The Villainous Director Is Raising a Child!

"Woooo! The sea!!! It's a real sea!!!"

"So much sand! Unnie, is that the sea?!"

Ms. Kim Sunja and the Bawi Guild members, coming down off the plane after the kids, watched with warm smiles as they bounded around the sandy beach.

Han Jewoon — who moments earlier had been shrinking under his subordinate's savage lecture — burst into an easy, hearty laugh at the kids' wild cheering, as if the cowed man from a minute ago had never existed.

"Ha ha! Welcome to my island, kids! This afternoon we're playing in the sea, and tonight we're doing a big outdoor barbecue, all of us together!"

"Yaaay! Barbecue party!!"

At that, Sea-ah's and Ari's eyes — the two who knew what it meant — lit up like stars in an instant.

But the rest of the kids just tilted their heads in unison at the unfamiliar words.

"Barbecue… party? What's that?"

"A barbecue party is where you pile up a whole mountain of yummy meat and everyone eats it together! We did it sometimes back in our village!"

"Whoa! That's awesome!!"

"I can eat lots and lots of meat!"

Watching the worked-up kids with a warm look, Seo Jihyeok clapped his hands lightly to redirect their attention.

"All right, all right, settle down. First, let's unpack. Hunter Kang San, Hunter Cheon Sarang — please show them to their rooms."

"Yessir! Little men, just follow your hyung here!"

"You little ladies too… come with unnie…?"

Led by boisterous Kang San and languid Cheon Sarang, the kids soon poured en masse into the mansion.

Watching the chaotic scene, Choi Juran walked over to Kim Sunja with a brisk, easy stride.

"You should come with me, ma'am. You must be stiff from the flight — why don't we set your things down and let you unwind first? There's a killer sauna here."

At that, Kim Sunja's eyes flickered ever so slightly.

"Ahem. A sauna? Tsk, tsk, the way you young ones throw money around…. Well…… since it's already built, it'd be a shame to let it sit — I'll try it out this once, then."

Her words were brusque, but she couldn't quite hide how tempted she was; she disappeared into the mansion with Choi Juran, her steps oddly bouncy for her.

In the end, the only ones left standing there were me and Han Jewoon.

"All right, I guess I'll head in and rest too—"

"Hold on! A friend comes to visit and I don't even show him around? That's no way for a host to act!"

Han Jewoon planted himself in front of me, thoroughly amped up.

"I'll give you the personal tour, special. Come on!"

I'd been hauled all the way from the institute to this island and was tired enough to want to collapse into bed on the spot, but I was also privately curious about what this island held, so in the end I gave in — with a show of reluctance — and followed him.

The island tour that followed was one shock after another.

Endless ultra-luxury suites were the baseline. On top of that: an indoor pool, cutting-edge medical facilities with healing tanks, even a private movie theater.

And the crown jewel among all of it was, without question, the training ground.

Inside the massive training ground — big enough to rival a full-sized domed stadium — a virtual monster summoning system on par with the institute's had been built out in perfect condition.

One command was all it took to vividly recreate specialized environments like underwater or aerial combat, and the system had insane detail — right down to letting you assign virtual enemies whatever finicky attributes you wanted: electric resistance, ice resistance, take your pick.

On top of that, it could reproduce terrain that felt like you'd lifted the interior of an actual Gate straight in — and it could recreate field monsters and boss rooms to perfection, too.

"Whoa…."

This wasn't a mere training ground — it was a colossal earthly paradise built purely for the Awakened.

But… the awe that came from that overwhelming scale began to fade the longer I trudged along.

I felt bad for Han Jewoon — chattering away in high spirits — but just trailing him through the sheer size of this place had already drained my battery to zero.

"Next up, over on the coast, there's—"

"Stop. I surrender. I'm actually dying."

In the end, I threw in the towel without even seeing a quarter of the island.

"But there's still a mountain of stuff to show you."

Only after promising him "next time" was I finally able to make it into the room they'd assigned me.

I threw myself down onto the huge bed in the middle of the bedroom, practically collapsing.

…just ten minutes.

How long had my eyes been closed?

A sharp sound drifting in through the window from somewhere in the distance jolted them open.

"Kyaaah!"

What was that?

I sprang off the bed like a coiled spring and bolted outside.

"Kids!!"

But my urgent shout quickly turned into a sigh of relief.

"Kyaaa—! Unnie!!! Oppa!!! Look at this!!!"

"Ha ha! Hayun! Hajun! Come over here!"

Those sounds weren't horrific screams — they were joyous cheers.

Only then, as my racing heart settled and I turned to look them over, did I get startled all over again — in a completely different way.

Because the kids, in their regular clothes only moments ago, were now playing in the sea decked out in perfect, custom-tailored swimsuits in every color of the rainbow.

Wait… how did they get swimsuits? The kids didn't have any packed, right?

Did he read my mind?

Seo Jihyeok had come up silently beside me; he nudged his glasses up with a finger and answered.

"Having custom swimsuits on hand — sized to the body type and taste of every guest who arrives — is bare-minimum standard practice at Bawi Guild."

Even so — on this remote island with no ferry service, that just happens on the spot?

And you didn't even know we were coming!

The common-sense questions surged all the way up my throat, but I'd just watched the dizzying feast of wasted money with my own eyes on the island tour, so I decided to quietly hold my tongue.

In any case, once I'd confirmed the kids were safe — and having the time of their lives at that — I settled myself down under a parasol set up at one end of the beach.

Cool sea breeze on my face, watching the kids, a warm smile spread across my lips of its own accord.

The one who caught my eye most of all was, of all people, Sea-ah.

The child who'd been so terrified of water was now clinging to an inner tube, laughing brightly with Ari as they rode the waves.

She really has completely gotten past it thanks to what happened in District Eight…

It was the kind of horrific experience that could easily have left her with lifelong trauma.

But Sea-ah hadn't run from it — if anything, she'd taken that experience as a stepping stone and grown a notch stronger.

More than proud — one corner of my chest was full to overflowing with it.

Just then.

"Whoa! Director! What're you doin' sittin' here all alone, all mopey!"

Kang San had appeared out of nowhere, a bright neon life vest flashing on his chest, and called out cheerfully.

"Ah, water play's not really my thing. I'll just rest here—"

"Aw, come on! Don't hold out on me!"

My refusal wasn't even finished.

Kang San — whose temperament seemed as impatient as his ability — abruptly hoisted me up like a piece of luggage.

"Whoaaa!! Hey, hold on—!"

"Ha ha ha! Off to the seaaa!"

Splash—!

Slung in without mercy, I got saltwater rushing straight up my nose.

Coughing and pushing my soaked bangs back, I watched Kang San howling with laughter at the sight.

And in that very instant.

The kids who'd witnessed the scene turned savage in a flash.

"Youuu—!!"

"Don' pick on our Director!!"

Kang San, still cackling, was flung straight up into midair — and then dumped mercilessly into the middle of the sea.

"Gwek—!"

That dying yelp of a scream was the starting flare.

Before anyone knew it, the once-peaceful beach had transformed into a terrifying water war — Bawi Guild versus the kids.

"Ha! Looks fun. Mind if I get in on it?"

Choi Juran, who'd been watching, laughed heartily and joined the fray.

When she brought both arms — hardened solid and shining gold — down hard on the water's surface, a wave the size of a house came crashing toward us like a tsunami.

"Hey, a tank throwing out damage — that's cheating!"

The one who stepped in front of me as I screamed in shock was Sea-ah.

"Don't worry, Director!"

Sea-ah stretched a hand out into the air, and dozens of transparent barriers layered themselves up in front of us.

The wave crashed down with a boom, was caught against the solid barriers, and scattered helplessly.

"Then how 'bout this!"

Kang San, having pulled himself together and gotten back up, began sprinting fiercely across the surface of the water.

Just as the terrifying spray thrown up by his Sonic Sprint was about to rain down like a carpet bombing —

Yul, face impassive, slowly dipped one hand into the calm sea.

"If you're going to make a wave, at least make it this big."

Rumble-rumble-rumble—!

Kwaaang—!

"Aaagh! What the hell is that!"

The mana pouring from Yul's fingertips shaped a house-sized wave in an instant.

That colossal wave easily swallowed up the puny spray Kang San had kicked up and went surging out with a force that looked ready to flip the entire sea over.

"Aaaagh! Boss! Save me! Blub, blub-blub!"

Kang San, who'd been so cocksure just moments before, was helplessly swept up in the wave, flailing and choking down mouthful after mouthful of saltwater.

"Oh, that's some solid mana control."

Living up to his reputation as Korea's number-one Hunter, Han Jewoon didn't so much as flinch in front of the huge wave crashing down on him — he summoned his sword and hopped up onto it as if it were a surfboard.

Then, entrusting himself serenely to that menacing wave, he settled into a perfectly-executed solo surf.

Meanwhile, one step removed from that fierce battleground, an utterly peaceful scene was unfolding.

Under a large parasol that blocked the harsh sunlight perfectly —

Ari, Suho, and Sihyeok were huddled together, playing in the sand.

"Hyung! Noona! I finished!"

Suho — who'd been patting the sand into shape with tiny hands — puffed his chest out proudly and called out.

At his feet sat a huddle of adorable, slightly wonky little sand puppies and rabbits.

"Wowww! Suho! You're seriously amazing! You must have really good hands!"

Ari's eyes sparkled as she shot him two thumbs up.

Sihyeok, without a word, pulled the parasol's shadow out and used it to affectionately ruffle Suho's hair.

"Hehe, thanks!"

Suho gave a shy, bashful little smile, and the sound of his laughter mixed pleasantly with the cool wash of the waves and scattered on the breeze.

Once the round of play had wound down and the red sunset was sinking into the sea —

The outdoor barbecue party the kids had been so eagerly looking forward to kicked off, the mouthwatering smell of grilling meat carrying across the whole island.

"All right! Empty plates over here, please."

Seo Jihyeok — immaculate suit still perfect, an apron now cinched firmly over it — had somehow transformed into a master grill-hand.

With tongs in one hand and his ability — a spellbook — open in the other, he set about grilling premium cuts to an exact, faultless temperature, ability and all.

At his side, the kids opened their mouths like baby birds, catching each grilled piece as it came.

The kids' appetites — after a whole day in the water — were nothing short of enormous.

"Direector! This meat is soooo yummy!!"

"Mmphmff!"

Hayun and Suho, mouths smeared with grease, called out with their cheeks puffed round as squirrels'.

It was completely incomprehensible mumbling, since they were chewing with mouths crammed full of meat, but their emphatic nodding got the message across just fine: it was that good.

"Slow down. You'll give yourselves indigestion."

I scolded them sternly enough, but even as I did, I was busy slipping lettuce and grilled vegetables into the kids' never-stop-chewing mouths whenever I got the chance.

Slither—.

A shadow crept up to my feet, and a perfectly grilled piece of meat was smoothly delivered onto my plate.

"For the Director…"

I let out a soft laugh at Sihyeok's sweet thoughtfulness and pushed the piece of meat the shadow had handed me into my mouth.

The cool sea breeze, kids laughing wide open, a place where I could relax with no threat looming over us.

It really was the perfect night.

"Yaaawn—."

Between the whole day in the water and stuffing themselves to bursting with meat, the kids finally couldn't fight off the wave of drowsiness rolling in, and one by one they started nodding off.

I scooped each of them up in turn.

Maybe they'd burned through everything in the water — they sagged heavier than usual, going limp in my arms.

Careful not to wake them, I started carrying them, one at a time, to their rooms with a hushed step.

"Mm… Direector. Today was so much fun…"

"Let's play like this again. Hehe…"

The warmth of the kids murmuring in my arms drew a tender smile from me all on its own.

"Yeah. Let's."

I laid each one down carefully into a soft bed.

The room settled into peace, filled with the steady breathing of the sleeping kids.

Once I'd made sure they were all deeply asleep, I let myself indulge a little.

With the kind of tender hand I could never quite bring myself to use while they were awake, I stroked each of their warm little heads.

"Mmn…."

The kids stirred in their sleep and burrowed their faces deep into the pillows.

I yanked my hand back, worried I might have woken them, but thankfully they soon slipped back into deep, steady sleep.

I muffled my footsteps as much as I could and slipped quietly out of the room.

Outside, night had well and truly settled in.

"Ngh, yaawwn—."

Now that I'd gotten all the kids to sleep, the tension finally released, and a deep exhaustion hit all at once.

Kids are out cold too. Guess I'll head to bed myself.

Just as I stretched pleasantly and turned to head back to my room —

Thud! Thud!

With two heavy, dull thumps, two terrifyingly enormous liquor bottles landed one after the other on the outdoor table in front of me.

"……?"

I flinched and looked up to find Han Jewoon standing squarely in my way, sleeves rolled up.

"Where do you think you're running off to."

"……huh?"

"You've put the kids to bed — now it's time for the grown-ups."

I looked back and forth between the huge bottles — as big around as my forearm — and Korea's number-one Hunter, eyes glinting expectantly, and could only let out a dazed noise.

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