Ch.240235 – Running Away

The Korean government had declared they wouldn’t appear on official broadcasts until they punished those involved in covering up the incident and revealed Walpurgis’s true purpose.

However, something happened that changed this stance, shortly after returning to Korea.

One evening, while having an early dinner and studying research papers with Professor Cheon, the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, there was a package sitting there.

After checking the sender, I immediately called Master Baek Bong-gon.

[Hey there, NoName! Did you get the package?]

“Yes, grandfather. I got it. But what’s this extra thing that came with it?”

[Giving just one thing would be stingy, so I threw in something extra. You can throw it away or use it, up to you. Take care now.]

“What?”

*click*

The call ended abruptly.

I unwrapped the packaging to check the portable formation writer he had made for me.

‘A norigae?’

It was an ornamental accessory typically attached to hanbok jackets.

And not just any norigae—it was a triple norigae with three ornaments connected by a single string.

It was quite heavy compared to regular norigae.

Looking closely, I could see it had a mana stone embedded in the center forming the wand’s core, with gyroscope sensors in each ornament’s knots and main components.

The threads used to make the norigae appeared to be made entirely of mana fibers, likely designed to function as the wand’s circuit.

I attached it to my pants pocket, went to the living room, and tried casting a random spell with the norigae.

[Simple Cast: Light]

Then I took three steps forward.

“Oh.”

Even without adjusting the coordinates, the magic formation continued to emit bright light at the same intensity.

Although it lacked mana amplification capabilities or space to store magic formation structures, it seemed to work well for the spell I wanted.

The coordinate adjustment function was excellent, and the optimal injection function was improved to about 95% efficiency—considering it’s a miniaturized product, it’s well worth several million won.

This should comply with the Academy Competition regulations and be suitable for Ji-hye to use.

I turned my attention to the other package.

‘This is a pearl?’

The iridescent purple gem was about the size of an eyeball.

Like the norigae, I could sense faint mana emanating from its production process, suggesting it was also a type of mana stone.

I was puzzled by the spiky golden decoration surrounding the pearl, resembling a sun symbol.

It didn’t look like a ring or bracelet at all.

I finally called Master Baek again and got a clear answer.

[It’s not a bracelet, it’s a hair tie for you, NoName.]

“A hair tie?”

[Yes. Have you ever felt tightness in your chest when using aura?]

“Well… now that I think about it, maybe…”

[That’s because your heart is too small.]

“My actual heart, not my aura heart?”

[The aura heart needs good blood supply and circulation to function properly. You’re using two, three, even five times what an adult would use, but your heart is still small, so your body can’t handle it.]

“Will this make a difference?”

[It’ll regulate the output automatically so you don’t strain your heart too much.]

“Hmm, that doesn’t seem like a special function, but this looks much more expensive than magical crafts?”

It seemed like poor business to put such a large mana stone into a product that merely regulates aura output.

[What do you mean more expensive! The magical craft for your friend contains 60 years worth of my inner energy—that’s much more valuable!]

“I understand. But what’s this animal keyring? Does it have some function too?”

[I got that from an insurance salesman at the senior center ages ago. I just thought you might like something cute. Take it off if you don’t like it.]

“No, I like it. Thank you.”

[Good, now don’t call me again—I’m busy!]

I immediately changed my hair tie.

He even included a hair pin.

This master seems more tsundere the more I get to know him.

He stubbornly returns the money I deliberately gave him extra through gifts like this.

Since I received the wand, I planned to call Ma Ji-hye and Han Seo-ri for some unscheduled special training.

[NoName: Han Seo-ri, are you busy?]

[Han Seo-ri: I was just about to ask you something!]

[Han Seo-ri: Have you seen Ji-hye?]

[NoName: ?]

[Han Seo-ri: Ji-hye has run away from home!]

* * *

Unless they’re ghost infants without birth registrations, all Korean citizens are assigned biochips.

[NoName: Ji-hye, I know you’re seeing these messages. Your mother says she’ll report to the police if you don’t respond now.]

Fortunately, when Ji-hye’s mother was about to file a missing person report with the police, Ji-hye responded to my message, preventing the situation from escalating.

An eight-year-old runaway doesn’t have many places to go anyway.

At most, she’d be wandering around the neighborhood or hiding at school.

“Excuse me, security guard, have you seen my friend? She has short hair and wears glasses like this.”

Han Seo-ri asked the academy security guard, who quietly pointed toward the elementary division.

We found Ji-hye sitting alone on a swing in the elementary playground, looking forlorn.

I immediately texted her mother that we’d found her and would safely bring her home later.

“Ji-hye! Ma Ji-hye, what are you doing there?”

Han Seo-ri ran over and wrapped her arms around Ji-hye’s neck.

“Ah, stop it!”

Ji-hye, usually so gentle, shook her off irritably.

“Oh… she’s angry. What should we do?”

“Ji-hye, what happened?”

As soon as she saw me, she jumped up from the swing and asked:

“You didn’t tell my dad anything, right? Please…”

“Your dad doesn’t know you ran away?”

“No! He absolutely can’t find out!”

“I don’t think he knows. I haven’t said anything.”

“Phew, that’s a relief…”

Come to think of it, her father is a detective.

I can understand why she’s so afraid.

Her reddened eyes suggested she’d been crying a lot.

Figuring I should improve her mood first, I gave her an Eclipse peach candy, her favorite.

“…?”

Then I stuck a Pokémon bread sticker on the back of her hand.

“Wow… this is super rare.”

Finally, I showed her the wand that had just arrived by delivery today.

“Here’s your wand, Ji-hye.”

“A wand? Is this really a wand?”

“The shape is a bit unusual, but you use it the same way. So, feeling better now?”

“Yeah… thanks… but…”

Ji-hye didn’t understand the value of the wand and seemed more interested in the sticker, but that was fine.

“Your mother was really worried.”

“…”

“I was planning to train with you and Seo-ri today, but I guess you should go home now, right?”

“I don’t think I need to train anymore.”

“What are you talking about! NoName and I have been coming to school every day to help you, and now you’re saying—”

“I might be transferring far away. My… my dad told me not to attend the academy anymore.”

Tears were already flowing down her cheeks, reflecting the sunset with a reddish glow.

* * *

“I’m home.”

Life for academy students is generally tough.

From elementary school, they need to attend hagwons (private academies) to keep up with classes, which means they practically have no vacations.

While exceptionally bright students might not need this, those with average intelligence like Ma Ji-hye had no choice but to make up for it with hard work.

Still, Ji-hye genuinely liked her academy friends, so she diligently attended hagwon in hopes of someday being in the same class as them.

Her mother welcomed Ji-hye as she returned from hagwon, sweating profusely.

Her father, wearing a stern expression—or rather, an even more seriously distorted face—was unusually home early today.

“Ji-hye, go wash your hands in the bathroom and come sit here.”

“Oh, okay.”

“You should wash your face too.”

As a violent crimes detective, working overtime was routine.

It was unusual to see Detective Ma Beom-il at home at four in the afternoon on a weekday after leaving for work in the morning.

When Ji-hye finished washing up and came out, her parents were already arguing loudly.

It would be nice if they repeated the same arguments, but they always found new topics to fight about.

Though her mother was much smaller than her father, she never backed down in verbal fights with Detective Ma.

Ji-hye awkwardly took a seat.

“Ma Ji-hye, where have you been wandering off to during vacation?”

Detective Ma, who already disapproved of sending Ji-hye to hagwon, asked.

Her mother bristled, telling him not to interfere in their child’s education when he barely knew anything about it.

“She’s practicing early because there are bonus points for participating in the competition, what’s your problem with that?”

“If it were me, I’d use that time to study more and do better on final exams.”

“That’s why she’s attending three hagwons already. Can’t you see Ji-hye is trying hard? You were the one who said not to send her to hagwons before.”

“Ma Ji-hye, look at dad. Are you really studying hard? Your hagwon teacher says you can’t concentrate in class and fall asleep all the time.”

“Yes… I’m working hard…”

“Then can you be first in your class next semester?”

Ji-hye’s eyes widened.

First place? That was an impossible dream.

At Cephiron Academy, NoName stood firmly at the top, revered almost like a god.

When she shook her head uncertainly, Detective Ma changed his approach.

“Then what about tenth place?”

Tenth place was also impossible.

She would need to rise to the level of numerous chaebol children like Yoon Si-hoo and Seo Yu-na, which was unattainable from her current rank of 56th.

“Is even twentieth place difficult?”

“Yes… twentieth is also…”

Seeing that she couldn’t even meet the minimum requirement for a half-scholarship, Detective Ma crossed his arms and hardened his resolve.

“Then let’s transfer. I’m skeptical about Ji-hye continuing at the academy.”

“You can’t be serious! Do you know how hard it was for Ji-hye to get into that academy!”

“Counting middle and high school, there’s still 10 years until she goes to college! Her grades keep dropping, and she might not even make it to middle school there. Should we keep living apart as a family? No, we’re all going to Incheon.”

In today’s world, where your high school matters more than your university, Detective Ma still considered college more important in his mind.

“Incheon? Why is dad suddenly going to Incheon?”

“Ji-hye, go to your room for now. Mom and dad need to talk more.”

“We’ve already finished talking! What more is there to discuss? And Ma Ji-hye, stop all this combat practice nonsense and just focus on your hagwon. Actually, don’t even think about combat practice anymore. Understand?”

“But I’m really good at combat and can beat all the seniors…!”

“Ma Ji-hye, just listen to dad. You can’t live your whole life doing something so dangerous. Honey, make sure Ji-hye attends her current hagwons properly. It’s already obvious that three is too many—why waste more money? Huh!”

“Ji-hye, go to your room now.”

Finally, her mother pushed Ji-hye toward her room, leaving only the parents of an only daughter at the kitchen table.

Detective Ma grabbed his throbbing head and sighed heavily.

“So when are you being transferred to Incheon?”

“As early as September. I’ve already completed the handover of main duties, and everyone’s just goofing off now. They told me not to get involved even if there’s a work gap.”

“How can this happen? They’re suddenly sending someone who lives in Gangnam to Incheon? You’re a police officer, not a soldier.”

“How would I know? It’s up to the lawmakers…”

Seoul Violent Crimes Unit 2 was facing an organizational restructuring and personnel transfer storm.

Under the pretext of preventing corruption, detectives with over 8 years of service were being transferred to other jurisdictions, without consideration for job similarities or career paths, causing internal outrage.

But civil servants do as they’re told.

Their directionless discontent eventually circulated internally before targeting specific individuals for blame.

Detective Ma Beom-il, considered the main culprit in this case, became an outcast among his colleagues.

If there was any fault to find, it was that he had private communications with Prosecutor Cheon Jeong-ho and failed to report it, giving politicians something to attack.

The accusations that he might have taken bribes were even more absurd.

“Haa, these ungrateful bastards… I really want to quit this job… I’m going to smoke a cigarette outside.”

“While you’re at it, take out the food waste.”

“…Go comfort Ji-hye. I can hear her crying in her room.”

Detective Ma Beom-il’s heart became tangled like a complex skein of thread as he heard the young girl’s sorrowful sobbing.