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Chapter 87 - A Reluctant Choice (3)
Chapter 87: A Reluctant Choice (3)
TL: SHW
Three hours ago.
“That your teacher escaped from the Ark.”
“…….”
Blink, blink.
“…….”
“…….”
Somehow, this wasn’t the reaction I expected. Kang Tae-woo just quietly blinked his eyes.
“…Tae-woo?”
“…….”
Even the blinking eyes stopped.
…He didn’t faint, did he?
“Tae-woo!”
“…….”
“…Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes. Yes… No. I mean.”
Kang Tae-woo spoke in a dazed voice, stammering.
Looking back and forth between the floor, my face, and the mug in his hand, Kang Tae-woo busied himself for a long while, then shook his head vigorously.
I could see him squeezing his eyes shut. I pretended not to notice.
A moment later, as if he had gathered his thoughts, Kang Tae-woo opened his eyes wide and lifted his head.
“You escaped from the Ark?”
“Yes. Now I was… helping Hunter Hong to chase the Ark.”
Blink, blink.
Kang Tae-woo’s eyes started blinking rapidly again. Was this really that shocking?
“Kang Tae-woo!”
“Ah, um, uh… So, did you know about me from the beginning?”
“About who you are?”
“…Yes.”
“Yeah, pretty much. Initially, I went to investigate because the National New Heart and Spirit Association seemed to be connected to the Ark, but there you were.”
I spoke casually. Lee Mi-seon gaped at me, pointing her finger. She moved her lips frantically saying something, but I shrugged it off with a slight shrug of my shoulders.
She dumped this whole job on me anyway. Standing behind Kang Tae-woo from the start was basically her declaring she wouldn’t interfere.
I turned my gaze away from Lee Mi-seon.
I tried to keep my tone as neutral as possible, so as not to provoke Kang Tae-woo. It shouldn’t sound too serious either. I couldn’t let Kang Tae-woo start thinking deeply about this discovery.
For the same reason, I couldn’t give him too much time to think it over.
He’s anything but low-maintenance. A real handful, actually.
“Thanks to you, I was able to confirm the connection with the Ark.”
“…….”
“To be honest, I was so grateful when you awakened afterward and asked me for help.”
Kang Tae-woo grunted as if trying to find something to say.
Hmm. It’s a much better reaction than shouting not to joke around. If it were my younger self, I’d have probably cursed him out, calling him a creepy stalker. People always need to prepare for the worst. Look at this measured reaction. As expected from a model student.
“So… you really knew everything about me.”
He even respectfully kept his speech formal.
“I wasn’t trying to deceive you.”
That was the plan from the start, though.
“It was just inevitable that things turned out this way.”
One of those vague, convenient excuses.
“To be honest, we had quite a few discussions about your true motives.”
“…My motives?”
“We didn’t know how deeply you were involved in the Ark’s affairs.”
Kang Tae-woo shifted uncomfortably. That meant he knew I wasn’t wrong.
Perhaps that’s why he elegantly shifted the topic without digging further into the subject.
“…So, you were chasing our director?”
He even gracefully deflected the blame.
It’s an admirable skill. In that short sentence, he pinpointed the director as the one who assigned him this task and implied the director had done something bad enough to warrant being hunted by the Hunters.
If he did it knowingly, it’s praiseworthy, and if he did it unknowingly, it’s worthy of admiration.
“That’s one part of it. After what happened to the research lab….”
Tsk.
“We’ve been tracking down the people who were inside. Hunter Hong is after the lab director and other administrators, but your teacher… well, there’s someone I’m looking for.”
“…….”
“Ah. Just in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’ll tell you—I know you’re No. 3. So, I recognized you immediately.”
As soon as the word “No. 3” left my mouth, Kang Tae-woo’s face, which had momentarily regained some color, went pale again.
I waved my hand, signaling him not to be so alarmed.
It’s not the time to stop yet. I could say more.
“I once went to that research lab as a cleaner. It would’ve been weird not to recognize you.”
“…….”
“And… when I said I wanted to protect you, that wasn’t a lie either.”
This was something I said when I brought Kang Tae-woo to Pilot High School. I told him that there was someone who attacked the orphanage. Just in case, wouldn’t it be better for you to stay with us? There’s nothing to worry about.
Normally, people who say things like that are con artists. I once pointed that out to Hong Seok-young, and he just scoffed, saying all Hunters are con artists anyway.
He really knows how to leave me speechless.
Kang Tae-woo swallowed nervously.
“…You weren’t trying to use me to catch the director?”
He’s still bringing up the director till the end. If trained properly, he could be a valuable asset. Not sure yet if he’ll be a great Hunter, though.
I nodded.
“I’m not denying it.”
“Then!”
“But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t trying to protect you. You’re a minor. And I know exactly what happened at that research lab… If you were certain that you wanted to leave the Ark, I would’ve helped you too.”
I maintained a casual tone, as if it wasn’t a big deal.
Lee Mi-seon’s face was slowly transforming into something strange. It was an expression difficult to read.
“Help… You’re not saying this to find out the information I know, are you?”
“How much could you know about the Ark, having only been in the lab? I probably know way more than you.”
“…….”
Now even Kang Tae-woo’s expression was becoming complicated.
After a brief hesitation, Kang Tae-woo carefully asked,
“Yesterday… do you know who that person was?”
“No. I don’t.”
What’s going on in that arrogant head of his? But his gaze had shifted.
…He looked just like No. 3 right before he disappeared from the lab.
Still, I felt I had to finish what I was saying, so I continued.
“I suspect they might be targeting a place related to the Ark. But I’m not sure. We’re still investigating. I mean, who would’ve guessed they’d come after you right in front of Hunter Hong’s nose?”
Kang Tae-woo stared at my face, as if trying to figure out if I was lying or not.
“…Then, teacher.”
Kang Tae-woo spoke softly.
“I just have one question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you leave the Ark?”
“…….”
If it had only been adults here like Lee Mi-seon, Hong Seok-young, or Kim Chae-min, I would’ve just used my usual excuse.
‘Because I wanted to save my younger brother.’
But with Kang Tae-woo, who knew that fake brother, standing in front of me, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
However, Lee Mi-seon was here. She was now looking at me with pity in her eyes. No, seriously, what does she expect me to do with that look? Irritation surged within me, but I held it back. I’m an adult, after all.
“There’s someone I want to find.”
“…Someone you want to find?”
Should I call him my younger brother? I really hate saying that out loud.
I’ve said it plenty of times before, but it feels different to say it to someone who knows my younger self. It feels like it would make things truly irreversible.
Life always flows in directions you don’t want.
Just like how I was unwillingly dragged back to the past and have been dealing with all kinds of troubles ever since.
“…My brother was at the lab, like you.”
I thought he was just staring at me intensely, but no, he was just looking.
Kang Tae-woo stared at my face like he could kill me with his gaze alone.
“…….”
“…Tae-woo?”
“……Ah. I see. I think I know who you are now.”
“What?”
What kind of nonsense is this kid suddenly spouting?
But Kang Tae-woo, ignoring my confusion, suddenly raised his head with a strange confidence. Is this the same kid who was pale and trembling just moments ago?
What’s going on? Why is this making me nervous?
“You’re that person.”
Lee Mi-seon’s eyes flashed ominously.
“You’re the older brother who was with No. 12.”
“…What?”
“I heard what you said to No. 12 too, teacher. So that’s why you left the lab, isn’t it? You still haven’t found No. 12 yet, right? So-hee told me that when the lab shut down, the kids all scattered.”
“Scattered… Wait, hold on.”
“It’s okay. You’ll be able to find him. I’ll help you.”
Kang Tae-woo, without even listening to what I was saying, started rambling on by himself. His face was flushed red, slightly excited.
…He’s not sick or something, is he?
I couldn’t understand why he was suddenly acting this way, and even more so, I didn’t get why he thought I was that person.
A person who’s never taken off his mask even once, what did he see to think I’m that person?
But Kang Tae-woo had already reached his own conclusion long ago.
“As you said, I don’t know much about the research lab.”
Kang Tae-woo put down the mug he was holding on the island bar.
“But the orphanage is different. Have you seen the flowers?”
“Flowers?”
“See? You don’t know. I’ll teach you what to look for.”
The mug that had been filled with hot chocolate was now completely empty.
Kang Tae-woo smiled brightly.
* * *
Present.
Hong Seok-young entered the conference room. A boy with a clear, innocent face was sitting there, neatly dressed in his school uniform.
Hong Seok-young raised an eyebrow at the sight but said nothing as he pulled out a chair and sat down.
If nothing else, Kang Tae-woo knew too well what adults like in a model student. Not that Hong Seok-young wasn’t your typical person, but when you’re nearing fifty, a seventeen-year-old might as well look like a newborn baby.
That’s a universal feeling. Even Hong Seok-young, being human, would feel that way.
Especially when the boy was wearing the Pilot High School uniform. Hong Seok-young had a soft spot for students from Pilot High School.
“So… I heard you offered to provide information.”
“Oh, come on, Teacher Hong. Don’t be so stiff. He’s a student, after all!”
…It seemed like Kang Tae-woo’s strategy was working better on Kim Chae-min than on Hong Seok-young.
“He went through all that chaos, and he’s still here to talk! Can’t you at least give him some credit?”
“Ahem. Teacher Kim. This isn’t a school matter, so I have to treat it professionally…”
“When have you ever been professional, Teacher Hong?”
“…….”
Hong Seok-young scratched his head awkwardly.
“Well, I do have a position, you know… I need to handle things professionally….”
“Student Tae-woo, you said there was a condition for sharing the information.”
Unable to watch any longer, I stepped in.
“Huh? Yes. It’s not much, but…”
Despite saying it wasn’t a big deal, Kang Tae-woo hesitated for quite a while before speaking.
“Probably… if you have that, you’ll be able to find connected research labs, I mean, places other than where I was, like other research labs or orphanages or foundations. I don’t know if everything will be there, but… there should be quite a lot. I’m sure of it.”
“So, what do you want us to do in return?”
“Well… It’s really nothing. It’s just that, uh, to find that, we’d have to go to the orphanage anyway…”
Kang Tae-woo lowered his head. His shoulders trembled slightly, and I heard him sniffle, which reminded me of the three students who had passed through this phase before.
…He’s not crying, is he?
Thankfully, Kang Tae-woo just sniffled a bit and then raised his head.
“When you go, could you take me with you?”
“…To where?”
“To the orphanage.”
“…….”
I couldn’t find words to respond to something so unexpected.
“Look, Student Tae-woo. The orphanage isn’t operating right now, it’s been suspended. You can’t live there…”
Lee Mi-seon said quietly. Kang Tae-woo looked at her in surprise.
“Huh? No! I just want to visit for a bit! I’m not saying I want to live there….”
“Is that so?”
“A-actually, if possible, there’s something I’d like to bring back…”
Kang Tae-woo’s voice trailed off.
The cold look in Hong Seok-young’s eyes softened. When an old man like him makes that kind of face, it’s obvious what’s going to happen next.
“Student Tae-woo, don’t feel too down. Thank you for having the courage to speak up after what happened yesterday. Have you had breakfast?”
“…No.”
“Well, then let’s eat first, and then we’ll go together. How does that sound?”
“…Okay.”
Hong Seok-young patted Kang Tae-woo’s shoulder with his large hand.
It was a surprisingly gentle touch for someone with his personality.
*****
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