Absolute One Is Also New to Fatherhood - Episode 167

Several days had passed since the incident was finally resolved.

"We've been interrogating the Evil God Cult members you handed over for days now, but we still haven't extracted any significant information."

According to Director Seo Do-cheol of the Bureau, the cult members had remained tight-lipped for days, refusing to speak a word.

"They don't even eat or drink—just sit there like dolls staring blankly into space."

Kang-jun suspected the higher-ups of the Evil God Cult had magically sealed their lips to prevent any information leaks.

"And Hunter Go Du-yeol has been moved to intensive care and is currently recovering."

Go Du-yeol still hadn't regained consciousness...

"Though he hasn't woken up yet, the attending physician confirmed there are no major health concerns, so you needn't worry."

Fortunately, his condition wasn't life-threatening.

The real problem was...

The guests who had settled in showed no intention of leaving.

"Aren't you guys going back?"

At Kang-jun's question, Thor answered somewhat awkwardly.

"Just one more day."

Immediately after, the two deities from Flower-Fruit Mountain chimed in.

"Don't be so cold about it."

"We'll stay just one more day too."

Just as Kang-jun was shaking his head in refusal...

"Dad, dad."

Seol, busy preparing for daycare, tugged at Kang-jun's sleeve.

"Seol has something cool to tell you."

Kang-jun tied Seol's hair neatly and casually asked,

"What is it?"

Seol lowered her voice dramatically.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Seol is a 'sheep zodiac'!"

"That's right."

"Asked all my friends too!"

"Yeah."

A brief silence followed.

"All Seol's friends are sheep zodiacs too..."

Then she muttered again,

"How can that be...?"

Kang-jun hugged Seol tightly and whispered,

"So... cute..."

Seol immediately went "Ah, wait!" and asked again,

"Seol wants something later!"

"What is it?"

"Seol wants udon later!"

Was there anything he wouldn't buy if she wanted it?

"Sure, after daycare, Dad will take you out for udon."

At this, the lingering guests subtly glanced at Kang-jun.

Though they didn't know what udon was...

Earth's cuisine was generally excellent, so they were already anticipating it.

"Kki-kki-pa-pa."

Just then, Crabsley suddenly spoke up.

"Everyone should say 'kki-kki-pa-pa.'"

When the deities turned to look at him, he raised an index finger and explained the hidden meaning behind the phrase.

"It's Earth's new slang meaning 'stick where you fit in and pull out where you don't.'"

Hearing this, the deities all slumped in defeat...

"Let's go."

Kang-jun, having finished preparing Seol for daycare, tightly held her hand as they left the house.

It was a peaceful morning.

"Damn it, damn it all, damn everything..."

Baal was busily sweeping the streets clean with a large broom in hand.

"To think I'm reduced to doing one good deed a day..."

Due to the forced "Oath" he had made with Immortal, if he didn't perform at least one good deed daily, he would lose his powers.

"Party B cannot die without Party A's permission, and if Party B fails to perform one 'good deed' per day, all powers will be forfeited."

Baal thought it would be better to bite his tongue and die immediately rather than live virtuously.

But the tragic reality was that he couldn't even take his own life without Immortal's permission.

"Who knew he'd be this thorough..."

And that wasn't all.

"Party B swears absolute obedience to Party A, and any violation will result in immediate loss of all powers."

Even if he didn't obey Immortal's words, he would instantly lose his strength...

"Whenever Party B harbors evil thoughts, they will experience indescribable pain, and should they resolve to act on them, they will immediately face death."

Not only was he barred from killing anyone he disliked, but merely thinking evil thoughts brought unbearable pain as if every bone in his body were breaking.

"Damn it...!"

But there was still hope.

"I sentence you to labor reformation."

Immortal's final words came to mind.

"Though the sentence is life imprisonment..."

He had clearly said this:

"If you're recognized as a 'model prisoner,' I might consider nullifying the oath someday, so serve your sentence diligently."

Baal muttered to himself,

"Right... I'll become a 'model prisoner'..."

He planned to appear diligent until the day the oath was lifted.

"I'll deceive him..."

He would feign obedience until he regained his powers.

"And then exact bloody revenge..."

By staying close, he might uncover Immortal's weaknesses.

"Yes, good..."

Having made up his mind, Baal nodded several times and began sweeping with renewed vigor.

"Wow, cleaning again?"

Next door, a middle-aged man with a warm demeanor who ran a bakery shook his head and spoke up.

"Hey, don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong and mind your own business."

Baal answered curtly, prompting the baker to mutter, "Anyway..." before handing him a bread bag.

"Don't be so grumpy in the morning—have some bread. It's from yesterday, but it's still good..."

After a brief hesitation, Baal accepted the bag.

"Hmph, a tribute?"

Earth's bread wasn't bad.

"You clean in front of our shop every morning, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and we appreciate it, but we don't have much to give in return..."

The baker trailed off as he opened his shop's shutter, adding,

"Not just me—all the nearby shopkeepers are moved by how you sweep the streets every morning without being asked."

In truth, Baal's reputation among the local merchants was excellent.

They called him the "diligent young man" who performed good deeds unprompted...

"Hmph!"

Baal scoffed.

"It's all just a ruse for revenge..."

"Revenge for what?"

"Hmph, I'm busy—go do your own work."

The baker chuckled and replied, "Gotta prep for business," before continuing.

"Anyway, your prickly personality makes it hard to approach you, but everyone thinks highly of you."

As he opened his shop door, he added,

"Let's work hard today too!"

How much time had passed?

"Let's see..."

Baal surveyed the freshly swept streets.

"Good, finally clean."

Seeing the spotless streets inexplicably lifted his mood.

What was this feeling...?

He had definitely felt it before.

"When was it...?"

Perhaps the day he rose to become the top-ranked among the 72 Demons.

The pride he felt then was strikingly similar.

"Pride..."

Yes, this was pride.

But...

Why was he feeling it?

"Why am I proud?"

He scratched his head and muttered quietly.

"Why the hell am I proud...?"

Soon, Baal came up with a plausible reason and whispered to himself.

"Right, it's because I'm one step closer to revenge!"

Then, with a low chuckle, he began opening his shop for the morning and muttered,

"Just you wait, Immortal..."

Just as Baal was about to enter North Sea Udon Shop...

"Um, mister..."

A young boy approached and stared up at him.

"Can I eat here?"

Baal hadn't even finished prepping the shop, let alone opened it.

Yet...

A customer had already arrived, irritating him for no reason.

"Hey, kid. Can't you tell time?"

"No..."

"Then what time is it to be asking for food already?"

He added,

"Get lost and come back at lunch."

"Uncle..."

"Go! Go! I said come back for lunch!"

The boy pleaded desperately.

"My little sister has been hungry since last night. Please, can't you give us anything?"

Only then did Baal notice the pale-faced girl standing behind the boy.

"Ugh..."

Were they so poor they couldn't even get a bite to eat?

Her sickly pallor bothered him.

It reminded him of his own childhood.

But.

The words that came out of his mouth were the opposite of what he felt.

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Huh...?"

"Tch. Starve to death, then."

As soon as he finished speaking, Baal suddenly collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach and letting out a pained groan.

"Uncle...?"

Then, he glared at the bewildered boy and sneered.

"Fine, I'll give you some this once, so eat up and scram!"

"Thank you..."

"Tch, don't thank me!"

He scowled at the kids and grumbled under his breath.

"Just so you know, I'm not doing this because I want to. It's only because of my oath with Immortal that I have no choice..."

With that, Baal stomped back inside the shop, reheating yesterday's broth and boiling fresh noodles while muttering quietly.

"So don't go getting grateful or anything..."

His hands moved with practiced ease.

After just a few days...

He had already cooked udon for hundreds of people.

Tap, tap.

The amount of noodles he scooped out looked far too generous.

Baal had boiled enough for four servings.

"Tch, it's not like I feel sorry for them or anything..."

He hoped they'd stuff themselves until their stomachs burst and they dropped dead.

Yeah.

That was the only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason he made so much—to kill them.

Heh heh, yeah, to kill them...

But then, why?

"Toppings, toppings, toppings..."

Baal, who should have been writhing in pain from his wicked thoughts...

Hmph, if I pile on extra toppings, those brats will gorge themselves to death...

Felt absolutely nothing.

"Here, brats, eat up!"

He shoved two overflowing bowls of udon—packed with noodles and loaded with toppings—right into the kids' hands.

"Thank you!"

As they began scarfing it down, he added gruffly,

"And forget what I said earlier."

"Huh?"

"If you're hungry, just knock on the door."

Then, pointing to the back room, he huffed,

"I'm always here, day or night. If you're starving, come bang on the door or whatever!"

The kids murmured, "Thank you..."

Baal snorted and grumbled again.

"Like I said, it's just the oath. Don't go thinking I care."

Suddenly, the words he'd exchanged with the shop's owner flashed through his mind.

The owner gave free udon to nine out of ten customers.

When Baal pointed it out, the owner had awkwardly explained:

"Baal, this world belongs to the ones left behind now."

"The ones left behind?"

"People who lost their parents or families because of the Gates."

It wasn't so different from the Demon Realm.

Everyone had starved.

The days when they survived by devouring their own kind...

"Just like my homeland."

Those memories resurfaced.

"In a world like this, shouldn't we help each other?"

But the difference was—people like the owner existed here.

"Tch..."

Baal thought to himself.

"Immortal's nothing special."

He was supposed to be watching over this entire dimension, Earth.

"Just a nobody..."

If this many people were starving, what kind of ruler did that make him?

"Tch..."

As he resumed prepping for the day, he muttered under his breath.

"Do your damn job right..."

He still couldn't stand the guy.

And Earth, under his rule, was no better.

A complete mess, the more he saw of it.

"Uncle, we finished..."

The kids, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠having eaten quickly, stood up to leave.

"Yeah, get lost."

Baal scowled, hesitated, then suddenly called out.

"Hey, wait."

"Yes?"

"Follow me."

He opened the shop's cash drawer.

"Let's see..."

Inside was a modest amount of yesterday's earnings.

Baal's daily wage was 50,000 won.

Payday was still far off, but...

"Fine, consider this an advance..."

He stuffed a few bills into his pocket, then barked at the kids.

"Hey, you little beggars, come with me!"

And with that, he took them to the nearest supermarket and bought them a mountain of groceries.

Having gone shopping with the owner a few times, he knew his way around.

"I'll pay, so grab whatever you want!"

"Huh?"

"Pick anything you wanna eat!"

Then he muttered under his breath.

"You'll pay me back someday, so don't go thinking I'm being nice!"

"But..."

"I'll charge you insane interest and bankrupt you the second you're adults!"

He grinned darkly.

Heh heh, let's see how you like drowning in debt...

But again, Baal felt no pain.

"If you don't wanna die, hurry up and pick!"

The kids scrambled to fill their cart.

"Tch..."

Baal waited patiently.

"Can we really take all this?"

After paying, Baal nodded.

"Of course."

Then he added,

"But there's one condition."

"What is it?"

"You'll have to pay with your bodies."

A sinister grin spread across his face.

"Come here."

The siblings hesitated but stepped forward.

Poke.

Baal lightly jabbed their cheeks.

Poke, poke.

Then he muttered.

"So soft..."

Their cheeks were plump and squishy—weirdly satisfying to poke.

"Now scram."

It was time to get back to work.

That afternoon.

"Welcome!"

Jeong Pil-sang greeted the customer with a booming voice and a bright smile.

"Came for some udon."

It was none other than his old friend Kang-jun, visiting the shop with his daughter for the first time in a while.

"Hello."

Pil-sang grinned. "Seol, how are you?" Then, adjusting his headband, he added quietly,

"I'll get you a double portion."

Kang-jun nodded, then turned to Baal, who was diligently prepping vegetables.

"You doing alright?"

"Of course."

"Don't cause trouble."

"Naturally."

Pil-sang cut in.

"He's been working hard. Even the neighbors say he's reliable."

Kang-jun raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Pil-sang sat across from him.

"Yeah, he even took an advance on his pay today."

Kang-jun blinked. "An advance?"

He studied Baal's face.

What does he need money for?

Just as suspicion crept in—

"He used it to stock the fridge for some of his little regulars who were struggling."

"That guy did?"

"Yep. Claims it's to bankrupt them with insane interest later, though..."

Pil-sang trailed off, then added,

"I think he just wanted to help."

Kang-jun watched as Baal, now surprisingly skilled, finished assembling a bowl of udon and sprinkled toppings with care.

"What're you looking at?"

Baal shoved the steaming bowl toward him.

"Hey, Immortal."

"What?"

A brief silence.

"After seeing things these past few days... this world's no better than the Demon Realm."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You call this a world for the ones left behind?"

Baal continued.

"Then do your damn job and make sure no one starves."

Then, carefully setting down a child-sized fork in front of Seol, he added softly,

"It's hot, so eat slowly."

The moment the words left his mouth, he clamped his lips shut.

That was learned language slipping out.

"One wrong step, and I might actually get reformed. Gotta be careful."

As he turned to head back to the kitchen, he paused.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Kang-jun smirked.

"What is it?"

Baal hesitated, then pointed at Seol.

"I wanna poke her cheeks."

"What?"

"Just once. Gently."

Seol blinked up at him.

"Seol's cheeks are cute, right?"

"Tch, not like I care..."

"Daddy says Seol's cheeks are cute!"

She puffed them out proudly.

Poke.

Baal gave her cheek a light prod, then coughed awkwardly.

"...Yeah. Soft."

Then, pretending nothing happened, he went back to washing dishes.

What the hell?

He might end up breaking his oath sooner than he thought.