Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 326

Several days later, on an ordinary, clear day, the sky was a perfect blue with not a single cloud in sight. Over the past few days, Young-Sik kept noticing a little reaper lingering around, watching him. Each time they made eye contact, he tried to get closer to the little reaper, but he would quickly vanish into thin air.

When the presence of “death” crept closer, like any other person, Young-Sik had initially felt fear. But as time passed, he found himself growing strangely indifferent.

At first, he had wished the little reaper was actually just a child merely playing pranks on him. But when he realized that no one else could see the boy and that even the ledger he had dropped was invisible to others, he decided to accept the reality before him.

In hindsight, the fact that he had lived this long was already a miracle.

A few years ago, during a health checkup, the doctor had cautiously told him to “start preparing himself.” Yet, he had lived for two more years beyond that prognosis—far longer than he ever expected. In truth, he had almost forgotten about his condition because, for the past two years, he had felt significantly healthier. But reality was always cold and unyielding.

Someone once said that life is precious because it ultimately ends in death.

Young-Sik reflected on his past. There had been difficult times, but looking back, his life hadn’t been so bad. The past two years, in particular, had been filled with happiness every single day. Perhaps this was what people who say “life is worth living” meant.

He considered himself lucky. Maybe, after the doctor gave him the bleak prognosis, the past two years had been a final gift from the heavens—one last blessing that let him feel warmth and joy among his neighbors. If he had known this earlier, he would have cherished them even more.

I should have done more... Young-Sik thought regretfully.

He shifted his gaze to the little reaper and saw his eyes remain fixed on the ledger. Slowly, Young-Sik placed the book in his hands onto the wooden gazebo and stepped back. For some reason, he felt lighter.

***

The little reaper lingered around Changshin Villa for quite some time. The time for a decision was drawing near. There was only one day left before the meeting of the Ten Kings. He carefully examined the ledger. No matter how many times he checked, “Lim Young-Sik” was still listed.

According to the laws of the underworld, if a name was inscribed in the book, the soul had already separated from the physical body and needed to be guided to the afterlife. However, the current situation was anything but ordinary.

The little reaper sat on a bench, looking at the security office. Inside, Young-Sik was reclining in his chair, eyes closed.

At that moment, a man sat down beside the reaper, but the little reaper paid him no mind since only the dead could see him. Well, there had been that peculiar child who introduced herself as “Byeol,” but this man was surely unaware of his presence.

So, without much thought, the little reaper muttered, “The Grand Supreme Yeomra says that our role as reapers is to guide souls who, after death, still wander this world, unaware that they have passed.”

He knew he wouldn’t be heard, so the little reaper continued his monologue. “But that old man is clearly alive. I don’t understand it... If he’s listed in the ledger, it means he should be dead, with only his soul left. So how is he still alive? And... is it really right for me to take him to the afterlife?”

The man—Do-Jun—silently watched Young-Sik. Just as the reaper had said, Young-Sik had, in fact, died once before. Or to be precise, he had crossed the threshold of death.

About two years ago, Young-Sik had quietly passed away inside the security office. In that fleeting moment, if Do-Jun hadn't infused him with qi, the man wouldn’t be here today. Even now, Do-Jun still did not know if his decision back then was the right one. It was an act that defied the natural order.

Matters of death were meant to be handled by the Kings of the afterlife and their reapers. Do-Jun had no right to interfere. But in truth, he had already made his choice long ago. Since that day, he had secretly been extending Young-Sik’s life—disguising it as nothing more than offering him morning snacks, all while slipping medicinal herbs into the food. Because, deep down, Do-Jun did not want Young-Sik to die.

“It’s your choice, little one,” he said to the little reaper.

The little reaper flinched and snapped his head around in shock.

Do-Jun’s gaze remained fixed on Young-Sik, a faint, bitter look in his eyes. He had heard Young-Sik’s story before and knew what kind of life the man had lived.

As a construction laborer, he had worked himself to the bone, sending every last won he earned to his wife and children who lived abroad. The days he actually saw his family could be counted on one hand. Yet, despite dedicating his entire life to them, the final outcome had been cruel.

His health deteriorated from years of hard labor, and when he pleaded for his family to return to Korea, he discovered the truth: they had already built a new life overseas with a new man.

His world collapsed that day.

After that, Young-Sik spent his days drowning in alcohol. Whenever he ran out of money, he would take on construction jobs again, only to squander his wages on liquor, repeating the cycle. At sixty-five, he finally found work as the security guard of the villa.

When Do-Jun saved him two years ago, he knew nothing of this story. He only learned the details a year ago.

Do-Jun remembered the happiness in Young-Sik’s voice as he talked. “I’m happy now. I think of the people in this villa as my family, and that makes working here so fulfilling. Everyone greets each other and checks in on one another. And when the Women’s Association sets up stalls on market days, it’s so much fun.”

Do-Jun was honest with the little reaper. He told him that Young-Sik had, in fact, died once before, and he had brought him back to life.

As the little reaper listened to Do-Jun’s account, his eyes slowly widened, wondering if such a thing was truly possible. Yet, the man in front of him didn’t come across as a liar.

“But personally,” Do-Jun said, “I think it would be nice if he could live just a little longer.”

It was a sad story. But the little reaper wasn’t going to cry or anything. After all, a reaper must remain impartial. Compassion was forbidden. That was a fundamental lesson from reaper training.

“Mister,” said the little reaper finally.

“Hm?”

“Can I ask you for a favor?”

“Go ahead.”

The little reaper hesitated, then leaned in and whispered into Do-Jun’s ear, “Probably not, huh...?”

“That much is easy. After all, this is something I started in the first place,” Do-Jun said.

“Thank you...”

***

The next day, the Ten Kings held a meeting with the King of Equality presiding. When Yeomra arrived, the session formally started.

The primary topic was a continuation of the previous discussion—how to deal with Solomon, who had been unsealed. King Taishan was the first to put forth a proposal, but as expected, the response was far from favorable.

“Is that really the best plan you could come up with?”

“Well, if you’ve got a better idea, let’s hear it! What else are we supposed to do?”

Once again, every response began with a disagreement.

Unlike the previous meeting, however, Yeomra showed little interest in their squabbling. He had already heard certain things from Imfelheim, Wei Zhongqi, and other residents of the Deep Realm. While the other Kings bickered, he remained composed.

“This isn’t getting us anywhere! Let’s set aside the Solomon issue for now and move on to the next item on today’s agenda. As previously discussed, let’s address the matter of guiding the souls listed in the ledger to the afterlife,” the King of Equality said.

Yeomra raised an eyebrow.

Typically, they would overlook minor matters like this. However, for some reason, they were choosing to discuss this topic in his presence.

“A mere human resurrected someone listed in the ledger, interfering with the reapers’ work. This is a clear abuse of power and warrants immediate judgment. What are your thoughts?”

Ah. Now that’s crossing the line. Yeomra nodded slightly. Then another thought struck him. Wait, a human capable of resurrecting someone listed in the ledger? Was that even possible?

“Grand Supreme, may we hear your esteemed opinion first?” offered the King of Equality.

Yeomra said, “Since ancient times, the management of the deceased has been the domain of the afterlife. Therefore, as the King of Equality has stated, anyone who resurrects a soul listed in the ledger is defying the natural order and should be subjected to immediate judgment.”

Everyone seemed to be in agreement.

Yeomra then asked, “So, who exactly is responsible for this?”

“According to the testimony of a young reaper, the culprit is a man named Lee Do-Jun.”

“Lee... who...?”

“Lee Do-Jun, Grand Supreme. He resides on Earth, in a place called... Bangbae-dong? Whatever it’s called,” answered the King of Equality.

Yeomra fell silent for a moment, then slowly asked, “What’s the other thing on our meeting agenda?”

“Pardon...?”

“Was it Solomon? Continue discussing that.”

“But Grand Supreme, shouldn’t we first decide how to handle Lee Do-Jun...?”

At that moment, three deep lines appeared on Yeomra’s forehead as he frowned in frustration. He let out a long sigh and looked up at the sky before saying, “What about him?”

“We were discussing immediate judgment for Lee Do-Jun, were we not...?”

“What do you expect me to do about his decision?”

“Excuse me...?”

***

Several days went by, but the little reaper who had been following Young-Sik around was nowhere to be seen. He found it strange. For some time now, the reaper had been like a shadow, following him, always carrying the ledger with his name on it. Young-Sik had been mentally preparing for the worst.

As usual, around 5 AM, he stepped outside to sweep the villa grounds. That was when he finally spotted the familiar little figure. It was the same reaper from before.

“Ah! Hey, kid!” he called out.

The reaper was chewing on a King Gummy. The ledger was still tucked under his arm, just like before. Grinning widely, the reaper flipped the book open to show Young-Sik the inside. It was a blank, pure white page.

“Tada! The King of Equality told me to erase it,” he said to Young-Sik happily.

“The King of Equality...?”

“Yup! Hehe. I don’t know what made him change his mind, but lucky us, right?”

The word “King” confirmed that they were someone far above a mere reaper. Young-Sik had many questions. He wanted to sit down and talk with the boy, to understand what had happened.

However, the little reaper seemed to be in a hurry. “I’ve got work to do, so I’ll be going now!”

“W-wait a moment—”

Just like that, the little reaper vanished with a pop.

Young-Sik stared blankly at the spot where the boy had stood. Then, he clasped his hands together and closed his eyes in prayer.

***

“Good morning! Beautiful morning, isn’t it? Heading to work?” Young-Sik greeted Do-Jun cheerfully as the latter left for work.

His voice was brighter and more upbeat than usual, and he even let out a hearty laugh. His face also looked noticeably refreshed.

Do-Jun gave a small smile. “Yes. Good morning to you as well.”

Somehow, it felt like today would be a good day.