#80
It was the first time Seo Yi-young had heard that there were always missing persons among Normal Awakened after dungeon conquests. If that were true, he wondered why it hadn’t been reported in the news, but it didn’t seem like Lee Han-pil would talk about something without foundation.
Seo Yi-young could investigate all these facts independently. After all, his connections were as impressive as anyone’s.
[Now we will proceed with the commemoration ceremony. We request all attendees to please be seated.]
At the sound from the large speakers, people sat down in seats marked with their names. Seo Yi-young also calmly sat down with others and stared at the podium, but his mind was becoming increasingly tangled.
*
After the ceremony, as Seo Yi-young was about to leave and head into the corridor, he caught a child who was about to fall backward after bumping into him.
“I’m sorry! I was looking elsewhere. Are you hurt?”
The polite girl apologizing immediately seemed to be in the lower grades of elementary school and appeared to have come with someone she knew. She was quite composed for a child. No, her response could even be called mature.
The girl had neatly tied her long hair that reached her armpits, and her attire was impeccably tidy.
“I’m fine. But did you come with an adult? If you’re looking for an adult, shall I go with you?”
“Oh. …I’m fine. Thank you.”
At Seo Yi-young’s offer, the girl immediately showed a cautious expression. From her reaction, Seo Yi-young realized his question wasn’t entirely appropriate. In this dangerous world, how would it look if an adult male stranger asked such a question? He felt sorry. However, there were quite a few people here, so it didn’t feel right to just let her go.
“Is that so? I’m sorry. I’m late with my introduction. My name is Seo Yi-young. What’s your name, little miss?”
“I’m, Lee… Lee A-ra.”
Looking at the girl who carefully revealed her name as Lee A-ra, Seo Yi-young continued.
“Yes, A-ra. I’m just worried about letting you go alone.”
“It’s okay. I have a phone.”
The girl showed her phone as she spoke.
“I got bored waiting in the car, so I said I’d come in… Dad said he’d come get me if I waited here.”
“Would you like to call him? When your dad comes, I’ll leave.”
“Yes.”
The child, who answered with a nod, fiddled with her phone.
The screen changed to “connecting,” and a ringtone was heard nearby.
“A-ra?”
It was a voice that somehow seemed familiar. When he turned around, Lee Han-pil was standing there with his phone.
“Dad!”
A-ra immediately ran to him. Seo Yi-young looked back and forth between Lee Han-pil and A-ra. They were a father and daughter who didn’t resemble each other at all. Above all, the daughter was young compared to Lee Han-pil’s age. He would have expected him to have a child at least of high school age. Lee Han-pil picked up his daughter in one arm.
“I told you to wait in the car, but you were bored?”
“Yes. Looking at my phone isn’t fun.”
“Hmm, I see. It would have been better if you’d stayed home.”
“I wanted to be with you, Dad.”
Lee Han-pil with his daughter seemed like a completely different person from the man who had spoken with Seo Yi-young. It was an obvious observation, but seeing the difference made Seo Yi-young feel strange, as if he’d seen a human side of the person named Lee Han-pil.
Seo Yi-young gave a slight bow to Lee Han-pil, who turned his gaze toward him after exchanging a few words with his daughter.
“Seems like you helped A-ra. Thank you.”
“Not at all. Your daughter is quite smart.”
As they exchanged words, a warm atmosphere developed. A-ra looked back and forth between her father and Seo Yi-young, then whispered something to Lee Han-pil in a small voice. Seo Yi-young noticed Lee Han-pil glancing at him once.
“It might be good to ask once.”
As soon as he said that, A-ra approached Seo Yi-young and tugged at his collar.
“We’re going to eat now. Would you like to come with us?”
It was an adorable dinner invitation.
He had no other appointments after this schedule.
“If your schedule permits afterward, come nom-nom eat with us.”
“…”
“Why are you—… …”
Lee Han-pil seemed to realize what he had said and made a chagrined expression. Watching the situation, Seo Yi-young pressed his lips tightly to avoid laughing. It was as if the person had completely changed just because his daughter appeared, though he was the same person as before. And just from those words, it was clear how freely he usually interacted with A-ra.
“…Let’s have a meal together.”
“…”
As he spoke once more, as if correcting himself, Seo Yi-young bit his lips tightly. His nostrils flared as he tried to hold back laughter, but there was nothing he could do. The pressure not to laugh made it feel even harder to suppress. Sensing that Seo Yi-young was in great difficulty, Lee Han-pil cleared his throat a couple of times with “hmm-hmm.”
Seo Yi-young had to struggle mightily to hold back his laughter even as he took a deep breath. A-ra was looking up at Seo Yi-young with round, wide eyes. In this situation, it would be extremely difficult to refuse and leave.
“Then, I’ll shamelessly accept your invitation.”
He ended up accepting an unplanned dinner invitation.
At A-ra’s suggestion, the three of them rode in Lee Han-pil’s car. Seo Yi-young’s car, in which he had arrived, was arranged to follow Lee Han-pil’s car, and he got into his car.
He worried the atmosphere might be heavy, but that was just an unfounded concern. Perhaps thanks to the innocent A-ra, the atmosphere wasn’t tense. Though she was mature for her age, she was definitely still a child, chattering endlessly, and her bright voice made the atmosphere light.
The three went to a nearby traditional Korean restaurant.
“The doenjang jjigae here is delicious.”
During the car ride together, A-ra seemed to have become less shy, as she held Seo Yi-young’s hand, shaking it slightly, and spoke to him. It was quite a polarizing food for a child to like, so even her menu recommendation was unusual.
“Do you like it, A-ra?”
“Yes. And the ice cream they serve for dessert here is delicious too.”
Her smile definitely had traces of Lee Han-pil’s.
As recommended, they ordered doenjang jjigae set meals, and the atmosphere never became tense until the end of the meal. Perhaps it was because his daughter was present that Lee Han-pil’s attitude had softened considerably.
After eating the ice cream that came as dessert, A-ra stood up saying she was going to the bathroom for a moment, and as soon as the child left, the atmosphere changed slightly.
“She’s a bright child.”
“Yes, she is. She seems to like you. It’s the first time A-ra has approached someone she just met, even asking to have a meal together.”
“Is that so? I’m grateful that A-ra thinks so highly of me.”
“Mm, indeed.”
In this situation, it would be customary to deny it, but Lee Han-pil didn’t. Just as Seo Yi-young was thinking he might be what people commonly call a “daughter-obsessed father.”
“Three years ago, after a New-type dungeon was generated, the conquest ended successfully. But my wife, who should have evacuated due to the dungeon generation forecast, couldn’t be found anywhere.”
The face of Lee Han-pil, who had opened his mouth, had completely lost its previous expression and had now fully transformed into the face of a National Assembly member.
Lee Han-pil put down the water glass he was holding on the table.
The sound of it, “tak,” seemed like the sound of scissors cutting off the conversation.
“My wife was also a Normal Awakened.”
“…”
“That’s why I started investigating.”
Seo Yi-young looked back at Lee Han-pil’s eyes that were looking at him. His bright eyes were as intense as if they were shooting beams. Seo Yi-young voiced a question that had been circling in his mind.
“But why are you telling me this?”
Even at Seo Yi-young’s question, Lee Han-pil showed not the slightest crack. He just maintained an extremely comfortable posture, the same as before. He seemed unwilling to tell. The atmosphere wasn’t suitable for it either. As they continued this strange standoff, A-ra returned.
“I’m back.”
“Mm. Was it hard to find the bathroom?”
“No. An employee helped me.”
A-ra, who answered with sparkling eyes, glanced at Seo Yi-young and then closed her mouth, sitting properly in her seat. It probably wasn’t a conversation to continue in front of a young child.
“Well then, shall we get going now? Thank you, Hunter Seo, for your time despite being busy.”
“Not at all.”
From leaving the restaurant until parting with Seo Yi-young, Lee Han-pil didn’t say a single word about their conversation. Just before Seo Yi-young got into the car that Driver Jung had brought to pick him up, Lee Han-pil called out to him.
He had a yellow document envelope in his hand.
“Did you know that the average number of missing persons per year is 60,000?”
“What?”
Seo Yi-young, who had expected him to hand over the envelope right away, reflexively asked back at the unexpected question.
“Even taking that fact into account, there are particularly noticeable aspects.”
“…”
Seo Yi-young took the envelope Lee Han-pil handed over. He could guess what was inside. It would be data about Normal Awakened who disappeared after New-type dungeon occurrences, which Lee Han-pil had mentioned. Cross-verification would be Seo Yi-young’s responsibility, but having basic data alone would make the task much easier.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
