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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Snow White Kindergarten
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Meanwhile, at that very moment.
“Grraaaargh—!”
Go Du-yeol was at the gym again today, dedicating his heart and soul to weight training.
He was the type of man who would never skip a workout, not even if the sky split in two or the earth caved in.
A few days ago.
It had been the same on the day signs of an Apocalypse-grade Gate appeared in the middle of downtown Seoul.
It was like the famous quote from a philosopher: "Even if the world were to end tomorrow, I would plant an apple tree today."
That day, as soon as the situation was somewhat under control, Go Du-yeol had rushed straight to the gym to pump iron.
For Go Du-yeol, weight training was an act that took precedence over even "eating" or "sleeping."
“Hoo….”
Go Du-yeol, wiping down his sweat-drenched body with a towel, muttered under his breath.
“An Apocalypse-grade Gate….”
The time he had gathered in Insadong with several other S-rank Hunters to suppress the Gate.
Even though he had only been watching the Gate manifest, he had been consumed by the emotion of ‘fear.’
“Not very manly of me….”
He had been so terrified by the ominous energy flowing from beyond the Apocalypse-grade Gate….
Frozen in place, he could do nothing but watch, drenched in a cold sweat.
Slowly chewing over the memory, Go Du-yeol let out a low “Hmph,” and murmured to himself.
The Hunter who had brushed past him and entered the Apocalypse-grade Gate alone was surely…
“Gwak Du-pal.”
He was certain it was none other than Gwak Du-pal, his one and only sworn brother.
Although he couldn't see his face clearly because he was wearing his hoodie pulled down low…
How could he not recognize the voice of his one and only sworn brother in the whole world?
“My brother, Gwak Du-pal…”
He could declare with certainty that no matter how skilled a Hunter was, it was absolutely impossible for them to clear an Apocalypse-grade Gate alone.
“It’s impossible…”
But hadn’t he seen his brother enter the Apocalypse-grade Gate all by himself with his own two eyes?
“But he went in…”
And not even a few dozen minutes later, the Apocalypse-grade Gate suddenly vanished without a trace.
“And the Gate was cleared…”
Although it was something he couldn't quite accept or easily understand from a common-sense perspective…
The Iron Man, Go Du-yeol, was not the type of person to get hung up on such things as ‘common sense.’
Isn't it natural for a man to sometimes accomplish things that defy the bounds of common sense?
Besides, his brother Gwak Du-pal was a man among men, a match for even himself.
“Yes, no matter how I look at it…”
All the circumstances pointed to the fact that his brother was the one who cleared the Apocalypse-grade Gate alone.
“Damn it, but no one believes me…”
It was no use for Go Du-yeol to repeatedly argue, "Gwak Du-pal did this!"
Not only did no one listen to him, but some even pretended not to hear.
The Hunter Association had even reached the ridiculous conclusion that the Gate had self-destructed.
“I can't let this stand…”
When one achieves a great feat, shouldn't they receive a fitting reward?
He couldn't just stand by and watch his brother's accomplishment be buried and forgotten.
“I absolutely have to discuss this with Du-pal…”
But how?
“To talk to him, I’ll have to find him first.”
Nodding a few times, Go Du-yeol’s rugged face broke into a grin as he murmured again.
“If we’re going to have a serious talk, it’d be best to do it while pumping iron together, just the two of us at the gym…”
Just then, the door to the training room Go Du-yeol was using alone swung wide open.
“It reeks of sweat in here.”
It was the Black Wolf, Kang Seong-hyeon.
“It’s not the smell of sweat, it’s the scent of a man.”
Kang Seong-hyeon’s brow furrowed slightly at the comment. He muttered, “If you say so,” and got straight to the point.
“The members for the next recapture squad have been selected.”
“That was quick,” Go Du-yeol replied, just as he was about to pick up the dumbbell he had set at his feet.
“‘The Filial Son, Kim Bong-gu,’ who is currently the top recruitment target within the guild, also conveyed his intention to join the recapture squad today.”
Go Du-yeol grunted briefly at the news before answering.
“I thought he was just some unremarkable kid, but seeing that he doesn't fear death, maybe he has a manly side to him after all…”
“He’s an excellent talent.”
“Hmph, even so, compared to my brother ‘Gwak Du-pal,’ he’s probably just a weakling who enjoys desserts like macarons or tiramisu…”
The moment Go Du-yeol mentioned ‘macarons,’ Kang Seong-hyeon’s expression instinctively soured.
“That’s an excessively anachronistic way of thinking. Arbitrarily defining and judging people based on their tastes and preferences is an outdated…”
“Spare me the lecture.”
“And if you utter the name ‘Gwak Du-pal’ one more time, I will have your title within the guild revoked and all your privileges confiscated.”
Go Du-yeol’s neck veins bulged as he shot back.
“That’s unreasonable—!”
Kang Seong-hyeon shook his head and replied.
“You’ve been going on about that damn Gwak Du-pal, Gwak Du-pal, without a moment’s rest. I’m now afraid his name will start appearing in my dreams.”
Ever since the last promotion test, Go Du-yeol had been mentioning the name ‘Gwak Du-pal’ at every opportunity.
It was the same when he was eating delicious food, when he was training, and even when he was raiding Gates.
‘It would be great if I could eat this kind of restorative food with Du-pal and then pump some iron together…’
‘I wish I could train like this every day with Du-pal, sweating together…’
‘How happy would I be if Du-pal and I could cross the line between life and death together, building our friendship…’
It was Gwak Du-pal this, Gwak Du-pal that, day in and day out. Hearing the name had become an ordeal in itself.
“I don’t even know if he’s a real person, but if this ‘Gwak Du-pal’ is such an outstanding talent, then bring him before me.”
He then added.
“I promise I’ll give him the best treatment in the industry and recruit him into our Solitad Guild.”
At those words, Go Du-yeol slammed the dumbbell in his hand down with a "Clang!" and replied in a voice full of frustration.
“Fine, I’ll bring him in a few days.”
He then stormed out of the training room with heavy, angry steps….
“Gwak Du-pal….”
Kang Seong-hyeon began to wonder what Gwak Du-pal would look like, if he was indeed a real person.
“He probably looks just like him.”
He imagined someone with a rugged appearance that brought to mind a ‘bandit’ or a ‘pirate’ rather than a Hunter, just like Go Du-yeol.
He would have limbs as thick as logs, a sturdy neck to match, and a muscular physique….
He even thought that a bushy beard starting from his sideburns might cover more than half of his face.
“Anyway, what’s so wrong with ‘macarons’ that he has to spout such outdated ideas all the time….”
He then added.
“I like macarons too, you know.”
Kang Seong-hyeon liked macarons.
To be precise…
He liked thick, plump ‘fat-carons.’
“It’s a dish that requires dedication.”
Right now.
Kang-jun, holding Seol-i tightly in his arms, once again visited the private bank, "The Secret Society of the Wealthy," with Bong-gu.
“As you commanded last time, Immortal, I have compiled a list of kindergartens located near the new residence, along with their educational programs.”
“Is that so?” Kang-jun replied to Kajan’s report and began to scan the list of potential kindergartens for Seol-i.
Now that the location for their new home was more or less decided, before he and Bong-gu went to take care of business…
He planned to thoroughly research which kindergarten would be best for Seol-i and complete her enrollment.
“Let’s see…”
The new home Kang-jun’s family was considering was a newly built villa near Yeoksam-dong in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
Perhaps because it was an affluent neighborhood, the kindergartens for young children seemed to offer various plays and activities beneficial for education in many fields.
“This one looks good.”
As Kang-jun pointed to one of the kindergartens on the jam-packed list, Kajan adjusted his glasses and murmured.
“Snow White Kindergarten…”
“Yeah,” Kang-jun replied to Kajan’s murmur, adding in a low voice.
“Snow White is the princess’s favorite fairytale.”
At that, Kajan nodded once and replied.
“According to my research, it is a place that provides a diverse education, including English and Chinese, as well as art, music, ballet, and horseback riding.”
He then added.
“At this level, I believe it is a rather fine institution, worthy of entrusting the young lady’s education to.”
Kang-jun nodded once at his words and replied.
“Alright, acquire it.”
Bong-gu stared at Kang-jun with wide eyes.
“You’re going to purchase the kindergarten Seol-i will be attending?”
“Yes. It’s where my princess will be going, so I should manage it myself.”
Kang-jun planned to buy the kindergarten Seol-i would attend outright and make various improvements before the semester began.
This was the place where his precious daughter, the apple of his eye, would be spending more than half of her day.
So naturally, he intended to furnish not only all the equipment and facilities in the building but also the educational materials with only the ‘highest quality’ goods.
“Also, spare no expense in recruiting a large number of outstanding educators.”
Every now and then, news reports about child abuse by daycare or kindergarten teachers would surface in the media.
Of course, the vast majority of educators were excellent, but there were some who were not…
He planned to run the kindergarten himself to eliminate the root of such problems altogether.
“Yes, I shall obey your command.”
Having spoken, Kang-jun turned to Seol-i and asked.
“Seol-i, is there anything you’d like to have at your ‘kindergarten’?”
Seol-i, who had been busy sucking on a lollipop while sitting on Kang-jun’s lap, answered.
“An airplane!”
Kang-jun replied immediately.
“That’s a wonderful idea.”
He then issued a new order to Kajan.
“Build a hangar facility to store a private passenger jet, and make sure the Gulfstream ultra-luxury jet we purchased before can be stored there.”
“I shall obey your command.”
“To do that, we’ll need a dedicated runway for the plane, and it would be best to have landing strip facilities as well…”
Kang-jun then turned back to his daughter, Seol-i, and asked.
“Seol-i, is there anything else you need?”
“A lion! Roar! A panda!”
“It seems we’ll need a zoo as well.”
Bong-gu felt his head go numb at the ensuing conversation.
‘So, you’re going to build a hangar and a runway for an airplane inside a kindergarten, and also set up a large-scale zoo within it…?’
Kajan, on the other hand, was busy muttering, “A lion, roar, a panda…” and diligently jotting down the young lady’s commands.
“A biiiiig slide!”
“Kajan, did you get that?”
“A house where Pororo and his friends live!”
“Incorporate it all.”
Kajan nodded and replied seriously.
“It might be a good idea to create a separate theme park altogether.”
“That sounds fine.”
“A large-scale aquarium and an arboretum would also fit well.”
And so, with every word Seol-i spoke, the facilities of the kindergarten to be acquired grew more and more extravagant.
‘I think I’m going to lose my mind…’
Just then, Kajan asked.
“How should we set the tuition fee?”
“Tuition?”
“In order to recover the investment…”
At that moment, Kang-jun replied.
“At the very least, educational opportunities should be given equally.”
“In that case…”
“Fill half of the student body with children from low-income families.”
He then added.
“And it would be best to operate in a way that doesn’t charge those children tuition.”
“I shall obey your command.”
“However, for the children from wealthy families, we should charge a tuition fee that feels appropriate.”
Kajan nodded and replied.
“A rough calculation suggests that setting it at about five million won per month would be appropriate…”
At those words, Bong-gu unknowingly sucked in a sharp breath. “Heeup—.”
How many parents could afford to spend that much on their child's education every month?
‘But more than that…’
Looked at another way, didn't this mean they would be providing education worth five million won a month for free to half of the entire student body?
Bong-gu began to watch the father and daughter in silent awe.
It was a feeling he had experienced just yesterday, but it occurred to him that the world might be completely transformed because of this pair.
So far, it seemed that only positive changes were taking place…
But if the day ever came when that child was harmed in even the slightest way…
‘It’s all over then…’
It was a chilling thought to even imagine, but he believed that was when the world might finally meet its end.
