I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 126: Completely forgot....

Because someone was already there.

A man stood in front of the shelf, blonde hair catching the light, his expression soft, almost too kind as he flipped through the book in his hands.

Then he noticed Si Hon.

"Oh— sorry," the man said immediately, smiling as he stepped aside without hesitation. "Were you checking this section?"

Si Hon paused for a second... then nodded. "Yeah."

"Of course," the man beamed, moving aside completely.

And just like that—

Si Hon felt it.

That small, creeping unease.

(Too easy.)

(And this guy... why is he this nice? Like... the hell?)

Still, he reached for the book.

Behind him, the man leaned in slightly, curiosity lighting up his expression. "Oh! I checked that one earlier," he said, tone bright. "Seems really good for stealth users. Didn’t take it though— the announcer said one book per person."

(...Talkative. And... why do I feel so uneasy... ಠ_ಠ "because the announcer said one per person...")

The thought looped once in Si Hon’s head, not loud, not panicked— just there, persistent enough to bother him.

It didn’t match the situation. Nothing about the guy in front of him seemed threatening. If anything, he looked too normal. Too friendly. Too kind. And somehow, that made it worse.

Still—

"Yeah," Si Hon replied flatly, not letting it show. "Guess I got lucky."

The man nodded immediately, like that answer made perfect sense to him. "You are lucky! Actually— no, wait—"

He leaned in a little, expression lighting up with curiosity, eyes almost sparkling like he had just remembered something important. "I heard a rumor about you."

Si Hon paused.

Not long.

Just enough.

"What rumor?"

"That you can tell which books are overpowered." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

There it was.

Clean. Direct. No hesitation.

And before Si Hon could even process whether that was something he should deny, deflect, or ignore—

The man moved.

Quickly, but not aggressively— just eager.

He pushed the book in his hands forward, holding it right up between them like a student asking for confirmation. "Is this one good, mister?"

"ಠ_ಠ"

Si Hon stared at him.

Blank.

Unamused.

A second passed.

Then he let out a quiet breath through his nose, reaching out and taking the book without much enthusiasm. "Let me check."

His eyes dropped to the page..

And just like that—

Everything else faded.

The Sage guide responded instantly, the familiar interface flickering into place as the information surfaced.

「...... STRATEGY GUIDE

[Divine Circuit: Seraphim Protocol — ✧✧✧✧✧]

Temporarily enhances the user into a high output divine caster.

More:

• Boosts all stats

• Increases casting speed

• Grants partial debuff immunity

Warning: Severe exhaustion after use 」

"...Yeah," Si Hon said after a moment, handing the book back. "It’s good. Just don’t overuse it— it is said here that you’ll crash hard after."

At the same time, he casually passed the thread book back toward Seong.

The man lit up instantly.

"Oh— so it’s true!" he said, bowing slightly, excitement practically radiating off him. "Thank you, mister! I’m Han Islat, by the way!"

"Woah!" Suha perked up immediately. "Dad! His name same as Han-Gyeol!"

Han blinked, then laughed lightly. "Really? That’s awesome!" He looked down at her book. "You got one too? Want to read together?"

Suha beamed instantly, holding it up proudly. "Yes! Dad gave this to Suha!"

Han’s smile widened, a little more amused now as he glanced back at Si Hon. "He’s your dad? He looks young... I think I’m older."

That—

That made Si Hon pause.

Just for a second.

(Older than me? Wait, what?)

The thought hit him late, but it stuck, hovering somewhere in the back of his mind like a question he didn’t have time to answer.

Before he could even follow it properly, the moment had already moved on without him. Suha and Han were deep into their own conversation now, words bouncing back and forth rapidly, the kind of instant connection kids formed without effort.

Seong slid quietly to his side, stopping just beside him as she watched the two of them.

There was something calmer in her posture now, something settled. "Let’s just leave them," she said after a moment, her voice low, almost thoughtful. Then, after the slightest pause, "Thanks. For earlier."

Si Hon gave a small nod, casual, like it wasn’t a big deal— until something clicked.

Then everything changed.

His eyes widened.

His hand went straight to his head.

"Wait. Han— Han—" he muttered, panic rising fast as the realization slammed into him all at once. "How long was I here?!"

Seong barely had time to react before he straightened abruptly, already turning.

"I gotta go!"

And just like that—

He ran.

Seong watched him for a second, completely still, then let out a quiet breath through her nose, arms crossing again. "You’re definitely going to be a bad dad," she muttered flatly.

Meanwhile—

"Shit, shit— I forgot Han!" Si Hon rushed through the shelves, feet hitting the sand in quick, uneven steps as his thoughts tripped over themselves. The place blurred slightly as he turned a corner— and then.

He stopped.

Just for a split second.

His hand moved without thinking, grabbing a book from the shelf as he passed, barely even looking at it before continuing forward again.

It wasn’t until several steps later that he slowed, then stopped completely, blinking as something very obvious finally caught up to him.

"...ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ..."

A pause.

"Wait."

His expression flattened slightly.

"I can teleport."

Silence.

He looked down at his hand.

Then he exhaled, closing his eyes as his focus pulled inward. Almost instantly, the familiar presence surfaced, quiet but clear.

「One-Breath Focus — Perfect concentration for one second.

Calm Mind — Panic reduced.

Stamina Flicker — Energy equivalent to one full breath.」

The noise in his head dulled.

His breathing steadied.

And then—

Zwoop.

The world folded.

In less than a second, Si Hon reappeared in the comic section, right beside Han.

He opened his eyes slowly, the transition smooth this time— only to find Han sitting on the sand, both hands covering his face... shoulders trembling.

"Huh..."