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.

There would be more responsibilities in the future.

This time ended cleanly, but there's no guarantee that Shiba wouldn't experience such things again.

To put it bluntly, she could be kidnapped.

So, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

'…If Shiba really looks like she's having a hard time,'

I was happy to be her dad.

But being by her father's side could make her unhappy.

In that case, for a while, somewhere far away.

Entrusting her to Jin Dallae or someone similar until things were settled might not be a bad idea.

A normal life was something Shiba needed.

It's too much for a child to always face the disappearance of her father and be exposed to such dangers.

[ 'World Tree of Purity' looks at you desperately. ]

Confirming the reaction of the World Tree of Purity lifted my spirits.

'Damn it. If you had done something properly, this wouldn't have happened.'

[ 'World Tree of Purity' is silent. ]

'Useless woman.'

[ 'World Tree of Purity' exited the room crying. ]

To put it simply, that was it.

I was a father for the first time.

While I understood many things, I didn't know what the best choice was.

There was no father figure to learn from.

My mother was also awkward in giving love.

Killing someone was easy… wasn't that strange?

I had changed a lot too.

"…You."

"Yeah?"

Did Jin Dallae have the same thoughts as me?

She looked at me with a determined expression.

"Shiba… I don't think sending her to an outside kindergarten is a good idea."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"So, um…"

Jin Dallae hugged Shiba and looked around nervously.

"Do you remember what I said last time?"

Ah… did she mean about living together?

Jin Dallae nodded at my question.

"Given the situation… let's live together. It would make me feel more at ease."

I needed someone who could protect Shiba when I wasn't around.

Kindergarten was solely for educational purposes.

It's a bit regrettable that she couldn't develop social skills… but it couldn't be helped.

A week passed.

Somehow, things turned out this way. Jin Dallae must have thought about this plan for several days.

Before I even brought it up, she had already chosen the best house and prepared my dormitory resignation form.

"Sign, sign! You just need to sign."

"…Why are you so excited?"

"I don't know. Hehe."

The excitement on her face was no illusion.

There were plenty of houses near the academy. There was no need to go far, and we could find a house nearby.

Since El Academy itself was more like an academy town than just an academy, many people lived here for running convenience stores or simple shops.

Of course, there were also plenty of houses and vacant rooms.

So, I ended up leaving the dormitory.

I moved to a new place with Shiba and Jin Dallae.

"Anyway, when the Forester Selection Competition starts, you'll be going far."

"Since we don't have much time, we should move quickly."

At the time when the sun was highest, Jin Dallae, who had linked arms with me in excitement, smiled.

Her pink hair, bathed in light, was completely different from the dull hair she had when she was taking psychiatric medication.

Did her appearance change with her mood and condition?

Her skin, white as jade, shone like that of a young child, similar to Shiba's.

She didn't even use the common sunscreen but still had such skin.

"Here we are."

The house we arrived at was neither big nor small.

With three rooms, a kitchen, a living room, a separate bathroom, and a restroom… it was a house typical of a middle-class family.

When we entered, the furniture was already in place.

We only needed to bring our clothes and belongings.

"Let's move the dorm stuff tomorrow… Oh, and we need to find a teacher for Shiba."

"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!"