A Brainwashing Event Is Mandatory in Kids' Cartoons
We all gathered in the living room.
I had initially planned to play bad cop and give the kid a stern scolding, but before I could even open my mouth, the chubby brat slammed his head onto the floor.
"I, Dae Man-bok! Bow my head in deep apology for all of my rash words and actions on this occasion! No matter how heated the argument with my friend became, despite being born in Korea and raised as a Confucian boy! I sexually harassed another person's mother! This was a grave disrespect to the mother who raised me! Furthermore, I report this to Ms. Han Yumi and earnestly request to receive my rightful punishment—!!"
"?"
His forehead was pressed against the floor, his arms clasped behind his back, supporting his entire body weight using only his head and feet.
In other words, the head-stand punishment—a classic form of military hazing that our fathers' generation used to endure.
Why on earth is an elementary schooler apologizing like that, using that kind of bizarre phrasing?
I froze mid-rise, completely at a loss for what to do. Meanwhile, Dae Man-bok's mother didn't even care about our reactions; a vein bulged on her forehead as she let out a terrifying smile.
"What did you say to Taeyang about Yumi's chest?"
"I said his mom's breasts were huge!!"
"Is that something an elementary schooler should say, especially about someone else's parent?!"
"Absolutely not!!"
"Then why did you say it?! Don't tell me... you've been doing strange things behind my back lately?!"
"..."
"Oh, look at you! Not going to answer?!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Waaaaah!!!"
Grabbing the plastic basket she had used earlier to collect the melon cards, she whacked the kid right over the head. Since it was plastic, it just made a loud noise, but it was still terrifying to watch. Man-bok flattened himself against the floor, clutching his head, forcing me to step in and stop her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Man-bok's mother! Easy!"
"No, it's fine. I used to be pretty strict with him back in the day, but I've let him off easy lately because of my schedule. Between us, this is nothing."
"What do you mean it's nothing? If you're going to hit him, do it at home, why here... Wait, no, that's not the point. Even for discipline, beating up a kid is a bit much."
"No, really, he's been acting strange lately. Hanging out with weird kids, too. When I looked in his room today, there was a whole stack of cards I've never seen in my life! You have no idea how shocked I was!"
"Uh, well..."
"I should have set him straight before Yumi even had to bring it up, but work has been such a mess. Well, this works out great!! You, get over here! Won't you come here right now?! Where do you think you're sneaking off behind that mister's back?!"
"I'm sorry! Save me!"
She hurled the plastic basket, scoring a clean hit right on his head.
Truly, parenting styles vary wildly from family to family.
Thanks to all that chaos, it took quite a while before we could even introduce ourselves properly.
"Ahem. I'm Lee Ga-eun. I don't know if you heard from Yumi, but we're both single mothers. We hit it off and have been close like sisters ever since."
"I'm Lee Baek. Due to certain circumstances, I'm working here as a part-timer at my age."
I looked at her awkwardly.
Perhaps beating up Man-bok had helped her blow off some steam, as she was now wearing a much softer smile than before.
She looks like a woman with a fierce personality.
She had parted bangs and black hair tied back. Her half-lidded eyes were sharp, and surprisingly, her irises were red. Her figure was easily comparable to Yumi's, but her aura made her far less approachable.
In this neighborhood, was there some unwritten rule forcing mothers to wear MILF outfits? She, too, exuded a distinct sexual charm in her black ensemble.
Considering when she got pregnant, Yumi is remarkably young, but this woman is no slouch either.
When I greeted her politely, she responded with a much warmer demeanor, mentioning that she had already heard about me.
"I was planning to drop by and meet you sometime soon, but work kept me so busy."
"You mentioned that earlier. How often are you away from home?"
"Usually, I'd be sleeping at this hour because I work all night. When the teacher called yesterday with news like this, you have no idea how shocked I was. I woke up right out of sleep, grabbed my boy, and ran all the way here!"
"It's alright, Unni. They're just kids playing around, so you don't need to worry so much."
"No, Yumi. Taeyang turned out great, so he's fine, but my boy seems to be standing at some critical crossroads that even I don't understand. If I don't set him straight right now, he might go completely astray."
For the record, the troublemaker Man-bok was currently standing in the corner of the living room with both hands raised in the air.
Realizing that his mouth was the source of all his misfortunes, he looked deeply remorseful.
"Haaah. When you think about it, it's all my fault in the end. Leaving my kid unattended during his most crucial years... Yeah, who else can I blame?"
"Mom, it's not that..."
"Don't interrupt when adults are talking. Keep your mouth shut and stay right there."
Seeing him try to speak up to defend his mom proved he wasn't a bad kid at heart. That explained why Yumi had tried to defend him despite what he had said about her.
However, precisely because he was usually a good kid, Ga-eun seemed all the more baffled by his recent behavior.
"Apparently, he went all the way to another neighborhood last time to pick fights. From what I heard, he challenged all the kids from local card shops, just like Taeyang. But whenever I ask him what's wrong, he clams up again. Why on earth is he acting like this? Is it because he hates me?"
"No, that's..."
"Then tell me. What is going on with you?"
"..."
"Dae Man-bok!!"
Though Man-bok had been fluently spouting apologies just moments ago, he shut his mouth tight once more. Seeing that, I could understand why Ga-eun was so furious.
There was a strong sense of miscommunication between them. Yumi seemed to feel it too, as she gathered the kids and whispered softly to me.
"Mr. Lee Baek, please help. When Unni gets like this, I can't stop her."
Not only the usually talkative Taeyang, but even Saetbyeol and Chaerin were keeping quiet, nervously darting their eyes around.
Honestly, it wasn't a great environment for the kids. Besides, we had actual business to discuss regarding this matter anyway.
"Ma'am. Scolding him is one thing, but we asked you over because we have something specific to discuss. We also have questions for Man-bok, so please hold back for a moment and hear us out first."
"...Right. You mentioned something earlier, didn't you? That my boy got involved in something dangerous."
"Yes."
Ga-eun knitted her brows in displeasure, but she didn't push the issue unreasonably.
I gestured for the punished kid to come over and sit down. Only then did the heavy atmosphere ease up, allowing Taeyang and the other kids to let out a deep breath.
"I can talk now, right? I won't get yelled at?"
"You won't get yelled at, so hurry up and explain."
Taeyang, who was at the center of this commotion, began explaining about Locust. He shared my theories regarding their methods and mentioned how Man-bok's battle style closely resembled theirs. Sure enough, Ga-eun's expression darkened. Rather than anger toward her son like before, her face now wore an indescribable parental expression—a mix of disappointment and confusion.
"Like I said earlier, I'm often busy with work, so I end up neglecting Man-bok a lot. Still, I bought him plenty of toys so he wouldn't feel left out. But... the Beyond cards I saw in his room today weren't things I ever bought him."
"Ugh."
A guilty conscience needs no accuser; Man-bok dropped to his knees and hung his head. It was a posture of complete surrender and admission of guilt.
"Don't tell me... you stole them?!"
"That's, well..."
"I checked your deck just in case, and I was shocked! Mom never bought you cards that powerful!"
"The cards in my deck... I received them."
"From where?!"
"I-I don't know who they were! It was just... one day when I was battling late at the park, a kid who looked about my age and an older girl came up to me. They said something weird like, 'I see darkness in your heart.' Then they suddenly handed me a few Beyond cards and said, 'This will solve your worries!!'"
Hearing that, I did a mental spit-take.
Holy shit. What kind of textbook brainwashing episode setup is that?
That was the kind of plot point you'd find in literally any kids' anime.
If this followed standard tropes, there was a high probability that the cards he received were tampered with, leading to an event where the kid gets mind-controlled.
"You accepted such suspicious cards?!"
"No, I just took them! I didn't do anything else suspicious!"
"Wait, how many cards did you get?"
"...Fifteen."
"There were way more cards than that in your room! What were those?!"
"Those were... cards I won from Beyond Battles..."
"You took other people's cards?! That IS stealing!!"
She yelled again, but this time, it was entirely justified. Considering the value of Beyond cards in this world, having stacks of them in an elementary schooler's room was equivalent to finding wads of cash lying around. It was only natural for a parent to be shocked and wonder what crime their child had committed. Let alone if that money had been extorted from others—she had every right to be furious.
"I told you earlier, didn't I? I always made sure you had everything you needed. Why would you do such a thing?"
"That's... well... Huh? Ugh!"
"...Man-bok?"
We are so fucked.
"W-Why... did I... extort those cards? Was it... because of Mom?"
Man-bok suddenly clutched his head. The moment I saw that, I knew the inevitable had arrived.
"Ugh, no! It's not... because of Mom! Sure, I was annoyed, but I didn't... I didn't need to steal my friends' precious cards... Arghhh!!"
"Man-bok! Man-bok!"
He collapsed to the floor.
Ga-eun, who had been scolding her son so harshly just moments ago, panicked with worry as if her previous anger had been a lie. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him frantically.
"What's wrong with my boy all of a sudden?! Taeyang! Do you know anything about this?!"
"E-Even if you ask me..."
"We don't know anything either! Really!"
"But he collapsed right after you mentioned Locust! Don't tell me he's involved with those people?!"
The one who answered her question was none other than Man-bok himself.
"Indeed. As for involvement, he's already deeply involved. Didn't this brat just say so?"
"Man-bok?!"
The collapsed boy staggered back to his feet. When his eyes opened, they were completely rolled back into white—he was unmistakably possessed.
To make matters worse, a glowing locust emblem was etched onto his broad forehead like a tattoo. Losing his childish voice, he began speaking in a ventriloquist-like tone, echoing someone else's voice entirely.
"You lot again. Interfering with Locust's operations... You really are an eyesore."
Seeing yet another cliché I felt like I'd seen somewhere before, all my tension instantly evaporated.
In stark contrast to my relaxed reaction, Taeyang leaped up from his seat, ready to draw his deck at a moment's notice.
"I've heard this voice somewhere before!"
"That's right! It's the voice of the guy who attacked me and Taeyang last time!!"
And so, the main episode officially began.