Absolute Beginner Dad Episode 108

[You have entered the Gate 'Wyvern's Nest'!]

As soon as Kang-jun stepped inside the Gate, he immediately surveyed his surroundings.

Amidst steep cliffs stretching like mountain ranges...

A flock of wyverns soaring through the skies came into view.

"Kieeeeeek..."

"Kiiiiik..."

"Kieeeeeek..."

According to the classification standards set by the Awakened Management Bureau, wyverns were considered high-risk monsters—tricky and formidable.

They lived in groups ranging from dozens to hundreds, possessed considerable intelligence, and were notoriously difficult to deal with.

Of course...

That was only by their standards.

"Today was supposed to be a pleasant day."

Kang-jun neatly folded the cuffs of his dress shirt a few times.

"Kieeeeeeeek!"

At that moment, the lead wyvern in the formation dove toward him at a terrifying speed, swooping down like a storm—

[Activating Authority: 'Calamity' (EX)!]

Suddenly, a deafening "KRRRRRRUMBLE!" echoed as a massive bolt of lightning struck the wyvern's head.

This was an Authority Kang-jun had acquired after defeating Susanoo in a catastrophic-grade Gate that had appeared in Oda City, Japan, not long ago.

"Useful."

Kang-jun extended his hand.

Thunderclouds blotted out the sky...

And lightning poured down like torrential rain.

KRRRRRRUMBLE—!

KRRRRRRUMBLE—!

KRRRRRRUMBLE—!

It was a massacre.

At the same time.

"A Gate with a threat level of at least A-grade has rapidly manifested inside Jeonju Zoo!"

The Jeolla Branch of the Awakened Management Bureau had been thrown into emergency mode due to the sudden appearance of the Gate.

"What the hell are you all doing?!"

The branch chief roared, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Follow protocol—evacuate all civilians currently inside the facility and assemble Hunters who can immediately suppress the Gate!"

Then—

"Huh...?"

An employee from the Jeolla Branch's situation room, who had reported the Gate's appearance, let out a bewildered murmur...

"What? What is it?"

Just as the tension had settled—

"The... the Gate is gone."

"What?"

"It disappeared without a trace."

Lee Ji-hee woke from a deep sleep, rubbing her eyes groggily.

Having enjoyed a rare, restful slumber, she felt unusually refreshed.

She glanced around, trying to figure out where she was...

"Ah, the private jet..."

She muttered softly before suddenly jerking upright with a gasp.

"Eh?!"

"Seol and... His Excellency...?"

Just then, a deep voice sounded from the seat beside her.

"I'm right here."

Kang-jun, flipping through the thick parenting book in his hands with a "flip," calmly added,

"Seol was sleeping so soundly that I thought I'd just let her rest until morning."

Ji-hee quietly murmured, recalling the moments before she had fallen asleep. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"How..."

"Teacher, is something wrong?"

"What about... the Gate?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure what you're referring to..."

Kang-jun replied curtly, his gaze fixed on the book, his tone utterly indifferent.

"You must have had a bad dream."

Ji-hee muttered under her breath.

"Was it really a dream...?"

Parts of her memory were hazy, as if she had blacked out from heavy intoxication.

Then, her gaze naturally drifted to Kang-jun's exposed forearm—

The first thing she noticed were the veins, visible because he had rolled up his sleeves...

"Eh...?"

Next, the faint stains of blood on the crisp white cuffs of his dress shirt.

At that moment—

Fragments of memory, buried like sediment in the depths of her subconscious, began rising to the surface.

"You said earlier that today felt like a dream, didn't you?"

"Y-yes...?"

"Would it be alright if I just cut out the unpleasant parts?"

From the moment the Gate appeared, Kang-jun had remained unnervingly composed, spouting nothing but cryptic remarks.

"I'll take that as consent."

As soon as those words left his lips, drowsiness surged over her like a tidal wave...

'He definitely entered the Gate.'

Even as her eyelids grew heavy, she had clearly seen Kang-jun's back as he casually strolled into the Gate.

'Absolutely...'

It wasn't a dream.

"Teacher?"

Noticing her gaze, Kang-jun asked again.

Ji-hee swallowed dryly before shaking her head and answering quietly.

"It's nothing..."

Then she added,

"Never mind."

She had thought that spending the day together would help her understand Seol's father a little better, but...

'Just who is Seol's father...?'

Instead, she only felt more questions piling up.

Meanwhile—

Kang-jun, still expressionless...

Flip.

...was absorbed in reading the already tattered Parenting Encyclopedia, as if he had gone through it countless times.

'At the very least...'

She was certain he was a good person.

"Ah, Teacher."

Kang-jun suddenly spoke up.

"Yes, go ahead."

After a brief pause, Kang-jun asked,

"I was just wondering—what kind of child is Ban Ha-na, the friend Seol is closest to at daycare?"

Ji-hee answered,

"She's bright, cheerful, and lively, just like Seol. I heard she suffered from a pretty serious illness shortly after birth..."

"Illness?"

"Yes. Fortunately, she's fully recovered now and can attend daycare normally, but she had pediatric leukemia, so I've been keeping an eye on her."

She added,

"Pediatric leukemia has a high recurrence rate, and the treatment weakens the immune system, making her more susceptible to other illnesses..."

Kang-jun replied quietly, "I see."

Then—

"Ah."

She opened her mouth to explain further but quickly swallowed her words.

"Never mind."

She had suddenly remembered something from Ha-na's daycare records—details she couldn't disclose without permission.

This wasn't something she could casually share, even as the homeroom teacher.

Besides, she doubted Kang-jun would make a big deal out of it.

Just then—

An announcement played, signaling that the plane was preparing to land.

"Thank you for today."

Kang-jun closed the book with a soft "thud" and spoke. Ji-hee nodded in response.

"Likewise."

And so, the holiday came to an end.

The next morning.

Seol was sprawled on the living room floor, diligently drawing scenes from yesterday's outing in her sketchbook.

"Your Highness."

Iriel cautiously approached Seol and hesitantly asked,

"Did you enjoy your outing?"

"Mm! It was sooo fun!"

"Do you like that teacher lady?"

"Mm! Seol wuvs Teacher!"

Iriel's expression darkened.

"Your Highness."

She knelt respectfully in front of Seol and spoke in an even more careful tone.

"May I ask you one thing?"

Fidgeting, she hesitantly voiced the question weighing on her mind.

"Between me and that teacher... who do you like more?"

Seol hesitated, going "Uhh..."

Iriel suddenly panicked and flailed her hands.

"W-wait, Your Highness! Just a moment!"

She pulled out a packet of Bear Jellies from her pocket and dangled it temptingly.

"Somehow, a packet of jellies ended up in my pocket..."

"Ooooh! Seol's favoritest bear jellies in the whole wide world!"

"Indeed... coincidentally, the very jellies Your Highness adores..."

Seol immediately asked,

"If Seol gets jellies... no answer?"

Iriel nodded solemnly.

"Forgive my impertinence, but Your Highness's answer may determine whether you receive them..."

Seol's eyes lit up with realization.

"Ohhh! Seol knows!"

She beamed and declared—

"Seol wuvs Iriel the most!"

Iriel chuckled softly.

"Fufu."

She handed over the entire packet with a triumphant smile.

"I knew it."

Meanwhile, Crabsley and Marbas, who had been silently watching, each delivered a cutting remark.

"Lady Iriel, resorting to bribing Her Highness with snacks?"

"Demon Empress, I didn't take you for such a coward..."

"Emotions cannot be bought with material things."

"Brainwashing a child with sweets? You're worse than a demon..."

Iriel ignored them and instead posed a question.

"If that teacher and I were drowning, who do you think His Majesty would save first?"

Crabsley answered without hesitation.

"Obviously, His Majesty would save the teacher first."

"Why?!"

"Because Lady Iriel can swim far better than a sea turtle, whereas a human would naturally—"

Iriel pressed further.

"What if we were both in danger at the same time?"

"He'd save the human first."

"How can you say that?!"

Crabsley shrugged lightly.

"Because nothing could possibly endanger Lady Iriel in the first place. Saving the weaker human would be the right choice—"

Just then, the door opened.

Kang-jun stepped into the living room, scratching his messy bedhead.

"Why are you wasting energy on such pointless debates first thing in the morning...?"

Iriel immediately pounced on the opportunity.

"Your Majesty, please tell us!"

After a brief pause, Kang-jun answered.

"Why save just one?"

"Huh...?"

"Save both."

As Kang-jun headed to the fridge to look for snacks, Iriel pressed again.

"Your Majesty, if you had to choose just one—"

Kang-jun sighed.

"Good grief, you're relentless."

He glanced back at Iriel—

Her face looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Your Majesty, please..."

After a moment of silence, Kang-jun repeated—

"I'd save both."

Then, after a pause, he added—

"But if I had to pick..."

"I'd probably save Iriel first."

"Why...?"

"So we could fight together, right?"

Iriel finally broke into a relieved smile.

"Your Majesty..."

Seeing her chance, she voiced the grievance she had been holding in.

"I... I want one too!"

"What?"

"A proper Earth name...!"

At that, Lee Soo-bin cut in.

"N-no, absolutely not!"

She knew all too well how disastrous Kang-jun's naming sense was.

Hadn't the elderly man been dubbed "Dolsoe" overnight? And the dog, "Gaeddong-i"?

"If this goes wrong, she might end up being called "Soon-ja" or "Soon-i" starting tomorrow!"

But Kang-jun had already begun pondering.

"A name..."

After a brief silence—

"Gyu-ri."

He added—

"Seo Gyu-ri."

Iriel blinked.

"Wh-what does it mean?"

Kang-jun scratched his ear.

"No special meaning."

Then, quietly—

"Just Seo for succubus, and Gyu-ri because it sounds nice."

With that—

"Seol, let's play." ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Kang-jun scooped Seol up and vanished into the room.

Left standing there, Iriel murmured softly—

"Gyu-ri... Seo Gyu-ri..."

She giggled uncontrollably.

"Succubus, so Seo Gyu-ri..."

She looked utterly delighted.

That evening.

Buzz—

While watching a variety show as usual, Kang-jun's phone vibrated.

[ Minion2 Seo Gyu-ri : [Photo] ]

Seeing the photo Iriel had sent, Kang-jun glanced at her sitting right beside him, watching him expectantly.

"Hey, you're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right here. Just show me directly instead of sending it."

Iriel answered quietly.

"You seemed focused..."

Perhaps due to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠taking hundreds (if not thousands) of selfies daily to hone her skills—

Iriel had become quite proficient at photography.

Kang-jun tapped the photo to enlarge it.

"Looks good."

Then—

Tap.

He saved it.

"I'll keep it."

Iriel gasped—

"Huep—!"

—and covered her mouth with both hands.

Meanwhile, Kang-jun scratched his stomach absently and went back to watching TV.

For her, it was the highest honor.