### Chapter 397 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (13)
—
– Kim Sanghyun
Personally, I don’t like the Administration Bureau.
Maybe “fear” is a more fitting word.
My comrades from the Bureau probably wouldn’t take it well if they knew my thoughts, but I can’t help it.
Every time I recall the events from the hotel in the deep sea, I find myself losing sleep at night.
The Bureau is ruthless and lacks any sense of morality.
They kill countless people, shocking even the most sinister demons, all in the name of “greater good.”
And that’s not all.
They hide it on the outside, but inside they’re full of a superiority complex.
They don’t see outsiders as fellow humans and only share important information among themselves.
How could I like people like that?
Still, I accept one solemn truth.
They are also the guardians of the world.
They stand as a shield, protecting everyone from the chaos that fills the universe.
Thus, I have to respect their methods too.
*
“Today, I’ll take care of Timothy.”
“Should I contact the butler?”
“Let’s do that.”
While chatting with the police, Timothy looked at me with fear in his eyes for the first time.
Was he scared of having to stay with me until his parents arrived?
“… Mister.”
“Don’t worry. Mama is an excellent cook.”
“…”
Even though I suddenly brought home a little kid late at night, Mama wasn’t surprised.
“Oh my, Timothy, you’re just skin and bones!”
In response to my apologies for the inconvenience, Mama Sherry smiled.
If I get the chance, I want to repay her kindness someday.
*
The next morning, I began a thorough examination of the boy.
His thin skin and eerily sparkling eyes had a chilling quality even in the daylight.
But does that mean he’s not human?
That was hard to say.
I have a medical license and ridiculous experience accumulated over my long time in Room 301.
Based on my examination, this boy was still human.
“Mister, I want to play with friends.”
“…”
“Mister!”
“Go ahead.”
“When’s my dad coming?”
“James contacted him, so it shouldn’t take long. He’ll be here by tonight at the latest.”
Carefully observing his mannerisms and intentions, I still couldn’t find anything particularly special.
“Do you still not remember anything from the period you were missing?”
“No.”
Avoiding eye contact and looking all over the place, it was clear the boy was lying.
He must remember something.
Should I press him?
If it was the Administration Bureau, they would’ve twisted his arm to get every piece of knowledge he had.
But I didn’t want to go that far.
I believed I could extract information in a better way.
“Did you live around Aster Lake?”
“Well, I’m not really sure!”
So, he lived near the lake.
“Someone took care of you, right? Was it a grandma or… a monster?”
“There weren’t any monsters!”
“But didn’t you just say you can’t remember?”
“…”
His terrible lying skills, typical of a child, had him contradicting himself within just ten seconds of talking.
“Someone must have looked after you. Who was it? Tell me.”
“I don’t know.”
“Timothy, would you like to eat an orange?”
“Uh?”
I picked up an orange from the table.
Soon, the juice exploded everywhere as I squeezed it.
“Eek!”
I leaned in closely, looking down at Timothy as he watched, wide-eyed.
With my proper interrogation skills, strong physique, and experience dealing with kids, I felt confident I could figure out what was going on in that little head without needing mind-reading powers.
I had a ‘sincere’ chat with Timothy for quite a while.
The details of the case were astonishing.
I couldn’t easily determine how to resolve this situation.
*
In the evening, Timothy’s parents arrived.
Ryan, his father, was a deacon from the church in Rivervill, while his mother, Betty, ran a small café—they were just an ordinary couple.
When they heard their missing child had returned, upon entering Mama’s house and seeing Timothy, their jaws dropped.
Timothy, looking a bit restless, paced around his parents.
“Ryan, you got the message, right?”
“Y-yeah, Agent! I heard it from James.”
“Are you aware of your child’s condition? From my examination, it appears he might have a rare condition similar to porphyria. He’ll need to get checked at a university hospital.”
“… I know. His skin has been deteriorating.”
While talking about Timothy’s illness with James, Betty shot a pointed question at me, her expression sharp.
“Agent, is it really just the skin that’s sick?”
“What do you mean?”
“Look! Look at his eyes! What kind of human eyes are these?”
Timothy’s pupils had vanished, replaced by a milky glow.
Clearly, it was far from resembling normal human eyes.
I generated some flames at my fingertips instead of answering.
“Ugh!”
“Betty, do you think I’m less knowledgeable about this than you?”
“I-I didn’t mean that!”
“It’s just a temporary change from exposure to the chaotic disaster. It’s not a big issue; he’ll return to normal within a year. In the meantime, he can just wear lenses.”
“Understood. Thank you for the advice.”
The couple still couldn’t hide their discomfort.
They didn’t seem genuinely convinced by my authority as an agent.
After they took their child and left, Mama Sherry approached me.
“Johnny.”
“Go ahead.”
“I overheard you talking to Timothy yesterday.”
“…”
“Can we trust those bastards with that child?”
I flinched at the harsh words that slipped out alongside her sweet demeanor.
“I didn’t know you could talk like that.”
“Johnny, I think I know what you’re thinking.”
“…”
“You’re an agent…”
Mama didn’t hide her gloomy expression.
*
For the next three days, I spent each evening near Timothy’s home.
Fortunately, there was a café nearby and plenty of parking, so I didn’t raise any suspicions.
“This child is ours? No way!”
“Mom….”
“Don’t call me that! Who the heck are you?”
“Betty, can you lower your voice?”
“Do you see his eyes?”
“Well, the agent is saying he’s fine!”
“Just because he’s an agent doesn’t mean he’s always right! Come see for yourself!”
Their loud voices caught the attention of passersby on the street.
As I expected, things unfolded that night.
— Rooooo!
Timothy stepped outside, singing a mysterious song.
His parents seemed to have fallen asleep by some unknown force.
Soon, I stood in front of the boy.
“… Mister.”
“Timothy.”
“Will you keep your promise?”
“Yeah.”
A happy expression graced the boy’s face.
“Great! Then, please take me to ‘Mommy’.”
*
In the West, there’s a legend about changelings.
It refers to a fairy kidnapping a human child and leaving an ill or frail child in their place.
As with many legends, it’s more important to focus on why these beliefs were formed rather than proving their truth.
One prominent interpretation is somewhat chilling.
Caring for an ill child causes immense pain for many parents.
In that process, some might want to escape parental duties even if they have to abandon their child.
Changelings became a convenient excuse.
It’s okay to abandon the child since they’re actually a wicked fairy’s swap!
…
A few days ago, while chatting with Timothy, the truth of the case oddly resembled this changeling legend.
While the boy’s eyes mutated due to a chaotic disaster, his skin seemed to be the result of a genetic disease—porphyria.
This disease leads to severe symptoms like hypotension, anemia, frequent vomiting, and muscle weakness.
But that’s not all.
Patients with porphyria have extremely fragile skin, requiring them to avoid sunlight throughout their lives.
It’s no wonder legends of vampires emerged after seeing those afflicted with this condition.
Illness devastated not only the boy’s mind but also his parents’.
At some point, despair over his illness evolved into hatred toward their son.
The couple wanted to escape from the burden of having Timothy with his incurable disease.
Timothy wished for parents who could truly love him.
A miracle occurred.
Timothy’s true “fairy parents” appeared.
A few days ago, I promised the boy during our conversation.
If his human parents didn’t accept him, I would take him back to the fairies.
“Did you hear that outside, Mister?”
“…”
“My parents don’t like me. They can’t be my real parents, right?”
“…”
“I want to see Mommy….”
“Okay, I’ll take you.”
*
Late at night, we arrived at Aster Lake.
— Rooooo!
Timothy emitted strange light from his eyes and body while singing a magical song.
He was likely calling for ‘Mommy.’
As the lake stirred, a fairy emerged.
What Timothy saw as beautiful, to me, was anything but.
But for the boy, what mattered wasn’t the appearance but whether they genuinely loved him.
The strange being, bubbling with a sound, gently embraced the adopted son with warmth.
“Mommy… Mommy… I missed you…”
— Roooooo!
Born a human yet abandoned by his parents due to a disease, Timothy found refuge in the arms of a being that could truly love him.
*
In some cases, humans can be the source of evil.
In other instances, chaotic beings might be the good side or victims.
How do we deal with such issues?
The Administration Bureau concluded, “Don’t think about it.”
Distinctions between good and evil or who the victim and aggressor are mean nothing to them.
Their only benchmark is humanity’s survival.
…
When I first met Timothy, he was wandering around downtown Austin late at night.
When I grabbed him to ask why, the boy simply replied.
“I was looking for a friend.”
He wanted to bring kids his age to ‘Mommy.’
The cold, undeniable truth froze my heart.
*
Hearing my footsteps, Timothy turned to me.
“Mister? Mister! Do you see my Mommy?”
“…”
“Thank you! Really, thank you! Mommy, this mister brought me back!”
The ‘fairy’ looked at me with an eerie sob.
Did it instinctively sense danger?
It was too late.
— Click!
“Mister?”
“Get back.”
I had not lied to Timothy.
I brought him to the fairy as promised, a child rejected again by his parents.
I simply hadn’t mentioned what would happen next.
Just like that thing planned to use Timothy as bait to lure children, I had used him as bait to lure that thing to me.
— Bang!
“THIS IS AMERICA!”
My great homeland always speaks through a double-barreled shotgun.
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