Hero Hunter is on Parental Leave C37

Chapter 37

After taking the high-speed train from Muhaedo to Seoul, the moment Yeongung stepped off the train he called Minseong, the part-timer who worked shifts with him. He felt guilty for having been absent so often lately. Thanks to the repayment he’d received from Sayoung, he no longer needed the job, but he still felt indebted to the shop owner who had helped him during a difficult time. Because of that guilt, he couldn’t bring himself to quit outright.

[Boss already told me everything. I heard Jaehee was sick.]

“Yeah. His fever’s down for now, but he needs some tests. I’m really sorry, Minseong. You’ve been doing the work of two people alone because of me.”

[Hyung! Don’t talk like that between us. I’m really fine, so go comfortably and don’t worry about anything.]

“Thank you.”

As Yeongung kept apologizing, Minseong brought up the incident from before.

[Hyung saved me from that creep, remember? If you feel bad, just think of it as payback for that day.]

“Alright. I’ll buy you a meal when I get back. Talk later.”

As soon as the parting words came out, Won Iheun—who had been waiting—snatched the phone from his hand and pressed the end-call button.

“Are you two dating? Why are you having meals with a coworker and planning future calls?”

“I’m buying him dinner because he covered my shifts. And the last part was just a polite farewell. Satisfied?”

“If you’re grateful, you can express it with something simple like a gift card.”

Yeongung held out his palm with a flat expression. When the man finally, grudgingly returned the phone, a sigh escaped him.

“You think money solves everything? Money is… well, yeah, money is good.”

When he had paid the huge sum to Sayoung and ended up penniless, he had learned the value of money deep in his bones. If he’d been alone, he could’ve lived like a homeless wanderer. But he had a son.

Thinking back to that time, he reconsidered and reluctantly agreed with the man’s point.

“You’re right. That was short-sighted of me. A kid like Minseong would probably prefer a department store gift card to eating with an old fossil like me.”

To Minseong, Yeongung was an adult worth admiring—someone he aspired to be like.

Won Iheun found it absurd that Minseong would consider him a “fossil,” but he made no attempt to correct the misunderstanding. What annoyed him more was that even after the call ended, the topic of conversation remained stuck on Minseong.

“Hmm. There’s no department store on Muhaedo… Should I just buy him that game console he wanted?”

“Just tell me the exact model. I’ll send it to a convenience-store pickup. Now stop thinking about that brat.”

“No take-backs.”

Saving his own money was never something Yeongung would reject. Accepting the man’s offer, he lifted the stroller canopy.

“Ta! Ta!”

Jaehee was happily playing with a plush toy car. Immediately, Iheun shook his head and corrected the baby’s pronunciation.

“It’s cha, not ta. Cha.”

“Ta!”

“Cha!”

“Taaa…!”

Sparks flew between the two stubborn creatures who refused to yield.

“Yeah, sure. Ta. Ta.”

And thus, their child became the second human in the world capable of defeating the mighty Won Iheun.

Delighted, Jaehee swung his plush toy wildly.

Lowering the canopy again, Yeongung surveyed the surroundings. The station bustled with crowds—something never seen on their quiet island at the end of the sea.

Breathing in the thick city air, he felt the reality of being back in Seoul settle in.

When he lifted his head, the sky was a dull gray, smothered by fine dust.

He had only been gone a short while, yet already he missed the vivid blue sky of Muhaedo.

Entering the parking lot, a familiar car came into view—Iheun’s autonomous vehicle. As expected of a meticulously prepared man, he’d arranged for it ahead of time. In the backseat, an integrated car seat was already installed. After securing Jaehee with the seatbelt, he folded the stroller and placed it in the trunk.

Taking the driver’s seat himself, Won Iheun checked the rearview mirror to confirm Yeongung had settled beside the baby.

“May I depart?”

“Ah… yeah.”

The small courtesy—asking permission before starting the car—made a faint smile bloom on Yeongung’s lips.

Then their eyes met in the mirror.

Won Iheun looked at the Omega as though his gaze were licking over his skin.

Heat rushed into Yeongung’s face and neck, his shirt dampening with sweat.

He felt almost naked beneath that stare and finally looked away first.

“How many times do I have to tell you—eyes on the road when you’re driving.”

Iheun removed both hands from the wheel and replied casually,

“My hands were just bored. It’s on autonomous mode anyway.”

“Then why sit in the driver’s seat?”

“Because you like it. The way I look when I drive.”

How did he know?

A jolt ran through Yeongung’s chest, but he kept a straight face.

“Ha! So full of yourself.”

“Oh? My mistake? If you say so, then I suppose I must have imagined it.”

The Alpha’s teasing continued all the way to his penthouse.

Top floor of the Awakened Medical Center.

“Daa—!”

“Yeongung, help me, please…”

Holding Jaehee, Lee Chahyeon pretended to cry as he begged for assistance.

Whenever the baby tugged on the long braid he’d neatly woven that morning, the pain was overwhelming.

“Our nephew is freakishly strong.”

“Daah! Chaa—!”

Jaehee, excited, repeated the “cha” sound he’d learned from Iheun as he yanked on the braid.

“Some hospital director you are. No dignity at all.”

Smiling, Yeongung watched his son play with his closest friend.

“Even though it’s been so long, he still remembers your face. He didn’t cry—just went straight into your arms.”

“Of course he likes his uncle, right? That’s why he’s showing affection, yes? Aren’t you, my sweet nephew?”

Feeling instantly better, Chahyeon lifted the child, flying him like an airplane.

“Bwoooom—! Bwoooom—!”

“Kyahaha!”

The simplicity of his friend made Yeongung chuckle. Today, he had come to the medical center to get tests for Jaehee.

‘I know someone who can help the child.’

The place where they were supposed to meet that person—the one who could help Jaehee—was this very office: the director’s room.

Checking the time on his smartwatch, Yeongung asked,

“When is the person who’s helping us supposed to arrive?”

“They messaged me earlier. Looks like their flight got delayed. They’ll be a few hours late.”

They were flying in from abroad to assist them.

“So where’s your other clingy follower?”

“My other… clingy follower?”

“Master Won Iheun.”

Yeongung rubbed the back of his neck. The question sounded uncomfortably close to, “So where’s your husband?”

“He went to the guild building. Something about Kwae, I think. With everything going on lately, he’s been away from Seoul for too long.”

It was something that had bothered him during their entire cohabitation.

Won Iheun had joked that if the guild couldn’t handle his absence, they might as well shut down—but Yeongung still worried about the idiot duo and the other guild members.

Let nothing happen…

While he silently hoped for peace, an unexpected question from Chahyeon struck him squarely.

“So it’s been over a month since the three of you lived together. Since we’re on the topic—any progress between you two?”

Progress in their relationship.

The man had acknowledged Jaehee as his son.

From Yeongung’s perspective, nothing could be more significant.

“He accepted him as his child.”

Hearing this, Chahyeon’s eyes widened, and he tossed the baby gently into the air before catching him again.

“Wow! That Master Won Iheun? Our little angel really did conquer a demon.”

“Jaehee being an angel is true, but why is he a demon?”

“You, you, you love-blind fool! I swear I’ll fix your delusions before I die.”

Chahyeon suspected that the man must have hired Sayoung of the Flower Guild to brainwash Yeongung. Otherwise, his rose-colored glasses made no sense.

The world saw Master Won as a cold-blooded monster, yet he showed a different side only to Yeongung. But Yeongung himself had no idea, which made the situation even more painful.

“So that’s the progress between him and the baby. What about the two of you? The adults.”

The question boomeranged back, leaving Yeongung silent.

Jaehee and the man’s relationship progressing was also their relationship progressing—because the child bridged them.

But without Jaehee in the picture—if he thought only of himself and Iheun—there was still an uneasy distance.

“That… seems far off.”

Chahyeon’s expression grew complicated as he looked at his friend, who refused to share the deeper truth.

And it pained him.

Yes, both men had their own circumstances, but from where he stood, it looked like they kept circling the same place instead of taking the open path before them. Sometimes, outsiders could see the truth more clearly than those involved.

Finally, he asked the question he had avoided for years—because he feared hurting his friend.

“Yeongung… have you ever confessed?”

“Confessed?”

“I mean, you’ve been in unrequited love for years. In all that time, not once did you try confessing?”

Yeongung answered with a bitter smile.

“I’ve thought about it… but no.”

As expected, the answer was no.

So Chahyeon pressed further.

“Why?”

“He would’ve rejected me. And I was afraid I’d lose him as a teammate.”

Chahyeon remembered the man who tracked him down, following the faint traces of extreme Omega pheromones. Even though he had lied and said he didn’t know, in truth—after seeing the desperation on the man’s face, as if his world was collapsing—he couldn’t hide it anymore.

Those two needed to meet.

He shouldn’t stand in their way.

That’s why he didn’t warn Yeongung when Master Won was headed to Muhaedo.

Sure, there had also been the threat that Iheun would destroy the medical center complex if he misspoke—but that wasn’t the main reason.

“I think that man—Master Won—he might…”

“…?”

“No, never mind. Forget it.”

It wasn’t his place to say.

He swallowed the truth.

“You’re so frustrating.”

“Oh, right! Yeongung, Purple Bottle opened a branch inside our building! Could you grab me their signature latte as takeout? If I go myself, I’ll have to buy coffee for the whole staff. I’ll watch Jaehee for you.”

They had known each other since childhood in the orphanage.

Yeongung sensed that Chahyeon was hiding something, but he didn’t press.

He trusted that his friend would never do anything to harm him.

“Alright.”

Agreeing to the request, he headed toward the underground level where the convenience facilities were located.

And on that path—

Yeongung encountered an unexpected obstacle.