I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 113: VERBAL ABUSED.

(ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ... And why is she shaking her butt like that...? She’s like a rat...)

His eye twitched.

Behind him, Seong and Suha stood side by side, both watching the scene unfold— though for very different reasons. Seong’s gaze was sharp, suspicious, clearly trying to piece things together, while Suha simply stared, absentmindedly biting her thumb.

"(◍•_•◍)..."

A full minute passed like that.

Just her rummaging.

Him watching.

The tension... slowly turning awkward.

And then—

She stopped.

Abruptly.

Before anything else could happen, a voice suddenly cut through the quiet.

"Boss!!! Boss!!!"

Footsteps rushed across the sand as a girl came running toward them, slightly out of breath. She had short hair, round glasses slipping slightly down her nose, and faint freckles scattered across her face.

Si Hon’s gaze shifted toward her instinctively.

"Boss!!! The Pink Leader is here in the Magic Section!!!" she blurted out, barely slowing down. "And it’s confirmed— he actually has the ability to see overpowered books!"

For half a second, everything froze.

The noise, the movement, even the faint shifting of pages around them— it all seemed to pause as if the space itself had taken a breath and forgotten to release it.

Si Hon blinked once, processing, while the blue-haired woman went completely still, her earlier movements cutting off so abruptly it almost felt unnatural.

And then—

Slowly... very slowly—

Seong turned her head.

Her gaze locked onto Si Hon.

A glare followed.

Sharp. Direct. Unamused.

It didn’t need words. It didn’t need explanation. It simply existed, heavy and immediate, like a warning already halfway delivered.

Beside her, Suha remained completely untouched by the tension, standing there with her thumb near her lips, blinking up at the situation with quiet curiosity.

"(◍•_•◍)...?"

Si Hon didn’t react to any of it.

Not the glare. Not the silence. Not even the sudden shift in atmosphere.

Because something else had just clicked.

(Wait.... (⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)⁠>⁠⌐⁠■⁠-⁠■)

His brows furrowed slightly as his thoughts rewinded, replaying the last few moments with growing clarity. The way she moved. The way she searched. The way it didn’t quite... match.

(Didn’t she already read a book earlier...?)

His gaze slid back toward the blue-haired woman, slower this time, more deliberate— no longer just looking, but studying.

(Then why is she still searching like that...?(⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)-⁠–>⁠⌐⁠■⁠-⁠■)

A brief pause settled in his chest, the kind that comes right before something falls into place.

And then—

(She’s faking it.)

His eyes widened just a fraction.

(T-that...)

The realization didn’t explode— it clicked, clean and precise, like a lock finally turning after too many failed attempts.

And the moment it did—

Si Hon moved.

He took a sharp step back, arm snapping forward as he pointed straight at her, the motion sudden and filled with absolute conviction, like a detective exposing the culprit at the end of a case.

"You!"

His voice cut through the silence, loud and unwavering.

"You woman! ಠ⁠益⁠ಠ"

Heads turned.

Seong blinked.

The assistant froze mid-step.

Even the blue-haired woman paused, her stillness returning— but this time, it carried attention.

Si Hon didn’t stop.

"Y-you’re a manipulative bastaaaard! (ꐦ°᷄д°᷅)"

The accusation landed with full force, his expression burning with a dramatic certainty, like he had just uncovered something massive— something no one else had noticed.

"How dare you manipulate me," he continued, stepping forward slightly now, his tone filled with righteous offense, "by pretending to read a book— when you’re not actually reading it in front of my face? (」ఠロఠ)」!"

...

Silence followed.

Not the brief kind.

Not the uncertain kind.

But something thicker.

Heavier.

The kind that just... sits there, pressing down on everything without moving.

No one spoke.

No one reacted.

For a moment, it was as if the entire Magic section collectively decided it had no idea what to do with what it had just heard.

And somewhere within that suffocating stillness— Suha tilted her head slightly, her expression unchanged, her voice small and genuinely curious.

"(◍•-•◍)...?"

Silence fell.

Not the calm kind— this one was heavy, awkward, stretched thin like something was about to snap at any second.

Si Hon opened his mouth, ready to say something else— probably another accusation, maybe something even worse, but before he could get a single word out, the blue haired woman suddenly turned.

Not toward him.

Toward her assistant.

Her expression darkened instantly.

"You—" her voice dropped, sharp and dangerous, "you absolute inco— Mihu!!!"

What followed barely even sounded like proper words anymore, just a rapid stream of furious, half-censored chaos spilling out of her mouth, fast and relentless like she had completely forgotten where she was.

Meanwhile—

Mihu didn’t react.

At all.

She stood there, staring straight ahead... not at her boss, not at the situation— just at Si Hon, still frozen mid-point, arm extended like a statue caught in the middle of exposing a crime.

Her eyes sparkled.

"Woah..." she whispered under her breath, completely ignoring the verbal destruction happening Infront her. "The Pink Leader is... handsome...?"

She tilted her head slightly, squinting like she was re-evaluating something important. "Why didn’t I notice before...? Is it because he was making that weird face on the pillar earlier...?"

Behind her—

"#@#$&#*#@#$&@¥€£`∆£¢°¢#$@!#!$%!!! MIHU!!!"

Her boss was still going.

Fully.

Unstoppable.

And somehow, Mihu heard none of it.

Back in front, Si Hon stood there, completely still, caught between confusion and secondhand stress as the blue-haired woman’s voice kept rising, her frustration clearly no longer contained to just words.

"£¢%¢∆£§~€÷¢∆£~~|||||||||~§£∆¢§¢∆£~§`¢¥$!@#!(#!$— I swear I’m going to—"

She raised her hand.

That was enough.

Si Hon moved instantly.

In one quick step forward, he grabbed her wrist mid-motion and pushed her back just enough for her arm to be pinned lightly against the shelf behind her. The movement wasn’t rough, but it was firm— decisive.

"Woah, woah— relax," he said, his tone shifting quickly, trying to sound calm. "It’s not that serious."

She froze.

Then slowly—

Her head turned.

Her eyes locked onto him.

Up close, there was no distance anymore. No calm aura softening the edges.

Just heat.

Her face was flushed, a faint red spreading across her cheeks, her breathing uneven from the sudden outburst. And now that he was this close, Si Hon actually saw her clearly.

Blue eyes.

Sharp, vivid, almost glowing under the light.

And just beneath one of them— a small mole, subtle, but impossible to ignore once noticed.

For a split second—

His brain... I don’t even know. "ಠ_ಠ..."

He blinked.

"Woah," he muttered under his breath. "Are you glaring at me?"

Her expression tightened instantly.

"Take. Off. Your hand." she snapped, each word sharp and precise. "Immediately."