My Dad is Too Strong-Chapter 81

Meanwhile, at an indoor playground near their home.

“This is the ‘fun’ place…?” Yong-Yong blankly stared at the kids running around and playing.

Yoon-Hee smiled and nodded her head.

A small bouncy ball flew toward Yong-Yong and hit him on the cheek.

“You don’t like it? I thought this place was perfect for someone your age…” Yoon-Hee said happily.

“How… how old do you think I am?”

“Hm, maybe around six… no, five?”

Yong-Yong pressed his throbbing forehead with his paw and muttered, “Uh…”

“Hmm?”

“I am over eight thousand years old.”

Yong-Yong had long passed his hatchling days and had become a fully grown dragon. It had been over two millennia since he had become the king of all dragons, feared and revered by his kind. The tyrant, the emperor, the Dragon Lord Izaas—these were all titles he once held.

But now…

“An indoor playground? Really?” Yong-Yong shouted, slamming his foot on the bouncy ball rolling on the floor.

He hadn’t often rebelled against Yoon-Hee, but this time, he simply couldn’t forgive her. He needed to establish the hierarchy in this house, once and for all.

“W-whoa?!” Yong-Yong exclaimed as Yoon-Hee picked him up and patted his head.

“Okay, okay, Yong-Yong. Let’s go try the slide now.”

“Did you even hear a word I said?” Young-Yong asked in exasperation.

“Yup, yup. You’re eight thousand years old. Our Yong-Yong is eight thousand years old!”

Yong-Yong was left speechless.

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They climbed the playfully designed stairs to the top of the slide, where children were already lined up, ready to go down the slide that dropped into a pool filled with bouncy balls.

“Looks fun, doesn’t it?” Yoon-Hee asked him.

“Tch, the hell it does.”

It was finally Yong-Yong’s turn. Holding him in her arms, Yoon-Hee slid down the slide. The breeze created by the slide’s speed wrapped around them as they hit the bouncy balls, which cushioned their landing.

While in Yoon-Hee’s arms, Yong-Yong’s body involuntarily started to tremble slightly.

He stared off blankly, deep in thought. What the… this is…

It was fun.

“How was it? Fun, right?”

“No,” Yong-Yong grumbled and turned his head.

However, noticing the slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Yoon-Hee chuckled softly. She thought to herself that Yong-Yong was not an honest kid.

“Shall we try that next, Mr. Yong-Yong?”

“Why are you suddenly being so polite…?”

Yoon-Hee had read in a book that speaking with respect could help a child’s emotional development.

***

After spending about an hour at the indoor playground, Yoon-Hee and Yong-Yong stopped by the local grocery store to pick up ingredients for fried chicken—flour, milk, onions, garlic, and more. After putting everything in the fridge, she sat on the couch and pulled out her smartphone.

Do-Jun had said he would be home in about three hours, and there was still an hour left before then.

⌜So what you’re saying, Mr. Kyung-Sik, is that F-rank Hunters face a lot of discrimination even among other Hunters. According to the statistics published by the Hunter’s Bureau, F-rankers make up twenty percent of the entire…⌟

A program called Hunter History was airing on TV. It was a popular show with over twenty percent viewership for every episode despite not being a public network show.

Yong-Yong regularly watched it and was glued to the screen.

“Father took his F-rank Hunter license with him today…”

“Why does that matter?” Yong-Yong asked and glanced at her, curious if there was a problem.

“I’m just worried that other Hunters might pick a fight with him…”

“What poor bum would be crazy enough to pick a fight with Master?”

“Right…?”

They would have to be completely insane.

***

Recognizing the man who just walked into the Fissure, Lee Guk-Hyun muttered, “That guy…”

Only one person among the passengers on the Hunter bus wasn’t wearing proper hunting attire. If he remembered correctly, that person was an F-rank Hunter. He must have come as a porter.

“Is he mad?”

Though the Fissure was ranked D—neither too high nor too low—without a suit, even an A-rank Hunter could be fatally wounded by a D-rank monster’s attack. So, what was this guy thinking, entering the Fissure in just a hoodie and jeans?

Not only Lee Guk-Hyun but the rest of the Hunters also shared the same sentiment.

“Hey!” Lee Guk-Hyun called out to Do-Jun, but Do-Jun paid him no mind and kept walking.

Enraged that an F-rank dared ignore him, Lee Guk-Hyun rushed over, grabbed Do-Jun’s shoulder, and stopped him in his tracks. He shouted, “When someone calls you, you stop and look, you bastard.”

Do-Jun looked down at Lee Guk-Hyun’s hand on his shoulder and let out a long sigh. For some reason, he had a feeling this would happen.

“The way you speak to someone you just met,” he said, brushing the hand off his shoulder, “are you my boss?”

Everyone around them was shocked. Kim Ho-Chul, in particular, turned pale.

How could a mere porter speak that way to a B-rank Hunter?

“What… did you just say?” Lee Guk-Hyun said as he ground his teeth and clenched his fists.

How could this F-rank porter act so bold?

Despite wanting to beat him like a dog, he couldn’t do that with this many people watching. Some were even recording the scene with their cams.

Do-Jun said, “Well, I suppose I can see why you’d think that way. I’m a F-rank, and you’re a B-rank. If we look at it that way, I guess you could be considered my senior.”

“If you know that, then you should—”

Do-Jun continued, not bothering to let Lee Guk-Hyun finish his sentence. “And if you were offering me advice or looking out for me as that senior, I would humbly accept it. But if you’re just trying to pull rank, I’d prefer you didn’t.”

Do-Jun’s hand rested on the mana gun holstered at Lee Guk-Hyun’s waist with a cold, steely gaze. The others couldn’t see it from afar, but Lee Guk-Hyun, standing close, knew exactly what message Do-Jun was sending.

He wasn’t saying anything out loud, but his warning was clear: I’ll let it go this time, but there will be no next time, so don’t push your luck.

Crack!

Lee Guk-Hyun’s mana gun shattered.

***

Do-Jun emerged from the Fissure after taking down a cockatrice.

As he stepped outside, he noticed a large crowd gathered around the octagonal pavilion. Most of the people there were middle-aged hikers in their forties and fifties, dressed in hiking gear, and the object of their fascination was none other than Karsiel.

“Whose daughter is she? She’s so adorable.”

“Here, try some of this. I’ve also got chocolate if that’s what you like.”

Karsiel’s hands were full of snacks, and the hikers smiled warmly as they admired her, who happened to resemble the adorable mix-raced children popular on TV.

“Masteeeer!” The moment Karsiel spotted Do-Jun coming out of the Fissure, she jumped up and hurriedly ran over to him, drawing the attention of all the hikers.

Feeling their eyes on him, Do-Jun gulped nervously.

“Is that her father…?”

“But why did she call him Master?”

“Should we call the police?”

Karsiel paid no attention to them. She happily sucked on a lollipop and smiled brightly.

“Master, I got lots of things to eat!” she said with her mouth full of candy.

“Could you call me Dad for now, please?”

Hearing that, Karsiel dropped her lollipop. Shaking her head vigorously, she replied, “No, I can’t. Young Master wouldn’t like that. I’ll just keep calling you Master.”

For a brief moment, the hikers, who had locked eyes with Do-Jun, whispered among themselves again.

Do-Jun leaned in to whisper to Karsiel, “Just until we get home, call me Dad. Please, Karsiel.”

“Is… that really okay?”

“Please.”

That was when Do-Jun discovered that Karsiel could make such a radiant expression.

“Okay, Dad!”

***

Yong-Yong was curled up on the sofa, half-asleep. Hearing the sound of the door unlocking, he perked up his ears and reflexively got up, then ran toward the entrance.

“Welcome home, Mas— Huh?”

Do-Jun and Karsiel entered the house, but something was different. Karsiel was holding Do-Jun’s hand tightly.

“Let’s wash our hands first,” Do-Jun said.

“Yes, Dad.”

“Dad…?”

As Yong-Yong mumbled in confusion, the smiling Karsiel’s expression immediately turned blank, and she let go of Do-Jun’s hand.

“Karsiel, did you just call Master Dad...?” Yong-Yong asked her.

“You must be hearing things, Lord Izaas.”

“N-no, I’m sure that’s what you said.”

“I said Master.” Karsiel’s eyes grew cold.

“R-right. No, you’re right, haha.”

***

“I swear I heard her say Dad…” Yong-Yong muttered to himself.

Yoon-Hee was draining the milk from the cockatrice meat she had soaked earlier. She tilted her head in confusion as she asked, “Hm? What are you talking about?”

“Do you want some help?” Do-Jun asked as he dried his wet hair with a towel.

Given that frying food involved a lot of hot oil, he thought there was a chance Yoon-Hee would burn herself.

“You went through all the trouble to get the main ingredient. I can’t have you cook as well,” Yoon-Hee politely declined.

“Well, it wasn’t that hard…”

“And please don’t take away my fun.”

Yoon-Hee thought it was better for Do-Jun to just enjoy the meal rather than help her cook. After all, she was working hard for the satisfaction of seeing him enjoy the food, and that was enough for her.

Pouring nearly half a bottle of canola oil into the frying pan, Yoon-Hee lit the gas stove and waited until the oil reached around one hundred and eighty degrees Celsius. Then, she carefully placed the batter-coated cockatrice pieces into the pan one by one, making sure they didn’t stick together.

This scene shocked Yong-Yong. Weren’t grilling or boiling the only ways to cook meat? In fact, he thought that grilling it was the best way to bring out the flavor.

“U-umm…” Biting her lip slightly, Yoon-Hee glanced nervously at Do-Jun, Yong-Yong, and Karsiel, all hovering close to her.

Then, with an awkward smile, she said, “I’ll try to be quick.”

It seemed like everyone was famished.

***

“H-how is it, Father?” Yoon-Hee waited until Do-Jun swallowed the chicken before she timidly asked the question, her voice wavering slightly with nervousness.

What if he said it didn’t taste good?

“It’s delicious,” Do-Jun replied.

“R-really?”

The positive response from Do-Jun filled her with an overwhelming happiness that nothing else could compare to, as these were the moments she could truly feel how much she was needed.

“The fact that you put so much care into it makes it taste even better, Young Master.”

“Thanks, Karsiel. Eat up.”

“Thank you.”

The fried cockatrice’s golden, crispy coating gleamed as the intense, juicy flavor burst out with every bite. The outside was crunchy and savory, while the inside was tender and juicy with just the right amount of seasoning.

Yong-Yong closed his eyes as he mumbled, “This is the taste of the cosmos.”