Alpha Of The Reversed World

Chapter 2: Kindergarten

It had been a month since Ah-hyun’s training began.

Thanks to sacrificing large amounts of yogurt, candy, and snacks, the education had yielded fairly good results.

In what had become his designated seat, Tae-yang leaned against the wall, slowly flipping through the pages of a book.

"Hmm. It’s too little..."

Next to him, Ah-hyun was licking the bottom of a yogurt container clean. She smacked her lips, dissatisfied.

"Did you finish it all?"

Tae-yang closed the book he was reading and turned his head to the side. Ah-hyun, who had been pouting, brightly smiled and nodded.

"Yep!"

"And the leftovers?"

"Trash can! Throw away!"

Shouting this, Ah-hyun grabbed the yogurt bottle and quickly ran off somewhere. When she returned, her hands were empty.

"Did you throw it away properly?"

Ah-hyun placed her hands on her hips and proudly puffed out her chest.

"Of course!"

Tae-yang chuckled and put down the book. Then, he patted his thigh with his hand.

"Then come here. I’ll praise you."

"Hehehe."

Blushing, Ah-hyun clambered onto Tae-yang’s thigh. Over the past month, a formula had been instilled in her mind:

Listening to Tae-yang = Getting praised = Feeling good.

Ultimately, she concluded that listening to Tae-yang made her feel good. Tae-yang raised his hand and stroked the back of Ah-hyun’s head as she buried her nose in his neck. This level of physical affection had become so common that they could do it openly in front of others without raising an eyebrow.

"Good job. Very good job."

"Did I do good?"

"Yes. Very good job."

"Hehehe."

Tae-yang talked about training and such, but it wasn’t anything extraordinary. It was just an extension of education.

If the subject is a toddler who hasn’t fully developed a sense of self, the meaning of education becomes even more significant. In essence, what parents do at home with their children is education and training.

Even the smallest things, if consistently praised, create a reward system. This system later becomes a driving force for the child to actively seek out tasks that will earn them praise, rather than just doing what they are told.

Everyone knows this simple algorithm, but surprisingly, not many parents maintain this cycle. Conversely, this means that if one can consistently implement this, they can exert an influence greater than that of the parents.

In that sense—and it was somewhat sad—Ah-hyun lived in a family most suitable for training. Her parents were too busy and tired from their dual-income jobs to provide a harmonious home, leaving the child to spend time alone and lonely.

By now, Tae-yang’s presence meant more to Ah-hyun than her parents.

"Ssssuuup."

Just smelling wasn’t enough; she started sucking on Tae-yang’s collarbone. Pulling her lips away from the saliva-covered collarbone, Ah-hyun spoke with a lisp.

"Yogurt smell..."

Tae-yang smiled bitterly at her murmur. Honestly, the situation was a bit funny.

I never thought I’d end up using yogurt body lotion. I even changed my shampoo to grape candy scent. My whole body felt like a snack.

"It smells so good..."

But since she liked it so much, he felt a slight sense of accomplishment.

"Does it smell good?"

"Mm-hmm."

Tae-yang also lowered his hand and hugged Ah-hyun’s back. They embraced each other, both burying their faces in each other’s necks. Tae-yang’s slightly larger build allowed them to maintain this position.

After holding this pose for a while, Tae-yang furrowed his brow and then quickly relaxed his expression.

"Uh, um."

"What’s wrong?"

Should I get some sugar-free yogurt...? Kids at this age grow remarkably fast, and the weight on his legs felt quite heavy.

"It’s nothing."

Of course, he wasn’t so out of his mind as to say such things to a little girl. Instead, he gently stroked her hair along the part.

"Ah-hyun likes it."

"I really like Tae-yang too!"

To completely change the subject, Tae-yang added,

"What did you do at home yesterday?"

"Ah!"

And he immediately regretted that question.

*

An hour passed. Maybe even two. One thing was certain: I was dying.

"So last night on TV!"

"Really?"

"And then, suddenly, fire came out of the mouth!"

"That must have been fun. And then?"

"An uncle elephant came out of the fridge and wrapped the Earth with his trunk, throwing it to Jupiter!"

She was so excited that I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to stop. I half-heartedly listened while enthusiastically responding.

"Yeah! And then! And then!"

Just as I was catching my breath, a lifeline appeared in the distance.

A teacher was going around gathering the children.

"Kids~ It’s nap time~"

I suppressed a laugh and shook my head, trying to look as disappointed as possible.

"Oh no. I guess I’ll have to hear the rest later." ƒrēewebnovel.com

We couldn’t stay hidden here any longer with the headcount. I placed my hands under Ah-hyun’s armpits and lifted her up. She was heavy.

"Let’s go." freewёbnoνel.com

"Aww. I don’t wanna."

"Want to hold hands?"

"Yes! Hold hands!"

Holding hands tightly, we went to the teacher who was spreading out the blankets.

The teacher, who had been spreading out dozens of blankets alone, jumped when she saw me. She barely managed to regain her usual expression, but her discomfort was evident.

"Oh dear. Our Tae-yang came to help the teacher again?"

"Ah-hyun wants to help too."

Ah-hyun raised her hand and shouted,

"Yeah!"

The daycare teachers were predominantly male, but there were a few female teachers who handled physical tasks. And usually, she took care of these miscellaneous tasks.

Well, it was more about her lower rank than her gender. The nervous-looking teacher pointed to the pillows piled up far away.

"Then, Tae-yang and Ah-hyun, can you bring those pillows over here?"

"Yes."

"Yep!"

It wouldn’t have taken long even if she did it alone, but with three people, the task was completed much faster. After confirming that everyone was present, each child lay down under their blankets.

The lights went out. The children, who had been running around like energizer bunnies all day, fell asleep instantly as if a switch had been turned off.

The blanket I was under was gently lifted, and Ah-hyun crawled in underneath. The blanket was large enough for two children to fit comfortably.

Sharing one blanket and pillow, Ah-hyun looked into my eyes and smiled brightly.

"Hehehe."

She leaned in closer, and then—

Kiss-

She initiated the kiss this time, without me having to prompt her. It was a ’natural’ action we had cultivated over the past month.

"I love you."

"Me too."

"I really like Tae-yang."

Her unusually clear pronunciation sent a chill down my spine. Maybe I’m the one being trained. -I thought.

No way... right?

*

I quietly got up, making sure not to wake Ah-hyun, who was sleeping right next to me. Looking around, I saw that all the other children were also asleep in various positions.

Careful not to wake anyone, I tiptoed out of the room. My destination was the staff lounge. I quickly opened the door and went inside.

"Ugh."

Inside, the female teacher who had spread the blankets with me earlier was waiting. And, as expected, there were no other teachers in sight.

"What are you doing?"

Looking into the anxious teacher’s eyes, I bared my teeth and smiled.

"Why aren’t you taking off your clothes?"