Even the Absolute One is New to Fatherhood - Chapter 87

Kang-jun returned to the nest as dawn's faint light began to blur the boundary between night and morning.

"Phew..."

He let out a long sigh, then slumped onto the living room sofa, gazing out the window as he gathered his thoughts.

Though he showed no outward sign, the information Hades had shared at the end of the Underworld Summit kept resurfacing in his mind, leaving him unsettled.

"Some gods from the opposing star cluster 'Asgard' are moving to awaken the calamity slumbering there and bring it forth."

If everything Hades had whispered to him—under the guise of goodwill—was true...

If they truly sought his epithet "■■■" and intended to awaken something called a calamity...

"Looks like trouble's brewing again..."

Muttering to himself, Kang-jun swept his gaze across the peaceful scenery beyond the window—a world utterly incompatible with ominous words like "calamity."

A garbage truck diligently collected trash from nearby alleys.

A few early risers were already heading to work.

Yet even as he took in the tranquil sight, Hades' words echoed in his mind.

"The calamity sleeping in that dimension is known by the epithet 'Calamity Wrought by Time,' but I know its true name."

"Even you might struggle against it—but knowing its true name could change things."

Hadn't Hades implied that he might need his help someday? That this so-called favor came with no strings attached?

Which meant Hades was well aware of his power.

And yet, he had described this "calamity" as something even Kang-jun might not be able to handle.

"Could it really be...?"

Was there truly an enemy he couldn't defeat?

He had never needed more than a few exchanges to overwhelm any opponent.

The very idea was unimaginable. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Its true name is..."

He replayed Hades' final words in his mind.

"The discarded ■■■..."

Just then, the bedroom door swung open, and Lee Soo-bin stepped out, her face still puffy with sleep.

"Kang-jun, when did you get back?"

"Not long ago."

"What are you doing sitting on the sofa?"

"Just... watching TV."

Soo-bin crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"With the TV off?"

Kang-jun muttered, "Ah..."

She studied him with a serious expression.

"Kang-jun, are you hiding something from me?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he dismissed her bluntly.

But Soo-bin's suspicious gaze lingered.

"Hmm..."

An awkward silence settled over the living room—until the bedroom door creaked open again.

"Daddy..."

Seol toddled out, rubbing her half-lidded eyes with tiny fists before shuffling forward.

She spread her arms wide and immediately buried herself in Kang-jun's embrace, murmuring:

"Missed you..."

Kang-jun stroked her hair gently.

"We saw each other before bed last night."

"Missed you while sleeping too..."

Seol grinned sleepily, and Kang-jun clutched his chest with a soft groan.

"Kang-jun, you haven't eaten yet, right?"

"No."

"I'll make breakfast soon. Can you get Seol ready?"

"Ready?"

Soo-bin tilted her head.

"Today's her first day at daycare."

Kang-jun blinked.

"Ah... right."

Today was the long-awaited debut.

Dressed neatly in a chick-yellow daycare uniform, Seol puffed out her chest with all the dignity of a seasoned veteran.

"Seol is four now."

She counted on her tiny fingers, then reaffirmed:

"Yep, four."

"That's right, you're four."

"Not scared at all."

She added firmly:

"Can go to baby house and not cry."

"Oh, really?"

"Yep! 'Cause Seol is unnie now!"

She thumped her chest twice and exhaled dramatically.

"Baby house has littler babies than Seol!"

"Is that so?"

"Seol is unnie, so can study ssi-ssi-ka-gae and come back!"

Kang-jun smiled fondly at her proud display—until the daycare van turned the corner at the alley's entrance.

"That must be the van."

Seol's eyes began to tremble violently.

"Seol can ssi-ssi-kae—"

The moment she faced the van, all her earlier bravado vanished.

Well...

Spending half the day apart from family at daycare was still a big step for a little one.

"Seol can do it..." ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Kang-jun, watching her, began gnawing on his thumbnail.

What is this feeling?

Was it... fear?

Screech—

The van stopped.

"Seol, hello!"

The door slid open, revealing Seol's daycare teacher—a woman in her early twenties—smiling warmly.

"Hi, teachoo..."

The teacher glanced at Kang-jun.

"Seol's dad, we met during orientation. First days are always hard for parents, so—"

Kang-jun nodded gravely.

"As you can see, I'm extremely worried. Would it be all right if I just took her back home?"

The teacher's smile froze.

"...Excuse me?"

Most parents said "Take good care of her" or "We trust you."

"Daddy, Seol can do it..."

While Kang-jun agonized, Seol bit her lip and took a step toward the van.

"I'm deeply concerned this may be too much for her."

The teacher, barely keeping her composure, forced a smile.

"Some children need an adjustment period. If Seol struggles too much, we'll call you by lunchtime."

"I see..."

"Seol's brave and strong—I'm sure she'll adjust well. But if she has trouble, we'll contact you immediately, so please don't worry too much."

Kang-jun reluctantly nodded.

"Understood..."

His heart ached as he watched Seol.

"Going now..."

With a stiff expression, Seol let the teacher carry her into the van.

Vroom—

In moments, the van turned the corner, leaving Kang-jun alone.

He stood frozen for a long moment before groaning.

"This won't do."

He began walking toward Snow White Daycare.

Kang-jun headed straight for the daycare's surveillance room—thanks to Kazan's help—where he could monitor every camera feed at once.

"Wait, zoom in."

The goblins manning the control console deftly adjusted the footage.

"More?"

"That's enough."

Kang-jun studied the screens and murmured:

"She's smiling..."

Too worried to leave, he had claimed a chair and hadn't taken his eyes off the monitors since.

But...

To his relief, Seol seemed to be adjusting surprisingly well to her first day.

Then—

His phone vibrated violently in his pocket.

[Seol's Teacher] ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Kang-jun took a deep breath before answering.

"Hello?"

—Seol's dad?

"Yes, speaking."

—This is her teacher. I just wanted to let you know Seol's doing well so you don't worry.

"Is that so?"

—She's playing with friends and following along in class, though she still seems a little shy.

Kang-jun clutched the phone with both hands.

"Did something happen?"

At those words, the homeroom teacher replied, "No, no," and then added in a gentle tone:

"Just in case, I asked if any child wanted to go home early today—and Seol quietly raised her hand too."

"Can I take her now?"

"No. But if it's alright with you, we can arrange for the school vehicle to drop her off at your residence—"

"No, I'll go myself."

Kang-jun answered as if sprinting to the rescue, then added:

"No—I'm already here."

With that, he immediately pushed open the situation room door and began striding purposefully toward Seol's classroom. Moments later...

Through the window, he saw Seol—who had been focused on her lesson—turn her head abruptly at the teacher's call, her eyes locking onto Kang-jun standing by the window.

"Daddy!"

Seol mouthed the word with her tiny lips, waving her hands excitedly...

Only then did Kang-jun's tension ease, and he waved back in response.

Soon after, Seol gathered her belongings and followed the teacher out of the classroom...

"Daddy! I got a sti-sti-sticker today!"

Kang-jun immediately swept her into a tight embrace.

"Yeah, I saw..."

The homeroom teacher, who had been watching the father-daughter pair with a dazed expression, spoke up softly:

"You must have been worried, sir."

Kang-jun muttered, "Yes, as you can see..." before bowing deeply.

"Thank you for taking such good care of her..."

It had been so long since he'd used honorifics to express gratitude to someone else that the words felt almost foreign on his tongue.

The teacher waved her hands hurriedly. "Oh, no, no!" she replied with a bright smile before continuing:

"Even though she's leaving earlier than the other children today, I think it would be good to gradually increase her time here—even if just by an hour or two each day."

"Yes, I'll follow your advice..."

"By the way, Seol really seems to trust and rely on you deeply. Earlier, we conducted a simple 'mind-play' activity, and the results were..."

Trailing off, she handed him a sheet of paper.

"We asked the children about 'love' and transcribed their answers."

"Is that so?"

"But Seol's response was so remarkable that all the teachers couldn't stop praising it."

She smiled warmly as she added:

"I think Seol will adjust just fine, so you can set your worries aside."

Kang-jun bowed his head again.

"Really... really... thank you so much."

"Of course. Have a safe trip home."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then..."

Seol, following Kang-jun's lead, also waved goodbye to her teacher.

"Bye-bye, Teachoo!"

Holding Seol's small hand tightly, Kang-jun stepped out of the daycare building and asked:

"Seol, how was daycare?"

Seol beamed up at him.

"It was fun! I made a fwiend!"

"Already?"

"Yeah! Her name is Banana!"

Kang-jun blinked. "Banana?"

Seol nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Banana!"

Then, remembering the paper the teacher had given him, Kang-jun unfolded it to read its contents—

Thud.

Without realizing it, he stopped walking and looked down at Seol, who was still trotting alongside him.

Question:What is love?

Seol's answer:Love is... when Daddy said my pigtails were pretty, so I wanted to wear them every day.

"Daddy? What's wrong?"

Suddenly, Kang-jun thought of Yun Hee-soo.

The image of her strangling herself, sobbing that she'd rather die if it meant being with her daughter, flashed through his mind.

Hadn't she always told Seol, like a mantra: "Mommy can't live without you"?

Now, for the first time, he understood—viscerally—why she had repeated those words so habitually.

"Me too..."

He swallowed hard before continuing.

"I couldn't live either."

He had never imagined himself saying something so embarrassingly sentimental.

How dare he?

He was in no position to die as he pleased—so "how dare he" was the perfect phrase for this situation.

But it was true.

Without this child—

He didn't think he could last even a single day.

Three massive wolves pulled an extravagantly decorated carriage through the boundless expanse of the Abyss.

The wolf at the center, its magnificent silver mane rippling as it ran with all its might, bore the true name Fenrir—

The eldest son of the stitched-mouth giant Loki, and sibling to Jörmungandr and Hela.

Flanking Fenrir, their strides perfectly synchronized, were two other wolves—one with a blue mane, the other red. These were Fenrir's own offspring:

Hati and Sköll, who in myth ceaselessly chased the sun and moon, failing each time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but never giving up.

But not today.

They had been summoned by their blood and master—the stitched-mouth giant Loki—to pull his carriage.

"Grrrrrr..."

After days of relentless travel, they finally neared their destination.

Inside the violently rattling carriage, Loki gazed out the window and murmured:

"We're almost there."

Across from him sat a being composed of molten, lava-like matter, who cautiously replied:

"So it seems..."

Loki studied him before speaking again, his tone dripping with deference:

"O Giant of Flame Who Yearns for the End."

The divine entity known as The Flame Giant Who Craves Ruin smiled thinly.

"Still so grandiose with your titles, I see."

"Then..."

"Since we now share a purpose..."

He paused before granting permission.

"You may call me by my true name."

Loki nodded several times, swallowed dryly, and then addressed him properly:

"Great Surtr..."

Surtr was a paradox—a being born to bring about the destruction of his own star cluster, Asgard.

He ruled Muspelheim, the land of fire giants, and had spent eons biding his time, concealing his colossal power for the prophesied day of Asgard's doom.

"What troubles you?" Surtr asked.

Loki hesitated.

"I fear... whether the Calamity Wrought by Time will truly act as we intend."

Surtr's reply was immediate.

"Worry not."

His voice brimmed with certainty as he continued:

"Do you know the true name of the Calamity Wrought by Time?"

"I... shamefully admit I do not."

"Its true name is The Discarded ■■■."

Surtr's gaze drifted to the carriage window as the scenery outside shifted abruptly—revealing a space littered with powerless living texts.

"We've arrived."

Smirking, Surtr turned back to Loki and added slyly:

"No being in the Abyss loathes him more than the Calamity Wrought by Time."

As the carriage halted in the center of the text-strewn void, Surtr stepped out first and murmured:

"So we borrow the Calamity's hand to erase the current ■■■, seize the holy epithet in the chaos... and that's all we need."

Striding forward, he called over his shoulder:

"Come."

If the Calamity cooperates... we might just steal the epithet ■■■ right from under Asgard's noses.

Loki followed, stepping onto the ground of crumbling texts—

Thud. Thud.

Surtr stopped when they reached a mound of piled texts—a tomb of sorts.

"O Calamity Wrought by Time."

The mound of lifeless texts twitched, ever so slightly.

"O Discarded ■■■..."

At the invocation of its true name, a single hand burst from the pile—

The texts cascaded down like an avalanche, and from the wreckage emerged a figure in humanoid form.

"■■■..."

The being glanced around and demanded:

"Where is ■■■ now?"

Surtr grinned viciously.

"We know where he is."

The Discarded ■■■—an entity beyond all norms—nodded and commanded:

"Take me to him."

"As you wish," Surtr replied smoothly, gesturing to the carriage. "Our ride awaits."

Meanwhile, Loki stood frozen in shock.

"H-how...?"

The Calamity's appearance was identical to the ■■■ he had once faced.