# Chapter 87
## 8. Butterfly Disqualification
It was around the age of twelve when he received the name Lee Jeongyeon.
The child, now in the upper grades of elementary school, knew more than adults thought. That this kind of thing wasn’t common, and that he was truly lucky. Partly due to an innate environment that required him to be more sensitive to others’ reactions than most, but also because it was simply an age where one begins to vaguely understand such things.
On the day his adoption was finalized, the orphanage director called the child in and shared various things with him. Most of it was useless, but occasionally there were plausible remarks. For instance, information like how they probably looked favorably upon him because he appeared fair and gentle.
Finally, the director said that having parents would truly feel different, so he should grow up receiving plenty of love. Strangely, those words sounded like boasting.
The first thing the new parents told the child who had come to an unfamiliar home was his name.
“From now on, your name is Jeongyeon. Since my surname is Lee, you’ll be Lee Jeongyeon.”
After saying this, his new father looked a bit uncertain and added that if he didn’t like the name, he could change it to one he preferred. His new mother explained the meaning of the name. ‘Jeong’ (淨) meaning clean, and ‘Yeon’ (蓮) meaning lotus.
Lee Jeongyeon. It was a name that rolled very, very softly in the mouth. The meaning—clean lotus—was nice too. He had seen a lotus flower in a picture once. It was a pretty flower.
He quite liked this name. So Jeongyeon shook his head.
“I like Lee Jeongyeon.”
His parents smiled brightly, saying they were relieved.
They gave Jeongyeon nice clothes, delicious food, and a large room. The room was filled with a big bed, a spacious desk, various toys, and many books.
At first, Jeongyeon felt a bit awkward expressing himself to his parents. But they weren’t impatient. They turned their heads to look at him when he called, made eye contact during conversations, served him tasty side dishes during meals, and stroked his hair and kissed him before bed.
However, they couldn’t act as if they were truly parent and child.
Jeongyeon was generally obedient to his parents’ actions, but he didn’t take the initiative to do anything himself. It was difficult to gauge how far was acceptable. He didn’t want to cross any lines just to find out.
It wasn’t that he disliked his parents; they were just difficult to approach. The boy wished his parents would like him.
From some point, his parents started giving Jeongyeon a little pocket money. They said it was for buying snacks at the stationery store in front of the school and for going out with friends.
At first, he was genuinely confused about whether it was okay to spend this money, so he just kept saving it. But on an unbearably hot summer day while walking home from school, he couldn’t resist buying a popsicle. Although he was happy with the sweet, cool treat, he somehow felt he shouldn’t show this to his parents. Jeongyeon deliberately took a longer route than his usual path.
The quiet dirt road, rare to see in the city, had a pastoral feel. It was perfect for walking while licking a popsicle. As Jeongyeon was walking with his arms swinging, he faintly heard a strange sound from the distance.
Growl… Clank, clank! Jingle!
Amidst the sharp metallic sounds came the fierce cry of a beast. Alarmed by the ominous noise, Jeongyeon stopped abruptly, then carefully left the path and approached the source of the sound. Moving stealthily enough not to be noticed, the boy hid himself and observed the situation.
A massive variant the size of an adult man was facing off against a tiny cat.
The variant, which resembled a lion but had deer antlers and five eyes, had a thick iron chain carelessly tied around its neck. The chain was tight enough to choke it, but being a variant, it didn’t seem to be in extreme pain or severely injured.
In contrast, the black-furred kitten was small enough to fit perfectly in Jeongyeon’s arms. It was trying to appear intimidating by puffing up its back and hissing, but anyone could see it would be just a single bite for the variant.
Seeing that the chain wasn’t pulled taut, it seemed the variant could reach the cat with just a slight movement. Anxiously watching the situation and wondering what to do, Jeongyeon pulled out his phone. Reporting a variant encounter on the street was basic knowledge taught since kindergarten.
“Hello? Excuse me, I’ve spotted a variant…”
After confirming the child wasn’t in danger, the response coordinator said they would dispatch hunters soon and asked him to wait a little. Having awkwardly finished the call, Jeongyeon looked back at the variant and the cat. He planned to watch vigilantly until the hunters arrived. If only the variant wouldn’t move… Jeongyeon thought, nervously scanning the cat that showed no intention of fleeing.
Unfortunately, Jeongyeon’s wish didn’t come true.
Growl… A sound like a beast’s cry emanated from the variant. The situation unfolded in the blink of an eye.
Jeongyeon couldn’t even tell whether the variant or the cat lunged first. In an instant, the two animals became entangled. Only belatedly did a short scream escape.
“Ah…!”
Naturally, the cat, with its size disadvantage, was no match for the variant. The cat was soon struck hard and flew helplessly through the air. Jeongyeon watched as the variant leisurely walked toward the limp cat. It was the movement of a predator who knew all too well that its prey had no chance.
Strength suddenly entered Jeongyeon’s hand. What followed wasn’t a calculated action.
Tap. A light friction sound came from the variant. Its massive antlers swayed as it turned its head.
What had fallen beneath it was the wooden stick from the finished popsicle.
In the moment it took for the variant to assess the situation, a small child’s body nimbly leapt out. The variant instinctively lowered its posture to charge back, but Jeongyeon didn’t rush toward the variant. Instead, he ran straight to where the cat had been thrown and snatched up the small animal.
Screech! Just as Jeongyeon held the black cat to his chest, the cat, which he had thought was unconscious, struggled violently. Clear scratches appeared on his arm in several lines, and his clothes were ruined by the dust kicked up as he stamped his feet. But Jeongyeon only tightened his grip. The kitten’s attack wouldn’t kill him. However, if he let go now, the cat would be killed by the variant.
He couldn’t just stand by and watch that happen.
Trying hard to endure the stinging pain, he began to move away. The variant, having assessed the situation, growled and approached Jeongyeon. The massive beast’s speed increased. The distance between Jeongyeon and the variant closed in an instant. Quickly, his breath rose all the way to his chin.
The feet that had been moving rapidly with tension dulled for a moment.
His body stumbled as his feet became entangled, and then he fell with a thud. Even as his balance collapsed, Jeongyeon curled his body as much as possible to protect the cat from impact and turned his back to the variant. He didn’t even have time to notice that the struggling cat had suddenly gone quiet.
The variant charged without hesitation toward the small back.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
“…”
When only loud noises continued without any pain even after quite some time, Jeongyeon slightly opened his tightly shut eyes. Peeking back discreetly through narrowed eyes, he saw the variant twisting its body and growling right in front of him.
However, the variant couldn’t reach Jeongyeon.
Thanks to the leash it was tied to, a precarious distance was maintained. He had barely escaped beyond its range.
“…Haaa…”
Drained of strength, Jeongyeon exhaled a long breath while still lying face down, unable to get up. Just as he was about to lower his head to see if the cat was okay, after his wildly pounding heart had calmed a bit:
“Kid! Are you alright?”
Two or three people appeared out of thin air and made a fuss upon discovering the disheveled Jeongyeon. It wasn’t difficult to recognize that as teleportation ability.
The hunters quickly subdued the variant that had been threatening Jeongyeon. What had been such a frightening and formidable beast to Jeongyeon seemed like nothing to the hunter. So cool… Jeongyeon stared blankly at them as they busily spoke on the phone with someone, when he suddenly remembered the cat again and looked down at his arms.
But the cat was gone.
“Huh?”
Jeongyeon’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as he turned his head in all directions, examining every corner, but it was still nowhere to be found. It seemed to have disappeared somewhere in the chaos. Belatedly, his injured arms, chest, and stomach began to sting with pain.
Those facts felt strangely disappointing and sad.
“…Ugh…”
His round eyes instantly became wet. The hunters were startled to find a child who had been fine until now suddenly bursting into tears, and they rushed over to Jeongyeon.
