Part 2 Chapter 26: Welcome to the Kindergarten of Destruction! (26) / 750
TL: Hanguk
PR: MiniPixelZ
[You have arrived on the 44th floor of the Black Tower.]
After lunch, Sejun and his party arrived on the 44th floor of the Tower through the waypoint to pick up Cuengi and Iona.
Kueng!
[It's Dad!]
“Kyoot kyoot kyoot. Theo-nim!”
Cuengi and Iona, who had arrived earlier and were waiting, flew over excitedly.
“Cuengi, did you meet Mom well?”
Kuehehehe. Kueng! Kueng!
[Hehehe. I did! And Cuengi helped too!]
“What did you do?”
Kueng!
[Cuengi rescued Uncle Elka's youngest daughter...]
While Sejun was listening to Cuengi talk about how he saved Elka's youngest daughter, Eloi,
“Puhuhut. Iona, nice to see you, meow!”
“Kyoot kyoot kyoot. Me too.”
Iona wrapped her body around Theo’s tail, enjoying the warmth, and Theo patted Iona’s head.
And then,
Kihihit. Kking!
[Hehe. Big brother Cuengi and sister-in-law! Play with the great Blackie!]
Blackie asked the two to play, but then
Kueng?!
[Blackie, can’t you see I’m talking to Dad right now?!]
“Kyoot kyoot kyoot. I don’t have time to play with you right now. Go play somewhere else.”
Kking...
He was rejected by both and felt dejected.
Both are mean. They won’t play with great Blackie...
With a dejected expression, Blackie shoved his face under Sejun’s thigh.
Stupid Blackie, you can't even read the mood, so how are you going to get food?
Sejun comforted Blackie by patting his butt.
Thus ended the noisy reunion, though it had only been a day since they met.
“Sejun-nim, welcome!”
“Yeah. Kids, it’s been a while.”
Since he was already on the 44th floor, Sejun visited the ice island where the Blue-Backed Penguin tribe lived to buy some necessary items.
What he needed were spoons, bowls, and containers for eating ice cream. The items made with the penguins’ secret technique, ice forging, retained coldness, making them useful as the ice cream didn’t melt.
“I’ll take 20 spoons, 20 bowls, and 5 storage containers.”
When Sejun picked the items,
“Puhuhut. Please give us a dis...!”
Theo tried to bargain three times, but
“Just take them!”
“Puhuhut. Nice, meow!”
The Blue-Backed Penguin tribe proactively refused to take money.
And then,
“Instead, could we get a few Frozen Peanuts?”
“Puhuhut. Since you offered goods for free to the Great Hybrid Chairman Park, I'll give lots of Frozen Peanuts, meow!”
The Blue-Backed Penguin tribe received far more value in Frozen Peanuts than the items Sejun had chosen.
This isn't even a case of changing four in the morning for three in the evening... (TL Note: Idiom reference: A monkey trainer told his monkeys they would get three chestnuts in the morning and four at night. The monkeys were unhappy. So he reversed it: four in the morning and three at night, and they were happy, though the quantity was the same. Read it here in comic form -> https://www.reddit.com/r/taoism/comments/kkgxmy/zhuangzi_chapter_2_on_seeing_things_evenly_three/)
Sejun chuckled at Theo’s absurdity.
After buying what he needed, Sejun returned to Earth.
“Huh?”
Why is this here?
He saw a towering white tower standing beside the Black Tower.
Thanks to Kellion’s efforts, the White Tower had finally landed on Earth.
“Hmm...”
Just as Sejun was about to ask Kellion why the White Tower had appeared on Earth, he had a strong feeling that it would become a hassle.
Let’s pretend I didn’t see it.
He quietly passed by the White Tower and returned home.
***
San Francisco, USA.
“Then, let’s begin the meeting. Around 11:30 a.m. today, White Towers suddenly appeared in the capitals of the world. According to our current investigation, even Hunters from the Black Tower cannot enter the White Towers.”
William Smith, Chairman of the World Awakeners Association, explained while looking at dozens of monitors showing the chairmans of Awakeners Associations from each country.
“It probably requires a ticket. Soon, like with the Black Tower, vanishing will occur and tickets to the White Tower will be released, won't they?"
The chairman of the French Awakeners Association offered his opinion.
After that, the meeting proceeded with a plan similar to how they managed the Black Tower.
But in fact, the meeting itself wasn’t what mattered to them.
This time, we’ll farm first in the White Tower!
All they were thinking about was becoming Tower Farmers in the White Tower ahead of anyone else and securing crops.
Right now, Sejun is selling crops from the Black Tower through auctions, but if a country could manage the White Tower’s crops, it could greatly enhance the abilities of its own Hunters.
That’s why everyone was eagerly waiting for a chance in the White Tower.
The chairmans of the Awakeners Associations of each country believed they had discovered a new continent.
‘They’re barking up the wrong tree. Sejun-nim has already conquered that place.’
Han Tae-jun looked at those Awakeners Association chairmans with pity. It was because he had about it from Sejun.
Of course, he didn’t tell them. Even if he did, it would only bring more interference. Just being the country where Sejun belonged already brought a lot of checks from other nations.
As the meeting was drawing to a close,
“Chairman, an additional report has come in.”
A subordinate rushed in.
“What is it?”
The subordinate whispered into William’s ear,
“Everyone, it appears the Red Tower has now appeared.”
The meeting dragged on even longer.
***
“Puhuhut. Great Hybrid Chairman Park, a Red Tower has appeared too, meow!”
Theo, who was hanging onto Sejun’s knee, shouted upon spotting the Red Tower that had landed on Earth.
“Huh? Wait. What are those dragon grandpas doing? Are they all moving in group?”
Sejun looked worriedly at the Red Tower that had appeared next to the White Tower. He had a bad feeling, like something big was going to happen soon.
When I go back into the Tower, I’ll ask Kaiser-nim to kick them out.
Since he didn’t have the courage to speak directly to the heads, Sejun decided to ask Kaiser.
On the way,
“Hwanggung!”
“The best!”
“Hwanggung!”
“The strongest!”
He heard the chants of children from Hwanggung Kindergarten.
“They’re fired up too.”
Sejun smiled as he looked toward Hwanggung Kindergarten. He liked seeing their enthusiasm.
But then,
“Destruction!”
"Defeat!"
“Destruction!”
“The weak!”
When a new chant came from Hwanggung Kindergarten,
You little punks!
The smile disappeared from Sejun’s face.
And then,
You despicable adults, brainwashing innocent kids just to win the sports day?!
“We can’t lose either!”
From now on, our chant will be...
Thinking of a chant for the kids, Sejun headed to the Kindergarten of Destruction.
Soon, Sejun arrived in front of the Kindergarten of Destruction.
Click.
When he opened the front door and entered,
“Sejun!”
[Hehe. Sejun-nim, welcome back!]
“Daddy~!”
“”Teecher-nim!””
Aileen, Flamie, Taecho in pajamas, and the kids all welcomed Sejun and his group.
They were about to take a nap but came running out in excitement when Sejun arrived.
“Kids, you need to nap now if you want to play more later.”
Sejun took the children to their room, laid Taecho and Dongdong down on either side, and gently patted their bellies.
Pat. Pat.
The rest of the group also took one child each, patting their bellies to lull them to sleep, and the children quickly drifted off.
Once the kids were asleep, Sejun and the others enjoyed coffee and snacks together.
“Ahh. This is nice.”
“Hehehe. It’s delicious.”
“Puhuhut. I’m sleepy, meow...”
“Kyoot kyoot kyoot. Me too...”
[Hehe. The sunlight shining on Sejun-nim’s head is the most delicious.]
Kuehehehe. Kking!
[Hehehehe. Rice cake with honey water is a great combo!]
Kihihit. Kking...
[Hehe. Butler, I’m sleepy...]
They enjoyed a peaceful break.
Then,
Vrrr.
Sejun’s smartphone vibrated.
[Se-dol]
It was a call from Sejun’s younger brother, Se-dol.
“Hello?”
“Hyung. It’s me.”
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“There are a few things I want to discuss about the Cuengi Cafe opening.”
Sejun was currently preparing to open a cafe with help from Se-dol.
Se-dol was already a successful cafe owner selling the best beans from the 99th floor of the Tower, the ‘Sejun 94 Chikasan Black Tower’ beans that Sejun supplied.
That’s also why, when Cuengi was being criticized on social media, Se-dol had stepped in to cover for him, though it hadn’t been obvious.
“Are you home right now?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll come over. Hang up. Aileen, want to come with me to my place?”
Sejun hung up and stood, asking Aileen.
“Sure!”
“Then let’s go. Flamie, if the kids wake up, send my clone to let me know.”
[Okay!]
Sejun headed to his family home with the others.
And as he left the Kindergarten of Destruction,
“Huh? Sejun, why are the White Tower and Red Tower here?”
Aileen, who had only now noticed the other Towers, asked Sejun.
“I don’t know either. Let’s just pretend we didn’t see them.”
“No, this is strange. I’ll go see Grandpa for a bit. Sejun, come pick me up around 9 pm later.”
“Okay. Should I take you to the Tower?”
“No, if I fly, I’ll be there in no time. I’m off then.”
“Yeah. See you later.”
“Mm!”
As she replied, Aileen had already turned into a black dot and flown toward the Black Tower. Sejun jumped over the wall and entered the house.
And then.
“Hey! Why are you jumping over the wall when there's a door?! Are you a thief?!”
“If I go to the door, I have to walk ten more steps and ring the bell. It's annoying.”
“If that’s annoying, then why do you eat or wear clothes?!”
“That’s different!”
“How is it different?! By the way, did you have lunch?”
Sejun got scolded by Kim Mi-ran. Though he was the strongest being on Earth, in front of his mother, Sejun was just a regular son.
“I ate.”
Sejun replied bluntly.
"Do you have side dishes at home? Don't you need other side dishes? I made new kimchi this time."
"Then just pack one container."
"How many people are in your household and you want just one container? Stop talking nonsense and take what I pack for you."
Without even listening to Sejun’s answer, Kim Mi-ran went into the kitchen and began packing kimchi and all kinds of side dishes.
“Hey. I’m here.”
Sejun opened the door to Se-dol’s room and entered.
“Hyung, you’re here?”
Se-dol, who was working while wearing a blue shirt and horn-rimmed glasses, turned his head to greet Sejun.
“Oh, now that you’re the CEO of Threestone, you’re looking kind of cool?”
Sejun teased Se-dol. It was true that after becoming a cafe owner and managing people, he looked a bit different from before.
Well, if that were the standard, then Sejun, the chairman of Sejun Company with millions of employees, should look way more different, but Sejun was just...
“Ah, it’s because Serang told me to dress like this...”
Se-dol scratched his head in embarrassment.
So that was it. It wasn’t because he was managing people, it was because his girlfriend Serang was good at coordinating his outfits.
For reference, the company name “Threestone” was a name Se-dol came up with himself. His name, Se-dol. Three stones. Written in English. [TL Note: 세돌 (Sedol) = 세 (three) + 돌 (stone)]
It seemed the lack of naming talent in Sejun wasn’t just his own issue, it clearly ran in the family.
At that moment,
‘Kyoot kyoot kyoot. Suddenly, I have a question.’
Then who came up with Sejun-nim’s name?
Iona suddenly became curious. Judging by Se-dol’s name, it was obvious that Park Chun-ho, Sejun’s father, had no naming talent either.
However.
‘Sejun-nim’s name is normal though?’
Sejun’s name wasn’t like that. It had escaped the curse of bad naming genes.
That’s odd.
I should ask Mi-ran-nim.
As a wizard driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge, Iona quietly slipped off Theo’s tail to solve her curiosity.
“Hm hm hm.”
“Kyoot kyoot kyoot. Mi-ran-nim, I have a question.”
She approached Kim Mi-ran, who was humming as she packed side dishes for Sejun.
“Hm? What does our cute little hamster lady want to know?”
“Kyoot kyoot kyoot. Who came up with Sejun-nim’s name?”
“Hohoho. Of course I did. If his dad had done it...”
Kim Mi-ran’s tone, which had been cheerful as she smiled, suddenly turned sharp.
“Do you know what Sejun’s original name was when his dad named him?!”
“Kyoot kyoot kyoot. What was it?!”
Is the secret behind Sejun-nim’s name finally about to be revealed?
Iona’s eyes sparkled brightly as she responded to Kim Mi-ran’s question.
"It was Se-jul! Haah. Just thinking about that time makes me... Wait, this is a long story, so have some peanuts while you listen.” (TL Note: As Se-dol literally means Three Stones in English, Se-jul means Three Lines.)
Kim Mi-ran placed some stir-fried peanuts in front of Iona and began telling the story in earnest.
*****
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