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Chapter 89 - Under the Flowers (2)

Chapter 89: Under the Flowers (2)

TL: SHW

The journey to the orphanage was surprisingly quiet.

Kang Tae-woo didn’t seem to want to talk, and neither did I. Hong Seok-young made a few jokes to Lee Mi-seon, but it didn’t last long.

There was no trace of the salamander left on the streets. Occasionally, you could see a few dead roadside trees or damaged pavement due to the salamander’s poison, but that was it. Otherwise, everything seemed normal.

Cars driving on the road, people walking by.

As if the lizards or the dead bodies that had filled this place just a few days ago had never existed.

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. It’s just… it felt strange.

On TV, Myeong-dong started making the news again. Shops were reopening, or lawsuits were being filed over compensation issues. The candles and flowers for the victims were left in a small corner of an alley, but they, too, were beginning to fade from people’s memories.

The dungeon break in Myeong-dong wasn’t being remembered as a disaster or a horrific tragedy like in the past. It might be because around fifty civilians didn’t died without leaving a single intact body behind. Or maybe because there wasn’t a Hunter who lost a student and caused a loud uproar.

For a dungeon break that occurred in the heart of Seoul, the damage was minimal. That’s a good thing, but compared to what I remember, the response seems slow. Maybe they think it’s fine because the casualties were few. If what Hong Seok-young said is true, it’s because I managed to herd the buffalo away.

I didn’t plan to increase the damage just to raise the casualty count, but I hadn’t anticipated the side effect of delaying related legislation. There are some laws that current Hunters find annoying, but the reclassification of dungeon levels and dungeon management laws are absolutely necessary. Normally, these would have been proposed by now.

I glanced at Hong Seok-young, who was in the driver’s seat.

I didn’t really see him making a fuss after the Myeong-dong break ended either. Normally, he would’ve been in the news a few more times… Maybe because all the kids were safe, Hong Seok-young has calmed down?

…Wait a minute. Don’t tell me this is why the establishment of the Management Agency is being delayed too?

That would be troublesome.

“Alright. We’re here. This is the place, right?”

Hong Seok-young parked the car in the alley.

The wall surrounding the orphanage was painted with bright-colored drawings. Some parts were faded or stained, probably because it had been a while since the place was last maintained. But it wasn’t hard to figure out what the original drawings were. Flowers, trees, and children holding hands.

Kang Tae-woo cautiously walked along the wall toward the main entrance.

“…We told people it was temporarily closed due to the salamander damage.”

Since the dungeon collapse was a bit far from here, someone might find it odd, but no one complained about the orphanage being closed. It could be because rumors were circulating that a child had died inside the orphanage.

Buildings where a young child has died often become easy targets for avoidance.

Closing the orphanage was too big of a job to leave to the guild. It’s not that it was impossible, but it could raise unnecessary suspicion. Since No. 3, who had approached me on the director’s orders, was tied to this place, they were likely just watching quietly. In that case, there was no need to provoke them.

Lee Mi-seon used her slight influence in public authority to make the closure of the orphanage an official matter. After some time, it would fade from people’s memories, and then they could demolish the orphanage and build another facility. If Ark moved before that, that would be a good thing in its own way.

And Ark was probably too busy to worry about the fate of a small orphanage like this. Who could guarantee that Alex Hope only attacked this place?

We shouldn’t forget that dungeon breaks happen frequently during this period. Taking advantage of that, Alex Hope, or someone moving with him, could have attacked a subsidiary organization of Ark. If they always attacked during a dungeon break, people would assume it was the monsters from the dungeon that killed people, not some psychopath.

Even if the traces left on the bodies weren’t exactly the same as those left by monsters.

It was that kind of era. An era where the government was too busy to handle anything other than post-management of dungeon breaks.

“We took the computers for analysis, but… aside from that, everything else is just as it was. I thought there might be a chance someone would come by, so I made sure to tighten security.”

“Is that the slight public authority you mentioned before?”

“Isn’t it normal for the police to patrol the neighborhood?”

Lee Mi-seon giggled.

“I also made sure to secure it well.”

With heightened senses, I could feel mana surrounding the orphanage. Hunters. Probably from Daseon. Or perhaps from the International Ability Association.

There were those in a van with tinted black windows, and others could be felt from the villa across the street. It seemed they’d compromised by placing security around the area instead of inside the orphanage itself, which would have been odd.

“Have there been any visitors?”

“Unluckily or luckily, no. We’re the first.”

“…I’m not a visitor.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Kang Tae-woo probably didn’t know about these complicated matters.

And even if he did, he probably didn’t want to think about them right now. He stood with his fists clenched, looking up at the orphanage building. The small playground with a slide. The flowerbed that had grown wild, untended in the summer. The orphanage building itself, which for some reason felt only cold.

Lee Mi-seon unlocked the main gate with a key. Kang Tae-woo hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

* * *

After all, there was plenty of time.

Hong Seok-young deliberately let Kang Tae-woo do as he pleased. He had enough compassion to extend that much kindness to a kid who’d lost his sister.

Kang Tae-woo stood at the entrance for a long time. Then, looking at Woo Hwijae, he asked:

“Um, there’s something I want to bring. Can I get that first?”

Woo Hwijae glanced at Hong Seok-young.

There wasn’t any need to ask for permission for something like this. Or maybe it wasn’t permission.

Woo Hwijae’s sharp gaze seemed more like he was seeking agreement than permission. As if he were prepared to fight on the kid’s behalf if denied.

Hong Seok-young narrowed his eyes. Woo Hwijae wasn’t afraid of him. He hadn’t been, even when they first met in Myeong-dong. There had been some discomfort back then, but unlike the criminals Hong Seok-young had encountered in the past, Woo Hwijae hadn’t been scared. If anything, he’d seemed annoyed.

That’s why, at first, Hong Seok-young hadn’t realized that Woo Hwijae was that guy. He had only put him through questioning because the situation called for it, and Woo Hwijae had likely been released without any issues, assuming his identity had checked out.

But no records of his identity existed, and he was an Awakened.

When asked his name, he would answer readily. But beyond that, he wouldn’t say much. While dealing with the remaining monsters in Myeong-dong and trying to bring order to the chaos, Hong Seok-young later heard about Woo Hwijae.

And then it hit him, he remembered what he’d heard from a junior who’d lost contact: an internal helper.

He didn’t know the name, but he knew the last name. Didn’t know the face, but he knew he was an Awakened. He wielded a sword as his weapon. And he wanted to leave Ark to save his younger brother.

Even before Kim had made contact, the man had been preparing to escape Ark. If Kim’s identity had been exposed and she was killed, then the man must have thought he couldn’t stay there safely either, so he likely acted immediately.

He probably hadn’t planned to reveal himself in Myeong-dong like that. That must have been a mistake. Only then did Hong Seok-young recall the flustered expression on the man’s face.

“Is it… not okay?”

“…….”

Woo Hwijae’s eyes grew even fiercer.

Even though he pretends not to, he has a weak spot for children. His younger brother was supposed to be even younger than this one.

Hong Seok-young stifled a small laugh and nodded.

“It’s fine. What is it you need to bring?”

Kang Tae-woo headed toward the flowerbed near the slide. He went into the flowerbed and started digging beneath a tree. It was the largest tree in the orphanage.

“…Do you need help?”

Feeling sorry for the kid digging with his bare hands, Woo Hwijae offered.

‘Hmm. Come to think of it, I should give Woo Hwijae a subspace to put his sword in…. No, let’s observe a bit more.’

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t bury it very deep.”

Kang Tae-woo wiped his forehead with his wrist. As a child who hadn’t been Awakened for long, he was still vulnerable to the heat. It would take more time for him to be unaffected by the weather.

As he said, the item he was looking for appeared quickly. A tightly wrapped plastic bag. Kang Tae-woo untied the bag and pulled out a small plastic box. That too was wrapped in another layer of plastic wrap.

“What’s that?”

Is this the information he’s going to give us?

With a somber expression, Kang Tae-woo unwrapped the plastic wrap.

“It’s a time capsule I buried with So-hee. We were supposed to dig it up when we left the orphanage.”

Inside the time capsule, which had been opened much earlier than planned, were letters that the children had written to their future selves, a few coins, and a tin case covered with stickers on its lid.

Kang Tae-woo bit his lip to hold back his tears, brushed the dirt off his knees, and stood up.

“There’s one more thing I need to get.”

This time, Kang Tae-woo entered the building.

He climbed the stairs and went into the living area where the children stayed. Thankfully, Lee Mi-seon had cleaned up the blood and bodies. It wouldn’t have been a pleasant sight for a child to see.

Even so, the inside was still a bit disheveled. There were children who had died, but more had survived. Hong Seok-young had already confirmed that those children were now safely staying in other protective facilities not related to Ark. The process of removing their belongings had made things somewhat chaotic.

Kang Tae-woo went straight into one of the rooms.

A white desk and a pink bunk bed. The small size of the beds indicated it was a room for young children.

Kang Tae-woo climbed up the bunk bed with familiarity and began flipping over the pillow, removing the cover. Curious, he watched as a beaded bracelet, crudely made, fell from the pillow.

“…My sister made this when she first came here.”

“Really?”

“The teacher helped her, but it was the first thing she made on her own, so she treasured it.”

Holding the bracelet in his hand, Kang Tae-woo climbed down from the bed.

“She said she was going to practice more and make one without the teacher’s help. She even promised to make one for me.”

“…….”

“But….”

Kang Tae-woo lowered his head. Woo Hwijae looked down at him, his expression uncomfortable. Even Hong Seok-young didn’t have a knack for comforting children.

Unexpectedly, it was Lee Mi-seon who stepped in.

She smiled softly as she looked at the beaded bracelet, which was a mix of pink and red.

“Your sister was really good with her hands.”

“…Yes.”

“Do you want to wear it? It’s too small for your wrist, but we could add an extension.”

“…….”

“Big sister will help you with it.”

Big sister? How shameless.

Lee Mi-seon shot Woo Hwijae a glare, clearly having heard his quiet muttering. Luckily, Kang Tae-woo didn’t notice what was going on above his head and nodded in agreement.

The only things Kang Tae-woo wanted to retrieve from this place were a time capsule and his sister’s bracelet.

“What about your own things? I said I’d bring them for you, but maybe I missed something.”

“No. I don’t need anything else.”

Clutching his sister’s bracelet in his hand, Kang Tae-woo seemed somehow more grown up than just a moment ago.

The growth of children…

It was only unfortunate that this growth hadn’t come from a good place.

Rubbing his reddened eyes, Kang Tae-woo spoke.

“Let’s go to the director’s office.”

“The director’s office? I already looked through everything there.”

Lee Mi-seon said, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“You didn’t see everything.”

Kang Tae-woo denied her words.