The Villainous Director Is Raising a Child!

"Argh!"

I screamed and just barely threw myself back to dodge.

"M-ma'am, there seems to be some kind of misunderstanding here — please, just hear me out for a moment!"

She didn't look like she had any intention of hearing me out.

"Shut it. That damned man's spawn dares crawl its way in here?"

I was about to try to stop that incomprehensible hatred pouring out of her — when her sickle came whistling whoosh! toward my head again, killing intent riding on it.

That was the exact moment.

A shadow rose up out of the ground and snap! — caught the flying sickle midair.

Sihyeok — awake at some point — was still on my back, one small hand stretched out in front of him.

"Don't hurt our Director."

At the child's words, a strange light kindled in Kim Sunja's eyes.

"...Director?"

She muttered.

"Come to think of it, there was a rumor Chae Ganghyeon's delinquent son had been put in charge of some Awakened-related research institute..."

In that instant, the light in her eyes blazed up — fierce and savage in a way that made her earlier fury look like nothing at all.

"...Don't tell me this little one... is a test subject!"

I read the misunderstanding rising in her eyes, plain as day.

The Director of an institute.

Chae Ganghyeon's son.

And on top of that, a small Awakened plastered to his side.

Somehow, the worst possible trifecta had fallen into perfect alignment.

...I'm done for.

This was not a situation you could talk your way out of.

For the sake of my own life, I decided on a tactical retreat.

I shifted Sihyeok on my back in a hurry, turned on the spot, and bolted back toward the village.

Even as I fled, I still wanted to leave some kind of good impression, so I shouted at the top of my lungs:

"Ma'am! Next time — I'll come back — I'll pay my respects properly — !!!"

"See, didn't I tell you. That old woman's temper is no joke."

The old man I'd met at the gate earlier — the one who had introduced himself as the village head — cackled.

I let out a deep sigh and gave a strained laugh of my own.

"You did. I hadn't expected it to be this bad... Thank you, though, sir. I had nowhere to go — I'll be relying on you for a night's lodging."

"That's enough of that."

The old man waved his hand.

"Truth is, I don't take mainlanders in myself either. But seeing that little one over there reminded me of my own grandson from years back, so I'm making a special exception."

I sat quietly watching Sihyeok work his way through the warm dinner the village head had set out, tiny mouthfuls at a time.

"Really, thank you. This kindness — I promise I'll repay it someday."

"Repay, my foot. Don't go thinking about repaying an old man like me."

He set a piece of hot fish on top of Sihyeok's spoon and gave a warm heh, heh of a laugh.

"You just be good to that little one. As long as I see him eating well and growing up strong, that's payment enough."

Sihyeok bobbed a small bow toward the village head, then shoveled the fish and rice into his mouth all at once.

Watching him, I steeled myself once more.

If only to give this child an ordinary life like this one — I had to bring Kim Sunja back with me, no matter what.

I ran her profile through my head again — one I'd read so many times I basically had it memorized.

Kim Sunja. Non-combat S-rank Hunter and former Grand Master of Bawi Guild. Eight years ago, lost her daughter and son-in-law — both A-rank Hunters — in a C-rank dungeon, then disappeared with her granddaughter, Yeon Ari.

Nowhere in that profile was the name Chae Ganghyeon.

But eight years ago, the Bureau Chief was already Chae Ganghyeon.

A major incident where two A-rank Hunters died inside a C-rank Gate.

There was no way the man who had been Bureau Chief at the time hadn't been involved.

Haah...

I ran a hand down my own face without thinking.

Of all things, my face is his to a T — I can't even deny it.

Hiding all of that behind a neutral face, I asked the village head:

"Sir. Would you happen to know... why Ms. Kim Sunja stays here instead of going to the mainland?"

The village head seemed to think about something for a moment, then shook his head.

"Me, I don't know all the ins and outs of it..."

He paused, then added:

"Once or twice a year, some red-headed young fellow comes to visit. He's the only mainlander that old woman'll see. If anyone would know the answer, I'd figure it's him."

...Red hair.

That night, after putting Sihyeok to sleep, I stepped outside for a moment and put a video call through to Han Jewoon.

After a few rings, Han Jewoon's face came up on the hologram screen.

[What's this? The Director himself, calling me this late at night.]

"You knew."

[Knew what.]

"Kim Sunja. That she was going to hate my old man — and me — with everything she had."

At my words, Han Jewoon let out a small pfft of a laugh.

[Judging by the look on you, you got a good solid whack from the old woman?]

"I asked you to introduce me to a teacher, and you sent me to someone who tries to kill me the second she hears my name?"

Han Jewoon cackled, as though my rage was just about the funniest thing.

[Calm down. I kept my end of it. It's not my fault that you're 'Chae Junhyeok,' is it? And objectively speaking, there's no one else in this whole country who can make those dolls of yours strong except that old woman.]

I forced my rage down and asked:

"...Then at least tell me why. What in the world did the old man do to her. I need to know that much just to figure out whether I'm asking forgiveness or begging on my knees or what."

At that, Han Jewoon's eyes widened, just a little.

[...]

He watched me for a moment without saying anything, then opened his mouth.

[I can't tell you her whole past. But I'll give you a hint.]

His voice had, at some point, dropped low and cool as a snake's.

[Eight years ago. The day her daughter and son-in-law died — go dig into that one more time. The data will probably be somewhere deep inside the Bureau's records.]

"!"

[If you really are that desperate... dig it up yourself. If you've got the guts.]

He laughed, like he was having a genuinely good time.

[Well then. I'm busy — I've got to look into that A-rank Gate you mentioned.]

Click.

The call cut out on his end.

I stared at the cold, dead hologram screen for a while, then sank down where I stood and put my head in my hands.

Every last one of the plans I'd put together back in Seoul was collapsing like dominoes.

So in the end... unless I untangle the past first, no amount of persuading or dealmaking is going to move her.

The first knot in the thread.

Unless I dug up the truth from eight years ago first, opening her heart was impossible.

I pulled the terminal from my pocket and dialed a familiar number.

Before the third ring had even finished, the same over-eager voice as ever came through.

[Yes! Director! Lee Jinwoo here! Are you already done with what you went off to do?!]

"Not yet. Never mind that — Lee Jinwoo. You said once you could hack. How good are you?"

Thrown by the abrupt question, Lee Jinwoo began, fumbling, to lay out his colorful past.

[Huh? Well — at ten I was doodling on the school server a little... at fifteen I dropped in on the Education Office site for a bit... and after I turned eighteen there were a few times I was in and out of government servers—]

He was still muttering when he suddenly added, urgently:

[O-of course, I don't do any of that now! That is clearly, obviously an illegal—]

I cut his frantic excuses off in one stroke.

"Can you hack the Awakened Management Bureau's central server?"

[...Excuse me?]

"Hacking. The Bureau's main server — can you crack it? It's probably data buried very deep."

In that instant, from the other end of the line... came the faint sound of Lee Jinwoo sucking in a breath.

[Th-the Bureau?! That's where every Hunter in the country's information gets pooled — the firewalls are practically at S-rank dungeon level! Not just plain firewalls either — seven layered security protocols, and every database has its encryption keys rotated in real time!]

"So can you do it or can't you."

Over the line, all I could hear was the faint sound of Lee Jinwoo's breathing.

[...]

I don't know how long went by.

Finally, as though he had run every calculation to its end, he answered, carefully, in a shaky voice.

[...Three weeks... just give me three weeks.]

Satisfied with his answer, I gave the final order.

"Good. The C-rank dungeon Gate Break incident from eight years ago. And every scrap of information relating to Kim Sunja and her family — comb through all of it."

[But why on earth—]

"Enough. I'll be in touch again in a month."

I ended the call on that.

"Haah..."

If the honest approach wasn't going to work — nothing left but to use a cheat code.

Until Lee Jinwoo brought me the truth. I would hold my ground here.

From that day on, my and Sihyeok's strange life up in that mountain village began.

The first thing I did was call the driver and have him arrange for every supply Sihyeok and I would need during our stay to be delivered up to the village.

The biggest problem — where we'd stay — was fortunately solved by the village head's goodwill.

We were to borrow a small back room in his house.

The village head welcomed us wholeheartedly, unexpected houseguests though we were.

"So don't you go worrying about a thing. I've been living all alone up here — it was too quiet by half. If you'll settle in and make yourselves at home, I'm the one who's grateful."

"Thank you, truly, sir."

Right then, Sihyeok — who had been hiding behind my back — came pattering out and gave the village head a little bow.

"...Thank you."

However small the voice, a warm smile bloomed all across the village head's wrinkled face.

"Aigoo, well, would you look at that. Even knows to say his thanks."

The old man gently stroked the child's head.

From that day on, I started walking around the village and getting to know the small place.

There were only five households in the village in total, and other than Ms. Kim Sunja's granddaughter Yeon Ari, everyone was an old man or old woman with a stooped back.

The next day, after learning that most of the villagers lived by growing tangerines, I started helping out in the tangerine grove — both to repay the village head's kindness and to get on better terms with the village elders.

Of course, it wasn't smooth sailing from the start.

As I was sweating buckets and yanking clumsily at the weeds, an old woman working next to me clicked her tongue tsk, tsk, and slapped the back of my hand.

"Aigoo, young fellow! You pull like that, you don't get the root out!"

An old man beside her chimed in.

"You call that earning your keep? Grip hard, and — rip! — out in one go!"

Getting scolded from both sides at once, I fumbled out an answer.

"Ah, yes! I'll try again!"

I glanced over toward the shade of a tree.

Sure enough, Sihyeok was staring straight at me.

...So much for the delinquent act. That's about to blow, and everything with it.

Still, this suffering did have its silver lining.

I got to see Ms. Kim Sunja's face every day.

Of course, she was treating me like I was invisible.

...Still, better than nothing. Keep showing my face — maybe she'll warm up eventually.

About a week or so passed like that.

The wary looks the other elders had started with — an outsider showing up in their midst — began, little by little, to soften.

"Ha, you looked like a slick city thing when you got here — I didn't have much faith. But now you're not half bad."

"Young fellow, you've worked hard. Come on over, have a potato before you go."

They seemed to have opened up quickly, moved by my polite manners and by Sihyeok trailing after me everywhere like a little chick.

Before I knew it, I was on greeting-in-passing terms with the village elders.

Sihyeok too — who at first had only hidden behind my back — was now taking the boiled potatoes the grandmothers handed him in his own small hands.

A few more days passed like that.

I had just come back from working in the fields and was catching my breath on the porch when—

The village head came out with two steaming ears of corn.

"You worked hard today. Share this with the little one."

I thanked him and took one ear.

Then I broke off the best-ripened yellow kernel and brought it up to Sihyeok's mouth as he sat quietly beside me.

The child opened his mouth like a small bird and took the kernel with a soft nom.

That was the exact moment.

Off in the distance, I saw a young girl come pelting toward us in a cloud of dust.

That child—?

It was the same girl who had appeared and vanished like a squirrel that first time I'd been climbing the mountain with Sihyeok on my back.

The only child in this village... which means that must be Ms. Kim Sunja's granddaughter — Yeon Ari.

The moment my thought reached that far—

The girl was already in front of me, chest heaving with rough breath, and without a word of warning she started hurling pinecones.

"Mister! Get out of our village right now! Get out!"

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