* * *

“I won’t kiss you, and I won’t sleep with you either.”

With her naturally large eyes, the trembling of her pupils was plainly visible.

“What did you say?”

“You told me if you were absent, I should just stay put!”

“That’s right! Stay put in that spot!”

“Again?”

The children’s eyes rolled around as they looked at each other. It seemed they couldn’t remember the rest of the conversation.

“Don’t follow anyone else. Even if someone says they’ll take you to me, don’t move at all. Got it?”

“Yep! Got it!”

“Got it!”

The children nodded so vigorously it looked like their heads might fall off.

“Let’s go over it again. What should you do?”

The children raised their hands and shouted.

“Stay put!”

“Stay put!”

Even though the subject was omitted, Do Hajun decided to let it slide.

“What shouldn’t you do?”

“Don’t follow!”

“Don’t follow!”

Satisfied answers came in quick succession.

“Promise.”

Do Hajun extended his pinky finger.

He linked pinkies with Lee Cheongmyeong, then with Aileen Spencer.

“You promised. You have to keep it.”

“Yep.”

“Yep.”

Although they promised, Do Hajun hugged the two children, hoping nothing like this would happen again.

---

In the blurred image on the wall, the elders were visible.

As the voice of an elder answering Lee Haekyung’s words echoed in the room, the woman set down her wine glass and spoke.

“He’s doing well.”

“Considering how much money he’s received.”

The man holding the tray answered with a smirk.

As the suspicion around HNW dissipated, the woman waved her hand.

When the image on the wall disappeared, the man tilted his head and asked.

“Aren’t you going to watch more?”

“There’s nothing more to see.”

The woman stood up and took off her slip.

Her fine golden hair barely covered her body.

The man, ignoring the woman who was suddenly naked, picked up the slip from the floor and said.

“Why do you say there’s nothing more to see?”

“If he were the type to hand over the child willingly, he wouldn’t have taken the job in the first place.”

“Ah.”

The man nodded in understanding.

The woman opened the wardrobe and examined the clothes, slightly furrowing her brows.

“Who the hell arranged this?”

“I did.”

The man, answering enthusiastically, was met with a disapproving look from the woman, though only briefly. She picked out the most ornate dress and put it on.

The man approached her from behind, fastening the buttons on the dress as he spoke.

“So what about the children?”

“We have to bring them, of course.”

After fastening the last button, the man took her by the shoulders and led her to the sofa.

Then, with careful hands, he brushed down her golden hair.

“Shall I step in?”

“Tut. But no rough stuff.”

After smoothly combing her hair, the man tied it with a red ribbon.

The setting sun streaming through the window made her golden hair glow red.

“Get them as quickly as possible.”

At the woman’s murmur, the man smiled satisfactorily and kissed the end of her hair.

“Yes, my lord.”

---

Humming, Ahn Eunseon frowned as soon as she opened the door to the office.

“Look at this, Aileen. Isn’t it fascinating?”

“Cheongmyeong, would you like some candy from grandpa?”

“If you press this, bubbles come out.”

The office atmosphere was different from usual.

The elders, sitting on the rug next to the desk, were desperately calling the names of Lee Cheongmyeong and Aileen Spencer, each holding something enticing.

The day after the nonsensical meeting ended, the elders suddenly appeared, loaded with things children their age would love.

Sweet snacks.

Fascinating toys.

Even beautiful clothes.

But the children didn’t even glance at the elders.

Instead, when the elders approached, the children activated their skills.

“How long do we have to watch this?”

Yoo Mia , who had quietly approached, asked Ahn Eunseon.

“Who knows?”

Grumbling, Ahn Eunseon put down her bag and walked towards Do Hajun, who was only focused on his documents.

“Team leader.”

“What.”

“I’m at work now.”

Do Hajun raised an eyebrow and looked at Ahn Eunseon.

His expression asked if she was talking to him for such a trivial reason, but Ahn Eunseon shrugged and said.

“When are you going?”

“In an hour.”

“Why not now?”

“The council president.”

Damn it.

Ahn Eunseon cursed inwardly.

For three days, the children’s hostile reactions had continued, and it seemed the chief was going to step in personally.

I suggested going to the dungeon quickly to avoid this mess.

Sighing heavily, Ahn Eunseon returned to her seat.

Do Hajun, taking his eyes off her, returned to his documents.

With the increase in instant dungeons mentioned in the meeting, the center had announced a large-scale recruitment drive.

There were no separate tests, and anyone above a B-rank hunter would be hired. Despite this generous offer, only five hunters applied, and only two were actually useful.

‘Is there really such a lack of talent?’

Clicking his tongue, Do Hajun sorted the two useful resumes and threw the rest into the trash.

At that moment, the door opened, and the council president Do Hajun had been waiting for walked in.

“You’re here?”

“Yes.”

The council president, with an awkward smile, looked displeased at the elders standing up.

“Hey.”

“Council president.”

When Do Hajun called him, the council president cleared his throat and said.

“I saw the broadcast.”

“Huh? Oh.”

Do Hajun nodded. It was the day the broadcast of the children in the tutorial dungeon aired.

Do Hajun didn’t watch the broadcasts that featured the children or himself, so he looked at the council president with a “so what?” expression.

“Watching it reminded me of my grandchild.”

Everyone looked horrified at the council president’s benevolent smile and kind tone.

Clearing his throat again, the council president continued.

“So, instead of the tutorial dungeon today, why don’t you go somewhere else?”

“Going to the tutorial dungeon is to prevent the kids’ powers from running wild.”

“I know that well enough. But it pains me to think that these kids are only going to the tutorial dungeon.”

Ahn Eunseon, with a deeply furrowed brow, poked Yoo Mia in the side.

“What’s with him?”

“No idea.”

Yoo Mia shrugged. As everyone muttered something under their breath, the team room became noisy.

Do Hajun looked around at the Delta team members, sealed his lips, and spoke to the Elder Chairman.

“The approval for the tutorial dungeon is already finalized.”

“I postponed it to tomorrow.”

“What the hell! Whose permission-”

“Ahn Eunseon.”

Do Hajun warned Ahn Eunseon, who had been speaking loudly, and then looked at the Elder Chairman.

Thankfully, the Elder Chairman still wore a benevolent smile despite Ahn Eunseon’s outburst.

“Kids, how about going to a kids’ cafe with Grandpa?”

“A kids’ cafe?”

“A kids’ cafe?”

The children, who had been focused on their own activities, suddenly perked up.

“I’m sorry, Elder Chairman, but we can’t take the children to such a place.”

“Why not?”

“The children still have difficulty controlling their skills. Their emotions trigger their skills, which could lead to accidents. Unlike other places, kids’ cafes are full of very young children. In a crisis, it would be even harder for our kids to handle the situation.”

The Elder Chairman clicked his tongue at Do Hajun’s response.

“Is it that you’re always against the Elder Council’s opinions?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then you should go. Didn’t you take Lee Cheongmyeong to an amusement park? And I heard you even went to a job experience center.”

“That was just with Lee Cheongmyeong. Now we have Aileen Spencer with us as well. Besides, at the job experience center, Hunter Lee Moojin and I were closely monitoring Lee Cheongmyeong.”

It wasn’t about opposing the Elder Council’s opinions.

The real danger with underage hunters was that they could use their skills unconsciously based on their emotions.

Just like how they used their skills in the conference room when they got angry, Lee Cheongmyeong had used his skills out of excitement at the amusement park.

Fortunately, Do Hajun had managed to cancel the skill, and the Delta team was ready to jump in if necessary, so they managed to get through it.

Moreover, Do Hajun was not unaware of what a kids’ cafe was.

After Lee Cheongmyeong’s visit to the amusement park, he had looked into kids’ cafes on Kim Ha-na’s recommendation.

However, unlike the spacious outdoor amusement park, a kids’ cafe was indoors and mostly filled with children rather than adults.

Considering their personalities, while Lee Cheongmyeong might get along well with other children, Aileen Spencer, who was very shy, would likely use her skills due to the other children.

“Are you disregarding the Elder Council?”

“Pardon?”

Just as Do Hajun was wondering why the conversation kept heading in that direction, the Elder Chairman’s expression hardened as he spoke.

“If you’re not disregarding the Elder Council, why are you saying such things!”

When the Elder Chairman shouted, the children sprang up and clung to Do Hajun’s legs.

“The children are getting scared. Please lower your voice.”

The Elder Chairman cleared his throat. He seemed to have not considered that the children would get scared.

“The Elders will go to the kids’ cafe with us. If the children use their skills, we’ll handle it. We even have a defensive hunter among the Elders.”

One of the Elders, who had been standing idly, smiled.

He seemed to be the defensive hunter the Elder Chairman mentioned.

Do Hajun sighed.

At a glance, it looked like the Elder Council wanted to bond with the children through this scheme.

‘But.’

At that moment, Do Hajun felt a tug on his pants.

When he looked down, he saw the children with eager eyes.

“Are we going to the kids’ cafe?”

“What’s a kids’ cafe?”

With their voices full of anticipation, the Elder Chairman laughed heartily.

“It’s a place with slides and ball pits. A perfect place for kids like you to play.”

The children’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Are we going?”

“Are we going?”

Seeing their sparkling eyes, Do Hajun couldn’t bring himself to say no.

While Lee Cheongmyeong had been to the amusement park and job experience center, Aileen Spencer had never been out since coming to Korea.

She had only been to the house, the office, and the tutorial dungeon.

“…Alright. Let’s go.”

The children cheered and jumped up and down.

“I’ll send the location via text. We’ll go ahead and be there.”

“Understood.”

With his plan in motion, the Elder Chairman beamed and led the Elders out of the office.

Yoo Mia and Ahn Eunseon rushed to Do Hajun.

“Are you really going?”

“Are you really going? This feels like a trap.”

“Could you say no to those kids?”

Yoo Mia and Ahn Eunseon looked at the children.

Clearly thrilled, the children, who usually didn’t stick together, were holding hands and laughing joyfully.

“But… it seems suspicious. I’m not being paranoid, but.”

“I know. I understand what they’re aiming for.”

“Really? You do?”

Ahn Eunseon asked with wide eyes.

Do Hajun picked up the children’s coats from the sofa.

“Their goal is to separate me from the kids. Here, put this on Cheongmyeong.”

Do Hajun handed Lee Cheongmyeong’s coat to Ahn Eunseon and helped Aileen Spencer put on hers.

The wind was getting colder, signaling the approach of winter.

While hunters were generally insensitive to temperature changes, young hunters could suffer from heatstroke and cold just like ordinary children.

This meant they could catch colds in winter as well.

So Do Hajun had bought thick coats for the children in preparation for winter, even though Shin Misook hadn’t provided them.

“Do you think the kids will stay away from you just because of a kids’ cafe?”

“That’s not it.”

As Do Hajun carefully buttoned up their coats and wrapped scarves around their necks, he spoke again while putting gloves on them.

“They want to create a reason why I can’t be the children’s guardian.”

Ahn Eunseon chuckled as she buttoned up Lee Cheongmyeong’s coat.

“There’s no such reason in the world. No one can take care of the kids better than a nurturing hunter.”

“The kids’ skills.”

Yoo Mia cut off Ahn Eunseon’s words.

Do Hajun looked at Yoo Mia , recognizing her keen insight, and spoke as if praising her.

“Exactly. They’re planning to find fault with my ability to control the kids’ skills.”

* * *