unavailable. 』

 

The Status Window that had appeared before came to mind again.

 

‘I couldn’t check it properly at the museum because we left in a hurry.’

 

But where is this guy anyway?

 

He said he’d give me a chance and even registered in the Status Window, but I have no idea where he went.

 

‘Don’t tell me he’s still inside that restraining item.’

 

Thinking “no way, no way,” I shifted my gaze to the next Status Window that appeared…

 

『 I don’t really recommend building friendships! 😀 』

 

‘This one’s quite different.’

 

I found myself facing a completely different Status Window from all the previous ones.

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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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