Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 261

It was a snowy morning. The neighborhood beyond the balcony window was blanketed in white.

Do-Jun looked at the bed, where Byeol was asleep so soundly that she wouldn’t notice if someone carried her away. He thought about how Yoon-Hee had taken the two dragons with her for a training camp, leaving him alone with Byeol today.

He opened the refrigerator to check the side dishes. There was spinach salad, seasoned vegetables, soy-braised black beans, broccoli, and kimchi. Not a trace of meat was to be found. Even the cooking ingredients had all been used up.

Scratching his head, Do-Jun decided to get ready for a grocery run.

***

Byeol found herself alone in bed when she woke up. She looked around the living room, but it was the same; no sign of her dad, who was usually sitting at the table reading the newspaper. Thinking he might be in the bathroom, she knocked on the door, but there was no response. Just as sadness was about to wash over her, hunger took its place.

Byeol opened the refrigerator and grabbed a can of cola, cracking it open with a hiss. The sound of the can opening was followed by Byeol’s deep gulps. The combination of its sweetness and carbonation went down her throat, and soon enough, she let out a satisfied burp.

Next, she rummaged through a drawer and was lucky to find one remaining packet of ramen. Breaking it into small pieces, she dumped the entire seasoning packet into the bag and mixed it well. She scooped up a handful of the crunchy, crushed ramen and stuffed it into her mouth. Her hands were sticky with seasoning powder, but she couldn’t care less. The spicy and salty flavor of the ramen was delightful.

After finishing the entire can of cola and the packet of ramen, Byeol hid the evidence by shoving the empty wrappers deep into the trash can.

***

When Do-Jun returned, it didn’t take long for him to realize that Byeol had eaten ramen.

Her breathing was punctuated by small gasps, “Hah... Sss... Hah... Sss...,” a clear indication that her mouth was still burning. The ramen seasoning smudged around her lips further proved it. Additionally, her burps indicated she had also drunk the cola from the fridge.

Do-Jun lifted Byeol into the air to his eye level.

“You ate something when you woke up, huh?” he asked.

Byeol tried to avoid his gaze, her eyes darting nervously. Eventually, she hung her head and confessed, “Yes... I was hungwy.”

Smiling faintly, Do-Jun set her down.

He poured oil into a frying pan, sliced some onions, and diced some ham. He planned to make a simple fried rice for breakfast. As the ingredients sizzled in the oil, a savory aroma filled the kitchen.

Feeling better, Byeol began hopping around cheerfully, watching the process. “I like fwied wice!”

“I’ll even add an egg on top for you,” Do-Jun said.

“Yay!”

Soon, the fried rice was ready.

Even though she had already polished off a packet of ramen and a can of cola, Byeol finished two bowls of fried rice. She barely touched the side dishes, especially the spinach, which her spoon didn’t even go near, but Do-Jun decided not to comment on it.

“Daddy.”

“Mm?”

“Can I take the leftover fried rice?”

There was still a lot of fried rice left in the pan. Do-Jun tilted his head. Was she still hungry?

Seeing his puzzled expression, Byeol added, “For Haetae!”

“Aha.”

Haetae was the sacred beast revered by the immortals on the fourth floor of the Core. Every morning, the immortals would take turns feeding it bitter chinaberry. Feeling sorry for Haetae, Byeol occasionally brought it snacks to eat instead.

“I’ll grill some samgyeopsal for you, too,” Do-Jun offered.

“Weally?”

“Of course.” Do-Jun packed the fried rice into a lunchbox and began grilling pork belly.

Byeol packed the fried rice and pork belly into her bag, along with four cans of cola.

***

On the fourth floor of the Core, three immortals resided in a stately wooden building, pursuing Tao and dreaming of achieving enlightenment. They adhered to a strictly vegetarian diet, and Cho Yang-Un was one of them.

According to legend, one had to exclusively eat vegetables infused with nature’s energy to truly achieve enlightenment and ascend to the heavens.

Each immortal had their daily portion of food in front of them: baskets filled with purple herbs called Gujisin Leaf. Despite eating vegetables from the fourth floor for countless years, they could never fully get used to Gujisin Leaf.

“Why aren’t you eating? Go on,” one of the other two immortals urged Cho Yang-Un.

“No, you first...”

“Now, now! Don’t you know that we’re supposed to respect our elders? Cho Yang-Un, you go first.”

Grumbling about only being treated as an elder in situations like this, Cho Yang-Un reluctantly reached for a single leaf with trembling hands.

It couldn’t be cooked or boiled—it had to be eaten raw.

“Bleeeeegh!” The bitterness was too much, and he spat it out immediately.

Though it was said to be healthy, eating it felt like torture. The other immortals shuddered at the sight. They had tasted it many times before and knew just how awful it was.

“Well, you guys are up next,” Cho Yang-Un said.

***

Haetae greeted Byeol with overwhelming enthusiasm. Unlike the people who had only ever brought him bitter chinaberries, this girl brought real, delicious food, making her instantly likable in Haetae’s eyes.

After making it all the way to the top of Daeyangsan Mountain, Byeol dropped her daycare backpack and took a moment to catch her breath. “That was tough...”

Growl, grrrowl!

Haetae darted around Byeol, playfully showing affection. Nearby, the ground was littered with chinaberry fruits, likely leftovers from a visiting immortal. Haetae kicked them far away in disdain as soon as Byeol appeared.

Byeol pulled out a can of cola from her backpack and took a sip to quench her thirst.

“Kyaaaah!” Her reaction was genuine enough to make even the spectators feel a wave of refreshment.

Haetae began talking to Byeol, but to everyone else, it just sounded like it was growling with different tones.

“What’s that?” Haetae asked, very interested in the cola she had.

“This? It’s cola. It’s great when you’re thirsty,” Byeol replied.

“I want to try it!”

Byeol poured some cola into Haetae’s mouth. The carbonation, so unfamiliar to it, made its body twist and turn. It collapsed onto the ground, panting.

“It’s heavenly...” it remarked with a sigh.

But the real surprise was still to come. Byeol still had the three-tiered lunchbox her dad had packed for her.

The first layer contained leftover fried rice from breakfast. The second and third layers were filled with perfectly cooked samgyeopsal. Nearly five servings had been cut into bite-sized pieces for easy eating.

Even though she had just finished a meal not long ago, the sight of the lunchbox made her hungry again. She pulled out a spoon with a bear design and scooped up a big bite of fried rice.

“Tasty!”

Even though it wasn’t warm anymore, it was still incredibly delicious. Byeol shared the fried rice and samgyeopsal with Haetae, who shed tears of joy. For a creature who only had chinaberries to eat most of the time, nothing made it happier than being able to enjoy such delicious food whenever Byeol visited.

A short while later, after finishing most of the meal, Byeol closed the lunchbox and carefully put it in her bag. With about half of the food gone, her backpack felt much lighter.

“Well, I’m going now!” Byeol waved and said her farewell.

Haetae rubbed his head against Byeol, reluctant to say goodbye. When would she visit again? It wanted to repay her kindness somehow.

Suddenly, it thought of something and asked, “Do you want to ride on my back?”

“Huh? Can I? Weally?”

Haetae crouched low to the ground to make it easier for Byeol to climb onto its back. Despite its effort, it was still massive, and Byeol struggled to climb up. Eventually, she managed to get on, and Haetae surrounded her with its magic to ensure she wouldn’t fall.

Then, with a powerful kick of its legs and a thunderous boom, Haetae soared hundreds of meters into the air in an instant.

“Woooaaaaah!”

***

“Blegh!”

An immortal grimaced as they forced themselves to swallow a bitter Gujisin Leaf. The basket was still more than half full of leaves, and the sight of it almost brought them to tears.

Why was the path to enlightenment so long and arduous?

After deciding to take a break, the immortals opened a sliding door and sat down on the porch.

“Ugh,” with a groan, Cho Yang-Un got up. “I’m going to go get some fresh air.”

The bitter taste of the leaves still lingered in his mouth, and the thought of eating more made him sigh deeply. The other immortals lay sprawled on the porch, gazing up at the sky. Cho Yang-Un watched them for a moment before taking off.

***

Cho Yang-Un lazily strolled along the mountain path when he blinked in surprise. Something was flying toward him from the distant sky. As the object drew closer, his eyes widened in shock. Why was Haetae, a mythical creature meant to reside atop the summit of Daeyangsan Mountain, here of all places?

Riding on Haetae’s back was Byeol, laughing gleefully as if she were having the time of her life. Haetae landed gracefully with a gentle thump in front of Cho Yang-Un and lowered its body.

As the magical energy surrounding Byeol dissipated, she was able to step down onto the ground. Haetae nuzzled against Byeol affectionately and even rolled over to show its belly. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“Wh-what? How could the noble Haetae act like this...?” Cho Yang-Un was flabbergasted.

If any of the other immortals had seen this, they would have been utterly dumbfounded as well. And for good reason; Haetae was a sacred being revered by the immortals of this land. Until now, it had never shown affection to any of them.

Byeol pulled out a can of cola from her bag and opened it, the sound of carbonation escaping with a hiss. She shared the cola with Haetae, both taking turns drinking it. Byeol let out a series of little burps.

“What... what are you drinking?” Cho Yang-Un asked.

It was, as they say, a taste of Earth.

The sound of Cho Yang-Un’s stomach rumbling echoed embarrassingly.

“Do you want some, Gwempa?” Byeol asked, tempting him.

However, Cho Yang-Un shook his head firmly and said, “No, no. I am a being in pursuit of enlightenment.”

At that moment, Haetae growled lowly.

Understanding the meaning, Byeol relayed the message to Cho Yang-Un. “Haetae says, ‘Eating the same thing evewy day won’t get you anywhere.’”

“What...?”

Haetae leaned in and whispered into Byeol’s ear. Grr, grr, grrr...

“It also says enwightenment is... all wuck.”

Byeol struggled with the term “enlightenment,” but even without fully grasping it, the impact of Haetae’s words left Cho Yang-Un visibly shaken. Then, his stomach growled again.

“Gwempa,” Byeol called out.

“Yes...?”

“Are you sure you’re not hungwy?” Byeol asked, rummaging through her bag.

***

After feasting on fried rice, grilled samgyeopsal, and cola, Cho Yang-Un licked the grease from around his lips, letting out a loud belch as he retraced his steps up the mountain path.

When he arrived, the immortals lounging on the veranda sat up. It was time for them to eat the Gujisin Leaf again.

“You’re back?”

The two immortals scratched their heads, sighing heavily.

“Well, let’s hunker down and eat it again.”

They slid open the door with little enthusiasm.

But Cho Yang-Un, stroking his long white beard that reached his chest, replied firmly, “I’m not eating it.”

***

“You’re back?” Do-Jun asked Byeol.

“Yeah!”

He unpacked Byeol’s daycare bag and pulled out her lunchbox. Taking it straight to the sink, he prepared to wash it with the breakfast dishes.

“You ate everything, huh?” he asked.

The lunchbox, which had been packed generously, was now spotless, with not even a grain of rice left.

“I shared it with Haetae and Gwempa,” Byeol replied.

“Grandpa?”

“Yeah, Gwempa with the really big beard!”

Do-Jun immediately understood she was referring to Cho Yang-Un.

“And Gwempa drank two whole cans of cola by himself.”

“Did he?”

“He said it was super tasty.”

Do-Jun chuckled softly and began washing the dishes.