The Baby Seizes Fortune - Chapter 37
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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 37
* * *
The next day was Somang Preschool’s field trip day.
Junho, who had early morning filming, approached me as I woke up to rustling sounds.
“Our daughter, have fun playing.”
I rubbed my eyes as I got up and looked up at Junho who was patting my head.
“Mm-hmm, you too, Father. And be careful with your feet today.”
“Feet?”
“Just because! I think it would be better if you just did that.”
Today’s fortune said that Junho should be careful because there’s bad luck with his feet today!
Junho smiled brightly and gave me a kiss on my forehead.
“Well, last time Chaea told me to check carefully if I forgot anything when getting out of the car, and thanks to that I avoided almost losing my wallet in the taxi. I’ll keep it in mind today too.”
Watching his reliable back as he turned around, I yawned. My preschool bag by the door looked particularly plump.
“Oh, Father made kimbap for you.”
“Wow! Kimbap?”
“Yes. Eat it together with your friends.”
“Thank you! Father is the best!”
Junho grinned at my greeting and hurriedly opened the door and left.
After staring at the closed door for a while, I quickly went to the door and opened my plump preschool bag.
I could see a round Hello Kitty lunch box, and when I opened it, I saw crooked kimbap rolls of different thicknesses.
“….”
Half of them had burst sides and overall the appearance clearly showed a beginner’s skill level, but… a smile naturally appeared on my lips.
“When did he make this…”
He must have been tired from preparing for filming and taking care of himself.
The kimbap’s shape was quite something, but it was a lunch box filled with love.
“Good! Let’s get ready for the field trip!”
* * *
Somang Preschool’s first field trip destination was a zoo in the suburbs.
We paired up in twos, held hands, and looked at the animals in the zoo…
“….”
I glanced at Hee-jae, who had become my partner and was holding my hand tightly.
‘This is awkward!’
It was even more so because of yesterday’s incident.
“Wow, the lion’s mouth is really big.”
“Did you see it yawning?”
Maybe this is better than being paired with the kids making a big fuss behind us? I hate things that are too noisy.
“…is there?”
Suddenly I heard Hee-jae’s small voice from beside me.
I looked at Hee-jae and asked back with a “Huh?”
It seemed like he had just said something.
“…do you have a favorite animal?”
At Hee-jae’s words that finally came out, I blinked my eyes.
His eyes that were always darkly sunken were now completely focused on me.
I didn’t expect him to ask me such an ordinary thing, so I stared at Hee-jae blankly for a moment before slowly opening my mouth.
“Um… maybe…”
A favorite animal.
I looked at the cage far away and said.
“…giraffe?”
Because they have long necks so they can see far places, and they can eat high tree leaves, and they’re big, and also cute…
“…I see.”
Hee-jae’s face as he moved his lips still looked expressionless,
but somehow, just the fact that this kid asked me something personal felt amazing.
“What about you?!”
So I asked Hee-jae with a slightly excited mood.
“What’s your favorite animal?”
Hee-jae was walking while holding my hand and looking straight ahead.
“From today… giraffe.”
“Huh?”
[111010101011100010110000111010111010011010110000 (15%)]
What does this mean!
I looked at Hee-jae with confused eyes, and numbers kept appearing endlessly before my eyes.
It seemed to get even more difficult, so I just turned off the inner thoughts function.
Then, the teacher stopped us.
“Now, Rabbit class friends.”
Teacher Noh Ji-hye, who had excellently led the noisy five-year-old class around the zoo, wiped her sweat.
The place where we stopped was the grassy field area next to the zoo.
“Before eating lunch, we’re going to do a treasure hunt in pairs.”
Soon the teacher stood in the center of the gathered children and pointed to the small forest on the side.
Since Somang Preschool originally did a lot of forest experience activities, the children weren’t unfamiliar with forests.
“Wow! Treasure hunt!”
“I should find it first!”
Looking at the excited, chattering children, the teacher nodded.
“I hid it in a place that’s not too difficult, so you’ll be able to find it well. If you find and bring the treasure note… ta-da!”
The teacher showed a box containing colored pencils.
Twelve different colored twist-up colored pencils were fitted in a Pigu animation character case.
“Here’s a wonderful gift.”
“Wow!”
“The best!”
“It’s twist-up colored pencils!”
Rather than colored pencils where you have to pull the string attached to the pencil and then peel off the paper surrounding the colored lead, twist-up colored pencils where the colored lead comes out just by turning the plastic attached at the bottom were the hottest item among kids these days.
Moreover, since they had popular characters that children loved drawn on them, it was worth getting excited about.
“Now, ahem, then.”
Teacher Noh Ji-hye’s voice was still small, but we had already adapted and perked up our ears waiting for what would come next.
“Let’s go with your current partner to find the treasure. Start!”
As soon as the start signal was heard, children holding their partners’ hands began running toward the forest.
I looked at Hee-jae who was standing while holding my hand and said somewhat awkwardly.
“…Sh, shall we look for it too?”
At my words, Hee-jae looked at me and soon moved his lips.
“Yes. Good.”
* * *
Having arrived at a quiet place, we searched behind bushes and small rocks.
Hmm, where did the teacher hide the treasure note?
The possible places are…
“What are you looking for?”
“Huh? Obviously the treasure note!”
“No, what you were looking for at the preschool.”
My hands paused at Hee-jae’s words.
Come to think of it… I had met Hee-jae before while searching through the preschool forest to find Saebyeol and Mincheol’s time capsule.
I was startled by Hee-jae’s words that snakes would be hibernating and stopped looking for the time capsule.
“…Ah…”
I looked at Hee-jae. The cool breeze gently swayed the child’s hair, and through it, pitch-black eyes of unreadable emotion met mine.
“Just, a mystery.”
“…A mystery?”
“Yeah, like a mystery left for me from the distant past.”
I put my hand to my lips as if sharing a secret and whispered softly. Hee-jae’s eyes seemed to ripple with interest.
“I might find it, or I might not, but maybe I could learn a little about the meaning of my life.”
I don’t expect him to understand this. Even I, who am searching for it, don’t know what I’m talking about.
In what I’ll gain as a reward for this Quest, perhaps there’s some truth I don’t know about this era I fell into, the reason I became Saebyeol’s child….
“Will things change if you find it?”
At those words, I hesitated and turned to look at Hee-jae. Clear eyes were looking at me and asking.
“Will something change? Like having to go somewhere?”
I looked at Hee-jae for a long time before opening my mouth.
“No, that won’t happen.”
I continued in a calm voice.
The Quest will continue on.
“Even if nothing changes, I think there’s meaning in knowing the answer to a mystery I’ve always been curious about.”
After a long silence, Hee-jae’s voice was heard.
“…Right, the North Star shouldn’t run away.”
Huh? Was the story I told him that impressive?
I turned my gaze to look at Hee-jae again.
I was a little surprised. A faint smile I had never seen before rested on Hee-jae’s lips.
Though we had become classmates, I had never once seen Hee-jae smile. Even before I possessed this body, I had never seen Chairman Kang Hee-jae smiling or any photos of him smiling.
‘So that’s how Kang Hee-jae smiles….’
As I was thinking that, Hee-jae took one step, then two steps toward me.
Then he lifted my hand with his small hand and pressed something he was holding into my palm.
My eyes widened when I saw it.
“Huh? A treasure note?”
When on earth did he find it?
“Let’s go back.”
At Hee-jae’s words, I nodded with a bewildered feeling.
Well, if he found it, he found it. There’s no need to make a big deal about it.
On the way back to the teacher, I heard Hee-jae’s voice.
“Let me search too.”
I blinked and stopped walking.
The child who seemed uninterested in anything in the world looked at me and said.
“The mystery you’re looking for, me too.”
“…But. Why would you?”
When I asked carefully, Hee-jae said.
“I’m concerned. About you.”
The cool breeze ruffled our hair.
Hee-jae’s eyes held strange interest and curiosity.
Well… if more people are searching, wouldn’t we be able to find it sooner?
‘Hee-jae is much smarter than his peers, so there doesn’t seem to be any reason to refuse….’
Hmm. After thinking for a moment while looking at the treasure note in my hand, I smiled and accepted Hee-jae’s proposal.
“Okay. Let’s search together.”
As if it was a satisfying answer, a faint smile crossed Hee-jae’s lips again.
‘But this kid, his smile is really pretty.’
Soon, on the way to where we had gathered, I stopped and stretched my hand up high.
They said one colored pencil per treasure note, so I can’t just get one.
“….”
I spoke to Hee-jae, who was staring at me intently.
“Lift me up a bit.”
“Huh?”
“Or do you want to climb up?”
Without saying much, Hee-jae came over to me, held me, and lifted me up with all his strength. I could see his usually gentle eyebrows furrow from the effort.
‘He’s small but since he’s a boy, he’s pretty strong!’
“Just a little more, please!”
After rummaging through the leaves, I found the note I had discovered earlier and came down.
Close enough that our breaths could touch, I held out the note to Hee-jae, who was breathing lightly.
“I thought there might be one here.”
“….”
“Hehe, this one’s yours.”
Hee-jae’s eyebrows twitched in surprise. The child’s pitch-black eyes rippled with various emotions under the sunlight.
I grinned widely.
“You need to find yours too. We’re… friends, after all.”
Suddenly, a clear emotion befitting his age appeared on Hee-jae’s face.
“…Yeah!”
The status window sparkled simultaneously.
[Sub Quest, ‘Making Friends’ achieved!]
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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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