The Absolute One is Also New to Fatherhood Episode 29

No matter how urgent the situation, bringing Seol along to the police station was out of the question.

With Eriel staying behind to watch Seol, the entire family abandoned their half-eaten meal and rushed to the neighborhood police station.

"Where is he...?"

As Kang-jun furrowed his brow and muttered, Lee Soo-bin's eyes widened as she pointed and shouted:

"K-Kang-jun! Over there—!"

At that moment, Crabsley—who had been giving his statement to the officers—also spotted Kang-jun's group.

"My Lord! My Lady! Young Bong-gu!"

He immediately shot up from his seat, his face a picture of abject misery as he stared intently at the three of them.

Kang-jun strode up to Crabsley and growled into his ear:

"Didn't I explicitly tell you not to cause any trouble?"

"M-My Lord, this humble servant did not cause trouble—"

"Brother, let's at least hear the old man's side first—"

Just then, the officer in charge approached Kang-jun and cautiously asked:

"Are you by any chance the guardian of 'Choi Dol-soi'?"

"Yes..."

"The elderly gentleman seems to have had quite a shock."

The officer sighed before awkwardly explaining the situation in detail:

"As his guardian, you're aware Mr. Choi works at a convenience store, correct?"

"Yes, but—"

"It appears that during his shift, he was subjected to verbal abuse and physical assault by a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠very young individual."

Kang-jun's eyes widened at this.

"What kind of bastard would—"

The officer gestured with his chin toward a handcuffed young man sitting further away.

"A high school student attending Hunter Academy. He tried to buy alcohol and cigarettes, but Mr. Choi asked for ID."

"And then?"

"He immediately started shouting 'Don't you know the customer is king?' in informal speech, caused a scene, hurled insults, and eventually lost control and assaulted him..."

Kang-jun let the officer's words go in one ear as he glanced at Crabsley.

Under that gaze, Crabsley—though innocent—involuntarily fidgeted with his fingers.

"My Lord, I humbly apologize..."

Looking at him, one couldn't help but think of a large, gentle Jindo dog commonly raised in rural areas.

Before his master, he would always wag his tail and roll over to expose his belly...

But the moment his master was in danger, this dependable Jindo wouldn't hesitate to bare his fangs.

Being assaulted by a high school student couldn't have hurt much physically.

'But it must have felt like shit...'

This was someone who had been born a vampire prince, ascending to the position of "Lord" ruling his entire clan upon reaching adulthood.

After entering Kang-jun's service, he was elevated to Grand Duke—second only to the Emperor—with countless achievements too numerous to list.

At the very least, he wasn't someone who should be getting beaten up by a high school student simply for refusing to sell alcohol...

The more Kang-jun thought about it, the more he saw Crabsley as nothing but a loyal fool.

A fool who would accomplish any task assigned to him by any means necessary, endure anything if ordered to, and even commit suicide if commanded.

While there were times Kang-jun wanted to torment or tease him out of sheer mischief, he believed that was a privilege reserved for himself alone.

"So that bastard over there is the one who hit our kid?"

"Pardon...?"

"I think I need to get a good look at that precious face of his."

With that, Kang-jun strode purposefully toward the high school student—the perpetrator.

"Kang-jun!"

"Brother!"

A startled Lee Soo-bin and Bong-gu hurried after him, but they were already too late.

CRACK!

Kang-jun had already seized the handcuffed perpetrator—Nam Hyun-woo—by the hair.

"Aah, aah! Wh-who the hell are you—?"

Panicked shouts erupted from all directions.

"K-Kang-jun!"

"B-Brother!"

"My Lord—!"

"Sir Guardian—!"

Kang-jun shook the handful of hair violently, his voice dripping with fury as he interrogated:

"You said the customer is king?"

"Eek, l-let go...!"

"And as king, you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hit our kid?"

"Y-you crazy bastard...!"

As Hyun-woo screamed in pain, Kang-jun's veins bulged in his neck as he roared:

"I AM THE EMPEROR—!"

The thunderous declaration shook the entire building, pressing down on everyone inside with overwhelming pressure.

Fine dust fell from the ceiling, and a wall clock crashed to the floor, shattering with a "CRASH—!"

The stunned officers, barely regaining their composure, rushed to restrain Kang-jun.

"Y-you can't do this here!"

"Calm down!"

"Sir Guardian! Please let go first...!"

No matter how justified as the victim's guardian, resorting to violence against the perpetrator was clearly illegal...

Especially since Nam Hyun-woo's father was none other than a notorious A-rank hunter, making the situation even more delicate.

What could have been resolved with a reasonable settlement was now spiraling out of control.

"Sir, you're really asking for trouble here!"

"What could be worse than what they did to Dol-soi?"

"Please calm down and think rationally—"

"Anyone who lays a hand on me to stop me is dead too!"

As everyone watched in horrified astonishment, bustling about helplessly...

"My Lord..."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Crabsley pulled a handkerchief from his convenience store vest pocket and dabbed at his tears.

Then.

The police station door burst open, revealing a burly man in a pristine suit who stormed in like an enraged bull.

"Who the hell do you think you are, laying hands on my son—?"

From his thick eyebrows down to his sturdy nose, thick lips, prominent cheekbones, and the long scar running down his left cheek...

His face alone evoked words like "bandit" or "pirate."

His shoulders were as broad as a field, his neck, arms, and thighs as thick as logs—a figure that inspired unease in anyone who saw him.

"Th-the Beast..."

Bong-gu unconsciously stammered the name.

A-rank Hunter, Rank 10.

The Beast ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Nam Hyun-chul.

He stomped forward, closing the distance to stand nose-to-nose with Kang-jun.

"I said, who the hell are you?!"

His already fierce eyes bulged even wider, the whites visible.

One.

Kang-jun still didn't release his grip on the hair.

"So you're the father of this ill-mannered brat? No wonder he's so rotten—takes after his old man."

"You little shit, do you have any idea who you're talking to—?"

"Frankly, I couldn't care less who you are. Your precious son laid hands on our precious kid, so I'm just giving him some discipline."

At this, Hyun-chul demanded, "Your kid?" Kang-jun jerked his chin toward Crabsley in his convenience store vest.

"That's your kid?"

"Correct."

"How old is he?"

"Twelve hundred."

A thick vein pulsed on Hyun-chul's forehead.

"You insane bastard!"

The officers listening in struggled to suppress their laughter, biting their lips hard.

While worried about Kang-jun's safety, they couldn't help but feel a cathartic satisfaction, as if chugging an entire soda.

The Hyun-chul father-son duo were regular troublemakers at the station, constantly disrupting official business.

But given Hyun-chul's status as a famous hunter, the officers could only grit their teeth and endure without complaint.

"Get your hands off him NOW!"

Hyun-chul roared, slapping away Kang-jun's hand gripping his son's hair before anxiously checking:

"Son, are you okay?"

His son's hair had been torn out in clumps.

"D-Dad..."

Seeing his son sniffling with tears and snot running down his face, Hyun-chul whipped his head around to glare murderously at Kang-jun.

"Kids make mistakes as they grow! Does that give you the right to lay hands on someone else's precious child—?"

"Mistakes?"

"It's natural for kids to be curious about alcohol and cigarettes, or throw tantrums when they don't get their way! For an adult to—"

Kang-jun fell silent, lost in thought for a long moment before finally speaking again.

"Sir, I apologize."

Hyun-chul scoffed, muttering, "Oh? Now he's calling me 'sir'?" as he removed his suit jacket and tossed it aside.

Rolling up his shirt sleeves with ominous deliberation, he continued:

"Finally coming to your senses? You think one measly apology will make this go away?"

Tears welling in his eyes, Hyun-woo chimed in:

"That's right, you're dead!"

Meanwhile, Kang-jun remained composed.

"You seem quite upset. Why don't we step outside for some fresh air and a private conversation?"

At this, Lee Soo-bin cried out, "Kang-jun!" before pleading with the officers:

"Please stop him!"

Bong-gu whispered in her ear:

"Shouldn't we be stopping Brother instead?"

"Huh?"

"I mean—"

Stammering, Bong-gu corrected himself:

"I'll follow them out. Don't worry."

Hyun-chul chuckled darkly.

"Good idea. Let's have a nice, private chat outside."

Grabbing Kang-jun by the collar, he began dragging him toward the exit until Crabsley intervened.

"You're making a grave mistake, my friend."

"What?"

"The moment you cross that threshold, you won't escape death."

Crabsley blocked the doorway, adding:

"Life-altering tragedies often arrive without warning..."

"Old man, move unless you want to get hurt."

"This old man sincerely hopes you possess the wisdom to avoid that tragedy..."

When Hyun-chul roared, "Won't move?!" and grabbed Crabsley's shoulder to hurl him aside—

RRRIP—!

Crabsley didn't budge, but his entire shirt tore to shreds.

Simultaneously, gasps of shock echoed through the room.

"Heh heh heh..."

The first reason for everyone's astonishment was Crabsley's exposed upper body—

It looked impossibly robust and muscular for an elderly man.

Every defined muscle and bulging vein was visible, a physique meticulously maintained beyond aesthetic reproach.

"Wow..."

But the second, even more shocking reason became apparent upon closer inspection:

His entire torso was densely covered with hundreds of stab wounds and stitched scars.

Thud, thud...

Crabsley no longer tried to stop Hyun-chul, stepping aside with a deep bow to Kang-jun.

"My Lord, may you have... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an enlightening conversation."

At that moment, Hyun-chul couldn't shake the feeling that things were heading in a dangerously wrong direction.

'What is this... why do I feel so uneasy?'

But he couldn't just let slide the audacity of someone who'd not only assaulted his son but also provoked him.

"F-follow me!"

Dragging Kang-jun out of the police station, Hyun-chul turned the corner and disappeared from view.