“Next, we deliver the news of a father who saved the lives of himself and his daughter after an unexpected battle with a monster that appeared out of an undetected rift.”

A familiar narrative echoed from the TV mounted on the wall in the hospital room. The occurrence of a rare undetected rift was destined for headlines, but I hadn’t imagined the coverage would be centered around me.

“As the sirens blare, a father, clutching his child, comes face to face with a monster.”

The news report continued, showing low-quality CCTV footage. In the frame, I was seen gently lowering Seola from my arms, my face remaining obscured thanks to the terrible video quality.

“The father conceals the child in a gap between the walls and diverts the monster’s attention.”

Armed with a crude broomstick, the footage showed me standing my ground against the Creten Bull. It lasted only a few minutes, and it was a skirmish hardly deserving the title of a battle. The beast pushed me, and for a moment, we stepped out of the CCTV frame.

A piercing sound echoed, but it was unclear whether the image of me thrusting the spear was edited out or never captured. Eventually, the screen showed me flying in from outside the frame, soaring through the air, and tumbling along the asphalt road. Eunhye and Seola watched in suspense, gasping as they held their breath.

“The hunters from the Goryeo Sword House soon arrived and eliminated the monster...”

The news coverage cut to an interview with a person who seemed to be a hunter from the Goryeo Sword House saying the monster was mostly defeated before they even arrived. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as Seola’s eyes sparkled.

“Daddy, you’re on TV!” Seola exclaimed, drawing the attention of everyone in the hospital room.

An older man with an injured leg gave me an inquisitive glance. “Is that…?”

“Yes, that’s Daddy!” my daughter announced proudly, puffing out her chest.

They all glanced at me with a hint of admiration, and a few soft cheers escaped their lips.

“Pretty impressive! I was wondering what you’d done to get yourself hurt that badly.”

“Nice job, young man.”

“Haha...” I responded with a bashful smile and scratched the back of my head. Being in the spotlight wasn’t something I was accustomed to. Some offered subtle applause, while others gave me a thumbs-up.

An elderly lady next to me smiled warmly and looked at Eunhye. “You’ve got yourself a good husband, haven’t you?”

“Huh? Oh, n-no. It’s not...”

“Oh, you’re not the mother?”

“Of course, she isn’t. She looks too young!” a man interjected with his unsolicited opinion.

The lady next to me looked back and forth between me and Eunhye with a puzzled look on her face.

Seemingly flustered, Eunhye’s eyes darted around before she finally conceded. “No, you’re right. He’s my husband.”

“I thought so. You two look about the same age.”

“R-really? Oh... I’m sorry if I sounded rude.”

Eunhye hid her face with her hands, clearly embarrassed. She didn’t seem too thrilled about calling me her husband.

Seola, on the other hand, seemed to find the situation amusing. “Mommy’s embarrassed!” she squealed gleefully.

***

“Where’s Seola?”

“She’s asleep. The lady next to us said she’d watch over her, so she should be fine. Here, this is for you.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I had been outside in front of the hospital when Eunhye came and handed me a cup of vending machine coffee. Sitting in my wheelchair, I took a sip of the hot coffee. It had an oddly comforting taste.

“Seola must have been terrified. I’m glad she seems better now.”

“Are you really Lee Seojun?”

“Who else would I be?”

“Well, it’s just... Never mind.”

Eunhye seemed to have a lot to say, but it looked like she didn’t trust me enough to say it just yet. I was once again reminded of how careful she was. She sat down on the bench next to me, opening then closing her mouth as if she were trying to find the right words.

“Thank you,” she finally mumbled after a long silence.

“For what?”

“For protecting Seola.”

“She’s my daughter,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

It didn’t seem like a situation that warranted gratitude. Eunhye still looked troubled, perhaps lost in the vast gap between my twenty-year-old self and the person I was now.

Eunhye hesitantly muttered, “I don’t think I know you anymore. You’re such a difficult person to read.”

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you ever considered that maybe she’s not your child?” Eunhye asked carefully.

It was a valid question. When an ex-girlfriend suddenly shows up with a child claiming it’s yours, a normal person would find it hard to believe. However, knowing the truth, I had accepted it readily. I chose my words carefully.

“Even if that were the case, I couldn’t say that in front of the child.”

“What?”

“How could I? She calls me Daddy.”

It was a lesson I had learned in the past. There were countless things I had done wrong, and to atone for what I had done, the least I could do was treat both of them well.

Eunhye shook her head. “Let’s get a DNA test.”

“It’s not necessary.”

“It’s better to be sure.”

There was nothing to be unsure about. Seola was definitely my daughter—something I had confirmed through a DNA test before my return. Eunhye looked at me with eyes that seemed to express gratitude.

“What happened with the guild?” I asked, changing the subject.

“It was just as you said. There were too many loopholes in the contract.”

“I expected as much.”

“But how do you know so much about it?”

“I told you, one of my close friends fell victim to the same thing.”

That “friend” being me before my return. I can’t allow you to sign a contract that borders on slavery.

“So, what’s your plan?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t received any offers from other guilds yet.”

“I said I would help you. Trust me.”

“How exactly are you going to help me?”

“God, you’re so suspicious. It’s top secret and you’ll find out in due time.”

“Without a contract?” she asked playfully.

“A contract? Between us?”

“What exactly are we to each other anyway?” Eunhye asked, rendering me speechless.

Our relationship was incredibly ambiguous. She definitely didn’t seem to have any lingering feelings for me, and even before my return, she had treated me like an unwelcome stranger.

“Uh... Seola’s parents?”

“I guess you’re right.”

As the sun set and the evening shadows grew longer, Eunhye turned her eyes toward the horizon and smiled in a way I hadn’t seen for a very long time.

Huh? Taken aback, my heart began to race. Enveloped in the last rays of the day, I realized Eunhye looked exceptionally beautiful.

Lee Seojun, have you lost your mind? Before my return, I was over forty years old and Eunhye was currently twenty six. This meant the mental age gap between us was over a decade.

Get a hold of yourself. It’s not like traveling back in time has made you mentally younger. My inner conscience warned me that my thoughts were morally questionable. You don’t deserve her. Closing my eyes, I repeated this to myself until I regained my composure. When I opened my eyes again, I found Eunhye looking at me with a worried expression.

“Are you in pain?”

“No, I’m fine. More importantly...” Just as I wanted to change course, my encounter with the monster suddenly flashed through my mind. “When I faced the Creten Bull...”

“Hmm?”

“Something strange happened.”

“Strange? What do you mean?”

I explained the situation as I remembered it. As it charged at me, the Creten Bull’s legs had bent unnaturally as if it had been struck suddenly by some invisible force.

Eunhye blinked innocently as if she wasn’t sure what I was trying to say. But I wasn’t fooled. I had seen her eyes momentarily dart sideways. She definitely knew more than she was letting on.

“So I’ve been thinking,” I continued.

“Yes?”

“It seemed like it was magic.”

“M-magic?” Eunhye seemed surprised.

Among the hunters, there were those who could harness mana in unusual ways. They could do more than just enchant weapons—they could manipulate mana to perform various tasks. Magic was the umbrella term for this.

“If there had been a hunter in that alley, they would have intervened immediately.”

“Yeah... I guess so.”

“Which means, besides Seola and me, there was no one else there.”

“H-how can you know for sure?”

“Since the siren went off, regular people probably wouldn’t have come near.” No civilian in their right mind would willingly approach a monster. So I arrived at the only reasonable conclusion. “Could it be that Seola cast the magic?”

“Oh, come on. That makes no sense,” Eunhye scoffed, brushing off my words.

Her reply was too fast to be natural and she was avoiding my eyes, making her seem all the more suspicious. But above all else, I knew I was right. Knowing the future, I knew Seola would become a witch one day.

“Eunhye, look at me.”

“Why...?”

“Tell me the truth. Am I wrong?”

She closed her eyes tightly. Her lips trembled, but no answer came forth. She sighed and looked around, checking if anyone was nearby. Then she slid closer to me. My heart skipped a beat.

“Can you keep a secret?”

“She’s my daughter. I’d never do anything that would harm her.”

“Okay, I trust you,” Eunhye said, taking me by surprise. I didn’t think she would trust me so easily. She gave me a faint smile. “You trusted me too.”

“Yes. Go on then.”

“You’re right... That probably was Seola’s doing.”

I was astounded. No matter how gifted someone might be, using magic wasn’t something one could do easily. It required an inherent sense for manipulating mana, and above all, it involved complex calculations. Even if the effect was minor, it wasn’t an ability that could be wielded by a five-year-old.

“How?”

“She’s pretty smart.”

“Guess she takes after you.”

“This is a serious conversation. Listen.”

“Sorry, ma’am.” My mouth clicked shut under her piercing eyes. I wasn’t joking, you know!

Eunhye rolled her eyes and continued. “Do you remember why I came to your place?”

“Because your house collapsed?”

“Yes. Seola did that.”

“She made the house collapse?”

My mouth fell open. Using magic at the age of five was already surprising, but having the power to bring down an entire house was something else entirely. This was news to me. No wonder she was the final boss.

“It happened because she lost control of her emotions.”

“And normally?”

“There’s no problem at all. She’s just an ordinary kid.”

“I don’t agree about the ordinary part.”

“She’s not? What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s the cutest thing in the world.”

Smack!

Eunhye swatted my back with her hand.

Startled, I straightened up and grimaced. “Oww... That hurt, you know!”

“Oh, shut up. You deserved it.” Eunhye let out a sigh.

Complicated emotions seemed to be clouding her mind—the relief of unburdening herself from a problem she’d been bearing alone, but also worrying about Seola.

“When this becomes known...”

“It’s going to cause quite a stir.”

“I’m worried she’ll be dragged off to some strange research facility.”

“Don’t worry.” My expression was the only way I could express my condolences. Hugging her or holding her hand wasn’t something I could do, especially considering my body was a complete mess and I couldn’t even stand up. “I’ll figure out what to do.”

Eunhye raised her head and gave me a skeptical look. But I was confident I could take responsibility for my words. After all, I had the knowledge of the future and fifteen years of experience as a veteran hunter.

“You said you trust me, right?” I said, wriggling my eyebrows.

“I’m on the verge of regretting that choice,” she replied, rolling her eyes.