Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 260

Chug, chug.

During the morning rush hour, the subway was packed with office workers as it sped along the tracks. Despite it being the middle of winter, the sheer number of people made the air stiflingly warm. For some, this was the worst part of the day, but Do-Jun didn’t mind it one bit. In fact, he actually enjoyed it. It gave him a feeling that he was living a normal, ordinary life, no different from anyone else.

One particular dragon, however, disagreed with him. Yong-Yong peeked his head out from inside Do-Jun’s briefcase and looked at the subway map.

“K-keugh... W-we’re almost there... It’s almost over...” He confirmed there were only three stops left before they would arrive.

Perhaps the crowded environment made Yong-Yong uncomfortable. Do-Jun smirked at the sight. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“By the way, Master, that guy’s not coming to work today, right?” Yong-Yong asked. The “guy” he referred to was none other than Cheol-Soo.

Do-Jun shook his head briefly.

Yong-Yong often tagged along to Seoul City Hall with Do-Jun, but recently he had started choosing days when Cheol-Soo was off-duty. The reason was simple: every time they met, Cheol-Soo would relentlessly pinch Yong-Yong’s cheeks, pull at his face, or hug him. It was nothing short of annoying.

***

Yong-Yong’s expression soured as he entered the office with Do-Jun. Someone was seated at the head of the Fissure Exploration Unit’s section—a seat that was supposed to be empty. The person was leaning on one hand, staring at a monitor.

Do-Jun placed his bag on his desk and said, “Chief, are you working today?”

“Yeah. Turns out I don’t have anything to do at home, anyway.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Yong-Yong quickly ducked his head back into the briefcase, trying to avoid being spotted by Cheol-Soo. He regretted not staying home to sleep in and silently cursed himself for unnecessarily coming along.

Unfortunately for Yong-Yong, Cheol-Soo had a sharp eye for such things.

“Oh! Yong-Yong, you’re here too!” he exclaimed.

Caught by Cheol-Soo’s radar, Yong-Yong reluctantly emerged from the bag. Cheol-Soo’s grin stretched from ear to ear as he approached and scooped Yong-Yong into his arms.

While laughing heartily, he started pinching Yong-Yong’s cheeks. “My, aren’t you adorable.”

“Mistuh... I tuld you... to stup...”

Cheol-Soo pulled and stretched Yong-Yong’s cheeks as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Do-Jun watched the scene unfold, remembering what Cheol-Soo had confided in him during a drinking session. He knew why Cheol-Soo was especially fond of Yong-Yong.

“Haha, you little rascal,” Cheol-Soo said, finally setting Yong-Yong down. “Alright, then. Let’s get to work!”

***

After lunch at the cafeteria, Do-Jun was reviewing his afternoon schedule while sipping an Americano when Cheol-Soo approached him.

“Do-Jun.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Regarding the F-rank Fissure inspection in Cheonho-dong this afternoon—I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure?” Do-Jun asked him.

“You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you? Plus, I figured I’d get some fresh air while I’m at it.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Your work is my work.” Cheol-Soo waved him off casually and grabbed the inspection documents for Cheonho-dong.

The F-rank Fissure in Cheonho-dong was known for the Swift Rabbits, one of the few non-aggressive monsters. It was safe enough to inspect alone without the help of a Hunter.

As Cheol-Soo picked up the Cheonho-dong files, his eyes landed on Yong-Yong, curled up and napping on Do-Jun’s desk.

“Y-yes...?” Yong-Yong stammered as an ominous feeling washed over him.

***

A sedan sped across the Cheonho Bridge. It was an older car, over ten years old. It wasn’t a government vehicle but Cheol-Soo’s personal car. He had put in a cassette tape of once-popular Korean trot music and hummed along cheerfully. Meanwhile, Yong-Yong sat in the passenger seat, sulking, with his seatbelt on.

“Why did you bring me along?!” Yong-Yong asked sulkily.

“Haha, isn’t it nice to go for a drive?”

“Man...” Yong-Yong clicked his tongue and closed his eyes in an attempt to block out the world.

Finding even this behavior cute, Cheol-Soo chuckled softly. “Don’t be like that. You know, act however you like with me, but you should show Do-Jun some affection. Show some aegyo! When he comes home from work, it’d be nice if his pet greeted him. Sometimes, that’s better than people.”

Hearing that, Yong-Yong thought, This guy has no idea how much aegyo I pour out at home. Every freaking day.

Cheol-Soo had no idea how much effort Yong-Yong put into surviving in this tough environment by acting cute.

He said, “Random, but you know, I used to have a dog like you.”

I’m a dragon, actually, Yong-Yong said in his mind.

And not just any dragon—a lord.

Cheol-Soo continued, “For about eight years. His name was Poppy, and he was a Chihuahua. I loved him dearly. We got him because my son begged for a pet, but eventually, he lost interest, and I ended up taking care of him. Over time, Poppy became my responsibility entirely.”

Cheol-Soo’s voice softened, lost in his memories. “Sure, my family’s doing better now, but back then, Poppy was the only one who greeted me when I came home from work. My wife and kids wouldn’t even look my way. How sad is that? But Poppy was different. He always came running to the door when he heard my footsteps. I really loved that.”

Yong-Yong didn’t ask what had happened to Poppy. Cheol-Soo’s sad face as he recounted the past made it clear enough.

***

The Fissure was located inside Cheonho Park.

When Cheol-Soo activated the Fissure Management System app, a pleasant female voice guided him.

The F-rank Fissure, identified as Cheonho-dong-001, was known for its Swift Rabbits. An intern from the Hunter’s Bureau was stationed at the entrance.

“Good afternoon. I’m Kang Cheol-Soo from the Seoul City Hall Fissure Management Division. Thanks for your hard work.” Cheol-Soo greeted the intern.

“Oh! I see. Your ID has been verified.”

The intern opened the entrance after checking Cheol-Soo’s ID.

The Fissure’s interior revealed a vast field. Swift Rabbits, known for their calm nature, grazed on the grass. This made them easy targets for Hunters, but because their mana stones were low quality and small, no Hunters were present.

“Well, let’s get started,” Cheol-Soo said.

The first step was mapping. However, since this was a managed Fissure, the map had long been completed. Cheol-Soo only needed to check for any changes.

Yong-Yong trailed closely behind Cheol-Soo, his eyes occasionally darting around to follow the bouncing movements of the Swift Rabbits.

***

The inspection was finished quickly in less than two hours, thanks to the relatively small size of the Fissure. Cheol-Soo lay flat on the grass, exhausted. He had worked nonstop for two hours, and his stamina was completely drained.

However, unexpected events always come without warning.

Electric currents sparked in the air.

Startled, Cheol-Soo sat up suddenly. It was rare, but not unheard of, for another Fissure to form inside an existing one. Additionally, this new Fissure was just an Entrance, capable of releasing only one or two monsters at most.

Fortunately, only one monster emerged. But as if that weren’t enough, the monster was a troll—a B-rank monster.

Unfortunately, for an ordinary human, a B-rank troll was far too powerful an adversary. Cheol-Soo’s entire body trembled as soon as he laid eyes on it.

“Kyuuuuuuh!”

The troll unleashed Howl, a skill capable of lowering the enemy’s morale by over sixty percent.

Cheol-Soo’s face turned pale, and he started trembling even more uncontrollably. But despite the intense fear, he refused to give up.

“Y-Yong-Yong! Run!” he shouted.

He spread his arms wide and stood in the troll’s path, determined to block its advance. He could not afford to repeat the same mistake he made in the past. Losing Poppy had been painful enough. And now, Yong-Yong, who was Do-Jun’s pet, was in danger. If anything happened to Yong-Yong, Cheol-Soo would never be able to face Do-Jun again.

“Kyuuuh!”

The troll used Howl again. This time, the effects were stronger, completely knocking out Cheol-Soo, who collapsed backward, unconscious. For an ordinary human, the troll’s Howl was overwhelmingly potent.

Startled, Yong-Yong hurried over to Cheol-Soo and gently tapped his cheek with a paw. “Hello? Hello? Earth to Mister! Hello?!”

There was no response. Cheol-Soo wasn’t faking it—he had truly passed out.

“Man, this guy...”

It was fortunate that Yong-Yong came along. If Cheol-Soo had been alone, he likely would have died.

With a sigh of relief, Yong-Yong turned to the troll and motioned with his paw. “Come.”

***

Cheol-Soo slowly opened his eyes, wondering how many hours he had been out, but when he looked at his watch, he realized that not even five minutes had passed since he collapsed. He was already outside the Fissure, but who moved him there?

“Y-Yong-Yong! Where are you?” That was the first thing he yelled.

Before he could even look around, he noticed Yong-Yong’s face hovering above him.

Cheol-Soo sat up quickly and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank goodness. That’s such a relief. Do you know how we’re still alive?”

“I don’t know. When I woke up, the troll was already gone.”

Feigning ignorance, Yong-Yong’s casual reply was taken at face value by Cheol-Soo.

“That dog, Poppy. Did it die to a troll?” Yong-Yong asked, thinking that maybe Cheol-Soo’s fear and hesitation stemmed from his painful memories of the past.

Cheol-Soo didn’t answer, but the heavy sigh he let out was more than enough of a response.

***

Do-Jun and Yong-Yong got on the subway for the commute back home. Yong-Yong recounted everything that happened that day, from Cheol-Soo’s tragic backstory to the sudden appearance of the troll.

“Master,” he said to Do-Jun.

“Yeah?”

“From now on, I’ll come with you to work even when that guy’s working.”

“Do as you like.” Do-Jun smiled faintly.

This morning, Yong-Yong had been openly disgusted by Cheol-Soo, but now it seemed he had softened a little after learning about his circumstances.

“Coming home after work and not having anyone greet you would be pretty sad,” Yong-Yong muttered.

“I suppose it would be.”

“Have you felt that too, Master?”

Do-Jun thought for a moment. Whenever his children were home, they always greeted him. But there were times when he came back to an empty apartment, dark and with all the lights off.

They say humans adapt to their surroundings. If you’re used to being welcomed home every day, a dark, empty house can feel especially lonely.

Do-Jun realized that he, too, had felt something similar.

“Maybe,” he replied.

***

The next day, Yong-Yong decided that today would be the last day this week that he would accompany Do-Jun on his commute. After squeezing through the packed subway, like sardines in a can, they arrived at Seoul City Hall. As expected, Cheol-Soo was the most enthusiastic to greet them.

“Oh! Yong-Yong! You’re here again! Haha.” Cheol-Soo came running out of the hallway.

Yong-Yong flinched for a moment but didn’t back away.

“Helluh, mistuh...” he said with a slur from his cheeks being tugged on.

“Hahaha! You’re so cute!”

Cheol-Soo seemed to have developed a habit of pulling on Yong-Yong’s cheeks for fun.

“Thank... yuh...”

Watching Yong-Yong struggle with his words, Do-Jun chuckled softly. He thought back to the first time he met Yong-Yong, realizing that both of them had tried their best to adapt to life on Earth.

Returning to his seat, Cheol-Soo asked the group, “What should we have for lunch today? The cafeteria isn’t open today, so I’ll treat us to something nice.

From the break room, Hyuk-Soo brought coffee to Cheol-Soo’s desk and suggested, “How about braised short ribs?”

“Braised short ribs?”

“Yes. I love braised short ribs.”

“Is that so? Well, all right, then.”

Yong-Yong’s face lit up with excitement.