Ch.79Chapter 79. Scum Not Worth the Dirt Under My Boots

I sent the teacher Joan away.

Somehow, the table was now lined with booklets about IQ tests and intelligence assessments.

I adjusted my earphones while stroking the head of Cuss, who was inhaling cake beside me.

“Did you hear everything, Ms. Juliane?”

“Yes… I can’t believe it.”

“I know. Me neither.”

“I want more.”

Looking down, I saw Cuss tugging at my sleeve.

“One more tiramisu cake, please.”

“R-really, Jinsoo? You’re being so nice today…!”

Cuss was completely beside herself with the cake that arrived promptly.

Do you really like such sweet things that much?

You’ll get diabetes if you keep this up, then you’ll learn your lesson.

But today, eat all you want.

“Are you going to do grade acceleration?”

“I think it would be good. What about you, Ms. Juliane?”

“I think the same. But Cuss’s opinion seems most important. She must have made some friends by now…”

Without grade acceleration, it would take 12 years to graduate. 12 years.

By then, Cuss’s body would be beyond adult age and become overripe fruit.

I couldn’t allow that.

“It’s not like she can’t see her friends just because she skips grades.”

“That’s true, but…”

“We have to accept it. Shouldn’t she be in a position appropriate for her age and intelligence?”

“You’re right. By the way, Cuss’s biological parents should be beating the ground with regret. To abandon such a kind, sweet, cute, and smart child…”

I wasn’t sure about the kind and sweet part, but I generally agreed with the rest.

Selling a child to a research facility.

They deserved worse than death.

“Yes. They should rot in Hell.”

They were the kind who deserved a bad ending.

“Seems like you don’t need my advice anymore.”

“Right. You even planted a listening device with your clumsy sewing for that, which is unfortunate.”

“I-I said I was sorry about that…”

“This isn’t the first time. I’m going to install a metal detector at the entrance. You’ll have to pass through it every time you come in.”

“Ugh…”

“I’m joking. Call me when you’re on your way back. Cuss and I will come pick you up.”

“Really? Hehehe.”

As I always felt, her laughter was truly charming.

It was the kind of laugh that made listeners smile along.

“I’ll hang up now.”

“Ah! Wait a moment!”

“What is it?”

“Is Cuss next to you? Let me hear her voice.”

She’s become a real mother.

When I’m away from Cuss, I don’t even want to hear her voice.

“Cuss. Say something.”

“Huh?”

“There, done? I’m hanging up.”

“Ah! Wait—”

I hung up because the call seemed like it would drag on.

Looking to the side, I sighed.

She had already devoured two plates of cake.

Couldn’t you have left just one bite for me?

You little bastard.

“Was it delicious?”

“Yes. Very delicious.”

“Wipe your mouth before speaking, damn it.”

“Mmm… okay…”

I pulled out a napkin and wiped around her mouth.

It was completely smeared with cinnamon powder and cream, turning her lips black.

“So what were you talking about with Jane?”

“Jane? You mean Joanne.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Funny that someone who can’t even remember names correctly is called a genius.

“She says you’re smart. For your grade level.”

“Eck. Isn’t that a problem? If I want to look like a normal human, I should pretend to be more stupid…”

“No need for that. Look at your body. Grade acceleration is the right choice.”

I didn’t regret not placing her in a higher grade from the beginning.

She seems to have become much gentler lately thanks to the first-grade level moral education.

Teacher Joanne played a big role in that.

“Let’s go if you’re done eating.”

“Are we going to measure my IQ or whatever?”

“No.”

I had no intention of doing an intelligence test.

If it were just answering questions, maybe, but if it involved looking into her brain, Cuss’s true identity would be exposed.

I didn’t want to see suspicious special agents in protective suits breaking into our house and taking us away in capsules.

“Are we going home then?”

“No. We need to cut your hair. It’s too long.”

“Ah…”

It was definitely long.

Sometimes when I hugged her, her hair would fall forward and slap my cheeks, which was uncomfortable. How uncomfortable must it have been for her?

It wouldn’t be bad to cut it into a bob, but she didn’t want that…

“Let’s go get your hair cut.”

“Aren’t you going to cut it?”

“Me? If I cut it, it’ll be a mess. Hair should be left to professionals.”

I thought hair could just be cut any old way, but it turns out it’s all technique.

Technical work should be left to technicians.

There was a shop I frequented nearby.

We didn’t even need to get back in the car; we could walk there in no time.

*

“Um… Jinsoo.”

“What? Just hurry up and cut it.”

“No… is this right?”

With the ceiling fan spinning chaotically above.

The so-called professional was looking at me, sweating profusely.

“What’s the problem?”

“I’m just wondering if I heard the order correctly. You want me to cut a little girl’s hair?”

I don’t understand why he’s acting like this when he heard perfectly well.

Alejandro, who’s been running this barbershop for three generations, who could cut hair better than you?

His grandfather even cut the president’s hair, so that says it all.

His grandson might be an idiot who got caught as a drug courier and went to a labor camp, but he was decent at cutting hair.

“Yes, man. What’s the problem?”

“I haven’t cut women’s hair in nearly 20 years except for my wife’s.”

“Then that’s fine. Cut it like you cut your wife’s hair.”

“My wife has an afro.”

That’s hip.

Seems like his wife has thick hair.

“So you’re saying you can’t cut it?”

“No, I can cut it, but I’m worried there might be complaints later.”

“There won’t be.”

“Not from you. The kid will definitely whine, right?”

“It’s fine. If she whines, I’ll drag her out by the ear.”

“…”

At my promise, Alejandro shut his mouth.

Just cut the hair already.

What kind of barber talks this much?

You’ll get spit all over her hair, man.

“No refunds.”

“Fine, just cut it. Just make it a bit shorter. She says it’s too long and uncomfortable.”

“Sigh. Alright.”

He was going to cut it anyway, so I don’t know why he complained.

With several men waiting behind us, why isn’t he moving quickly?

Ugh, what’s that?

Why would a bald guy come to a barbershop?

“Did you dye your hair yesterday or today?”

“What? Dye?”

“Yeah. It looks really natural. But it really looks like silver hair?”

“Her hair is naturally silver.”

“…?”

He seemed amazed by the silver hair.

I could understand.

I wasn’t used to that silver hair for the first few days either.

Maybe because I briefly saw her with black hair before.

“What, did you pick her up from Scandinavia or something?”

“Scandi… what?”

“I’m asking if you picked her up from Northern Europe.”

“I don’t know. Maybe she’s from that region.”

I had to make something up.

I couldn’t tell him that an alien monster ate her brain and took her place, changing her hair color.

Soon Alejandro took out scissors and lifted a handful of Cuss’s long hair.

The moment the scissors closed with a snip—

“Hic!”

Suddenly Cuss’s body jerked.

I thought she had hiccupped.

Alejandro seemed to think so too, as he was startled briefly but then continued cutting.

But when the scissors made another snipping sound—

“Hnngh!”

Cuss jerked her body again.

Sighing, I approached her.

She had her head down and wasn’t saying anything, so I crouched down to look up at her face.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

“Hnngh… hic…”

“Huh?”

Why is this girl suddenly crying?

I was extremely bewildered.

Cuss silently sniffled and reached her arms out to me.

So I brought my face closer, and she put her mouth right up to my ear and whispered.

“This sound… it sounds like my tentacles being cut off and it’s scary…”

That reason was even more ridiculous.

This is unbelievable.

Is this really the same monster that ripped off my colleagues’ heads?

When I was cutting off her tentacles with an axe, she didn’t react at all…

‘Hmm?’

Wait, did she really not react?

Come to think of it, I think she made strange crying sounds and ran away every time I swung the axe.

I never imagined that those eardrum-bursting cries would translate into real tears in human form.

But could you stop crying?

This is weird.

A girl crying while getting her hair cut at a barbershop.

Damn, it’s not like I’m forcing her to shave her head.

Sure enough, the men in the back started whispering about me.

“Hey. Stop crying, okay? I’m embarrassed. Please.”

“Hold me…”

“That’s not possible.”

“Hnngh… hic…”

“For crying out loud.”

I couldn’t hug her, but I could hold her hands.

I pulled up a small chair, sat in front of Cuss, and held her tiny hands.

She still trembled a little each time the scissors snipped, but gradually she calmed down and eventually stopped trembling.

Thinking she might be feeling better now, I looked at her face.

“Well, look at that.”

She was asleep.

With her face all covered in tears.

I decided not to wake her up.

That would make it easier for Alejandro to cut.

Meanwhile, I played with Cuss’s hands.

She had long, pretty fingers.

Mine are stubby, so they don’t look very long.

Touching her hands reminded me of my wife’s.

The day before she died, she had become so thin that her fingers were extremely thin.

They looked like scissors hands.

Would Cuss’s hands become like that if she got thin?

I thought that whatever else happened, I needed to make sure she ate properly.

“Hmm…”

Suddenly I wondered what fingers tasted like.

I once had Ms. Juliane suck my finger.

She sucked it like it was delicious.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I brought Cuss’s index finger to my mouth.

“Nom. Mmm… mmm…”

“Jinsoo.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re acting like a real pervert, stop it…”

Come on, I just want to suck my daughter’s finger, man.

Ignoring Alejandro’s request, I tasted the index finger.

It was slightly salty, probably because she had wiped her tears with it…

Otherwise, I couldn’t taste anything.

“Ptooey.”

I regretted sucking it.

Just ruined my palate.

I wiped the saliva off her finger by rubbing it on Cuss’s clothes.

“Little miss. Wake up. I’m done cutting.”

“Mmm…”

Soon Alejandro put down his scissors and patted Cuss’s shoulder to wake her up.

Is it done already?

Overall, it didn’t look much different from before.

“It doesn’t look like you cut anything. Should I just pay half?”

“If I beat you up without leaving marks, can I not pay you?”

“Hahaha. Just joking, man. Joking.”

He responds so aggressively to a simple joke.

While Cuss was wriggling to take off the cape, I handed Alejandro a $10 bill.

By the time Alejandro went to help her take it off, she had already flipped it over and made a complete mess.

“Aren’t you going to wash your hair before you go?”

“You’ll wash it? That would be nice.”

“For another $10.”

“Oh come on. Then I’ll just wash it at home.”

“Hahaha. I’m joking, joking. You’re a regular, I’ll wash it for free. Sofia! Come wash this kid’s hair!”

Right. Hair washing should definitely be included as a service.

Soon Alejandro’s daughter appeared, chewing gum, and took Cuss to another room.

She had Cuss lie down with her head in the sink and started washing her hair with warm water.

Looking at the hair spread out in the sink, it was still quite long.

“Waaah… Jinsoo. This feels good. Do this for me at home too…”

“I can’t do that. Earn money and come here every day if you want.”

She seemed quite comfortable.

When she started to fall asleep again, I poked her sides occasionally to keep her awake.

Soon Alejandro came through the curtain.

“Jinsoo. I thought it had been a while since you visited, but I didn’t expect you to bring a daughter, really.”

“She’s adopted. But aren’t you working?”

“Ah, it’s fine. Those old men don’t have the energy to get angry even if I leave them for a bit.”

“…”

I was appalled.

What does this guy think of his customers?

To think I’m a regular at a place like this.

“When are you coming to El Paso?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I’ve invited you many times. Come visit once. My relatives can treat you well for three days or ten days, however long you stay.”

“Isn’t El Paso practically Mexican territory? Why would I go there? I’m American.”

“You’re saying that with those slit eyes? Hahaha.”

“You might get shot by a Chinese person for saying things like that.”

While we were having this pointless conversation, it seemed they had finished washing her hair.

Soon Alejandro’s daughter brought a hair dryer and dried Cuss’s hair.

When she stood up after it was all dry, there stood a pretty silver-haired girl with beautiful, flowing hair.

“How is it? Better?”

“Mmm! My head feels much lighter!”

She seemed to like it.

“I’ll visit El Paso sometime later. I’ll bring her too.”

“Try to come during vacation season. I’ll join you.”

“I’ll do that.”

It was good to see him after a long time.

If I go to El Paso, it would be best to go as soon as possible.

If I forget and go later, the entire Alejandro family might be arrested as drug offenders.

Or maybe not. Maybe they know how to slip away.

Mexicans are experts at dealing drugs, after all.

“Hm hm hmm.”

Seeming to be in a good mood, Cuss stood next to me and took my hand.

Then she interlocked our fingers and squeezed until my knuckles hurt.

“Coward.”

“What? What did you just say?!”

“Were you that scared of the scissors? Since switching bodies, you can’t do anything. How has your species avoided extinction until now?”

“Coward?! It’s just survival instinct! Our species has survived until now because we’re extremely cautious…”

“Coward.”

“Argh! I’m not a coward!”

But you are. Coward.

Someone who faints from fear at the sound of thunder.

“Take that back!”

“Gack! Hey! Put your tail away, damn it!”

“I won’t until you take it back!”

What is this crazy girl doing?

Suddenly pulling out her tentacle in the middle of the street and choking me.

Has she lost her mind?

Damn. People are staring.

“Kuhak! Kek! This is an anal tail, everyone! Don’t misunderstand!”

“Mom, what’s an anal tail?”

“Don’t look at things like that…”

My active explanation seemed to work as everyone turned away and left.

Thanks to that, we avoided being reported.

That was fortunate.