* * *
Midnight blue hair, slightly disheveled from the pomade, swayed lightly, half-covering his sharp, upward-tilted eyes with a rose mist hue.
The streetlights’ soft glow accentuated the man’s high nose and sharp, yet defined jawline, making him look even more handsome.
If Lee Cheongmyeong was like a refreshing drink that invigorated just by looking, then Chae Yiwon was undeniably a man with heavenly looks.
Moreover, Chae Yiwon was the guild master of Hwarang, the first private guild and the one that surpassed the national guild to rank number one.
“I heard Team Leader Do Hajun was tackling a dungeon after a long time.”
“You do know this is a civilian-controlled area, right?”
At Do Hajun’s warning, Chae Yiwon shrugged.
“Well, is there any place our guild can’t enter?”
Do Hajun frowned.
As Chae Yiwon mentioned, there was no place that the top-ranking Hwarang couldn’t enter.
Hwarang, the guild with the most hunters and the most rankers.
The country, receiving help from Hwarang, couldn’t refuse entry to its guild master.
“Jun?”
Still covering his eyes with his hands, Lee Cheongmyeong called out to Do Hajun, who hadn’t told him he could uncover them yet.
“Ah, sorry. You can uncover your eyes now.”
“Huh? Who is it?”
Lee Cheongmyeong looked at Chae Yiwon.
“I’m Lee Cheongmyeong.”
“Hello.”
Seeing Cheongmyeong greet with a bright smile surprised Do Hajun. Even though Cheongmyeong had become less shy over time, he wasn’t one to smile at strangers.
‘Were they close before?’
Even though he had lost his memory, if Cheongmyeong and Chae Yiwon were friends, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to smile.
“Hello, Cheongmyeong. I’m Chae Yiwon. You can call me Hyung.”
“What nonsense is that?”
Chae Yiwon was 30. Even if Cheongmyeong was an adult, a ten-year difference made him an uncle, not a hyung.
“Haha, sorry. Cheongmyeong, call me Uncle Yiwon.”
“Uncle?”
“So, why have you come to see me?”
Ignoring the confused Cheongmyeong, Chae Yiwon addressed Do Hajun.
“You know why. I’m here to scout you.”
“I believe I’ve already declined.”
“As the saying goes, perseverance prevails.”
“Sorry, but it’s been more than three times.”
Two years ago, Hwarang suddenly approached Do Hajun with a scout offer.
But, satisfied with his role as a national hunter, Do Hajun refused flatly.
However, that only seemed to pique Chae Yiwon’s interest.
From the next day, Chae Yiwon frequently visited to make scouting offers.
“Don’t they say even the hardest wood will fall to repeated blows?”
“It’s been more than ten times.”
Do Hajun started walking, passing the smiling Chae Yiwon. Staying would only prolong dealing with him.
“Won’t it fall someday?”
“That won’t happen.”
Having crossed the restricted area, Do Hajun looked at Yoo Mia.
“Open it.”
“Yes.”
As a door appeared in the air, Do Hajun, looking at the trailing Chae Yiwon, asked, “Are you heading to the center?”
Delivering the message to leave gracefully, Chae Yiwon shook his head.
“I have another schedule, so it’s difficult.”
“Then, see you next time.”
At the clear dismissal, Chae Yiwon waved.
“Next time, I expect a positive response. Bye, Cheongmyeong.”
“Bye-bye.”
After Do Hajun crossed the door first, the remaining team members bowed slightly to Chae Yiwon before following.
Finally, as Yoo Mia closed the door, there was nothing left in the air.
“Shall we go back?”
A man emerged from Chae Yiwon’s shadow.
“Yes, let’s go back.”
* * *
“There’s an urgent meeting, so he said to come tomorrow.”
Looking at his secretary’s troubled expression, Do Hajun suppressed his rising irritation.
He had come right after the dungeon, only to find Kang Wontae absent.
“Understood.”
Unable to vent his anger on his innocent secretary, Do Hajun turned around and picked up his phone to call Yoo Mia.
“Where are you?”
– Team Leader, I’m at home. Is it an emergency?
“Ah, no. Never mind.”
Do Hajun hung up and sighed as he pressed the elevator button.
Although it would be nice to wash up, Lee Cheongmyeong had fallen asleep on the way to the director’s office.
Exhausted, Lee Cheongmyeong didn’t respond when called, and it wasn’t feasible to take him to the shower while covered in blood. Taking a taxi in that state was also out of the question.
Reluctantly, Do Hajun drove home, trying to soothe his own tired body.
Despite the movement, Lee Cheongmyeong continued to sleep soundly.
Once parked, Do Hajun carried Lee Cheongmyeong inside. Bathing the sleeping Lee Cheongmyeong was no longer a challenge.
After washing him thoroughly from head to toe and wrapping him in a towel, Do Hajun quickly showered and lay down beside him.
On any other day, he would have dressed Lee Cheongmyeong, but he didn’t want to wake him. After all, Lee Cheongmyeong would be fully recharged when he woke up.
“Let’s sleep.”
Do Hajun turned off the light using the button next to the nightstand and quickly fell asleep. As the room filled with the sound of two steady breaths, a slight movement occurred.
The towel wrapped around Lee Cheongmyeong unfurled, and the small child’s body began to grow rapidly.
The body, now larger than the sleeping Do Hajun, had transformed into a man.
“Ah.”
The man, whose side of the bed had sunken under his weight, woke up and looked at himself and his hands in the moonlight before turning his gaze to the sleeping Do Hajun.
“…Do Hajun.”
But then, the man’s large body suddenly collapsed onto the bed and began to shrink again.
He reverted to a child’s body, though slightly larger than before, and the room was filled once more with the sound of his gentle breathing.
* * *
“Sow, sow, sow the seeds. Water, water, water them.”
Lee Cheongmyeong wiggled to the rhythm of a nursery rhyme.
His small hands mimed sowing seeds, watering them, and patting the soil, causing the team members watching to squeal.
“Hmm.”
Ahn Eunseon, observing the scene, rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
Despite sitting down to depict a sprout and wriggling to grow, she couldn’t help but notice that Lee Cheongmyeong seemed to have grown.
“He is growing.”
“Huh?”
“Cheongmyeong, come here.”
Lee Cheongmyeong, who had been dancing, quickly trotted over to Ahn Eunseon.
Since the dungeon incident, he no longer disliked her, likely impressed by her treatment of Do Hajun.
Lee Cheongmyeong tilted his head quizzically as Ahn Eunseon looked down at him in silence.
“Don’t you think he looks different, Team Leader?”
“What?”
Do Hajun replied nonchalantly while flipping through documents.
“Cheongmyeong, he looks like he’s grown. I’ve been watching him for a few days, and his arms and legs seem longer.”
“Where?”
Do Hajun scrutinized Lee Cheongmyeong but didn’t notice any significant changes.
“Come on, look closely. Here and here.”
Ahn Eunseon pointed to the sleeves of his short-sleeve shirt and the hem of his shorts.
“They used to come down to here, but now they’re slightly higher. About 3cm?”
“Well, kids grow fast.”
Why make a big deal out of a child growing?
Ahn Eunseon wagged her finger at Do Hajun, who shrugged.
“Team Leader, you must have forgotten that Cheongmyeong isn’t just any child.”
Do Hajun’s eyes shifted from the documents to Ahn Eunseon.
“And even if he were, children don’t grow overnight.”
“So, you think something’s off?”
“Yes. And Cheongmyeong’s speech has improved too.”
Do Hajun put down the documents, lost in thought.
It was true, Cheongmyeong’s sometimes speak by repeating the first syllable multiple times, but now it had improved significantly.
“Isn’t there a medical chart in the infirmary?”
Kim Hogwan, who was sitting on the office couch playing a game, suggested.
“Didn’t we do a check-up before going to the dungeon? The infirmary can measure height and weight. Compare them.”
Do Hajun nodded, recognizing the good idea, and stood up.
Ahn Eunseon had a keen eye, often solving puzzles and navigating through tricky situations.
Given the recent dungeon visit, a check-up seemed wise.
“Cheongmyeong, shall we go?”
“To the infirmary?”
Do Hajun said briefly as he lifted Lee Cheongmyeong, who reached out his arms.
“Bye, Cheongmyeong.”
“Goodbye! You’re cute as always!”
Lee Cheongmyeong had become the mascot of the Seoul Center.
Even hunters who initially found him unsettling had become fond of him.
“Hello, Team Leader Do Hajun. Hello, Cheongmyeong.”
The infirmary staff in white coats stood up as they entered.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
“Is something wrong? Is Cheongmyeong unwell?”
The staff, familiar with Cheongmyeong due to frequent visits for health checks, looked at him with concern.
“No, it seems Cheongmyeong has grown. We’d like to measure him.”
“Cheongmyeong grew? That can’t be right.”
The staff looked puzzled but agreed to perform the check.
Do Hajun put Cheongmyeong down and ruffled his hair.
“Can you do as the nurse says?”
“…Will I get a shot?”
Do Hajun was confused. Cheongmyeong had never had a shot at the infirmary.
Why the sudden fear of shots?
The nurse laughed, clearing up the mystery.
“No, no shots.”
“What’s that about?”
“I mentioned that flu season is coming, so he might need a flu shot next time. That’s all.”
Do Hajun chuckled.
Sometimes team members or people at the center would forget that Lee Cheongmyeong was not an ordinary child, but a Hunter. However, someone who exceeded even his standards appeared.
“Lee Cheongmyeong is an SS-rank Hunter.”
“What? All of a sudden… Ah!”
A Hunter, who had several times the physical strength and immunity of an average person, would never succumb to a mere virus.
Moreover, wasn’t Lee Cheongmyeong an SS-rank?
“Haha. That’s true.”
The infirmary officer laughed awkwardly and led Lee Cheongmyeong to the height measuring device.
“Hmm.”
A rigid stick descended and ascended above Lee Cheongmyeong’s head, who seemed to have stopped breathing in nervousness.
“Oh? He really grew. Five centimeters.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s odd.”
The infirmary officer tilted his head and pulled out a file.
“By any chance, has Cheongmyeong ever complained of knee pain while sleeping?”
“No.”
Lee Cheongmyeong was a child who slept soundly without any complaints.
Even if he played a lot, he would lie down and fall asleep when it was time, often sprawling out in the living room by the time Do Hajun finished washing up.
“Hmm. Something does seem strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s difficult to grow this much in just a week.”
Do Hajun looked at Lee Cheongmyeong’s examination file handed over by the infirmary officer.
There was a precise five-centimeter difference from his current height.
“Even his speaking has improved a bit.”
“Really?”
The infirmary officer frowned. If he were just an ordinary child, it might be unclear if this was simple growth or some sort of change, given that he transformed from an adult to a child.
“Cheongmyeong isn’t experiencing any pain or anything, right?”
“No.”
“Then let’s monitor him for now. We’ll measure his height every day. I’ll report this to the director.”
“Understood. Cheongmyeong, come here.”
Lee Cheongmyeong trotted over.
“It’s best to measure height in the morning, so please visit then.”
Nodding to the infirmary officer, Do Hajun picked up Lee Cheongmyeong.
Seeing Lee Cheongmyeong smiling brightly, happy not to have gotten a shot, the infirmary officer suddenly remembered something and spoke up.
“Come to think of it, today’s the broadcast day.”
“Broadcast?”
“Yes, the program where Cheongmyeong was.”
“Ah.”
“Our Child’s First Errand Adventure.”
Do Hajun nodded, recalling the memory he had momentarily forgotten.
* * *
*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*
AH. Volvió a. ser normal un rato AHHHHHHH me preguntó si el antes tenía cierta preferencia a Hajun
Quiero ver que pasa cuando se de cuenta