I’ll Retire After Saving the World

Chapter 92: Branch Head’s Work (2)

Compared to the building of the International Ability Association’s Information Department Korean Branch in Seoul, which also houses Daeseon, this place feels somewhat more emotionally comforting.

And the reason is nothing other than…

“Aagh!”

“Ahh!”

The screams of children coming from outside.

It’s not that she enjoys hearing the kids in distress—no, not at all. But, you know, isn’t it true that sometimes, just hearing kids chatter brightly can be a source of energy for worn-out adults tired of society?

She sometimes envies those kids who, without a single worry, can focus solely on training.

Her father’s villa is a single-story building, but the garden sits a lower level than the house. Lee Mi-seon stood by the window and looked down. Neither Hong Seok-young nor Woo Hwijae were the type to go easy just because someone was a girl, so everyone was rolling equally across the grass.

Well, right now, it was Hong Seok-young who was making them roll.

Lee Mi-seon shifted her gaze. On the other side of the expansive garden, Woo Hwijae and Kang Tae-woo were there.

Unlike at the Pilot High School, they couldn’t use fire since it wasn’t dirt. She wondered what they were doing and saw that they had brought out yoga mats from somewhere, laid them down, and were meditating.

…Meditating?

Well, of course, meditation is a good training method.

There’s nothing quite like meditation to calm the mind and adapt to mana. It might be slow, but it’s free of side effects, and you can see definite results.

Still, one couldn’t deny that it’s a method more often used by mages.

“Hm…”

Lee Mi-seon’s eyes sparkled.

Come to think of it, Woo Hwijae had extensive knowledge not only of runes but also of magic. There might be some additional effects in this seemingly ordinary meditation.

At the very least, Kang Tae-woo looked comfortable.

Just a few days ago, when he returned from the orphanage where he’d been staying, he seemed anxious, but now he looked much more settled. Though he’d been visibly shaken during Alex Hope’s attack, that seemed to have been a one-time reaction, and now he appeared to have completely overcome it.

Thinking about that inevitably reminded her of her nephew. Though he sometimes fussed about cleanliness, he wasn’t typically so sensitive.

Lee Mi-seon pushed thoughts of her nephew aside. She’d decided to leave him alone until Sunday, so she would think about it after that.

Anyway, it was good that Kang Tae-woo had regained his stability. His sister’s bead bracelet might have helped him, too.

Lee Mi-seon had extended the bracelet clasp so that Kang Tae-woo could wear it and told him,

‘Still, when you’re moving around vigorously, it’s better to take it off. It could break.’

Kang Tae-woo had bowed his head in gratitude. He’s a good kid. It would have been better if he hadn’t been confined to that research lab for so long.

In addition to helping find the director’s notebook at the orphanage, Kang Tae-woo had shared a lot. Mostly, he’d talked about why he was at the research lab and how he’d spent his time there.

Truthfully, there wasn’t much information that Lee Mi-seon could immediately make use of, but it’s still better to know than not, isn’t it?

Most importantly, she was able to hear stories about Woo Hwijae.

‘And then, back then… Teacher Woo.’

‘I’ll step out for a moment. Go ahead and talk.’

Woo Hwijae had left without waiting for a response.

Kang Tae-woo had flinched and shrunk his shoulders in surprise.

‘D-Did I… do something wrong?’

‘No, it’s fine. Teacher Woo is just…’

Lee Mi-seon recalled Woo Hwijae’s face as he poured out his past to Kang Tae-woo previously.

His face was frighteningly expressionless. It was hard to tell if he was looking at Kang Tae-woo or at himself. His eyes were unfocused, and his hands, which repeatedly clenched and unclenched. His voice was cracked.

She also remembered how Hong Seok-young, who might have been the only one to know about Woo Hwijae’s past, had urged her not to pry too much until Teacher Woo was ready to speak.

‘…Teacher Woo has a lot on his mind because of his younger brother.’

‘Ah…’

Kang Tae-woo had nodded with a somber expression.

He had thought he was acting maturely, but in reality, he might have just been tense. The fact that no one was blaming him, even though his past had been exposed, and it was revealed that he had called Woo Hwijae with a specific intention, might have lightened the weight on Kang Tae-woo’s shoulders. It might also have helped that Woo Hwijae had answered his questions honestly.

‘So, what did Teacher Woo do?’

Kang Tae-woo smiled with a flushed face.

The true nature of a boy who had spent half of his short, seventeen-year life inside an illegal research lab was far more colorful than expected. His shy smile made him look exactly like a kid of his age.

It was a welcome change.

‘To be honest, I didn’t really like No. 12. Uh, but by any chance, do you know the name of No. 12, Hunter-nim?’

‘I told you, you can call me noona.’

‘Y-Yeah, but still…’

‘No. 12… is that Teacher Woo’s younger brother? I did hear their name while he was looking for his brother. Just in case.’

‘The researchers used to call us by numbers, but among ourselves, we secretly used each other’s names. As long as the researchers couldn’t hear us, it was fine.’

Kang Tae-woo pouted.

‘But No. 12 never told me his name, not until the end.’

‘Stubborn, huh? Just like Teacher Woo’s brother would be. Want me to tell you his name?’

‘Yes!’

But Kang Tae-woo quickly shook his head.

‘…No.’

‘You don’t want me to tell you?’

‘I want to hear it from him directly…’

‘Directly?’

‘Now that we’re not in the lab, he’ll probably tell me.’

Kang Tae-woo muttered with a hint of complaint. Still, his expression wasn’t too dark. It was better than being trapped in grief over his sister’s death.

But sometimes, the death of a family member strikes unexpectedly. It’s best to keep an eye on Kang Tae-woo. With adults around him, he can be sufficiently looked after.

Though, it would still be ideal to get him into proper counseling with a psychiatrist.

It’s not just Kang Tae-woo, either. Oh Hyun-wook and Seo Han-seong likely have their own deep-seated traumas, too. Lee Mi-seon sighed inwardly.

She really needed to find a psychiatrist who could take care of the kids somehow….

‘Anyway, the Teacher Woo didn’t really pay much attention to anyone else besides No. 12.’

Kang Tae-woo resumed his story.

‘I still don’t quite understand why No. 12 was treated so specially.’

‘Were you upset about it?’

‘We weren’t even close back then, so why would I feel upset?’

Kang Tae-woo replied coolly.

In moments like this, he seemed mature.

‘But sometimes, when the kids got scolded by the researchers, he’d quietly step in and shield us.’

‘Teacher Woo did that?’

‘It seemed like he couldn’t approach us because the researchers were around.’

‘That makes sense.’

‘There was this one time when So-hee fell. She just happened to fall near the toys, and she ended up bleeding. I think her forehead got cut.’

‘Oh dear…’

Did she get hurt badly? Was she okay?

Those were questions she couldn’t ask. Because she knew that this child So-hee was Kang Tae-woo’s deceased younger sister.

Kang Tae-woo didn’t seem too bothered by Lee Mi-seon’s reaction.

‘But then, Teacher Woo, who had been watching No. 12 play, suddenly jumped up!’

‘And then?’

So Lee Mi-seon just chimed in appropriately.

‘He looked at So-hee’s forehead, picked her up right away, and walked out of the playroom!’

‘Oh my!’

‘We weren’t normally allowed to leave like that. But then, when the researchers tried to say something to him, I don’t know what Teacher Woo said, but suddenly they started trembling. And then, they quietly treated So-hee’s wound!’

‘That’s impressive.’

‘Later, So-hee saved a cookie from snack time and secretly gave it to Teacher Woo.’

Perhaps taking care of his younger sister had been something significant for this boy. It might be why Kang Tae-woo’s attitude had changed so abruptly after learning that Woo Hwijae was a cleaner at the research lab.

‘I told So-hee that it was pointless to give him the cookie since the cleaners never took off their masks inside the lab… But she gave it to him anyway.’

‘It’s sweet.’

‘Right? So-hee later told me that the next day, Teacher Woo quietly said to her that it was delicious and thanked her.’

Indeed, he’s someone who’s weak around children.

Lee Mi-seon smiled softly.

‘Whether he actually ate it or not, I don’t know. But what matters is that he said it.’

‘It’s important, indeed.’

As they talked, Kang Tae-woo, his throat apparently dry, gulped down his drink.

After a brief hesitation, he opened his mouth to speak.

‘I once overheard Teacher Woo telling No. 12 that he had to make it out alive.’

“……”

‘So, I thought he must be planning to leave the lab. I don’t know what happened after I graduated and left first… but I’m glad that at least Teacher managed to get out.’

Kang Tae-woo smiled brightly.

‘I hope No. 12 made it out safely too.’

For some reason, Lee Mi-seon’s throat tightened as she replied.

‘…Yeah. I hope so too.’

“Aaaaah!!”

A high-pitched scream, distinctly that of a young girl, rang out.

Startled out of her thoughts, Lee Mi-seon looked down at the garden. Sun Sun-jin, with grass tangled in her hair, had sprung to her feet, looking visibly annoyed.

Thinking she might be injured, Lee Mi-seon was about to go down to check when Sun Sun-jin stomped on the wooden training sword she’d dropped, snapping it in half. She grabbed the two broken pieces in both hands, crouched low, and charged at Hong Seok-young.

“…Would you look at that?”

In an instant, Sun Sun-jin’s figure vanished from sight. Lee Mi-seon barely managed to keep up with her beloved junior’s speed. Sun Sun-jin hurled the broken pieces of the wooden sword like throwing knives toward Hong Seok-young and then spun back quickly. She aimed the remaining half of the sword at the back of Hong Seok-young’s neck, but when he dodged to the side effortlessly, she dropped the sword and pulled back. Pretending to retreat, she pivoted on her left foot and kicked at Hong Seok-young’s calf…

The only reason Sun Sun-jin’s attack succeeded was that Hong Seok-young was going easy on her. If he were using his true skills, she would have been taken down with the first move.

But Hong Seok-young wasn’t a cruel person, no matter what anyone might say.

A roar of excitement erupted in the garden, which had fallen quiet for a moment.

Hong Seok-young gave Sun Sun-jin a thumbs-up. Sun Sun-jin, who had been panting heavily, soon broke into a bright smile and began bouncing up and down with joy.

Watching this, Lee Mi-seon also laughed happily. The kids were growing.

* * *

“You’ve come at just the right time, Master!”

Unlike the secluded villa, the office of the Daeseon Guild in the middle of Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, had many watchful eyes.

Here, Lee Mi-seon’s subordinates referred to her as “Master”. The Master of the Daeseon Guild—Lee Mi-seon’s other identity.

“Is something up?”

“It’s the news you’ve been waiting for, Master.”

“Teacher Woo’s brother? Did you find him?”

“Ah, not that one.”

Choi Dae-hyun handed a tablet PC to Lee Mi-seon. She looked at the screen, puzzled.

“It’s a post from a foreign Hunter site. It was uploaded just an hour ago.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s about runes.”

Runes.

Lee Mi-seon immediately began reading the post.

[Hey, remember that Korean guild that announced something about runes a while back? Probably not—most people wouldn’t. I read it because I thought, who the hell researches useless runes?

Look at this. The explanation is trash too. Enhancing runes? Making them last longer? Who uses effects like that?

But when I looked up the guild that made this announcement, turns out it’s one sponsored by Daeyeon. Yeah, that Daeyeon. I figured Daeyeon wouldn’t throw money at some bullshit project like this, so I grabbed our guild’s mage, who had nothing better to do, and decided to give it a try.

The explanation was stupid, but I tried that “clear your mind” effect or whatever. I’d been pulling all-nighters gaming for a week straight, so my mind was a bit foggy. Even for a Hunter, going a week without food and just gaming is rough.

Anyway, I tried it, right? With one rune, I didn’t feel much. But then, our mage suddenly started drawing runes like a man possessed, the same rune over and over. I didn’t count, but he must’ve drawn a hundred of them. And look at this.]

There was a link in the post. Smirking, Lee Mi-seon clicked on it. A video started playing.

*****

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