Chapter 190: The First Clash (5)

Chapter 190: The First Clash (5)

“It’s normalized.”

The hunter, staring at the monitor in disbelief, rubbed his forehead and muttered,

“Restore it quickly. Check for casualties.”

Although it’s something we couldn’t tell the bereaved families, the city really sustained minimal damage.

Of course, even this was a severe blow. For a while, the city would tremble in fear, worrying about the next attack.

And somewhere, the bereaved families would protest.

Claiming that the Hunter Association mishandled the situation.

Demanding compensation and urging the government and the association for quick reparations.

Of course, it’s not up to them to decide.

Someone higher up would solve the problem.

Civilians wouldn’t know... but this was considered a fairly good job of containment.

They only saw the immediate damage.

It’s not that they’re wrong, that’s just the reality.

But.

“...Who was that?”

That man in the robe at the time.

He saw his face, but it was completely unfamiliar.

If he was a hunter with that level of magic power, he would’ve already made a name for himself worldwide.

While it’s not unheard of for skilled individuals to conceal their identities... it’s rare for such a person to suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Especially during such difficult times.

He dealt with the Ents and faced off against the Flowers.

He wondered if he might come here again, but in the end, he didn’t show up.

-Creak-

As the door opened, a woman entered.

White hair, full-body latex.

She surveyed the surroundings with an elegant stride and narrowed her eyes.

Baekdo.

It was natural that she would return to Korea as quickly as possible, but the incident had long been resolved by then.

As soon as I took off the mask, I entered the dormitory and removed the robe.

I hadn’t yet taken off the blood-stained T-shirt. When I stepped out of the room, the two women I had sent earlier were sitting silently at the table.

“Beep...”

Shiba, nestled in Jin Dallae’s arms, pressed her face sadly against her chest.

As soon as she heard the door, her ears perked up, and she looked at me with round eyes.

“Da...d.”

She trembled, then, unable to hold back, broke away from Jin Dallae and ran to me.

“...Beeep.”

Shiba clung to my leg, crying. I wanted to do something for her, but with my clothes covered in blood, it was difficult to do anything.

“...Blood, blood! What on earth... What happened to you? Are you okay?”

Jin Dallae hurriedly soaked a towel in water and brought it to my face.

I took the towel and pointed to Shin Hye-young, who was still sitting at the table.

“...Her.”

Staring blankly at the peach tea in front of her, she belatedly looked at me and managed a faint smile.

“Oh, hello. Your body...”

“I’m fine.”

Ah...

Nodding at my words, she spoke with forced enthusiasm.

“Thank you. I must have lost my mind for a moment...”

“It’s understandable. Have you calmed down a bit?”

“Of course! Absolutely.”

Was the scene she witnessed that shocking?

She might be replaying it in her mind, struggling to come to terms with it.

She’s one of those rare kind and gentle people. Someone who couldn’t forget what they saw.

Jin Dallae seemed to have already shaken off the shock.

“Shiba, come here. Don’t bother Daddy.”

“Pyeong, pyeeong!”

Tears welled up in Shiba’s blurry eyes and fell. I wiped away the tears with my clean hand, gently rubbed her cheek, and patted her head.

Only then did Shiba seem to calm down a bit.

“...I feel like I’ve become quite close with Shiba too. She still seems anxious without Daddy.”

“Hehe, really?”

Strangely, it felt wrong, but it made me happy.

I placed my hand on Shiba’s forehead, who was crying. It felt a bit warm, as if blood had rushed to her head.

My daughter must have been very scared.

...I really needed to reconsider sending her back to kindergarten.

The number of people opposing me would continue to increase.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Jin Dallae clapped her hands enthusiastically and laughed as she patted my shoulder.

She seemed like a newlywed, brimming with affection, thinking about what furniture to buy.

She’s only twenty.

Could someone so young exude such a strong motherly aura?

“Shiba..., you have to go to Harvard, right?”

“Ha – vard?”

Shiba tilted her head. Clearly, we needed someone to teach Shiba proper manners and etiquette.

“Haha.”

Jin Dallae laughed at us and clapped her hands again.

Then, a woman stepped out from outside the door.

She wasn’t wearing her usual kindergarten apron but was in casual clothes instead.

The woman, whose stockings were noticeable, awkwardly looked at me and bowed her head.

“Ah, hello... Shiba’s father.”

Shiba’s teacher.

Why was someone who worked at the kindergarten here?

When I glanced at Jin Dallae, she shrugged and petted Shiba.

“...I hired her. That kindergarten was private, so it can’t be reopened anyway.”

“Oh, really? I thought you’d go to another kindergarten.”

Her face looked much brighter than before.

It had been a week... maybe she had finished attending the family funerals.

She seemed to have sorted out her emotions to some extent, which was nice to see.

Hye-yeong brushed the back of her head and smiled awkwardly, as if she still couldn’t believe the situation.

“Originally... a friend recommended another place, so I was going to go there... but your wife.”

“Your wife? Ah....”

Jin Dallae must have made an attractive proposal.

But it was quite a big decision.

Even so, El Academy was technically abroad. She came to work in a place where she knew no one, not even her family.

“But still, it’s abroad. You just accepted?”

“They gave me a house and a good salary, hehe. And I wanted to see Shiba.”

Hye-yeong looked at Shiba with eyes full of affection.

A good salary? Just for that, you came abroad?

“You.”

-Whisper whisper.

Jin Dallae whispered various employment details into my ear.

In other words, she provided a house, a sufficient salary, insurance, and even a retirement bonus.

“It’s worth it.”

Even I thought it was not bad.

Moreover, meeting Shiba was the best employee benefit.

Somehow, Hye-yeong also ended up joining us.

She found a room nearby and would be commuting to our house.

There weren’t many Koreans around, but she could make friends if she wanted to.

‘...If I think about it, the students here are the best husband material.’

It could subtly be a turning point in life.

Of course, Hye-yeong was just petting and adoring Shiba rather than thinking about such things.

Once the contract period was over, she could return to the kindergarten.

She also seemed quite capable of handling housework.

I extended my hand to Hye-yeong for a handshake.

“Let me know if you’re uncomfortable... I feel a bit weird bragging with someone else’s money, but if you’re short on money, tell me.”

“Hehe. It’s okay.”

“Feel free to speak comfortably... You’re older than me.”

“Just call you Lee Siheon?”

Is that comfortable?

That’s fine.

As we exchanged greetings, a growling sound came from Shiba’s stomach.

At that sight, a smile simultaneously appeared on the faces of all three of us.

“Let’s go eat.”

The great thing about the house location was that there were many shops and restaurants nearby.

Even if we only ate out for a week, we could eat different menus every day.

Still, on the moving day, it was right to do that.

Jajangmyeon and tangsuyuk.

As we left our new house, we headed to a Chinese restaurant, chatting about trivial things.

Shiba liked tangsuyuk a lot.

“Pyee!”