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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: First Day at Daycare
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It was on the cusp of dawn and morning, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, that Kang-jun finished his work and returned home.
“Hoo…”
Letting out a deep sigh, Kang-jun immediately slumped onto the living room sofa, gazing out the window to sort through his thoughts.
Though he didn’t show it, the words he had heard from Hades just as the Netherworld conference concluded kept replaying in his mind, leaving him unsettled.
“Several gods from the great constellation ‘Asgard,’ which stands in opposition to you, are moving to awaken and bring forth the disaster slumbering there.”
What if everything Hades had hinted at, supposedly as a favor, was true?
What if they were truly after his title, ‘■■■,’ and planned to awaken something called a disaster to bring it forth…
“It’s going to be another mess…”
Muttering to himself, Kang-jun scanned the scenery unfolding beyond the window.
It was a peaceful, everyday scene that clashed jarringly with an ominous word like ‘disaster.’
Garbage trucks were diligently making their rounds, collecting trash left out in the nearby alleys…
And he could occasionally spot people who had started their commute a little earlier than most.
Even as he took in the view, Hades’s words echoed in his mind.
“The disaster slumbering in that dimension is known by the epithet ‘Disaster Wrought by Time,’ but I know its true name.”
“Even for one such as yourself, you will not be able to handle ‘it’ easily, but the story might change if you know its true name.”
Hadn’t Hades said that a day might come when his help would be needed, and that he expected no reward for the favor he was offering?
That meant Hades was by no means ignorant of the power he possessed…
And yet, the fact that he had described this disaster as a formidable being that even Kang-jun himself couldn't handle was what particularly bothered him.
“Is it really true…?”
Could an enemy he couldn't defeat truly exist?
Not even the strongest of foes had lasted more than a few dozen exchanges with him.
For that reason, he couldn’t imagine it right now.
“Its true name is…”
He recalled the last words Hades had told him.
“The Abandoned—”
Just then, the bedroom door swung open, and Lee Su-bin walked out, her face still drowsy as if she had just woken up.
“Kang-jun, when did you get in?”
“Not long ago.”
“What are you doing sitting on the sofa?”
“Just watching some TV…”
At that, Lee Su-bin crossed her arms and casually asked.
“With the power off?”
When Kang-jun muttered a low, “Ah…,” Lee Su-bin asked carefully, her tone feeling quite serious.
“Kang-jun, are you hiding something from me?”
Despite her sharp observation, Kang-jun dismissed her words with a curt, “Of course not.”
But Lee Su-bin, still unable to shake her suspicion, simply continued to watch him in silence.
“Hmph…”
Just as an awkward silence descended upon the living room, the sound of a door creaking open echoed once more…
“Dada!”
Seol-i came toddling out, rubbing her still half-closed eyes with her tiny hands.
She immediately approached with her arms wide open, nestled right into Kang-jun’s embrace, and said in a low voice.
“I missed you…”
Kang-jun gently stroked Seol-i’s hair and asked back.
“But you saw me before you went to sleep last night?”
“I missed you even while I was sleeping…”
Finishing her words, Seol-i gave a small smile with her eyes barely open, forcing Kang-jun to clutch his chest and let out a pained, “Ugh.”
“Anyway, Kang-jun, you haven’t had breakfast yet, right?”
“Right.”
“I’ll whip something up, so can you get Seol-i ready?”
When Kang-jun asked, “Ready?” Lee Su-bin tilted her head and replied.
“Today is Seol-i’s first day at daycare.”
At her words, Kang-jun muttered under his breath.
“Ah, right…”
Today was the big day.
* * *
Dressed neatly from head to toe in a yellow daycare uniform reminiscent of a little chick, Seol-i declared with an air of confidence.
“Seol-i is four years old now.”
She folded her short, stubby fingers to count her age again before adding.
“That’s wight, four years old.”
“Yep, you’re four.”
“I’m not scawed at all.”
Then she added.
“I can go to daycare and not cry.”
“Oh, really?”
“Uh-huh, ’cause Seol-i’s a big sister.”
Finishing her sentence, Seol-i puffed out her chest, tapped it twice, and exhaled through her nose.
“They said there will be babies younger than Seol-i at daycare!”
“Is that so?”
“Since Seol-i is a big sister, I can be brave and study hard before coming home!”
Finding her quite admirable, Kang-jun was smiling warmly when it happened.
The daycare’s shuttle bus appeared around the corner at the entrance of the villa’s alley…
“I think that’s the bus.”
Seeing it, Seol-i’s eyes began to tremble violently.
“Seol-i can do it…”
The moment she saw the daycare bus, the confident demeanor she had just displayed vanished without a trace.
Well, it was understandable…
He couldn’t help but worry that spending nearly half the day away from family at daycare might be too much for her.
“Seol-i can do it…”
Looking down at Seol-i, Kang-jun began to bite his thumb nail nervously.
‘What is this?’
It was an unfamiliar feeling.
Could it be…
Fear?
*Screeeech…*
Just then, the bus came to a stop…
“Hello, Seol-i!”
As soon as the door opened, Seol-i’s teacher, who looked to be in her early twenties, greeted her with a smile.
“Hewo…”
She then looked at Kang-jun and asked briefly.
“Seol-i’s father, we met at the orientation, but I’m not sure if you remember. I imagine you must be very worried since it’s her first day…”
At her words, Kang-jun nodded vigorously and replied.
“As you can see, I am extremely worried. Would it be alright if I just took her back home?”
The teacher, looking dumbfounded, reflexively asked, “Excuse me?”
Typically, parents would respond with, “Not at all,” or “Please take good care of her.”
“Dada, Seol-i can do it…”
Instead of the worried Kang-jun, it was Seol-i who pursed her lips and took a step toward the bus.
“I’m deeply concerned that you might be pushing yourself too hard.”
Watching the father and daughter, the teacher finally gathered her wits and replied with a forced smile.
“Sir, some children need an adjustment period. If Seol-i seems to be having a particularly hard time, we can give you a call around lunchtime.”
“Is that so…”
“Our Seol-i seems brave and courageous, so I think she’ll adapt well, but if by any chance she has trouble, we’ll contact you right away, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
Kang-jun reluctantly nodded. “I understand…” he replied, looking at Seol-i with pleading eyes.
“I will be back…”
With a stiff expression, Seol-i was lifted into the teacher’s arms and boarded the bus…
*Vrooooom…*
In an instant, it left Kang-jun standing alone, disappearing around the corner of the alley.
After standing frozen in place like a statue for a moment, Kang-jun let out a series of groans.
“This won’t do.”
He began walking toward the Snow White Daycare, the place Seol-i would now be attending every day.
* * *
Kang-jun headed straight for the Snow White Daycare and, with Kajan’s help, made his way to the control room, where he could monitor all the building’s CCTV cameras at a glance…
“Wait, zoom in.”
At Kang-jun’s command, the goblins guarding the control room skillfully operated the console pad controlling the CCTVs.
“Should we zoom in more?”
After replying, “Stop,” Kang-jun looked between the goblins and muttered under his breath.
“She’s smiling…”
Worried about Seol-i, he had commandeered a chair in the control room and had been watching her without taking his eyes off the screen.
But…
Fortunately, contrary to his fears, Seol-i seemed to be adapting quite well to the daycare routine, even on her first day.
Just then.
Kang-jun immediately pulled his smartphone from his pocket.
It had suddenly started vibrating intensely, signaling an incoming call.
[Seol-i’s Teacher.]
After confirming the caller, Kang-jun took a few deep breaths and carefully pressed the answer button…
— *Is this Seol-i’s father?*
“Yes, it is…”
— *This is Seol-i’s teacher.*
The teacher began, “The reason I’m calling is…” and got straight to the point.
— *Thankfully, Seol-i seems to be adjusting well to daycare life, so I called to put your mind at ease.*
“Is that so?”
— *She’s playing well with her friends and following along in class, but I think she still feels a little out of place.*
Kang-jun held the phone with both hands and asked in an urgent tone.
“Did something happen?”
“No, no,” the teacher replied, then continued to explain in a calm voice.
— *Just in case, I asked if any of the kids wanted to go home, and Seol-i subtly raised her hand too.*
“Should I come now?”
— *No, if you’re alright with her leaving now, we can send her to your home on the shuttle bus, so…*
“No, I’ll come.”
Kang-jun replied instantly, then added.
“No, I’m already here.”
After hanging up, Kang-jun burst out of the control room door and strode toward Seol-i’s classroom.
Through the window, Seol-i, who had been focused on her lesson, turned her head at the teacher’s call and looked toward the window where Kang-jun stood.
‘Dada!’
Seol-i moved her small mouth, saying something without sound, and waved her hand vigorously…
Finally feeling relieved, Kang-jun waved back in response.
Not long after, Seol-i gathered all her things and followed her teacher out of the classroom…
“Dada, Seol-i was vewy brave!”
Kang-jun immediately pulled her into a tight hug.
“Yes, you did a great job…”
The teacher, who had been watching the two with a blank expression, spoke in a gentle tone.
“You must have been very worried, sir.”
At her words, Kang-jun muttered, “Yes, as you can see…” and bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you for taking good care of her…”
It had been so long since he had used honorifics to express gratitude to someone that it felt like thorns were sprouting on his tongue.
The teacher quickly waved her hands. “Not at all,” she replied, then continued with a bright smile.
“She left earlier than the other kids today, but going forward, it would be good to try increasing her time here by an hour or two each day.”
“Yes, I will do as you say…”
“By the way, it seems Seol-i really trusts and follows you a lot. We actually did a simple ‘imagery exercise’ in class today, and the result was…”
Trailing off, she handed him a piece of paper.
“We asked the children a question about ‘love,’ and the teachers wrote down their answers.”
“Is that so?”
“But Seol-i’s answer was so wonderful that all the teachers were full of praise.”
She finished with another smile.
“In any case, I think Seol-i will be able to adapt just fine, so you can set your worries aside.”
Kang-jun bowed his head once more.
“Thank you, truly, truly, thank you…”
“Of course. Please get home safely…”
“We’ll see you again tomorrow…”
Seol-i followed Kang-jun’s lead and bowed to the teacher.
“Goodbye!”
As Kang-jun walked out of the daycare building, holding Seol-i’s hand tightly, he asked.
“Seol-i, how was daycare?”
Seol-i beamed and replied.
“It was fun! I made a friend!”
“Already?”
“Yep, her name is Banana!”
When Kang-jun repeated, “Banana?” Seol-i nodded her head vigorously.
“Yep, Banana!”
Just then, Kang-jun remembered the paper the teacher had given him and unfolded it to read the contents…
*Tap.*
He unknowingly stopped walking and looked down at Seol-i, who was walking beside him.
— *What is love?*
That was the question Seol-i had been asked…
— *When Daddy said my pigtails were pretty, wanting to wear my hair in pigtails every day… I think that’s love.*
And that was Seol-i’s answer.
“Dada, what’s wrong?”
Kang-jun suddenly thought of Yun Hui-su.
The image of her choking herself, saying she would end her own life in an instant if it meant she could be with her daughter, flashed through his mind.
Hadn’t she always told her daughter, like a habit, ‘Mommy can’t live without you’?
He felt like he now understood, down to his very bones, why she had habitually said those words to her daughter.
“Me too…”
Kang-jun added.
“I can’t live either.”
He had never once imagined a day would come when he would utter such cringeworthy words.
To dare.
For a being who couldn’t even die at will, the word ‘dare’ seemed to fit the situation perfectly.
Still, he felt like he couldn’t live.
Without this child…
It felt like he couldn’t live for even a single day.
Three massive wolves pulled an ornate carriage, racing across a vast expanse somewhere in the Abyss.
The giant wolf in the center, running with all its might and boasting a magnificent silver mane, was known by the true name ‘Fenrir.’
He was the eldest of the three children of the giant ‘Loki,’ the deity of Asgard whose lips had been sewn shut, and the brother of Jörmungandr and Hela.
The two wolves running in step to Fenrir’s left and right, with blue and red manes respectively, were Fenrir’s own children.
These two wolves were called ‘Hati’ and ‘Sköll’…
They were beings who, despite repeated failures, relentlessly chased after the sun and moon, seeking to devour them.
But not now.
They were pulling this carriage at the summons of their kin and master, the giant whose lips were sewn shut, ‘Loki.’
“Grrrrrrrrr…”
After running for several days and nights without a single break, they had finally arrived not far from their destination.
Loki, sitting inside the constantly rattling carriage, looked out the window and said.
“It seems we are almost there.”
At his words, the being made of a red, molten substance sitting across from Loki cautiously spoke.
“So it seems…”
Loki glanced at him and spoke casually.
“O Flame Giant who desires ruin.”
At Loki’s exceedingly polite address, the deity called the ‘Flame Giant Who Desires Ruin’ replied with a sly smile.
“You still insist on such a grand title.”
“Then…”
“Since we now share a common purpose…”
Trailing off, the giant added.
“I permit you to speak my true name.”
Loki nodded several times, swallowed dryly, and addressed the being again.
“Great Surtr…”
The deity ‘Surtr’ was, paradoxically, a being born to bring about the destruction of Asgard, the very constellation he belonged to.
He was the ruler of Muspelheim, the realm given to him and his fellow fire giants…
He was also a being who had bided his time, concealing his immense power and keeping his massive body coiled, all in preparation for his role on the prophesied day of Asgard’s destruction.
“What is it that you wish to know?”
At Surtr’s question, Loki replied.
“I am concerned whether the ‘Disaster Wrought by Time’ will move according to our will…”
Surtr replied.
“You need not worry.”
He continued, his tone filled with conviction.
“Do you know the true name of the ‘Disaster Wrought by Time’?”
“I am ashamed to say I know nothing of its true name…”
“The disaster’s true name is ‘The Abandoned ■■■.’”
Surtr shifted his gaze to the small window of the carriage.
“They say the title ‘■■■,’ which that eyesore now holds, was originally his.”
“Then why…”
“He lost everything due to the Creator God’s whim and was put to sleep in a remote dimension of the Abyss.”
Just then, the scenery visible through the window changed in a flash, revealing a space made of faded letters.
“We have arrived.”
Finishing his words, Surtr cracked a smile and, looking back at Loki, added casually.
“The ‘Disaster Wrought by Time’ we are about to meet will loathe the current one more than anyone else in the Abyss.”
The carriage came to a halt in the middle of the space made of letters, and Surtr was the first to disembark, continuing to speak in a low voice.
“Therefore, we will borrow the disaster’s hand to eliminate the current ‘■■■,’ and in that moment, we need only seize that sacred title for ourselves.”
Taking his first step into the space of faded letters, Surtr said, “Let us go,” and began to walk ahead.
‘If the disaster moves as we intend, we might be able to obtain the title ■■■ while avoiding the notice of those cunning Asgardians…’
Loki quickly followed, stepping out of the carriage and onto the ground of faded letters.
*Step, step.*
Surtr, who had been leading the way, stopped when he reached a ‘tomb’ formed from a massive pile of faded letters.
“O Disaster Wrought by Time.”
The tomb, made of layers upon layers of faded letters, twitched with an infinitesimal movement…
“O Abandoned ■■■…”
As Surtr called out the true name again, one of the disaster’s hands suddenly shot out from beneath the faded letters.
The layers of faded letters collapsed in an instant, like an avalanche.
From the cracks of the collapsed letters, a mysterious being in ‘human form’ walked out…
He looked around and asked.
“Where is ■■■ now?”
Surtr replied with a vile smile.
“We know where ■■■ is.”
At his words, the transcendent being known as the Disaster Wrought by Time, ‘The Abandoned ■■■,’ nodded and gave a command.
“Lead me to where ■■■ is.”
Surtr replied as if he had been waiting for this.
“Please, board the carriage we have prepared.”
Loki, however, who had just witnessed the true form of the Disaster Wrought by Time, was utterly speechless with shock.
“H-How…”
The being’s appearance was a perfect match for the ‘■■■’ he had met before.
