Hero Hunter is on Parental Leave C34

Chapter 34

It seemed Lee Chahyeon had contacted them in advance, for the on-call doctor and nurse guided Yeongung inside immediately.

Being the only facility on the island that handled emergency night care, the ER was far more hectic than he expected. The space was filled with the pained cries of all sorts of patients—

a fisherman whose finger had been caught in the winch during nighttime net hauling,

an elderly man who had slipped in the bathroom and strained his back,

and even infants as young as Jaehee.

“…Guardian, guardian…!”

“Y-yes!”

The nurse’s sharp urging snapped Yeongung out of his daze.

He had faced systems and monsters, had heard screams far more horrifying than this—but anything concerning his own child shattered his composure. Even when clearing S-class Gates, the nerves he prided himself on felt shrunken to grains of sand.

Because the child refused to be separated from his father, Yeongung lay down on the patient bed with Jaehee still in his arms. While moving, he explained when the fever and vomiting had begun. The child’s temperature had climbed to forty degrees on the way, so they administered a fever reducer first and then ran several tests.

Fortunately, the medicine began working, and the fever slowly dropped.

Yeongung gazed sorrowfully at the IV needle inserted into his small body.

“My baby…”

Sitting on a stool pulled close, the man gently brushed aside the sweat-damp hair from Yeongung’s forehead and joked,

“Well… at least they aren’t quacks.”

“…You’re the only person alive who would call the medical director of an Awakened hospital a quack.”

“That’s an honor.”

The man rose from his seat. When it looked like he was leaving, Yeongung instinctively tugged on the collar of his shirt.

“Where are you going now?”

“I’ll bring you a change of clothes, and the things the baby needs. A bit of everything.”

After carefully wiping the drool from the corner of Jaehee’s mouth, the man checked the baby’s condition once more, reassuring Yeongung.

“I’ll be right back.”

Once he left the hospital, Yeongung stopped a passing nurse.

“I heard he needs to be hospitalized for a few days, but no one’s done the admission paperwork.”

The weary night-shift nurse blinked at him.

“You already finished it. And the full payment’s been prepaid as well.”

“…What? By who…?”

“Jaehee’s father.”

“I didn’t—”

“Not you, Mr. Youngjun. The other father. Master Won Iheun handled all administrative matters before he left.”

Stunned as if he had been struck by lightning, Yeongung asked again in disbelief.

“Won Iheun—did he say it himself? That Jaehee… is his son?”

“Then of course he’d call his son his son!?”

The nurse gave him a puzzled look for asking something so obvious.

“When the room is ready, I’ll let you know. Please rest with the baby until then.”

As she left, tending to calls from other patients, she pulled the curtain around them.

Left alone behind the curtain with his child, Yeongung let out a hollow laugh.

“So… it was this easy.”

He felt joy at Jaehee finally being acknowledged by his biological Alpha father—yet the years he had spent hiding, determined to protect his child alone, suddenly felt futile. Back then, he had believed disappearing was the only way to safely give birth to Creamie—his child—and raise him. But he had been wrong.

He wondered—had his misguided decision deprived Jaehee of the love and care of both parents? Guilt twisted inside him.

“My baby… I’m so sorry.”

Just then, his phone buzzed. It was Chahyeon.

“Thanks.”

[Thanks? When else would you use having a doctor uncle? Did his fever go down?]

“Mostly.”

[Right. You must’ve been terrified, since it’s your first time. Is Master Won Iheun with you right now?]

“How did you know…?”

Lee Chahyeon knew that Won Iheun was living with him on Muhae Island.

[Ah… well, Yeongung… that is…]

“Since when did you know?”

Caught, Lee Chahyeon stuttered for a few seconds before surrendering with a heavy sigh.

[Fine. I’ll tell you everything. All of it.]

Straightening his grip on the phone, Yeongung listened.

[We all know Sayoung is the best in the industry. And even someone like him couldn’t track traces of your mana once he erased them. So even for the top Seeker—Master Won—it was nearly impossible.]

“So then?”

[The genius changed tactics. From mana… to pheromones.]

“That’s ridiculous. Like I told Won Iheun—there’s no way someone like me, an extreme Omega, would leave behind pheromones that strong.”

[But it was possible for him. He came to the Medical Bureau asking if we knew anything about your whereabouts. I knew your situation, so of course I said no. His eyes were terrifying, but strangely, he didn’t threaten anyone—just left quietly.]

“…”

[I thought he’d given up after months passed. But no—he’d been preparing. The day I visited Muhae Island, he caught the scent left on me. He put people on surveillance using that minuscule trace of pheromone… and eventually found you.]

“This is insane.”

[Insane? He’s literally a bloodhound. Hahaha—seriously, ‘Kae-ko’ fits him perfectly.]

After laughing, Chahyeon’s voice softened.

[Yeongung… I just want you to be happy.]

Terrible at handling sentimental lines, Yeongung answered gruffly,

“I know.”

[Did you two actually talk? Properly?]

“Not yet…”

He had arrived at the hospital right after the explosive confession, and all his focus had gone toward caring for Jaehee. Their timing had clashed again and again.

[Where’s the fearless Yeongung I know? You used to live like you had nothing to lose. Now look at you—turning timid because you have something precious to protect.]

“Try having a kid yourself.”

[I can’t fully understand without one, sure… but don’t hide out of fear. Not beforehand, Yeongung.]

“Yeah… thanks. For everything.”

[And you two need to come back to Seoul soon.]

His heart dropped.

“Why? It’s not even time for his checkup yet. Is something wrong with Jaehee?”

Clicks sounded over the speaker, as if Chahyeon was scrolling through his chart.

[The doctor there sent me all the test results. Something about them bothers me. It doesn’t look like pneumonia, viral infections, or colds—it seems to come from something entirely different.]

At the suggestion of an awakening-related fever, Yeongung tensed.

“Are you saying a child who can’t even walk has awakened a trait?”

[No, not an awakening fever. I’ll explain once I see you. As soon as he’s stable and fit for travel, come up.]

“He’s being discharged in two days. We’ll go then.”

[Good. If we don’t find the cause soon, it could recur. But don’t panic. We might finally learn why his development has been slow.]

After hanging up, Yeongung studied his son’s face with deep affection.

We might finally learn why Jaehee’s development has been slow.

No matter how many experts he’d asked, no one could determine the reason. Now, a faint thread of hope had appeared—small, but real.

Ever since Jaehee was born, he had wished for only one thing:

that his child would grow up healthy and happy.

Nothing else—his own happiness, his own life—mattered in comparison.

Swish.

The curtain pulled open. He assumed it was a nurse—but it was Won Iheun.

He appeared carrying a 20-inch suitcase, a backpack, and several shopping bags. The faint scent of sea breeze clung to his tousled hair. Earlier, he had traveled by car to avoid straining Jaehee, but judging by his sudden appearance now, he must have flown here via telekinesis.

“I’m back.”

“Don’t tell me… you came like that?”

The pink Tintinping headband perched on his head glittered obnoxiously.

“I thought Youngjae would like it.”

Perhaps jealous of how Chahyeon affectionately called the baby by that nickname, the man, too, had begun calling Jaehee “Youngjae.”

“The room is ready. Let’s move—oh my!”

The nurse who entered to notify them froze and squealed when she saw Won Iheun with the flashy headband. With his forehead exposed beneath it, his already dazzling face looked radiant.

“I wasn’t sure—but you really are Master Won Iheun!?”

During the earlier rush, she had worked mechanically without looking closely at the guardians’ faces. Only now did she realize whom she was speaking to.

“Oh my, then… the two of you…!”

Remembering that Won Iheun had signed as Jaehee’s guardian, she stared between the two men. On Muhae Island, Yeongung lived under the alias “Youngjun,” disguised with an ordinary man’s face.

The nurse thus assumed an Omega named Youngjun had given birth to an angelic child with the great Won Iheun.

He had assumed Muhae locals didn’t care about Awakener matters—but it seemed that younger residents from central regions were different.

And of course—it was that Won Iheun.

With a gesture asking for secrecy, Won Iheun lowered his voice.

“There are… circumstances.”

Even small movements of his carried an air of seductive mystery. The nurse’s cheeks flushed, and she nodded vigorously.

“Mr. Joon, you must feel so secure. With a spouse like this… and such a beautiful son.”

While Yeongung no longer reacted much to how differently people treated him since changing his face, Won Iheun did not let it slide.

The man cupped Yeongung’s jaw, lifting it until their eyes met. His gaze burned—so hot it felt like he might devour him.

“I’m the grateful one. Someone like him came to me.”

Then he pressed a hand to Yeongung’s flat abdomen, applying light pressure.

“And he’s the only one who could ever accept me.”

His ambiguous phrasing—what exactly he meant by “accept”—made everyone’s ears turn red.

“Oh my…! A-ahem…”

The flustered nurse pretended to check a perfectly fine IV bag, while the man calmly corrected her misunderstanding.

“And his name isn’t Youngjun. It’s Yeongung.”

“Won Iheun!”

Even rumors that Won Iheun had a secret spouse and child would cause a scandal—but if the world learned that spouse was Yeongung…

Intent on keeping his child away from the media, Yeongung kicked his side as hard as he could. Of course, the man didn’t even budge.

“What? But the ID you gave us—”

The doctor hurried over and cut her off.

Lee Chahyeon must have briefed him and warned him about confidentiality.

“Sorry, she’s excellent but has a bit of a loose tongue.”

“What!? Doctor Moon! Why would you say that! I didn’t—!”

“The room is 1001. You can head up.”

“Doctor—! Wait—mmph!”

He clamped a hand over the nurse’s mouth.

“I’ll keep monitoring Jaehee’s vitals, so don’t worry. Please enjoy your time.”

Bowing at a perfect ninety-degree angle, the doctor whisked the nurse away.

Once the noisy pair disappeared, Yeongung pushed the man’s face away with his palm.

“Hah… let’s just move for now.”