The Rogue, Genius, Chaebol's Daughter is a Baby Master Detective! - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A delinquent, a prodigy, and a conglomerate heiress—they’re baby detectives!
26
Friends gathered one by one at the teacher’s call.
Ha Ru tucked the button that Kim Ho Joo Ni had handed her into her bag and pulled out a wet tissue to clean her hands.
Kim Ho Joo Ni bounced his leg anxiously and gnawed at his fingernails.
“Is that, like, really okay?”
“What is?”
“The gloves—you said they were sealed shut, and you’re not supposed to take them off.”
“It’s fine for a bit. That’s why Kim Ho Joo Ni is on watch duty.”
Kim Ho Joo Ni snapped to attention, then slumped his shoulders again.
“But Panda isn’t a villain.”
“Huh?”
“Everyone who calls Ha Ru a villain seems kind of suspicious about it. Even the teacher does.”
Kim Ho Joo Ni dropped a bomb.
“Isn’t Ha Ru the villain?”
“What?”
“That’s what you keep saying! The stuff sealed in the gloves! Suspicious people call other people villains!”
Ha Ru didn’t answer right away. Ha Ru kept a lot of secrets, like a villain would. The gloves, the candy, her abilities.
She’d been told that villains catch children who give away their secrets.
What kind of children do villains catch?
Her heart ached sharply. But Ha Ru was brave and good—a gifted child!
Ha Ru finished pulling on the replacement gloves and stood up. She met Kim Ho Joo Ni’s eyes.
“Kim Ho Joo Ni.”
“Yeah?”
Kim Ho Joo Ni’s body gave a little start.
“That’s a good question.”
“Really?”
“A detective isn’t afraid of being suspected.”
Ha Ru ran her gloved hand along her chin.
“Both detectives and villains have secrets. But there’s exactly one thing that’s different.”
“What’s different?”
“Villains use secrets to hurt people. But detectives use secrets to protect them.”
Ha Ru looked directly at Kim Ho Joo Ni.
“Has Ha Ru ever hurt Kim Ho Joo Ni?”
Kim Ho Joo Ni thought it over carefully.
“Not exactly, but you did knock me down.”
“Every baby fish is tiny like a sand smelt. Since you’re still little, that’s just how it is.”
Kim Ho Joo Ni scratched his head and blurted out.
“But you knocked down the teacher!”
“And hasn’t the teacher looked healthier since then?”
Kim Ho Joo Ni nodded.
‘The teacher’s eyes used to be all red all the time, but they’re not anymore.’
“So Ha Ru isn’t a villain—she’s a detective.”
“Then what’s the seal about?”
“Knowing the secret would put you in danger. Are you sure you want to know anyway?”
Kim Ho Joo Ni shook his head urgently.
“But what if other people misunderstand and come to catch Ha Ru thinking she’s a villain?”
“Ha Ru’s not a villain, I told you.”
“What if they do!”
“Would Kim Ho Joo Ni come to catch Ha Ru too?”
“No!”
Kim Ho Joo Ni shouted. Then he hesitated and mumbled quietly.
“We promised to be friends.”
Kim Ho Joo Ni scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed look.
“So I’m on Ha Ru’s side. Even if Ha Ru were a villain!”
Ha Ru laughed brightly.
“She’s not a villain.”
“Ha Ru, Ho Jun, hurry and gather round!”
At the teacher’s voice, the two children gasped and started running across the grass field.
“Will the friends who found the treasure please come forward.”
Ha Ru never did find the note. But she didn’t need a prize anyway, she told herself.
The teacher announced the winners.
“The treasure hunt prize is Detective Dodo Stickers.”
“Detective Dodo stickers…?”
Ha Ru’s head snapped up. Actually, she did need one.
The other children surged forward. The Detective Dodo Stickers disappeared one by one.
“Wow! These just came out!”
“I’m putting this in my diary!”
Longing flickered across Ha Ru’s eyes. In that moment, Seol A’s shoe stopped dead in front of her.
Seol A fluttered the sticker right in front of Ha Ru’s face, then smirked.
“You don’t have one, do you?”
“Can I just look at it?”
“No.”
Just then, Si Woo came back with his prize and dropped something beside Ha Ru.
Flutter—
Five Detective Dodo Stickers scattered across the floor. Real, precious Detective Dodo Stickers!
Ha Ru gathered them one by one, unable to tear her eyes away, then held them out with trembling hands to Si Woo.
“Si Woo. Here. You dropped them.”
Si Woo answered as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“I threw them away. Don’t need them.”
“Who throws away a prize?”
Unfazed by Seol A’s sharp voice, Ha Ru’s eyes gleamed.
“Really throwing them away? Really-really?”
Si Woo walked away without even looking back.
“Yay!”
Ha Ru clutched the stickers tight.
Hehe—
Ha Ru beamed and ran after Si Woo.
“Thank you for throwing them away for me!”
Si Woo didn’t answer, but he didn’t push her away either.
“You can keep throwing things away for me. Throw lots away. Okay?”
“Shut up.”
Si Woo grabbed his Outing Bag and headed briskly toward the Yellow Bus.
“Come with me!”
Ha Ru ran after him.
***
The three men relaxed once they’d watched Ha Ru board the Yellow Bus. Lee Hyeon Woo swept back his disheveled hair, a Panda Head tucked under his arm.
“Who knew the Zoo was so dangerous? If I hadn’t come along, what would’ve happened? Ha Ru nearly got eaten by a goat!”
“…Goats are herbivores.”
Gong Dae In’s remark made Lee Hyeon Woo snap.
“It must’ve evolved to eat meat! I saw it chewing her clothes like it was nothing! If I hadn’t dashed in and rescued her like the hero I am, we would’ve lost our one and only Ha Ru.”
Lee Hyeon Woo’s shoulders suddenly drooped.
“Ha Ru doesn’t know. Doesn’t know how cool her dad is. Not a villain at all! Right? You know that superhero thing kids like, Ultra Shong-Shong? I looked exactly like that, didn’t I?”
Lee Hyeon Woo swept his hair back and looked around.
“Where’d they go?”
Gong Dae In and Kang Tae Jun were already heading toward the Parking Lot.
“Hey, wait for me!”
Lee Hyeon Woo wagged the panda tail and hurried after them.
“Speaking of which, what’s with that boy? Ha Ru seemed to want to get close to him. Should I pull some strings?”
“What strings?”
“Tell him to stay away from Ha Ru.”
“She’s the one approaching him.”
Lee Hyeon Woo puffed out his lower lip—the same expression Ha Ru made—and Kang Tae Jun’s face darkened. Ha Ru was cute when she did it. On him, it was grotesque. Kang Tae Jun spoke firmly.
“Besides, the parenting books say you should give children plenty of opportunity to interact with their peers, but excessive parental involvement isn’t beneficial.”
“There you go again with that scholarly nonsense. How am I supposed to trust you like this? There’s nothing wrong with making sure only good friends are around her. Kids still lack judgment. Don’t you know the saying about ink rubbing off on white—”
“Don’t use idioms like you’re quoting scripture.”
“You don’t even know about the secret chat group.”
“Secret chat group?”
Kang Tae Jun’s thick brows twitched.
“Look at this. Look at this. I knew you were using work as an excuse to neglect her education.”
Lee Hyeon Woo clicked his tongue as though disappointed. Kang Tae Jun had never found himself at such a loss for words in his life.
“Forget it. I’ve already made arrangements.”
Lee Hyeon Woo continued, sweeping his hair back with a slight laugh.
“What? Give him the best education? You just watch how I raise Ha Ru and learn from that. I’ll raise him better than any third-generation chaebol heir.”
“….”
Kang Tae Jun said nothing. He’d assumed everything was fine since the kindergarten teacher had said she was doing well. He’d never thought there was anything more he needed to do.
Gong Dae In, who’d been focused on his tablet, suddenly spoke up.
“That boy is the only son of the Shinra Pharmaceuticals president.”
“Shinra Pharmaceuticals? Aren’t they famous for their consistent charitable donations?”
Kang Tae Jun answered to Lee Hyeon Woo’s remark.
“A good family’s son, then.”
The three of them fell silent for a moment.
“That kindergarten—most of the kids there come from families like that anyway. I wouldn’t have sent him to just any kindergarten.”
“I found an article.”
All three turned their attention to the tablet screen.
-Shinra Pharmaceuticals Founder’s Grandson Certified as Prodigy at Five, Subject of Foundation-Level Special Management
“The youngest gifted child certification in the country?”
Kang Tae Jun answered Lee Hyeon Woo’s question.
“Ha Ru’s even more brilliant. She clearly takes after me—and good taste in friends too.”
“You don’t even have friends. She must’ve inherited my social skills.”
“If Ha Ru is a genius, it’s because she takes after me.”
The three of them scrolled down in silence.
-Shinra Pharmaceuticals’ 20-Year Sponsorship of Children with Intractable Illnesses: ‘We Won’t Give Up on Any Child’
-Shinra Pharmaceuticals Pledges 50 Billion Won to Rare Disease Foundation
-‘If There’s No Treatment, We’ll Develop One’: 20-Year Rare Disease Research Highlighted
-Korea Daily News Names Shinra Pharmaceuticals Company of the Year for Social Contribution: ‘Investing in Children’s Future’

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