I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 156: Ordinary Family (1)
“Daeun.”
“Yeah?”
“What’s your dad like?”
“Why do you ask about my dad?”
Daeun asked, confused, but then nodded as if she figured it out.
“Ah, you’re nervous because you think you’ll meet him soon, right?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Hehe. You don’t have to be nervous. Mom already said, right? He just wants to see your face.”
“I’m not nervous, I said.”
“He’s my dad, hmm...”
Even though I said I wasn’t nervous twice, Daeun didn’t acknowledge it.
“He’s the typical father figure...”
“Hmm?”
“He’s not good with expressing his feelings, but he loves his family. He might seem blunt, but deep down, he’s warm... that kind of person.”
“Hmm.”
I think I understand the kind of feeling she’s describing.
Daeun smiled softly as she saw me nodding along.
Maybe, in her eyes, she wasn’t seeing me, but a vague image of the past.
“When I was little, I was honestly a bit upset. I thought, ‘Even though I’m suffering like this, my dad doesn’t even care about me.’”
Her father would come to visit her in the hospital, looking at her silently before leaving.
He was always so worried about her, asking if she was in pain or if she wanted anything, while her mother would be kind and gentle.
“Scary...”
Little Daeun thought her dad was distant and, frankly, kind of scary.
“But I realized I was wrong soon after.”
Even though he had to go to work early the next day, her dad stayed with her until she fell asleep, worried that she might get sick while he wasn’t there.
One night, under a bright full moon, Daeun woke up and saw a face of her father she had never seen before when he thought she was asleep.
“That’s when I realized. My dad loves me.”
What’s so special about love?
Even in his busy life, he came to the hospital to check on his sick daughter.
He stood by her bed, watching over her while she slept.
All of those things were love.
Daeun smiled as she spoke, and just looking at her face made me feel happy.
“Love...”
Even among people who share the same memories, feelings can differ, so how could someone like me, who’s lived in a completely different environment, truly empathize?
I’ve never had to endure pain since I was young like Daeun did—
...Well, I have been in pain before.
In any case, my environment was different, my experiences were different, and my world was different, so if I said I completely empathized with Daeun’s words, it would be a lie.
Moreover, Garid and Daeun both described her father’s personality in different ways.
‘I see.’
But I could still understand, even just a little bit. I nodded silently as I looked at Daeun’s smile.
...But.
Lately, I’ve been thinking that Daeun reminds me of myself. I tried to stop myself from ruining the mood, but I just couldn’t hold this in.
“So, Daeun, why don’t you go visit your parents?”
“....”
At this point, maybe I should take a look at Daeun’s famous sayings.
Living separately means you don’t have to see your parents’ faces often.
Living together just leads to emotional clashes.
You don’t like it when your mom comes over too often.
...She said all these wonderful things, yet she’s now praising love, so I couldn’t help but point it out.
“Ahhh! No!”
“Eeeeeeh~”
“The form of love isn’t always just that! It’s not like you don’t see each other’s faces often, but you still call every day and send allowance regularly!”
“...I understand.”
Daeun, apparently feeling quite guilty, hurriedly started defending herself, emphasizing that she wasn’t the perfect filial daughter, but she wasn’t the type to dismiss her parents either.
After repeating her appreciation for her parents, she looked into my eyes.
“Got it?”
“I got it...”
“Phew... As long as you understand.”
Daeun was so flustered that she wiped the cold sweat off her face and said.
“Anything else you’re curious about?”
“There’s nothing I’m curious about anymore~”
I responded, trying to hold back the mumbled words that were slipping out of my mouth.
“How long are you going to hold on to this?”
She continued to rub my cheeks, saying they were soft and pleasant.
I was too lazy to stop her, but surely, wasn’t it about time for her to get tired of it?
Then Daeun shook her head firmly.
“I’m punishing you for trying to sabotage me. Enjoy it!”
“I’ve been letting you do it the whole time— ugh.”
“Ah! How dare you talk back to me, the sinner?!”
...She just wanted to touch me.
My cheeks were pressed, so I couldn’t say anything, just silently accepting her touch.
“Let’s have a meal together sometime.”
This is similar to saying, “I’ll buy you lunch if I win the lottery,” or “Should we go catch a dragon?”
“...I saw this on the internet.”
Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.
“...I really didn’t think I’d ever say something like this. Kana, I think you need to cut down on your internet time.”
“I watch less than Daeun does.”
“I do this for a job.”
“I’m doing this for a job too.”
“Kana’s job is to be the cute mascot of our house, not a gladiator in the internet coliseum!”
“...Gladiator? I don’t really get what you mean, but I don’t watch that much.”
I really don’t.
Anyway, the “let’s eat together sometime” is usually just a polite way of saying something with no real intention.
But the “let’s have a meal” I heard was not your typical saying.
It wasn’t something I could brush off as just a friendly gesture from the father of the family I’m staying with.
So here I was, standing in front of Daeun’s house with her.
“Kana, take this.”
“Yeah?”
I casually took the item Daeun handed me.
This is...
“Is this a drink?”
“When you’re visiting someone’s house, it’s polite to bring a small gift. Of course, it’s not always necessary, but it doesn’t hurt to do it, right?”
“Hmm...”
...True, but.
I hesitated, and Daeun slightly bent her knees to match my eye level.
“What’s wrong?”
“Isn’t this a bit strange?”
The house in front of me, Daeun’s family home.
The box of drinks in my hand.
It doesn’t seem like there’s any problem with it on the surface.
“This... you bought this, didn’t you?”
She bought a gift for her own home using her own money.
“This seems a bit weird.”
Of course, since I didn’t have money, I couldn’t do much about it.
Daeun shrugged nonchalantly, as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“What’s wrong with that? The important thing is the thought behind the gift, not the gift itself.”
“Even so, I’m making it look like I’m taking credit for it with your money.”
“It’s fine. If it’s my money, who cares? I can bring a gift to my parents’ house. Mom and dad probably already know about it anyway.”
“Really?”
“And who would dare look down on someone bringing a whole box of drinks when they’re as cute as you?”
“I wish you hadn’t said that last part.”
She always has to add some embarrassing comment at the end.
We had been talking for quite a while, but Daeun’s parents didn’t come out of the house.
Maybe it was because we whispered so quietly, or maybe the soundproofing was just good.
Either way, if we had run into her parents right there, it would have been really awkward, so I’m glad it didn’t happen.
“Are we going in now?”
“Yeah.”
Ding dong!
The doorbell rang cheerfully.
“Don’t you know the password?”
“I do. I know it.”
Daeun smiled mischievously.
“I want to go in as a guest this time.”
Bang, bang!
“Is anyone here! Come forth!”
“....”
She started banging on the door.
Seeing this, all my previous thoughts felt silly.
Her only daughter was banging on the door making strange noises, and yet, no one would notice a stranger holding drinks?
Creeeak.
The door opened, and a woman with a surprised expression appeared.
“You should have entered quietly instead of making all this noise!”
“How dare you! I, the grand visitor, come in and you don’t even welcome me properly... Aagh!”
Slam!
“Stop the nonsense and come inside, you brat!”
“Ouch! Anti-violence!”
“You shouldn’t do something that deserves a hit!”
“Oh my.”
The woman who had been smacking Daeun’s back turned to me and smiled warmly.
“Kana, you’ve come? Was it hard to get here? Oh, no. Don’t say that, come in and let’s talk, okay?”
“Uh, uh.”
“Who’s really the daughter here...”
Shivers.
“....”
Daeun, who had been leaning away from her mother’s fierce glare, quickly retreated, her lips tightly pressed together.
Inside the house, it felt warmer than Daeun’s house.
And then, when I saw the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa in front of the large TV, I knew.
‘This is Daeun’s dad.’
He looked like he was pretending to watch TV but had an oddly stiff face, trying hard not to acknowledge us.
“Heh.”
“...I told you so.”
“...Yeah.”
It was exactly as I had imagined.
“Come on, sit here.”
Following the woman’s guidance, I hesitantly walked forward, and only then did his eyes finally meet mine.
“...Hmm, you’ve arrived?”
His voice was oddly stiff yet kind.
I lowered my head.
“Hello... No, hello, sir...”
“I’ve heard from my wife. Feel free to speak.”
“Yeah. You can just call me ‘uncle.’ Though I might look a little blunt, I’m actually very affectionate, so don’t be scared. That’s actually why Auntie married me.”
“...Cough! What a cheesy thing to say.”
Ah, he’s embarrassed.
Though he acted like he didn’t mind, it was clear he didn’t dislike the compliment as his ears turned red.
Thanks to the playful aunt, the atmosphere lightened up a little, and the man softened his expression and spoke again.
“Are you planning to live with Daeun?”
“...Yes. Ah, yes.”
“To be exact, I’ll be taking care of Kana!”
“Right. I’ll leave Daeun to you.”
“....”
“....”
“...?”
I tilted my head, waiting for more, but he just kept his mouth shut and said nothing.
...Is that all?
