Chapter Text
“….Hyung? Are you okay?”
My little brother’s eyes looked up at me worriedly. He was covered in mud, dirt, and red paint, looking like a complete mess.
“Yeah. Hyung is fine. He just had a not-so-fun talk with some adults,” I said, pulling out the pack of wet wipes that I always kept with me. Yoohyun-ie made a face at the cold towellette, but at least allowed me to wipe the grime off his face and hands.
“Bad adults?” Yoohyun-ie asked, putting his tiny hands on top of mine.
“Well… no… they’re good adults. They just brought some bad news. And a bit of good news. But it was a stressful day.” I took his tiny hand into mine. He was five years old now, and had grown so quickly. And yet, his hands were still so small, his outstretched fingers just barely making his hand bigger than my palm.
Yoohyun-ie’s big eyes met mine, worry showing on his usually stoic face. “Was it… about me?” A small hint of guilt showed in his eyes.
I couldn’t take that look. I scooped him up into my arms, standing up from where I’d been kneeling on the floor to talk to him. “Yes. That’s why I came to pick you up from school early today. But it’s not your fault, Yoohyun-ah, so don’t worry too much. Hyung has already taken care of it. We’ll be together from now on,” I told him with a smile, and his face lit up.
My precious baby brother, who was all I had left of my family now, had awoken two years ago. He had fire powers that were strong enough to be dangerous, especially in the hands of a clumsy three-year-old. I’d been forced to take him out of school where the teachers suspected him of starting a fire on the playground, and we moved away from our old house into a dingy apartment together. It wasn’t much, but it was home. After a couple years of training, in which I used my dungeon knowledge to the best of my abilities, he was able to control his fire and his temper enough to hide it.
That was a relief, honestly, because it meant he could go back to school, make friends, be a kid… and I could go back to work. I needed a job to make us money. A simple F-rank like me, with nothing but some random child-raising skills, couldn’t possibly raid dungeons well enough to make good money. So I mostly did odd jobs, with the occasional dungeon raid, but… Maybe it was time to go back into that hell, try again.
I actually used to do dungeon raids more often, in my past life… or what seemed like a past life now. I regressed using a wish stone shortly after Yoohyun-ie was kidnapped. But that was a story I didn’t want to think about right now. I needed to focus on the present. Earlier today…
“Hyung…” his eyes were pleading now, and he clung to my torso like a koala as I held him. “What did they say to make you look like that, then?”
I paused for a moment. Look like what? His pleading eyes shook me from my thoughts, and I looked around the school lobby where we’d been sitting, entirely enveloped in our own little world, and found a window to the office. In it, I could see my reflection… Oh dear. Were those tearstains from earlier? I’d been so sure to wash my face before I rushed over to Yoohyun-ie’s school. But of course my precious little brother would still notice.
“It’s nothing, really, Yoohyun-ah. Let’s talk in the car.” I nodded to the teachers in the office — oh gods, had they been watching that whole interaction?— and carried Yoohyun-ie to the car. He was plenty old enough to walk himself, but he didn’t seem to want to let go. And honestly… neither did I.
The car ride home seemed longer than it’d ever been. My cute little brother was sitting in the back seat, and I could tell from the rear-view mirror that he was staring anxiously at me. He didn’t speak up until we were out of the school parking lot.
“So… Hyung? What happened? What did the bad news adults say?” He was wiggling around in his car seat, trying to get a better view of my face.
“I said it wasn’t all bad, Yoohyun-ah. Some of it was good news, too.” I smiled at him through the mirror, and began explaining the events of earlier in the day.
Earlier that day
ding-dong!
The doorbell to our apartment rang. I put the books I’d been carrying down and scurried to the monitor, only to see two big, burly men dressed in all black and serious faces waiting impatiently at the door. I cautiously pressed the talk button.
“Um… Hello? Who is it?” I asked cautiously.
“Han Yoojin-ssi, this is the Child Hunter Protective Association. We’re here about your brother, Han Yoohyun.”
My face paled immediately. They were here for Yoohyun-ie. I knew it was coming, but… so soon? Then I frowned. Child Hunter? Protective Association? “I’ve never heard of this association before.” Not even in my past life.
A sigh came from the bigger man on the monitor screen. “It’s a… newer branch of the Hunter Association. The name was hastily made and could use a bit of revision, but we were formed for the protection of children who have awakened powers before they are legally adults. Please, Han Yoojin-ssi. We just need to talk.”
Reluctantly, I opened the door. I was greeted with a wall of chest, of big hulking muscles in an almost-too-small black suit. Impressive. I had to crane my neck upwards to see the face of the man looking down at me, a slight frown with his serious expression. This was the man who’d given me the more thorough explanation just now. Although he was frowning, he seemed… kinder. Somehow.
“Greetings, Han Yoojin-ssi. My name is Song Taewon, and as I stated earlier, I am the acting Chief of the Hunter Association’s newest branch, the Child Hunter Protective Association. The man standing behind me is my coworker, Baek Yeonjun. As the following conversation may concern your brother and some… private information, would it be all right if we stepped in for a moment, or went somewhere where we could talk privately?”
It wasn’t long before we were sitting down around my tiny kitchen table, warm barley tea that I’d brewed just earlier sitting in front of us. Don’t give me that look, Officer Baek. It’s healthy and delicious, and best of all, cheap. Chief Song accepted it gratefully, cautiously taking a sip after I did. Did he think I would poison him? I’m slightly offended.
“Han Yoojin-ssi,” Baek Yeonjun began. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the increased appearance of Awakened children? Since your brother is also…”
My eyes narrowed. How much did they know? And how did they know it? I don’t remember ever confirming it, even though it’d been almost five years for me. “I don’t remember confirming or denying whether my baby brother has awakened. I am the only registered awakened in this household.” My lips pressed together in a thin line, and I could feel my nails pressing into my palms. I needed to relax a bit, relax…
“Han Yoojin-ssi,” Song Taewon broke in, looking tired. “Whether your brother is awakened or not, we would like to present you with the facts that we know. Recently, dungeons have increased in difficulty, and to combat this, more people are awakening. Unfortunately, this includes younger and younger people. Before, people used to awaken as a specific triggering event arose, such as a dungeon break or a traumatic event. Now, however, people are starting to awaken randomly, or seemingly so.”
That was news I’d heard before. Although I knew it wasn’t random—it’d be studied more in the future, and discovered to be that humans were evolving their powers even more, and smaller vessels couldn’t contain that power, so they started to awaken earlier to allow people to grow along with their powers. Basically, this meant children as young as three had the potential to awaken. There were theories that the earlier a child awakened, the stronger their final rank would be, but only 5 years from now, there wasn’t enough evidence to prove the theory, so most people just guessed.
“We’ve discovered,” Song Taewon continued, “that young children have started to awaken, almost as soon as they turn three years old.” Then his whole expression turned dark. “It becomes hard for unawakened families to take care of those children, so they are often sent to orphanages, or facilities… or…” he paused, his expression looking a bit scary now.
”Kidnapped.” Baek Yeonjun finished Song Taewon’s sentence, an equally dark expression on his face.
I frowned as well. I knew all too well about the kidnapping circles that would break out in the coming years. Five years from now, when Yoohyun-ie was ten years old and barely able to defend himself, he and many other kids would be caught up in a devastating kidnapping ring. I’d tried to recruit some higher ranked hunters to help me in my search, since I knew what dungeon they’d be going into, but… my memory suddenly gets hazy from there. Five years from now…
Five years in the future (Pre-regression)
All I remember is the smell of ozone everywhere, as if the entire dungeon air had been electrified. My body felt sore. I was covered in small wounds and bruises, and my bones ached as I tried to claw myself to a sitting position. Ugh. Yet, there was something in my hands…? A weapon? No, it looked like a rock. No, a marble? A red marble.
As I rolled the marble around in my hand, my head still a bit too cloudy to comprehend what I was holding and why I was holding it, a shining window popped up in the corner of my vision.
<Would you like to save them?> <<Yes>> <<No>>
Huh? Save them… shit. Shit! I remembered how I’d gotten here. I was raiding a dungeon, following the path of those who’d kidnapped Yoohyun-ie. They’d kidnapped several kids, actually, as part of some awful awakened child kidnapping ring. I wasn’t sure why the hell they always escaped into dungeons, but every time I’d tailed them and saw them enter a dungeon, they never seemed to come back out. What the hell? Was there another gate in the dungeon?
But that was what led up to me teaming up with others and raiding a D rank dungeon. Who had I teamed up with again? Somehow, I couldn’t remember… but suddenly the dungeon had changed drastically. A huge dragon appeared, named Lautitars, or something. It killed my teammates instantly, and was about to kill me too, or so I thought. I fought tooth and nail with what little power I had, but I could feel my consciousness fading from the blood loss. Shit. Shit! If I died here, who would save the children? Who would save Yoohyun-ie?
But I was just a mere F rank. What could I hope to do about this massive dragon? As my consciousness faded to black, a deep voice called out. “He’s here!”
I couldn’t remember anything past that point. Anyways. That stuff isn’t important right now, right? It looked as if someone else had come in at the last minute and saved the day. And then… disappeared? Weird. I looked at the message again. Save them? Is that even a question? Without hesitation, I hit <<Yes.>>
The red marble in my hand began to glow. Oh, ow, wait, it’s glowing so brightly. It hurts! I squeezed my eyes shut and yet I could see that white glow everywhere still. My consciousness faded once more.
…
When I came to, instead of gaining some power to help me find missing people, or telling me where the children had gone, or explaining the state of the dungeon, I found myself in what seemed like an entirely different body. My wounds were gone, my bones ached less, and the scars from years of hunting had disappeared. I was at home, in that dingy apartment, on our old second-hand couch, with my precious baby brother Yoohyun-ie in my lap watching TV. He was warm. And soft. And tiny. Just as I remembered him… at 5 years old. Meaning I’d somehow travelled back in time, 5 years into the past. But at least that meant Yoohyun-ie was here now, in my arms.
I hugged him immediately. He melted into my hug as he always used to, but seemed to sense that something was wrong.
“Hyung?” He said, turning around to face me with a look of worry in his eyes. I patted his curly head and told him I was fine, I’d just thought about something nasty. He gave me a look, but turned around and went back to watching TV, leaning his back against my chest.
My chest felt heavy, and not because of Yoohyun-ie. Painful, even, as if I’d been stabbed in the heart. Was it because of the regression? I told Yoohyun-ie I needed to use the restroom and got up, setting him down on the warm spot I’d just been sitting on. He grumbled a bit, as if he didn’t want to be separated. Neither did I, but, ow ow ow, I needed to make sure I wasn’t dying or something.
Standing up made my head spin. Hm, that’s probably not good. I grabbed the back of the sofa and squeezed, trying not to fall over and scare Yoohyun-ie. After a moment I felt a bit better, so I hurried out of the room.
Once I’d reached the bathroom, I looked in the mirror. Goodness, had I really looked like this only 5 years ago? My eye bags disappeared, my cheeks were fuller, I looked somewhat well-fed… well, I guess with Yoohyun-ie around I’d been making sure he’d been getting fed well so he could grow. And he, in turn, always insisted that I eat, too, so I ended up eating rather well… It was only after he disappeared that I stopped being able to eat normally, due to the stress and anxiety and… other things. But my chest still felt strange, and my memories of the immediate past were hazy. What the hell had happened in that dungeon? I put a hand over my rapidly beating heart and froze. Huh? Why did it feel so…
Stripping my shirt off, I examined my chest closer. What the hell? There was a scar there! That surely hadn’t been there before, so how the hell did it get there? I felt the rough scar, and it even felt like there was something underneath…
I started to panic when a message popped up.
<Honey!>
Huh?
<Honey, we know this is a lot, but Chain insisted we contact you as soon as possible! So, um… Anyways! Your skills! Check your skills! That will explain everything. See you soon!>
What hell do you mean ‘see you soon,’ who are you and why are you contacting me through the system? Why call me Honey? Who is Chain? What does my measly Nurturer skill have to do with the scar on my chest? I frowned and mulled over these questions before opening my skills list. Huh? What…
<Perfect Nurturer, Rank L>
<Fear Resistance, Rank L>
<Poison Resistance, Rank L>
<Curse Resistance, Rank L>
<Child Resistance, Rank SS>
I already had questions about where I’d gotten four new L- rank resistances from, but what the hell was “Child Resistance”? I opened the skill to see the details.
<Reduces damage and effects done by children’s attacks and skills by 95%>
Well… that’s great, if I planned to fight children. But I planned to find them, and keep them safe, not fight them, so what the hell was this skill for? I guess it’d be useful for training Yoohyun-ie a bit more, but… I took a peek at the last one.
<Monster Daddy! Rank L>
Um. I opened this one as well.
<Baby monsters will be tamed more easily with the Keyword! Monster Daddy can make new monsters using mana stones and a sufficient amount of mana.>
Huh? So what, I can have kids myself now? Crazy, this is crazy. I’m already raising my brother with what little money we have, why would I want another. Although I’m sure they’d be cute. But how was I supposed to use mana stones and mana to create a monster? It seems like more explanation was needed. Hey, system guy? Come back for a bit? …Of course there was no answer. ‘Your skills will explain everything’, my ass.
I put my hand over the scar one more time. So was there a mana stone or something in my chest now? A bit creepy to think about. The mana feels off though. Is there something wrong with it?
”I still have so many questions…” I mumbled to myself before I heard a soft knock on the door.
“Hyung? Are you okay? It’s been ten minutes… are you pooping? Is it the… in… in-jee-jestion? Do you need water?” My dongsaeng’s tiny worried voice came from the other side of the door. I think he meant indigestion? I tried not to laugh. Right, at 5 years old, big words are still hard, huh. I should hurry back to him.
“I’m fine, Yoohyun-ah. Hyung’s tummy just hurts a bit. In-di-ges-tion.” I sneakily flushed the toilet to make it sound like I’d gone, then quickly put my shirt back on. Yoohyun-ie must never see this scar. I washed my hands as well and hurried out the door, greeting my baby brother on the other side. He barely came up to my stomach. How cute. When he was ten he’d already reached my chest, and it looked like he’d grow even taller than me in a few years.
Yoohyun-ie was staring up at me with big wet eyes, and a warm glass of water in his hands. I gratefully accepted it, and picked him up in my other arm. Oof.. maybe he was a bit too heavy for that now, but at least I could do it again. By the time he was ten, he wouldn’t let me carry him like this anymore. Said I’d hurt myself carrying him. Yoohyun-ah, your hyung isn’t that weak… But now he showed no resistance, only a bit of confusion. Was I acting that strange? Still, now that I was carrying him, he wrapped his arms around my neck and nuzzled into my shoulder. So cute. I carried him all the way back to the couch, where we watched TV together. Once Yoohyun-ie seemed to be reassured that I was fine, he fell asleep curled up against me. I quietly changed the channel to News to catch myself up on what was happening around right now.
(Earlier that day, back to semi-present)
“Han Yoojin-ssi?” Song Taewon’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
Ah. Shit. I’d completely zoned out. Had he been talking? “Y-yes? Ahem. Sorry, I uh… I zoned out a bit.” I cleared my throat. Be still, my heart. Be with me in the present times. I can’t let my thoughts wander back to the past right now…
“I asked if you’d seen any suspicious people around your brother.” Song Taewon gave me a somewhat pitying look. Why? Don’t tell me he could hear my heartbeat. Shit, was that something S-Classes could do? Be still, my heart, still, still. Calm down. Why’d those memories have to surface right now?
“Ah. Um. I haven’t seen any, Chief Song-nim, but as you probably know, my stats are only F-Rank. If anyone with a stealth skill E and up were to track him, I wouldn’t be able to notice them.” This was true, and as I said it, my stomach dropped. Was it possible that Yoohyun-ie was being followed? Could he have been followed for years before he finally got kidnapped? My heart was beating faster again. I could feel the blood pounding through my veins, and I started to panic. Where is Yoohyun-ie now? He’s at school, right? Is he safe? The realization that I can’t tell if he’s safe or not without going there to see him-
“Han Yoojin-ssi.”
I needed to go. I needed to go see my brother right now.
“Han Yoojin-ssi?”
I shouldn’t have put him in school. He wasn’t safe there anymore. He can’t protect himself, he’s just a little kid. What if something bad happens to him? It would be my fault, wouldn’t it? Entirely my fault, because I was selfish and wanted to work more and get more money to raise him more comfortably… his safety should come first, right? Shit, I can't breathe, I need to go. I need to see him.
“Han Yoojin-ssi.”
A large hand rested on my shoulder and I jerked back in surprise, my eyes looking up to meet Song Taewon’s concerned expression. Ack, when did he get so close? Too close, too close. Your giant hand makes me feel small. Why is it so big anyway? When did you cross the coffee table to stand in front of me? Scary. He can do all that without me noticing, what else could he do? What could someone of higher rank do to my little brother without me even knowing about it? I really am far too weak as an F-Rank. What hope could I possibly have to save my precious donsaeng if he was in danger? I suddenly felt a bit sick, my stomach twisting in knots.
“I’m sorry, Chief Song-nim. I need to see my brother. Now. I need to make sure he’s-”
“Your brother is fine, Han Yoojin-ssi. We have our staff watching the school. Nobody suspicious can get into the schools on our watch.” Song Taewon put the slightest bit—really just a tiny bit— of pressure on my shoulders, and I realized I’d been trying to stand up. He gently pushed me back down. For a huge, hulking S-Rank, he sure was gentle. I felt a bit impressed, actually. And calmer, now. A little. I sat back down.
“He’s really safe? You promise?” I said, feeling my own voice tremble.
“For now, he is safe,” Baek Yeonjun said, looking slightly annoyed, “but the whole reason we came to talk to you is that he won’t be safe forever like this. You need to take action or he’s gonna get—” he stopped mid sentence, his jaw snapping shut after a look from Song Taewon.
“What my colleague means to say is, young Han Yoohyun would be better off in a kindergarten meant for awakened children.” Song Taewon continued. “We’ve come to recommend him to Sesung Kindergarten.”
“Sesung… Kindergarten? Not Guild? Wait, are they the same?” I’d never heard of the guild having a kindergarten before. Wasn’t Sesung the top guild in the country? I guess they had time for making Kindergartens. I wonder what poor soul was the headmaster of the school. Surely not the Guild Leader himself, he’s way too busy. I’d actually met the Sesung Guild Leader just once before my regression. He’d been on the case of the missing children, and so he’d asked me a few questions. I don’t really remember much about the questions he’d asked, though. Only the panic I’d felt at the time, and his warm, deep, somehow soothing voice.
“Yes, it’s run by the Guild Leader himself,” Song Taewon answered, “so you can rest assured that your brother will be in safe hands.”
My jaw dropped. Was Sung Hyunje crazy? Running a guild and a kindergarten? Didn’t he know what all went into running a kindergarten? You have to gather teachers, provide food, provide materials, a playground, a building, a curriculum, uniforms… And the funding! Was he planning on getting government funding for this? Or funding it himself? Obviously he had experience running a guild, but the two are completely different!
“Is it… a private school?” I asked, timidly. I really can’t afford a private school. Just sending Yoohyun-ie to his current kindergarten was about all I could manage, and we were barely scraping by. “I really can’t afford an expensive private school right now.”
“We are working on government funding for the schools, but for now it is private. The Sesung Guild Leader thought it best to gather and protect awakened children as soon as possible, rather than wait for the government to do something.” Song Taewon looked a bit tired as he said this. Was the government really that bad? Don’t you work for them, Chief Song-nim? He sighed for a moment, then continued. “If cost is an issue, there was an offer from the Guild Leader… he said he wanted to talk to you.”
Huh? To me? I raised my eyebrows and pointed to myself in question, and Song Taewon nodded. “It seems he’s done some research on you… I apologize, but I am not aware of the details. He would like to meet you today, if you are available.”
“Oh! Um…” I mean, it’s not like I was doing anything super important, just job searching. That can come later. Anything to do with Yoohyun-ie came first. “Sure. I can meet him today.”
“Fantastic. Gather your things, let’s go!” Baek Yeongjun said cheerfully. He stood up and got ready to go.
”Huh? Now?”
”Yes. He said he’d like to meet as soon as possible, and requested I take you there.” Chief Song-nim, why do you look so tired whenever you talk about the Sesung Guild Leader?
The two men stood up from my couch, immediately reminding me how tall S-Ranks were. I’m average height for Korean men, really. What kind of growth spurts come with being S-Rank? Would our Yoohyun-ie grow up to be this tall, too? I stood up as well, stretching my back and standing up tall… and I still only came up to their shoulders. Seriously?
Anyways. We got to where Chief Song’s car was, and it was tiny. At first I’d thought it was someone else’s car. Maybe a company car? But no, it was really his car. Could he not afford a bigger one? The poor man practically squeezed himself into the front seat like a contortionist. Does the company not pay you enough, Chief Song-nim? Please, it hurts me just to watch you. I fit into the back seat easily, and Baek Yeongjun went back to the company in a separate car. He looked like he at least fit in that car.
After a few minutes of driving, we arrived at a large brick-walled estate on the top of a hill that I honestly don’t remember being there in my past life. At the entrance, a man with a stylish suit, a long red jacket over his shoulders, and pale gold hair is waiting for us.