Chapter 19:

Jung cleared an entire shelf of his dad's knickknacks and gave that shelf to the bird to use. "Stay here for now," Jung said. "Tomorrow, I'll build you a birdhouse of your own." Jung looked around the barn, and nodded to himself. The bird will be safe here, at least for a while.

While cleaning the place up for the new freeloader, Jung studied his message screen.

Congratulations! You have upgraded your general skill "Running" to level 7.

Congratulations! You have upgraded your general skill "Breathing" to level 8.

Congratulations! You have upgraded your general skill "Tumbling" to level 5.

Congratulations! You have upgraded your general skill "dodge" to level 4.

Congratulations! You have upgraded your general skill "Danger Sense" to level 2.

Congratulations! You have upgraded your general skill "Jumping" to level 3.

Jung Hee blinked in surprise with all the messages he received. "Huh," he said eloquently. He turned to the little bird as she cleaned her feather under her wings. "I guessed you're good for something, at least.” Jung said with a smirked.

Then he frowned as he and the bird looked at each other.

"I can't keep calling you, bird," Jung said, a wistful smile in his eyes. The bird's entire head turned sideways as she tries to decipher him.

Food?

Jung ignored her as he think of a name. "hmmm..." Jung said as he tapped his chin. Then he decided. "From now on, I will call you... Bongcha!"

The bird blinked at him. "Coo..." the bird said indifferently.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

When Boncha finally settled in, Jung cleaned up the place a bit, rearrange a few more things and then finally walked out of the barn. He noticed his father and mother talking earnestly. His dad is grim and his mother is a bit upset as she talks. One of the things Jung never wanted to see in his young life is his mother getting upset, so he entered the room boldly and silently offered his service. He looked at them questioningly. To his mind he was saying, “You are upset mom, what can I do to make you feel better?”

Startled, his father gave him one look and noticed his untidy appearance, including the small scratches and bruises all over his body. Jung forgot to clean up, having busied himself in finding a place for the bird in the barn as soon as possible.

Unknown to Jung, he was the source of the mixture of sadness and anger coming out from his parents, as they misunderstood his situation. Hyusil his father, narrowed his eyes in a grim expression. There was even a leaf or two in Jung's unkempt hair. Seeing his father's look, Jung tried to surreptitiously fix his hair which made him look even guiltier.

"What happened to you?" His father said gruffly.

“Nothing,” Jung lied, and he felt guilty the moment he said it.

“Didn’t you just came from school?” his mother said, worried.

“Well, yes.”

“And this,” his mom waved her hand all over him. “Happened while you are there?”

“No! It happened in the forest.”

Jung automatically tried to explain why he looked like this and gave a few half-truths. It was his automatic go-to move when suddenly getting confronted by his parents. He didn’t want to lie to them, but at the same time he didn’t want to worry them. Unfortunately, it was the wrong move at the moment and it made him much guiltier than he actually look. "I... I was trying to save my bird and I kinda fell," Jung said lamely. Even to his ears, it sounded so stupid. But his parents didn’t need to know that a giant boar almost gorged him to death.

His father sighed as he placed his hands over his hips. His eyes linger at the bruises in his son’s elbow and the ripped old clothes that he still wear. They knew it was his favorite shirt and now the cotton fabric of the shirt is ruined.

Should he talk to his teachers? Hyusil thought sadly. No, the teachers and the administrators wouldn’t care since any hint of bullying within the school will affect their annual budget and that is far more important to them than the welfare of a single student.

Hyusil always meant to buy his son some new clothes but work always seems to take his time and he forgets. Hyusil simply stood there next to his wife, staring at his innocent and cute son who was looking back at him with wide, curious eyes. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness as he realized that he had been working too much and not giving his son the time and attention that he deserved. He longed to know more about what his son was doing and learning, but his busy work schedule always seemed to get in the way. Hyusil’s heart ached every time he realized that he was missing out on precious moments with his child, and he resolve to make a mental note for the thousand time to try and make more time for Jung Hee in the future. Despite the guilt he felt, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of his son, who was the very embodiment of innocence and joy. His chubby cheeks is always rosy in the glare of the sun.

But now, there was even bruises in his chubby cheeks as his son stared back at him innocently, Hyusil thought, his hand balling into a fist.

Kids can be cruel, Hyusil thought with a bit of anger. And his little brat is the most abnormally happy and positive kid he knows. He would hate it if anyone destroy that happy dorky smile out of his son’s face. "You know you can talk to me or your mother if you have… troubles with the other kids, right? Especially those who are bigger than you."

Jung looked at his father, perplexed. "Yes, father," Jung reflected on what his father had said. The majority of children are clumsy and slow. In a game of tag, none of the town kids or the kids in school can even get close to him. He was so good that sometimes none of his friends wanted to play with him anymore, especially after he started jumping around the monkey bars and do some gymnastict stunts to avoid being caught. But even the bigger kids are so slow and even if they wrestle with him, they felt so weak and fragile. His father’s words return back to him: Do you have problems with the other kids?

Why?

Jung wasn’t able to answer the question because he didn’t understand it.

His father sighed in an exasperated voice as his son just stared at him and didnt answer. That was answer enough for him. "Don't make any plans for tomorrow," his father said seriously. Jung simply looked up at him with curiosity.

Hyusil made up his mind. His son needed to learn how to protect himself. "I want you to meet someone I know."