Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 255

The sky in the Spirit Realm was painted in soft pastel colors, creating a scene straight out of a fairytale.

As the wind blew, the grass swayed, and a low-ranking spirit floated gently above the field, her gaze darting around as if she were searching for something. She was given a school assignment: to find an object called “happiness.”

“Hmm...”

At school, they had described happiness as something warm, comforting, and capable of bringing a smile to one’s face. But she doubted such an object even existed in the world.

“Hmmmmm...”

Deciding to take a short break, the low-ranking spirit closed her eyes and let the breeze carry her.

***

It was a lazy weekend morning. After enjoying a hearty breakfast, Byeol wandered over to an electric heater sitting in one corner of the living room. Standing in front of the glowing, orange heating element, she felt its comforting warmth. Fascinated by the device, Byeol circled around it, inspecting it from all sides.

“What is this, Daddy?” she asked.

“It’s called a heater,” Do-Jun explained.

“Oh! Okie.”

It was the age of endless curiosity.

“It’s warm.”

Soon, Byeol plopped down in front of the heater and began nodding off.

Watching her, Do-Jun got up from his chair, moved the heater slightly farther away to ensure his little one didn’t accidentally bump her head into it or something, and then returned to his seat. As he sat down, he started thinking about what to make for dinner. Since it was winter, a warm soup seemed fitting. He decided he would go to the market later to pick up ingredients.

***

Do-Jun helped Byeol get ready to head outside. As he zipped up her jacket, he said, “If you want to come to the market with me, make sure you're back by 3 o’clock. Okay, Byeol?”

The snow brought a biting chill in the air, so he dressed her in a long padded jacket. Although it was only sixty centimeters long, it fit her perfectly, reaching just below her knees. He added earmuffs for extra warmth and secretly slipped a whopping 5,000 won into her small wallet.

The mention of the market made Byeol smile brightly, and she nodded eagerly.

***

The low-ranking spirit woke from a brief nap, but when she looked around, she saw an unfamiliar scene. Instead of the pastel colors she was used to, the world around her was blanketed in pure white snow. Realizing she was on Earth—a place she’d only ever heard of—she initially decided to return to the Spirit Realm. But then she hesitated. Maybe she could find this “happiness” here.

At that moment, she saw someone step out from the corner of an alley.

It was a human child—or at least, that’s what she thought at first. Upon closer inspection, something about the child felt different. The spirit sensed a rare, pure, and radiant energy emanating from the child, something not easily found even in the Spirit Realm.

“Hello?” she greeted the child.

The child blinked at her before walking closer and studying her carefully. Then, with a smile, Byeol muttered, “Yes!” as she suddenly remembered what her teacher at daycare had taught her: when meeting someone for the first time, it’s polite to introduce yourself first!

She quickly reached into her little wallet and pulled out a “self-introduction card” she had written with her teacher’s help. Holding it up proudly, she started reading aloud.

“Hello. My name is Byeol. I am turning thwee this year. My hobby is weading. I live in Unit 301 of Changshin Villa in Seocho-gu, Seoul. What is your name?”

Having read the entire card without stumbling, Byeol clenched her fist in triumph. All the practice paid off!

“Oh, okay. Well, I don’t have a name... You can just call me a low-ranking spirit.” The spirit spoke matter-of-factly, but her words caused Byeol to feel a pang of sadness.

Not having a name seemed like such a sad, lonely thing.

Sensing Byeol’s mood, the spirit added, “Don’t worry about it. Low-ranking spirits don’t usually have names.”

“Oh, okie...” Byeol lowered her head, still looking a bit sad.

Seeing this, the spirit looked at her for a moment before asking, “Could you help me with something?”

“I can help! What is it?” Byeol responded enthusiastically.

“I’m looking for an object called happiness.”

***

Byeol and the spirit headed into town. They stopped in front of a bookstore because Byeol had spotted Kiriel inside through the glass window. Kiriel was engrossed in reading a comic book, with a mountain of other comics piled beside him. His expression was bright and cheerful.

Byeol entered the store, ringing the bell above the door.

“Kirieh!”

“Oh, my baby!” Noticing her, Kiriel put down his comic book and walked over, playfully pinching her cheeks.

Byeol blinked at him, initially unresponsive. But as he kept pinching and squishing her cheeks like a toy, her face started to scrunch up in irritation.

“Stop, or I’ll hit you! Rawr!”

Laughing, Kiriel finally let go. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for something,” Byeol replied.

“What is it? I will help you find it!”

“Happiness!”

Kiriel scratched his head and glanced at the low-ranking spirit standing nearby. Happiness was such an abstract concept, not something he could just point to and say, “Here it is.”

The spirit, however, pointed at the comic book in Kiriel’s hand and asked, “Is that happiness?”

Kiriel thought for a moment before nodding. He said, “It is for me.”

The spirit touched the comic book gently, but quickly shook her head. “This doesn’t feel warm or comforting. I don’t think it’s happiness.”

After that, Byeol and the spirit roamed the city, meeting many people. The spirit searched tirelessly for something warm, comforting, and capable of bringing joy. But no matter how hard they looked, nothing seemed to match the description of happiness.

***

“Hmm?” Do-Jun noticed someone following Byeol inside. It was a spirit, clearly a low-ranking one, judging by its size and appearance.

When the spirit saw Do-Jun, she bowed her head in greeting. In the Spirit Realm, Do-Jun’s reputation was already legendary. He was known for his close friendship with the Spirit Queen, Laghaim, and for his exceptional affinity for spirits, rivaling Laghaim’s own.

“Hi,” the spirit said to Do-Jun, who responded with a warm smile.

At 3 PM, Do-Jun decided to go to the market to shop for dinner ingredients. He stood up, tossing a coat over his sweater.

“Do you want to come to the market with me?” he asked the spirit.

“The market?”

“It’s a place where people sell things.”

The spirit hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Do they sell happiness there?”

***

For the first time in a while, Do-Jun visited Dongdaemun Market and strolled through the busy streets. The market was lively and crowded. The low-ranking spirit floated around him, observing the scenery. The mixed aroma of meat, fish, vegetables, and fermented condiments filled the air, creating a unique smell that was not unpleasant, just fascinating.

The first stop was a butcher shop.

“Hello,” Do-Jun greeted a middle-aged butcher.

“Welcome! What can I get for you?” Despite the cold weather, the butcher greeted them warmly in a short-sleeved shirt.

Byeol, realizing that dinner was going to include beef, lit up with excitement.

The shopkeeper noticed her and smiled. “Your daughter is adorable!”

“Thank you,” Do-Jun replied with a gentle smile. “Could I get three hundred grams of sirloin for hot pot, please?”

“Of course!”

The butcher retrieved the chilled beef and weighed it on the scale.

Byeol, hopping up and down excitedly, addressed the butcher. “I wuv beef!”

The shopkeeper burst out laughing. “Haha, she’s something else! I’ll throw in a little extra, just for her.”

The shopkeeper added two hundred grams more to the order.

Do-Jun patted Byeol’s head and said, "Say thank you.”

Byeol gave a deep bow. “Thank you!”

“Aww, she’s so cute. What’s her name?”

“My name is Byeol,” Byeol replied, excitedly.

Meanwhile, the spirit observed from a short distance, capturing the scene as if taking a picture. Looking around, she noticed something: the faces of the people in the market were full of smiles.

***

Do-Jun purchased all the ingredients for the beef and mushroom hot pot. The list alone exceeded six items: beef, mushrooms, tofu, green onions, glass noodles, zucchini, and more.

Do-Jun’s hands were now full of groceries. If he were alone, he would have only carried half the amount, but the market vendors, charmed by Byeol, had been extra generous.

“Byeol, come again!” said the vendor warmly.

“Bye, Mistah!” Byeol cheerfully waved back.

Before heading home, Do-Jun stopped at a shop called Hometown Steamed Buns to buy two buns.

Byeol held one in both hands, blowing on it before taking small bites.

Do-Jun looked at the low-ranking spirit and tore off a piece of the steamed bun. “Here, try this.”

The spirit accepted the piece. Even though it was torn small, it was still larger than her face. She gently poked the bun before taking a bite. It looked like she enjoyed the taste.

“Don’t eat too much; we’ll have dinner soon,” Do-Jun warned her.

***

Back at home, Do-Jun bathed both Byeol and the spirit before starting to prepare dinner.

Byeol brought the spirit over to the electric heater, set to the lowest level, where she basked in the gentle warmth while watching the kitchen.

Do-Jun was cooking the hot pot with the fresh ingredients from the market. White steam rose, carried away by the kitchen vent, while the savory aroma filled the house.

“Come eat,” he called out to them after a while.

Dinner was ready: steaming white rice, beef and mushroom hot pot, napa kimchi, and assorted side dishes.

Do-Jun served the low-ranking spirit a small plate, carefully portioned into bite-sized pieces. The apartment was warm, and so was the soup. Before long, the spirit had eaten everything on the plate. She felt cozy and happy. Experiencing such emotions for the first time, she was bewildered. Her lips curled upward, unable to relax.

“Was it good?” Do-Jun asked her.

“Yes,” she replied with a satisfied look on her face.

“You’re welcome to come back anytime if you want more.”

“Anytime?”

“Of course.”

Do-Jun’s words felt incredibly comforting. The spirit thought this might be what happiness was.

Do-Jun suddenly remembered something and said, “Oh, and...”

***

Laghaim, the Queen of Spirits, also served another role. She was the headmistress of a school in the Spirit Realm and recently assigned her low-ranking spirits homework to bring back “happiness.” She was now reviewing the submissions.

“The last one... a journal?”

Unlike the others, this one was different. Laghaim started reading its contents.

“Oh my.”

The journal described a day on Earth: meeting Byeol, shopping for dinner ingredients at the market, eating steamed buns, warming by the heater, taking a bath, and enjoying a delicious dinner. But there was another notable thing mentioned there.

“He gave her a name?” Laghaim said, surprised.

Do-Jun had given the spirit a name: Seiren.

Laghaim rested her chin on her hand, reading the journal again. A gentle smile appeared on her face.

Seiren—it meant “happiness” in the language of spirits.