An incoming call beeped on Ae-Kyung’s smartphone on Thursday morning at 6:30 AM.
Still half-asleep, Ae-Kyung reached groggily for her phone on the nightstand next to the bed, squinting at the screen. She tapped the answer button and held the phone to her ear.
The moment she heard that deep, resonant voice, marked by the passage of time, her eyes flew open. It was impossible to forget despite not hearing it for over ten years.
It was her father’s voice.
Ae-Kyung pulled the phone away from her ear to check the caller, but it came from an unknown number. She took a quick, sharp breath in surprise when she saw the face of a man in his mid-fifties on the screen.
In her half-asleep state, she had answered a video call, not a regular one.
Just as she was about to quickly press the end call button, her father spoke again.
—Who’s the man beside you?
In the SG Group Chairman’s Office, a man in his fifties leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The luxurious, mother-of-pearl nameplate on his desk read “Chairman Moon Gwang-Ho.”
With over twenty subsidiaries in electronics, chemicals, and telecommunications, SG Group was a company even a passing three-year-old would recognize. That same company’s chairman, Gwang-Ho, had experienced quite a shock early that morning.
Sitting on his desk was a small picture frame with a photo of a teenage girl—his daughter, Ae-Kyung. Inside the desk drawer was a scrapbook filled with articles about her.
When the peaceful world was first struck by Fissures ten years ago, everyone gained a Status Window, and a select few Awakened with unique powers. In this era of rampant monsters, those Awakened could hunt the monsters spilling out of the Fissures, and the world came to call them the First Hunters.
Ae-Kyung, who had never even killed a fly in her life, was one of those who awakened.
She was his precious daughter, raised with utmost care and affection, someone he would cherish more than anything in all his life. Yet, after awakening, she declared she would live as a Hunter, hunting monsters from that day forward.
Of course, Gwang-Ho was firmly opposed.
He’d pleaded with her, asking why she wanted to risk her life when so many others could do it. He urged her to grow safely under his care and lead the SG Group in the future.
Gwang-Ho remembered what his daughter had said then. “I’m sorry, Father. I...”
When she turned fifteen, Ae-Kyung moved out.
Do-Jun sipped his coffee while scrolling through the news on his smartphone. A breakfast spread of toast, bacon, and a garden salad topped with a hard-boiled egg was laid on the table.
Byeol was still sound asleep on the bed, and Ae-Kyung sat across from Do-Jun, quietly eating her toast.
Ae-Kyung peeked at Do-Jun, who was engrossed in his smartphone. She stole a glance at him for about three seconds before their eyes met, and she quickly looked away, sipping her coffee as if nothing had happened.
Do-Jun sighed and asked, “Is there something you want to say?”
“N-no, there’s nothing at all,” Ae-Kyung stuttered.
There was definitely something, and Do-Jun had a rough idea why she was hesitating.
Earlier in the morning, Ae-Kyung had quietly slipped out to the living room to take a call from a man. Though she hadn’t put it on speaker, Do-Jun, whose five senses were already on a Transcendent level, could hear even the faintest sounds if he chose. He had caught the entire conversation.
“It’s already been ten years. You should at least show your face. That’s your duty as a child...”
From what he gathered, Ae-Kyung hadn’t seen her parents in a decade. She must have had her reasons. He also had no intention of meddling in someone else’s family matters.
After finishing his coffee, Do-Jun stood up from the table and said, “Alright, then, I’m off.”
“Have a good day...” Unlike usual, Ae-Kyung’s response was subdued.
Sighing, Do-Jun set his briefcase down and sat back at the table. Ae-Kyung, who had assumed he was heading straight out the door, looked a little startled.
“Hunter Ae-Kyung,” Do-Jun said.
“If you have something on your mind, feel free to share it. I’ll listen.”
“Don’t worry about it...”
She looked away, glancing up at the wall clock. It was already 8:20 AM. If she held him up any longer, Do-Jun would likely be late for work. She didn’t intend to burden Do-Jun with her problem and would feel guilty if he were late just because he took time to listen to her.
“I see. Alright, I’ll really be on my way, then.” Do-Jun rose from his seat and walked to the entrance to put on his shoes.
Ae-Kyung followed him to see him off.
Do-Jun opened the front door and paused for a moment. He turned back to Ae-Kyung and said, “If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here. See you later.”
The door closed behind him, and his footsteps grew distant.
Ae-Kyung checked her father's text message, asking her to bring her boyfriend along. Her father had seen Do-Jun’s face briefly during the video call. Perhaps because they had been in bed together, he had mistaken him for her boyfriend.
While working, Do-Jun glanced at his phone to check a new message from Ae-Kyung.
Moon Ae-Kyung: Are you busy, Supervisor Lee?
Do-Jun: I’m free at the moment.
Moon Ae-Kyung: Would it be alright to ask you a favor...?
Do-Jun: Yes, of course.
He answered positively without hesitation. After all, she had accepted his absurd suggestion to live together for four days, took care of the household, and prepared meals while Yoon-Hee was away.
Taking care of a young child was no easy task, yet she had looked after Byeol without a word of complaint.
Doing her a small favor was nothing.
Ae-Kyung didn’t reply until thirty minutes later.
Moon Ae-Kyung: Are you really sure?
Moon Ae-Kyung: When do you finish work today?
Moon Ae-Kyung: Then... would you mind listening to my problem when you get back?
When Do-Jun went home in the evening, Ae-Kyung didn’t waste much time explaining the problem to Do-Jun.
“And that’s how it happened. I’m really sorry,” Ae-Kyung apologized and lowered her head.
After organizing his thoughts, Do-Jun spoke up. “There’s no need for you to apologize. This all started because of me in the first place.”
From bringing Byeol into his life to asking Ae-Kyung to stay with him for four days and act as Byeol’s mother—it had all been Do-Jun’s unilateral decision. If there was anything Ae-Kyung could blame herself for, it would be accepting Do-Jun’s absurd request.
Ae-Kyung explained her situation.
“In fact, I stay in touch with my mother pretty often. My father also hears about me from her, and since Behemoth is frequently mentioned on the news and TV, he has some idea of how I’m doing. He used to be strongly against me being a Hunter, but according to my mother, he’s lately come around... The issue, though, is...”
Do-Jun’s gaze rested on Byeol, who was sleeping soundly in his arms.
“Did they mention anything about Byeol?” he asked.
“No... Thankfully, I don’t think he saw her,” Ae-Kyung said, sighing as she fidgeted with her fingers.
Seeing this, Do-Jun spoke calmly. “I think there are two possible ways to handle this. The first is to be honest and tell him that he’s mistaken, that I’m not your boyfriend. Of course, explaining why we were sharing a bed would be a bit tricky, but we’ll just have to deal with that.”
Ae-Kyung still had to have a future with someone, so it would be best to set things straight now.
Ae-Kyung smiled bitterly. It was the obvious answer, but perhaps because of the short-lived family play they had engaged in for a few days, she couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed.
“And the second option is...” Do-Jun continued to explain his thoughts.
Upon hearing them, Ae-Kyung’s eyes widened in shock. She hesitantly asked, “That... isn’t that too honest?”
“We’ll tweak it a little, of course,” Do-Jun replied with a smirk.
An hour later, the three stood in front of a house in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu. The house clearly had a high value, likely worth over 40 billion won based on official land prices alone.
Do-Jun straightened his tie and checked his reflection in the roadside mirror. His hair was neatly combed back, and he wore a clean suit and polished shoes. He carried an expensive liquor made from mana stone extract.
A man in a black suit, who appeared to be a staff member, came to escort them.
They entered through the gate and followed the man. They passed by a pond with a few koi fish and eventually reached the entrance to the house.
Another suited man spoke briefly into the intercom by the front door, then opened it and said, “Please.”
The two men bowed respectfully to Ae-Kyung as she entered.
Inside, the interior was surprisingly simple. There were no paintings in elaborate frames on the walls nor chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, as one might expect from a drama scene.
“This is gwempa’s house?” Byeol asked, looking around curiously while nestled in Do-Jun’s arms.
Watching her, Ae-Kyung bit her lips together, wondering if bringing Byeol along had been the right choice. She couldn’t even imagine how angry her father might get.
They walked down the hall and into the living room.
Gwang-Ho had been sitting on the sofa. He rose to greet them as Ae-Kyung entered the living room but froze instantly.
The man standing next to Ae-Kyung was certainly, as he had guessed, her boyfriend. However, what baffled him more was the little girl, around two or three years old, in the man’s arms.
“It’s been a while, Father,” Ae-Kyung said, breaking the silence.
“H-hmm? Oh, yes, you’ve grown,” Gwang-Ho replied, snapping out of the shock.
For someone who was seeing his daughter in person for the first time in ten years, Gwang-Ho’s reaction was surprisingly calm. Internally, he was overcome with intense emotions, but something even more surprising caught his attention.
Slowly, Gwang-Ho’s gaze shifted to Do-Jun. He knew it was polite to introduce himself first, but there was no room in his mind for such formality at the moment.
“Are you... my Ae-Kyung’s boyfriend?” he asked.
Then, his gaze fell slightly, noticing the child's innocent eyes looking back at him.
Byeol was the one who answered Gwang-Ho’s question. “He’s not.”
“He’s... not...?” Gwang-Ho echoed her.
Moon Gwang-Ho clutched his neck and collapsed.
Once Gwang-Ho had calmed down, Do-Jun explained the situation to him.
He altered the story slightly, omitting the fact that Byeol was a mythical creature from the Core. He explained that he had found a baby crying in a Fissure during a job, and from that moment, Byeol recognized him and Ae-Kyung as mom and dad. So, they had been living together for a few days out of necessity.
Gwang-Ho looked at the kitchen and saw Ae-Kyung brewing tea with his wife, Kim Jung-Sook, while Byeol watched them in fascination.
“Gwemma, what’s that?” Byeol asked Jung-Sook.
“Hoho, it’s lotus leaf tea,” Jung-Sook replied in a grandmotherly fashion.
Watching this scene, Gwang-Ho sighed deeply. “You said your name was Lee Do-Jun, correct?”
“And you’ve asked my daughter to act as that child’s mother until tomorrow.”
“That’s right. After tomorrow, there won’t be any more requests . There’s a person who’s coming back tomorrow who can take care of her.”
Yoon-Hee, Yong-Yong, and Karsiel were returning from their trip the next day. Do-Jun planned to leave Byeol in Karsiel’s care during working hours so he wouldn’t need to ask for Ae-Kyung’s help anymore.
Just then, Byeol approached Gwang-Ho, holding out her small palm, which contained three different tea bags.
“Gwempa, which one do you want? Gwemma said to pick one.”
Gwang-Ho was dumbstruck.
Byeol tilted her head and added, “If you don’t say, you won’t get any.”
Feeling his heart skip a beat, Gwang-Ho cleared his throat and murmured to Do-Jun, “My daughter is at an age where she should be getting married...”