Hero Hunter is on Parental Leave C36

Chapter 36

“Who’s this—oh my, isn’t this Jaehee’s dad!”

An elderly neighbor grandmother whom he happened to meet at the apartment complex entrance looked pitifully at Yeongung’s gaunt face. Won Iheun had gone to a nearby stationery shop to comfort the crying child—he had lost the matching headband—so Yeongung was standing alone, waiting for the two of them to return.

“Hello, Mrs. Kim.”

“Your house is usually the brightest one in our whole complex, but it’s been dark for days! I was worried sick. Ah, but seeing your face now eases my heart.”

Mrs. Kim, an elderly local who had lived on the island her whole life, had been one of the people who helped the out-of-town Yeongung adjust to island living.

“The baby was sick, so he was hospitalized.”

“Oh dear. I wondered if something had happened when you all disappeared. Is he alright now?”

“Yes. His fever went up to forty degrees, but he’s fine now.”

The old woman patted his thin back with her wrinkled hand.

“You poor thing, raising a baby and earning a living all on your own… look at how much weight you’ve lost. Every time I saw you, my old heart just ached.”

Then a sharp, crotchety voice interrupted their warm conversation.

“Tsk. Raising a kid isn’t some kind of royal duty. What’s so heartbreaking about it?”

Behind the small-framed grandmother stood her grumpy husband, hands clasped behind his back. He clearly disliked how affectionately his wife treated Yeongung like a grandson. Ignoring her husband completely, Mrs. Kim thrust a container of kimchi toward Yeongung.

“I made a fresh batch of kimchi recently—fermented perfectly, I tell you. It made me think of you. You love our aged kimchi, don’t you?”

“Oh please!? Did you give birth to him? Stop spouting nonsense and come here already!”

Her face, always gentle toward Yeongung, transformed instantly into that of a demon. Her husband had tugged the last nerve she possessed.

“You useless old man who does nothing but sit and wait for meals to appear in front of you! And now you’re bored, so you’ve come pestering me! What a nuisance!”

Seeing the tension rise, Yeongung wisely accepted the kimchi container and bowed politely.

“Thank you, ma’am. I’ll enjoy it.”

Mrs. Kim, pleased by his gentle and neat demeanor, brought up the topic of matchmaking.

“You’re so handsome when you smile—truly lovely. There are quite a few good young men asking me to introduce them to you. How about it? If you want, I’ll find you a strong, handsome—”

Her words were cut short by the appearance of Won Iheun, who arrived wearing a matching headband with Jaehee.

“Ma’am, I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“Huh…?”

“Because I’ll be taking the first position in line.”

Mrs. Kim’s mouth fell open at the tall, striking man she had never seen before. He was incomparably superior to any youthful candidates who had begged her to put in a good word for them. Radiating cold, possessive energy, Won Iheun added firmly:

“I’m sorry, but there will be no waiting list behind me. Please direct marriage inquiries elsewhere.”

At his words, Jaehee stirred in his arms.

“Bba-bba…! Jijji…!”

Of course a child that young couldn’t possibly understand adult conversation, but somehow, to Yeongung, it looked like his son was chiming in.

He poked the baby’s cheek playfully.

“Still calling him jiji?”

The child giggled brightly and burrowed deeper into Won Iheun’s arms.

Astonished, Mrs. Kim blinked. Jaehee, famous for being glued to his father like a baby koala, had allowed another person—especially a man—to hold him so naturally. It was an extremely rare sight.

“No wonder you kept rejecting those boys—your standards were sky-high!”

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, and Yeongung winced.

“Haa… ma’am, it’s not like that…”

“So where did you two meet, hmm? The baby follows him just like his real father—seems you two are closer than I thought.”

Jaehee peeked his head out from where he had nestled himself. Won Iheun carefully adjusted the baby’s outerwear and patted him warmly. Though they still didn’t know the exact cause of the fever, he was worried Jaehee might catch a cold again. As she watched the man’s careful, gentle hands tending to the child, Mrs. Kim’s eyes widened.

“My goodness… don’t tell me—?”

She had realized it.

The two were father and son.

All eyes turned toward Yeongung, pressure gathering heavily on him. He scratched his forehead and answered.

“Yes. That’s right.”

At his unexpected reply, the man tightened his grip on their entwined hands. In response, Yeongung pulled his hand away—only to interlock their fingers properly.

Through the contact, he could feel Won Iheun’s faint trembling. They still had many unresolved issues, too many conversations left undone. And yet, in front of Jaehee, he didn’t want to deny that Won Iheun was his father.

“He is Jaehee’s dad.”

Then the grandfather behind them splashed cold water on the moment.

“Tch. Poor kid, poor kid. That tiny little thing was born ages ago—why’s it still so small?”

“Well, that’s because—”

His sudden remark about the child’s development darkened Yeongung’s expression. The old man pressed harder, stabbing exactly where it hurt.

“Everyone’s got problems. If you plant a seed, take responsibility. If you have a kid, raise it properly.”

It was rude, yet painfully accurate. There was nothing he could say in rebuttal.

Won Iheun bristled instantly, ready to lash out, but Yeongung stopped him with an arm.

Seeing this, Mrs. Kim became furious and smacked her husband’s shin repeatedly with her slipper.

“You rotten old fart! If you’re senile, just die quietly!”

“Aish! Did I say anything wrong?!”

Chasing her husband off with fierce kicks, Mrs. Kim grabbed Yeongung’s hands earnestly.

“You must choose a good partner. Don’t end up like me, stuck with a useless man.”

Then she turned to Won Iheun, speaking solemnly.

“And you—treat Jaehee’s dad well. I’m sure you had your circumstances, but not showing your face when he was recovering after childbirth—that was wrong.”

“…I’ll do better from now on.”

With his lowered head and soft eyes, the beautiful man inspired instant sympathy.

“Ma’am, you don’t need to blame him so harshly. I’ve made mistakes too. Don’t push him too hard.”

“I’ll repay it all—for the rest of my life.”

As Yeongung soothed him gently, Iheun stole a glance at his expression, then melted into a soft smile.

“Oh dear! This is shameless—shameless!”

Mrs. Kim clicked her tongue at the sight.

A sly fox clinging tightly to an innocent, clueless rabbit.

“They’ll be fine. They’ll live well enough on their own.”

Back home, after unpacking and settling the baby, night had already fallen outside the window.

“Kooo… kooo…”

Using his father’s mouth-made white noise as a lullaby, the little angel drifted into a deep sleep. Confirming that he was fully asleep, Yeongung pressed a soft good-night kiss to his round forehead.

From beyond the open door, he heard the sound of Iheun showering. While waiting for him, lying sideways on the bed and staring at the ceiling, the words of the old neighbor resurfaced.

Tsk. Poor kid, poor kid. Born ages ago, but still so tiny.

Everyone’s got problems. If you plant a seed, raise it properly.

A tightness gripped Yeongung’s chest as he hugged his child.

Male Omegas have shorter gestation periods than females; Yeongung had given birth at thirty weeks. Now, at eighteen months old, Jaehee’s physical and linguistic development was slower than his peers.

Up until his first birthday, his growth had been normal. But after that milestone, he stopped developing.

Yeongung—who had meticulously recorded every stage in his pregnancy and childcare journal—consulted Lee Chahyeon right away. With his help, they ran every test possible. Each result came back the same:

“The child is healthy.”

Chahyeon had reassured him: all children grow at their own pace—don’t panic, just watch a little longer.

Six months passed.

With no answers, no direction, and nothing he could do, anxiety gnawed at him.

Won Iheun approached, a bathrobe draped loosely over his damp body.

Sensing the turmoil in the man lying on the bed, he sat on the mattress edge.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Just… things.”

As though reading his mind, Won Iheun spoke quietly.

“Forget about the rude things said by unimportant people. Their opinions don’t matter.”

His pheromones flowed out, gently enveloping both him and the child—a protective instinct of an Alpha shielding what belonged in his territory. The golden pheromones of a supreme Alpha soothed his Omega, easing the tension in his chest.

Seeing the man gradually relax, he continued:

“And this isn’t empty comfort—I do have suspicions about Jaehee’s symptoms.”

“You know what it is?”

“No. But I know someone who can help him.”

Yeongung sat upright and leaned close.

“Who?”

“I didn’t want to say anything until I was certain… and because I knew you’d react exactly like this.”

“So you don’t know yet.”

As he slumped in disappointment, Iheun wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into his embrace. Leaning close, he bit gently at his Omega’s soft earlobe and whispered:

“Don’t be disappointed yet. We’ll go tomorrow.”

“Where?”

Letting him go with a reluctant gaze, the man smiled faintly.

“To Seoul.”