Chapter 136 : Confirmation

After changing buses several times, they arrived at the Orphanage.

Ye-jin's facility.

No, arriving at her home, Ho-cheol, with his hands full of luggage, raised a hand to scratch his cheek.

“I've been curious about this for a while.”

“Yes?”

Ho-cheol hesitated for a moment.

Perhaps because of the location, he found himself being cautious with every question he asked here.

Still, unable to overcome his curiosity, he moved the hand that had been scratching his cheek to point at the sign.

“The sign says Hope Foster Care Facility. But when I look up the address online, it comes up as Hanmaeum. Which one is the real one?”

Ye-jin chuckled.

She had been unnecessarily tense because of his very cautious question.

To think it was about that.

“It's nothing. Our facility's name was originally what's on the sign. But suddenly, another Hope Foster Care Facility popped up somewhere, and they asked us to change our name because it was the same as theirs.”

“Why would you change it?”

“Well, what can you do? They said they'd give us money if we just changed the name, so we snatched it up. Thanks to that, we got to eat meat that day, so it's all good.”

A truly realistic reason.

The building was visible as they entered through the wall.

It was still dilapidated, on the verge of collapsing, but the atmosphere was definitely different.

Should he say it had become more vibrant, or brighter?

In any case, it was a change in a positive direction.

It seemed the gift Ho-cheol had left behind was quite effective.

And the children who were kicking a ball in the playground or taking a break in the shade in a corner, spotted Ho-cheol and Ye-jin and shot up.

“Oh, oh!”

Their eyes, wide with surprise, soon turned to joy and delight.

Without anyone starting first, the children ran towards Ho-cheol and Ye-jin.

The sight of the dust rising reminded him of a herd of buffalo.

Watching them, Ho-cheol quietly regretted it.

“I should have come in through the back door to avoid being seen.”

“Haha. I know, right.”

When other volunteers or guests came, the children would usually shy away, so she hadn't expected them to be greeted so enthusiastically.

“Unni! Haven't you been gone for too long!”

“Mister! Let me sit on you!”

“Dinosaur Mister!”

To think they would swarm around him like cicadas in this hot and humid weather.

Didn't these kids feel the heat?

Ho-cheol was almost afraid of them.

He casually put down his luggage and spread his hands open.

“I'm not a dinosaur, and I'm not a mister.”

Then he lightly tapped the top of the heads of the children who had surrounded him in a circle.

“Tae-ha. Su-jeong. Hyeon-seong. Ye-seul. A-jeong… even Yun-seo.”

One by one.

Without missing a single one, he tapped their heads and called out all their names.

And Ye-jin could only watch the scene in astonishment.

Well over a dozen children.

He had memorized the names of all those kids he had played with for just an hour or two?

The children of the facility were just as surprised that he would call them by their names.

Slightly startled, they forgot their intention to cling to Ho-cheol and just stood there, staring up at him.

Yet Ho-cheol was still at ease.

As if it was natural to remember their names.

“Now. Playing with you isn't a bad idea, but I have something to do first. Let me pass.”

And he pointed to the bags he had put down, addressing the two who seemed to be the oldest, around middle school age.

“I bought some snacks, so share them nicely.”

At his words, everyone buried their heads in the shopping bags, as if they had never greeted Ho-cheol and Ye-jin in the first place.

Food over people, of course.

Leaving them behind and heading to the facility building, Ho-cheol nodded.

“The atmosphere has gotten much brighter. Not just the building, but the kids too.”

“Everything. Yes. Everything…”

Ye-jin grinned with her hands behind her back.

“It's all thanks to you, Professor. I'm really grateful.”

“It was nothing.”

At the entrance of the building.

The director of the facility, Hye-jin, happened to open the door and greet them.

“Welcome. If you had contacted us a little earlier, we could have prepared a meal.”

“I appreciate the thought. You seem to be doing well.”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

The illegal trees Ho-cheol had secretly planted as a slush fund in the past.

The reward money Hye-jin received for reporting them was the facility's annual operating budget.

But that wasn't the end of it.

“Actually, when I reported the trees you mentioned, people from the government came to investigate further. It seems the trees had spread their seeds, because there was another colony in a different place.”

“Heo.”

Ho-cheol exclaimed in surprise.

That was unexpected.

Although it might be a few years short, the expression ‘colony’ suggested it wasn't just one or two trees.

“So how much reward money did you receive?”

She smiled shyly and confessed.

“Domestic meat really is the best. The kids were saying how delicious it was.”

Ho-cheol laughed along with her.

She couldn't say the exact amount, but it seemed to be enough to throw a party with domestic meat.

“Wait, Director. You had a meat party when I wasn't here?”

Only Ye-jin stomped her feet as if she was the only one being treated unfairly.

My domestic meat!

Ho-cheol flicked his finger and lightly tapped her forehead.

“I buy it for you sometimes.”

“Ow! Still.”

These days, he rarely went to catch escaped convicts, so he rarely had the chance to get a meal from him.

If there was a chance to eat at the academy, the menu would eventually be settled at the cafeteria.

Ho-cheol said to Ye-jin, who was still standing next to him.

“And you go play with your siblings.”

His tone was as soft and relaxed as before, but his expression was more serious than ever.

Whenever she came here, Ye-jin's mental age would drop by about five years, but his expression was so grave that even the five-year-younger Ye-jin came to her senses.

She raised her hands and took a step back.

“Okay. I'll go get torn to shreds by my siblings first. Whatever.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

After Ye-jin returned to the playground, Ho-cheol asked Hye-jin again.

“So, you found what I asked for.”

“Yes. Please come in.”

Ho-cheol immediately followed Hye-jin into the building.

The director's office in the building.

Following the director Hye-jin's guidance, he sat in the director's office.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have much to offer you.”

What she brought out was cheap instant coffee mix and snacks like basic bar nuts.

Of course, although they had more financial leeway, they couldn't afford luxuries.

They had to save where they could.

“Not at all. As I said last time.”

“Yes. You said you liked it.”

But seeing Ho-cheol not even touching the coffee and snacks, Hye-jin's lips parted.

“You seem to be in a big hurry.”

“Hmm, was it that obvious?”

“Yes. Very.”

Hye-jin opened a drawer and took out a file folder, holding it out to Ho-cheol.

“This is what you asked for last time.”

The old and discolored file folder, he didn't know what color it originally was, but now it was a slightly unpleasant yellowish-brown.

“Actually, since this is a document from over 10 years ago, I was worried if it was still well-preserved, but thankfully it was still in the warehouse.”

Ho-cheol carefully picked it up and opened the envelope.

The paper peeking out from inside had surprisingly maintained a clean white color.

The name and such would be meaningless since it was an alias anyway.

What he wanted to check was the fingerprint left on the document.

He put the document down again and asked.

“Jeong Ye-jin's adoption information. So you're saying this is the document filled out by the person who left her at the facility.”

“Yes.”

“They weren't wearing gloves or anything at that time?”

“I'm not certain, but we shook hands right after the document was filled out, so I don't think they had gloves on.”

Hye-jin answered in a hesitant tone, recalling the now-faint past.

Ho-cheol asked, just in case.

“Do you remember anything else about that situation? Like their appearance, or voice.”

“They were wearing a deep hood, so I don't know their faces. But the voice was definitely a woman's.”

“By any chance, that hood, was it a dark green, almost too dark to be called green, with a long yellow stripe on top?”

Hye-jin narrowed her eyes, retracing her memory.

Then she clapped her hands.

“Yes, that's right! It was definitely like that! It was raining heavily at the time, so I even thought their clothes looked like a frog!”

Ho-cheol let out a sigh with a complicated expression.

“So that's how it is.”

A 10 percent suspicion had risen to 30 percent.

He stared blankly at the file folder.

Comparing the DNA information left on Ye-jin's hair and weapon had failed due to a lack of information last time.

But this time was different.

If the document was untouched by anyone else, the fingerprint would surely be clear.

And since that fingerprint would also be on the Peacemaker.

Comparing them would definitely yield a result.

Of course, the fingerprint on the document would be a fake one.

A fingerprint to hide one's true identity.

But it didn't matter.

Because the fingerprint left on the Peacemaker would be the same fake fingerprint.

A fake fingerprint was still a fingerprint.

Its unique pattern definitely existed.

Comparing the two would surely produce a result.

Ho-cheol carefully placed the file folder in a zip-lock bag he had brought.

“Ha.”

Watching Ho-cheol sigh again, Hye-jin asked.

“By the way, is this an official matter as an academy professor? Or a personal one?”

“To be honest, it’s for personal reasons.”

“I’m curious about the reason. Can I hear it?”

Ho-cheol briefly turned his head and looked out the window.

He watched Ye-jin playing with her siblings in the middle of the playground in the distance for a moment.

Then he turned his gaze back to the file folder, tightly sealed in the zip-lock bag.

“That kid is probably.”

Of course, he wasn't sure now.

“A member of my friend’s family, it seems.”

Hye-jin gasped, covering her mouth with one hand.

“Oh my. That kind of… Then that person back then?”

“If my guess is correct, then yes.”

If it's a friend, can't you just ask that person directly?

Hye-jin held back the question a normal person would have asked.

When you do this kind of work, there are countless stories in the world that can't be told.

She could well imagine that Ho-cheol's going through this extremely cumbersome process was an extension of that.

Most importantly, his expression was not just one of longing.

“It wouldn’t be good to be more curious, would it?”

“Yes. The fewer people who know, the safer it is.”

At that moment.

Drreureuk―

Ye-jin, who had been playing in the playground, slid open the window and shouted.

“Professor! The kids are telling you to hurry up! And don't forget the dinosaur costume!”

“Alright. I'm coming.”

Ho-cheol slowly stood up from his seat.

He had achieved his real purpose for coming here.

Of course, he wanted to go back right away and find out the truth, but it would be rude to leave without playing with them.

He bowed his head lightly to Hye-jin.

“Thank you. I'll just check the document and return it right away.”

“Ah, it's alright. You can just have it. But can I ask you one thing?”

“By all means.”

Hye-jin, who had been smiling all along, asked seriously for the first time.

“A person so dangerous that just knowing their relationship is a risk. Then, does that mean Ye-jin, who is related to them by blood, could be in danger someday?”

Ho-cheol hesitated for a moment.

But he soon answered honestly.

“Yes. Perhaps.”

“Then……”

“It's alright.”

Ho-cheol cut Hye-jin off before she could say anything.

“I will definitely protect my student. Even if I have to risk my life.”

His firm and resolute gaze told her that it wasn't just a promise made with words.

Hye-jin also stood up from her seat.

Placing a hand on her chest, she bowed her head.

“Please continue to take good care of Ye-jin.”

“I will take responsibility with all my heart and soul.”

Odd jobs like fingerprint comparison were the dean's job.

So he went to the dean's office at the academy.

However, before Ho-cheol could even get to the main point, the dean brought up a different topic first.

“When you were out recently, a villain appeared and went on a rampage in the city. Do you remember?”

“Yeah. But wasn't he subdued quickly?”

“Yes. It seems you weren't at the scene then. If you had seen the villain's condition, you wouldn't be so calm.”

The dean placed a photo on the table in front of Ho-cheol.

“This is a picture of that villain.”

Ho-cheol looked down at the photo with just his eyes.

He narrowed his eyes.

“That’s not human.”

It wasn't meant as a mockery, but a literal expression.

Two arms, two legs, one head.

That was the only thing the villain in the photo had in common with a normal person.

Everything else was not human.

His forearms were covered in a hard carapace, and his legs were bent backwards like an animal's.

His head was gradually changing into something strange.

“Yes. He’s definitely a person with a proper identity. But he’s not human.”

The dean also used a vague expression to describe the villain in the photo.

“According to the analysis, his genes are mixed.”

“What, is it some kind of trait that lets him fuse with animals?”

“The mixed genes are from a monster.”

Pfft—!

Ho-cheol spat out all the coffee he had been holding in his mouth.

However, this time, the dean didn't blame him.

If he had been drinking coffee and heard such a story, he wouldn't be confident that he wouldn't have spat it out either.

That's how shocking this information was, and how it shattered existing common sense.

“I don’t know what kind of crazy bastards they are, but this is no ordinary matter.”

“That’s right. It’s a serious matter.”

Ho-cheol also nodded his head in agreement.

“But.”

He took a sip of the remaining coffee.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Of course, if they could fuse with a truly top-tier monster, it could be a major social risk, but looking at the current state, it seemed they could only fuse with a human-sized monster at best.

And even that looked unstable.

At least, it didn't seem like it would be a major threat to Ho-cheol.

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

The two of them momentarily realized that their purposes and topics were completely out of sync.

The dean, looking puzzled, blinked his remaining eye and asked Ho-cheol.

“Shouldn't you naturally be digging up the mastermind and going to catch them?”

At his words, Ho-cheol asked back, looking even more puzzled than the dean.

“Me? That? Why?”

He wasn't joking; he really didn't know.