Grandpa Tree (2)
“What the hell is this unstable barrier?”
Kim Jaesang, the Dongdae chief, muttered the instant he stepped in front of the park.
He gathered mana in his eyes and scanned the barrier.
“A barrier to block the enemy…?”
“Everything is thanks to you, Chief.”
“What the heck are you talking about?”
“The stuff you said in the office—that’s what caused the trouble.”
“…No. We can’t say trouble’s broken out yet. Nothing’s confirmed.”
“Yes, exactly. Let’s try a hope circuit. I hope you do too.”
“Hmph…”
Leaving the chief’s short groan behind, Choi Yeon entered the park.
Beneath the ancient weeping willow, he saw their target: Ko Sung-yoon and Park Chae-eun.
A trio of men with bulging veins in their necks accompanied them, and their faces showed no sign of friendship.
The two men stretched out their arms to grab Sung-yoon, while the one whose right arm looked twice the size of his left stood a step back, watching them.
Choi Yeon immediately realized they were sizing up Sung-yoon’s skills.
“Oh, he’s dodging well?”
Kim Jaesang’s admiration reached Choi Yeon’s ear.
Just as the chief had said, Sung-yoon dodged the outstretched arms with fluid grace.
He had seen the arms coming and was already moving.
His physical ability was excellent, but Choi Yeon still didn’t understand.
Without the mascot costume, Sung-yoon shouldn’t be moving like that.
“So you awakened your skill and your physical stats improved?”
“…No. My physical ability is exactly the same.”
“Then what is that? You’re dodging pretty well for someone who looks clumsy.”
“From what I see… it looks like a buff.”
“Eh? Buff?”
“Watch.”
Tap.
Choi Yeon pointed his index finger at Sung-yoon.
Sung-yoon, who had been dodging the claw-like hands, staggered.
“That’s it. The way he’s moving is exactly like the first time he received a buff.”
“Oh. Now that you mention it…”
The chief nodded in agreement.
But if it was a buff…
“Well, who could have cast it? It couldn’t have been the guy with the big arm.”
“Hmm. Maybe Chae-eun cast it with her sprout headband?”
“There’s a possibility. Hmmm…”
“Still, we should have checked earlier.”
“If we had, the trouble would have grown. There might be a catfish whose name we don’t know.”
“True.”
Kim Jaesang’s words made Choi Yeon nod immediately.
Just a few days ago he had created muddy water and hadn’t gone home on time trying to clear it.
The sprout headband artifact would have stirred up a huge amount of mud as well.
Swoosh.
Kim Jaesang took out his smartphone and turned on the camera function.
“Why are you filming?”
“This is Cultural Dong. We’re the kind of guys who get into fights every five minutes, so let’s give them something to complain about.”
“Ah.”
“More than that, don’t cause friction. Handle it quietly. Those bastards—”
“The Jeokryeohui?”
“Oh, you already know?”
“Red veins—that’s the hallmark of the Jeokryeohui.”
After answering casually, Choi Yeon stepped forward.
He never saw the chief’s face behind him, which had been smiling with satisfaction. It was fortunate.
If he had seen it, he would have shivered all over with goosebumps.
“Enough of that. Let’s wrap this up.”
Choi Yeon’s voice sliced between Sung-yoon and the Jeokryeohui.
The men turned, surprise written on their faces. Of course. They had not noticed Choi Yeon’s presence until his voice sounded.
Sung-yoon’s face turned from surprise to joy, while the Jeokryeohui members’ faces were filled only with shock.
It was natural, given that a blade rather than a voice had been what they expected.
“…Who are you?”
“I’m Choi Yeon, a hunter from Seonhwa-dong.”
“A Dongdae hunter? You?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
The Jeokryeohui members exchanged glances.
Their eyes moved quietly but busily, discussing how to act.
Soon they nodded.
The result of the silent consultation was a short-haired member’s right foot stepping forward.
He moved with no intention of retreating, and his right hand slipped toward his waist.
“Hey, Seonhwa-dong Dongdae hunter.”
“Yeah.”
“This is Cultural Dong.”
“So what?”
“So, just pretend you didn’t see us and leave.”
“Hmm. I can’t do that.”
“Oh? What a shame. Ah, woah…!”
The short-haired Jeokryeohui member swung his right hand the moment he reached Choi Yeon.
The dagger in his grip sliced toward Choi Yeon’s side.
It was aimed, nothing more.
Before the weapon could fulfill its purpose, Choi Yeon grabbed the Jeokryeohui member’s wrist.
Snap.
The left hand that had seized the wrist tightened.
“Don’t do that.”
“……!”
Panic flooded the short-haired member’s eyes.
He desperately yanked his wrist back, but the hand that held him did not budge.
The tighter he pulled, the stronger the grip became, like a rope that tightened instead of loosening.
“W-what? Let go!”
“Drop the dagger first and I’ll let go.”
“You stupid squinty-eyed brat! Fine, try it then!”
“…”
Try it? The guy who was about to draw his dagger and swing it—was that his line?
Even in the absurd situation, Choi Yeon watched the Jeokryeohui member’s movement. He was clearly shifting to attack with his left hand instead of the trapped right.
The moment he reached for his right hand to stop that, he heard a voice.
“Enough.”
It came from one of the Jeokryeohui members who had been watching silently.
The voice grew closer.
“Enough, step back.”
“Wait a minute…! Leave it to me, team leader. I can take care of these squinty-eyed brats in a second!”
“No. You won’t manage it.”
“What, what did you say?”
“You know why? Seonhwa-dong Fox.”
What fox?
Choi Yeon tilted his head. He had never heard the name before.
Why call a person a fox?
“What? Don’t tell me you don’t know? That’s the nickname the other side gave you.”
“My nickname? I just heard it now.”
“Oh? Well, nicknames are usually given by others, after all.”
“That may be true, but… where am I a fox?”
“I don’t know.”
The Jeokryeohui team leader shrugged. Then he lowered his eyes to look at Choi Yeon’s hand.
“But when are you planning to release my colleague’s wrist?”
“Ah. This. You’re still holding on?”
Choi Yeon said it as if remembering the obvious.
He did not loosen his grip. He faced the team leader while his wrist remained seized.
“…”
“…”
For several seconds.
The team leader’s mind flashed with the words Choi Yeon had spoken. To release the dagger and let go.
“…Indeed. It seems the nickname wasn’t just because of the squinty eyes.”
“Is that so?”
With a smirk, the team leader laughed and looked at the short-haired member.
Lower the dagger.
The silent command was in his eyes, and the short-haired member eventually obeyed, with a grudging protest.
“Damn.”
Clank!
The protest was swallowed by the sound of the dagger hitting the ground.
It was not so quiet that the people beside them could not hear, yet the team leader showed no reaction.
He simply looked at Choi Yeon closely and released the hand he had been holding.
Filthy, an ugly complaint followed, but the two men simply ignored it like good friends.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Hmm. Then… it’s settled?”
“For now, yeah. It looks that way.”
“Really? Good. See you again. Seonhwa-dong Fox.”
“I’m not a fox. I’m Choi Yeon. I hope I never see you again.”
“Haha. I see that kind of guy shows up again and again.”
“…”
Choi Yeon kept his mouth shut at the team leader’s laughing words.
Thinking about it, that was probably the case.
In this man’s world, things always happened in the opposite way of what he had wished for.
Would it happen again this time? He hoped the troublesome things would stay away.
While thoughts swirled in his head, the Jeokryeohui left. The unstable barrier disappeared.
It was then.
Ko Sung-yoon, who had been silently watching, suddenly shouted as if a memory had struck him.
“Ah! If we just let them go, that’s not right!”
“……?”
“Those people tried to kidnap Chae-eun!”
“…Kidnap? Then was it just a fight over a nuisance after all?”
“Yes!”
“No…”
“Kidnapping in broad daylight at a park? What kind of bastards do that?”
Choi Yeon and Kim Jaesang echoed the same mutter.
It was natural to think Ko Sung-yoon might have misjudged the situation.
The place, the time—
“Not only that! They said they kidnapped children too. A lot of them!”
Park Chae-eun spread her arms wide and jumped in.
“You said they kidnapped children?”
“Yes!”
“That means the uncles from earlier really said that? They were serious?”
“No! Grandpa told me!”
“Grandpa…”
Choi Yeon trailed off.
He knew the grandpa the girl was talking about was not a real person but the weeping willow standing behind them.
He had heard countless times that she talked with trees, but he had never imagined the topic would be child kidnapping.
“…Sung-yoon. You said those guys tried to kidnap Chae-eun, right?”
“Yes. It’s true! They approached her as if surrounding her from three directions!”
“Then…”
It was not just the friend in his imagination speaking.
The Jeokryeohui had tried to kidnap children, and Ko Sung-yoon had been a witness.
Choi Yeon looked at Kim Jaesang.
“We should report this to the city hall.”
“To the city hall?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeon-ah. Up until now there has been no information that the Jeokryeohui has kidnapped children.”
“I know.”
“So you still want to report?”
“It’s strange. Trying to kidnap a child in broad daylight at a park. With the Jeokryeohui even.”
“Hmm. That’s true, but…”
After nodding, the chief whispered quietly, so Sung-yoon and Chae-eun could not hear.
“City hall won’t act on attempted kidnapping.”
“…”
“Also, the source. We can’t say it was a friend who imagined it and told us.”
“Grandpa is not an imaginary friend! He really exists!”
Even though they had whispered, Chae-eun shouted back loudly.
Seeing the girl running toward them, Kim Jaesang gave a bitter smile that looked a little troubled.
Perhaps he had read the chief’s intention in the bitter smile?
Chae-eun bounced around.
“Really, really real!”
“See? I knew it. Chae-eun-ah, Uncle believes you.”
“Lie! You don’t believe it. Mean Uncle!”
“Hmph…”
Kim Jaesang gave a short groan.
Hearing the words “mean Uncle” from a child was surprisingly painful.
“Hey…”
At that moment, Sung-yoon raised his hand and cautiously spoke up.
“Chae-eun’s words might be true.”
“Eh?”
“Earlier, when we were arguing with the Jeokryeohui people, my body didn’t feel like mine? Like when I was wearing the mascot costume.”
“I, saw it. That was because you received a buff, thanks to the headband.”
“No! It wasn’t the headband. Grandpa put it on!”
“……?”
At Chae-eun’s words, Kim Jaesang looked up at the weeping willow.
Of course, he had only looked. He had not believed.
He continued to suspect it was just the sprout headband and nothing more.
Still doubtful, Chae-eun dashed toward the protector tree.
“I’ll show you!”
“Show you…”
The girl who had reached the protector tree in an instant raised both arms high and shouted, her small voice sounding like a tiny tree in front of a big one.
“Grandpa!”
Shwaaaah…
Not a single breath of wind, yet the protector tree’s leaves rustled. As if responding to the girl’s cry.
At the same time, a green light poured over Choi Yeon and Kim Jaesang’s bodies.
Quietly, like the chief who would not risk hearing the “mean Uncle” comment, Choi Yeon heard—
—Fox…
A voice from long ago.
A voice that carried the weight of many years.