3
# My Daughter Is the Final Boss
## Chapter 3
On the bus, Yoo Eun-hye quietly stared down at the contract.
The more she thought about it, the more questions came to mind.
It was all because of Lee Seo-jun, Seol-ah's father and Eun-hye's ex-boyfriend.
“Phew.”
She sighed heavily and looked out the window, her mind complicated.
As the scenery rushed past, Lee Seo-jun's voice echoed in her memory.
—Don't trust agents.
Lee Seo-jun had strongly opposed Eun-hye joining a guild.
From Eun-hye's perspective, the terms couldn't have been better.
The signing bonus alone would be enough to clear all her debts immediately.
And because it was a well-known guild, the annual salary was far beyond what a rookie hunter could normally expect.
The moment she signed the contract, all that money would come in, yet Lee Seo-jun had passionately argued that she would
be getting completely ripped off.
It wasn't just stubborn opposition, either.
He demonstrated a surprisingly extensive knowledge of the subject and even gave her specific examples.
—How do I know? Uh, yeah. I know a guy who got screwed over like that.
It was a little suspicious, but Eun-hye made sure to remember everything he had told her.
None of Eun-hye's acquaintances worked in a field related to hunters.
Naturally, there was a limit to how much information she could obtain, and Lee Seo-jun had filled in some of those gaps
for her.
Most of what he told her concerned the negative aspects, but she decided there was no harm in knowing about them.
He really has changed.
Eun-hye thought Lee Seo-jun had changed a great deal.
Six years.
It was a short time, if you thought of it that way, but it was also a long time.
Still, she had never imagined a person could change this much.
Back then, he was completely immature.
A small laugh escaped her.
Eun-hye was secretly pleased.
She hadn't expected this kind of reaction at all.
She had expected him to go wild demanding a paternity test or deny that Seol-ah was his child.
Instead, he had accepted Seol-ah as his own daughter.
She had even sensed affection in his eyes.
Does being a father still mean something to him?
Eun-hye rarely entrusted Seol-ah to other people.
She didn't easily trust people enough to willingly leave her precious daughter in their care.
Yet right now, she was on her way back after leaving Seol-ah with Lee Seo-jun.
Something about the way Lee Seo-jun treated Seol-ah made her feel that she could trust him.
Still, I should get the paternity test done…… Ah, here it is.
After getting off the bus and walking for a while, she saw a tall building.
A building this large in the middle of Gangnam.
Hunters really did seem to make a lot of money.
As Eun-hye entered the lobby, a neatly dressed receptionist approached her.
“May I ask what brings you here?”
“I'm here to meet Agent Heo Man-deok.”
“Are you Yoo Eun-hye?”
“Yes.”
“I'll show you the way.”
She had already made an appointment over the phone.
Eun-hye followed the receptionist farther inside the building.
People wearing swords were walking around, looking strangely out of place in this era.
They were probably hunters belonging to the guild.
“Ah. Welcome. I'm Heo Man-deok, the agent.”
“This is Yoo Eun-hye.”
When Eun-hye received Heo Man-deok's business card, one of her eyebrows rose.
She remembered the conversation she had shared with Lee Seo-jun.
—Heo Man-deok? There's definitely something weird in that contract. Look at this.
—What's weird about it?
—Let's start with the small stuff. Look here……
Heo Man-deok was a well-built middle-aged man with a faint smile on his face.
He certainly didn't look like a bad person.
After bringing over some coffee, Heo Man-deok sat across from Eun-hye.
“Have you read the contract?”
“Yes. I have.”
“There probably aren't many guilds that can offer conditions as good as our Knight Order.”
The Knight Order.
Led by the star hunter Seong Su-hyeon, it was a guild primarily composed of sword-wielding hunters.
It was a guild that had only recently begun gaining widespread recognition, but Eun-hye had certainly heard of it.
However, Eun-hye didn't recklessly sign the contract.
“What about the Looter contract?”
“Once you begin working, we'll assign you a Looter affiliated with the Knight Order.”
“I noticed that section isn't included in the contract. How are the materials we loot divided?”
“They're divided between the hunter, the guild, and the Looter according to a predetermined ratio.”
“Then I'm asking what that predetermined ratio is.”
Heo Man-deok was secretly flustered.
Simply absorbing mana didn't make someone a genuine hunter.
At most, it meant they had met the minimum requirements, so until they obtained their license, most candidates tended to
be timid and cautious.
Yet this woman was asking questions with such confidence, even pointing out loopholes that a rookie would have
difficulty finding.
Did another guild already make her an offer?
Few guilds would invest much effort in a candidate who hadn't even obtained a license.
Whether someone was a gem or merely a pebble could only be determined after they took the license examination.
Unless she were a promising candidate who had narrowly failed, Yoo Eun-hye hadn't even taken the exam yet.
Still, there was one obvious advantage.
Tsk. Well, it's understandable that they'd want her.
Commercial potential.
Yoo Eun-hye was exceptionally beautiful.
Hunters belonging to guilds sometimes appeared on television to increase their public recognition.
There were even hunters who became regulars on popular variety shows and talk shows.
Seong Su-hyeon was a prime example.
Even if she wasn't much use for hunting……
The Knight Order would probably develop Yoo Eun-hye into more of a celebrity than a hunter anyway.
Heo Man-deok put on a fake smile and revised the contract.
“If you'd like, we can add that.”
“Then I'll ask everything I'm curious about before we get started.”
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Eun-hye began examining the contract point by point.
From vaguely worded sections to clauses that had been subtly omitted.
She questioned him for nearly ten minutes without taking a break.
“Uh, we'll fix that part too. And the part you mentioned earlier……”
“This is the first contract I've ever received with this many loopholes.”
“Hmm. I see. My apologies. It's an old template.”
Eun-hye continued speaking as Lee Seo-jun had advised.
She claimed it was the first contract she had received, but in reality, the Knight Order was the only guild that had
given her one.
She was deliberately bluffing, subtly implying that she had other options.
The initiative had completely shifted to Eun-hye.
Seo-jun was right about everything.
After questioning every detail, she could tell.
Lee Seo-jun had perfectly seen through the Knight Order's intentions.
It was a predatory contract exploiting loopholes in the still-incomplete laws concerning hunters.
She had almost signed a contract with completely unreasonable conditions.
While Heo Man-deok was sweating profusely and frantically rewriting the contract, Eun-hye stood up.
“I'll contact you again.”
---
“Daddy.”
“Daddy.”
“You're handsome.”
“You're handsome!”
“That's right. Good job.”
“Hehe.”
“Open up.”
I unwrapped a small hard candy, and Seol-ah promptly opened her mouth like a baby bird begging for food.
I slipped the candy between her tiny lips, and she smiled happily.
The candy rolled around inside her soft cheek.
A very successful education was taking place.
“Where did Mommy go?”
“Mommy went to take care of some business. She said she'd be back soon.”
Eun-hye had gone to speak with the guild agent.
Most ordinary people were easily swayed by what guild agents said.
But Eun-hye had a sharp personality, and she also had my advice.
As long as she hadn't simply ignored what I told her, she would probably postpone the contract and come back.
In the meantime, I got to spend some time alone with Seol-ah.
How do I become friends with her?
I had been joking around and acting friendly with her.
But I had never actually experienced being close to Seol-ah.
I had only just found out that she couldn't handle spicy food and that she loved ice cream.
Right. Ice cream.
Since ancient times, there had been no better way to win someone's affection than with food.
I'd already lowered her guard with tteokbokki, so ice cream would put the finishing touch on my plan.
It was perfect.
“Seol-ah. Want to go get some ice cream?”
“Ice cweam?”
“Yeah, ice cream.”
“Yes!”
When Eun-hye came back, she would probably scold me for giving Seol-ah too many sweets.
But for now, the important thing was becoming closer to Seol-ah.
“Even if we're going out, one ice cream should be okay.”
“Huh? Daddy's strange.”
I held Seol-ah's hand and left the apartment.
After walking for a while, we entered a large ice cream shop near the station.
“Welcome.”
Honestly, it was more economical to buy ice cream at a discount store.
It might taste good, but spending the price of a bowl of gukbap on ice cream was a waste.
But I was willing to make this much of a sacrifice for my daughter.
Did my mind become a little younger after regressing? Or is it because of my financial situation?
I wasn't completely broke, but the little money I had was steadily disappearing.
It would be better to save, but I also had a plan in mind.
It was something I would have to discuss with Eun-hye once she returned.
“Wow. Wow.”
Seol-ah stood on tiptoe and looked over the ice cream flavors.
Her eyes sparkled.
The employee smiled warmly at the sight of Seol-ah.
My kid was pretty, after all.
And I wasn't just saying that.
It was objectively true.
Seol-ah was unusually beautiful even among children her age.
“Would you like to order?”
“Seol-ah. What flavor do you like?”
“Choco!”
“One single regular serving of Mom Is an Alien, in a cone, please.”
As I handed over my card, I felt a gaze coming from below.
Seol-ah had her eyes wide open and her mouth hanging open as though she had just received a tremendous shock.
“Seol-ah, what's wrong?”
“Our Mommy is an alien……?”
She asked cautiously, her eyes welling up with tears.
The employee barely managed to hold back a laugh.
Honestly, I wanted to laugh too.
I guess people really do laugh when they see something too cute.
I picked Seol-ah up and showed her the name of the ice cream.
“No. This chocolate ice cream is called Mom Is an Alien.”
“Then Mommy isn't an alien?”
“That's right. Mommy isn't an alien. Don't cry.”
I wiped the tears gathering around Seol-ah's eyes.
The employee looked at the two of us with a warm, motherly smile.
She scooped an impressive amount of ice cream into the cone.
Then she asked,
“Is she your younger sister?”
“Ah. No. She's my daughter.”
“I see. Your daughter is so cute, so I gave her a little extra.”
“Thank you. Seol-ah. What do you say?”
“Thank you! Pretty big sister!”
“Gasp.”
The employee's expression melted instantly.
It seemed like giving her plenty of what she liked had earned us some special service.
If only she hadn't gone astray, I thought she probably would have done well in society.
“Goodbye.”
“Goodbye!”
Even while completely absorbed in her ice cream, Seol-ah didn't forget to say goodbye.
Considering her personality, Eun-hye really had raised her well.
In the end, the fact that she became twisted later was entirely my responsibility.
“Is it good?”
“Yes! It's yummy! But……”
Seol-ah rolled her eyes and looked at me.
“Daddy isn't eating?”
“Hm? I'm okay.”
I was so moved by her calling me Daddy that I couldn't properly answer.
Before my regression, she hadn't called me Daddy.
She had called me by my name, even attaching my surname, as though I were a stranger.
It had only been a single day, but apparently my efforts were beginning to pay off.
After hesitating for a moment, Seol-ah stopped me.
Then she held out the ice cream she had been carefully saving.
“Open up.”
“Huh?”
“Open up!”
“……Ah.”
Standing on tiptoe, Seol-ah struggled to reach my mouth with the ice cream.
I bent down, and only then was she able to bring it to my mouth.
Worried that she might feel sad if I ate too much, I took only a small bite and tasted it.
“How is it?”
“It's really good!”
“Right?”
For some reason, Seol-ah looked rather triumphant.
It wasn't the sweetness of the chocolate that melted into me.
It was Seol-ah's kindness.
I unconsciously corrected the softened expression on my face.
That was when it happened.
Wheeeeeeeeing.
Suddenly, a siren rang out.