[In Front of the Kids]
Once again, Kim Seonghan was acting as both the driver and bodyguard. Neither Yerim nor I had a driver’s license. More accurately, I didn’t have one at this point in time. I got my license and bought a car after I had somewhat settled as a hunter, even if I was only F-rank.
My beloved car hasn’t even been manufactured yet, huh? Should I get the same model this time?
As we approached the entrance of the apartment building, Yerim seemed slightly nervous. Well, she was only fifteen, a young girl who, despite the bad relationship, must feel uneasy about cutting ties with the relatives who had taken care of her.
Still, thanks to the S-rank Willpower stat boost, she pressed the elevator button without hesitation. Her hand moved decisively as she selected the floor.
Looks like there’s nothing to worry about.
“This is the place.”
Yerim said as she turned toward the door on the right after we stepped off the elevator on the 14th floor.
“If that uncle of yours comes out and starts causing trouble, don’t engage with him at all. When a high-rank Awakened touches a regular person, it creates a lot of complications. Even if you get angry, hold it in.”
As for me, I’m F-rank, so I’m not much different from an ordinary person. Yerim frowned but nodded.
After a final check, I stepped ahead of her and rang the doorbell. A moment later, a middle-aged woman’s voice came through, asking who it was.
“I’m the new guardian of Park Yerim.”
[…What are you talking about?]
A low murmur of confusion came through the intercom. They must be baffled. Soon, the door, which had been closed, opened.
A burly man in his fifties, dressed in loose shorts and a tank top, stared at me with a scowl.
“Nice to meet you. You must be the former guardian of Miss Park Yerim?”
I greeted him with a polite voice and a smile. The man, Park Sucheon, Yerim’s uncle, scowled even more when he saw her standing slightly behind me.
“What the hell did that brat do now?!”
His yell made my ears sting. Boy, he’s got quite the voice.
“Please calm down.”
“Calm down, my ass! Who the hell are you, anyway?!”
“As I just mentioned, I’m the new guardian of Miss Park Yerim.”
“…Guardian?”
At the word “guardian,” Park Sucheon hesitated. He was probably thinking about the inheritance he had siphoned off from his brother.
“I’m her guardian, so what’s this nonsense about a new guardian! What kind of scam are you trying to pull?!”
“It’s not a scam. Please, see for yourself.”
I had prepared for this, so I took out the legal guardianship contract from the briefcase and handed it to him respectfully. It was officially notarized by the legal team after we had confirmed that Yerim was an Awakened with the Haeyeon Guild’s internal measuring equipment and completed the contract as a hunter. There were no legal issues.
When it comes to this sort of thing, you have to be thorough.
“…An Awakened? This brat?”
As the man skimmed through the contract, his face clearly showed greed. At least he’s easy to read.
He glanced at Yerim with eyes filled with desire.
“I heard Awakened make good money.”
“That depends on the rank. But that’s not the point. As a minor hunter, Miss Park Yerim has the same rights as an adult, and therefore, she can choose her own guardian. In other words, all the duties and rights you had as her guardian are now entirely gone.”
Park Sucheon furrowed his brows, not fully understanding.
“What do you mean? I’m her guardian!”
“Not anymore.”
Come on, get it through your thick skull. How many times do I have to explain?
“There’s no such thing! She’s only sixteen!”
“She’s fifteen. Under the special law, hunters have the same rights as adults starting at fourteen years old. Miss Park Yerim is fourteen as of her last birthday.”
“Special law? What kind of bullshit is that? Enough with the crap! Get lost! Yerim, come here!”
He tried to push me aside and approach Yerim, but I didn’t budge an inch.
I knew this would happen, so even though it’s hot, I came wearing leather gloves. Go ahead and try; my Strength is 24 now!
“This little…!”
When the relatively smaller me didn’t move at all, Park Sucheon stumbled back in surprise. I casually blocked the door with my foot and slid the doorstop into place.
“What do you think you’re doing, trying to shove people around? Let’s handle this peacefully.”
“Shove? What shoving? You’re an Awakened too, aren’t you?! Don’t you know an Awakened can’t touch a regular citizen?!”
“Yes, I am an Awakened, but with F-rank stats, I’m not much different from a regular person. And I have no intention of using violence. You’re the one who shoved me first.”
At this moment, I’m a peace-loving, morally upright citizen. Just look at this kind smile. Don’t I look like a good guy?
“I believe I’ve explained enough for you to understand that I’m Miss Park Yerim’s guardian and that you are no longer her guardian.”
I said as I pulled the contract out of his hand. Then I took out the documents related to Yerim’s inheritance.
“I noticed that you sold all the real estate that should have gone to Miss Park Yerim.”
As soon as the inheritance was mentioned, Park Sucheon’s face twisted with anger.
“That was because it was hard to manage… and Yerim agreed to it!”
You’ve got quite a mouth on you.
“When she was fifteen—or rather, thirteen and still in elementary school.”
“Well, she agreed anyway.”
He responded with brazen shamelessness. This is starting to piss me off.
“I find that hard to believe, but I’m not here to discuss the inheritance today, so let’s get to the point.”
I put away the inheritance documents he clearly wasn’t interested in and handed him another piece of paper.
“This is a written agreement stating that you will not approach or contact Miss Park Yerim in any way from now on. Will you sign it?”
It might not have much legal power, but it could be useful for media play. Park Sucheon scowled and cursed.
“I raised her with care, and now that she’s an Awakened, you’re trying to take her away, you fucking bastard!”
He slapped the paper to the floor, where it fluttered down. I heard the sound of someone grinding their teeth behind me. Just hang in there a little longer, Yerim.
“You sure sound like a devoted caretaker. Even though the girl you supposedly raised with care was wearing old shoes that didn’t even fit her.”
I said, making it clear I was trying to control my anger. Actually, I was already starting to lose my temper, so I didn’t have to pretend.
“Well, you know! When you’re raising kids on a tight budget, they end up wearing hand-me-downs…”
“It seems that these days, even when you swallow up an inheritance worth billions, you’re still too poor to buy a single pair of shoes. Inflation must be out of control.”
I guess a new pair of sneakers costs a billion won now. Did I come from the past or the future?
My sarcasm made Park Sucheon’s face turn red with rage.
“If you had any decency, you’d repay me for raising her! She’s just going to leave and live well on her own?! What kind of person does that?!”
Wow, the audacity. His skin must be a meter thick.
I let out a loud sigh on purpose, then pulled out my wallet.
“So, you’re saying you want money.”
“No, that’s not exactly…”
“Here’s a check for one billion won.”
His eyes wavered as I held out the check.
“Well, I mean, that’s not much…”
“Remember that I have no reason to give you even that much. This is purely an investment for my ward.”
After hesitating, Park Sucheon finally picked up the paper from the floor. His financial situation was probably in bad shape. Even a quick check of the property registry showed several mortgages in the hundreds of millions.
After blowing through billions in just a few years, of course, he’d be desperate for a billion won now.
“…Give me a pen.”
“Here you go.”
We both signed the agreement and each kept a copy.
“Then I hope we never have to meet again.”
I said as I turned off the recorder. The recording would make it sound like I was bowing and scraping while giving money to a scumbag.
It captured him stealing the inheritance, mistreating Yerim, and taking the money. Meanwhile, I was nothing but respectful. Perfect.
“What was that?”
Park Sucheon frowned as he noticed me turning off the recorder. What do you think?
“It’s a recording I’ll use to bury you if you try anything.”
“…What?”
“You really think a piece of shit like you will just shut up after taking a billion won?”
“You crazy son of a—!”
Bang!
I slammed his face into the doorframe with my palm. Then, I kicked his falling body into the hallway.
The middle-aged woman who had been peeking from behind the inner door shrieked.
“If you don’t want a corpse on your hands, keep quiet. Don’t cause a disturbance for the neighbors.”
It was quiet next door, probably because they were away for the weekend, but you never know. The woman nodded reflexively, trembling.
I was just going to give him a warning, but now I feel a little embarrassed since she’s so scared.
I crouched down and lightly slapped Park Sucheon’s cheek. I could smell a bit of blood—maybe he cracked the back of his head. He groaned and opened his eyes.
“You really should be more careful. What if you hit your head and die?”
“W-what…”
“You know, apartment doors are made of metal. That’s dangerous. Especially look here.”
I pushed his limp arm toward the door frame, pressing his fingers against the edge. When he tried to pull away, I gently stepped on his hand.
“If the door closes wrong, these could get chopped off, don’t you think? An unfortunate accident.”
“W-wait! I’m sorry! I’ll give the money back!”
His eyes were filled with terror as he looked up at me. Maybe I went a bit too far since he’s just a regular person. I’ve been hanging around half-crazed people until recently, so, hmm.
This isn’t right. I need to live properly this time.
I stood up straight and flashed a bright smile.
“Ah, sorry about that. I went too far, didn’t I? Don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore. Just like today, as long as you don’t act up, we won’t ever cross paths again. You can live peacefully.”
You just got a billion won for nothing. What’s there to complain about?
“But if you get greedy, I won’t stop at just a warning. I’ll doctor the recording, sprinkle in some money, and bury you socially. Then I’ll make sure you cough up every penny of that inheritance. If that’s not enough, I’ll drag you into a dungeon as a porter after forcing you to awaken. Did you know? If you die in a dungeon, no one ever finds out what happens.”
When a dungeon is cleared, it resets, and the bodies disappear. You can just say a monster killed them, and it’s all neatly wrapped up.
Ugh, I’m starting to remember bad things again. I need to forget about that since it never happened.
“I’ll live quietly! I’ll keep my mouth shut!”
“I’d appreciate that. Now, get up.”
Stop making it awkward by bowing your head.
Feeling that everything was settled, I turned to Yerim. But her expression as she looked at me was… odd.
…Did I go too far? Well, I did threaten to bash her uncle’s head in and chop off his fingers. It’s only natural she’d find that strange. I can’t afford to ruin our relationship now.
“Hey, Yerim.”
“Mister, are you okay?”
“…Huh?”
Yerim said as she approached me.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
…Uh, I think you’ve got the wrong person. I’m the one who did the hitting, so why is she acting like this?
–TL Notes–
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