Chapter 52
After the vacation period ended, I became an official C-rank hero of the Association.
This means that aspects of my pay, like performance bonuses, improved significantly.
"Ah, has it finally come? My era."
As I was putting on airs in the living room, the children shouted angrily.
"Dad, you're embarrassing!"
"I wish you'd stop now, Dad. It's hard to watch."
That's too much. Even if I'm treated like this at home, I'm such a great hero outside.
Anyway.
Since I became a C-rank hero, I got a lot more assigned tasks compared to my D-rank days. Among them, the most frequently assigned task was related to dimensional gates.
"Dad, there's another phone call."
"Is it the Association again?"
"Yeah."
It's good to have a lot of work, but isn't this too much?
I answered the phone Suryeon handed me.
"Hello."
-Hero Ha-jun Lee. A C-rank dimensional gate has appeared in Area 07. Please move quickly after confirming the text message.
"Yes, yes..."
Click-
The call ended with those words. I got up to prepare for a quick departure.
"Ugh, I need to get ready to go."
Then, Suryeon asked with her usual expressionless face.
"Dad, are you going to work today too?"
"Yeah, I got a call, so I need to go."
"Then when will you be back?"
"Probably around evening."
"Exactly what time?"
"At the earliest 9 PM, at the latest 10 PM."
Frown-
Suryeon frowned, seemingly unhappy with the return time.
"...Dad, I think you've been coming home late too often lately."
"That's true, but what can I do? Work has been pouring in lately."
You have to row when the tide is in. I made eye contact with Suryeon, who looked full of complaints, and I tried to soothe her as gently as possible.
"I'll be back soon. Wait while playing with the others."
"...It seems like Dad always just tells us to wait."
Smile-
I smiled at Suryeon without saying anything and headed outside. The children were waving at me as I left.
"Come back before I get hungry!"
"...Go."
"Take care, Father!"
Take care, and the children waving at me.
I thought to myself as I looked at them.
'Come to think of it, I've always been telling them to wait.'
It hurts my heart a little. But to pay off debts and move to a better environment, it can't be helped. Our current house doesn't even have a single window.
"It would be nice if the kids could do something to pass the time while waiting."
I wonder if there's a way.
I headed to the location written in the text message while pondering this.
To return home quickly, because a guardian should always be with children.
***
Busy days continued constantly. On a peaceful day without any calls, I came to the playground with the children.
"Ugh, the sun is so bright! How long has it been since I've seen light!"
"Even after coming out after so long, this place is still the same."
"No, it's not! Look around! The plants have grown a lot!"
Maybe because it had been a while since we came out, the children were very excited.
"Alright, have fun playing in the playground!"
I let the children loose in the playground and sat on a bench to watch. My body was tired from too much work.
"Ah, no matter how I think about it, C-rank dimensions are too much. They're just too wide."
There are no magical beasts rushing at me because of the dragon smell. But the dimension itself is wide, so it takes a long time, and finding the dimensional core is physically exhausting.
"I'm earning good money, but the time I spend with the children is also decreasing..."
Lee Ha-jun. Is this really okay?
I sat quietly on the bench, resting and pondering about dragon parenting methods.
"Hmm... If only there was somewhere I could leave them during the time I'm not here... The perception inhibition magic time is increasing too..."
Hmm.
As I was pondering this, Choryeon approached me while playing and held out her hand.
"Father, play with me!"
Stretch-
Choryeon smiled brightly and held out her hand.
I looked at that small hand and thought.
'...Right, it has been a while since we played together. I should play with her.'
I took Choryeon's small hand. Then, Choryeon led me running to the playground.
"Hehe! Father, I want to ride the seesaw! Let's ride together!"
"Okay, let's do what you want, Choryeon."
"Yes! I like that too!"
I got on the seesaw, following Choryeon's lead.
Then, Suryeon quietly got on the seesaw too, somewhat surreptitiously. It seemed she secretly wanted to play with me too.
I asked Suryeon and Choryeon who was sitting in front of me.
"By the way, where did Hwaryeon go?"
"Don't know, she's probably playing well on her own. Hwaryeon always does things her own way."
"That's right! Hwaryeon must be doing well on her own! Because she's the oldest!"
Suryeon and Choryeon showed unlimited trust in Hwaryeon. It seems more like they just couldn't be bothered rather than trust, though.
Anyway.
I could hear Hwaryeon's excited voice from nearby. It seemed she was playing well on her own.
"Let's just play by ourselves. If she needs help, Hwaryeon will come on her own."
"Mm-hmm, that's right, Dad."
"That's right, Father!"
And so, I had fun riding the seesaw with the children, putting aside my worries for a moment.
Because there are different priorities, after all.
***
The King of the Playground.
Hwaryeon had a long-awaited meeting with her subordinates.
As soon as the subordinates saw Hwaryeon's face, they immediately started praising her.
"Emperor of the Playground! God of the Playground! King God General Emperor Admiral Majesty-"
"Shut up! Don't use difficult words!"
"Ah, yes! Understood!"
Thud-
Hwaryeon's subordinates quickly knelt down. Hwaryeon crossed her arms, satisfied.
"Hmph, I may not be your leader, but that looks very good!"
However...
"You there! Why aren't you kneeling?"
Only one child wasn't kneeling. That child glared at Hwaryeon and confidently shouted.
"I won't kneel. I haven't lost yet!"
The identity of this kid was Gu Mingu, the dethroned king.
Hwaryeon laughed mockingly at Gu Mingu, who was still full of competitive spirit.
"Hmph, you can't beat me no matter how hard you try! Why do you keep trying to match me? Listen well! You're human! And I'm!"
"You're?"
"I'm! Umm..."
A dragon.
Dad said not to tell other people we're dragons.
Hwaryeon thought for a moment and came up with the best answer.
"I'm Dad's daughter! So you can't beat me!"
Thump-!
Hwaryeon declared confidently. However, Gu Mingu's spirit wasn't about to be broken. Rather, Hwaryeon's statement triggered his inferiority complex.
"...Are you making fun of me for not having a dad?"
"Huh?"
"I'm right, aren't I! I don't have a dad! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
"I didn't!"
"You did! I'm right! Sh*t!"
Sh*t?
What does that mean?
Hwaryeon didn't know what it meant, but she realized that Gu Mingu was angry.
"If you're angry, come at me! Win by fighting!"
"Y-You think I'm scared?! Here I come!"
"You still haven't come to your senses!"
Tsk tsk-
Hwaryeon clicked her tongue at the charging Gu Mingu, and Hwaryeon's subordinates did the same.
"Our boss can't be beaten. It's a waste of time."
"Mingu will soon be kneeling too. It's the law of nature. He can't beat the boss."
No one expected Mingu to win. The only one expecting Mingu's victory was Mingu himself, who was charging with his fist extended.
"Aaah! I will never lose!!"
Mingu shouted like a manga protagonist and extended his fist. The speed of that fist was faster and sharper than before.
"Hmph, looks like you've been training!"
But.
That speed wasn't enough to hit Hwaryeon. Hwaryeon gently dodged the fist to the side and tripped him.
Thud-
"Ouch!"
"My fist is too good to waste on you!"
No matter how hard he trained, Mingu couldn't beat Hwaryeon. Hwaryeon's subordinates whispered as they looked at Mingu lying on the ground.
"Ah, he lost after all."
"The difference in class can't be bridged."
"It was inevitable, like clothes getting wet in a drizzle."
What's with these guys?
Hwaryeon shouted loudly at such subordinates.
"Shut up! Who do you think you are!"
"Ah, the boss is angry."
"Run away!"
Pitter-patter-
The subordinates immediately distanced themselves from Hwaryeon. Hwaryeon was dumbfounded by her subordinates' behavior.
"Who made me your boss?! I told you I don't want to be your boss!"
Grin- Grin-
Hwaryeon shouted at her subordinates. However, the subordinates didn't listen to Hwaryeon at all.
"You'll die if I catch you!"
"It hurts so much..."
Slowly-
While Hwaryeon was momentarily distracted, Mingu, who had been face-down on the ground, got up. Mingu's face was covered in dirt, and his nose was bleeding again.
"Pfft-! What's that!"
Hwaryeon burst into laughter at the sight.
"Hahaha-! You look so funny! You're a sand-nosebleed monster!"
"D-Don't laugh."
Mingu immediately hardened his face, brushed off the sand, and wiped his nosebleed on his clothes. Nevertheless, Hwaryeon's hearty laughter showed no signs of stopping. Hwaryeon held her stomach and laughed openly.
"Bwahaha-! So funny! You're like a comedian I saw on TV!"
"N-No, I'm not!"
Ugh-
Mingu's face turned red with wounded pride. Tears of frustration were about to flow. However, a rough hand landed on Mingu's head as he was about to burst into tears.
"Men don't cry."
Plop-
The rough hand on Mingu's head. Mingu knew well who that hand belonged to.
"Teacher Bong-gu!"
"Yes, it's me. By the way. Is that girl the new kid you mentioned?"
"Yes, teacher! She hit me!"
Loan shark Gu Bong-gu, and Kindergarten teacher Gu Bong-gu.
As Gu Bong-gu, who was working two jobs, appeared, Gu Mingu's spirit noticeably rose.
"Ha, you're dead now! Teacher Bong-gu is here! Get ready to be hit!"
Hwaryeon paid no attention to Mingu and just stared at Gu Bong-gu.
"You're ugly! But Bong-gu? Gu Bong-gu? I've heard that name somewhere..."
Who was it?
I've heard it somewhere.
Hwaryeon didn't have a particularly good memory.
Gu Bong-gu stood in front of Hwaryeon.
"I haven't seen your face around here before. Where did you come from?"
"I came from home!"
"Home? Where's your home?"
"Over there!"
Hwaryeon pointed in the direction of her home.
Happiness Villa where Hwaryeon lives is in that direction, but it was hidden by an abandoned building. Gu Bong-gu slightly misunderstood her answer.
"...Are you living in that abandoned building? But you look too clean for that."
"What abandoned building! Of course I'm clean! I bathe every day!"
"Is there a place to bathe in that building?"
"Of course!"
Puff-
Hwaryeon answered confidently. At that moment, Gu Bong-gu was convinced.
'She must be a street child. She found a decent building, but I can't leave her on the street. I should take her in.'
Gu Bong-gu looked at Hwaryeon and said.
"You must have had a hard time."
"What?"
"I'll take you to a good place."
Stretch-
Gu Bong-gu reached out his hand towards Hwaryeon's head. Hwaryeon saw the hand reaching for her head and thought.
'How dare you try to touch my head?! Who do you think you are?!'
Roar-!
Hwaryeon immediately bit Gu Bong-gu's hand.
"Aagh-!!"
"How dare you try to touch me!?"
Growl-
Hwaryeon bit Gu Bong-gu's hand and wouldn't let go. The more she held on, the louder Gu Bong-gu's screams became, and eventually, the sound reached Ha-jun's ears.
"What on earth is that noise!"
And so, when Ha-jun arrived, he saw…
"Grrr-!"
"Let go! You little brat!"
The scene of Hwaryeon biting Gu Bong-gu's hand.
"What's this?"
Why are those two doing that?
It was the scene of a disaster.