The Rogue, Genius, Chaebol's Daughter is a Baby Master Detective! - Chapter 27
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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 hooligan, a genius, and a rich girl’s daughter is a baby great detective!
Episode 27
“Still—I can’t accept her as Ha-ru’s partner!”
Lee Hyun-woo’s voice rose as he swished Panda’s tail.
“Her character didn’t look very good either!”
Gong Dae-in spoke calmly.
“We should head home before Ha-ru arrives.”
“We’d better hurry.”
The three of them headed toward the parking lot.
“Brush off the leaves before getting in.”
At Kang Tae-jun’s words, Lee Hyun-woo grumbled.
“You nag so much? Poor Ha-ru.”
Tap.
Kang Tae-jun blocked Lee Hyun-woo from opening the car door.
“If you don’t like it, walk home.”
“Hey, that’s not fair.”
While the two bickered, Gong Dae-in, who had meticulously brushed himself off, spoke.
“How’s this?”
“Approved.”
Lee Hyun-woo shook himself vigorously too, but the Panda fur particles clung stubbornly.
“You take a taxi and get back yourself.”
The car carrying the two sped off in an instant.
Left alone, Lee Hyun-woo shouted after the car.
“Hey! I’m calling the press! Kang Tae-jun from Daehan Group has rotten character! You hear?!”
Vroooom—
The car picked up speed without answering.
***
After getting home and washing up, Ha-ru began nodding off immediately.
“Yawn, I gotta write a picture diary before bed.”
Ha-ru rubbed her sleepy eyes once and opened her picture diary. Her crooked handwriting began filling the squares.
[Month 0, Day 0, Day of Week. Weather:
Sunny
Day]
Teacher from Saesak Class ran a treasure hunt. Ha-ru didn’t find any treasure, but Si-u found five. He’s a child with hidden power. But he can’t fool Ha-ru.]
Ha-ru let out a quiet giggle and pressed her pen firmly into the next words.
[Panda was watching Ha-ru secretly. I thought he was a villain, but he saved Ha-ru from the goat.]
At that moment, letters appeared in the darkness.
Ding♪
[Case 1: Who is Saesak Class Teacher?]
Verifying investigation results…
Field trip day ‘activity’ identity =
Treasure Hunt
Beep— Incorrect deduction [1/3]
Penalties will be assessed upon accumulation.
“Penalties?”
Not knowing what it was, the red text looked ominous.
“Ha-ru got it wrong!”
Ha-ru blinked hard and started clutching her head and groaning.
“No matter how hard I think, I can’t remember what the teacher was doing.”
She’d focused so much on Panda that she hadn’t watched the teacher properly.
“Sigh.”
Ha-ru cast her eyes down glumly.
“It’s okay. Even the great detective Dodo makes mistakes sometimes.”
Ha-ru clenched her small fist tight.
“Next time I’ll do it right!”
Ha-ru drew a line through the picture diary.
[Teacher from Saesak Class ran a treasure hunt.]
And she added this to it.
[Even monkeys fall from trees sometimes. Ha-ru’s no different. But Ha-ru won’t give up and will figure out Teacher’s real identity!]
“Hmph.”
Ha-ru set down her pencil and rubbed her chin.
“Wait, I think I’ve figured it out!”
Ha-ru, who had been thinking hard, opened her mouth with newfound determination.
“The teacher watches Si-u because Si-u is hiding his power. Which means the teacher is a villain.”
Ding♪
A new investigative direction has opened.
You must investigate Si-u to uncover the teacher’s true identity.
What is the power that Si-u is hiding?
☞Investigate
☞Do not investigate
‘Si-u is also a child with hidden power, just like me. I’m not the only one hiding something.’
She’d thought she was alone—but she wasn’t. Suddenly, strength surged through her like electricity.
Ha-ru’s fingers trembled as she tapped “Investigate.”
“Hehe.”
A brilliant idea struck her. There might be other children hiding power besides her and Si-u.
“Then… if all the children with hidden power came together, wouldn’t that be perfect? I’ll start a club! A Children with Hidden Power Club!”
No more hiding alone. If they pooled their strength, they could do it. That’s what her mother always said—difficult things are easier when people help each other.
Ha-ru pressed her pencil hard against her notebook, writing deliberately.
Children with Hidden Power Club
President: O Ha-ru
Vice President: Han Si-u
Goal: Combine our strength and defeat the villain.
This way, neither she nor Si-u would be alone. Si-u said he didn’t need friends, but he gave her that sticker anyway. Ha-ru was a great detective—she understood everything. That was a sign he wanted to be friends!
Just as Ha-ru wore gloves for a reason, Si-u might have reasons why he couldn’t be close to friends.
“Hehe. Si-u, you’ve been seen through by Ha-ru.”
Ha-ru fished out from her bag the Dodo Sticker that Si-u had thrown away.
She peeled off the Dodo Sticker holding the magnifying glass and pressed it into her picture diary. About to close it with satisfaction, she stopped.
Wait.
Ha-ru tilted her head. She’d figured out the teacher’s identity. The teacher was a villain who watched Si-u. So why wasn’t it solved?
“Why isn’t this resolved?”
As Ha-ru murmured “Detective Notebook,” letters appeared in the air.
Case No. 1: What is the true identity of the Saesak Class Teacher?
It still hovered as an unsolved case. She’d concluded the teacher was a villain, so why wasn’t the case closed?
Ha-ru fell into deep thought.
‘Haven’t I exposed the real truth yet?’
She needed to find out not just that the teacher was a villain, but why—and what the teacher intended to do by watching Si-u.
“Great! The case isn’t over yet!”
Ha-ru clenched both fists, her face set with resolve.
“I’ll investigate Si-u and uncover everything!”
Ha-ru crawled into bed, pulled Gomi into her embrace, and drew the blanket over them both.
“Mom, Ha-ru is collecting stamps and making friends too.”
Ha-ru’s drowsy whisper grew softer and slower.
“Just a little longer… Mom’s coming back soon, right…?”
That night, Ha-ru’s dreams were filled with her mother holding her tight, saying she’d missed her so much.
***
Once Kang Tae-jun confirmed that Ha-ru was asleep, he called his secretary.
—Yes, sir.
“Find out if LaLa Kindergarten has a parents’ group chat. And find a way to get me in.”
—I’m sorry? A parents’ group chat?
“Yes. As quickly as possible.”
Kang Tae-jun hesitated, then continued.
“…Do parents these days arrange friendships for their children?”
—Well, wealthy families tend to pay particular attention to their children’s social connections.
“I see.”
After hanging up, Kang Tae-jun leaned back deep in his chair. On his desk lay a pair of dirt-covered socks that Ha-ru had left behind.
While she ran around the zoo with those small feet, struggling to make a friend, he’d done nothing as a father to help her.
Kang Tae-jun drew his hand across his face.
Then he picked up his phone.
—How to Help Your Child Find Good Friends
The light in his study didn’t go out until dawn.
***
A circle of women sat around a café table. When one lifted her coffee cup, the entire table fell silent.
“There’s someone who wants to join our group chat.”
The woman in the elegant dress was Seol-a’s Mother. As she swept her gaze across the other mothers, an overwhelming presence emanated from her before she parted her lips.
“The student O Ha-ru who recently joined Saesak Class—do you think she’s the type who would fit into our club?”
Yun-a’s Mother, sitting right beside Seol-a’s Mother, was quick to agree.
“My Yun-a told me that during the zoo outing, this girl wandered off from the line and made everyone wait for ages. We don’t even know what family she comes from. If we just let anyone in like that, what if it ruins the whole atmosphere of the group? I’m against it.”
Someone lowered her voice to a whisper.
“I heard her mother is gone.”
The table immediately stirred.
“Really?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? How long has she been in Saesak Class, and she hasn’t even introduced herself to our group once?”
“If her mother’s gone, how would there be anyone to take proper care of her?”
Someone offered a counterpoint.
“But I heard her lunchbox was delicious? She supposedly shared it with quite a few friends. It seems like she’s at least trying to take care of things….”
Seol-a’s Mother’s voice turned sharp.
“That’s exactly why my Seol-a ended up eating something unhealthy. It still makes me angry when I think about it… But what can we do? I’m sure the child doesn’t mean any harm.”
Though they’d never actually seen the girl’s face, the mothers nodded as if they knew her well, their voices murmuring agreement from all around the table.
“Exactly. Growing up without a mother’s care, the child seems scattered. We’re worried our kids might be influenced badly.”
“She doesn’t seem to have received proper home education, either.”
Seol-a’s Mother, her face wearing a satisfied smile, set down her coffee cup with practiced grace.
“There we go. That settles it, then. We’ll reject Ha-ru’s father.”
‘I can’t bear to see my precious daughter associating with someone whose mother isn’t even around. This is all for Seol-a’s sake. I’ll raise my daughter flawlessly.’
She’d given Seol-a a harsh scolding last night. The way the child stammered and made excuses was absolutely appalling.
Not a bad child? A chill ran down her spine. Her precious daughter was beginning to be influenced by someone of no consequence. It absolutely could not happen. The girl had already been disqualified the moment she’d offered cheap snacks.
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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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