NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Reality (5)
Hope answered the questions calmly.
He answered so calmly that I, the one asking the question, was embarrassed. No, he answered so fluently that I wondered if it was okay for him to tell me this.
Even Gamble, who had initially sat there with an uncomfortable expression, later added explanations to Hope’s words.
“And Noah hates cilantro!”
“Doesn’t he like opera? He goes around shouting that he hates humans, but he likes human civilization.”
“You also collect things like dishes, but it looks to me like you collect them with the intention of throwing them whenever you get stressed.”
“… … .”
Honestly, there was more information that I felt I needed to know.
What on earth do you do with Noah Michelle’s likes and dislikes, hobbies, and such?
…I hate the fact that I absentmindedly thought that I might have something to write about.
“Rather than that….”
No, it’s better than not knowing anything. If you analyze things like that, you’ll be able to know what kind of person Noah Michel is, and then you’ll be able to respond to him to some extent. That’s why there’s a job called a profiler in the world.
“Huh? Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
The area where Hope could be of help was probably dungeon structures. Even in that area, he grumbled that he was not an expert. But what if he was not an expert? The dungeon structures that Hope spoke of were things that I had never heard of before.
However, when Hope was talking about the dungeon, Gamble had a bored expression on his face. It was a story he already knew.
Isn’t it because of Hope that Paros was able to make magic meters and other things so quickly? I feel like I’ve discovered a trade secret that no one else knew about.
“Is there no way to close the dungeon from the outside?”
“Umm… As I said before, I’m not an engineer so I don’t know much about that. Sandra can do it.”
“Shh, shh!”
“Huh?”
“no!!”
“Yes?”
“I can’t even properly analyze the magic power around the gate right now!”
“but….”
“can not!!”
Hope pouted.
“Okay… .”
Gamble coughed violently, as if to forget what Hope had said.
Unfortunately, I know more about Sandra Gamble’s research than she does now. Even if that weren’t the case, Im Ji-seon was already talking a lot. Where did such a talented person come from?
Where? It was a California garage.
I winked at Hong Seok-young. Hong Seok-young understood right away.
“Dr. Gamble.”
“yes yes!”
“The research the doctor was doing….”
“Ah, yes! It’s a device that analyzes the magic pattern of the gate and tracks the magic flow inside! If we do it well, we might be able to check the remaining power and figure out the timing for the gate to open!”
It’s a horsepower meter.
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll try to help you as much as I can.”
“Go, go, go, thank you!!”
“what.”
Hong Seok-young finally regained his composure and smiled broadly.
“Did you know that the doctor is a member of our guild? The harder the doctor works on his research and achieves results, the bigger the grant will be.”
“Oh… yes!”
“Let’s try hard.”
Knock. Knock.
A large, scarred hand tapped Gamble on the shoulder. It made a rather heavy sound, but Gamble nodded without showing any sign of pain.
So now the questions we need to ask are… .
“Can you tell me about Henry? Henry likes hamburgers… .”
… Should I tell Yimiseon? Since he’s a criminal the whole world is chasing, even such trivial information would be important.
But right now.
“Ah. Wait a minute.”
Hong Seok-young raised his hand and stopped Hope’s words.
“It’s been quite some time. Let’s fill our bellies and finish our conversation. You stay here.”
Hong Seok-young saw the gamble.
“Doctor, please go to this hunter for a moment. I have something to tell you separately.”
“yes!”
Gamble left the room without any suspicion. Hope blinked.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“Um… I mean, I mean, let’s eat and then do it. It’s been quite some time.”
I checked my watch because it seemed strange that Hong Seok-young was emphasizing time.
I could immediately understand why Hong Seok-young was doing that. It was already time for Woo I-rok to come home. Time really flies.
“You stay here quietly.”
“I can’t move like this!”
“really?”
“… … It’s not to the point where I can’t move at all, but I’m not omnipotent after all.”
“It’s just right.”
——————
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Hong Seok-young called the hunters of the Daseon and had them watch over Hope before leaving the room. I followed Hong Seok-young with a bewildered look on my face.
* * *
“Where are you going?”
“Irok must go pick him up.”
You spoke so naturally that I thought I had misheard you.
“…Why did you do that, teacher?”
And that was while we were having a very serious conversation?
It’s not like a hunter will die from skipping a meal. But he insisted on cutting off the conversation, saying that we should take a break, so I thought there must be something else important to do, or something…
“Oh, do you know how important it is to pick up your son?”
“He’s not my son and I’m not going to pick him up.”
“Didn’t you say you’d be back in the morning? It’s also important to tell them how you got home. Kids like to talk about what happened at school. You have to listen to every single one of them.”
Hong Seok-young thought for a moment and then added.
“You have to make it clear that you are listening carefully.”
“I know how to do it well.”
“No. It’s still not enough.”
“How would you know that, teacher?”
“Dad, I’m a career person. If you pretend to be, you pretend to be.”
“… … .”
If you say that, doesn’t that make me a bad person no matter what I say in response?
Fatally.
In the end, this was the only response I could give.
“… So, that’s not the reason why you’re going out with me now, teacher.”
“My brother and my father are different.”
“therefore….”
I sighed.
“No, that’s fine. Well, that’s fine. I had something to say anyway.”
“What do you want to say?”
Hong Seok-young looked back at me.
“While talking to this hunter….”
From Yimiseon’s perspective, she is not free because she is tied up with the association.
To be exact, it wouldn’t matter to Yim Seon as long as Henry Lehman was caught in the name of the Association of Extraordinary Abilities. It’s true that the investigative powers are complicatedly intertwined, but that’s not enough to hesitate to track down Henry Lehman right now.
I think Yimiseon knows this too. If Hong Seokyeong moves now, even the Association of Extraordinary Talents will end up like a dog chasing a chicken.
“So you want me to go catch Henry Lehman? With Hope?”
“If it falls into the hands of the Association or another country, it will be difficult for us to get rid of it. From what I heard from Hope, it seems that Michelle is not very involved in Lehman’s Ark… .”
“In other words, it means that the future events and Lehmann may not have much to do with each other.”
“Don’t steal Hunter’s body. How would you know what he’s doing behind Michelle?”
“… Well. The US government will cooperate with me. The Association, too. They won’t do anything blatant. But if it goes to Europe, where Noah Michel has a lot of influence, it might be difficult.”
Hong Seok-young nodded.
“Let’s think about that problem for a moment. Why aren’t you going?”
“I can’t go.”
This old man also seemed to have forgotten that I lied about being from the Ark… .
Hong Seok-young smiled awkwardly and scratched his head after I finished my explanation.
“Haha, that’s right, that’s right.”
There is no need for these points to be the same.
When I looked at him as if I was pathetic, Hong Seok-young got angry and shouted.
“Then, if only he had become my son, everything would have been resolved!”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“If you can’t go out with your current identity, you can go out with a different identity. I can do that with just my three-letter name.”
This time, Hong Seok-young looks at me as if he finds me pitiful.
“You keep mentioning my name, but you don’t know much about my influence. How about becoming Hong Seok-young’s son? I’m telling you, the world will change.”
“… … .”
“Don’t be satisfied with just one experience.”
“Oh, this really pisses me off….”
“Even if it’s annoying, wouldn’t it be nice for you to become my son and travel abroad?”
“I’ve done that many times already.”
“I know Janelle, but overseas business trips don’t count as vacations.”
“… … .”
“Have you ever traveled abroad?”
“… … .”
it’s annoying….
I left Hong Seok-young’s giggling voice behind and hurried to the front door. It was almost time for Wooirok to arrive.
Roll.
A small stone caught my foot as I was moving in a hurry.
“… … .”
Even though it’s a rock, it’s quite large. At least it’s not big enough to roll around indoors.
I looked around.
The first thing you notice is the cracked and scorched walls.
“Heejae?”
Hong Seok-young called me with a puzzled look. I roughly wiped my face with my palm.
Yeah, this needs to be addressed too.
“house.”
“huh?”
“I need a house.”
“house?”
I pointed to the messy hallway. Han Tae-kyung was lying there. The bloodstains were gone, but suspicious stains were still on the floor and walls.
“You said Dad has a career. Does this seem like a good place to raise a child?”
“……hmm.”
“This is just… a place to stay for a while. It feels like a hotel.”
It’s not a place to stay for long.
“It’s not good for the emotions. It’s not good to have someone like Hope rolling around.”
“yes….”
“I need a proper house. Are there any houses left? Either put it in the guild’s name and let me use it, or give it to me as a performance bonus.”
“Didn’t Han Tae-kyung tell you to do a lot of dungeon raiding? If you had that kind of settlement money, you could probably buy an apartment around here.”
“It’s better to buy a house that someone else buys for you.”
“I have no words to describe how I raised you, it’s so clear to see.”
Hong Seok-young shook his head.
“I told you, teacher, you didn’t raise me.”
“Stubbornness… . Yeah. I know how to raise Irok from now on.”
“Are you crazy? Don’t ever raise your child like that.”
I said sharply. Hong Seok-young’s eyes opened wide.
“why?”
“The child is becoming spoiled.”
“You know, right?”
“You’ve grown up well enough.”
Hong Seok-young started giggling again. I pretended not to hear the laughter and went out the front door. At that moment, I saw a black SUV driving on the road leading to the pension.
I said bluntly as I watched the car that Wooirok was riding in approach the pension.
“I need a house anyway.”
“Hmm. Okay. Oh, Irok, do you plan on continuing to go to the school you’re attending now?”
“Originally, I was going to transfer him… But he’s adapted much better than I expected. I don’t think he’ll want to go.”
“yes?”
Hong Seok-young continued speaking without taking his eyes off the car.
“It might take a little longer to get to school than it does now, but it won’t be to the point where I can’t go.”
“yes?”
“If the demonstration high school settles in as planned, I have a place I’ve found to stay during the semester.”
“… That hotel room?”
“No. That’s where I was supposed to be keeping watch over you.”
“Ah yes….”
“I was planning to live alone, so it might be a little cramped for two people… but since one of them is still a child, it’ll be okay.”
Hong Seok-young passed me and went out into the garden. I heard a voice mumbling incoherently.
“It’s an apartment… It’s been completely remodeled, and all the appliances have been installed. There are even desks for students.”
…for students?
“You can use whatever’s there. I’ll give you the address later.”
“Wait a minute… Are you sure you didn’t prepare it?”
“Adventure!”
Hong Seok-young didn’t answer my question and ran hurriedly to find Woo I-rok, who hadn’t even arrived yet.
“her.”
I clicked my tongue briefly in disbelief.
What? Are you embarrassed now?
house
“Ugh. What? Aren’t you going to America?”
“Why are you sad?”
“That’s too bad! If Henry dies too, Noah will be really annoyed!”
“I hope you don’t just get annoyed… .”
Hope nodded exaggeratedly, not missing Gamble’s soft muttering.
“That’s it!”
“Whatever the reason, I know it to be so.”
There’s no reason to go into detail about the complicated family situation. Hope pursed her lips.
“Okay. But I have to tell Noah what I did here. Even if I don’t want to, Noah will ask.”
“Record the call and tell them you’re having fun and leaving.”
“… But you’re going to catch Henry, right?”
“why?”
“No, I’m a victim too.”
Hope easily backed down when faced with Hong Seok-young’s sharp gaze.
“I have to warn you to stop selling my face….”
I looked at Hong Seok-young. Hong Seok-young nodded. Hope’s face brightened.
“Okay, okay! Now I’ll tell you about Noah in detail!”
* * *
“And then what did Noah say…?”
Alex Hope spouted useful and useless information about Noah Michel’s life for exactly 19 hours.
It took about three days. I kept my working hours to a reasonable standard. They even fed me. The working conditions were much better than those at the management office.
The first day, I left it alone because I was wondering what to talk about, and the next day, I left it alone because I was wondering how far I could go.
It was scary in many ways to have 19 hours to talk.
Judging from the fact that he often answered questions that were asked here and there, it didn’t seem like he was doing this because he didn’t want to talk about anything else.
just….
“Where should I go to tell the story of Noah like this!”
Anyone who saw this would think that Noah Michelle and I are on the same wavelength.
In fact, it is true that they are in a relationship where they can’t live without each other. Isn’t it beautiful to see them trying to kill each other? Originally, people know better than themselves or their friends, but those they dislike. You have to know your enemy well to know how to make them dislike you.
I might come in handy with that information someday. Although I couldn’t figure out where or how I could use the information that Michelle didn’t like potato dishes because she had eaten French fries and got sick.
“I know that?”
But no one knows where or how a person’s life will go. One day, Noah Michelle might die of a heart attack while eating French fries.
“Noah, he likes popcorn? He doesn’t show it because he thinks it doesn’t fit with his desired self-image… Isn’t that really funny?”
Yeah, you can dream about assassinating Noah Michel with popcorn… .
“And Sandra and I… the Magic Association? I don’t know much about this stuff. Semiya followed Noah around like she was her disciple, so we got to know each other too…”
“So we have no way of getting information about your factions or political infighting. We’re not magicians.”
“Yeah. That’s why I’m just saying everything. Just because we say that doesn’t mean you don’t know, right? There’s also the Archmage.”
Hope pointed to Kim Chae-min’s magic that was still hovering around.
“Because it might be useful.”
“… … .”
“So you’re recording it?”
The recording function was turned on on the cell phone on the table. I shrugged my shoulders, thinking that I had left it there with the intention of letting Kim Chae-min hear it later.
Of course, we weren’t just talking about Noah Michel.
“Noah Michelle is Noah Michelle.”
“Huh? Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“monster.”
“monster?”
“Monsters in the dungeon.”
Hope nodded her head from side to side as she asked.
“You want to tell me about the monster in the cradle?”
“Then what other monsters are there?”
“Yes….”
Hope scratched her cheek with an embarrassed face.
“I don’t know who got on it either?”
“Who asked you to tell me everything?”
“Oh, no?”
“Let’s start with your race.”
“Ugh.”
Hope shrugged her shoulders. Hong Seok-young didn’t look at her.
“That king is also a fairy.”
“Hmm….”
Hong Seok-young has been catching fairies from the future for a long time. He couldn’t bring himself to ask about the part he was most curious about, so he pointed to one of the culprits of all this.
“There are a lot of them, right? I’ve met a lot of them too.”
“Did you just meet?”
“Do you want to share your fate with your friend?”
“no way.”
Hope smiled and shook her head.
“So… I know that it was the hunters who started calling them fairies.”
Hope frowned. She wouldn’t mind talking now… but she seemed to be struggling to find the right words.
“But in terms of having a bad personality, isn’t it no different from the fairies in folk tales?”
“Does this apply to you too?”
“Hey. Where else can you find someone as nice-natured as me?”
Of course, Hong Seok-young, I, and even Gamble looked like they didn’t agree.
“But you’re asking this later than I thought? Actually, I thought you’d ask this sooner than Noah. That’s why I thought hard about what to tell you before going to bed.”
“… … .”
“You were really curious about Noah? He was a mystic after all. Oh, really. Now I know less about Noah, and that’s a big problem!”
“… … .”
Gamble shut his eyes tightly.
Yes, I’m glad I have a guardian who knows shame.
* * *
and.
November 7th.
Wooirok and I left the pension.
I drove the car that Hong Seok-young gave me and moved the few things I had. At most, it was just a few clothes and Wooirok’s book. Wooirok looked out the window with the cat Joker in the cage on his lap.
“Do I have to transfer schools?”
Wooirok’s biggest worry at the moment was transferring schools.
I told him repeatedly that it wasn’t necessary, but he still seemed worried. If I had transferred him without asking, it would have been a big problem.
“I told you you don’t have to go. Just wake up a little earlier in the morning.”
“…how much?”
“20 minutes?”
Since I was going to be lying around in bed for 10 minutes anyway, I deliberately sang it out loud.
“Eh. That early?”
Wooirok immediately frowned.
“Since my brother has to go to work anyway, I’ll drop you off at school and go.”
“Commuting? That pension?”
“huh.”
Once the model high school building is built, we will move there.
“Then wouldn’t it be more comfortable for you to stay there? For hyung.”
“It’s too broken down there now. It needs to be repaired soon, so we have to empty it anyway.”
Still, I asked just in case.
“Why do you want to stay there?”
“That’s not it.”
“huh.”
“… What about the other brothers and sisters?”
I looked at Uirok quietly. For Uirok, he spoke honestly.
Even if you pretend not to know, you’ve become quite attached to each other.
“I haven’t seen you since Chuseok ended….”
I should have taken her there once and let her play. Yu Ji-eun usually came to me before I wanted to see her and harassed me, so I never thought that Woo I-rok would want to see her first.
“It’s the same for my older brother and sister. Originally, that pension was used temporarily while the school building was being built.”
“temporarily?”
“Yeah. We’ll move once the school is built. Why, do you want to see it?”
“……no.”
Wooirok stuck out his mouth.
“I just thought No. 3 got kicked out again.”
Were you worried? Even though it was a familiar face, I pretended not to care, but I guess I was worried.
Actually, looking back on my vague memories, I was anxious when No. 3 disappeared from the lab. If No. 3, who had been in the lab for a long time, disappeared, there was no guarantee that I wouldn’t do the same.
“Tae-woo is also studying hard like I-rok.”
“……joy.”
Wooirok snickered and started playing with the cat by putting his finger inside the cage.
I don’t know if it’s cute or not.
“When will you arrive?”
“We’re here now. Do you see that over there? That’s the apartment.”
“Huh.”
The face that was glancing out the window with a chubby face was excited. I tried hard to ignore the familiar road. Hong Seok-young’s apartment. House.
Where we will live in the future.
To cut to the chase, Wooirok really liked his new home.
“and!”
He was excited from the moment he got on the elevator, and as soon as he entered the apartment, he ran wild from end to end. I don’t know if that’s any different from a cat running around like crazy in the middle of the night.
… This is his first time living in an apartment. I was going to tell him not to run around, but I left it alone for a moment. He’s acting like a little kid for once, so I guess it’ll be okay for a little while.
Watching him panting and checking every nook and cranny, I was able to forget about the painful reality for a moment. Yes. Sometimes, you need to take a break to focus on your work.
I left Wooirok alone to look around, and I also checked out the apartment. I left Hope with Hong Seok-young and went to look around first. I couldn’t bring Wooirok here without knowing what the house looked like.
“… … .”
I knew what it would be like without even looking.
Nothing has changed. To be exact, it is exactly as Hong Seok-young planned.
A house just like in my memories.
Before I got the address, I kind of expected it…
This was the house where I first spent time with my father. It was when my father was still focusing more on his work as the principal of the model high school. Unlike Uirok, I went to an elementary school that was a 10-minute walk from here.
Now, the people living in this house seem to be the same, but they are different people. Woo I-rok’s room, decorated by Hong Seok-young, is exactly as I knew it. However, Woo I-rok is a year younger than me, so he has a few more colorful things. It’s mostly the cat doll that Han Tae-kyung gave him… When did he move that?
A three-bedroom apartment. One room is for Uirok, the largest room is my bedroom, and the remaining room is a study.
Wooirok, who had thoroughly checked the bathroom, came to me.
“There are a lot of books here. Brother, have you read all of them?”
“well….”
It was true that he had initially intended to use it himself, but the study looked exactly like his father’s study, which he remembered only in his memories. Well, it was the same person.
This house was demolished when the management office was established and the residence was moved to Seoul. So, it is a house that exists only in my memories.
“Ugh. That looks boring. Who reads books like that?”
“It’s not a book to read for fun?”
“Gate Occurrence Status Report… 2020?”
“It’s last year’s report.”
“Are you using all of this?”
I looked at the bookshelves in the study. There was not a single general book on the bookshelves that filled one wall. There were only reports with government marks. There were even reports from other countries. It was hard to find these… .
Well, it’s Hong Seok-young.
“Use it all.”
“Really? There’s an English version too.”
“Just because you can’t read doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write.”
“…Can you read it?”
“okay?”
Wooirok groaned and read the title of the report in English, perhaps hurt by my laughter.
Even if it looks like the alphabet, that doesn’t mean it’s English. I left it alone because I thought it was funny how he was frowning so much to read French.
When will he realize that it’s not English?
Fantasy, contemporary,