Chapter 35
You should understand by now.
I withdrew my gaze from the bracelet and blew air to sweep aside the hair catching in my vision.
That's why you shouldn't keep bothering people. When someone says no once, you should take the hint.
"Uncle!"
Just as I finished the experiment and was about to enter the Academy, Baek Hamin, who spotted me from afar, came running while blowing rabbit clovers. Right as I thought, "He's going to fall," his small body stumbled greatly as if his feet got tangled.
I quickly ran and snatched the child up, then pinched his soft cheek gently enough not to hurt him.
"I told you to be careful, didn't I?"
"Hehe."
I looked at Baek Hamin trying to brush it off with a shameless smile and quietly swallowed a sigh.
It hadn't been long since I suppressed the curse, and now even his chest was fluctuating. I had heard news that Baek Hamin was performing well in various subjects recently, but I didn't expect Baek Jiseong to attack his nephew this persistently.
As I was suppressing the curse with mana filling my palm, Baek Hamin spread his arms and hugged me. I looked around while holding the child. Didn't Do Yudam say to come see him, yet he didn't even come to meet me?
"Why? Who else are you waiting for besides me?"
"Do Yudam."
"Why?! Why are you looking for him?!"
"Not him, hyung."
"...Why are you looking for Dongdam hyung?"
Seeming to absolutely refuse to call Do Yudam hyung, Baek Hamin even mumbled his name. When I roughly stroked his fluffy hair, Baek Hamin pushed his head against my hand as if asking for more. Then when our eyes met, he smiled brightly.
They say you can't spit on a smiling face, but I still had to scold him.
"There's a two-year age difference, so you should call him hyung properly. Remember when Yudam saved you when you collapsed?"
Baek Hamin avoided the subject with a pout but eventually nodded.
"Right, call him hyung from now on."
Even if they become desperate to kill each other later, it's better to get along for now. After patting Baek Hamin's bottom as he nodded without answering, I headed to find Do Yudam as Asil guided.
When I found Do Yudam like that, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
Jeong Uichan, that bastard said he'd handle it himself.
I rubbed my eyebrows as I watched Do Yudam diligently moving the pile like an ant. A sigh escaped me from my troubled heart.
What should I do for Do Yudam to grow up like a normal child. As expected, the protagonist can only grow up experiencing all kinds of trials like a protagonist.
While sighing with such thoughts, Baek Hamin suddenly jumped down from my embrace. Do Yudam raised his head at the sound and smiled brightly at me.
"Dohyeon hyung, huh?"
Baek Hamin abruptly pushed Do Yudam's shoulder as he was greeting me, then reached his arm toward the pile pouring down from Do Yudam's back.
"Hey! Baek Hamin!"
When I ran over in surprise, Baek Hamin was blinking, then said to Do Yudam.
"Hey, cry."
"What?"
"What?"
As I stared at Baek Hamin with an absurd face, teachers came rushing out of the Academy building.
It was that moment. Baek Hamin suddenly flopped down on the ground, grabbed Do Yudam, and shouted in a loud voice.
"Yudam hyung! Are you okay?!"
"What? You're the one who pushed, mmph!"
Unlike me who figured out why Baek Hamin was doing that, Do Yudam was looking at Baek Hamin with a bewildered face. I covered the mouth that was about to say something and signaled him to be quiet.
I couldn't find a single trace of falsehood in Do Yudam's blue eyes as he stared up at me with a confused face. Looking into those eyes, such a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Because you're this upright, you're the protagonist.
"Hamin?"
And that's why there were so many people tormenting you.
I picked up Do Yudam as he turned toward the teacher. Do Yudam seemed unused to being held by someone, struggling a few times in my embrace before grabbing my hoodie tightly and steadying himself.
"Yudam? Are you okay... My goodness! Hamin!"
While some of the teachers rushed to Do Yudam, most flocked to Baek Hamin, pouring out all kinds of affectionate words. With a hardened expression, I glanced at Do Yudam, who seemed familiar with this situation.
Most teachers working at the Academy were good people, but trash always mixed in everywhere.
"Wait, Hamin. Why are you here?"
And the biggest piece of trash here spoke to Baek Hamin.
"Me? I helped Yudam hyung! And then I got hurt here..."
Baek Hamin, who was speaking with a bright smile, sullenly extended his arm. Whether it got scraped when the pile collapsed, his plump arm was swollen red.
"What? When did you..."
When the clueless Do Yudam tried to confront Baek Hamin with a "What are you doing right now?" expression, I urgently placed my hand on his round head to stop his words.
Then I covered Do Yudam's face, which still couldn't erase his bewildered expression, with my hand entirely, and alternated looking at the teachers watching me and the pile that Do Yudam had been carrying earlier. Listening carefully, I could hear the heartbeats of the people here little by little.
Ironically, the one with the most brazen face had the fastest beating heart. I fixed my gaze on him.
"Is this also training according to ability? Training with no risk of injury because there are teachers on standby."
"Well..."
"Think carefully and speak."
Training my foot, they were just using students because they didn't want to clean up themselves.
"Dohyeon..."
"I told you to think and speak."
When I snapped with what sounded like a growl, a sarcastic voice came from behind.
"I mean, really. What business is it of Hunter Seong Dohyeon?"
When I turned my head, the teacher who had taken back-money from Baek Jiseong on the test day was smiling slickly at me.
"It's a bit uncomfortable and feels like we're being watched when someone who's not even a guardian interferes like this every time."
"Ah, so you're saying it doesn't matter if a guardian interferes?"
"Of course. It's also bothersome when someone who isn't in charge of any child keeps coming and going like this. Especially with all the talk about the kidnapping case..."
The back-money teacher dragged out his words, looked me up and down, then made eye contact with the other teacher and giggled.
I looked at Baek Hamin clinging to my leg and Do Yudam gripping his hoodie tightly for a moment, then put my hand in my pocket. Then he unnecessarily raised his voice at me.
"W-why! Are you going to attack? Wow, knowing that combat is prohibited in the Academy and still..."
"Yes, I know."
I waved my phone at the back-money teacher and made a call somewhere. Soon a gentle voice came through.
—Hello?
"Hey, Baek Eunseong. Where are you."
—I was looking for Hunter Seong Dohyeon who suddenly disappeared... Why?
"Come to the Academy for a bit. These people here aren't communicating properly."
"E-Excuse me."
I stepped back a pace from the back-money teacher who was reaching out his hand and said.
"I told you to think and speak, didn't I."
"Is Eunseong uncle coming?"
"Yeah. Make sure to tell him why your arm got hurt, okay?"
"Yeah!"
At Baek Hamin's bright answer, the sound of dry swallowing echoed from all around. One teacher who had maintained a brazen face until then called the name 'Seong Dohyeon.' He was the person who had been in charge of Baek Eunseong's guidance in the past.
"Um, Dohyeon."
"Call me Hunter Seong Dohyeon."
"......"
"Do I still look like an Academy student to you?"
'Seong Dohyeon' might have been victimized without knowing anything, but I wasn't. I wasn't a fool who didn't even know that what was being done to him was abuse.
An inferiority complex wasn't exclusive to Seong Dohyeon. Just as Seong Dohyeon envied Baek Eunseong, the teachers also envied Seong Dohyeon. And they resolved that inferiority complex by taking it out on children who desperately longed for even a single touch of their hand, a fragment of affection.
I quietly glared at the bowing teachers, then reached out to Baek Hamin. Cleverly, Baek Hamin twisted his arm so the injured part was visible and grabbed my hand.
"I'll certainly understand the Academy's standards now. Do Yudam could have been seriously hurt if the pile collapsed on him, and Baek Hamin has already been injured twice... I'm not curious at all about what kind of training you do, but Baek Eunseong will be curious, so please think about how you'll answer from now on."
I said while looking straight at the teacher who had given 'Seong Dohyeon' supplementary training at the drop of a hat, and also at Do Yudam.
Just then, Jeon Jiyoon, who had been flying in cheerfully from afar, saw the stiffened teachers and seemed to grasp the atmosphere, looking cautious.
"What's going on right now..."
"Hunter Jeon Jiyoon."
"Yes?"
"Let's talk for a bit."
* * *
"...I'm sorry."
"Why are you?"
"What?"
"Did you also join in tormenting Do Yudam?"
"No..."
Tsk. With this much sense of justice overflowing.
After hearing the story from me, Jeon Jiyoon was hanging his head even though he hadn't actually done anything wrong. Do Yudam sitting next to him was the same.
"In the end, it's because I couldn't pay attention to Yudam."
That was true. Though it wasn't Jeon Jiyoon's fault.
Jeon Jiyoon was the representative hunter of the center, someone with a lot of work piled up. He did make time to check on Do Yudam, but if Jeon Jiyoon had paid more attention, the teachers' attitude would have been different. They wouldn't have been able to torment Do Yudam, making excuses about his skills.
Jeong Uichan, what exactly did he do? No, it was obvious even without looking. He probably just said idealistic things like "I trust the teachers" and left it at that. This was the same Jeong Uichan who even forgave the person who backstabbed him.
And then in the original work... he was stabbed to death by the brother he trusted.
When I clicked my tongue without a word, Jeon Jiyoon flinched and pulled Do Yudam's shoulder close, glancing at me.
"Um..."
"Don't."
I cut him off without even giving him a glance. I could roughly guess what he was going to ask.
Since I was the only hunter around Jeon Jiyoon with free time, it was obvious he'd ask if I could check on Do Yudam once in a while when I had time.
The Academy was just a public education system in name only; it wasn't functioning as a proper educational institution.
Since they only taught the basics, guardians desperately tried to get their children into guilds even a year earlier. The quality of education was bound to be better in guilds than in centers. The fact that young hunters increasingly flocked to guilds rather than the Academy over time said it all.
'Wait, if they're going to ask me, wouldn't it be better to take Do Yudam out of the center and have him join a guild?'
Of course, according to regulations, a hunter license wouldn't be issued without graduating from the Academy, but it would at least put out the immediate fire.
While I was having such thoughts, Baek Hamin, who had been glaring at Jeon Jiyoon with his short arms crossed, opened his mouth.
"Teacher."
And the moment I heard that voice, goosebumps rose all over me.
Why is he imitating Baek Eunseong so creepily?
"Are you trying to ask our Dohyeon uncle to take care of Do Yudam... I mean, Yudam hyung right now?"
Baek Hamin spoke gently, then suddenly smiled brightly and burrowed into my embrace. I, who had hugged Baek Hamin reflexively, looked at Jeon Jiyoon who was smiling awkwardly. Do Yudam was looking at me with sparkling eyes.
Hmm. Even if you look at me like that, I won't do it. Go away.
"Then how much will you give uncle?"
"What?"
What is this kid talking about now. When I looked down in disbelief, Baek Hamin was smiling with his eyes crinkled prettily.