I’ll Retire After Saving the World

It was quiet.

However, no one dared to open their mouth.

Even Hong Seok-young, who usually had something to say, was tightly shutting his lips as he kept glancing at the man sitting in the back seat.

The one who eventually broke the silence was Lee Mi-seon, who was holding the steering wheel.

“But, why kidnapping, of all things?”

"Well, that\'s because."

Lee Mi-seon gave a quick glance at Hong Seok-young, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Feeling her gaze, Hong Seok-young added to the explanation.

“You know we can’t just go there and take the kid like it’s nothing, right?”

“…Yeah, I suppose. That makes sense, I guess.”

Even with a regular orphanage, the procedures are complicated, and this situation involved Ark on top of that. Even if it weren’t for Alex Hope, it was already a headache. If they recklessly tried to take the child, everyone connected to the situation would scatter and disappear.

In the worst case, they could lose the child altogether.

“If you’re going to deal with the orphanage, it has to be an all-out move that takes care of everything at once. Otherwise, there’s no point.”

That’s why even Hong Seok-young wasn’t casually suggesting kidnapping. He had carefully thought it through and determined it was the safest option. But to think that the conclusion they reached was kidnapping. Lee Mi-seon looked at him skeptically, but Hong Seok-young remained confident.

If the child being “kidnapped” was cooperative, could it even be called kidnapping?

…Well, of course, it was still technically kidnapping. But the ones holding the child weren’t exactly decent people, were they? This wasn’t kidnapping, it was a rescue operation. Hong Seok-young felt no shame whatsoever.

Besides, wasn’t it crueler to just sit back and do nothing, allowing the younger brother they’d finally located after so much tracking and chasing to remain out of reach?

“So, we’ll keep monitoring the situation, but taking the child first is the best option.”

"Kidnapping?"

"What\'s kidnapping about bringing someone to be with their only family? If anything, those guys are the ones who kidnapped."

This was a fair point. When Hong Seok-young spoke with conviction, Lee Mi-seon tapped her chin with her finger and thought for a moment.

"From what I heard, the orphanage security wasn\'t that impressive. They even let Tae-woo attend school normally."

“That’s because it’d be suspicious if a perfectly normal-looking kid didn’t go to school.”

“Well, yes, that’s true. But letting them go so easily implies that they’re confident they can control the kids’ behavior, or that they’re certain the kids won’t try to run away, don’t you think? Schools are usually the riskiest places. Even well-behaved kids can suddenly change when mixing with peers."

“Probably.”

A hoarse voice interrupted from the back seat.

Woo Hwijae cleared his throat a few times before continuing.

“There likely weren’t any actual kidnapped children there. Most of them were probably born in the research lab or sent to the orphanage because their parents were researchers, like Kang Tae-woo.”

“Hm?”

"Because they have nowhere else to go."

These were children who had lived their entire lives isolated from the outside world. Even if there was nothing physically restraining them, they probably couldn’t even imagine escaping. And it’s unclear if they ever even wanted to escape in the first place.

Hong Seok-young suppressed the boiling anger in his chest and stared straight ahead at the road.

Kang Tae-woo had been the same. He had simply waited to naturally leave when he got older or planned to continue working for Ark.

And Kang Tae-woo even said his mother was still alive!

How could they treat a kid like that, essentially abandoning him at the orphanage? Orphans ultimately don’t receive proper protection from society. Any child smart enough to even think about escaping from the orphanage would know that surviving in the outside world would be just as impossible.

They build their power by using such children who have nowhere to go. Those scumbags.

“…Anyway, since Teacher Woo’s younger brother has a different name and age, once we bring them here, cleaning things up afterward should be straightforward. We can even create his identity right away.”

“You can create an identity? Just like that?”

"I\'ve already prepared everything. I just need to know things like birthday and such. That\'s why I asked, but you wouldn\'t tell me."

"...You work fast."

Lee Mi-seon shrugged lightly.

“I just prefer to take care of things that might take a long time in advance. I added some details to match Teacher Woo’s backstory, so check it later.”

“Backstory... what?"

“You’re brothers, right! Things like your parents’ story, that sort of stuff.”

“Ah, Teacher Woo is completely out of it. This is the first time I’ve seen you like this!”

Lee Mi-seon burst out laughing, and even Hong Seok-young cracked a small smile.

“Hunter Lee’s villa is spacious, so you can stay there together for the time being. It\'s dangerous to go out anyway."

“If you need anything, just let us know right away.”

“Once we bring the kid here, don’t go outside for a while.”

“…Not that I have anywhere else to go anyway.”

His voice was still hoarse and unsteady.

Hong Seok-young was about to habitually grumble a response but stopped. With nowhere to go... He had just been thinking about Ark doing the same thing earlier.

No, no. That’s different. He was offering fair compensation for honest work, wasn’t he? He wasn’t like those scammer bastards. Not at all.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Hong Seok-young tried to shake off his thoughts.

“Ahem. Anyway, just bear with it until the situation is sorted out.”

“The kids might get startled, though.”

“Kang Tae-woo seemed to be looking forward to it quite a bit.”

“Really? He must’ve been close to his younger brother back in the lab?”

“No.”

“…No? Well, I guess it would’ve been hard to get along with the age difference.”

As Lee Mi-seon and Woo Hwijae chatted idly, Hong Seok-young flipped through the file again.

A boy with a sullen face. He was ten years old, wasn\'t he?

The child Mimi had left behind had also died at that age. Ten years old. Far too young.

A child that small barely filled his arms when held. Tiny hands gripping the hem of a shirt, looking up with clear eyes, no matter how strong a Hunter might be, they’d inevitably give in. When you bought them a toy, they’d laugh as if they owned the world… If the world could be bought for just a few thousand won, it was a bargain.

Propping his chin on his hand, Hong Seok-young gazed out the window.

Ten years old.

Far too young.

***

“What’s your younger brother like? From the journal left at the training center, he don’t seem like an ordinary kid.”

Should I just jump out of the car right now?

“Does he look like Teacher Woo in personality as well as in appearance? He must be so cute.”

There was a time when the old man had taught him how to jump out of a moving car. Surprisingly, he’d said it could come in handy during a dungeon break.

“And what’s with the name Park Jung-min? To choose that over such a pretty name!"

Then, I’d run away.

Run to some place that has nothing to do with Ark, dungeons, or destruction…

Why is Korea a peninsula? With three sides surrounded by water, there’s no escape route.

Woo Hwijae rubbed his face with his dry hands.

No. Calm down. Get it together, Woo Hwijae.

You knew this moment would come eventually, didn\'t you? How can you waver like this now? Once you started calling your younger self a brother, this was the only path left.

Should I have just come up with a different name?

He began recalling the faces from the lab one by one. There wasn’t a single face he could use to sell the “younger brother” narrative.

Or perhaps I shouldn’t have brought up a brother at all. I could’ve just said I couldn’t stand Ark’s practice of kidnapping and experimenting on children and ran away…

Fuck, I wasn’t even supposed to be Hong Seok-young’s informant in the first place!

In the end, the problem circles back to the beginning.

If only I had kept my head clear on that rooftop back then, I wouldn’t have gotten caught up when the Minotaur fell. Then, I wouldn’t have met the old man unprepared. If only I hadn’t taken leave that day at the old man’s insistence, I would’ve stayed in Seoul. When the Bangi-dong Dungeon erupted, Yoo Ji-eun would’ve scowled and shouted at me, “See? When have I ever been wrong about this?” I would’ve told her to save the blame for later and sent Team 2 in to clean up the mess.

…Wait, wasn’t Yoo Ji-eun raiding a dungeon at that time? Even if it was just a B-rank dungeon, there’s no way Team 2 would’ve finished it in two days and returned.

What is this? Did the dungeon erupt while the raid team was still inside?

I would’ve needed to be in Seoul to know what was really going on at the Ability Management Agency back then. I don’t like fighting monsters, but given the circumstances, I would’ve picked up a weapon and fought alongside them…

And I could’ve given the old man my dog tag.

Breathing became difficult. Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I looked around. The shaking car. The leather seats. Lee Mi-seon’s voice. The trees outside the window. The road. The car.

“…Teacher Woo?”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been quiet….”

“No, I’m just… my mind is a bit tangled up.”

“What’s there to be tangled about? Right now, put everything else aside and just be purely happy.”

Hong Seok-young spoke casually, completely unaware of how I felt. He turned around to glance at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Whether it was a proper smile, I wasn’t sure.

Park Jung-min. The moment I heard that name, I laughed. When I had gone to the orphanage, it was after the old man had rescued me. If I hadn’t been rescued back then or had been sent to the orphanage by Ark, would that name have been given to me?

The name of the mother who created me.

Even at this point in time, she’s already dead. I don’t hold a grudge. What’s the point of hating the dead? It would only exhaust me.

But using a dead mother\'s name, even if it\'s for identification... that\'s just not right.

I closed my eyes. Kim Chae-min’s voice lingered in my ears.

\'What do you want to do with your brother?\'

Nothing. I don’t want to do anything.

But I forced myself to recall a memory and answered. I had wanted to go to school. That the kid me would probably want to go to school.

I looked at Hong Seok-young in the passenger seat. He\'ll let him attend, won\'t he?

“We’re almost there now. We’ll arrive in 10 minutes.”

Lee Mi-seon said in an excited voice.

I swallowed hard. The car glides smoothly from the highway into the city, passing through roads lined with apartments.

Ten minutes was far too short.

“We’re here!”

“It’s a fairly large orphanage.”

“Among the ones operated by Ark, this is probably one of the top ones.”

“To think they’ve even meddled in places like this… If there’s one thing I can’t tolerate, it’s messing with kids.”

“Oh my, what are you saying? Hunter Hong doesn’t tolerate much of anything to begin with.”

“It’s just a figure of speech!”

Hong Seok-young grumbled as he got out of the car. Only after the two of them stepped out did I slowly follow.

No matter what I did at this moment, it would just seem like nerves before a dramatic reunion with my brother. So I just acted as I wanted. Neither Hong Seok-young nor Lee Mi-seon said anything.

Instead of speaking…

Pat.

Hong Seok-young casually rested his arm on my shoulder.

“Now, go and bring your brother back.”

"...What?"

“It’d be strange for all of us to go together. We’d only draw attention. You go and quietly bring him back.”

I stared at Hong Seok-young with a dumbfounded expression.

“I… me? I’m going?”

“Of course, you’re going. Who else would?”

For the first time here, I saw a warm smile spread across his face.

“He lost his brother, and was sent to a strange environment. Go comfort him and kidnap him."

“But….”

“Ah, come on. I know when to take a hint. I’m not going to intrude on your brother bonding time. I won’t even eavesdrop, so don’t worry.”

As if offering encouragement, Hong Seok-young patted me on the back a few times before pushing me gently toward the orphanage.

I…

I….

With Hong Seok-young and Lee Mi-seon behind me, I couldn’t let myself break down now. Forcing my legs to move, I walked forward.

The orphanage looked familiar. It was the place I had once stayed at. Back then, Ark wasn’t involved. What difference did that make now? I’ll think about it later.

It was easy to avoid people’s eyes and slip into the orphanage. There were no Awakened individuals. Only a few non-Awakened adults and children were there. No matter how I am, how could I not avoid this?

The younger version of me had been adopted from here by Hong Seok-young. It all started when he visited the orphanage by chance and recognized the child he had rescued a year ago.

At the farthest corner of the orphanage playground, hidden by trees and flower beds where no one usually came, a child had been sitting alone. That’s where he had approached and greeted me.

\'Hello, kid. Haven’t we met before?\'

That had been a year later. Now, the same small boy was still sitting there.

But this time, there was no Hong Seok-young.

That boy would not be adopted by him. He would live as my brother, as Woo Hwijae’s brother.

The butterfly’s wings had turned into a massive snowball, rolling back at me.

What have I done?