Chapter 9
"Uncle, you know what?"
I was washing Baek Hamin's hair, checking if the curse had faded a little, when I turned my attention to Baek Hamin's hundredth repetition of 'you know what.'
"Our house has a really big swimming pool, you know? Uncle, do you like swimming?"
"Not really."
To me, swimming was nothing more and nothing less than flailing your limbs when you fell into water.
After rinsing the brown hair that softly wrapped around my hand, I used 'Plop Plop' to lightly dry it. Baek Hamin, now completely dry in an instant, stopped putting on his blue pajamas with Pani drawn on them and buried himself into my chest.
"Already sleepy?"
"Mm..."
I finished dressing the whining Baek Hamin in his pajamas and gently stroked his head. Even though he had asked to be put to sleep, it seemed sleep wouldn't come, as Baek Hamin chattered about the good things about his house.
Despite pretending otherwise, it seemed life here was uncomfortable for him. Baek Hamin, who had been bragging about how soft his bed was, gave a small yawn.
"And—"
Just how big was his house that he still had things to brag about?
Thinking that Baek Eunseong would probably come early in the morning, I considered just putting him to sleep with 'Divine Command,' but Baek Hamin turned around and snuggled into me.
"You know what, it's a secret."
"I told you not to share secrets carelessly."
"But I can trust Uncle."
Baek Hamin made an unnecessarily solemn expression for a seven-year-old, then grabbed my pinky finger.
"That thing on my leg... Uncle has it in his heart too, right?"
With those words, Baek Hamin fell asleep with soft breathing sounds.
Waiting until Baek Hamin was deeply asleep, I rolled up his pajama pants and looked at the curse engraved on his leg.
I already knew that Baek Eunseong was afflicted with the same curse. In the original story, the reason Baek Hamin had opened P's Box was to save Baek Eunseong, who was under the curse.
I let out a light sigh and looked down at the sleeping Baek Hamin. The reason he kept bragging lately was probably, no, definitely, a request to go back to his house and have his uncle's curse suppressed too...
I'm sorry, but I couldn't grant that request.
Partly because Seong Dohyeon's memories dominating this body wanted Baek Eunseong to die, but also because for me to return to my original world, Baek Hamin had to open P's Box. And for that to happen, Baek Eunseong had to be in danger.
* * *
"Uncle, aren't you going on... a mission?"
"I'm resting today."
I needed to be prepared since I didn't know when Baek Eunseong would come. Baek Hamin clung to my leg as I stacked luggage by the entrance. Not chattering like usual, Baek Hamin kept his mouth shut while playing with the drawstrings of his hoodie, then suddenly asked.
"Uncle, why do you only wear hoodies every day?"
"It's the most comfortable."
Putting the hood up prevented situations where bodily fluids got on me, and the front pocket could hold most items, so it was convenient and good.
"Our Samcho-neun, wears a uniform. Uncle, don't you want to wear a uniform?"
Baek Hamin asked while gauging my reaction, then hesitated before whispering in a small voice.
"If I ask, the Guild Master could let you into the Baekwoo Guild."
Haha. Before that, Baek Eunseong would kill me. Of course, Baek Jiseong wouldn't permit it either.
The Baek family hated even getting close to places where Seong Dohyeon had stayed, knowing how much Seong Dohyeon had tormented Baek Eunseong. It was amazing that Baek Hamin followed me around.
I also wondered if Baek Hamin would follow me like this even after learning how much Baek Eunseong hated me.
Anyway, Baek Eunseong is the uncle and Baek Jiseong is the Guild Master? The kid was disciplined way too strictly. Frowning, I felt Baek Eunseong's flow through my senses and stood up.
"I tell you, he just can't be civilized."
At the sound of someone fiercely pounding on the door, Baek Hamin clung to me with a terrified face.
"It's okay, it's your uncle."
After soothing Baek Hamin and unlocking the door, it opened violently as if it would be torn off.
"Hamin!"
"Uncle!"
Baek Eunseong, who embraced Baek Hamin, examined his nephew with tender eyes. Goodness, that human could make such an expression too. I gagged slightly, then met the gaze of Baek Eunseong, who had raised the corners of his eyes.
"What the hell is this."
What the hell? My attitude naturally became crooked at his attitude that made it impossible to treat him well even if I wanted to. At that moment, Baek Hamin pulled Baek Eunseong's hair.
"Don't talk to Dohyeon Uncle like that!"
"D-what?"
Half kicking Baek Eunseong and jumping down from his embrace, Baek Hamin ran over and clung to my leg.
"Dohyeon Uncle protected me, so why are you talking like that!"
"What are you talking about..."
"Looks like you rushed here without even asking around."
Seeing Baek Eunseong's unusually messy hair and dirty uniform, I closed the front door. Because I didn't want to invite them into my house even by mistake.
Sending Baek Hamin back to Baek Eunseong while the child asked to be held, I invoked 'Ariadne's Thread.' As I untangled the gathered skein of thread, the kidnappers came tumbling out.
"Perpetrator, victim, witness, evidence."
I pointed at the kidnapper, Baek Hamin, myself, and the other kidnapper in order.
"I witnessed the kidnapping scene, and protected the victimized child until the guardian came. Is there anything else you're curious about, Hunter Baek Eunseong?"
"......"
Whether he understood the situation from my explanation, Baek Eunseong looked at Baek Hamin, who was unharmed and well-fed, then closed his mouth. Looking at Baek Eunseong standing quietly, when he had been growling with killing intent, I scoffed.
He should apologize, but the words won't come out. No, he'd rather die than do it. Imagining myself in the same situation gave me goosebumps all over.
Clicking my tongue quietly, I held out Baek Hamin's luggage and the separately kept receipt. I set them down from a distance as if throwing them to avoid touching Baek Eunseong's hand, then waved my hand at Baek Hamin, who didn't know what to do between Baek Eunseong and me.
"Now go."
Unlike Baek Eunseong, who turned around before I finished speaking, Baek Hamin ran to me and clung tightly to my leg.
"Uncle, you come too, Uncle."
"Baek Hamin!"
At Baek Eunseong's voice, Baek Hamin made a crying face. I sighed, anticipating what would follow.
"Uncle, you come too..."
Lying down in the hallway, Baek Hamin looked up at me with tearful eyes. Ignoring that gaze, I raised my eyebrows at Baek Eunseong.
It was a signal to do something about it, but uncharacteristically, Baek Eunseong had a flustered expression as he looked back and forth between me and Baek Hamin. Seriously, he became an uncle but doesn't even know how to soothe his nephew.
Clicking my tongue, I crouched down to meet Baek Hamin's eyes.
"Baek Hamin, stop it."
"Hic."
Even while making a crying face, Baek Hamin covered his mouth with his small, fern-like hands. Seeming reluctant to part like this, tears welled up in Baek Hamin's green eyes.
Wiping away his tears, Baek Hamin held my hoodie string in one hand and Baek Eunseong's cloak in the other, and spoke while sniffling.
"Together..."
Where does he want to go together? If you're going to throw a tantrum, at least make it a reasonable one.
I rummaged through my pocket, took out a jelly, and tossed it into Baek Hamin's mouth.
"Cough."
"What is this? What did you give him?"
Baek Eunseong asked with the urgency of someone about to pry open a puppy's mouth that ate something it shouldn't have, and I threw the jelly bag at Baek Eunseong before meeting Baek Hamin's eyes.
"You remember my phone number, right?"
Unable to answer because he was mumbling with his mouth full, Baek Hamin started nodding then spread his arms. The small body temperature held in my embrace clung tightly to my neck.
"Call me if you want jelly."
* * *
A few days after Baek Hamin returned like that, I fell into a dilemma.
Until now, the reason Seong Dohyeon had worked as a hunter was to earn living expenses, and to use that money to interfere with everything Baek Eunseong did.
But now there was no need to do that anymore.
Since I was not the original Seong Dohyeon from the story, not only did I not want to interfere with Baek Eunseong, but I originally hated getting involved and creating reasons to see his face.
And I didn't have to worry about living expenses either.
Because the Baekwoo Guild gave me an enormous reward.
Worried that they might cause trouble later, when I saw the enormous amount deposited, at first I thought a zero had been added by mistake.
So I only needed to think about how to return to my original world...
[Use Viewing Right]
I turned the pages of the book floating in the air and scanned the necessary materials with my eyes.
[(Salamander's Egg 0/1)
(Mossland's Wing 0/1)
(Hawanu's Seed 0/1)
(Kraken's Eyeball 0/1)
(Red Poison Scorpion's Tail 0/1)
(Dark Bat's Claw 0/1)
(Swamp Toad's Poison 0/1)
(Banquet Hall's Chandelier 0/1)
(M's Key 0/1)]
...When am I going to collect all of these?
Each one was a precious item.
Even if I spent all the money I had, I could barely afford even one of these, they were that expensive.
Here, the ways for me to return to my original world were either to earn money like crazy and buy these one by one, or wait for Do Yudam to turn 20.
The probability of saving up enough money to buy the materials was... close to zero, I suppose. Then I'd have to wait for Baek Eunseong to ingest the poison...
I have to live here for 10 more years.
Suddenly, everything went dark before my eyes.
Even after 10 years pass, there's a problem. To enter a dungeon, I needed to form a team, but because of the messed-up image Seong Dohyeon had built up, I couldn't join a guild.
It wasn't like I was strong enough to solo either.
Sighing deeply, I looked at my bank balance and headed to the market that only handled hunters' items.
Partly because singing every time I used 'Divine Command' was embarrassing, and partly because I needed to slowly return to the field, I visited to get a means to protect myself... but for some reason, the merchants' gazes toward me were unusual.
Seong Dohyeon, don't tell me you also stole things?
No, right?