BXBX NOVEL Chapter 99: Snowball (4)
It was already quite late when we arrived at the villa.
The traffic had been heavy, but more than that, it was because Hong Seok-young insisted we stop at an old roadside restaurant so we wouldn’t starve the kid.
Woo I-rok was still wary of the two of us, but he cleaned his bowl of pork soup with rice without leaving a drop. On the other hand, I barely ate.
“Wow, you eat well.”
Hong Seok-young looked at Woo I-rok with a pleased expression. Woo I-rok stared blankly at Hong Seok-young and then buried his face in the soup.
“Do you want more?”
Unlike her picky appearance, Lee Mi-seon had also cleaned up a bowl of blood sausage soup. For some reason, she looked proud as she asked Woo I-rok.
Woo I-rok’s reaction was much sharper than with Hong Seok-young. Woo I-rok squinted and glared at Lee Mi-seon before openly frowning at her.
I thought of saying something sharp to Woo I-rok, but I ended up bowing my head apologetically to Lee Mi-seon.
Most of the researchers who handled Woo I-rok at the research lab had been female researchers. At the time, I had been more hostile toward adult women than adult men.
Though I hadn’t explained this situation yet, Lee Mi-seon smiled generously and let it go. When we arrived at the villa, she even guided us to the room while avoiding the curious gazes of the still-awake kids from Pilot High School, telling us to let her know if we needed anything.
I hesitated for a moment before gesturing to Lee Mi-seon.
“What is it?”
"Could you call student Tae-woo first?"
“Tae-woo?”
"Since it\'s a familiar face, let\'s have them greet each other first."
If Woo I-rok called Kang Tae-woo ‘No. 3’ in front of the other kids, it would be a problem. Regardless of my lingering resentment toward No. 3 and the sympathy I felt for Kang Tae-woo, I didn’t want such sensitive information to be carelessly revealed.
Even if I tried to treat Woo I-rok as a brother I never had, he was essentially me. A smaller version of me. A mini-me. It was horrifying to see my childhood from over twenty years ago come alive before my eyes, but facts were facts. Even considering how foggy my memory of the past was, I still knew mini-me better than anyone. And I also knew that if he got annoyed, he’d have no qualms about causing trouble.
Whether or not she understood my concern, Lee Mi-seon nodded brightly with a smile.
“It’ll be easier for your brother to adapt if there’s someone familiar around.”
No, she definitely doesn’t understand.
“I’ll bring him right away.”
Lee Mi-seon quietly closed the door and left, persistently waving at mini-me in a friendly manner despite his hostile glare.
“Where is this place?”
As I heard Lee Mi-seon’s deliberately audible footsteps fade away, mini-me frowned again.
“A temporary lodging.”
“Temporary lodging?”
He should really be grateful to Alex Hope. Without him, we might’ve ended up in a cheap motel.
…Though, since Hong Seok-young has a soft spot for kids, he might’ve upgraded our accommodation if I brought Woo I-rok. But even then, nothing could match Daeyeon’s villa.
“Hyung… works at a school-like place.”
“A school?”
“It’s a kind of special school.”
“Why are you working at a school?”
“…….”
I guess it’d be better to briefly explain the situation to mini-me. If he doesn’t understand, he won’t listen to me. He’s a handful.
Why couldn’t I have been a little nicer and more obedient?
“Remember I said earlier that things got complicated?”
“Yeah.”
“I originally planned to get you out first, but… the person who was supposed to help got caught, and everything became complicated.”
Kim died.
“I was in danger, too, so I had no choice but to leave the lab because I was afraid you’d get dragged into it.”
The original whistleblower who helped Kim-gun likely died as well.
Hong Seok-young didn’t know the details either. Even when I patched together a clumsy explanation, he had no choice but to accept it as it was.
“By the time I managed to make contact with the outside… and had enough leeway to come back for you, the lab had already been relocated.”
I thought of the empty training center. They had moved that massive operation so efficiently. Even now, Lee Mi-seon hadn’t been able to track down its whereabouts. There was barely any usable information left behind.
“…So that’s why you couldn’t find me?”
“Yeah. It’s only recently that I managed to find a clue. I had to disguise my identity so the lab wouldn’t suspect me, and that disguise was as a school teacher.”
“…….”
Mini-me frowned even harder, looking like an ugly bulldog.
…I’m not like that. He and I are different people now, aren’t we?
“What kind of school?”
“It’s called a Hunter Training Pilot High School… A school that trains Awakened individuals.”
“…Awakened?”
Mini-me chewed his lips, sinking into thought. Pretending to think like that, at his size, what a joke.
“Then what about No. 3?”
“He’s a student here.”
“…….”
The face that had begun to relax twisted again.
Did I hate No. 3 more back then than I remembered? Hmm. I hope No. 3 holds up well.
“Why?”
“I found No. 3 while chasing clues to find you. I thought I could figure out where the lab kids had been relocated by bringing him here.”
“He’s a model student. There’s no way he’d help you.”
He did help.
There had been a few incidents in between, of course.
After the orphanage attack, he had been somewhat sensitive, probably because of his sister’s death, but recently, that had disappeared. Sometimes he still showed signs of sadness, but he was closer to the good No. 3 from the lab days, quiet, sometimes shyly smiling, obedient to adults.
I kept the explanation short since things like raids and attacks couldn’t be good for the kid’s mental health.
“No, he helped.”
…Maybe that was too short.
Seeing mini-me growl in response, I added,
“There were other reasons, but No. 3’s help was crucial. He’s the reason I was able to find you.”
“…….”
“So treat him well, okay? I trust you, I-rok.”
“…….”
“And like I said, this is a school. There are other hyung and noona here, too. Don’t talk about the lab.”
“…….”
Suddenly, mini-me slumped his shoulders.
Fuck, what am I supposed to do with this kid.
As he messed up his hair in frustration, I sat down next to him on the bed. I reached out, wrapped my arm around his shoulder, and he limply leaned into me, hugging my waist.
“I know everything feels confusing right now. I’m sorry I came so late. I’m sorry I can’t explain everything properly yet.”
“…….”
“But you know I would never do anything bad to you, right? You trust me?”
“…Yeah.”
“You know the lady who was with me earlier?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s been a big help to me. She’s the one who made it so you can go to school under I-rok\'s name.… How were things at the orphanage?”
“…I just stayed at the orphanage the whole time.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“You didn’t go to school or anything like that?”
“Not really? It’s not like they’d send me anywhere like that.”
Mini-me spoke with absolute certainty.
Unlike the lab, which was completely isolated from the outside world, the orphanage had connections to the outside. To operate an orphanage properly, there would be volunteers and various outside people coming and going. More importantly, if a ten-year-old kid stayed at the orphanage without going to school, that would definitely raise suspicions.
I’d need to have Lee Mi-seon properly investigate how that orphanage was operating.
“I see… Anyway, that lady will help you go to school too. It’ll be hard for now, but once I’ve sorted everything out, you’ll be able to go.”
“…Really?”
“Have you ever seen me break a promise?”
“…No.”
“I always keep my promises to you, I-rok.”
I patted Mini-me’s back as he lay with his head resting on my lap. His eyelids were drooping, about to close. It was no surprise, he must have been exhausted. I wondered if I’d been hasty asking Lee Mi-seon to bring Kang Tae-woo. He could probably just meet him in the morning.
Suddenly, I noticed the shopping bags piled up in one corner of the room. Children’s clothes.
...As a guardian, shouldn\'t I have him bathe and change into pajamas?
“I-rok. I know you’re tired, but don’t sleep just yet. Let’s change into clean clothes first.”
His worn-out jeans and stretched-out T-shirt were both faded. If Ark was running the orphanage, it didn’t seem like they were taking proper care of him, especially since they didn’t have to worry about outside scrutiny.
Mini-me rubbed his eyes and sat up. I searched through the shopping bags that Daseon’s Hunters had brought and found some pajamas and clean underwear. I looked around the room. This wasn’t where I usually stayed; it was just the place Lee Mi-seon had shown us.
A large room with an attached bathroom, it was clear they’d gone out of their way to accommodate us.
“Alright, go wash up and change clothes. Need my help?”
“No! I can do it myself!”
“Really?”
Mini-me’s eyes widened, as if his sleepiness had vanished, and he snatched the clothes from my hands.
“I’m all grown up now! I don’t need you to help me!”
"Oh really? As far as I remember…”
…But teasing him is just me teasing myself, isn’t it? It’s all my childhood, after all.
Suddenly realizing this, I stopped mid-sentence. In the meantime, Mini-me rushed into the bathroom without hesitation.
I grabbed my head in frustration.
*
Knock, knock, knock.
“Teacher. It’s me.”
While Mini-me was showering and I was organizing the shopping bags, Kang Tae-woo arrived.
"Ah, come in."
“Uh, I heard you… found No. 12. Your brother, I mean?”
“Yeah.”
Kang Tae-woo entered the room nervously, his face tense.
“Uh, c-congratulations.”
“…Thanks. Since you two know each other, I wanted you to meet first.”
“Yes, yes. Hunter Lee-nim told me.”
“I’ve already told him not to call you No. 3 in front of the other kids.”
Kang Tae-woo’s eyes widened.
“Oh, t-thank you. But I don’t mind. He can call me that.”
“You’re okay with it?”
“Yes, well… it is the truth. I don’t feel like I need to hide it. If I hide it, that means I’d have to hide my sister, too.”
Kang Tae-woo was far more mature than I’d expected.
I nodded in response.
“Still, if it’s not you saying it, it’s better not to bring it up. Hold on, he should be done showering by now.”
Just as I was about to check the bathroom, Mini-me came out with his hair still dripping wet and an angry glare in his eyes.
“You need to dry your hair properly.”
He was already proving to be such a handful, and it hadn’t even been half a day. I grabbed a fresh towel from the bathroom and draped it over Mini-me’s head.
Mini-me, completely ignoring me, glared straight at Kang Tae-woo. Kang Tae-woo smiled and waved.
“Hey. Long time no see, huh?”
“…….”
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
He was so friendly.
Even I couldn’t match that kind of effortless warmth. I felt genuine admiration.
“Now you can tell me your name, right? We’re not in the lab anymore.”
“…….”
“And you can call me by my name, too.”
Mini-me stayed silent, continuing to glare at Kang Tae-woo. No matter how young the person doing the glaring was, it would be easy to get annoyed. But Kang Tae-woo just smiled innocently.
“My name is Kang Tae-woo.”
“…….”
“What’s yours?”
“…….”
Now that No. 3 was standing right in front of him, he didn’t want to tell him his name. But since they weren’t in the lab anymore, there wasn’t any logic to counter Kang Tae-woo’s argument about sharing his name. Why had he even brought that up? He could’ve just said he didn’t want to share his name.
…I could see all of this written plainly on his face.
What should I do? Should I intervene? Once he starts being stubborn like this, I don\'t think he\'s ever really backed down.
But Kang Tae-woo turned out to be much stronger than I’d expected.
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll just call you No. 12.”
“…….”
“I don’t mind if you call me No. 3, you know. Do you? If not, then that’s fine.”
For once, I was at a loss for words and looked at Kang Tae-woo in surprise. Mini-me was no different.
“I was only asking because I thought you might not want to be called No. 12… but if you’re fine with it, then that’s okay.”
“…Rok.”
“What was that?”
Kang Tae-woo smiled brightly.
“…Woo I-rok.”
“Aha, Woo I-rok? Nice to meet you, I-rok. I look forward to getting along with you.”
…Kang Tae-woo was far more mature than I had given him credit for.