Chapter 125: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute One Is Also a First-Time Dad Episode 125
Among the elite parents of Gangnam district—where the competition over designer skirts could make even runner-ups weep—one childcare center remained a constant topic of conversation.
Snow White Kindergarten.
This institution boasted an unparalleled "educational curriculum" that dwarfed other facilities, not to mention its overwhelming array of amenities.
The zoo and arboretum lining the daily drop-off route, the amusement park nearing completion, and even the more enigmatic additions—aircraft hangars, runways, helicopter pads—defied conventional expectations.
The annex building within the kindergarten.
At the very top of this ten-story structure stood a performance hall, meticulously designed by a renowned architect for optimal efficiency.
A staggering 1,250 seats.
The auditorium alone spanned three tiers, equipped with cutting-edge sound and lighting systems capable of hosting diverse performances.
Its reputation had grown so rapidly that cultural organizations flooded the kindergarten's newly established "Cultural Cooperation Department" with booking inquiries.
Thus was born the Snow White Art Hall.
"Alright, everyone!"
Standing onstage, Lee Ji-hee, the homeroom teacher of the Love Class, scanned the front-row seats filled with her students and raised her voice again.
"Let's all become one voice—!"
The children seated in unison shouted back, "Haap!" in perfect sync.
"Now, what are we doing today?"
Seol-i's hand shot up immediately.
"Yes, Seol-i, would you like to tell us?"
"Today we do mock perfowmance again!"
"Correct! We're doing a dress rehearsal."
The preparations for the upcoming arts festival performance, The Little Heroes, had reached their final stages.
Run
The repeated mock rehearsals had honed the young actors' skills to a polished level, allowing them to perform the play flawlessly, free of even minor mistakes.
And now.
Kang-jun, lounging in a third-floor seat with his legs crossed, cleared his throat unnecessarily and muttered with exaggerated pride.
"Wow, she's so good at presenting..."
Beside him, Jung Yoon-chan nodded in quiet agreement.
"Your daughter is remarkably bright."
Kang-jun waved him off with feigned modesty.
"Ah, come on, it's just a simple presentation..."
Yoon-chan observed him and thought to himself:
He's pretending to be indifferent, but he's clearly pleased...
Having accurately read his mood, Yoon-chan continued.
"From what I've seen, your daughter is the most polite among the children—"
"Alright, that's enough."
"—and her beauty is unmatched. None of the other children come close."
"Kkhh— Stop the compliments!"
"Even the homeroom teacher praised her participation in class recently—"
Flattered by the relentless praise, Kang-jun's mood visibly lifted as he pulled out his smartphone.
"Alright, I'm in a good mood now..."
He opened a memo app and added in a hushed, deliberate tone:
"Let me show you my masterpiece."
"Masterpiece...?"
"I've never shown this to anyone before."
With that, Kang-jun turned his phone screen toward Yoon-chan.
"Go on, admire it to your heart's content."
Yoon-chan stared at the screen.
"Y-you created this yourself?"
"Of course."
"You've ascended to the realm of true artistry..."
- ● * *
&& ... ♣ ... ♣ ... ♣ ... ♣ ...
On the screen was a drawing.
"The title is..."
Kang-jun declared triumphantly.
"Lovers Watching the Moon in the Forest."
Yoon-chan remained awestruck, utterly absorbed in the artwork composed entirely of—special characters.
"The lovers, the grass, the trees, the stars, the moon..."
Then, as if possessed, he muttered in a daze:
"The world of special characters is truly profound. Who knew such vivid expression was possible...?"
And then—he despaired.
"Damn it..."
He realized that if he wanted to impress Kang-jun with his own special character art, he'd have to put in excruciating effort.
"Fascinating."
The quiet observer of their exchange, S-Rank Hunter No. 4 "Guide" Jo Min-jin, finally spoke up.
"Doesn't anyone else wonder what those two talk about every day to stay so entertained?"
Yoon Hee-soo answered.
"Surprisingly, he's quite sociable."
When Min-jin blinked in confusion, she elaborated.
"He's doing what many of us struggle to—balancing responsibilities."
"What do you mean—?"
"Between personal training and performance prep, his days are packed. Yet he still finds time to suffer through creative endeavors."
A few question marks floated above Min-jin's head.
"That's a thing?"
As Hee-soo shrugged—
"Still, isn't it nice?"
Ice Witch Seol Eun-bin, resting her chin on her hands, watched the children toddling across the stage.
"These past few days have been... peaceful."
The other S-Rank Hunters seated nearby turned their attention to her.
"Don't you think?" she continued, a soft smile playing on her lips. "I never imagined this era could feel so tranquil."
"How so?"
"Weren't we all drowning in Gate suppression missions before? Barely a day passed without one."
The S-Rank Hunters, now engrossed in preparing for the kindergarten's play, were individuals who normally carried crushing responsibilities.
Duties that forced them to step into Gates—potential death traps—day after day.
How many times had they crossed the line between life and death, locked in brutal combat with monsters?
"It's just..."
Eun-bin's smile deepened.
"I've been enjoying life lately."
She loved watching the children.
Their innocent smiles.
Their tiny, unsteady steps.
"Looking back, I realize I never even knew what I was fighting to protect. I was just scrambling to survive each day."
Her voice softened.
"I never knew children's laughter could be this beautiful..."
She trailed off, then asked:
"Am I the only one?"
Go Du-yeol answered.
"No, I feel the same."
"Even you, Baldy?"
"Yeah. It's like..."
Du-yeol exhaled through his nose.
"Finally seeing the peace I've been struggling to protect with my own eyes."
Then, awkwardly, he coughed a few times and added in a lowered voice:
"It's been busy, but... it's been a break."
"Right..."
"My sense of purpose feels fuller now."
At that moment, S-Rank Hunter No. 5 Kang Sung-hyun muttered:
"By the way..."
The Hunters' attention shifted to him.
"I heard another advisor is joining us today to observe the rehearsal..."
Just then.
"Alright, everyone!"
Love Class teacher Lee Ji-hee called out from the stage, gathering the children's attention.
"Starting today, our 'Drama Teacher' will be watching the rehearsal and giving us feedback!"
The children buzzed with excitement.
"Drama Teacher..."
Soon, a middle-aged man with a gruff demeanor and a stout build emerged from the backstage passageway.
"Hello, everyone..."
This was Oh Min-seok, director and producer of Masterpiece Workshop, a subsidiary theater company under the Korean Arts Council.
Damn it...
The man, who had little fondness for children, briefly scowled before forcing a smile.
"Now, settle down..."
After building his career in New York's Broadway scene, he had returned to Korea to lead Masterpiece Workshop.
Under his direction, the company had produced hit after hit, cementing his status as a godfather of the theater world.
And now I'm stuck advising a damn kindergarten play...
The only reason he hadn't refused Snow White Kindergarten's offer?
Money talks.
The deal included full funding for his next production.
Sigh...
He scanned the children and continued.
"I'll be observing your rehearsal today, but just pretend I'm not here and perform as usual."
Then he asked:
"Can you do that?"
A chorus of replies followed.
"Yeees!"
Nodding, he trudged to the front row and slumped into a seat.
Well, it's just a kids' play...
He planned to half-watch, kill time, toss out some generic feedback, and leave.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, he glanced back.
"Who the hell are they?"
His eyes landed on the figures seated in the third-floor balcony. Shrugging, he muttered, "Whatever," and turned back to the stage.
Moments later.
The children, led by Teacher Lee Ji-hee, disappeared into the backstage passage.
BANG!
A gunshot-like sound echoed as all the lights cut out, plunging the theater into darkness.
Yaaawn...
Just as Oh Min-seok stifled a bored yawn—
- Once upon a time, in a land far, far away...
- There lived a Dark Lord.
A flash of light illuminated the stage, briefly revealing a cross-legged Dark Lord and his skeletal soldier standing guard.
"Wha— What the hell?"
Min-seok's eyes bulged.
"What kind of kids' play has this level of costuming?!"
Though he'd only glimpsed it for a second—
"T-that's not a real monster, is it?!"
The sheer realism—as if an actual monster had been placed onstage—suggested no expense had been spared on props.
Gulp.
Oh Min-seok swallowed dryly, straightened his posture, and fixed his gaze on the stage with an entirely different demeanor than before.
"Kieeeek..."
"Kieek..."
"Kieeeek..."
For a moment, eerie sounds echoed through the darkened stage as several pairs of crimson eyes flickered like will-o'-the-wisps in the air. Then, as red lighting gradually faded in and grand music swelled, the "supporting cast" guarding the stage revealed themselves.
"I am the Demon King Marbas..."
The actor playing the Demon King was flawlessly costumed—a demon with a dog's head and a human body.
"Kuhahahahaha!"
Was it the sheer quality of the makeup?
Or perhaps...
The actor's exceptional performance?
'Why do I have chills for no reason...?'
Every time the Demon King delivered his lines, an inexplicable shudder ran down Min-seok's spine.
'It's just too perfect...'
And that wasn't all.
'The skeleton soldiers beside him—what kind of technique did they use to pull this off? I can't even begin to guess...'
The black-armored skeleton soldiers guarding the Demon King were just as impressive, their quality matching the lead actor's performance.
"I shall bring ruin to this world!"
As Min-seok became fully engrossed...
Thump, thump.
His heart pounded like a drum.
'Wait... am I actually looking forward to a children's play?'
Even when watching world-renowned Broadway productions, he had never felt anything resembling anticipation. He had always assumed it was because he'd seen too many plays...
But now, he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and stared intently at the stage.
'This is going to be fun...'
His pride might have taken a hit, but there was no denying it—
He was excited.
Before he knew it, the performance reached its climax.
Clap clap clap clap clap—!
As the curtains fell, Min-seok rose to his feet, giving the highest praise possible—a standing ovation.
"Bravo! Bravo!"
He immediately turned to the teacher in charge.
"That was incredible!"
"Huh?"
"How did you manage such production quality—"
Overwhelmed, he began rambling.
"Of course, the dialogue was simple because it's a children's play, and the child actors' performances were inevitably unpolished, but..."
"Ah, right."
"The direction more than made up for it! That was a flawless performance! Especially the climax scene—"
The moment the child heroes united to face the Demon King, beams of light converged into the form of an angel before shooting forward.
At the same time, a radiant, holy white glow filled the theater as the Demon King's actor let out a piercing scream...
Witnessing that scene, Min-seok was struck with awe beyond words.
"What kind of technique was that?!"
"Huh?"
"Augmented reality graphics?"
He continued, practically spitting in excitement.
"And the blizzard effect when the child Hunter heroes fought the Skeleton Legion in the snowfield—that was mind-blowing!"
"Uh, well..."
"Even the props were unbelievable! Like that glowing holy sword—"
Trailing off, he shuddered before forcing himself to calm down.
"Please tell me the secret behind the production!"
"Um, about that..."
"For the sake of Korea's theatrical future, I beg you!"
Lee Ji-hee awkwardly replied,
"I don't know the details, but I heard the effects were done with magic, and the props were all artifacts from beyond the Gates."
Min-seok scoffed in disbelief.
"Special effects done with magic?"
"Yes, magic."
"And the props are artifacts?"
"Yes, artifacts."
So what, did they hire Hunters just for a children's play's special effects?
"Pfft—hahahaha!"
If that were true, just how much money had been poured into this?
"That's ridiculous—"
Dismissing it as nonsense, he burst into laughter—until he suddenly froze.
"Huh?"
His head snapped toward the third-floor seats.
"Wait..."
Now that he looked closely, the faces sitting there were familiar.
"Oh my god, are those—?!"
Ji-hee sighed.
"I don't know how things escalated to this level either, but..."
She added quietly,
"It just... happened."
Min-seok muttered,
"Holy shit..."
Then wobbled before collapsing back into his seat.
"Oh no, theater teacher!"
Ji-hee cried out in alarm.
"I-I'm fine..."
He weakly waved her off.
"Just... suddenly dizzy..."
His head was spinning.
After the scheduled rehearsal ended...
"Thanks again for today."
Kang-jun's words were met with Ji-hee's bright smile.
"You worked hard too, Dad."
Then she turned to Seol.
"Seol-ah, was practice tough?"
"It was fun!"
"Really? You're so brave!"
Ji-hee affectionately ruffled Seol's hair.
"See you tomorrow, Seol-ah! Be careful on your way home!"
"Bye-bye, Teachoooor!"
Kang-jun lifted Seol into his arms and began walking away...
At the entrance, a security guard from the contracted company waved cheerfully at Seol.
"Bye-bye!"
Unlike the Black Mamba Guild Hunters stationed near the kindergarten, this guard seemed to be from a regular security firm.
"Bye-bye! Bye-byeeee!"
The guard glanced at Kang-jun.
"Your daughter is adorable."
"Yeah, well, as you can see."
"Always dressed so nicely too."
He added curiously,
"Those look like luxury brand clothes. Then again, this is a Gangnam district kindergarten, so..."
Kang-jun's gaze turned icy.
"You seem very interested in unnecessary details."
Another guard rushed out from the security booth, bowing apologetically.
"S-Sir, my apologies!"
"Huh?"
"He's a new hire—"
The senior guard barked, "What are you doing?! Apologize properly!"
"Sorry..."
Kang-jun responded indifferently, "It's fine," before briefly staring at the new guard.
"My apologies again..."
As the guard awkwardly bowed again, Kang-jun simply said,
"Don't worry about it."
Then walked off.
"You idiot, why'd you have to run your mouth?!"
Even as the senior guard scolded him, the new hire kept his eyes locked on Seol—
No, more precisely—
On the name tag dangling from her backpack.
'Lee Seol...'
After confirming the name, he bowed again to the senior guard.
"Sorry, I need to use the restroom..."
"Hurry back."
"Yes, thank you..."
As he walked toward the main building, a vicious grin crept across his face.
Pulling out his phone, he dialed a number.
"Yeah, it's me."
- Target?
"Just confirmed it."
He smirked.
"This one's gonna pay big."
Pausing in front of a bulletin board in the lobby, he examined a wanted poster.
[WANTED: Child Abduction & Extortion]
Staring at the suspect's composite sketch, he headed to the restroom.
"A pretty little girl, and judging by her clothes, her family's loaded..."
As he examined his reflection, stroking his chin—
Sssk—
His face morphed, perfectly matching the sketch on the poster.
"Told you it was nothing."
He chuckled.
"Totally fooled them..."
While continuing his call, he tapped his cheek.
Crack—!
His face grotesquely contorted before settling back into the harmless, dopey look of the new security guard.
"High risk, high return."
He grinned.
"You know what they say—the darkest place is under the lamp."
His eyes gleamed with greed.
"The school arts festival is coming up."
A sinister smile spread.
"That'll be the perfect day."
From what he'd observed, S-rank Hunters had been frequenting the kindergarten lately, making security lax.
Amid the chaos—
An inside man like him could easily snatch a child.
Meanwhile...
"My lord, you've returned."
As Kang-jun and Seol arrived home...
"Yeah."
Kang-jun answered shortly before murmuring to Crabsley,
"There's a weird guy at the kindergarten's security firm."
"Huh?"
"Seems like he knows disguise and transformation magic."
Kang-jun tilted his head.
"Strange, right?"
Crabsley glanced at Seol, who was washing her hands in the bathroom, then asked,
"Shall I kill him?"
Kang-jun shook his head.
"No, let's tail him first."
"As you command."
"Seems like he's plotting something."
Kang-jun added coldly,
"If there's someone behind this, we'll deal with them all at once."
Crabsley's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Yes, my lord!"
Then he asked,
"And if he approaches Her Highness...?"
Kang-jun replied flatly,
"Follow the protection protocol."
"Understood."
The "protection protocol" was simple:
If a suspicious individual approaches the princess, eliminate them first and identify them afterward based on the remains.
Crabsley immediately headed out—
"Daddy!"
—as Seol came running back, Kang-jun's previously stoic face melting into a warm smile.
"Wow, you washed your hands all by yourself?"
"Uh-huh! Like Unnie taught me!"
"What should we play now?"
It was a peaceful evening.