I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 111: Suha

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(Back to present.)

"Bla bla bla, bla bla bla, and yeah, that’s basically how it happened," Si Hon said, waving a hand lazily as he finished his explanation to the stream. "Skipped a few parts. Makes the story faster."

The chat above him exploded anyway, messages stacking over each other in a mess of reactions, disbelief, and chaotic excitement— but Si Hon didn’t bother reading them this time.

With a small flick of his hand, he dismissed the floating windows to the side, his attention already shifting elsewhere.

His eyes moved across the Magic section.

Calm.

Quiet.

Still beautiful in a way that didn’t feel safe. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

And then— he saw them.

Near one of the shelves, just slightly tucked into a corner, two familiar figures stood side by side, taking books then putting it back. Red hair. Yellow hair.

Seong-su.

Suha.

A faint grin crept onto Si Hon’s face.

Without hesitation, he closed his eyes— and in the next second, his figure blurred out of existence.

He reappeared right behind them.

Silent.

Unannounced.

And then—

He reached out, placing a hand on Seong’s shoulder.

That— Was a mistake.

The reaction was instant.

Before he could even blink, Seong’s hand snapped back, catching his wrist with precise timing. In one fluid motion, she twisted his arm, shifted her weight— and slammed him straight into the ground.

Hard.

Sand burst upward slightly as Si Hon’s face met it first, his body pinned before he could even process what had just happened. Beside them, Suha let out a small yelp, clutching the book in her hands tightly as she stumbled back a step.

"Who are y—" Seong started sharply, her voice already edged with hostility— but the moment her eyes landed on his face, the words cut off.

"What the hell?" she muttered, releasing his arm as quickly as she had grabbed it. "Where did you even come from?"

On the ground, Si Hon stayed there for a second, face half buried in sand before letting out a muffled groan. "Ouch. What the hell..."

He pushed himself up slowly, brushing sand off his face as he sat upright, his expression shifting into an annoyed glare as he looked up at her.

"I just came here to tell you something."

"What is it?" Seong shot back immediately, arms already crossing over her chest, irritation clear on her face. "Make it fast."

Behind her, Suha’s reaction was the complete opposite.

Her eyes were practically sparkling.

"Woah... Dad boom! out of nowhere!" she said, bouncing slightly in place. "Like— teleport!"

"Yeah, sure," Seong muttered under her breath, clearly not buying into the excitement as she kept her gaze locked on Si Hon.

And that’s when she noticed it.

His face.

He was grinning.

Not subtly. Not casually.

A full, unapologetic grin— the kind that made it look like he knew something no one else did.

Her eye twitched.

Slowly—

She raised her hand.

Si Hon immediately flinched, both hands shooting up defensively like instinct had taken over. "Woah, wait! Okay— okay! I’ll be serious now!"

Seong didn’t drop her arm right away. She just stared at him for a second longer before finally lowering it, shifting her stance as she crossed her arms again, clearly unimpressed.

"Over dramatic," she muttered. "Just say it."

Si Hon let out a small breath, pushing himself fully to his feet as he dusted off the sand clinging to his clothes. Then, without another word, his eyes flickered— locking onto the books in their hands.

And suddenly—

Text appeared.

Above Seong’s book:

[Twenty Consecutive Fireball — ✧✧✧]

Then Suha’s:

[Basic Way to Use Magic — ✧]

Si Hon stared at them for half a second.

Then moved.

In one swift motion, he grabbed both books out of their hands— and tossed them behind him without hesitation.

"Trash."

The word dropped flat.

For a second—

Silence.

Seong’s face went completely blank.

Suha, on the other hand, slowly lowered her gaze, her shoulders drooping as she stared at the empty space where her book used to be.

"T-trash...?" she murmured softly. "Suha picked those..."

Her voice wavered.

Then—

She sniffed.

Si Hon froze.

"Ah."

Panic.

Immediate.

He dropped down into a crouch in front of her so fast it almost looked like another teleport, his hands lifting slightly as if trying to fix something invisible.

"Woah— no, wait! That’s not what I meant! I didn’t mean trash like trash— I mean, I like its ba— but it’s just... not... it’s..."

(Shit... what... what’s the best word for this kind of situation!) He thought.

Then... ting!

"It’s not good enough for you!"

He leaned forward slightly, placing his hand gently on her head, patting it repeatedly in an almost desperate attempt to recover.

"I’ll pick you something better. Something cooler. Trust me, okay?"

Suha blinked, her teary eyes lifting to meet his.

There was a pause.

Then she wiped her face quickly with her sleeve and gave a small nod.

"O-okay, Suha understand..."

A second later, she leaned forward and hugged him, her small arms wrapping around him tightly.

And just like that—

Crisis averted.

...Mostly. Maybe?

After a while, the tension that had spiked so suddenly melted away into something softer.

Si Hon stayed crouched at first, letting Suha cling to him until her small sniffles faded into quiet breaths. Then he shifted, sitting down on the sand and gently guiding her with him, settling her comfortably on his lap. One arm wrapped around her back while the other moved absentmindedly, fingers brushing through her hair in slow, steady strokes— soft, rhythmic, almost like calming a skittish cat. There was no rush in it, no impatience, just a quiet reassurance that lingered in the motion.

Suha, who had been on the verge of tears moments ago, now sat there completely at ease, her earlier sadness gone as if it had never existed. A small smile curved on her lips, her shoulders relaxed, leaning into him without hesitation.

Beside them, Seong remained standing.

Arms crossed.

Foot tapping lightly against the sand.

She didn’t interrupt— but the impatience was obvious, written plainly across her expression as she watched the two of them, waiting for this whole scene to finally end.

And eventually, it did.

Si Hon gave Suha one last gentle pat before helping her stand, rising to his feet right after. The softness in his expression faded, replaced once again by that familiar confidence, that slight edge of arrogance creeping back into his posture as he rolled his shoulders.

"Now," he said, stretching his neck slightly before glancing at the shelves again, "finally... let me show you both how useful I am."

And... there it was again.

That smirk. ( •̀ ω •́ ) و