Absolute Beginner Dad Episode 88

It was a peaceful weekday afternoon.

"Hmm..."

Perhaps ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠because Seol had gone to "school"?

The entire house felt unusually quiet.

"Your Majesty, is something the matter?"

Elriel, who had been folding laundry neatly after finishing the wash with her, posed the question.

Soo-bin offered an awkward smile before answering softly,

"It feels a bit lonely without Seol."

Normally, Seol would be running around shouting, "Auntie! Auntie!" and they'd barely finish half the housework.

But today...

Not only had they cleaned every corner of the house, but they'd even finished all the laundry—and it wasn't even 1 PM yet.

"Yes, indeed..."

Elriel replied curtly in her usual blunt tone before glancing around the living room and adding,

"With Her Highness absent, the entire imperial household does feel strangely silent..."

At Elriel's words, Marbas—who had been crouching on the balcony, staring blankly out the window—let out a small whimper.

'How boring...'

Whenever he wanted to rest, that little brat Immortal would inevitably come bounding over with a "Woof!" and pester him endlessly...

Yet now that the little troublemaker was gone, time seemed to crawl by slower than ever.

"Hmm, this is how it'll be from now on..."

At Soo-bin's murmured remark, shadows seemed to pass over everyone's faces.

It wasn't just about worrying whether Seol would adjust well to her new routine...

The entire household would need to adapt to this new way of life as well.

"We can't just stay like this."

Soo-bin abruptly stood up, picked up a flyer from the dining table, and declared,

"We should do something."

The bold red print on the flyer in her hand stood out unmistakably: "Mega Sale!"

Beep, beep, beep.

Kang-jun, who had just returned home with Seol, called out softly, "Noona?"

But for some reason, there was no response.

"Huh?"

When no answer came, he scratched his head awkwardly and glanced down at Seol.

"Why is no one here?"

"No one hewe."

"Where did everyone go?"

"Where go?"

Kang-jun muttered to himself,

"Crabsley must be at work..."

Not only were Soo-bin and Elriel missing, but even Marbas was nowhere to be found.

"Hmm..."

As Kang-jun stood there blankly—

"Daddy!"

Seol tugged lightly at his sleeve.

"Seol hungwy..."

Kang-jun blinked before checking the time.

1 PM.

Since she hadn't eaten lunch at daycare before coming home, it made sense she'd be getting hungry by now.

"Let's wash our hands first."

Seol nodded eagerly before continuing,

"After go outside, wash hands!"

Meanwhile, Kang-jun was busy recalling a passage he'd read repeatedly in the Parenting Encyclopedia.

'What was it exactly...?'

According to a child psychology expert, cooking with children greatly aided their emotional development.

Moreover, incorporating ingredients the child disliked during the process could help curb picky eating habits...

"Alright."

Having made up his mind, Kang-jun added,

"After washing hands, let's cook with Daddy."

Seol's eyes sparkled.

"Cook?"

Kang-jun nodded.

"Yeah, cook."

For the record, Kang-jun had never cooked in his entire life—spanning hundreds of years.

No, he'd never needed to.

The imperial kitchen alone had dozens of dedicated chefs under Elriel's management.

Even after returning to Earth, it was the same.

Soo-bin prepared three meals a day, and if she was unavailable, they'd order takeout.

"Wow! Fun!"

Unaware of this, Seol looked thrilled, while Kang-jun inexplicably brimmed with confidence.

"Time to show off my skills..."

"What make?"

"Is there anything you want to cook?"

Seol thought for a moment before answering.

"Pizza!"

Kang-jun nodded.

"Alright, let's make pizza..."

Meanwhile...

"Maru, you'll be good, right?"

Soo-bin handed Marbas over to the owner of the dog café before adding,

"Please take good care of him."

Since they couldn't bring Marbas to the supermarket, they'd decided to leave him at a nearby pet café.

"We'll be back soon!"

After dropping off Marbas, Soo-bin and Elriel headed straight to the store.

'They always leave me out...'

Left alone, Marbas sulked before letting out a small whine.

Soon, several playful puppies cautiously approached him...

'Huh? Why aren't they scared?'

The dogs sniffed intently around his rear, tails wagging.

'Hmm?'

Strangely, he didn't mind.

'This... isn't bad?'

Before long, Marbas found himself sniffing back.

Sniff, sniff...

For dogs, this was no different from humans exchanging greetings or shaking hands.

Marbas—once one of the 72 Demons who ruled the underworld, a being of immense power—

Wag, wag...

Was now busily following other puppies around, sniffing butts without a care in the world.

Meanwhile...

Soo-bin and Elriel had already arrived at the supermarket and were pushing a cart through the aisles.

"Feels better being outside."

Soo-bin murmured as she loaded groceries into the cart.

"Oh, cheonggukjang is on sale!"

Elriel replied solemnly,

"Ah, cheonggukjang. A steaming bowl of homemade fermented soybean stew, sipped slowly with rice—utterly hearty. One could polish off a whole bowl in no time."

"Right, right."

"Your Majesty, if I may humbly suggest—perhaps we could also purchase some soft tofu, slice it thickly, and add it generously?"

Elriel's mouth watered visibly as she swallowed hard.

After carefully checking the expiration date, Soo-bin added the cheonggukjang to the cart and chuckled. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

She remembered how Elriel had pinched her nose shut the first time she'd tried the pungent dish.

"Tonight's menu: cheonggukjang stew and..."

Elriel cautiously added,

"Your Majesty, if I may—perhaps some lightly seasoned seasonal wild greens as side dishes?"

"Sounds good!"

"According to that homemaking show we watched recently, Housewives' Masterclass, herbs like chamnamul and dolnamul are in season and particularly delicious now..."

Soo-bin nodded repeatedly before pointing further down the aisle.

"Look, chamnamul is on discount too!"

"Your Majesty, let us hurry."

As the two chatted away, they began gathering ingredients for dinner.

They exchanged small talk, sampled free tastings, and—

"You two seem like such close sisters."

At the tasting counter lady's sudden remark, Elriel's eyes widened as she floundered for words.

"Sisters? How could you say such a thing..."

On the other hand, Lee Soo-bin found the remark amusing, playfully nudging Iriel in the ribs with her elbow as she teased,

"Hey, what's the big deal?"

Then she added,

"Why don't you call me 'unnie' while we're at it?"

Iriel's face flushed red as she stammered, "My lady..."

"I'm really glad you're here with me," Soo-bin suddenly said.

Iriel, caught off guard, hastily replied, "It is I who am honored to serve a member of the imperial family, my lady..."

Soo-bin awkwardly continued, "Housework is never-ending, no matter how much you do, right?"

"Yes, that's true."

"But with you helping, it feels so much easier, and it's not boring at all..."

In fact, Iriel was naturally meticulous and quick, making any task she took on seem effortless.

More than that...

Perhaps it was because the time they spent together had layered and deepened their bond day by day.

"It's fun being with you."

"Huh?"

"It feels like hanging out with a friend."

Sometimes, it even felt like spending time with a childhood friend.

After years of struggling through a harsh life, Soo-bin had lost touch with most of her friends.

As the saying goes, "Out of sight, out of mind"—one by one, their connections had faded away.

"Don't you get bored, my lady?"

"Huh?"

"It's just the same routine over and over."

Soo-bin pressed on, "At your age, most girls would be dressing up, going out with friends, or dating instead of staying cooped up at home..."

Trailing off awkwardly, she added with a hint of guilt,

"Even though I really enjoy spending time with you, part of me feels like I'm wasting your youth."

"Not at all."

"By some standards, you should be living the brightest moments of your life, yet here you are, stuck helping with chores..."

Iriel firmly countered, "My lady, if I may be so bold, doesn't the same apply to you?"

"Huh?"

"I've heard you endured years of hardship raising the princess alone."

She paused briefly before continuing,

"Now, you should let yourself rest."

"But still..."

"Things have gotten much better, haven't they?"

Then she added,

"And I, too, am happy as I am now."

Iriel smiled faintly.

"I enjoy seeing His Majesty smile, and watching the princess grow up brings me joy."

"Huh?"

"Debating the grand duke about Earth's cuisine, or chatting with you like this—it's all wonderful."

After muttering, "No, really," Iriel continued in an unusually warm tone,

"I'm happy with this life."

Soo-bin hesitated.

"But you can't stay like this forever, can you?"

"Huh...?"

"If you reconnect with your family, you'll have to return to society."

Then, with a small smile, she added,

"Anyway, it's fine."

"Huh?"

"I'll treat you."

Soo-bin grinned.

"Let's go have some fun for once."

"Fun, you say...?"

"Just trust me and follow along."

With that, she linked arms with Iriel and began dragging her off somewhere.

"Where is this...?"

The place they stopped at was...

"Ever had a manicure before?"

None other than a nail salon.

"Frankly, I've never..."

Soo-bin chuckled. "I figured." Then she explained,

"Basically, it's decorating your nails—painting them, adding designs, or just maintaining them."

Iriel nodded in understanding. "Ah."

"Back in Anux, noblewomen also took great care in adorning their nails."

"Honestly, I don't even remember the last time I got my nails done. Two years? Three...?"

The salon employee, who had been quietly listening, glanced at Iriel's hands and asked,

"Is this your first time getting a manicure, miss?"

"Yes..."

"Huh, your nails have a slight reddish tint."

Then she added,

"Did you dye them with balsam recently?"

Iriel shook her head.

"Given that blood and flesh are perpetually stuck under my nails, I suspect the staining goes down to the roots..."

The employee's face twisted in horror.

Soo-bin awkwardly muttered, "Oh dear..."

"Stop with the unfunny jokes..."

Iriel began, "It's not a joke, it's the truth—"

"Enough, enough!"

Flustered, Soo-bin quickly turned to the employee.

"Could you make them as pretty as possible?"

"Ugh..."

Kang-jun sighed as he stared at the pizza dough he was kneading.

Despite his grand declaration to make pizza together, he was already stuck at the dough stage.

If it felt too sticky, he added flour. If it became too stiff, he poured in water.

This endless cycle had already exhausted the entire household's flour supply... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Wow, it's huge!"

The dough had ballooned to several times its intended size.

The biggest problem? It was still too runny, dripping between his fingers.

"Alright, let's just add the toppings..."

After somehow flattening the disastrous dough, Kang-jun spread the pre-made tomato sauce over it.

"Even if the dough's a mess, pizza is all about the toppings anyway..."

Seol cheered, "Yay!" and began scattering toppings over the sauce.

"Bacon, onions, bell peppers..."

Kang-jun paused. "Hmm?"

"I don't see any corn."

Seol froze, then guiltily rubbed her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠index fingers together.

"I... I ate it all..."

"Huh?"

"I was hungry..."

Apparently, the long prep time had left her starving, so she'd devoured the entire can of corn meant for toppings.

So cute...

Kang-jun chuckled. "I didn't know you liked corn so much."

"Corn yummy..."

"I'll buy you a cornfield in a few days."

Seol tilted her head. "Corn field?"

Then she beamed. "Okay, yay!"

Even if she didn't understand, the promise alone made her happy.

"Now, we just have to bake this in the preheated oven..."

Kang-jun skimmed the recipe on his phone, then clicked his tongue and scratched his head.

An oven wasn't a defibrillator.

No amount of baking could resurrect this pizza, which had already met a tragic fate before even entering the oven.

If he had to name it, Scraps of a Roasted Ghoul would've been fitting.

"Pizza! Pizza!"

Reading Seol's excitement, Kang-jun slid the pizza into the oven and pressed the buttons.

"Seol, wanna watch some TV while it bakes?"

Once she was settled in the living room...

"Sigh."

He immediately opened a food delivery app and began placing an order.

"No choice but to swap it out..."

Thankfully, he'd taught himself how to order food secretly for moments like this when his sister wasn't around.

"I can't crush her innocence..."

With slow, deliberate taps, he typed into the Special Requests box:

- MUST DELIVER IN SECRET. LEAVE AT DOOR. NO KNOCKING OR DOORBELL. IF YOU RING OR KNOCK, YOUR HAPPINESS WILL VANISH LIKE A MIRAGE.

Sometimes, a white lie was necessary.