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# Chapter 1
I lingered for a long while, unwilling to let go of the warmth in my arms.
It must have been a boring stretch of time for a child. Yet Ye-eun hugged me tightly without complaining.
I was so grateful and touched by how precious it was that my emotions welled up.
But then it happened.
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
Ring-a-ling~!
A woman entered after naturally punching in the door code. As she took off her shoes, she called out cheerfully.
“Ye-eun~. Big sis is he—”
“…”
Our eyes met. After looking at me and Ye-eun, who was hiding behind me, the woman asked with an awkward expression.
“Um… What are you doing?”
“Ah, I…”
But I was just as embarrassed.
At first, I wondered who she was.
Fortunately, I soon remembered that she was the housekeeper who used to look after Ye-eun whenever I was away.
I recalled that she had been working part-time as a housekeeper after graduating from university and had taken good care
of Ye-eun.
‘The problem is, that’s all I remember…’
I had lost contact with her after moving, so I couldn’t even remember her name. It was definitely… Ji-young, perhaps…?
But I wasn’t certain and hesitated. Then Ye-eun, whom I had instinctively hidden behind me, scampered over.
“Jia unnie~!”
‘Ah, it was Jia.’
I must have been right to keep my mouth shut earlier. Fortunately, hearing her name made me remember her surname
immediately.
‘Right. Lee Jia.’
As Ye-eun scampered toward her, Lee Jia lowered the eco-bag hanging from her shoulder and hugged her.
The sight looked incredibly familiar. At least, there was no doubt that she had taken good care of Ye-eun.
“Ye-eun… Did you sleep well…?”
“Yeah! I slept well! And Daddy hugged me really tight, too! He said he loves Ye-eun very, very much!”
“O-oh, I see.”
Back then, Ye-eun had definitely followed her like a real older sister. Even when I came home, it was usually after
young Ye-eun had fallen asleep.
Thanks to that, old memories gradually returned, and I was able to open my mouth.
“…It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“B-been a while? I think I saw you three days ago…”
“R-right, you did. I was out of it and said something strange.”
“No! I know you’re doing good work, Taejun. Being a Hunter is just… that kind of job, after all.”
I felt good when she deliberately left out the part about risking your life, considering that Ye-eun might hear her.
‘Right. She was always such a considerate person. I was really grateful for that.’
And her consideration didn’t end there.
“It’s good that you work hard, but please don’t push yourself too much. Ye-eun…”
Lee Jia briefly glanced around, then hugged Ye-eun tightly so she couldn’t see and whispered with her lips.
“She gets really lonely.”
“…Thank you.”
Had Lee Jia said something like this to me back then, too? Honestly, I couldn’t remember.
But seeing how much she cared for Ye-eun, I imagined she would have said the same thing to the old me.
‘I was the one who failed to protect that.’
What a pathetic bastard.
What good was being a good Hunter when I couldn’t even be a good father?
Perhaps some of those thoughts had shown on my face, because Lee Jia shook her head.
“I-I didn’t mean to make you blame yourself like that. I just meant that you should spend a little more time with
Ye-eun. I think I said something too presumptuous.”
“No. I’m grateful that you said it.”
“…I-I’m grateful, too, that you pay Ye-eun so well, even though she’s such a good child.”
At the end, she gave a playful smile. I felt her consideration once again and smiled faintly.
‘I really was blessed.’
There had been so many good people around me, yet I had hurt them all, rushing forward recklessly while consumed by the
grief of losing my wife.
I might not know all the details, but I had been given a chance to correct what I had lost. I couldn’t let that
opportunity slip away like a fool again.
So I bowed my head sincerely.
“…Jia, please continue taking good care of our Ye-eun.”
“Uh… This is making me feel really embarrassed.”
“I think I’ve been saying too many burdensome things since morning. Still, I intend to stay right beside Ye-eun from now
on.”
“Really?”
Perhaps my unexpected statement had surprised her, because Jia’s eyes widened. I was about to respond happily.
But before I could, Ye-eun tugged at Jia’s clothes with one hand, rubbed her stomach with the other, and made a
sorrowful face.
Grrrrowl—
“Unnie… I’m hungry.”
“Ah! What am I doing? Right. I’ll prepare something quickly. And Taejun, are you okay with breakfast?”
Jia asked cautiously.
After all, I had started going to work without eating breakfast around this time. She probably wondered whether today
would be the same.
But now that I had another chance, I decided to change.
“…I’d appreciate your help.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Considering how much you pay me, it’s the least I can do.”
Jia picked up her eco-bag and headed toward the kitchen. Ye-eun tugged at my clothes this time.
The child asked with a face filled with surprise, anticipation, and a little fear.
“Daddy… Are you going to eat with Ye-eun and Jia unnie?”
“Yeah. I’m going to eat with Ye-eun.”
“Eeeek!”
I looked down at the child in my arms and swallowed.
Why could something so small make her this happy?
And why had I failed to do something so small for her?
Her star-like eyes sparkled, but I could see the loneliness she had carried in the past. Feeling it brush against my
heart, I closed my eyes.
“Not just today. I’ll stay by your side from now on.”
“Really? Really?!”
“Yeah. Really, really.”
“Eeeek!”
The child bounced excitedly, then ran toward the kitchen as if she needed to tell Jia the news immediately.
“Phew…”
A hot sigh escaped me.
Promises to other people had always felt like burdens. But a promise to my child felt heavy while also filling one
corner of my heart with warmth.
My heart was so full of happiness that I even wondered whether it might burst like a water balloon.
A deep sense of fulfillment filled my chest, and Ye-eun, who had run to the kitchen, scampered back toward me.
She grabbed my hand tightly and smiled shyly.
“Jia unnie said we have to wash our hands before eating, but Ye-eun touched Daddy’s hands. Daddy has to wash his hands,
too.”
At first, I thought she was simply saying that I needed to wash my hands. But when I looked into her eyes, I realized
that wasn’t the case.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, and my chest tightened as I slowly opened my mouth.
I hoped these were the words she wanted to hear.
“…Do you want to wash them with Daddy?”
“Yes!”
The proud smile on her face, as if her plan had succeeded, was so adorable.
The child took my hand and led me toward the bathroom.
“Scrub, scrub.”
“…Make sure you clean between every finger, too.”
“Carefully~.”
Washing my hands with my daughter for the first time was filled with the scent of milk, clear laughter, and
indescribable warmth.
It was such a sweet moment that I wished it could last forever.
Of course, we couldn’t actually wash our hands all day, so I dried Ye-eun’s hands and headed toward the kitchen.
Jia welcomed us with a smile that mixed disbelief and sympathy after we had spent more than ten minutes washing our
hands.
“…It’s not good to wash your hands for that long, either.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sowwy~.”
“Ha… If you’re both that happy, I can’t even say anything. Sit down for now. The food is going to get cold.”
Breakfast consisted of inari sushi topped with minced salmon and seaweed soup.
“This is quite a feast.”
“…No. I’m actually sorry I didn’t prepare more. The seaweed soup is leftover from yesterday.”
“Not at all. This is more than enough for breakfast. And if you think it’s lacking a little flair, let’s see…”
I reached into my inventory. I tended to keep all kinds of seeds inside for use in battle, so there should be something
suitable.
Ah, found it.
I took out a seed from my inventory and showed it to the two women.
Blue-green mana intertwined, causing the plant to grow.
Whoosh-!
“This should make things look a little more impressive.”
“Wow…”
“It’s a flower!”
Just as Ye-eun said, the seed absorbed my mana, germinated, and instantly bloomed into a beautiful rose.
I carefully placed it near the inari sushi.
With the rose’s color beside the salmon-topped sushi, the dining table suddenly looked much more vibrant.
“I might not be good at cooking, but I used to be pretty popular with things like this.”
It was a method I had used to lighten the gloomy atmosphere when everyone was mourning after becoming trapped in a
dungeon. It had worked surprisingly well.
‘Chanseong said it would be useful for picking up women, then complained about his fate.’
Of course, those words meant nothing to someone like me, who already had a child.
“I can grow herbs like basil, too. But since I forced this to grow, it has almost no nutritional value.”
“Oh? Then doesn’t that mean the taste stays the same?”
“Unless it’s something special.”
“Wow! Taejun, I think you would have been a huge success even if you had become a chef.”
“Daddy, chef!”
I wondered what good it would do to be a chef if I couldn’t actually cook, but the child’s shining eyes were so cute
that I simply nodded.
I smiled at Jia, who had belatedly realized the flaw in my statement and was giving an awkward grin, then picked up my
utensils.
“Then, let’s eat.”
“Let’s eat!”
Breakfast was warm.
…Warm enough to bring tears to my eyes.
---
After breakfast, I left Ye-eun in Jia’s care and got into the car.
I didn’t want to be separated from my child for even a moment, but I needed to finish my work if I wanted to stay by her
side.
As soon as I took the phone out of my inventory, it rang as if it had been waiting for a signal.
It was Chanseong.
—Hyung! You’re okay, right?!
“My ears are going to fall off.”
—Do I look like I can calm down right now?! Someone who went to work every morning suddenly doesn’t show up. Of course
I’d be worried! And you’re not answering your phone, either… Where are you?
“Home. I just… ate with Ye-eun for the first time in a really long while.”
—Ah…
He knew my circumstances well, so he must have understood how difficult those words were for me.
Chanseong knew how much I had suffered because of my wife’s absence and Ye-eun’s face, which resembled hers.
—Are you… feeling a little better now?
“To some extent.”
—Hyung…
“You should really treat people well while they’re still around. I thought I had realized that when my parents passed
away, but apparently, I hadn’t.”
Chanseong fell silent.
Oops. I had gotten too sentimental.
“I mean, treat your parents and your girlfriend well.”
—No, seriously! Is this hyung suddenly stabbing me in the heart with a girlfriend I don’t even have?!
“Oh, you didn’t have one? Sorry.”
I had confused the timeline.
—Ha… Hyung, come to the guild right now. Just let me hit you once.
“If you’re going to hit me even when I transform into a porcupine, then go ahead and try. Oh, and if you have time, can
you find out when Seonghun hyung is available?”
—Why Seonghun hyung? He must be busy with the guild meeting.
“I’m leaving the guild.”
The moment I said it, I moved the phone away from my ear, but Chanseong’s voice still came through clearly.
—Wha—?!
“Calm down first. I’ll explain everything when I get there. And just so you know, I’m not saying this out of anger.”
—O-okay, got it. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out Seonghun hyung’s schedule.
“…Thanks.”
—Ugh, gross. Hurry up and hang up.
He was just embarrassed.
I placed the phone, now switched off, on the passenger seat and slowly drove the car. What I had told Chanseong was
sincere.
To cure Ye-eun’s blocked mana pathways and devote my time completely to her, leaving the guild was the only option.
The fact that I hadn’t revealed that I was the Archdruid yet gave me an opportunity.
I drove with one hand while taking a fist-sized seed out of my inventory and holding it.
The World Tree’s seed.
It was an item obtained from various dungeons. If broken open and consumed, it provided a small amount of vitality and
regenerative power. Fortunately, the seeds themselves were easy to acquire.
‘The problem is the materials and process required to germinate the seed.’
But even that should be manageable if I spent my retirement payout on purchasing the materials.
The Dragon’s Heart, which had been troubling me, wasn’t particularly expensive yet because its purpose was still
unknown.
“This time, for sure…”
I would awaken the World Tree.
---
As soon as I arrived at the guild, I went straight to meet Seonghun hyung.
“Ha, this is rather sudden. When I offered you several months of leave, you refused so firmly. And now you’re suddenly
leaving the guild…”
“Hyung, you know me. This is a decision I made after giving it serious thought.”
“That’s why I’m even more concerned. Ha… I feel like I’ll regret it like hell if I let you go from here.”
Seonghun hyung stroked his beard.
Having built one of South Korea’s three major guilds from the ground up, his instincts were sharp.
‘If Seonghun hyung hadn’t retired, the old me would have had more freedom to leave.’
Well, that was all in the past. Right now, I needed to persuade Seonghun hyung.
“It’s not like I’m moving to another guild, either.”
“Still, it feels like a shame… Tsk. Fine. You want to focus on your daughter, so how could I stop you? I’ll talk to the
directors and make sure you receive a generous retirement payout. Don’t worry.”
“If you ever need me for anything, please call me. I’m not an ungrateful person who forgets the favors I’ve received.”
“Of course.”
Seonghun hyung and I parted ways after making plans to have a drink together sometime. I also said goodbye to Chanseong.
When I explained the situation to him, his face fell.
“…Take care, hyung.”
“Why are you talking as if we’ll never see each other again? We can meet whenever we want. You can even come over to my
house.”
“…Is that really okay?”
“You know how Ye-eun sometimes asks for Uncle Chanseong, right?”
“…What do you mean, sometimes?”
“If you don’t want to be called only occasionally, then come visit more often.”
I firmly patted Chanseong’s shoulder as he grumbled that I should just wait and see, then headed toward the parking lot.
“Get home safely!”
“Of course.”
Had I picked up Seonghun hyung’s way of speaking? The words slipped out before I realized it, and both of us burst into
laughter.
On the way home, I stopped to pick up two chickens.
“I wonder if Ye-eun likes chicken…”
I sped along the road, passing the streetlights that were beginning to turn on. If the car had moved at the same speed
as my heart, I would have reached home long ago.
Still, even if I moved slowly, as long as I kept going steadily…
“You’re home? Ye-eun went to wash her face. She said that today, she would really stay awake and wait until Daddy came
home.”
“…I see.”
My chest tightened, but only for a moment.
“Daddy, you’re home!”
“Yeah. Daddy’s home. And this is a present for our Ye-eun.”
“Eeeek! Chicken!”
I happily lifted the warm child who threw herself into my arms and prayed.
Daddy will try hard. Really, really hard.
“So let’s be happy together.”
“Heehee!”
I smiled along with my child.
We would be happy.