Chapter 8: A Lost Boy

The triplets entered their bright, colorful classroom, each with their little backpacks slung over their shoulders. The room was buzzing with activity. Some kids were playing with toys, others were chatting animatedly, and a few were glued to their gadgets.

As the three brothers made their way to their seats, a curious classmate approached them—a lanky boy with glasses named Tae-bin. "Hey, who was that guy who brought you here today? Is he your uncle?"

Seo-min beamed proudly. "That's our dad."

Before Tae-bin could reply, a chubby boy named Jae-hoon, notorious for his arrogance, sauntered over. He folded his arms, a smug grin on his face. "Your dad? Where'd you find him? Everyone knows you don't have a dad. He's probably some fake you hired."

Seo-jin's face turned red with anger. "He's our dad! He's been busy, that's why you haven't seen him before!"

Seo-jun, the eldest, immediately stepped between them, sensing trouble brewing. "Stop it, Seo-jin. He's just trying to make you mad."

But Jae-hoon sneered and shoved Seo-jin lightly. "Your dad's probably a loser, just like you."

That was the final straw for Seo-min. "Take that back!" he shouted, shoving Jae-hoon hard enough to make him stumble.

Chaos erupted as the two boys began grappling, knocking over chairs and drawing the attention of the entire class. Some kids cheered, while others scrambled to get out of the way.

Just then, their homeroom teacher, Mr. Lee Dae-ho, entered the classroom. His eyes widened at the scene before him. "What's going on here?" he bellowed.

The boys froze, panting and disheveled, as the other kids went silent. Mr. Lee crossed his arms, his stern gaze moving between Jae-hoon, Seo-jin, and Seo-min.

"You three, follow me. Now."

Back at home, Seo-woo was hunched over the table, deep in thought as he scribbled lyrics into his notebook. The beginnings of a melody hummed in his mind, and he tapped his pen rhythmically on the table.

"Maybe this should be softer," he muttered, adjusting a note. "Or should it—"

A sudden knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Seo-woo frowned, wondering who it could be. Setting his notebook aside, he got up and opened the door to find Auntie Song standing there, her expression a mix of concern and urgency.

"Auntie Song?" Seo-woo asked. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded but looked worried. "I just got a call from your sons' homeroom teacher. There was... an incident at school. The boys got into a fight with a classmate."

Seo-woo's eyes widened in shock. "What? A fight?"

Auntie Song nodded. "Yes, and the teacher asked for you to come in right away to discuss it."

Seo-woo sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, give me a moment to get ready. Thank you for letting me know, Auntie."

He quickly changed into a clean shirt and grabbed his bag. As he headed out, his thoughts raced. What could've happened? The boys never get into trouble like this.

With worry etched on his face, Seo-woo left the apartment, determined to get to the bottom of things.

Seo-woo hurried toward the kindergarten, his heart pounding with worry about what his sons had done to get into a fight. As he approached the school gate, his sharp eyes caught sight of a little boy wandering along the street, his cheeks streaked with tears. The boy clutched the edge of his shirt like a kindergarten uniform, tightly, sniffling and looking around helplessly.

Seo-woo slowed down, his concern growing. "Hey, little guy," he said softly, crouching to meet the boy's eye level. "Are you okay? Why are you crying?"

The boy sniffed and looked at him with wide, tearful eyes. "I'm lost," he admitted, his voice trembling. "I was going to my kindergarten, but... but our car stopped. My Uncle Woo-rim said he was going to buy something at the convenience store, but..."

Seo-woo patiently waited as the boy tried to explain, hiccupping through his words.

"Then I saw... I thought I saw my idol, Kim Se-ra," the boy continued, his voice rising with a mixture of regret and confusion. "I'm her fan! So I ran outside, but... it wasn't her. I got lost, and now I don't know where to go!"

Seo-woo's heart ached for the little boy. He gently placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's okay. What's your name?"

"Ha-neul," the boy replied, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"Ha-neul, do you have a phone number for your parents? Or your uncle?"

The boy shook his head miserably. "No... I left my bag in the car. And my ID... it's gone. Only the lace is left."

Seo-woo's eyes drifted to Ha-neul's leg, where he noticed a fresh scrape with a bit of dried blood. He frowned. "You're hurt, too. How did that happen?"

Ha-neul glanced down at his leg as if only now noticing the wound. "I tripped... when I was running after that lady."

Seo-woo sighed deeply, torn between helping the boy and rushing to his sons. He couldn't just leave Ha-neul here alone. "Ha-neul, I'm going to call the police. They'll help us find your uncle or your parents."

The boy's eyes widened in panic, and he began crying again. "No! Please don't call the police! I'm scared of them! What if they take me away? Uncle said... police is... is scary"

Seo-woo bit his lip, realizing the boy was too frightened to understand the situation. Looking at the kindergarten just a short distance away, he made a decision. "Alright, alright. No police, okay? How about you come with me to the kindergarten? They have a nurse who can look at your wound. We'll figure out what to do next after that."

Ha-neul hesitated for a moment because his uncle told him not to talk to or follow strangers, but he finally nodded, clutching Seo-woo's hand tightly. Suddenly, a new window prompt appeared in front of him.

[New Quest Received]

Quest 1: Help Ha-neul find his guardian

Objective: Assist Ha-neul in finding his guardian and get him home safely.

Reward: +15 Charisma, +10 Parenting, +5 Health Recovery

Quest 2: Treat Ha-neul's injuries

Objective: Ensure Ha-neul receives proper medical care and the wound on his leg is treated.

Reward: +5 Health Recovery, +5 Charisma

"Ohh," he surprisingly said this word. Then, another window prompt appeared.

"I will handle this little kid to treat his wounds first, then resolve my sons' trouble and after that, help Ha-neul to find his guardian," he said internally.

As they entered the kindergarten, Seo-woo guided Ha-neul to the school infirmary. The nurse looked surprised to see them but immediately tended to Ha-neul's wound. While the nurse worked, Seo-woo knelt beside the boy and gave him a reassuring smile.

"See? Not so bad, right?" he said, patting Ha-neul's shoulder.

Ha-neul managed a small smile. "Thank you, ahjussi."

Seo-woo chuckled. "You're welcome. But I'm not an ahjussi—I'm a dad."

The boy's eyes widened. "You have kids?"

"Yes, three of them," Seo-woo replied with pride.

Ha-neul's curiosity seemed to take over, and he momentarily forgot about being lost. But as soon as the nurse finished bandaging his wound, his worried expression returned.

Seo-woo stood and gently ruffled Ha-neul's hair. "Don't worry. We'll figure this out. For now, stay here and rest while I check on my sons, alright? I'll come back and help you find your family."

Ha-neul nodded hesitantly, his small hands clutching the edges of his seat. Seo-woo turned and headed toward the principal's office, bracing himself for what awaited him next. One thing at a time, he thought. I'll handle my boys first and then help Ha-neul.

[Quest Completed!]

Quest 2: Treat Ha-neul's injuries

Objective: Ensure Ha-neul receives proper medical care and the wound on his leg is treated.

Reward: +5 Health Recovery, +5 Charisma