Chapter 8

Part-time Worker Raising a Half-Elf - Chapter 8 (8/245)

08

"Hey, you're the Bus Guy, right?!"

"???"

What kind of situation is this? Bus Guy? What's that? Is it a recent trend?

Hanseong, who had never heard the term before, was greatly perplexed and fell into confusion. Seeing this, Hwayeon, who had been standing quietly, asked the staff and Hanseong alternately, looking curious.

"Do you know each other?"

"No, I just met her today."

"But why does Haeyoung seem to know Mr. Hanseong?"

"Well, I don't know either…?"

It seemed that the person who knew the staff was Hwayeon, not himself. Judging from the way she called the staff "Haeyoung" familiarly, Hanseong started to observe the situation silently, not understanding what was going on.

"Haeyoung, do you know this person?"

"Ah, Hwayeon unnie! Of course I do!"

The woman called Haeyoung nodded vigorously and then fiddled with her phone, showing a video screen to Hanseong and Hwayeon.

"This person is super famous on Facegram and Instabook! He's known as the 'Righteous Bus Guy'!"

"Righteous what?"

Hwayeon asked in a tone that clearly showed she was confused. In response, Haeyoung brought the screen even closer to their faces.

The video showed a scene inside a bus where a drunk was causing trouble to the bus driver, captured in high quality. Following this, a very familiar-looking man appeared dramatically in the video. The young man, who looked to be in his early twenties, forcibly ejected the drunk from the bus and gave a defiant middle finger, showing his boldness. Hanseong stared at the young man for a long time and then muttered in a dazed voice.

"No, this is…"

The protagonist in the video was none other than Hanseong himself, impossible to mistake. Thanks to the advanced camera on smartphones, Hanseong saw himself in ultra-high definition and awkwardly smiled at Hwayeon and Haeyoung.

"Ah, ahahaha… It's really clear… Technology has really improved these days…."

How did his face end up circulating on SNS without any mosaic treatment? Realizing that his face was widely exposed to the public, Hanseong felt extremely awkward and unconsciously took a step back.

"Check out the comments. The reactions are really intense!"

"Ah, no, I don't really want to see them."

Despite Haeyoung's insistence to check the comments, Hanseong shook his head and politely declined. However, Haeyoung ignored his refusal, brought up the comment section on the screen, and thrust it in front of Hanseong, forcing him to see all the reactions.

"Look! Everyone is praising the Bus Guy!"

"Ah, yes. I get it, can you please step back a bit? It's a bit overwhelming…"

Hanseong, who was being approached so closely by Haeyoung that anyone would think they were close, took a few steps back and tried to distance himself. Haeyoung, however, seemed to have no idea why this distance was uncomfortable and tilted her head in confusion.

Judging from how freely she interacted with a complete stranger, she must have been a popular student in school. Hanseong made this guess and whispered to Hwayeon,

"Excuse me, is this person usually so easy to get along with people?"

"Haeyoung is usually quite friendly with people."

"Quite?"

It wasn't just "quite"; she seemed to be a complete social butterfly.

Hanseong watched Haeyoung, who greeted people with a genuine smile that felt completely natural, and muttered to himself. Haeyoung, sensing Hanseong's gaze, met his eyes and clapped her hands together.

"Oh, right. I'm working now. So, Mr. Bus Guy, what's your name…?"

"My name is Hanseong."

"Hanseong… Okay. It says here that you have an 11 AM appointment. The reason for your visit is…"

Haeyoung started checking the notes stuck to the wall.

"…to leave the baby at the orphanage, right?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Her tone suggested she didn't understand. Instead of answering Haeyoung's question, Hanseong urged her.

"I'll write the reason later in the documents. Can you please expedite the admission process?"

"Ah, I understand. Please wait a moment, I'll bring the counselor right away."

Hanseong's urging made Haeyoung nod and leave the room. Hanseong then sat down on a nearby chair, put down the basket he was carrying, and waited for the counselor to arrive.

"Why?"

"?"

Suddenly, Hwayeon approached Hanseong and asked a short question.

"What reason?"

"The reason you're leaving the baby at the orphanage."

"…"

Just when he thought he had gotten away with it…

Hanseong couldn't answer Hwayeon's question. No matter what he said, he couldn't come up with a convincing excuse.

"I understand it's tough. Raising a child alone, especially in this country, is incredibly difficult."

"…"

"But you chose this difficult path, didn't you? If you brought the child into the world, shouldn't you take responsibility? What has the child done wrong?"

"…Damn it, really."

The more he listened, the more he couldn't stand it. Annoyed by Hwayeon, who misunderstood him from head to toe, Hanseong finally looked at her with a slightly hostile gaze.

"Can you raise a child alone? Can you work part-time for minimum wage all week, barely make rent, and still raise a child?"

It's easy for her to say "take responsibility" because it's not her problem. Hanseong continued to argue with Hwayeon, who was making all sorts of comments without putting herself in his shoes.

"I don't have the confidence to be a parent, and I don't want to be one. I can barely take care of myself, so I don't have the luxury to take responsibility for someone else."

It's better for the baby to be adopted by a better parent than to struggle in a life where he barely makes ends meet.

- Mr. Lee, he's causing trouble again and ended up at the police station.

- Oh dear… Why can't he get his act together when he has a child?

- The child is suffering because of it. I heard the child is causing trouble at school because of the family situation.

Society often imposes the parents' frame on their children. If the parents are criminals, the children are assumed to be the same, and they are treated like potential criminals. Although the concept of collective punishment is a relic of the Joseon era, society still implicitly adheres to it.

"So, stop expecting more from me-"

"?"

In the middle of this serious conversation, something tugged at Hanseong's pants.

"Ugh…"

Looking down, he saw the baby, who had woken up at some point, tugging at his pants with tiny hands.

"What is it now?"

It couldn't be hunger, as he had just been fed 30 minutes ago. Could it be a diaper change?

Checking the diaper, Hanseong found it was still clean.

If it's not a diaper change, what could the baby want? Unable to figure it out, Hanseong reluctantly used his [Paranoid Eye] skill.

…This is really something.

Not only does he have to put the baby to sleep, clean up after it, and feed it, but he also has to play with it. No creature on Earth requires as much attention as this tiny life.

'Should I try the thing I bought yesterday?'

The item he bought from the store after a sleepless night due to the baby's constant crying.

Every time he looks at the items, he feels the stats attached to each one are absurdly half-hearted. With this thought, Hanseong took out a rattle and started shaking it half-heartedly.

"Ugh…"

The baby's reaction was far from enthusiastic. Feeling the baby's gaze, which seemed to say, "Is that all you can do?" Hanseong shook the rattle even louder.

"That's not how you do it."

Hwayeon, who had been listening to the annoying rattle sound, interjected.

"Then why don't you try?"

"Sure, I can."

Let's see how well you can do.

Hanseong handed the rattle to Hwayeon. She then shook it with an unnecessarily elegant wrist snap and started humming a familiar rhythm.

A melody that sounded like someone struggling up a rough hill in straw shoes, leaving their hometown behind. A sad, melancholic rhythm. It was definitely…

"…Arirang."

It was a familiar rhythm, but he didn't expect it to be a folk song that every Korean knows. How did she manage to create the Arirang rhythm with a rattle?

Hanseong was amazed by Hwayeon's ability to produce the distinctive, melancholic melody of Arirang with a rattle.

"Auwa!"

The baby, who had been lying there, started kicking and laughing happily after the impromptu rattle performance. Hwayeon smiled proudly at the baby and then handed the rattle back to Hanseong.

"See? This is how you use a rattle."

"No, a rattle is not an instrument."

Hanseong replied to Hwayeon with a look of disbelief.