Episode 10
Last night, Sola ended up falling asleep before she could even touch the laptop.
“Ugh… once it hits 10 PM, I just can’t keep my eyes open.”
No matter how hard she tried, staying up late as a little kid was just not happening.
The sun was just starting to rise outside the window.
The house was quiet—perfect timing to get moving.
♬ Hey there! Ready to go? Let’s defeat evil today with MyuMyu! Meow meow! ♬
That overly cheerful greeting still made her cringe every time.
There wasn’t even a mute button, so every time she turned on the Secret MyuMyu laptop, she had to suffer through that “meow meow” nonsense.
Letting out a little sigh, Sola opened the browser and stretched her fingers.
Today’s goal was clear: dig up some info about the kindergarten she had zero memory of.
Luckily, she wasn’t starting from nothing.
“Finding out the kindergarten’s name was pure luck.”
[Congrats on your admission to Milky Way Kindergarten!]
She’d discovered the name by total accident.
Who would’ve thought the towel she used to dry her face after brushing her teeth would have the answer?
Normally, she wouldn’t have even noticed. But…
“Even the rich Kim family uses cheap promo towels like this, huh?”
Amid the white hotel-grade towels, there it was—a random pink rubber-glove promotional towel. Talk about standing out.
[No results found for “Milky Way Kindergarten.”]
“Oh… it’s an awakened kindergarten.”
Yup, Sola was an awakened kid too.
She smacked her little cheeks.
“Duh. Of course, I’d be awakened. I’ve got the Kim family’s blood!”
She’d been so used to Jo Yoo-hwa’s average life that she automatically assumed she’d gone to a normal kindergarten.
“But why did I think I hadn’t awakened yet? I even remember stuff now!”
Sure, most awakenings happened after age ten during puberty,
but kids born with powerful alpha genes could awaken as early as toddlerhood.
Sola, having inherited those genes from Kim Sung-hwan and Soo Ji-hyun, was one of those cases.
She basically awakened as soon as she learned how to walk.
“If it’s an awakened-only kindergarten, then I’m totally stuck…”
Of course, there was no way it wasn’t.
Awakened kindergartens were for kids like her.
People often scoffed at them, saying those kids were “silver spoon hunters-in-training.”
And honestly, most of them were from wealthy, genetically gifted families.
“So… I can’t dig up anything after all.”
Awakened institutions were government-protected.
You couldn’t just Google their info.
Awakened individuals were considered national assets, and everything about them was under tight security.
“Tch…”
Sola glared at the screen like it had personally offended her.
“If I were still Jo Yoo-hwa, I could’ve found something…”
There was one possible workaround.
The Future Talent Development Center, despite being hijacked by weirdos right now, was originally a government research lab for studying awakeners.
Which meant Jo Yoo-hwa had access to their internal data.
“But if I use my old login, it’ll leave a trail…”
If anyone noticed that a wanted criminal’s credentials were used, it’d only cause more trouble.
“…Maybe I’ll try Ryu Ji-seung’s ID?”
Back when she worked with him, she’d helped with his tasks now and then.
Looking back, he was kinda a pushover—but hey, maybe it wasn’t for nothing.
“I can use it now, after all!”
Even if there was a log entry, no one would bat an eye since he was still an active researcher.
Grinning to herself, Sola typed in the familiar URL.
[Welcome to the Department of Special Phenomena Research Management Service.]
The familiar banner popped up.
She clicked her way to the data section like she’d done a hundred times before.
[Research Archive] → [Awakener Info Access]
Then came the expected pop-up.
[Researcher code required.]
“Alright… here goes nothing.”
She typed in Ryu Ji-seung’s researcher code from memory.
Tap tap tap—click!
[Researcher Code: LJS0229XYA]
Enter!
That one second felt like an eternity.
Then…
[Would you like to search for awakening information?]
“Yes!! It worked…!”
The day of her return to kindergarten.
Thanks to her previous life being, well, pretty decent (let’s call it that), Sola got ready for school with a light heart.
“All set.”
The girl in the mirror had jet-black hair, pumpkin-gold eyes, and was dressed in a navy skirt, shirt, and yellow cardigan.
She had eaten a good breakfast, brushed her teeth, and packed her bag.
“Our princess~ Ready to go?”
A long, shiny black limo slid up in front of their house.
“This thing’s kinda huge for just going to kindergarten…”
It was even bigger than the flashy car they’d taken home from the hospital.
“You said you wanted to ride in one, remember? So we got it for you.”
“I… did?”
Another one of King’s leftovers.
What kindergartener begs for a luxury limo?
Ridiculous. But whatever—it was already here.
Sola and her parents got in and the car drove off.
“Have a good day, Miss!”
The staff outside waved as the car rolled away.
At the kindergarten gate
“Yeah… this is way too much for a school drop-off…”
The limo came to a stop in front of the bright, cheerful kindergarten.
It was so out of place it almost made her laugh.
“Welcome, Guildmaster.”
A warm-looking middle-aged woman greeted them.
“That must be… the director.”
Thanks to all her studying, Sola could instantly match the face to her name, age, job, family, birthday, ability type, and even medical records.
“Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice.”
Kim Sung-hwan gave a polite bow.
“Wait… a favor?”
Seeing the guildmaster bowing like that felt… weird.
She caught bits and pieces—“don’t worry the other parents,” “our situation,” “thank you again,”
And then:
“We’re counting on you… just until the incident is resolved.”
Sola was still trying to piece things together when a weird feeling crept up behind her.
“…Uncles?”
She turned around and saw—
Apple. Banana. Carrot.
All three of her suited-up uncles.
“W-why are you guys here?”
Every time she panicked, her tongue just wouldn’t cooperate.
Something felt very off, and she gulped nervously.
“These are the bodyguards who’ll be staying with Sola during school hours.
They’ve been instructed to stay out of the way.”
“…Bodyguards?”
She repeated it blankly.
Even the director’s eyes were shaking.
She knew they weren’t your average bodyguards.
“Dad, wait—shouldn’t the uncles be working?”
“This is their job.”
He patted her head with a smile.
“We’ll be going now.”
Her parents started walking away.
“Wait! Dad! Bodyguards?! You can’t just leave them here!”
Mom? Seriously? You’re just leaving?!
Sola grabbed her dad’s pants in protest, but Apple Uncle scooped her up like a feather.
Her tiny arms flailed in the air.
“I get you’re worried after the whole incident, but this is too much! I’ve got stuff to do, you know?!”
“Don’t worry, Sola. The uncles will protect you.”
“See you later, sweetie.”
Smooch. Her parents kissed her goodbye and got back in the limo.
What the heck! You can’t just drop a bomb and leave with a kiss!
“Sola, shall we go inside now?”
The director smiled gently and held out her hand.
“J-just a second… like, really just a sec…”
Sola stared blankly as the limo drove off.
My freedom… gone…
The director kept saying something, but Sola wasn’t really listening.
She somehow followed her inside, still in shock, with the three uncles proudly behind her.
“Your friends really missed you, Sola. Don’t you wanna see them?”
“…Yeah.”
Uncle squad… how far are you gonna follow me…?
Just as they reached the classroom—
“Sola noona?”
A soft little voice called out.
Down the hall stood a small, adorable boy.
Black hair just brushing his chin, and glowing red eyes.
“That’s… Jung Gun-yul, right?”
Her mental image matched his school ID photo perfectly.
The moment their eyes met—
He ran straight toward her.
“Noona! I missed you so much!”
He dove into her arms, his soft hair brushing against her.
His red eyes shimmered with emotion.
