Chapter 65: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute One's First Time Being a Dad - Episode 65
Since that day, Go Du-yeol had sent gifts without fail every single day.
Knock knock.
Whenever someone knocked on the door, it was almost always an expensive gift waiting outside.
"Today it's a Hanwoo beef gift set..."
As Lee Soo-bin shook her head while speaking, Kang-jun stuck his hand under his shirt and scratched his belly before asking:
"Was yesterday abalone?"
"No, wasn't it wild ginseng?"
"I think the ginseng was the day before?"
Soo-bin let out a deep sigh before responding:
"Kang-jun, I really think you should personally tell him it's okay to stop sending gifts now..."
Kang-jun shrugged his shoulders in reply.
"I've tried several times, but he keeps brushing it off."
"What does he say?"
"He just keeps insisting he has no idea what I'm talking about."
It seemed Go Du-yeol was completely immersed in playing the role of the 'Tiger Brother' from the folktale.
No matter how many times Kang-jun tried to persuade him to stop sending gifts, Du-yeol just kept playing dumb.
"What am I supposed to do with all this..."
What started as premium brand children's clothes had, over just a few days, transformed into all sorts of rare delicacies.
Expensive Hanwoo beef gift sets, abalone, wild ginseng, even unfamiliar ingredients like sturgeon caviar and truffles...
Despite having many mouths to feed, they couldn't possibly consume everything fast enough to keep up with the accumulating gifts.
"Now there's no more room in the fridge..."
"Well, he'll probably get tired of it eventually."
"Please thank him for me..."
As Kang-jun finished speaking, he peeled off the neatly attached post-it note from the Hanwoo gift set.
If only my family hadn't been poor when I was young, and I could have eaten more nutritious foods, my physique would have been even more impressive...
I only wish that my niece could eat these rare and healthy foods to grow up strong and healthy. I ask for nothing more...
After reading the note, Kang-jun furrowed his brows deeply and muttered quietly:
"If he grew that big without eating well, just how much bigger could he have gotten?"
Just as Kang-jun was crumpling up the post-it and tossing it into the trash...
Bzzzzzzz...
His phone, which had been in his pocket, suddenly started vibrating with an incoming call.
[Idiot]
It was none other than Go Du-yeol calling.
"Some people just can't be helped."
As soon as Kang-jun answered, an expectant voice came through the receiver:
"Uh..."
After rambling on about beef cooking methods for a while, Du-yeol casually added:
"Another reason?"
Kang-jun murmured "Ah," then glanced sideways at his sister organizing the fridge before responding:
"Go on."
Kang-jun had previously asked Du-yeol to arrange for him to accompany the 'Reclamation Team' being dispatched to the Southeast Asian continent soon.
Though the thought of playing the hero role felt utterly ridiculous, how could he refuse when it was his own daughter's request?
'Because Seol is most scared of monsters...'
'And she's worried about her friends living in monster country...'
His plan was to secretly and swiftly handle things after arriving in Southeast Asia with the Reclamation Team, without anyone noticing.
For that reason, he had repeatedly asked Du-yeol to inform him first once the Reclamation Team's overall schedule and plans were finalized.
"How's their combat capability?"
Du-yeol continued explaining:
Kang-jun then asked:
"If possible, I'd like to attend the preliminary meeting too."
To move unnoticed, it seemed necessary to learn about the Reclamation Team hunters' plans and movements in advance.
"Manager?"
Du-yeol went on to explain:
"Got it."
After saying "No," Kang-jun continued in a measured tone:
"That might not be the best idea..."
Becoming the manager of someone as high-profile as Du-yeol would only draw unnecessary attention.
"It'd be better to ask Bong-gu for the favor."
After a pause, Du-yeol replied:
Just as the conversation was wrapping up:
"Then I'll see you Saturday."
As Kang-jun was about to end the call, Du-yeol urgently shouted, "W-wait!" and added:
Kang-jun flatly replied, "No," then added:
"But I'll compose a three-line poem starting with 'dduk' (rice cake) if you'd like me to set the mood."
"Three-line poem?" Du-yeol asked, his voice tinged with anticipation.
Just as he was setting the mood...
Click.
Kang-jun abruptly hung up.
"What a nuisance..."
He couldn't stand pointless phone calls.
Several days passed in a flash, and soon it was the day of the preliminary meeting.
"Daddy, where go?"
As Kang-jun was about to leave, Seol came scrambling after him with an urgent question.
"Daddy has something important to do. I'll be back soon."
At his words, Seol's face lit up as she immediately opened the shoe cabinet and pulled out her shoes.
They were light-up shoes that went "boing, boing" with each step and flashed brightly.
"Seol go too!"
She'd already taken a liking to walking, but after receiving the spring shoes as a gift from Bong-gu, she'd become even more obsessed.
Kang-jun looked troubled for a moment before cautiously continuing:
"Seol, I'm really sorry, but today might be too difficult."
"Eeeh..."
"How about tomorrow we go out for a long walk together?"
Seol still looked sulky...
"But I'll bring back snacks you like when I come home."
Only after Kang-jun made this tempting promise did Seol's eyes light up as she asked:
"Macaron?"
Ever since trying a macaron for the first time at a café recently, she'd become completely enchanted by the sweet treat.
Now she even sang "Macaron, macaron" whenever she got the chance.
"Daddy, pinky!"
Making pinky promises had also become one of Seol's recent obsessions.
Though she wasn't quite skilled at linking fingers yet, she could mimic the gesture fairly well.
"Okay, promise."
As soon as he stepped outside, he spotted a sedan with its hazard lights on, waiting for him.
It was none other than the luxury sedan provided by the Hunter Management Bureau to assist Bong-gu with transportation.
"Hyung-nim, you're here?"
Kang-jun nodded in response to Bong-gu's greeting, then checked his phone before casually asking,
"Hey, think we might be running late?"
"No, we've got plenty of time."
"Then let's stop by a café first."
He couldn't risk forgetting his promise to Seol, so he planned to buy macarons in advance. If the pre-meeting ran longer than expected, all the cafés might close.
"By the way, the Reclamation Team lineup this time is no joke."
"Yeah?"
"Almost all the top hunters seem to be gathered."
Bong-gu began listing the epithets of famous hunters participating—including Go Du-yeol, who had somehow become Kang-jun's sworn brother.
"And just a heads-up—you should be extra careful not to get dragged into any 'petty squabbles.'"
"Squabbles?"
"I only heard bits and pieces, but apparently, when famous hunters gather, conflicts are inevitable."
Kang-jun clicked his tongue.
"Figures. They're probably too busy measuring dicks and playing hierarchy games to focus on what matters."
He added,
"Even if someone picks a fight, I'll let it slide unless it's serious. No point drawing unnecessary attention."
Before long, the sedan pulled up outside a café.
"Hyung-nim, I'll go get them."
"No need." Kang-jun stepped out.
"Bong-gu, want some coffee too?"
"Sure."
"I'll be quick. Wait here."
He wanted to personally select an assortment of macarons for his daughter. Inside, he approached the counter.
"I'd like to buy some macarons."
"How many and which flavors?"
Kang-jun scanned the colorful display, then groaned.
"One of each."
The variety was overwhelming.
She's gonna love this...
The vibrant colors alone lifted his mood.
Can't wait to give them to her.
He'd barely been gone minutes, yet he was already eager to return.
Soon, they arrived at the Seoul branch of the Hunter Management Bureau.
"Let's see... fourth-floor conference room..."
Bong-gu glanced around for the elevator, then eyed the macaron box.
"Uh, why bring those inside? They'll just get in the way. Should've left them in the car."
Kang-jun shot him a look.
"You got a death wish or something?"
"Huh?"
"What if someone steals them?"
Bong-gu muttered, "Who the hell would—?" before stiffening.
"This is the place."
He opened the conference room door, revealing a gathering of elite hunters. Immediately, disdainful whispers erupted.
"That the rookie everyone's talking about?"
"A fresh B-rank, and he thinks he belongs here?"
"What was the Bureau thinking?"
"Just dead weight with a manager in tow."
Most present were S-ranks, the rest high A-ranks. A B-rank like Bong-gu stuck out like a sore thumb.
At least the S-ranks mostly ignored him, waiting silently for the meeting. The hostility came from A-rankers who saw him as competition.
"Is this our seat?"
As Bong-gu moved to sit, a sharp-faced man nearby snapped,
"Turn back now."
The man's necklace read: A-Rank Hunter #3, Choi Min-ki.
"Huh?"
Choi sneered.
"You know damn well a greenhorn like you doesn't belong here."
His voice carried deliberately.
"Or are you just naturally oblivious?"
The room's attention locked onto them.
S-Rank #15, the "Ice Witch" Seol Eun-bin, murmured,
"Was hoping we'd avoid this today. Predictable."
S-Rank #5, the "Black Wolf" Kang Sung-hyun, sighed.
"Cooperation's a foreign concept to these clowns."
Meanwhile, S-Rank #6 "Iron Man" Go Du-yeol clenched his fists.
"That bastard..."
Were it not for Kang-jun's request to keep their relationship low-key, he'd have slapped Choi already.
S-Rank #3, "Swift Blade" Yoon Hee-su, narrowed his eyes at Kang-jun.
"That guy... last time..."
Choi, relishing the spotlight, fake-coughed.
"Tch. Already parading around with a manager? Pathetic."
His gaze landed on Kang-jun's macaron box.
"What's this, a snack?"
He snatched it, peeked inside, and smirked.
"Macarons?"
He popped one into his mouth.
"Perfect. I was getting peckish."
Chewing loudly, he added,
"Consider these confiscated."
When neither moved, he jeered,
"What? Gonna stare me down? Piss off."
Finally, Kang-jun spoke.
"Bong-gu. I really tried to let it slide."
"Yes, Hyung-nim..."
"But that bastard ate the chocolate one."
Bong-gu nodded gravely.
"Yeah. The chocolate one."
"Chocolate's self-defense territory, right?"
"Probably..."
"Can't let chocolate slide."
"Agreed..."
Fate's cruel joke—Choi had eaten Seol's favorite flavor.
Kang-jun leaned close, his whisper icy.
"Some people die over chocolate."
Choi scoffed.
"Who would—"
"You."
Kang-jun smiled softly.
Yet to Choi, it looked like the grin of a devil.