Hero Hunter is on Parental Leave C41

Chapter 41

Bursting out of the Gate, Yeongung flung open the door to the director’s office.

“Baby—!”

The child, who had been innocently playing with a stethoscope, widened his eyes.

“Bya…!”

At the sight of his father, he kicked Lee Chahyeon away with his heels and immediately welled up with tears. Watching the overly dramatic reunion, Chahyeon clicked his tongue lightly.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Just a moment ago he was playing just fine without his dad.”

Ignoring him, Yeongung rushed toward his child—then stopped short.

“Bya?”

When his father didn’t immediately scoop him up for hugs and kisses, Jaehee’s lips drooped downward, walnut-like creases forming on his chin.

“Uuuh…”

Yet even in the face of Jaehee’s teary protest, Yeongung couldn’t approach. Monster blood was splattered all over his body. Taking in Yeongung’s sorry state, Chahyeon quickly assessed the situation and pointed toward the attached shower room.

“Let’s postpone the emotional reunion. Five minutes should be enough, right?”

“Three.”

Yeongung bolted for the shower, stripping off his clothes as he ran. Won Iheun bent to pick up the garments piling on the floor, his gaze following the gradual reveal of Yeongung’s bare skin.

“Master, we’re… balls-close friends. Isn’t it a bit much to be wary even of me?”

“There is a far more appropriate term than balls—childhood friend.”

The word balls, something attached to reproductive organs, linking Yeongung and Lee Chahyeon together, did not sit well with him.

“Huh…”

Chahyeon stared at Iheun with a dumbfounded look. The man was far more severe than expected.

Not even three minutes later, Yeongung emerged from the shower and rushed straight to his son.

“My baby! Did you miss Daddy? Daddy missed our Jaehee so much I thought I’d die!”

“Kyaah!”

Yeongung had changed into a gray hoodie-and-zip-up set Chahyeon had prepared. It wasn’t anything special—just clothes he kept around for the frequent nights he spent sleeping at the hospital while researching.

Except the chest bore the name Lee Chahyeon, stitched clearly in three characters. Sensing Iheun’s growing displeasure, Chahyeon timidly offered his defense.

“It’s better than coming out naked.”

With a weary face, Chahyeon collapsed into a chair. Being left alone with the child while both fathers were away had left his whole body aching. Newly reminded of how impressive his friend truly was, Chahyeon delivered the news Yeongung had been waiting for.

“Wung, go wait in the reception room.”

“The reception room?”

“Doctor Richmond will be arriving shortly.”

Inside a Gate, time flows differently than in reality. Though much had happened within, not much time had passed outside—and the doctor scheduled to examine Jaehee had yet to arrive.

At last, they would meet the distinguished guest whose flight had been delayed. Tension, excitement, and anticipation flickered in Yeongung’s eyes.

The reception room was adjacent to the director’s office. True to its name, it felt distinctly different—clearly meant for welcoming guests. Artworks personally selected by the art-savvy Chahyeon adorned the gallery wall.

Holding the now-drowsy Jaehee in his arms, Yeongung quietly admired the paintings. And Won Iheun, in turn, watched Yeongung just as quietly, as if committing the sight to memory.

About thirty minutes passed.

“Hello.”

Without knocking, two men entered, accompanied by a casual greeting in English. One wore a loud Hawaiian shirt and black sunglasses, dragging slippers along the floor with bare feet. The other, in contrast to his flamboyant companion, wore jeans and a jumper—practical, casual workwear, as though he had just stepped off a plane.

“You are Mister Won’s Hero?”

The Hawaiian-shirted man leaned into Yeongung’s face, sliding his sunglasses down and spouting awkward Konglish with exaggerated gestures. Yeongung eyed him suspiciously.

“Sweetheart. You’re incredibly transparent.”

The man plopped onto the sofa and spoke theatrically, like an actor on stage.

“I can see you thinking, ‘Can someone like this really help our Jaehee?’”

Startled by the bizarre man, Yeongung tightened his hold on the child.

“Won Iheun, do you know this guy?”

The suspicious man had clearly said Mister Won. Even with terrible English, Yeongung could catch that much.

“I don’t have mind-reading abilities. Don’t worry, baby.”

The Hawaiian-shirted man laughed at his own joke before finally introducing himself.

“My name is Richmond. You can call me Almond.”

“…Doctor Richmond, please stop. Can’t you see Guild Leader Won’s expression?”

“All right, all right! Such no-fun humans.”

At the reprimand, Doctor Richmond deflated with a dramatic pfft. Despite their foreign appearances, both men spoke Korean fluently.

“Doctor Richmond. Get serious. If you keep this up, the deal is off.”

At Won Iheun’s cold declaration, Richmond straightened and offered a second, proper introduction.

“Let me do this correctly. My name is Richmond. This here is my porter, Bertrand. We are brokers.”

“Brokers…?”

Even Yeongung, who had lived as a Hunter since fourteen, had never heard of such a profession.

“Even an Absolute like you would find it unfamiliar. We don’t operate on the surface. Unlike Master Won, we’re beings who’ve incurred the system’s displeasure.”

Crossing his legs in shorts, Richmond let his slipper dangle from his toes.

“How do you view the system, Hunter Yeongung? A destroyer that brought calamity to Earth? Or a creator that ushered in the Awakening era?”

Receiving no immediate answer, he continued.

“Whatever it is, the system isn’t an omnipotent god. Which means it isn’t perfect. Even the system has flaws—weak points.”

Drawing a lightning-shaped crack in the air with his finger, Richmond explained,

“When the system develops a gap, we call it a crack. And the children born from those cracks are called Broken Children. My job is to find them.”

Then his gaze shifted to Jaehee, sleeping soundly in Yeongung’s arms.

“The child of you and Master Won—I mean Jaehee—is also a Broken Child.”

Until now, Yeongung had listened in silence. At this, he finally objected.

“You’re saying Jaehee was born from a crack? That makes no sense if you look at the pregnancy timeline.”

The doctor looked at him with pity, as if disappointed.

“Hero. You’re more closed-minded than I thought. Before the Awakening era, none of us imagined we’d live like this. But look at people now—casually entering Gates, opening status windows, using skills to fight monsters.”

Richmond’s explanation carried a strange weight.

“Cracks are unpredictable zones—beyond even the system’s reach. Things humans deem impossible can and do occur there.”

If all of this were true, then Jaehee’s delayed growth was far more than a simple developmental issue.

“May I examine the child?”

Perhaps having lost trust in his frivolous demeanor more than once, the quietly standing Bertrand stepped forward.

“Doctor Richmond’s ability is Appraisal. He can read latent abilities even the Administration cannot detect. His appearance may be questionable, but his skill is one I personally guarantee.”

Appraisal or not—what could one possibly read from an eighteen-month-old? Yeongung’s gaze trembled with anxiety. He had awakened as a Hunter at fourteen and lived a turbulent life. That record—unofficial though it was—remained unbroken. But an eighteen-month-old with abilities? If this leaked outside…

Reading his worry, Won Iheun placed Yeongung’s hand atop his thigh.

“Cracks, brokers, Broken Children—I know it’s overwhelming. I wouldn’t have known either if I hadn’t met the doctor in a war-torn country. Trust me, not him.”

With Iheun’s persuasion, Doctor Richmond began examining Jaehee—and gasped.

“Wow. This is incredible.”

Staring at the child in awe, he continued,

“There are generally two cases for children born from cracks. Either they’re born with rare abilities never seen before—or…”

“…they’re born with a time limit. The probability is exactly fifty-fifty.”

A time limit.

My child—Jaehee—terminal?

Yeongung desperately prayed his son belonged to the former, waiting for Richmond’s verdict.

“This is…”

“Stop dragging it out. Which case is our Jaehee?”

“…I’ve never seen one like this.”

“Then what is this never-seen case—!”

Oblivious to Yeongung’s turmoil, the doctor stalled. As Yeongung’s mana flared violently, Richmond darted behind Bertrand.

“Whoa, Hero. Please calm down.”

“You think this is funny? You quack bastard!”

“Congratulations! Your son possesses an extremely rare ability. However—”

He’s not terminal.

As Yeongung lunged to drag Richmond out from behind Bertrand, he collapsed onto the sofa instead. Still, the phrase extremely rare ability left him uneasy. He didn’t relax for a second, eyes locked on the doctor’s mouth.

“He has—two abilities!”

Doctor Richmond raised both hands in a V-shape.

At that moment, the child—who hadn’t woken through all the commotion—snapped his eyes open. As Jaehee stared straight at Richmond, a blue light shimmered faintly within his gaze.