* * *
While Do Hajun was driving, Lee Moojin called an old friend from the orphanage.
The job experience center was off-limits to anyone without a reservation, and same-day bookings were not allowed.
“There aren’t many reservations for today.”
“That’s a relief.”
The job experience center, located on the outskirts of Seoul, was a larger building than they had expected.
“Cheongmyeong, don’t let go.”
“I’ll hold the other side.”
As they held Cheongmyeong’s hands from both sides, he burst into laughter.
“Why?”
“Heehee.”
Do Hajun gently tapped Cheongmyeong’s nose, who was laughing for no reason, and then they entered the building.
The job experience center was a place where you could try out various jobs, not just the one you had booked.
“You should be filming this.”
Lee Moojin exclaimed, showing that despite his grumbling, he found Cheongmyeong adorable.
Cheongmyeong, wearing a chef’s hat and a white apron, carefully sliced cheese with a child-safe knife.
“I did it!”
“Yes, you did well.”
Even though it was a cooking experience, the children were too young to use fire, so they chose to make sandwiches. The end result was a ragged piece of bread.
“Jun, eat this.”
Cheongmyeong handed over the sandwich he made himself, as eating the sandwiches was part of the experience.
“What is that… ugh.”
Do Hajun elbowed Lee Moojin in the stomach and took a bite of the sandwich that Cheongmyeong offered.
“It’s tasty.”
Even though it was a bit mangled from all the handling, the ingredients were designed to be kid-friendly, so it tasted good.
“Cheongmyeong, you should try it too.”
“Mmm!”
Cheongmyeong’s cheeks puffed up with joy as he ate the sandwich he made.
“Give me some too.”
Lee Moojin, who had been watching, opened his mouth wide.
“No.”
“Why not!”
“No!”
Cheongmyeong vigorously shook his head and stuffed his face with the sandwich.
As his cheeks bulged like a squirrel storing food, Lee Moojin teased him.
“If you eat all that, you’ll become a pig. Ouch!”
Do Hajun smacked the back of Lee Moojin’s head and clicked his tongue.
“Don’t tease him.”
“Why am I the only one you pick on?”
Ignoring the grumbling Lee Moojin, Do Hajun removed Cheongmyeong’s apron and hat.
“What’s the next activity?”
Lee Moojin checked the brochure and burst out laughing.
“This one looks fun!”
“What is it?”
“Come on, let’s go.”
Without answering, Lee Moojin scooped up Cheongmyeong, who was still munching, and dashed off.
“What’s he up to now?”
Following Lee Moojin slowly, Do Hajun saw a large practice room with full-length mirrors and bars attached to the walls.
“Dance?”
Lee Moojin was grinning in front of the practice room.
“Where’s Cheongmyeong?”
“He’s changing.”
“He went in alone?”
“Yep.”
What’s so funny about this next activity?
Do Hajun crossed his arms and sat in a chair reserved for guardians.
“What’s this practice room for?”
“You’ll see.”
Lee Moojin muttered about recording a video to tease Cheongmyeong later, focusing on his phone.
Looking around, there were no hints of what the activity could be.
“We’re starting.”
The side door of the practice room opened, and children wearing ballet outfits and soft shoes entered.
“Ballet?”
“Yep. There’s Cheongmyeong.”
Unlike the girls with their fluffy skirts, the boys wore tight leotards.
“Wow, Cheongmyeong looks like a model. Most kids are chubby, but he’s tall and lean! Must take after you!”
Do Hajun gave Lee Moojin a disdainful look.
Even as an S-rank hunter, changing into a child wouldn’t alter muscle mass or bone structure.
Though a bit chubby would be cute, Cheongmyeong could easily pass as a kid model on a runway right now.
“Did you rush over just to see him in a leotard?”
“You don’t get it. Everyone’s used to these outfits now, but after changing, teasing him will be hilarious. I want to see that.”
‘What did he eat on his last mission? Did he get hit on the head?’
Lee Moojin ignored Do Hajun’s incredulous look and focused on recording the video.
The children lined up at the barre and moved their bodies as the instructor directed.
“Everyone, hold the barre.”
At the instructor’s words, the children grabbed the barre, prompting cheers from the guardians for their cuteness.
“Now follow my feet.”
The children attempted to mimic the instructor’s foot movements, but their feet soon tangled.
Except for Cheongmyeong, who followed the instructor’s movements gracefully, even more elegantly.
“Cheongmyeong, would you like to try this?”
The instructor, impressed with Cheongmyeong’s movements, asked him to come forward and hold the barre, lifting one leg high.
Cheongmyeong looked at Do Hajun, who nodded encouragingly.
“Try it.”
Cheongmyeong hesitantly grabbed the barre and extended his leg.
Everyone gasped at how perfectly straight his leg was.
But Do Hajun noticed something different, sighing rather than admiring.
[Increased flexibility enhances evasion.]
[Evasion (Increased flexibility): F Rank – 45%]
‘What? An S-rank hunter with F-rank evasion?’
Do Hajun quickly opened the status window.
“View Lee Cheongmyeong’s information”
[Name: Lee Cheongmyeong / 3 years old (20 years old)
Ability: Water Hunter (SS-Rank)
HP: 16000
MP: 23000
Attack Power: 810 ▷More
Defense: 521 ▷More
Critical: 23% ▷More
Registered Caregiver: Do Hajun
Affinity with Caregiver: 86%
▷More]
He had glanced over the defense stat, but it seemed too low.
F-rank defense? Really?
He quickly clicked on “More” under defense for detailed information.
—
[Defense 521
▸Evasion: Rank F
▸Magic Resistance: Rank C
▸Status Resistance: Rank C
▸Damage Reduction: Rank E]
‘Wow, how has he been fighting all this time?’
When he first heard about Lee Cheongmyeong, his usual plan was for him to enter the dungeon first and then the Alpha team would join later to clear it.
But with this level of defense, getting hit even once in a dungeon would be fatal.
“Why?”
Seeing Do Hajun’s bewildered expression, Lee Moojin asked while filming a video.
“Have you ever heard how Lee Cheongmyeong fights in dungeons?”
“How he fights?”
“Like his style or the way he fights.”
Lee Moojin scratched his head and said, “It’s not quite your style, but Lee Cheongmyeong believes that offense is the best defense. So he gets hurt quite often.”
“Hurt?”
When Do Hajun frowned, Lee Moojin stopped filming and whispered, “Even if it’s the best offense, you can’t completely neglect defense, but I’ve heard that Lee Cheongmyeong tends to give up on defense and focus on attacking.”
Giving up on defense?
In any sport, the first thing you learn is how to protect yourself.
Protecting yourself is instinctual, so learning effective ways to do so is essential.
Ignoring such instincts?
Seeing Do Hajun’s shock, Lee Moojin gave a bitter smile and said, “I’ve heard that his previous guardian taught him that way.”
“That damn bastard.”
Do Hajun gritted his teeth.
What the hell did that guardian do to an innocent kid?
And why does Lee Cheongmyeong follow it?
At least Lee Moojin would have rebelled if he didn’t like it.
“Jun!”
As Do Hajun was trying to contain his rising anger, Lee Cheongmyeong came running.
Having changed back into casual clothes, Lee Cheongmyeong was smiling brightly.
“Did you see?”
“…Yeah. I saw. Cheongmyeong, you did well.”
Lee Cheongmyeong hugged Do Hajun’s knee and burst into laughter.
“Was it fun?”
“Yeah, it was fun!”
Not all abilities increase vertically.
Of course, things like strength or flexibility would be better than the average person, but to significantly improve abilities, a certain amount of effort is required.
However, being able to do ballet as flexibly as teachers who have practiced for years without training means Lee Cheongmyeong has good natural flexibility.
‘If only he had a little guidance, he could do so well.’
Unable to show his frustration to Lee Cheongmyeong, Do Hajun swallowed his anger and stood up.
“What’s next?”
“This time it’s a doctor experience.”
* * *
While it was good to find a way to increase evasion through ballet, all other experiences were duds.
Moreover, since there were more static experiences than active ones, Lee Cheongmyeong remained lively while Do Hajun was exhausted, so they had to walk around the park before going home.
“Lee Cheongmyeong, let’s bathe. Raise your arms.”
“Raise.”
As he took off his shirt and pulled down his pants and underwear at once, Lee Cheongmyeong burst into laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
As Do Hajun rubbed his head, Lee Cheongmyeong laughed again and ran into the bathroom.
Hearing the sound of Lee Cheongmyeong getting into the pre-filled water, Do Hajun took off his own T-shirt.
-Ding dong.
Seeing the message notification on the screen, Do Hajun glanced at it.
[Are you happy without me? 20:23]
Do Hajun shook his head.
Lee Moojin, who had been with them all day, wanted to follow them home.
Even though Do Hajun refused, got angry, and got annoyed, Lee Moojin only backed off because of a D-rank dungeon summon notification.
Having said he’d finish as quickly as possible and come back, Lee Moojin was now sending pointless texts from the dungeon.
[Stop goofing around and focus on the dungeon]
After sending a cold message, Do Hajun tossed his phone on the sofa and went into the bathroom.
“Cheongmyeong, are you playing?”
“Yeah!”
Do Hajun pulled Lee Cheongmyeong, who was playing with a rubber duck in the tub, closer and started washing his hair.
Then he opened the shelf and put a bath tea bag in the tub.
Lee Cheongmyeong used bath additives once a week.
It was an impulse purchase from a home shopping channel, claiming to have a calming effect on the mind rather than the skin, but surprisingly, Lee Cheongmyeong liked the herb scent, so they used it regularly.
“It smells good.”
“Yeah.”
As Do Hajun sat at the end of the tub and stroked Lee Cheongmyeong’s wet hair, he heard the doorbell.
“I’ll get the phone. Keep playing.”
“Okay!”
Since they stopped using skills or abilities in the bathroom, it was okay to leave for a while.
After stroking Lee Cheongmyeong’s hair one more time, Do Hajun went to the living room and frowned at the message on his phone.
‘Caller ID restricted.’
Hating spam calls, he had blocked calls with restricted IDs when he first got his phone.
So, with a restricted ID…
‘I know who this is.’
Do Hajun answered the call.
“Yes, this is Delta Team’s Do Hajun.”
-It’s me.
As expected, it was Shin Misook.
Feeling the government power that even phone companies couldn’t resist, Do Hajun said, “Salute. What can I do for you, ma’am?”
-I need to discuss something important with you, so I’ll send a car for you tomorrow. Come over.
“Understood.”
-Bring Lee Cheongmyeong as well.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Shin Misook hung up after finishing her business.
She had attended the G20 summit until yesterday.
The news said she returned today, so it seemed like she called him as soon as she got back.
Though her voice sounded a bit tired, it didn’t seem like she had any bad intentions.
If it was something about the Delta Team, she would have spoken through the center head.
‘Is it something to do with Cheongmyeong?’
“Jun!”
“Yes, I’m coming.”
There was no need to worry about something he’d find out soon enough. Shaking off his thoughts, Do Hajun headed to the bathroom where Lee Cheongmyeong was waiting.
* * *
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mmm.. sospechoso
MMM sospechoso