Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 39

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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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Episode 039

 

Inside a single patient room on the 2nd floor of BOND Emergency Center.

 

Moon Chae-yeong scratched the back of her head roughly while quietly looking down at the person sleeping peacefully on the bed.

 

The Ocean Kindergarten teacher who had a nosebleed and fainted at the theme park.

 

‘Is it because it’s been a while? This feels strange.’

 

It had been quite some time since she’d seen someone bleeding and fainting right in front of her.

 

That made sense, since her team members including Lee Seo-hyeok had rarely gotten injured beyond minor wounds for nearly two years.

 

‘It’s also because I deliberately keep only those kinds of people around me.’

 

People who wouldn’t get hurt easily.

 

People who wouldn’t die easily.

 

People who would survive without me having to worry about them every minute and second.

 

I only kept such people by my side and allowed them a place.

 

My colleagues composed entirely of A-rank weren’t created from some pointless sense of superiority.

 

‘This is purely my brain’s problem.’

 

Ever since a steel rod got lodged in my head at a field site during my second year of high school, I lost several emotions that humans should be able to feel.

 

After recognizing that there was a problem with my amygdala, I thought I’d been thinking and acting fairly like a normal person through consistent emotional learning and perception training.

 

“…This is troublesome.”

 

What mistake did I make in the meantime?

 

Moon Chae-yeong had done her best in her own way to reassure Na Hwi-yeon inside the dungeon.

 

Since what she could do immediately was limited, she calmly held her position and alternately monitored the clear progress speed and situation on her watch, even reporting everything in detail.

 

It was an attitude so kind that her colleagues would have gasped if they saw it.

 

‘Besides, it honestly didn’t even look dangerous.’

 

The atmosphere was so peaceful compared to the dangerous situations experienced during commission sites or dungeon explorations that Moon Chae-yeong didn’t feel any particular sentiment.

 

‘Candy-coated glass windows and cookie cathedrals.’

 

She recognized that she needed to be sensitive and pay attention to her surroundings because of the EX-rank rating.

 

But her entire impression was just ‘somewhat unusual?’

 

Even the candy syrup filling up in real-time inside the glass bottle was…

 

“I just saw it as a light ordeal, I guess.”

 

-Swish.

 

“I’m going crazy. Crazy. I’m losing it because of you. Losing it.”

 

Following the small muttering, the curtain was pulled aside and a familiar face appeared. Moon Chae-yeong nodded her head with an indifferent expression.

 

“Sit.”

 

“Team Leader, honestly tell me. You actually dreamed of being a superstar, didn’t you? If that’s not it, there’s no way things would blow up this much…”

 

Kang Ho-won pressed his hand to his forehead while continuously making groaning sounds.

 

Such dramatics.

 

“Ho-won, your mouth is too long.”

 

“This time I have to take responsibility and say something.”

 

“?”

 

“I mean, why do you go to Neverland alone and get caught up in a dungeon? And with our Ocean Kindergarten teacher who’s the hottest topic at the company these days?”

 

“Is that my fault?”

 

“At this point, I’m starting to think all these situations might be happening to satisfy Team Leader’s dopamine needs.”

 

“That’s a misunderstanding.”

 

“Yes, I hope it’s my misunderstanding too.”

 

“Your introduction is long.”

 

Moon Chae-yeong stared at Kang Ho-won, who was spouting nonsense, with coldly hardened eyes.

 

Then he made a show of backing away while making whimpering sounds.

 

“So how’s the situation?”

 

Since the teacher had suddenly fainted, Moon Chae-yeong, who had planned to stay at the theme park to conduct search investigations, had no choice but to quickly return to the company.

 

‘So I made this guy do it.’

 

She had barely managed to send Kang Ho-won, who was dying to avoid coming in on his day off, by tempting him with Korean beef.

 

“So hurry up and tell me. I need to get my money’s worth.”

 

“I’m really going to eat a lot. There were kids from ‘Mugang’ there too, so I thought I was really going to die from the pressure.”

 

“You’re being overly dramatic.”

 

“It’s true though… Anyway, to summarize, it’s like this.”

 

“….”

 

“No matter how much it’s an EX-grade Dungeon, since it’s a dungeon that was cleared anyway, the government and Hunter Companies agreed to just extract enough research data.”

 

“What about our side?”

 

“Our side too. Well… I don’t know about Mugang though. And fortunately, it was settled that Team Leader would investigate Dolphin Teacher and Noah alone.”

 

“That’s good.”

 

“Look here. It was good that we did it my way, right? Taking someone who would just collapse like this to do some investigation… Ugh. When you get investigated by the government side, they make such a fuss with all their coming and going.”

 

“What about the media?”

 

“They said the higher-ups will handle that in the best way possible.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

Moon Chae-yeong tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

 

“Team Leader, whose articles have already been released, will get positive coverage, and they’ll completely block any personal information digging for Dolphin Teacher and Noah under the pretext of personal protection.”

 

“They’ll do that for us?”

 

That’s strange. There’s no way those Board of Directors bastards would easily allow what we want.

 

“They said it’s the CEO’s orders.”

 

“CEO’s orders?”

 

“Yes, the CEO who was newly appointed recently.”

 

Blink. My brain boots up a bit slowly, then I pull out memories like retrieving a memory card I had shoved into a box because it wasn’t needed.

 

“Ah.”

 

The words that followed the sigh carried a slightly disgusted emotion.

 

“The eldest son bastard?”

 

“Well, you could say that.”

 

“His name is…”

 

“Baek Cheonhyeong.”

 

Right, Baek Cheonhyeong.

 

The eldest son of former BOND CEO Baek Gwang-hyeon.

 

Moon Chae-yeong recalled the childhood appearance of the guy in the School Uniform and chuckled.

 

“Ah~ The higher-ups really have strange personalities.”

 

“Team Leader is worse.”

 

Whatever that bastard’s intention was, it was definitely a good thing.

 

‘I was wondering what to do, but this worked out well.’

 

Moon Chae-yeong stretched comfortably and looked at Na Hwi-yeon, who was still lying with his eyes closed.

 

“But what did he collapse from?”

 

At Kang Ho-won’s question, she recalled what the doctor who had visited an hour ago said.

 

 

It was a diagnosis that was hard to understand, but since she wasn’t a doctor, she said she understood for now.

 

“They said it seems like fainting due to extreme stress.”

 

“Huh? Don’t tell me…”

 

“What.”

 

“Did Team Leader torment him inside the dungeon?”

 

“…Why? Should I treat you the same way?”

 

“I’ll shut up.”

 

…But he didn’t really collapse because of me, right?

 

It did seem like he got stressed every time I opened my mouth though…

 

Moon Chae-yeong turned her head to look at Na Hwi-yeon. As she examined him piece by piece, something seemed to come to mind.

 

Something like a very faint and deep afterimage…

 

‘I felt it when I first saw him too, but I really feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.’

 

Of course, there was something even more concerning than these thoughts that might seem like nitpicking.

 

“Why does this person have so many secrets?”

 

“…This gentle-faced kindergarten teacher?”

 

“…Exactly.”

 

This gentle-faced kindergarten teacher.

 

Whether it’s the Underground Dungeon incident or this EX-grade Dungeon, he seems strangely desperate to hide something.

 

This wasn’t just because he had something like Nose-Growing Jelly.

 

“My instincts are telling me.”

 

This man has something going on.

 

***

 

Through my blinking vision, I could see an unfamiliar ceiling.

 

‘What is this? This isn’t my home.’

 

When I turned my head slightly, I could see what looked like a tall human figure under the soft orange lighting.

 

“…!”

 

Holy crap.

 

I thought it was a ghost.

 

When I focused my eyes, I could tell it was a tall man sitting in a chair.

 

I awkwardly sat up and leaned against the bed’s backrest, looking around.

 

The IV needle in my left arm and the luxurious yet clean typical place that reminded me of somewhere.

 

‘This is a hospital room…’

 

A private room at that.

 

“Are you awake?”

 

Thinking I had come to my senses, the man who had been sitting in the chair stood up and slowly approached.

 

The orange light softly settled over the approaching man’s face.

 

…Baek Cheonhyeong?

 

Why is the CEO here?

 

While I was momentarily dazed by the unexpected person’s appearance, Baek Cheonhyeong spoke first.

 

“Are you feeling better? This is the inpatient room on the 2nd floor of our company’s emergency center.”

 

“Ah… Yes.”

 

…So I ended up being brought here after all.

 

I reflexively touched around my nose area, but fortunately nothing came off.

 

I recalled the situation just before I collapsed.

 

‘That telephone wasn’t discarded for no reason.’

 

If it was going to make me bleed that much, shouldn’t there have been at least a huge warning label attached?

 

Making two phone calls would have me crossing the river Styx from excessive blood loss.

 

“I’m glad you’re okay. Still, you should get examined.”

 

I nodded reluctantly at Baek Cheonhyeong, who spoke with a gentle smile.

 

“I had some overtime work so I came in on the weekend, and then I heard about you. More precisely, I heard that an EX-grade Dungeon had appeared in Neverland.”

 

Calmly explaining the situation, Baek Cheonhyeong sat back down in the chair. His dark under-eye circles stood out even in the dim hospital room.

 

“Speed is crucial for rare dungeon discoveries, so we sent the remaining field teams, but wouldn’t you know, I kept hearing familiar names from there.”

 

“…”

 

He rubbed his slightly closed eyes with his hand and then stared at me.

 

…But wait.

 

Why are his eyes like that?

 

‘I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?’

 

At first glance, it was the look of a boss scolding a subordinate.

 

But whether his eyes were strange or not, Baek Cheonhyeong continued rambling.

 

“Teacher and the team leader of Field Team Na…”

 

“…”

 

“That’s quite an unusual combination? How did you meet?”

 

Why are you asking me that?

 

Of course I wouldn’t know.

 

Moon Chae-yeong and I are just adults who purely came to the amusement park on the weekend to have fun.

 

‘Ah, surely not…’

 

With a feeling of ‘surely not, surely not,’ I dredged up a rumor I had heard before.

 

 

One of the rumors that circulated right after the Underground Dungeon incident.

 

‘Surely he’s not suspecting me of being a spy?’

 

After seeing my resume and conducting the interview?

 

I answered the question with a slightly tense voice.

 

“I can only say it was a coincidence.”

 

“A coincidence. You’re saying you just happened to get caught up with our company’s field Team leader in an EX-grade Dungeon that erupted for the first time in a year.”

 

Well, damn, that’s a coincidence, not some orchestrated meeting, right?

 

“Both during the Underground Dungeon incident and this time too, Teacher really… you’ve experienced quite a lot of coincidental events.”

 

Isn’t it strange even if you say so?

 

From what I can tell, it’s only been twice.

 

“It seems like you’re hiding things too.”

 

While I was just staring wide-eyed at Baek Cheonhyeong’s absurd logic…

 

He tapped the table beside the bed, glared at me with sharp eyes… then suddenly hung his head low.

 

“?”

 

“…Kup.”

 

“…”

 

“Haha.”

 

Then he suddenly lifted his head, and the corners of his eyes were drooping slyly like a fox.

 

Seeing Baek Cheonhyeong’s rapidly changed expression, I quickly realized the situation.

 

‘This bastard is messing with me?’

 

No matter if the guy in front of me was the company representative, or the guy who gave me a 3 million won bonus, right now, at this moment, none of that mattered.

 

“…Are you making fun of me right now.”

 

Feeling embarrassed, I ran my hand through my hair and bit out the words through gritted teeth.

 

Then, Baek Cheonhyeong wiped away his smile like a psychopath and looked straight ahead.

 

“Ah, you seemed too tense when looking at me.”

 

What is he trying to do.

 

Didn’t he think that suddenly being suspected of being a spy while lying down would be even more nerve-wracking?

 

Perhaps sensing my rotten stare, Baek Cheonhyeong nodded his head coolly.

 

Then he brought his hand toward my head…

 

[ My snacks ]

 

“…!!”

 

At the suddenly heard sulky voice, I reflexively looked at the bag placed on the table.

 

The White Dog Doll attached to the bag’s zipper was sitting with its back turned to me.

 

‘Damn.’

 

[ You said you’d buy snacks. ]

 

“Ah.”

 

I hastily tried to open my mouth but then closed it again.

 

Right now in front of me was Baek Cheonhyeong looking down at me with puzzled eyes.

 

When I looked up at Baek Cheonhyeong whose hand I had reached for…

 

He tilted his head slightly to the side, grinned, and stepped back.

 

?

 

“There was dust on your hair.”

 

“Ah, thank you.”

 

Brushing, I lightly dusted off my hair with my hand while looking back and forth between Baek Cheonhyeong and the White Dog Doll.

 

Baek Cheonhyeong, who keenly read my expression, followed my gaze toward the Doll and straightened his tilted head.

 

Then he spoke in a calm tone.

 

“The Doll is cute.”

 

If you knew what was inside it, you wouldn’t say that.

 

“Rest well. I’ll be going now.”

 

I didn’t try hard to stop Baek Cheonhyeong as he suddenly turned around.

 

‘This isn’t the time to worry about that side of things.’

 

Still, I should ask what I need to ask.

 

“By the way, what brought you here? I was wondering if you had something to discuss regarding Cheonji.”

 

Surely there’s no reason for someone who’s a company representative to visit a recently hired Kindergarten Teacher just to check on them…

 

‘This EX-grade Dungeon incident isn’t even BOND’s fault.’

 

Baek Cheonhyeong, gripping the Door Handle, turned back to look at me and said.

 

“Just because, I was concerned about what happened in the Underground Dungeon last time. I wanted to see your face and talk.”

 

Ah, so that’s what it was?

 

It’s fine. The salary and bonus you gave me are more than enough to overlook that much.

 

However, his last words as he opened the door and left were quite meaningful.

 

“But Teacher, you’re quite a fascinating person.”

 

-Creak.

 

-Click.

 

“I think he’s definitely making fun of me.”

 

[ You broke your promise. ]

 

“…!”

 

Whatever Baek Cheonhyeong’s deal is, that’s not what’s important right now.

 

This is… a disaster.

 

It seems my monster friend is seriously upset.

—————
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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