Reincarnated as a Housekeeper in a 19+ Gangster Romance Novel - Chapter 14
TLed by Mimo (Bedtime BL)
"Hwanyeong, should I push you?" the teacher asked.
Jeong Hwanyeong shook his head. After trying to talk to him several times without getting a response, the teacher got tired of his silence and soon moved on to the other children.
With a blank expression, Jeong Hwanyeong watched his friends playing and laughing.
The children greeted the teacher warmly, clamoring for help with this and that, and pulling him into their games.
The teacher, clearly enjoying the children's cheerful mood, laughed along and joined in their play.
...That looks fun.
He used to join in the games himself, but lately everything felt dull. His older brothers showed no interest in him, and the housekeeper was the only one who still cared for him.
Even though the housekeeper's kindness had recently eased his crushing loneliness, the deep-seated loneliness and bitterness still clung to Jeong Hwanyeong.
Jeong Hwanyeong's head drooped.
Liar.
The main reason for Jeong Hwanyeong's deepening gloom was the absence of his eldest brother, Jeong Hwanhui. He had promised to visit last week, but he never came.
Hwanhui was the only one who ever played with him...
Suddenly, a thought struck Jeong Hwanyeong, and he trembled, gripping the swing's ropes tightly.
Could it be that even my eldest brother won't play with me anymore?
Does that mean I'm truly all alone now?
Sad thoughts kept surfacing, bringing tears to his eyes. When he listened to his friends' stories, they talked about going to the beach or hiking in the mountains with their families on weekends, and sometimes even traveling abroad.
Jeong Hwanyeong bit his lip tightly.
He had spent the entire weekend cooped up at home, feeling worlds apart from his friends in every way.
I want to go on trips too... with my brothers.
But that was just an impossible dream, wasn't it?
They were all too busy.
"Alright, kids, let's head back to the classroom for snack time!"
"Yes, Teacher!"
The children began following their teacher. Jeong Hwanyeong watched them go, motionless.
Normally, he would have trailed after the teacher eventually, but today he stayed put. He simply sat on the swing, staring blankly at the children entering the kindergarten.
As everyone filed into the classroom, Jeong Hwanyeong found himself alone. No one seemed to notice he was still outside.
He had chosen not to follow, yet a hollow feeling lingered in his heart.
Whether I'm at home or here, I'm always alone.
No one cared about him. The loneliness felt suffocating.
If I had parents like the other kids, would things be different?
His parents died when he was very young, leaving him with no clear memories of them.
But sometimes, just sometimes, the fact that everyone else had parents while he didn't stung deeply.
Squeak, squeak. After swinging a few more times, Jeong Hwanyeong stood up. He'd been lost in thought for too long. Time to head back to the classroom.
Just then, a shadow fell across his face.
Who is it? He looked up to see a woman he'd never seen before standing there, wearing an apron.
The shadow cast by the woman made her expression seem dark, but her voice was warm and friendly.
"Hello. You're Hwanyeong, right? Why are you here all alone?"
He stared at her with a questioning gaze while the woman smiled warmly.
"Who are you?"
Jeong Hwanyeong, wary of the unfamiliar face, took a step back.
"I'm the new teacher in Forsythia Class."
If it's the Forsythia class, it's the classroom next door. So she's the new teacher. Jeong Hwanyeong's tense shoulders relaxed at the mention of "teacher."
Jeong Hwanyeong, wary of the unfamiliar face, took a step back.
"I'm the new teacher in Forsythia Class."
If it's the Forsythia class, it's the classroom next door. So she's the new teacher. Jeong Hwanyeong's tense shoulders relaxed at the mention of "teacher."
He had never seen her before. She must have come to fetch him because she was worried about him being alone in the playground.
Just as he was about to head back to the classroom, the teacher suddenly approached, knelt down, and met his gaze.
"...Do you perhaps not want to go back to the classroom right now?"
As if she could read his mind, Jeong Hwanyeong hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding.
He didn't want to be among the noisy, chattering children. Everyone else seemed so happy, while he felt utterly miserable.
The teacher seemed to hesitate for a moment, then cautiously glanced outside and suggested, "I'm going to run out and grab something. Would you like to come with me?"
"...With teacher?"
Jeong Hwanyeong's ears perked up.
"Teacher will buy you delicious candy too."
Jeong Hwanyeong glanced back and forth between the kindergarten and the teacher, then nodded without hesitation. He wanted to go outside and wander around far more than he wanted to go back into the classroom.
More than anything, he had barely left the house or kindergarten lately, making him even more eager to go out.
"Great, let's go. Take my hand."
The teacher extended her hand. Jeong Hwanyeong stared at it.
It'll be okay, right? Jeong Hwanyeong suddenly remembered his eldest brother's warning: Never follow strangers.
But... she's a teacher, even if I've never seen her before.
Teachers are safe.
Yes. It'll be fine.
After a moment's hesitation, Jeong Hwanyeong cautiously took the teacher's hand.
It's cold.
Her hand was surprisingly cold, a stark contrast to her warm, gentle voice. Though slightly uncomfortable, Jeong Hwanyeong didn't show it. Besides, he was too excited about going outside to worry about anything else.
And so, hand in hand with the new teacher, Jeong Hwanyeong stepped out of the kindergarten, his heart brimming with anticipation.
------------------------------------
After I finished cleaning, I briefly turned on the TV and flipped through the channels.
Maybe because it was a weekday morning, several scenes from dramas flashed by, but none particularly grabbed my attention. There didn't seem to be any decent variety shows either.
Eventually, I aimlessly clicked through channels a few more times with the remote until I paused at the sight of several channels reporting the same news with a similar tone.
The news was covering the recent kindergarten kidnapping incidents that had become a major concern.
[Children are being abducted by individuals who enter kindergartens, approach children playing alone in the playground under the guise of teachers, and lure them away.
This crime exploits the lax security and blurred boundaries of kindergarten environments.]
This makes three children kidnapped already.
Parents were furious that their children had been abducted from the kindergarten, a place they thought was safe. The teachers caring for the children were in complete uproar, they never thought someone would dare kidnap a child from inside the kindergarten itself.
The end is near. The end is near.
What's happening to this world?
The news reported a variety of methods used by the kidnappers.
Clicking my tongue, I focused on the news, but the anchor quickly moved on to another topic after rattling off the kidnapping stories.
I turned off the TV and stretched. Come to think of it, I saw a similar news report just a few days ago. Does that mean kidnapping cases are being covered constantly in the news these days?
Hmm, it must be really serious.
As I inwardly lamented how criminal tactics were evolving daily, my phone rang with a ding-a-ling.
I pulled it out of my pocket. I always carried it just in case, but I've never received a call before, so I was puzzled.
Who could this be?
It was an unfamiliar number.
I considered ignoring it, thinking it might be spam or a phishing attempt. But then again, I'd never received a single spam call before, so curiosity got the better of me.
I answered the call and held the phone to my ear.
- "Hello?"
- "Are you Hwanyeong's guardian?!"
I was startled by the urgent, shouting voice of a woman on the other end.
Hwanyeong?
Are they talking about Jeong Hwanyeong? A sense of foreboding gripped me, and I tightened my grip on my phone.
"I'm not his guardian, just the housekeeper. Who is this?"
"I'm the director of Sunshine Children's Center! Hwanyeong suddenly disappeared from the playground! We've already contacted the police and tried to reach his guardian, but no one's answering! I called because I took down your number when we met last time, just in case. Are any other family members home?"
"...No, what do you mean?!"
My jaw dropped.
No way, did Jeong Hwanyeong became one of the victims the news has been blaring about?
That's not right! The kidnapping does happen, but it's supposed to be later! Why is it happening now?
My mind raced, tangled with confusion.
- "I'm so, so sorry. We're at the police station right now..."
- "I'll be there immediately."
The director's voice was shaky.
Given the urgency, I hung up and rushed to the door, but stopped abruptly.
I can't handle this alone. Going to the police station would only waste time. When a child is kidnapped, every second counts.
The police were likely already searching frantically, so I need a different approach. I raced upstairs to the second floor and barged into Jeong Hwanseo's room.
"Just my luck... when you need even a dog's shit for medicine, it's nowhere to be found."
He was always around, but now that I needed to find him, he was nowhere to be seen.
Where the hell did this bastard go?!
I frantically searched my phone, but of course, his number wasn't there. If I'd known this would happen, I should have gotten his number beforehand.
Wait, the kindergarten director said she called me because the other guardians didn't answer their phone. That means calling him now is going to be pointless anyway.
In that case, it will be faster to go look for him myself rather than wait for him to answer.
I urgently started racking my brain.
Where could he be... where...
There was one place that came to mind.
A place Jeong Hwangyu frequented.
A place Jeong Hwanseo frequented.
And finally, a place where Jeong Hwanhui is likely to be!
Fortunately, those places are nearby. If they aren't at the locations I have in mind, there will be no other ways to find them.
Desperately hoping they are where I think they might be, I rushed out.
After I finished cleaning, I briefly turned on the TV and flipped through the channels.
Maybe because it was a weekday morning, several scenes from dramas flashed by, but none particularly grabbed my attention. There didn't seem to be any decent variety shows either.
Eventually, I aimlessly clicked through channels a few more times with the remote until I paused at the sight of several channels reporting the same news with a similar tone.
The news was covering the recent kindergarten kidnapping incidents that had become a major concern.
[Children are being abducted by individuals who enter kindergartens, approach children playing alone in the playground under the guise of teachers, and lure them away.
This crime exploits the lax security and blurred boundaries of kindergarten environments.]
This makes three children kidnapped already.
Parents were furious that their children had been abducted from the kindergarten, a place they thought was safe. The teachers caring for the children were in complete uproar, they never thought someone would dare kidnap a child from inside the kindergarten itself.
The end is near. The end is near.
What's happening to this world?
The news reported a variety of methods used by the kidnappers.
Clicking my tongue, I focused on the news, but the anchor quickly moved on to another topic after rattling off the kidnapping stories.
I turned off the TV and stretched. Come to think of it, I saw a similar news report just a few days ago. Does that mean kidnapping cases are being covered constantly in the news these days?
Hmm, it must be really serious.
As I inwardly lamented how criminal tactics were evolving daily, my phone rang with a ding-a-ling.
I pulled it out of my pocket. I always carried it just in case, but I've never received a call before, so I was puzzled.
Who could this be?
It was an unfamiliar number.
I considered ignoring it, thinking it might be spam or a phishing attempt. But then again, I'd never received a single spam call before, so curiosity got the better of me.
I answered the call and held the phone to my ear.
- "Hello?"
- "Are you Hwanyeong's guardian?!"
I was startled by the urgent, shouting voice of a woman on the other end.
Hwanyeong?
Are they talking about Jeong Hwanyeong? A sense of foreboding gripped me, and I tightened my grip on my phone.
"I'm not his guardian, just the housekeeper. Who is this?"
"I'm the director of Sunshine Children's Center! Hwanyeong suddenly disappeared from the playground! We've already contacted the police and tried to reach his guardian, but no one's answering! I called because I took down your number when we met last time, just in case. Are any other family members home?"
"...No, what do you mean?!"
My jaw dropped.
No way, did Jeong Hwanyeong became one of the victims the news has been blaring about?
That's not right! The kidnapping does happen, but it's supposed to be later! Why is it happening now?
My mind raced, tangled with confusion.
- "I'm so, so sorry. We're at the police station right now..."
- "I'll be there immediately."
The director's voice was shaky.
Given the urgency, I hung up and rushed to the door, but stopped abruptly.
I can't handle this alone. Going to the police station would only waste time. When a child is kidnapped, every second counts.
The police were likely already searching frantically, so I need a different approach. I raced upstairs to the second floor and barged into Jeong Hwanseo's room.
"Just my luck... when you need even a dog's shit for medicine, it's nowhere to be found."
He was always around, but now that I needed to find him, he was nowhere to be seen.
Where the hell did this bastard go?!
I frantically searched my phone, but of course, his number wasn't there. If I'd known this would happen, I should have gotten his number beforehand.
Wait, the kindergarten director said she called me because the other guardians didn't answer their phone. That means calling him now is going to be pointless anyway.
In that case, it will be faster to go look for him myself rather than wait for him to answer.
I urgently started racking my brain.
Where could he be... where...
There was one place that came to mind.
A place Jeong Hwangyu frequented.
A place Jeong Hwanseo frequented.
And finally, a place where Jeong Hwanhui is likely to be!
Fortunately, those places are nearby. If they aren't at the locations I have in mind, there will be no other ways to find them.
Desperately hoping they are where I think they might be, I rushed out.
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