Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Suryeon's Precious Game Console (4)
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Suryeon sat on the sofa, shedding tears over the sorrow of losing her game console.
“Sniff… Hic…”
The tears showed no sign of stopping even as time passed.
“How on earth did you lose your Nintendo…?”
“Hic… I… properly… hic… put it in my bag… huuu…”
“No, let someone else explain.”
The more she spoke, the more upset she got and cried harder.
It seemed better to have someone else explain.
“Then, can Choryeon explain?”
“Yes, Dad! I’ll explain on her behalf!”
Whoosh—!
Choryeon raised her hand high toward the sky.
She looked at me and began explaining in detail.
“Suryeon sister said that the Nintendo was safely in her bag until third period! But after fourth period PE class ended and we came back to the classroom, the Nintendo had vanished completely!”
“Hmm, a theft, then.”
“That could be it!”
“Good explanation, Choryeon.”
Pat, pat—
I stroked the head of Choryeon, who had explained it so thoroughly.
From what I heard, it seemed someone had stolen Suryeon’s Nintendo.
“Hmm, this needs a proper investigation…”
This wasn’t just a kids’ issue.
Theft was close to a crime, so I thought parents needed to get involved.
As I pondered what to do, Hwaryeon erupted in fury like a blazing fire.
“How dare they steal someone else’s stuff! I can’t forgive that! Especially when it happened in our class!”
Fwoosh, fwoosh—
Hwaryeon was furious about the theft in her class.
Having been class president for three years, she had a special attachment to her class.
“Hwaryeon, calm down. We don’t even know if the culprit is one of your classmates yet.”
“Hmph, I don’t like it! I don’t like having to suspect my subordinates!”
Hwaryeon seemed thoroughly pissed.
Perhaps Suryeon empathized with that anger.
She wiped her streaming tears and sniffled.
“Hic… Me too… I don’t like it… huu… How dare they… touch a dragon’s possession… hic… My precious Nintendo… full of memories… with my friends…”
Chill—
Amid her sobs, Suryeon muttered with cold fury.
“The culprit who took my Nintendo… hic… I’ll never forgive them…”
Suryeon’s rage burned coldly.
I held a tissue to her nose and said,
“Snot’s dripping, Suryeon. Sniff it up.”
“Nggh—!”
That’s better now.
The snot had been dripping so much it was bothering me.
Anyway.
I placed a hand on Suryeon’s shoulder and said,
“Suryeon, Dad will take care of this.”
My daughter’s stuff had been stolen.
This was a job for Dad.
I said that and was about to text her homeroom teacher.
But.
“No, Dad!”
Swish—
Suryeon stopped my hand and said,
“We can handle this ourselves! Dad doesn’t need to go through the trouble!”
The kids would solve it among themselves.
Choryeon’s eyes held firm conviction as she said that.
However.
“Hic… Choryeon… who are you to step up… It’s my game console… hic…”
Suryeon’s thoughts seemed completely different.
“It’s my… hic… game console…”
“This isn’t a situation where Dad needs to step in! We’ll handle it ourselves!”
Choryeon spoke with conviction.
‘My daughter’s speaking with such conviction… How could I say no here?’
I had no choice but to side with Choryeon.
It didn’t matter if she couldn’t find it anyway.
‘How dare they steal my daughter’s stuff? It was so hard to get.’
I could always step in and find it myself.
Dad was always ready.
***
Morning roll call.
The homeroom teacher checked attendance.
“Hmm, everyone’s here today too! But why is Suryeon lying face down?”
Suryeon had buried her face in her desk and slumped over.
Choryeon shot her hand up and answered.
“Suryeon sister’s not feeling well today! She’s really shocked!”
“You’re sick, huh. If it’s too hard to tough it out, you can go to the nurse’s office.”
“No, the nurse’s office can’t treat it!”
“?”
Then what exactly was wrong?
As the clueless homeroom teacher looked puzzled.
“Everyone, freeze!!”
Thud—!
Hwaryeon shot up from her seat and shouted.
“From now on, I, Hwaryeon, am taking over this classroom!!”
Hwaryeon suddenly stood and headed to the teacher’s desk.
The homeroom teacher jumped in surprise and said,
“Hwaryeon, what are you doing right now!?”
“Hmph, stay out of it, teacher!”
She lightly pushed the homeroom teacher aside.
Hwaryeon claimed the teacher’s desk.
Hwaryeon slammed the desk once and shouted.
Boom—!
“I, Hwaryeon, am disappointed in my subordinates! All because of this utterly disgraceful incident!”
Glance—
Hwaryeon side-eyed the homeroom teacher and said,
“If you confess now, I won’t… won’t sue…!”
“Hwaryeon sister, it’s sue.”
“R-right! I won’t sue! So close your eyes, everyone!”
At Hwaryeon’s words, the kids closed their eyes without a word.
“If you think you did something wrong, open your eyes!”
“…”
Silence, with no one speaking.
One kid timidly opened her eyes and said,
“S-sorry… Hwaryeon…”
“You’re the culprit?!”
“Actually, I had candy in my pocket yesterday… and I didn’t give you any because I wanted to eat it…”
“…From now on, I’ll inspect you personally! But that’s not the wrong thing to confess right now!”
Whew—
Hwaryeon waited a bit longer.
But no other kids opened their eyes.
“Fine, so no one’s guilty!? Then I’ll inspect your bags myself! Everyone, put your bags on your desks!”
At Hwaryeon’s command, the kids placed their bags on their desks in unison.
The homeroom teacher let out a hollow laugh at the sight.
“Why do the kids listen to Hwaryeon more than me…?”
With all bags on the desks.
Hwaryeon ordered Choryeon, who stood beside her.
“Choryeon! You inspect Group 1!”
“Yes, Hwaryeon sister! I shall obey your command!”
“Don’t use fancy words!”
One by one.
Hwaryeon and Choryeon opened bags and checked the contents.
To return Suryeon’s precious game console, they diligently rummaged through the bags.
“…!”
At that moment.
Something caught in Hwaryeon’s hand.
Hwaryeon glared at the bag’s owner and slowly opened her mouth.
“You… Kim Si-hu…!”
“…”
“You hid a cream bun in your bag…?!”
“Ahem.”
Kim Si-hu cleared his throat awkwardly and began explaining.
“I bought it from the canteen this morning. It’s still warm.”
“Great, I’ll eat it! Thanks!”
“…Sure.”
Snatch—!
After confiscating Kim Si-hu’s cream bun.
Hwaryeon and Choryeon continued inspecting the bags.
However, even after checking everything, Suryeon’s game console was nowhere to be seen.
“Hmph, did they not bring it from home? It’s not here!”
Pout—
Hwaryeon stuck her lips out like a duck in utter dissatisfaction.
Choryeon calmed her down and said,
“Calm down, Hwaryeon sister. The culprit might not be in our class.”
“…”
“It might not be stolen. It could’ve just fallen somewhere. Let’s think positively!”
Beam—!
Choryeon smiled like a sunflower.
Unable to help it, Hwaryeon sighed and declared,
“Bag inspection over! No culprit in our class!”
Thus, the suffocating inspection time ended.
The kids breathed sighs of relief.
And around the end of first period.
Choryeon approached a shabby-looking boy and said,
“Could you come with me for a sec?”
“…”
Choryeon was smiling.
But also not smiling.
“…Okay.”
***
A flower bed full of blooms.
Choryeon handed a watering can to the boy and said,
“Water this flower bed!”
“H-huh?”
“Hurry!”
Perhaps he hadn’t expected such words.
The boy panicked and started watering.
Choryeon stood quietly behind him and spoke softly.
“By the way, I’m curious about your name. What is it?”
“Jang Geun-woo…”
“Jang Geun-woo, you seem like you’d grow strong even as a vegetable person!”
Beam—
Choryeon said that with a bright smile.
But to Jang Geun-woo, that Choryeon was just scary.
“W-why didn’t you say anything?”
“About what?”
“Th-that Suryeon’s Nintendo was in my bag… Why didn’t you say…? Aren’t you family…?”
“Hmm, that?”
Choryeon pondered briefly with a thoughtful expression, then said matter-of-factly,
“If I’d said it right there, Jang Geun-woo, you might’ve died at Suryeon sister’s hands.”
“W-what?”
“Unlike others, messing with our sisters’ stuff leads to big trouble.”
Touching possessions of dragons with strong possessiveness.
Throughout history, no one who stole from dragons met a good end.
Choryeon’s emerald eyes gleamed as she quietly stared at Jang Geun-woo.
“I saved you. So you wouldn’t die to Suryeon sister.”
“Uh, uhhh…”
“I like peace. I don’t want to trouble Dad. I’d like this matter to pass quietly too.”
So.
“What should we do with the thief? I’ll give you options.”
Option 1.
“Sell the Nintendo you took.”
Option 2.
“Quietly return the Nintendo to its place.”
Choryeon said that and gave a gentle eye smile.
“Choose. Jang Geun-woo.”
It looked like giving a choice.
But it was anything but free.
Outwardly pure, Choryeon was a Green Dragon bearing dragon blood.
“Please make a wise choice.”
Smile—
Choryeon simply wished for peace.
***
After school.
Around the time to head home.
While cleaning, Choryeon’s voice rang out.
“Suryeon sister! Come here!”
“…”
“The Nintendo’s here!”
“…!!”
Thud—!
At the word Nintendo, Suryeon shot up from her slumped position.
And immediately dashed toward Choryeon.
“…Where’s my Nintendo?”
“It fell under the cleaning supply box! Must’ve slipped out of your bag and gone right under!”
“…No way.”
Even recalling her memory, the odds of that happening were zero.
Still, Suryeon reached out toward the Nintendo on the floor.
“…My precious Nintendo.”
Anyway.
The important thing was she’d gotten her Nintendo back.
Suryeon hugged the Nintendo tightly to her chest and muttered,
“I’m so glad I found it again…”
Animal Sea.
Pukimon.
Legend of Jelly.
She’d thought all the memories with them were gone.
Just losing the Nintendo.
Had made her think all the memories and friends inside were gone.
Through this incident, Suryeon realized one thing.
‘…Even losing the Nintendo made me this sad.’
But.
What if Dad, who holds my memories, disappeared?
Dad might vanish someday like the Nintendo.
Even in this short time, it was so sad.
What would happen if Dad, who holds my memories, vanished right before my eyes?
“…I’ll never lose it again. Ever.”
Squeeze—
Suryeon gripped the recovered precious Nintendo tightly and vowed.
“…So I won’t lose Dad either. Ever. For life.”
Forever.
Just like the Nintendo that holds memories.
Through this incident, Suryeon’s.
Possessiveness toward Dad grew even stronger.
Fundamentally, Dad and the Nintendo were the same in holding memories.
Though Dad was human, unlike the object Nintendo.
“Still, glad I got it back.”
Suryeon hugged the Nintendo Dad bought her preciously and felt relieved.