High School Girl and Sleepyhead(3)

Today was a day of a long-awaited outing for Tae-hyun, who had been cooped up in the Geumryu Team tower.

And not just an ordinary solo outing, but a father-daughter outing.

It was supposed to be an outing where he would go to the uniform shop with Ju-ri, who said she was going to pick up her uniform on a holiday, pick up the uniform, then take a light walk around the area before returning.

It was truly an outing with his daughter after such a long time that Tae-hyun was humming a tune with joy, and as if blessing such a Tae-hyun, this morning’s fortune was exceptionally good.

Like frying an egg and finding it was a double yolk, or throwing trash randomly and having it land exactly in the trash can, or all the accumulated overtime work being canceled due to circumstances on the other side.

Feeling as if the world was blessing him to have a good outing with Ju-ri today, Tae-hyun arrived at the uniform shop with Ju-ri in high spirits.

“Huh?”

“Ah?”

“…Hmm?”

However, there.

Seeing two girls wearing perception reduction masks and cloaks like himself, Tae-hyun couldn’t help but realize.

Today’s streak of good luck wasn’t the world trying to bless him.

“…What are you? Sorry, but could you not block the way like that?”

“Ah, sorry……”

“Can’t you understand what I’m saying? I’m not telling you to apologize, I’m telling you to move quickly!”

It was just groundwork for the world to properly screw him over.

“Haah……”

A tear fell sadly from Tae-hyun’s eye.

---

Why are they here?

Entering the uniform shop and letting Ju-ri in, Tae-hyun asked himself such a question looking at the two girls standing right in front of him.

“……”

“……”

Of course, the two girls also had their faces properly hidden with masks and cloaks like Tae-hyun himself, but just from the emblem engraved on those cloaks, Tae-hyun could guess their identities.

‘…Damn General Management Team.’

The emblem of the General Management Team engraved on the cloaks worn by the two girls.

This alone was enough to know without being told that the two were people from the General Management Team, and in addition to that, Tae-hyun confirmed their identities by looking at the two girls’ hair.

A girl with white hair like the finest white sand, and a girl with black hair with a sleep mask sticking out over her mask.

‘…Shin-yeon and Lee Seol.’

There was only one person in the General Management Team with such white hair, and only one person who went around wearing a sleep mask.

The exclusive hunter of the General Management Team, Shin-yeon, whose name value had been skyrocketing recently, and Lee Seol, a founding family member of the General Management Team who was said to be like a miracle to see compared to others.

Meeting these two at the same place at the same time could be considered incredible luck in a way, but at least for the current Tae-hyun, it was a great fortune he wanted to reject.

‘I’m on a friendly outing with my daughter right now…!’

It was an outing with his daughter after who knows how long, but if he got tangled up with these two from the General Management Team on such a day, wouldn’t everything turn into a mess?

“Um, uh… It’s been a long time since I’ve seen both of you. As you know, I’m Na Tae-hyun, the team leader of the Geumryu Team.”

Therefore, after a brief moment of calculation to somehow get through this situation smoothly, Tae-hyun bowed politely and greeted the two.

Of course, taking off his mask and revealing his face was essential.

It was a sight that looked lacking in many ways for a handsome man in his thirties to bow politely to two girls, but if he could just get through quietly, what did that matter?

And perhaps this effort was effective, as Seol, one of the two girls who had been maintaining silence, slightly nodded her head and received Tae-hyun’s greeting.

“…Yeah, it’s been a while.”

“Haha, yes. It’s truly been a long time.”

“What brings you here…?”

“Ah, my daughter said she had a uniform to pick up. We came briefly to pick up the uniform before going around here and there.”

“Hmm……”

Hearing that much, as if she didn’t particularly care for more, Seol nodded moderately and turned her gaze away again.

Tae-hyun felt relieved at successfully escaping from being her object of interest, but he didn’t stop talking right away.

If he showed relief and cut off the conversation here, only an awkward atmosphere would flow until Ju-ri came back with the uniform, which would be a clear mistake.

Therefore, Tae-hyun quickly scanned the inside of the shop, spotted another girl looking at uniforms besides Ju-ri, and opened his mouth.

“Is that young lady your sister? It’s my first time seeing her.”

A girl with hair dyed in various colors, with an expressionless but sharp impression.

Besides himself, Ju-ri, and the shop owner, the only person left was that girl, so Tae-hyun spoke like that, roughly guessing the girl’s identity.

‘There’s no reason at all for these two to be here in the first place.’

The reason Shin-yeon and Seol were at the uniform shop wearing perception reduction masks and cloaks was obviously because of that girl, wasn’t it?

Then at least that girl must also be a person related to the General Management Team.

However, since the ‘exclusive hunter’ Shin-yeon and the ‘founding family member’ Seol came out personally like this, he couldn’t think she was just an ordinary related person, so Tae-hyun spoke like that, and fortunately, it was a question close to the model answer.

“…As expected of the Geumryu Team, your mind works well. That’s right. She’s my sister.”

“I see. I thought she had a beautiful appearance.”

Seol gives an affirmative answer to Tae-hyun’s question.

Seeing her confidently call the girl her sister, did it mean she had taken her in as an adopted daughter?

It wasn’t great news, but Tae-hyun engraved this newly learned fact in his mind.

There was enough need to engrave it in his mind, if only to maintain a proper attitude if he met that girl in private places in the future.

And Tae-hyun opened his mouth to continue the conversation that had naturally started flowing.

However.

The problem was that Ju-ri also opened her mouth at the same time.

Thud—

That sound of shoulders lightly bumping into each other wedges into the momentary gap in conversation and echoes through the shop.

When Tae-hyun felt uneasiness rising up his spine right after, that uneasiness soon became reality.

“…What are you? Sorry, but could you not block the way like that?”

Ju-ri’s voice spat out irritably.

“Ah, sorry……”

“Can’t you understand what I’m saying? I’m not telling you to apologize, I’m telling you to move quickly!”

Right after, Ju-ri’s shout cutting off the girl’s apology echoed so loudly that there was no way anyone couldn’t have heard it.

After that, naturally, the anger expressed by one person brings silence into the shop.

And at that, Tae-hyun felt for the first time that his lovely daughter looked more vicious than any demon.

But even though he was flustered by the situation that unfolded in the blink of an eye, Tae-hyun tried to move to somehow salvage the situation, but unfortunately, Seol moved faster than Tae-hyun could open his mouth.

—Click.

Over the silence that fell after Ju-ri’s shout.

The sound of Seol taking off her mask is quietly heard.

Then Seol even undid the cloak draped over her shoulders and dropped it to the floor, and the moment the cloak touched the floor.

A huge storm swept through the shop.

Whoooosh—!!!!!

“Ugh!”

“Kyah?!”

“Kyaaak?!”

The uniforms hanging on the racks fly into the air, and the surprised screams of Tae-hyun, Ju-ri, and the shop owner echo in the swirling storm.

And the massive presence Seol showed while exhaling wind was enough to turn Ju-ri’s gaze, which hadn’t been looking this way, towards her.

Then Ju-ri’s scream stops with a gasp.

Right after, Seol, who had opened wide her eyes that were always half-closed, called Tae-hyun’s name in an ominous voice as if scraping her throat.

“Na Tae-hyun.”

“Y-yes!”

Just one word of simply calling his name.

However, with just that one word, Tae-hyun already knew well what he had to do.

Tae-hyun rushed to where Ju-ri was, cutting through the wind that seemed to be piercing him like thorns.

And Tae-hyun grabbed Ju-ri’s head and pushed it down towards the girl he had called Seol’s sister.

“I’m sorry, young lady. My daughter has been rude. You apologize too, quickly, Ju-ri!”

“I… I’m sorry… I was wrong.”

Had she grasped the situation by seeing Seol’s face in that brief moment? Ju-ri immediately put words of apology in her mouth following Tae-hyun’s words.

In a normal situation, Ju-ri would have tried to keep her head up stiffly to the end to protect her pride, but thankfully seeing her act quickly with good sense, Tae-hyun inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

However, no sooner had he let out that sigh of relief than Seol’s lips moved again.

And Seol’s voice following that movement was directed at the two who had bowed their heads.

“…You there, who said you’re Na Tae-hyun’s daughter. Are you by any chance a student at Gaeam High School?”

“Y-yes… That’s right.”

“I see.”

Why did she ask such a question?

Tae-hyun felt cold sweat flowing down the back of his neck at Seol’s unreadable intentions, and quietly swallowed.

And the answer to that question he had harbored could be known from the following question and answer between Seol and the girl in front.

“Neon, you didn’t want to reveal your identity, right?”

“Yeah. But since it’s turned out like this, that’s impossible now. If we’re in the same high school, we’ll run into each other whether we like it or not.”

“Don’t worry… There is a way.”

Surprisingly, the girl in front was in the same high school as Ju-ri.

But before Tae-hyun could be surprised at that, the words Seol uttered to reassure the girl were enough to stop Tae-hyun’s thoughts.

“……”

Rolling his eyes with a feeling of “maybe”, his gaze meets exactly with Seol’s.

As Tae-hyun hurriedly straightened his eyes in shock, the assumption he had thought “maybe” became reality and was uttered from Seol’s mouth.

“There’s a… ‘Fallen Fairy Clan’ that has deep ties with the General Management Team. It’ll cost some money, but what’s three people or so.”

Seol says this while scanning Tae-hyun, Ju-ri, and the shop owner one by one.

And at the dark future that seemed to have no escape hole, Tae-hyun rubbed his face with both hands and let out a deflated laugh.

“…We’re doomed.”

It was the moment when Tae-hyun’s outing plan, which had started with good fortune, plummeted into the abyss at once.