* * *

Awkwardly holding the child, Do Hajun moved to the living room and tried to set the child down on the sofa, but the child refused to let go of his neck.

“Let go.”

“Sniff. No.”

“You need to dry your hair.”

“Sniff.”

The child was uncooperative.

‘Wow, this is exhausting.’

-Ding dong

At the sound of the doorbell, Do Hajun gave up trying to put the child down and walked to the front door.

“Who is it?”

-Delivery.

It was the porridge he had ordered before the bath. They said it would take 30 minutes, but it arrived sooner than expected.

Glancing at the clock, Do Hajun was shocked.

He thought the bath was quick, but it had already been 50 minutes.

‘No wonder I’m so tired.’

With the child still clinging to him, Do Hajun took the porridge and avoided looking at the messy kitchen as he fetched a bowl.

The delivery included a child’s spoon, probably because it was for a child.

“Time to eat.”

The child, likely hungry, let go of his neck this time.

Do Hajun sat the child on the sofa, poured the portioned porridge into a bowl, and stirred it with the child’s spoon, blowing on it to cool it down.

Meanwhile, the child with food in front of them was fidgeting with excitement, eyes sparkling.

“Are you going to cry because it’s hot again?”

Do Hajun tested the temperature of the porridge with his lips before handing the bowl and spoon to the child.

“Now you can eat.”

The child took the bowl and spoon and began eating the porridge.

With a sigh, Do Hajun sat down on the floor and leaned his forehead against the sofa.

He was tired. No, this situation went beyond mere fatigue.

Do Hajun had never felt the urge to run away from any situation before.

Not when his Olympic participation as a fencer was thwarted by his awakening as a Hunter.

Not when people pointed fingers at him for awakening what seemed like a useless ability when raiding dungeon.

Not even when it was determined that his awakened skill was only useful for children under ten, leading to rumors that he was useless.

He had always faced every challenge head-on.

But today, just for today…

“I want to run away.”

“Hihihi. Yummy.”

Hearing the voice above him, Do Hajun looked up.

The child, with porridge smeared all over their face, was eating happily.

[???’s satiety is increasing.]

[??? is satisfied.]

[???’s affinity has increased by 2.]

[Current affinity: 19 (Affectionate)]

Yeah, as long as you’re happy.

Do Hajun sighed softly and looked at the child.

Now that he looked closely, the child was quite beautiful.

Long eyelashes cast shadows, making the cobalt blue eyes appear and disappear.

The slightly upturned eyes had deep double eyelids, the nose was sharp, and the lips were so red they seemed to bleed.

They complemented the luminous white skin perfectly.

Moreover, a beauty mark under the right eye was like the finishing touch that made them stunning.

Even someone like Do Hajun, who usually only recognized faces for identification and had no interest in appearances, couldn’t take his eyes off the child.

“Your parents must be fools. Even if you have awakened as Hunters, how could they abandon such a pretty child?”

Despite Do Hajun’s words, the child was engrossed in eating the porridge.

“All done!”

The child raised both arms and shouted.

“Yeah, yeah. Well done.”

Do Hajun accepted the empty bowl and utensils from the child and gave a half-hearted compliment.

The child’s belly was now full, though it was hard to tell if they had eaten the porridge or massaged it into their face.

“I wish I had some clothes to put on you.”

In a house where a man lived alone, there was no way there would be children’s clothes…

“Wait here for a moment.”

With a sudden thought, Do Hajun told the child to stay put and got up, heading towards the storage room.

‘There should be something my mother left behind.’

He opened one box after another, searching through the piled-up boxes.

“Found it.”

His mother had kept all the clothes he wore as a child, saying they were memories she couldn’t throw away, and had stored them in vacuum-sealed bags.

When he moved out, his mother had given them to him to look at when he missed his family, and he had put them in the storage room, unable to tell her he didn’t need them.

‘I never thought they’d come in handy like this.’

He grabbed a few items that seemed to fit the child and came out.

The child, sitting quietly on the sofa, was blinking sleepily.

Knowing he should clean the porridge-covered face, but not wanting to deal with the chaos again, Do Hajun soaked a towel in warm water and wiped the child’s face.

Then he dressed the drowsy child in the vacuum-packed clothes.

The child, though whining a bit as their body was moved, soon gave in and fell back asleep.

Although he skipped the underwear, he fully dressed the child and laid them in the bedroom, feeling his body weighed down.

There were so many things to clean up, from the wet clothes to the messy kitchen, but hearing the child’s breathing made him feel the exhaustion he had been ignoring.

Barely managing to change his own clothes, Do Hajun lay down beside the child.

And soon, he too fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

-Bang bang.

“Team Leader Do Hajun!”

Shouts filled the house, which had been filled only with the sound of two people breathing.

Do Hajun frowned at the noise and the voice calling his name.

The child, woken up, whined in displeasure.

“Damn…”

As Do Hajun was about to curse, he saw the child reaching out to him, whining.

“Sigh.”

Every time the loud noise echoed, the child’s whining intensified, so Do Hajun leaned down to let the child wrap their arms around his neck.

Then he lifted the child, holding them like a sack of rice, and walked to the door.

When he opened the door, a man in a black suit was about to knock again.

“What is it?!”

Unable to shout because of the child in his arms, Do Hajun gritted his teeth and asked. The man pulled out a business card from his chest pocket.

“I’m Jeong Woonwoo from the National Hunter Management Committee. Are you Team Leader Do Hajun from Delta Team?”

“What do you want?”

Whether it was the National Hunter Management Committeeor the World Hunter Management Committee, why were they knocking on his door?

Seeing Do Hajun frown, Jeong Woonwoo put the business card back in his pocket and spoke.

“Do you know the Team Leader Lee Cheongmyeong from Alpha Team? I’ve come to take him.”

Lee Cheongmyeong?

Why the hell are you looking for the Alpha Team leader here at this hour?

Suppressing his true feelings, Do Hajun spoke as politely as possible.

“Why are you looking for him here? He hasn’t been here.”

A small headache, a sign of sleep deprivation, started.

Glancing at the clock, he saw it hadn’t even been two hours since he fell asleep.

The child, wrapped around his neck, had fallen back asleep, their grip loosening.

“If you knock on my door again, I’ll report you.”

Seeing Do Hajun’s determined look, Jeong Woonwoo reached out towards the child.

-Smack!

Just as he was about to touch the child, Do Hajun, holding the child with one arm, slapped his hand away.

The stinging blow made Jeong Woonwoo frown.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“The person holding him is the one I’m looking for.”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

Unfiltered profanity came out now.

Was the National Hunter Management Committee just a load of crap?

This guy wasn’t abandoned because he awakened, was he kidnapped?

Looking down at the child, Do Hajun accepted the kidnapping theory.

Even without the hunter aspect, the child’s face alone could easily provoke ill intentions.

Do Hajun stepped back and reached out to the side.

Grabbing a long umbrella, Do Hajun quickly aimed it at Jeong Woonwoo.

Before his awakening, Do Hajun had been a national representative fencer.

Hunters have strength and athletic abilities incomparable to ordinary people, so they can’t compete in the Olympics for a fair match.

However, even though he couldn’t participate in the Olympics, he had never once stopped fencing.

Seeing the sharp tip of the umbrella pointed as if it could stab his heart any moment, Jeong Woonwoo raised both hands.

“Team Leader Do Hajun, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? About kidnapping a child? Are you really with the National Hunter Management Committee?”

At Do Hajun’s question, Jeong Woonwoo reached into his jacket pocket.

Sensing danger, Do Hajun was about to swing the umbrella when he heard a click.

“Team Leader Do Hajun, put down the umbrella.”

A woman dressed in the same black suit as Jeong Woonwoo was aiming a gun at Do Hajun.

And as soon as the woman finished speaking, a red laser dot appeared on Do Hajun’s forehead.

Looking between the woman and Jeong Woonwoo, Do Hajun threw the umbrella aside.

“Are you accusing a good citizen of being a terrorist?”

At Do Hajun’s sarcastic remark, the woman lowered the gun and approached him.

The ponytailed woman had an earpiece like a security agent.

She extended her hand and said, “Agent Kim Taeeun of the National Intelligence Service.”

“How can I believe that?”

“Making you believe is simple. However.”

“However?”

Kim Taeeun smiled as she spoke.

“Most people tend to believe after a little pain.”

Is that really something to say with a smile?

Do Hajun felt his headache from sleep deprivation worsening.

“Would you believe that child is Lee Cheongmyeong?”

At Do Hajun’s words, Kim Taeeun looked at Jeong Woonwoo.

Jeong Woonwoo gave an awkward smile.

“There wasn’t time to explain because you were about to close the door.”

Sighing, Kim Taeeun pointed at the child.

“The child you’re holding is Lee Cheongmyeong, an SS-rank Hunter.”

“Does that even make sense?”

“It’s hard to believe, but that child is indeed Hunter Lee Cheongmyeong. Please come with us. There’s someone you need to meet.”

* * *

Riding in a luxury sedan with a hibiscus emblem, indicating its government affiliation, Do Hajun looked down at the child sleeping in his arms.

Despite the commotion, the child remained asleep, with his cheek squished against Do Hajun’s chest.

“…Is he really Lee Cheongmyeong?”

[??? feels a sense of comfort.]

[???’s affinity has increased by 1.]

[Current affinity: 20 (Friendly)]

[The ‘Intimacy’ category has been created.]

[Caregiver’s locked information has been unlocked.]

[Name: Lee Cheongmyeong / 3 years old (20 years old)

Ability: Water Hunter (SS-rank)

HP: 16000

MP: 23000

Attack Power: 760 ▷More

Defense: 521 ▷More

Critical Hit: 23% ▷More

Registered Caregiver: Do Hajun

affinity with Caregiver: 20%

▷More]

“Sigh.”

Finally reaching the condition to view the child’s information with a affinity of 20, Do Hajun could confirm the child’s identity.

The floating information window in front of him was irrefutable evidence that the child in his arms was indeed Lee Cheongmyeong.

Do Hajun’s skill was ‘Caregiving.’

The basics of Caregiving involve knowing the information of the one being nurtured, so he meticulously checked the child’s status window.

“Do they resemble each other?”

Tearing his gaze away from the bluish floating information, Do Hajun looked down at Lee Cheongmyeong.

“I can’t tell.”

They were in the same national organization, after all.

However, they were from different teams, and since Alpha Team consisted of elite members, there was no reason for Do Hajun, the leader of the Delta Team, filled with troublemakers, to encounter him.

Moreover, Do Hajun had no talent for remembering faces.

“Please get out.”

While he was looking at Lee Cheongmyeong, the car had stopped, and the door opened.

Stepping out of the car, he saw the familiar yet unwelcome sight of the National Hunter Management Committee building frequently shown on the news.

“…It was real.”

The NHMC was off-limits to the general public except for hunters and related personnel.

“Yes.”

“Please hand over Hunter Lee Cheongmyeong.”

The man beside Kim Taeeun took Lee Cheongmyeong from Do Hajun’s arms. Unlike Do Hajun, who held him like a sack of rice, the man held him securely.

‘So that’s how you hold a child.’

Although they wouldn’t meet again, it seemed good to at least learn the proper way to hold a child, so Do Hajun carefully watched the man.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Under the bright lights, the marble reflected the light. Though it was built with luxurious materials, it still seemed modest compared to the buildings of top guilds.

“Please go through here.”

* * *