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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: A Mother's Plea
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And so, after the commotion died down, the entrance ceremony officially began.
- The curriculum at Snow White Kindergarten is as follows. A total of twelve subjects will be taught until the completion of the program next February...
Kang-jun’s gaze was fixed on Seol-i, who was sitting far away, dressed in a yellow uniform, looking perfectly composed.
“She’s really all grown up…”
Kang Seong-hyeon, who had been silently watching Kang-jun, began to sort through the chaotic mess of thoughts in his head.
‘How on earth did I end up at the entrance ceremony for a child I’ve never even met, right after returning to the country….’
He had more than a few questions for Kang-jun, which was why he had no choice but to follow him.
‘Still, I never imagined he’d be the father of a child who looks to be four or five years old....’
Judging by his appearance, he looked to be in his early to mid-twenties at most.
‘He’s a complete enigma….’
Mixed in among the other parents, he just looked like a slightly younger father.
He certainly didn’t look like someone who could single-handedly suppress a Cataclysm-grade Gate.
‘And some of them even seemed to know the child….’
The girl had clearly called Iron Man Go Du-yeol ‘Big Uncle’ and Swift Sword Yun Hui-su ‘Auntie,’ and hadn’t she played happily with them?
Even the manager of a private bank, notorious for looking down on anyone who wasn't a high-value client, was completely at this child’s beck and call.
‘Just what….’
As Kang Seong-hyeon stared intently at Kang-jun’s profile, lost in a spiraling train of thought, Kang-jun glanced over at him.
He scowled slightly and asked in a growl-like tone.
“Hey, why are you staring at me so intensely?”
“Well, that’s…”
“Forget it. There must be a reason you followed me here.”
Kang-jun asked, his eyes still fixed ahead.
“What are you curious about?”
At his words, not only Kang Seong-hyeon but all the Hunters stationed there focused their attention on him.
“I’m curious about the ‘direction’ your power will take.”
The reason they had attended the entrance ceremony, following Kang-jun instead of immediately reporting the situation to the Bureau and focusing on their treatment, was this.
They needed to clearly identify whether Kang-jun, a man possessing immense power beyond any known scale, was a ‘friend’ or a ‘foe.’
“I’m not interested in playing hero.”
“Then…”
“My power will be used for my own selfish desires.”
At those words, the Hunters’ expressions instantly darkened.
“However.”
Kang-jun’s gaze shifted to the children gathered in the auditorium, who were already starting to play amongst themselves.
“Protecting the peace unfolding before my eyes is also part of my self-interest and selfish desires.”
Which meant…
“May I interpret that as you will continue to contribute to the peace of our country and the world?”
At Kang Seong-hyeon’s question, Kang-jun cleared his throat awkwardly, as if embarrassed. “Ahem, hem,” he coughed, then answered.
“Think whatever the hell you want.”
Then he added.
“But if you want my help.”
“Yes.”
“You’d better keep it a secret.”
Kang-jun added.
“I have no intention of stepping into the spotlight.”
It was then.
- We would like to once again thank all our distinguished guests for taking the time to be here. This concludes the Snow White Kindergarten entrance ceremony and orientation.
The entrance ceremony was over.
- Additionally, the ‘Play Facility’ in the main building will be open all day today, so anyone who wishes to use it, please feel free to…
At those words, Lee Su-bin approached Kang-jun, glanced around cautiously, and asked him tentatively.
“Kang-jun, are you busy?”
When Kang-jun shook his head and replied, “No,” Lee Su-bin continued in a careful tone.
“It seems like we can use the play facility today. I was thinking, why don’t we let Seol-i play for a bit before we go home?”
Kang-jun replied breezily.
“Sure, she’d love that.”
He then waved to Seol-i in the distance and continued in a gentle voice.
“Seol-i, let’s go play!”
At that, Seol-i shouted, “Yay, this is fun!” and immediately ran to Kang-jun, throwing herself into his arms.
The Hunters who were staring blankly at the scene all recalled what ‘The Filial Son, Kim Bong-gu’ had said inside the Cataclysm-grade Gate.
‘Yes, we’ll all make it back alive anyway.’
‘I guarantee it. No one will lose their life.’
‘Of all days, tomorrow just happens to be Seol-i’s kindergarten entrance ceremony.’
Only now could they understand the meaning behind his words.
The existence of this father and daughter would be the weight that maintained peace.
It was the truth.
“Graaaaaah!”
Go Du-yeol’s monstrous roar echoed through the play facility located in a corner of the kindergarten’s main building.
Children swarmed him from all sides, kicking him relentlessly.
“Hiyah, let’s defeat the octopus monster!”
“Everyone, attack!”
“We can beat him if we work together!”
Seol-i was no different.
“Hiyah! Hiyah!”
Mixed in with the other children her age, she was busy throwing her tiny, clenched fists at Go Du-yeol’s stomach.
Kang-jun sat in the cafeteria on one side of the play facility, leisurely savoring his coffee as he watched Seol-i.
‘This is relaxing.’
Meanwhile, his sister, Lee Su-bin, seemed to have already befriended other parents, as she was lost in conversation.
Just then.
Kang-jun glanced at Yun Hui-su, who was standing a few steps away, hesitating, and asked with a look of curiosity.
“Is there something you want to say?”
“No, it’s just…”
“Why are you still standing here?”
Except for Bong-gu and Go Du-yeol, who were already close to Kang-jun, everyone else had left in a hurry as soon as the ceremony ended.
But for some reason, Yun Hui-su hadn’t left. She had remained behind and even followed them to the play facility.
“It’s distracting. Just sit down.”
As Kang-jun finished speaking and gestured with his chin, Bong-gu personally pulled out a chair for her.
“Thank you…”
Just as Yun Hui-su, who had replied with an awkward tone, cautiously took the empty seat.
“I noticed earlier that you seem quite skilled at handling children.”
Kang-jun, who had initiated the conversation, added.
“Come to think of it, last time too…”
The day the Cataclysm-grade Gate had appeared in Insadong, she had definitely taken a candy from her handbag and given it to Seol-i.
“Do you have a sweet tooth?”
“No.”
“I thought I saw you carrying candy.”
After mumbling, “It’s just…,” Yun Hui-su answered with a somewhat sad look in her eyes.
“Kids like them, you know.”
“You must like children.”
After replying with a quiet “Yes…” in a barely audible voice, Yun Hui-su brought up the main topic in a tone that felt heavy.
“The truth is, I used to have a daughter.”
Kang-jun repeated, “Used to have?”
The way she ended her sentence in the past tense bothered him.
“My Hyesu was about Seol-i’s age, too. She had just discovered the joy of talking and would chatter away excitedly whenever she had the chance…”
At those words, as Kang-jun pictured Seol-i, who would grab his sleeve every day and pour out a torrent of words.
He started to feel a strange illusion, as if a damp moisture was suddenly seeping into Yun Hui-su’s elegant voice.
“She looked just like an angel when she was asleep…”
Her eyes reddened.
“Her smile was so pretty…”
Her emotions intensified.
“She was such a lovely child…”
“Did you lose her?”
“Yes, because of a Gate.”
At those words, Kang-jun stared silently at Yun Hui-su’s face.
Her demeanor was a far cry from the image he had seen in the media.
She was the Hunter who ranked first in the Gate subjugation contribution assessment every year. The image the media had created was that of a cold-blooded empress, devoid of blood or tears.
Someone who acted as if she were born to slaughter monsters at every turn…
“So you had a wound like that.”
He then recalled her image from the Cataclysm-grade Gate, when everyone had been in a panic, how she alone had rallied her comrades.
He remembered how she hadn’t lost her will to fight, even when it looked difficult for her to even hold her sword, let alone swing it.
“So your driving force was sorrow.”
At his words, Yun Hui-su wiped away her tears and replied.
“I’m not so sure.”
Kang-jun then answered in his usual gruff manner.
“That must suck.”
And then he said again.
“That must really fucking suck.”
For some reason, Yun Hui-su found that incredibly blunt response to be the warmest comfort and empathy she could imagine.
There are times like that.
Moments when a short, sincere phrase shakes the heart more violently than words adorned with all sorts of embellishments and flowery language.
This was one of those moments.
Yun Hui-su wiped the tears welling in her eyes with a swipe of her hand and began to speak in a quiet voice.
“I’ve buried her in my heart now.”
At her words, Kang-jun took a sip of his coffee and replied.
“You’re a bad liar.”
Just then, she spoke again.
“There’s something I’d like to ask you.”
Kang-jun gestured with his chin for her to speak…
“If the Cataclysm-grade Gate in New Delhi was truly a place where the dead gathered…”
She continued in a stoic tone.
“Is there a chance Hyesu is somewhere in there?”
Kang-jun replied.
“No.”
In the Abyss, besides the ‘Spring of Eternal Rest’ that he had come to rule, there were surely many other underworlds.
It was impossible for anyone to be certain which underworld her deceased daughter might be in.
“Will I never be able to see Hyesu again…?”
Her voice began to tremble violently.
Her once-neat attire was now disheveled…
A few strands of hair had escaped from her tightly bound ponytail.
“It would probably be difficult.”
It might not be an absolutely impossible task.
After all, he had a means of traveling to and from the ‘underworld.’
‘If I ride Naglfar back to the underworld and find a passage connecting to other underworlds, I might be able to figure something out, but…’
Even if he searched every underworld with a fine-tooth comb, there was no guarantee he could find her.
Worse, he had no idea what her daughter might look like in the underworld.
‘If she has a hideous form like the dead of Niflheim, it might be better for them not to meet again…’
It was a task that would require an excessive amount of time and effort, with no guarantee of a positive outcome.
“Just think of it as impossible.”
Kang-jun answered firmly, then added.
“It’s impossible to do on your own, anyway.”
It was a rather unfortunate story, but he judged that it wasn’t his place to meddle.
Since he couldn’t grant everyone’s wishes, it was a conclusion made with ‘fairness’ in mind.
“Please, I beg you, if you could just help me this one time…”
Just as Yun Hui-su, who was trying to say something more, covered her face with her hands and began to sob quietly, her shoulders shaking.
“Haa, Seol-i is tired…”
Seol-i returned at just the right moment…
“Auntie, why are you crying…?”
As Seol-i began to pat Yun Hui-su’s back, her sobs grew even louder.
“Are you crying because Papa won’t help you?”
Seol-i then looked at Kang-jun…
“Papaaa…”
At her call, Kang-jun muttered, “I can’t…”
“Can’t you help Auntie?”
Kang-jun pressed a hand to his forehead and answered in a low voice.
“Okay, I’ll help…”
And then he added.
“I’ll help with everything I’ve got…”
After all, the authority to make the decision was Seol-i’s.
