I Became the World's Strongest Father (2)
"Kyaaaah! Lee Hana! Lee Hana!"
"Diva! Look over here!"
The arrival hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport was absolute pandemonium. The kind of crowd that made you wonder if even a world-famous overseas star arriving would draw this many people.
Standing at the photo zone prepared by the airport in the center of the arrival hall was Lee Hana, the ace who had led the New York Tyrants to victory in the 2029 Superhuman World Championship. She wore an awkward smile.
She was trying to smile, but the expression clearly revealed her discomfort. Yet even with that unease, the camera shutters and flashes refused to stop.
Thousands of fans and reporters had flooded the arrival hall. Entertainment agencies were there too—though it was pretty obvious why—and every organization connected to superhumans had shown up to welcome her.
"Kyaaaah! Lady Lee Hana! Lady Lee Hana looked this way!"
Lee Hana was scanning the crowd. Her eyes moved as if searching for someone specific. But if you looked closely, beneath the gaze was a tender longing, like she was forcing herself to check one more time even though she already knew he wasn't there.
"Hey. Stop pushing from behind..."
"Uh, uhh...?"
The enormous crowd made the safety fences begin to shake. People standing right against them screamed and lost their footing one by one, while those behind raised their cameras high and shoved forward.
"E-everyone, please calm—!"
Airport security and guards called in from somewhere tried to settle the mob, but even their solid builds couldn't contain the heat radiating from a crowd several times their size.
Uncontrollable, manic excitement. The situation was on a knife's edge—one person falling could trigger a disaster.
Clap!
A single handclap rang out. The short sound echoed through the entire arrival hall and was picked up by every microphone, broadcasting across the world.
What traveled through the electronic signals was merely one brief clap, yet the instant it sounded, silence descended upon the scene.
"Everyone, please calm down."
With one clap, Lee Hana had silenced the chaos in the arrival hall. A faint blue mana glowed softly in the hands of the seventeen-year-old girl, spreading throughout the space and wrapping around everyone like a gentle wind. As if declaring that no further disturbance would be tolerated.
Yes. The world had stopped.
The shouting reporters' mouths hung open, frozen mid-scream. The frenzied fans pushing forward with cameras halted as though blocked by an invisible wall.
A strange silence fell in an instant. After scanning the crowd, Lee Hana slowly opened her mouth.
"Please be careful not to get hurt, everyone. If anyone gets injured because of me, my dad will scold me."
Seeing Lee Hana smile sweetly with her doll-like face, several people swallowed hard from sheer tension. It was an instinctive pressure beyond rational thought, leaving them unable to speak.
Were they enchanted by the smile? Or had they surrendered to the authority behind it?
"Hmm...."
Lee Hana turned her gaze eastward. She glanced at the smartwatch on her wrist and gave a bitter smile, looking disappointed.
"Honestly, Dad. You could've just sent someone."
A quiet mutter no one else could hear. Someone even tried to read her lips, but before they could catch the movement, Lee Hana was already moving.
"I know many of you have questions, but standing here any longer would inconvenience everyone else. I'm sorry, but if the airport has a separate space available, I'd prefer to continue the conversation there. Excuse me, is an airport staff member available?"
When Lee Hana gestured to the side, a middle-aged man in a suit from airport security immediately rushed forward.
"Yes, Superhuman Lee Hana."
"Is there an empty press room or briefing room? It's not a formal press conference, but I'd like to borrow one briefly."
"O-of course! I'll arrange it right away! Um, regarding which reporters may enter the room..."
"Please follow the international superhuman interview standards. Now then, everyone...?"
Lee Hana waved cheerfully at the gathered crowd and began walking forward.
"Once the press conference is over, I'll greet you all properly later. See you then!"
Step. Step. Lee Hana walked straight ahead along the path that opened before her. The crowd parted left and right in perfect sync with her steps, and everyone watching could only stare blankly as she followed the airport protocol team's guidance.
"Whoa...."
"She seems... kind of terrifying...."
It was gentle yet somehow cold. They couldn't tell if it was the anger of an S-class superhuman reacting to the chaotic situation, or simply Lee Hana's natural demeanor. Either way, one thing was certain.
Beep!
"...Hehe."
After checking the text alert on her smartwatch, Lee Hana's face lit up with a completely different smile—bright and radiant, like a flower in full bloom, overflowing with happiness.
* * *
[Incheon Bridge.]
I was driving toward the airport.
"I should've just told her to fly straight home the moment she cleared immigration."
I had confidently offered to pick her up by car, but the vehicle was barely crawling forward.
[We apologize for the inconvenience. A collision has occurred on Incheon Bridge, causing...]
An accident. A literal accident. Cars rear-ending each other and blocking traffic was nothing new. The saving grace was that no one had died or been seriously injured, so there was no need to call an ambulance—or dispatch a superhuman.
The problem was...
"Hey!! Where are you from?!"
"Quiet down. You're from Daejeon, right? You think raising your voice like that will make Lee Hana like you?"
"What? You were the one who hit me from behind!!"
The people who caused the accident, and most of those stuck in this turtle-paced crawl toward Yeongjong Island with me, were all heading there for the same reason: one girl at the airport.
"This is troublesome. Really troublesome."
Whoever's daughter she is, it's a relief she's so outstanding. Just her returning to Korea was enough to make people fight their way to the airport in their cars just to catch a glimpse of her in person.
Superhuman Lee Hana. Nationally certified S-class. The ace who represented the New York team in the Superhuman World Championship, took a squad that couldn't even win their region, and not only claimed regional victory but conquered the entire world at Worlds.
Now she had returned to Korea. Although she hadn't left on the best terms, she had come back like a hero of gold—my adopted daughter was now a national hero welcomed by the entire country.
Of course, there would be some places that wouldn't welcome her return.
Beep beep beep.
A call came in while I was waiting for the traffic to clear. I immediately tapped the accept button on the car's monitor screen, which displayed the caller's name via Bluetooth.
"Hello."
[Senior. Where are you right now?]
"Where else? On my way to the airport to meet my daughter."
[Ah....]
The woman on the other end sounded awkward. Her contact was saved as BK-302.
[I'm sorry. I thought you might be resting, so I called.]
"It is my day off, yes?"
[Weren't you going to pick up your daughter as part of official duties?]
"As if. Why would I need to file it as a business trip when I'm picking up my own daughter? Going to the airport to pick up family isn't work."
Even though the car was still inching along.
"So what's the sudden matter?"
[I wanted to ask for your advice... I'm sorry if you're busy.]
"Hmm...."
I thought for a moment. The navigation's AI had painted the road ahead bright red, and it would take at least another hour to reach the airport.
"Hold on, let me check something."
While the car was stopped, I quickly manipulated the screen. One side of the monitor showed a live internet broadcast from a public channel, where numerous reporters were holding a press conference with a young woman.
It was an interview with S-class superhuman Lee Hana.
"Tsk, she's too nice for her own good."
She could have ignored them all at the airport, yet she had gone out of her way to arrange a space for an interview with the very people responsible for this traffic jam. The reporters must have pulled pitiful faces until she reluctantly agreed.
"Looks like her interview will take a while, so go ahead and talk while I drive."
I switched the car to autonomous mode, let go of the steering wheel, and leaned back comfortably in my seat.
"Go on."
[Have you heard about the serial murder case at Incheon Port? The one where four young people in their twenties died from drug overdoses in 2030.]
"I know. Isn't that being treated as a regular criminal case?"
[The autopsy results came out three hours ago. All of them were missing their livers. I won't show you the photos since it might be unpleasant, but I'll summarize. There were no external stab wounds on the abdomen, yet only the livers had been cleanly removed. The blood vessels showed signs of being cut from inside.]
"No external incision marks, but internal knife wounds on the organs?"
[Yes.]
A phenomenon that modern medicine and science couldn't explain. Naturally, this was the work of an ability—something caused by a superhuman.
"Any mana traces?"
[None detected anywhere. Not in the bodies, not at the scene. No residual mana from superhuman abilities either.]
"......."
I quickly searched my memories. Three faces and their abilities flashed through my mind from the profiles I'd reviewed.
"...Jang Pilsoo. Look into that guy."
[Pardon? Jang Pilsoo, as in the one on the Busan Seagulls team...?]
"He removes livers and then heals the wounds completely. Among people who dabble in this kind of thing, he's the only one capable of healing like that without leaving traces."
[B-but Jang Pilsoo is no longer a 'villain'—]
"I told you to investigate Jang Pilsoo, not to get a warrant. Just go to him and ask if he did it. If you mention that a physical healing technique that leaves no mana traces has come under suspicion, he'll cooperate fully to prove his innocence."
[Understood, Senior. Thank you for the advice!]
"It's nothing. Anything else you need?"
[Ah, well...]
I could hear her hesitating on the other end. Don't tell me—
[You have a daughter, don't you?]
"...Yeah."
[I was wondering if you've considered any particular affiliation for her....]
"......."
[Since you live in Songdo, Incheon, I assumed you were planning to have her join the Incheon Devils—]
"Hang up, you idiot."
Click.
I ended the call immediately. Maybe because I'd cursed at her, she didn't call back.
"...I've used that angle myself, but yeah, everyone's interests are inevitably shifting in that direction."
As the car slowly but steadily escaped Incheon Bridge on autonomous drive and headed for the airport, I turned my attention back to the screen where the interview was still in progress.
[Then, Miss Lee Hana. Has your team not been decided yet?]
[I can't make that decision on my own.]
[I see. Then I have another question. There are rumors that you and Mouser Dengel from the Washington team are in a loving relationship—]
[H-hey!]
[What nonsense is this guy spouting...!]
[The person I love is someone else.]
[W-who is it?!]
[Obviously.]
Lee Hana formed a heart with her hands toward the camera.
[It's my dad.]
"That son of a bitch must be crazy."
I checked the reporter's face—
"...What?"