#84 Hiding.
The city was in absolute chaos these days. The whole world felt like one big festival, and Seoul was packed to the brim with people.
"Whew. They weren't kidding about this being a global event."
Sure enough, there were foreigners everywhere. King held Seol-a's hand as they walked toward the hair salon. Seol-a took her time strolling along, then suddenly stopped, shaking her head vigorously.
Whoosh!
Her long, luscious silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall. That massive, voluminous mane—easily two meters long—usually wrapped around her like a scarf. But even that had its limits now. The hair was growing like some self-replicating liquid monster, inching longer every single day.
"This has to stop."
King couldn't stand by any longer and had made a strong suggestion to Kang-ho about it.
—Yeah......
Kang-ho had replied like that, his expression oddly vacant, not a shred of energy in his voice.
With the World Ranking Tournament set for Seoul, the influx of visitors was on another level entirely. King sighed deeply as he watched Seol-a shake her head again, her hair itching her.
"C'mere, kiddo."
King gathered her hair right there on the spot, rolling it up neatly. Onlookers swarmed from every direction.
—It's Seol-a!
—Her hair is insane!
—King, over here!
Ah, the perks of fame. King finished wrapping up Seol-a's hair, scooped her into his arms, waved to the crowd, and slipped through the throng.
He'd booked his usual spot at Cheongdam Hair Shop for today. It was pricey, but the facilities, service, and skill were top-tier—perfect for an SS-rank like him after hitting that level.
As they approached the salon...
"Huh?"
King tilted his head. "What the...?"
The place was completely empty, every stylist lined up and bowing politely.
"Welcome, King."
"Uh...... I mean, this is too much. I just booked a single slot..."
"We've already received payment for the full day."
"......"
King thought to himself, 'Bro's got too much money to burn.'
Kang-ho hated spending cash, but when he did, he went all out. Like that time he rented an entire luxury furniture store just to shop.
"This way, please."
"Uh...... sure, okay."
King nodded. The salon was elegantly appointed—polished marble floors, soft beige stone walls bathed in warm lighting. As Seol-a toddled past the fancy decor, she suddenly froze.
"!"
An exclamation mark popped up over Seol-a's head. Her tail went ramrod straight.
Alert mode. She'd sniffed out the bath and shampoo.
King stayed calm, pulling out his smartphone.
Ring.
Video call connected. Theo's face appeared on the other end.
[What?]
"Fix this for me."
Theo's hair was a mess. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week, but his face glowed with eerie euphoria. Spotting Seol-a's defensive stance, he spoke.
[Hair salon, huh.]
"Spot on."
Seol-a, still on high alert, lit up at the sight of Theo. Her tail swished pleadingly as she waved frantically, trying to explain with her desperate expression. She finally managed to open her mouth—
"Wash!"
[Our Seol-a can't handle that stuff. Only the brave get their hair washed. Tell Uncle King to run!]
Seol-a's face soured. "No?"
She hardened her resolve. "Do it!"
Kids really were simple.
"Thanks, bro."
[Good luck.]
Kuh... kuhehehe...
"Bro......?"
[The newtype father is almost complete...!]
"......"
Theo vanished from the screen with a manic laugh that screamed "off the rails." Everyone was acting weird lately. King tilted his head, then stood by Seol-a as she meekly headed to the sink. He held Seol-a's hand reassuringly as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Seol-a clutched his hand back, biting her lip.
King snapped a photo.
Click!
King posted it to SNS, then helped Seol-a into the salon chair. Today, they were trimming just a bit—down to waist-length. The head stylist oversaw the careful snip-snip.
"......Even so."
King glanced around. 'Renting out the whole place? How much did this cost?'
The haircut went perfectly. King neatly packed the meter-long silver locks into a box.
'Save it to show her when it grows back.'
Leaving the salon, King scooped up Seol-a, who was thrilled with her lighter hair, shaking her head happily without issue.
Flinch!
A chill ran down his spine—a piercing gaze. He whipped around.
Of course, stares were par for the course these days.
"Hmm......"
Next up: restaurant. A high-end steakhouse in central Seoul. Right on time for their reservation...
"......"
It was empty.
"Uh... this...?"
"Good day, King."
The whole restaurant was reserved. The manager bowed deeply, leading them to their table. Top-tier courses arrived unbidden.
"Wait... I didn't order this..."
Someone had already paid. King thought again, 'Feels familiar.'
After the meal, they headed to the amusement park. 7 p.m.—peak empty time. Closed at 9. King knew Seol-a obsessively watched park videos on his phone, brimming with curiosity. Lately, she'd been ranking him low in her internal hierarchy, so this was his chance to climb to the top. Two hours should do it.
Vroom!
The golden Hellcat roared through the streets. They arrived at the park—vastly grander than old-world ones, the ultimate reward for modern kids. Magic stone-powered rides delivered thrills safely, making dreams real.
"Uh......"
King blinked.
Visitors were filing out.
"What the?"
King tilted his head, scrambling for a Plan B. Then—
"King, we've been waiting."
The suited manager appeared.
"Uh...... me......?"
Reluctantly entering, King felt a surreal vibe. Every employee bowed in unison.
"Whoa."
This was overkill. Who rents an amusement park? Was it even possible? How much—
Whoosh—boom!
Bang!
Fireworks lit the sky. King gawked upward. Seol-a's eyes went wide, arms flung high as she bounced in awe—her first such spectacle.
And with every ride—
"Allow me to explain. This ride runs on A-rank magic stones, safety rating SS—"
An attendant tagged along.
"Uh..."
King was lost. By the time they'd hit every ride, night had fallen.
Bam-para-bam!
Lights blazed; the parade kicked off. King pondered the bill, then felt that eerie gaze again.
"......!"
Seol-a was lost in the parade, beaming. She threw herself into King's arms. He forced a grin—confident he'd topped her rankings.
King arrived home looking dazed.
"......"
Seol-a bolted to the blank-faced Kang-ho, gesticulating wildly about her epic day. King sat primly beside him.
"Bro."
"......"
"Bro?"
"What."
"Uh... did you rent out the salon by any chance?"
"......"
Kang-ho tilted his head at King. "No."
"The restaurant...?"
"Restaurant?"
"Amusement park... obviously not, right?"
"You okay?"
King shook his head at Kang-ho's question.
"Sigh...... Figures."
"You went to the salon, though?"
"Yeah, I told you we were going..."
"Gasp."
Kang-ho clutched his chest at Seol-a's trimmed hair, then forehead, bowing his head.
"......You crying? Did we cut too much?"
King watched worriedly. But Kang-ho smiled faintly—not grief, heart-melt.
King offered the hair box. "A gift."
"......You do good sometimes."
Kang-ho's mouth twitched, barely holding back a grin—rare genuine delight.
King glanced around. "Hey, where's Carron and Ian?"
"Carron loves wandering, so he's off somewhere."
"Ah."
"Ian......"
Kang-ho stroked Seol-a's hair approvingly as he answered. "Couldn't take it anymore—went to fetch his daughter."
"Pardon?"
"Says he never raised her like this..."
"......"
Soon.
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
A helicopter touched down beyond the log cabin in the snowy field.
Big logo, and out stepped Ian, veins bulging on his forehead. Trailing him, a dazzling blonde girl was dragged by the ear.
"They're here."
Kang-ho glanced over and nodded. "Ena's grown a lot."
"......"
Kang-ho smiled at Ian's daughter Ena. Then, spotting King inching backward slyly—
"What're you doing?"
"......Hiding."
"Huh?"