Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 149

What is love?

Ae-Kyung contemplated this philosophical question deeply. At twenty-five years of age, she had never once seriously thought about love. As a Hunter, she had been too busy focusing on her career, and besides, she wasn’t really interested in it either—until now.

A blog on the internet defined it as such: When simply being with someone makes you happy, that is love.

Ae-Kyung thought for a moment. What if she were with Do-Jun right now?

She imagined him sitting right beside her. No—she recalled the time when it was just the two of them. Naturally, the memory of them sleeping in the same bed surfaced in her mind. Her face turned red, her heart raced, and a sharp pang pricked her chest.

In the twenty-five years she had interacted with men, whether professionally or socially, she had never felt this way about anyone before.

She sighed deeply but suddenly perked up as she came up with an idea. She knew someone who was considered an expert in relationships. Determined, Ae-Kyung decided to seek his advice.

***

Jun-Yeol was in his office, lying on the sofa with a wide grin on his face as he tapped away on his smartphone. Glancing cautiously around the empty room, he carefully put on his headphones. Then, he tapped on an app on his home screen.

⌜Love Love! Fantasy!⌟

A cute female voice echoed in his ears. Five animated female characters appeared on the screen, with a large title above them: “Love Love! Fantasy!” It was a typical dating simulation game featuring beautiful girl characters, a game Jun-Yeol had been secretly enjoying for the past ten years.

Just then, the office door opened, and Ae-Kyung walked in.

“Jun-Yeol, I have something to discuss—”

She was interrupted by Jun-Yeol’s scream. He scrambled off the sofa, flailing. In the process, his earphones fell out, and his smartphone switched to speaker mode.

⌜Oppa! Where should we go today?⌟

The female voice filled the room. In a panic, Jun-Yeol hastily pressed the power button on his phone to turn it off.

“Knock before you come in!” he snapped.

“I did.”

It was true. Ae-Kyung had knocked several times, but Jun-Yeol simply hadn’t heard it because of his earphones.

Ae-Kyung sat down across from him. Still a bit flustered, Jun-Yeol asked, “Ahem. So, what’s this about?”

“I... wanted some advice,” Ae-Kyung said shyly.

“Advice? From me?”

Ae-Kyung nodded slightly. Jun-Yeol smirked and adjusted his posture, sitting up confidently. He didn’t know what she wanted to discuss, but it felt good to be relied upon.

“Alright. What’s the problem?” he asked her.

“It’s about... dating... Could you give me some advice on that?”

“What? Why are you asking me—” Jun-Yeol froze mid-sentence.

He had never dated anyone in real life, but he had lied to people like Kang-Hyun and Ae-Kyung, boasting about his supposed experience with countless women. In a way, it wasn’t entirely a lie. After all, he had dated hundreds, no, thousands of girls through dating sims.

He changed his words in a flash. “So late?! You should’ve come to me earlier! Didn’t I tell you? I’m a master of love. Ha, haha!”

“Yeah, I should’ve come sooner. Anyway, it’s about Supervisor Lee...” Ae-Kyung acknowledged.

“Right, yes. You like Supervisor Lee.”

She liked him, but hearing it stated so openly by someone else made her blush with embarrassment.

Ae-Kyung let out a sigh and continued, “Since you’ve had so much experience, I figured you’d know how to win someone’s heart. That’s why I came to you.”

“Ahem. So, in short, you want to win Supervisor Lee’s heart?”

Jun-Yeol’s legs began to tremble. If Ae-Kyung were interested in any average man, this would have been an easy problem to solve. With her looks, physique, personality, and wealth, she was exceptional in every way. However, the man in question was none other than Lee Do-Jun.

From a woman’s perspective, the best strategy would be to make the other person fall for her and prompt him to confess. However, the stoic and unshakeable Do-Jun was almost certain never to take the initiative. In that case, the next best approach would be for her to confess. Yet, a confession wouldn’t work unless she had already laid the groundwork to confirm mutual feelings.

“I guess it’s time for me to show you what I’m capable of,” Jun-Yeol remarked.

The greater the challenge, the more it ignited his competitive spirit. He wheeled over a whiteboard from the corner of his office and uncapped a marker. His expression was more serious than when he faced an S-rank Fissure.

“No matter how tough the game, there’s always a way to win. We’ll take swift and decisive action.”

***

Fissure Management Division, Seoul City Hall.

After lunch, Do-Jun stood in front of the vending machine in the break room, selecting a drink, when his smartphone vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from Ae-Kyung.

Moon Ae-Kyung: Supervisor Lee, are you free this Saturday?

Fortunately, Do-Jun had no plans for Saturday.

Lee Do-Jun: Yes. Why do you ask?

Her reply came quickly.

Ae-Kyung: Would you like to have lunch together?

***

11 AM on Saturday, Gangnam Station.

Ae-Kyung glanced at her reflection in a mirror. She wore a white linen shirt dress that revealed her shoulders, paired with light brown strap sandals. She gently adjusted her bangs, tidying her appearance.

Passersby noticed her, their interest piqued.

“Isn’t that... Moon Ae-Kyung?”

“Oh, it is! What’s she doing here? Do you think I should ask for her autograph?”

In particular, men’s gazes lingered on her. Among couples on dates, the boyfriends stole glances at Ae-Kyung without even realizing it, while their girlfriends, though slightly annoyed, refrained from saying anything. Honestly, they understood; Ae-Kyung’s beauty was exceptional, almost otherworldly.

“You’re early.” Do-Jun appeared with a soft smile.

His outfit was unremarkable—jeans, sneakers, and a plain white T-shirt—but as the saying goes, it’s the person who makes the clothes. Do-Jun looked really good.

“T-thank you for coming out today,” Ae-Kyung said, slightly lowering her head.

“I should be thanking you. You’re treating me to lunch.”

“I’ve already made a reservation. We can head over now.”

Do-Jun nodded, and Ae-Kyung took a short deep breath to calm her nerves.

Jun-Yeol’s advice echoed in her mind. “Take his hand. Just don’t say anything.”

Walking beside Do-Jun, Ae-Kyung bit her lower lip slightly. She closed her eyes tightly and grabbed his hand, immediately wondering how he would react.

However, there wasn’t any specific reaction. He only looked at her and smiled warmly. Ae-Kyung blushed slightly, lowering her head.

As expected, a dating expert is different.

She began to see Jun-Yeol in a new light.

***

Lunch went smoothly. The two shared many common interests, like Byeol and topics related to Hunters. However, it was mostly Ae-Kyung who carried the conversation. Once she started talking, the words flowed like a burst dam.

“Remember when Byeol...”

Do-Jun listened attentively to her stories. He smiled and chimed in at the right moments, letting the conversation flow naturally.

After lunch, the two strolled around to digest their meal.

Ae-Kyung remembered Jun-Yeol’s advice. “Also, men like it when you show a vulnerable side. They have an instinctive desire to appear strong in front of women. Use that.”

She pointed to a large shooting range with a sign reading, “Mana Gun Shooting.”

“Supervisor Lee, would you like to try that with me?”

Even those without any mana could play by using ten mana bullets preloaded in the mana gun, with each game costing 200,000 won. Ae-Kyung headed toward the shooting range. The setup was simple: ten targets, ten chances.

“H-Hunter Moon Ae-Kyung?” The shop owner was startled as he took the 200,000 won she handed over while wondering who the man accompanying her was.

Regardless, he prepared a mana gun loaded with ten mana bullets, extracted from an F-grade mana stone. To prevent an obvious loss, he reduced the size of the targets and doubled the shooting distance from five meters to ten.

Bang!

The mana bullet lacked sufficient power. The tiny targets required pinpoint accuracy; even a slight miss meant they wouldn’t topple. Initially, following Jun-Yeol’s advice, Ae-Kyung intentionally missed to appear less skilled. However, as the bullets dwindled, she gave it her all and still couldn’t hit a single target.

Though she wasn’t a ranged fighter, it was still frustrating. The ten-meter distance felt like a hundred due to the small size of the bullets and targets.

“This is... harder than I thought,” she admitted.

Watching her struggle, Do-Jun handed 200,000 won to the shop owner and received another mana gun. Ae-Kyung wondered if this was the “cool moment” Jun-Yeol had mentioned.

As she moved aside to let him shoot, Do-Jun stopped her and said, “Stay right there.”

Then, he handed the mana gun to her.

“Sorry?”

Then, stepping behind her, he placed his hands over hers as she held the gun, guiding her aim toward the untouched targets.

“S-Supervi...?”

Their skin brushed against each other. Ae-Kyung’s face turned red, and she lowered her head, feeling embarrassed. She feared he might hear her racing heartbeat.

“Keep your head up.” Do-Jun placed her finger on the trigger and gently rested his over hers. “Relax your finger and align your sight with the target at the tip of the gun.”

“H-huh?” She wondered what he was trying to achieve here, but she decided to follow his lead.

Bang!

The mana gun fired, and the bullet struck the center of the target perfectly.

“Don’t forget this feeling,” he whispered near her ear.

Bang! Bang!

One by one, all ten targets fell.

“This... this can’t be...” The shop owner stared blankly at the fallen targets, unable to believe his eyes.

***

As the sun set, the orange glow rippled across the Han River. Do-Jun and Ae-Kyung walked silently along the riverside trail.

Ae-Kyung’s phone buzzed from an incoming message. Jun-Yeol had texted to check on the result of his effort.

Ryu Jun-Yeol: Did it work?

Ae-Kyung paused and pulled the rabbit figurine prize she had won from her small white crossbody bag. The figure sparkled in the sunset’s light, glowing beautifully like a piece of crystal.

Definitely worked on me, she thought, keeping the words to herself.

Do-Jun was walking a few steps ahead and turned back to ask, “Shall we walk a bit slower?”

He noticed her standing still and wondered if she was tired from all the walking.

Ae-Kyung glanced toward the subway station ahead. Walking for ten more minutes would get them there.

“Let’s... slow down a little,” she suggested cautiously.

Do-Jun nodded, shortening his strides to walk at a slower pace. Ae-Kyung quietly followed behind him.

“Next time, I’ll treat you. Just let me know when you’re free,” Do-Jun said with a smile. After everything she had done for him, it was only fair.

“Whenever I want, right?”

“Of course. Whenever you want, Hunter Ae-Kyung.”

Ae-Kyung reached out to take his hand but stopped midway. Instead, she gently held onto the edge of his sleeve and murmured, “Then... I’ll take my time to think about it.”

With you, I’ll take it slow.

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