I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 102: Choosing.

Happy 100 Chapter!

As Si Hon stood on the pillar, he slowly raised a hand and covered his face, staring down at the ground like his soul had just left his body.

"Ah, damn... shit... wait..." he muttered under his breath.

A pause.

Then—

"Oh." His brain finally caught up. "I’m the one choosing teammates."

Another pause.

"Okay."

He lowered his hand and straightened his posture, placing one hand behind his back like he totally had everything under control.

He in fact did not.

In the center of the arena, the bunny-masked announcer suddenly raised her mic again.

"AND!!! The eight leaders have been chosen!!!" she shouted energetically. "The selection was a bit random and unique— but that just makes it more fun, right?!"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

As the announcer continued rambling excitedly, Si Hon’s attention drifted elsewhere.

His eyes moved toward the VIP lounge above.

The once half-empty room was now slowly filling up.

Figures dressed in luxurious clothing— deep red gowns, elegant suits, gold-lined fabrics, stepped forward and gathered near the glass, watching the arena below like it was some kind of normal show.

Then—

Behind them.

A massive figure stood.

The Munches King.

And inside that towering "mascot" body...

"That’s actually Sarah," Si Hon muttered under his breath, staring.

He let out a quiet, almost impressed breath.

"No way."

Then his gaze shifted again.

Scanning the crowd below—

Front rows.

Closer seats.

Then—

He froze.

"Oh."

There she was.

Hyuna.

She sat among the masked audience, wearing a black and red dress with a fox mask covering her face.

But even without seeing her face clearly—

He knew.

Because she was staring directly at him.

Hard.

Very hard.

Si Hon slowly raised his hand and waved toward the VIP lounge instead.

"..."

The crowd noticed immediately.

"Pfft— HAHAHAHA!! That guy’s waving?!"

"Who is he waving to?!"

"Easy money."

"This is getting interesting."

Si Hon ignored all of them.

Up in the VIP lounge— The Munches King... or rather, Sarah inside it— waved back.

Si Hon nodded once, satisfied.

Then—

He turned slightly, about to wave toward Hyuna as well and as he was about to wave—

"OKAY!!!" the announcer suddenly shouted, her voice booming across the arena. "So here are the mechanics!"

Si Hon froze.

"First— TEAM SELECTION!" she continued excitedly. "When a leader glows, all prisoners who want to join that leader will raise their hands!"

She spun in place dramatically.

"Simple, right?! Clean explanation, right?!"

The crowd cheered again.

Silence.

Si Hon blinked once.

Twice.

"Wait." His expression slowly stiffened. "They choose?"

A second.

Then his face completely died.

"Oh." He slowly lowered his raised hand. "Fuck."

Another pause.

"I thought, we the leader was the one choosing..." He stared straight ahead, eyes dull. "I’m fucked."

Moments after the explanation settled in, one of the pillars suddenly lit up as the green leader— the massive, scarred man began to glow.

Almost instantly, a huge portion of the prisoners below shot their hands into the air, their voices erupting into desperate shouts that echoed across the arena.

Some yelled over others, some begged, some tried to prove their worth in a single breath, all of it blending into a chaotic noise that filled the colosseum.

The bunny-masked announcer clicked her tongue loudly, wagging a finger as if scolding misbehaving children, her playful tone clashing with the tension in the air as she talked. "Seventeen members per team." That single rule was enough to shift the crowd, some hands slowly dropped in hesitation, while others stretched even higher, more desperate than before.

Up on the pillar, the green leader let out a low chuckle.

"Yes, ma’am."

His voice was deep, relaxed— far too calm for the situation. His gaze swept across the crowd once, sharp and judging, before he lazily pointed toward a group without a second thought.

"Then I’ll take those eight over there."

No hesitation. No doubt.

The chosen prisoners froze for a split second before their bodies began to glow, their expressions caught somewhere between relief and disbelief.

Then— whoosh. They vanished, only to reappear at the edge of the colosseum beside him.

Without wasting time, they naturally formed a loose circle, already talking among themselves like this was something familiar, something practiced.

Si Hon narrowed his eyes slightly.

"So they can just casually pick like that, huh."

Then—

Another pillar lit up.

Blue.

The blue-haired woman began to glow, brushing her hair back with one hand as a slow, confident smile formed on her lips.

And just like that, the reaction below was even worse than before. Nearly half of the remaining prisoners raised their hands, their voices overlapping into a desperate roar that felt heavier, louder— more frantic.

"Pick me! Please!!"

"I’ll do anything!!"

"I beg you! please pick me!!!"

The noise was overwhelming.

But then— Something else slipped through the chaos.

"Princess!!!"

"Pick us, Princess!!"

"Show mercy!!"

Si Hon’s head snapped instantly toward her.

"Princess?"

He stared at the blue-haired woman standing on her pillar. She noticed— of course she did. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and instead of denying it, she simply smirked... then shrugged mockingly, as if to say what about it?

Si Hon’s eye twitched.

"This... b*tch... ಠ⁠益⁠ಠ," he muttered under his breath, his hand clenching slightly. "She probably thinks I’m jealous because they want to join her team..."

A pause.

"I’m just curious about that ’Princess’ thing."

His gaze lingered on her, irritation mixing with quiet suspicion.

Before the announcer could even interrupt, the blue-haired woman lifted a hand gracefully.

"I know."

Her voice was calm. Smooth. Almost soothing compared to the chaos below.

"I shall take... those fourteen over there."

She didn’t rush. Didn’t raise her voice. She simply pointed— one by one, and each person she chose froze as their bodies began to glow. No hesitation. No resistance. Just silent acceptance.

Whoosh.

Whoosh.

Whoosh~

One after another, they disappeared and reappeared at the edge of the colosseum, forming a much larger group than the green team.

The moment she stepped forward, her presence alone was enough to make the others straighten instinctively. No introductions. No commands.

She was already in control.

Above them, the masked crowd buzzed with excitement.

"Fourteen already?"

"She’s serious."

"That team’s stacked."

"Yeah... that one’s definitely winning."

Si Hon clicked his tongue quietly.

"Of course she picked that many."

He glanced at the remaining pillars, then back at the crowd below... and finally at his own empty space.

Probably no hands.

Not even one.

A short silence passed.

"Nice."

He slowly crossed his arms, staring ahead blankly.

"This is going great."