Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 178

Saturday morning, Yoon-Hee saw Do-Jun, Karsiel, and Byeol off at the door.

“Have a safe trip!”

The three of them were heading to the first floor of the Core for some errands. They planned to stay overnight and return late Sunday evening. Although it seemed like they might need a large backpack to carry spare clothes, toiletries, and snacks, Do-Jun neatly packed everything into the artifact called Ivela’s Pouch. No matter how bulky the items were, they all fit snugly into the tiny pouch, which was an astonishing sight.

When they activated the Core Talisman, a soft light enveloped them. In an instant, they disappeared as if they had never been there in the first place.

Yoon-Hee turned around and walked toward Yong-Yong, who was sulking in the corner.

“You can go with them next time. Don’t pout so much,” she consoled him.

Having lost at rock-paper-scissors, Yong-Yong was left behind to guard the house. While he was feeling down, Yoon-Hee found the sulking Yong-Yong adorable.

She opened the balcony door wide, preparing to do some housework. First, she planned to eat breakfast and tackle the pile of dishes in the sink. However, as she headed toward the kitchen with this in mind, her head spun. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit her, causing her to stagger. She steadied herself by placing a hand on the sofa and touched her forehead.

She hadn’t been feeling well since last night, but thought she would recover by morning. However, her cold symptoms had worsened.

I’ll feel better if I take some cold medicine...

She opened a drawer, retrieved a pill, and swallowed it on the spot. But as she stood up from the sofa, dizziness hit her once more, and she collapsed to the floor. Her consciousness began to fade as her eyelids grew heavy. The last thing she saw was the startled Yong-Yong dashing toward her.

“Yoon-Hee!”

Everything sounded muffled as if she were underwater. The world around her darkened as the sound faded.

***

A cold sensation pressed against her forehead, and cool liquid trickled down her cheek. Lying in bed, Yoon-Hee slowly woke up and opened her eyes.

For some reason, a stranger was staring at her. She blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of the situation.

She was in the bedroom, lying on her bed, and in front of her stood a young, foreign-looking man with long red hair, looking at her with an indifferent expression.

“Are you feeling better? Man, you humans really are fragile.” The man scratched his head irritably and extended his hand toward her.

Startled, Yoon-Hee jerked upright, pushing herself back on her hands as she stammered, “W-who are you!?”

Overwhelmed, she bit her tongue, her eyes welling up with tears as she instinctively covered herself with her hands. She was sure she had locked the doors!

The man frowned, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance, and said, “It’s me, Yong-Yong.”

“What...?”

“I said, I’m Yong-Yong.”

“Yong-Yong...?”

“Yeah.”

Blinking in disbelief, Yoon-Hee stared at the stranger.

He had sharp eyes, long, red hair, and wore clothing that resembled a robe. A “1” was engraved on the back of his hand. Then, in a puff of smoke, the man disappeared, and in his place was the mini dragon Yong-Yong she knew.

“See? I told you,” Yong-Yong said, as if proving a point.

“That was really you...?”

Poof!

He transformed back into his human form. Seeing Yong-Yong’s human form, Yoon-Hee’s eyes widened in shock.

“W-why? Why did you suddenly...?” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Unlike Karsiel, who often switched between her mini dragon and human forms, Yong-Yong’s transformation felt jarring and unfamiliar.

Yong-Yong scratched his head and picked up a wet towel from the bed. “It’s hard to take care of you in that form. And with Master gone, there’s no need for me to act cute.”

“What...?” Yoon-Hee was confused.

Water dripped from the towel in Yong-Yong’s hand. Realizing that the cold sensation on her forehead and the liquid running down her face earlier was from his care, Yoon-Hee felt overwhelmed by the stark difference between his usual self and this side of him.

“So, this whole time, your cuteness was all... just an act?” she asked.

The current Yong-Yong, with his sharp gaze and deep voice, felt slightly intimidating. His tone was firmer than usual, almost detached.

“That’s right! I acted cute to survive. But in truth, I’m the mighty Dragon Lord. Naturally, I’m stoic, imposing, and exude a charisma that inspires both fear and awe.”

“Uh, sure.”

Naturally, huh? she thought, suppressing a laugh. Though his appearance had changed, he was still the same Yong-Yong inside.

“What do you think? Impressive, right?” Yong-Yong asked with an expectant look.

As Yong-Yong basked in self-admiration, Yoon-Hee propped her chin in her hand, deep in thought, before breaking into a playful smile.

“Super impressive! I’d expect no less from the Dragon Lord!”

Her words were flattering enough to rekindle the pride Yong-Yong had nearly forgotten. His face lit up with unmistakable joy.

***

Yong-Yong dumped a bag of food waste into the designated container.

[Disposal port is now closed.]

[Remaining balance: 85,000 won.]

After retrieving the food waste disposal credit card[2] and tucking it into his pocket, Yong-Yong sorted the mountain of trash into separate bins—plastic bottles, glass bottles, paper, and plastics.

“Lala♪” He hummed Byeol’s favorite “Pororo” theme song as he worked.[1]

Just then, the security guard organizing boxes nearby tilted his head and approached Yong-Yong, curious about the unfamiliar face.

“Hello. Are you new here?” he asked.

“Sorry?”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before...”

“Haha. It’s me, Yong-Yong.”

“Excuse me?” The guard stared at him blankly. Wasn’t Yong-Yong the pet of Lee Do-Jun, who lived in Unit 301?

“Lala♪ Make way for the mighty Dragon Lord!”

The guard scratched his head as he watched the unfamiliar “adult” hum a tune and walk back to the villa.

***

“O Great Dragon Lord, could you be so kind as to fetch me a glass of water?” Yoon-Hee called out from the bed.

Yong-Yong was watching TV in the living room. He jumped up, got a glass of water from the dispenser, and walked into the bedroom to hand it to her.

“Thank you.”

“Hehe. This much is nothing for the Great Dragon Lord.”

“You truly are amazing. Oh, the laundry should be done—could you hang it on the drying rack?”

“Of course! The Great Dragon Lord will handle it!”

“Oh, and please take the glass back.”

“Got it.”

Yong-Yong took the glass, put it in the sink, and then went to unload the washing machine. He carried the washed clothes to the drying rack on the balcony and started hanging them.

He carefully smoothed out the wrinkled clothes and secured them to the rack with clothespins. Having watched Yoon-Hee and Karsiel handle laundry countless times, Yong-Yong found hanging clothes in his human form to be a piece of cake.

***

That evening, thanks to Yong-Yong handling the chores, Yoon-Hee was able to rest comfortably, and her recovery progressed quickly. Feeling grateful, she decided to cook braised short ribs for dinner, a dish Yong-Yong loved.

During the meal, Yong-Yong transformed back into his mini dragon form.

“Put the braised ribs on the rice and mix’em together well♪” He sang happily.

Smiling, Yoon-Hee mixed the ribs and rice in Yong-Yong’s special dog bowl.

“Why do you eat in that form during meals?” she asked him.

“It tastes better this way. Honestly, this dog bowl thing is an amazing invention.”

“Ah. Sure.” Yoon-Hee decided not to question him further.

Exhausted from his busy day, Yong-Yong buried his face in the bowl, eagerly eating the braised ribs. He looked so adorable that Yoon-Hee couldn’t help but giggle. When she first saw Yong-Yong in his human form that morning, she was a little scared. But he was still the same Yong-Yong she knew and loved.

“When you’re done, can you bring your ‘Great Job’ notebook?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“You helped with the chores today, so you should get a stamp.”

At her words, Yong-Yong grinned widely, then cleared his throat and said, “Well, I didn’t do it expecting anything, but... if you’re offering, I’ll accept it.”

***

Meanwhile, on the first floor of the Core, the night sky was dotted with stars, resembling the Milky Way.

The campfire crackled softly.

Byeol was fast asleep in her sleeping bag, snoring lightly.

Do-Jun sat by the fire, flipping through the pages of the Interpreter—Ataraxia guidebook, which he had brought up to forty percent completion. He then pulled something out of Ivela’s Pouch—a wooden plaque engraved with the phrase “Return to the Origin.”

[The target cannot be analyzed.]

He tried using the interpreter again just in case, but no information came through. Sighing, he returned the plaque to the pouch.

As Karsiel stared at the flames flicker over the firewood, memories of Izaas flooded her mind.

“Lord Izaas has changed a lot since coming to Earth,” she remarked.

Do-Jun threw another log onto the fire, causing the flames to flare up briefly before settling back down.

“Has he?”

“He used to be very stoic and cold. He rarely displayed any emotion. The Lord Izaas I remember was... full of charisma. All dragons respected him and, at the same time, feared him.”

“I see. So that’s his original personality?”

“Yes, as far as I know. Though sometimes, it felt a little oppressive.” After a pause, Karsiel added, “That’s why the dragons were so shocked when they first met him on Earth. They couldn’t believe it was the same Lord Izaas they knew. Dragons don’t change that easily, after all....”

Thinking of the days spent with Yong-Yong, Do-Jun muttered, “People, or dragons, in this case, definitely don’t change very easily.”

***

The next evening, after returning from the first floor of the Core, Do-Jun unpacked the items from Ivela’s Pouch. Clothes he had worn, towels he had used, and other miscellaneous things.

Yoon-Hee greeted him cheerfully. “Welcome back! Did everything go well?”

“Yes. Was everything well here?”

“All good! Oh, Yong-Yong helped out a lot with the chores today.”

“Did he?” Do-Jun glanced at Yong-Yong, who was curled up on the rug in the living room, fast asleep.

Peeking under Yong-Yong’s belly, he saw the edge of the Great Job stamp book sticking out slightly. Curious, Do-Jun picked it up and flipped through the pages. Over the weekend, Yong-Yong earned quite a few stamps.

“Mmm... The great... Dragon Lord... Zzz...” Yong-Yong muttered incoherently in his sleep.

Chuckling softly, Do-Jun covered Yong-Yong with a blanket.

1. Pororo is a popular children’s TV show starring an animated penguin and his friends! ☜

2. Korea has a system where you pay a fee to dispose of food waste in a designated disposal machine. ☜