Chapter 102: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute One Is Also New to Fatherhood Episode 102
That afternoon.
"Ms. Ji-hee."
A fellow teacher approached Lee Ji-hee.
"Is something wrong?"
"Huh?"
"You look troubled..."
Ji-hee immediately waved her hands frantically and began stammering incoherently.
"No, really, absolutely not."
Hearing this, the colleague replied softly, "That's good then," shrugging her shoulders before adding:
"You've been looking down all day, completely out of it. I was worried something might have happened today."
Something happened...
'Actually, something did happen...'
Ji-hee recalled the events of that morning.
"I'd appreciate it if you could spare some time this weekend."
Seol's father had politely requested a meeting over the weekend.
"Huh? Sure..."
Before she knew it, she'd already agreed.
'No matter how I think about it, this doesn't seem right...'
Ji-hee took out her smartphone and opened a messaging app.
[Seol's father.]
If word got out that she was meeting privately with a parent, wouldn't it risk sparking a major controversy?
'How should I phrase this...'
She clicked on Kang-jun's messenger profile to convey that she might need to cancel their appointment...
"Uh..."
In the process, Ji-hee naturally saw Kang-jun's messenger profile and was at a loss for words.
'He really doesn't have a talent for selfies.'
The photo was taken at what might be called the "45-degree ulzzang angle," a trend from her childhood, and was oddly in black and white.
'Why the black-and-white filter...'
She couldn't fathom the reason.
What was even more baffling...
Was the status message on his profile.
- Name.LeeKangjun.Seol's.Dad.Used.to.be.Emperor.of.Anux.Continent.Now.struggling.with.kid.Not.easy.And.if.you.wanna.fight.me.text.me.Challenges.are.free.but.you.won't.survive.the.consequences.
Her mind was utterly confused.
"What in the world..."
For some reason, her face felt hot after reading the status message. After a moment...
"Oh, right."
She remembered her original purpose and began typing a message to Kang-jun.
[Hello, Seol's father. This is Lee Ji-hee, Seol's homeroom teacher. About our appointment this weekend...]
Hmm, this doesn't sound right.
[Seol's father, I'm sorry. This morning, I was flustered and agreed without thinking, but upon reflection, it might be unfair...]
This doesn't sound right either...
[Seol's father, I'm Lee Ji-hee, Seol's homeroom teacher. I've been thinking deeply about our appointment this weekend, but if it were to become known, it could cause issues...]
As she kept tapping away at her phone's keyboard...
Click—
Suddenly, the faculty room door opened...
"Ah, what the—!"
Startled, Ji-hee accidentally sent the unfinished message.
"Teacher Lee Ji-hee, you're here."
The one who had abruptly opened the door was Goblin Kazan, the chairman of "Snow White Kindergarten."
"Teacher Lee Ji-hee."
Ji-hee blinked. "Yes?" she replied. Kazan suddenly broke into a bright smile and spoke warmly.
"I, the chairman, was deeply moved by the passionate and unwavering sense of duty you've shown as an educator."
Then he added:
"Everyone, applause."
At once, the other teachers, though confused, began clapping enthusiastically, filling the room with applause...
"I heard you've decided to sacrifice one of your weekend days to conduct individual parent-teacher meetings with students in attendance."
Ji-hee was about to say, "I did?" when Kazan cut her off without giving her a chance to respond.
"The board has decided to award special bonuses to teachers like you who voluntarily give up their holidays to conduct individual meetings for the sake of smooth guidance."
The chairman pressed an envelope into her hand, glanced around at the other teachers, and added:
"That's all for now."
As silence fell over the room...
"Wow, you're so passionate, especially for a new teacher..."
"Hey, Ms. Ji-hee! I'm impressed! I should follow your example!"
"Are there any restrictions on where the weekend meetings can be held?"
"As long as the meetings happen, it shouldn't matter where, right?"
With Kazan's appearance, the reason Ji-hee had resolved to cancel the weekend appointment melted away like snow...
"By the way, how much was the 'special bonus'?"
One by one, the teachers grew curious about the thick envelope in Ji-hee's hand.
Ji-hee quietly opened it and pulled out a stack of bills...
"Whoa, 300,000 won...?"
Murmurs spread throughout the room.
"I should definitely start doing weekend meetings too..."
"Yeah, giving up one holiday for 300,000 won..."
"I guarantee this place has the best employee benefits in the universe..."
Then, belatedly recalling the message she'd sent to Kang-jun, Ji-hee gasped, "Ah!" and hurriedly pulled out her phone...
[Seol's father: Ah.That.Part.I'll.Handle.It.So.No.Need.To.Worry.]
[Seol's father: Thank.You.For.Today.@))))))Here's.A.Tasty.Kimbap.For.You.Hahaha.]
[Seol's father: If.My.Joke.Upset.You.I.Apologize.().]
Ji-hee could only mutter, "Huh..." as she read the replies Kang-jun had sent minutes earlier.
"How on earth..."
Perhaps this was her chance...
'To figure out the truth behind the rumors about Seol's father...'
She chuckled unconsciously as she reread Kang-jun's messages.
"Kimbap, pfft, hah, what even..."
She couldn't help but wonder if he'd volunteered for some cryogenic experiment in the early 2000s and had only recently been revived.
But why...?
She found herself smiling for no reason.
[No, your joke had me laughing out loud.]
[Thank you for the kimbap. I'll enjoy it.]
[Please let me know the time and place for our meeting.]
She sent a carefully crafted reply.
For some reason...
She was looking forward to the parent-teacher meeting.
Clatter, clatter...
The constantly shaking carriage came to a stop.
"We're almost there."
At the words of Surtr, the flame giant who sought destruction, the man who had been keeping his eyes tightly shut slowly opened them.
"Is that the dimension of ■■■?"
Like celestial bodies forming a galaxy, multiple dimensions clustered densely together, among which a distinctly bluish spherical dimension stood out.
"Yes, that's correct."
Surtr added an explanation.
"Unfortunately, from here, we can no longer proceed by carriage. You'll have to continue on foot."
The 'Discarded ■■■' nodded once before alternating his gaze between Surtr and Loki, then spoke in an imperious tone.
"Not only did you awaken me from the dimension of '■■,' where all things abandoned by the Creator God gather..."
Trailing off, he added:
"You even served as my guide."
Surtr immediately replied eagerly.
"I merely did what needed to be done."
The 'Discarded ■■■' smirked faintly and nodded in satisfaction.
"If I succeed in reclaiming the title '■■■' that was stolen from me, I shall reward your service greatly."
Surtr then added:
"Then I shall open the 'Gate.'"
The 'Discarded ■■■' shook his head.
"I'll do it myself."
Drawing the sword at his waist, a bluish aura shimmered like heat haze along its edge...
Swoosh—!
As the 'Discarded ■■■' swung his sword, space split open, a crack forming in the air before them.
Then, an overwhelming flood of Living Text began pouring from his body.
『Originally destined to become ■■■, he was cast into '■■,' where all things abandoned by the Creator God converge...』
It was the record of his achievements and narrative.
『For countless eons, he lay dormant in '■■,' consumed by bitter resentment toward the one who had taken everything from him.』
With each swing of his sword, space crumbled further, revealing an alien landscape beyond.
Amid towering skyscrapers, vehicles hurried along wide roads.
"■■■..."
It was time to reclaim the name that had been stolen.
Late at night.
"Seol, are you asleep?"
It was unusually quiet. When he checked, Seol had apparently fallen asleep while drawing a picture at the living room table.
On the open notebook was a drawing of a little girl smiling brightly between a pair of adults.
"She must be really looking forward to it..."
The day she would go flower-viewing with her homeroom teacher was fast approaching.
Tomorrow—Saturday.
She'd been excited for days, and today, her anticipation seemed to have peaked.
Just as Kang-jun was about to carry Seol to bed, cradling her in his arms...
Suddenly, the TV screen switched to a news bulletin.
[Breaking news! The World Awakened Association has officially announced signs of a Calamity-grade Gate forming near Beijing, China!]
[Authorities are mobilizing all domestic S-rank Hunters to Beijing while requesting support from allied nations...]
[According to the World Awakened Association's threat assessment, this is predicted to be the highest-risk Gate in recorded history...]
[In response, Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol and other officials are urgently convening to establish countermeasures to prevent secondary damage...]
[The government has officially declared a national disaster, strongly advising against all non-essential travel until response protocols are finalized...]
Kang-jun looked down at Seol in his arms.
"Daddy, is it morning yet...?"
Seol murmured in her sleep.
"No, it's still dark out."
"If it's morning, we go see flowers..."
"You'll wake up to morning if you sleep tight."
Kang-jun replied softly, gently patting Seol's back as she drifted back to sleep.
"Go back to sleep."
Instead of an answer, only the soft sound of Seol's breathing could be heard.
Meanwhile...
Kang-jun turned his gaze back to the TV and muttered under his breath.
"Sleep well. We'll go see flowers in the morning."
He laid Seol down...
"I promised, so I'll keep it."
Kang-jun's figure vanished.