Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Dragon Goes to Kindergarten (3)
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Children's innocence can be a balm at times, but it can also be poison.
Because they view the world through untainted eyes, they boldly expose uncomfortable truths.
"Dad might have abandoned us...?"
Tremble, tremble—
Choryun's legs shook with anxiety.
The words those kids had said kept circling around in her head.
"No, it can't be. Dad wouldn't do that! He'll definitely come back! He said he'd come pick me up!"
Shake, shake—
Choryun shook her head from side to side to dispel her anxiety.
Even so, the uneasy feeling lingered in her heart.
"Come to think of it, Dad and I aren't blood-related, and we've caused him trouble lately. From Dad's perspective, he might want to abandon us..."
Sob, sob—
Choryun buried her face in her desk and began to cry.
"Sniff, Dad... I'll eat my meat properly, and I won't be picky anymore... Come baaack..."
"What's her deal all of a sudden?!"
Hwaryun, who was sitting next to her, jumped in surprise and shook Choryun's body vigorously.
"Snap out of it, Choryun! What are you doing out of nowhere! Why are you crying!"
"Dad, I was wrong... I'm reflecting on it... Come baaack..."
"Ch-Choryun's wilting away!"
Choryun's body went limp and floppy, just like spinach that's been boiled to mush.
What in the world had happened to Choryun?
Hwaryun turned to Suryun, who was sitting in the next seat.
"Hey, Suryun. What's her problem all of a sudden?"
"Hmm."
Suryun responded in a tone that suggested she couldn't care less.
"Looks like she ate something bad."
"We haven't eaten anything today, though?"
"Then maybe she's like that because she hasn't eaten anything."
"Hmph, I was an idiot for expecting anything from you! Totally useless!"
Sigh—
Frustrated, Hwaryun let out a deep sigh.
She grumbled inwardly, recalling what Dad had told her.
'The eldest for what! Why do I have to be responsible for these kids! They're such a pain!'
With her lips pursed, Hwaryun spoke to Choryun, who was lying limp across her desk.
"Hey, Choryun!"
"Yeees, sis..."
"I don't know what's wrong, but we'll talk after class is over!"
Even so, she was the eldest.
No matter how annoying it was, if her little sister was crying, she had to at least ask.
Following Ha-joon's words, Hwaryun made some effort to act like a proper big sister.
"Got it..."
"Ugh, even her way of talking's gotten weird!"
After hearing Choryun's limp response.
Hwaryun and Suryun attended class alongside their new friends.
Even so.
"It's more fun than just sitting at home watching TV!"
"Yeah. There's a thrill to observing things. It's not boring."
They had come to rather like this place called kindergarten.
Everyone except Choryun, who missed her dad.
"Dad, come baaack..."
Sob, sob—
Choryun shed tears as she desperately called out for Dad on her own.
***
Once all the classes had ended.
The six kindergarteners who had parents waiting boarded Gu Bong-gu's bus and headed home.
That left a total of eight kids at Happy Kindergarten.
"Hey, Choryun!"
"Yeees...?"
"Why are you all wilted out like that! What's the reason!"
Hwaryun crossed her arms and asked confidently, every bit the big sister.
At the question, Choryun clutched her head.
"Ugh, my head...!"
It was an unpleasant memory to dredge up.
But under Hwaryun's blazing glare, she was forced to speak.
"So, what happened was..."
Whisper, whisper—
Whisper, whisper—
Choryun explained what had gone down in the bathroom.
At that, Hwaryun slammed her fist down on a nearby desk—BAM!—and bellowed.
"Who the heck were those kids! Dad abandoning us? That's total nonsense! That's insulting Dad!!"
Grrrrr—
Hwaryun glared around like a hunting dog with her eyes narrowed.
Conveniently enough, Min-gu's gang was standing right nearby.
Hwaryun charged straight over and yelled at them.
"You!"
"W-what?"
"You guys bullied Choryun! Fess up?!"
"W-we don't know what you're talking about, but it wasn't us! Actually, we're grateful to you guys!"
Min-gu's gang bowed their heads as they spoke.
"The truth is, we don't have parents, so kids with parents bully us every day. You beat up Hyun-su for us today—it felt great. Thanks."
Bow—
Min-gu's gang offered Hwaryun their sincere thanks.
In response to their gratitude, Hwaryun tilted her chin up and shot back.
"I didn't do it for your thanks or anything! I just beat him 'cause I felt like it! And you guys—if they bully you, fight back! Why'd you just take it?!"
"If we hit them, their parents show up. But we don't have any parents, right? No matter how much Teacher Bong-gu protects us, we end up losing in the end 'cause we don't have parents."
Led by Min-gu, the kids wore bitter smiles.
Seeing that, Hwaryun learned a fact she'd been unaware of.
'In the human world, no parents means no protection, huh.'
'But dragons are totally overpowered, so we don't need any help from parents!'
Hwaryun's conclusion boiled down to: 'Dragons are the best!'
Anyway.
Hwaryun roughly summed up the situation.
"So in the end, Choryun just imagined the whole thing by herself!"
Suryun, standing off to the side, chimed in.
"Idiot. Moron. Pooch. Choryun just fantasized all on her own. There's no way Dad would abandon us. Guess her faith in him is that shaky."
Heh heh—
What an idiot.
From her corner, Suryun snickered with one eye covered.
Choryun muttered softly in an aggrieved tone.
"It's not a fantasy... It really could happen..."
"Fantasy Dragon! Fantasy Dragon's here! Raaargh! Run for your lives!"
"Falling for human words like that. You're no dragon starting today. Don't besmirch dragon honor—withdraw right now."
And so.
Hwaryun and Suryun wrote off the incident as Choryun's wild imagination and overreaction, then teased the sniffling Choryun while giggling away.
But as the clock kept ticking and time dragged on.
Even they started to grow uneasy.
"Why... isn't Dad coming...?"
Tap, tap, tap—
Anxious, Hwaryun's foot pecked at the floor like a woodpecker.
"Yeah, it's about time he showed up..."
Peek, peek—
Suryun kept glancing out the window, waiting for Dad to arrive.
And yet, there was no sign of Ha-joon anywhere.
Perhaps that's why.
"...So when's Dad coming?"
"...Yeah. Maybe Dad's just another puny human after all."
"...Looks like we've been abandoned. Guess we need to figure out where to crash tonight."
Something.
Was brewing at the kindergarten.
Min-gu's gang watched the dragon crew on the verge of erupting and huddled together in terror.
'W-what the heck ever it is... S-save us...!'
Without even knowing what was going on, they began to sense mortal danger.
***
"Whew, finally over. That core was so far—nearly killed me."
It was finally done.
I stretched my body as I stepped out of the dimensional gate.
The sun was already on the verge of setting.
"Should've told the elf if I knew it'd run this late."
Today was their first day at kindergarten.
I'd planned to pick them up myself.
But things had dragged on longer than expected.
"Gotta go before it gets any later. I'm heading out. Good work, everyone!"
In a rush—
I gave a quick goodbye to the association staff and hurried to the subway station.
Dragging my exhausted body through rush hour, I crammed onto a packed train and made it to 09 District.
"Even after classes end, they'll have waited at least another hour. Tsk, better hurry."
I hoped the kids had a good day.
It'd be nice if they'd made some friends.
The first day wouldn't be easy, but they'd adapt to the human world in time.
With those thoughts, I sprinted full-tilt toward the kindergarten.
"Huff... huff..."
Thanks to my enhanced body, I arrived in no time.
I threw open the kindergarten door and called out.
"Gu Bong-gu, it's me! How'd the kids do today?"
"..."
"No answer?"
I slipped off my shoes and glanced toward the director's office.
"Not there. Maybe in the bathroom."
Just as I figured he'd stepped away for a moment.
BAM—!!
"Wh-what the hell."
Suddenly, I heard loud thumps from upstairs.
I rushed up to the classroom on the floor above.
That was when I beheld the shocking scene.
"Dad's not coming!! He abandoned us!! Raaaaagh!!"
"Aaagh! Hwaryun! Don't bite my hand—let go already!"
"Raaaaagh!!"
An enraged Hwaryun was sunk into Gu Bong-gu's hand with her teeth.
Gu Bong-gu flailed his arm trying to shake her off, but Hwaryun clung on tight and wouldn't budge.
"...What the heck got her so pissed?"
And.
Suryun was huddled in the corner with her knees drawn up, muttering something under her breath.
"Heh heh, Dad's just another pathetic human after all... Trash human... This world's full of trash, just like I thought... Heh heh heh..."
"..."
I had no idea what had happened.
But her chuunibyou had fully kicked in.
My head throbbed at the chaotic mess.
"What the hell happened on the first day of kindergarten? Anybody wanna fill me in?"
"...Daddy."
"Ah, there's Choryun! Choryun, what the heck's going on here?"
Surely Choryun would explain it to me nicely?
With that in mind, I flashed a big smile and asked her.
But Choryun latched onto my arm with a vice grip and gazed up at me with cold eyes as she intoned.
"...Why'd you take so long to get here, Daddy? I've just been waiting for you this whole time."
"Ah, work ran late. Sorry I was a little delayed."
"...I see. So you didn't decide to abandon us and then change your mind?"
"Abandon us? What are you even talking about?"
Choryun was saying some weird stuff.
Did she eat the wrong veggies today or something?
But she wouldn't let go of my arm and spoke to me with a dead serious face.
It was my first time seeing Choryun like this, and it creeped me out a little.
"Daddy."
"Y-yeah, Choryun..."
"You're really not planning to abandon us? You didn't just dump us here at kindergarten and try to run off?"
"I've got no clue what scary nonsense you're spouting since earlier... Why would I abandon you kids, Choryun? If I wanted to, I'd have done it ages ago."
Why was she suddenly saying stuff like this?
Without knowing the context, I was totally lost.
Choryun stared me right in the face for a full minute after my answer, then finally released my arm and gave me a bright smile.
"Then we're good, Daddy. Looks like I misunderstood for a second there."
"Misunderstood?"
"Yeah. Seems someone was badmouthing you. We'll settle that score later. Let's hurry home, Daddy."
Squeeze—
Along with her quick explanation, Choryun grabbed my hand.
It all happened so fast I was left blinking in confusion.
'No, this isn't the time.'
I shook my head to clear it and approached Hwaryun.
"Hey, Hwaryun! What're you doing to Gu Bong-gu! Let go already!"
"Raaaaagh!"
I jumped into the middle of Hwaryun and Gu Bong-gu's tussle.
As I held back Hwaryun's rampage, I thought to myself.
'What the heck happened at kindergarten today?'
Stopping this fight took priority.
I figured it'd be better to hear the kids' story later.
***
The incident wrapped up, more or less.
"You kids get home quick... I gotta clean the kindergarten... Out, now!!"
Gu Bong-gu looked wiped out as he chased us away.
Anyway, we left the kindergarten and set off for home.
A red sunset was sinking right on cue.
"What a mess. Causing trouble on the very first day of kindergarten."
Sigh—
These accident-magnet dragons.
I let out a sigh as I looked at the kids.
"Hmph, it's all late Dad's fault!"
"...Agree."
"It's not really Daddy's fault, but the situation wasn't great!"
No clue why they were in such good moods.
They all had these pointlessly cheerful looks on their faces.
'These idiot dragons.'
Suryun and Choryun holding my hands.
Hwaryun strolling leisurely ahead and glancing back at us.
I gave the kids a casual question.
"So, how was kindergarten today, everyone? Have fun?"
Hwaryun met my eyes by walking backward as she answered.
"Yeah, it was fun! There's a fun to conquering kindergarten! I'm gonna make 'em all my minions!"
"Didn't you say being leader was a hassle before?"
"Every gang needs a boss, Dad! If not me, then who! It's gotta be me!"
"Sounds good. Love the big dreams. Let's aim even higher—go for president, Hwaryun."
"Yeah!"
Hwaryun answered with an innocent grin.
Her kindergarten conquest plan aside.
It seemed like they'd had a decent time there.
'...Kids should dream big.'
The older you get, the smaller those dreams become.
Dreaming big is a kid's privilege.
'Hwaryun looks like she'll adapt just fine.'
I turned to Suryun, who was gripping my left hand tight.
"What about you, Suryun? Did you have fun?"
"It was okay. Learning wasn't fun or anything. But exploring the surroundings was interesting. So this is what humans are like, huh."
Surprisingly, Suryun seemed to like kindergarten too.
"So what do you think humans are?"
"Pure, concentrated evil trash. All humans are trash except Dad. Heh heh, that's the unbreakable axiom."
"Hmm, I see..."
I hoped she'd change her mind after meeting more people.
There are plenty of trash humans, sure—but plenty who aren't, too.
Maybe direct experience with the outside world would change Suryun.
Then, I looked at Choryun, who was holding my right hand.
"What about you, Choryun? How was kindergarten?"
"I... heard some weird stuff that bummed me out... but I think I need a few more days to know for sure... Still, maybe we can all be friends..."
Of course.
"Except the ones who insulted Daddy."
"..."
Looks like Choryun had gotten hit with some parent shade.
Kids' innocence can be downright scary at times.
'They probably told her she got abandoned by her parents. Obvious as day.'
Kids don't realize it's something they shouldn't say.
They just do it 'cause teasing's fun.
I'd learned that the hard way, surviving the 09 District hood from a young age.
"Choryun."
"Yeees, Daddy."
"If they pull that again, give 'em a proper scolding. Make sure they never say it twice."
"Yes! I'll turn them all into veggies!"
"No, I meant scold them moderately..."
"Yessir!"
Anyway.
Incidents aside.
The dragon kids seemed reasonably satisfied with kindergarten.
It definitely looked better than rotting at home in front of the TV all day.
"If I'm late next time, the elves will come pick you up. Got it?"
"I hate elves! They're dragon bigots! Dad's gotta come get us!"
"Get too late, and you'll have to stay at kindergarten longer?"
"It's fine! Dad come get us!"
And so.
After wrapping up at kindergarten, the kids and I headed home together.
Under the setting sun.
Our family strolled down the street, chatting happily about the day's events.
'We've got so much more to talk about now.'
And.
The cheerful conversation carried on until we all drifted off to Dreamland.
Being so young, the kids had endless things to say.
My daughters, and all the more lovable for it.