Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 350

“S-Supervisor Lee, t-this is...” Ae-Kyun stuttered.

Do-Jun watched her with a calm, unhurried gaze. The sincerity in the faint tears welling up at the corners of Ae-Kyung’s eyes was evident, as if she were pleading her innocence. Slowly, Do-Jun reached out and gently brushed her wrist.

Her trembling began to subside. As if it had all been a lie, she quickly regained her composure. Her eyes widened at the unexpected calming effect.

“Are you feeling better?” Do-Jun asked.

After a brief moment of silence, Ae-Kyung gave a slight nod in response.

Keeping his hold on her wrist, Do-Jun led her to the living room and had her sit on the sofa. The pale moonlight gently illuminated the room, while the torrential rain from earlier had stopped without them realizing it. Do-Jun took out two mugs and prepared hot chocolate in each before handing one to her. Then, he sat down beside her.

“Thank you...” Ae-Kyung lowered her head, staring blankly at the steam rising from the cup in her hands. She looked completely dejected.

Do-Jun wasn’t sure what she was thinking about, but he figured it might be good to lighten the mood a little bit.

After a brief moment of thought, he took a short breath in and asked in a firm tone, “But, seriously, Hunter Moon, why did you bring a condom?”

“N-no! I-I swear I didn’t bring it...!”

Her panicked fluster was so amusing that Do-Jun couldn’t help but smirk. “I’m joking. I know you didn’t put that in there, Hunter Moon.”

Based on what he had observed of her personality so far, that sort of thing was very unlikely. Of course, there was always a small chance, but her reaction seemed much too genuine.

“Do you really believe me...?” Ae-Kyung asked.

“Yes. I do.”

Hearing his resolute answer, Ae-Kyung let out a deep sigh of relief and finally took a sip of her hot chocolate.

Do-Jun turned his gaze to the cityscape outside. Even from the third floor, the glow of the city lights shimmered like a mirage in the distance.

After a brief consideration, Do-Jun spoke up. “I know I’m bringing this up out of the blue, but...”

Ae-Kyung quietly listened to his voice.

Do-Jun turned back to look at her and continued, “I never intended to form connections here.”

When he had crossed over from the Martial World to Earth, he had resolved to live a quiet, ordinary life. His plan was simple: focus only on his assigned work and treat all other relationships as just formalities. It was the rational and logical thing to do.

“Back then, I believed that life was nothing more than an empty dream. I’d resolved to live a life that simply drifted along like flowing water.” His expression grew pensive, and his gaze sank somewhere deep.

The first day he arrived on Earth flashed in his mind. Maybe that was where it all began. That forgotten promise—a promise made by an earlier version of himself before he was transported to the Martial World, which he no longer remembered. And because of that, a girl named Yoon-Hee had come to live in his home.

She was the first. Then, little by little, the bonds he formed on Earth kept growing. One by one, the number of people with whom he shared genuine connections increased. And at some point, when he looked back, he found himself surrounded by precious people.

They made him laugh. Sometimes, they made him worry. He constantly wondered if something bad would happen to them or if they were struggling with anything. If they suffered, he suffered with them. Those emotions gradually came to him as naturally as breathing.

The more he cared, the more those thoughts seeped in. Like the first snowfall soaking into the earth, quietly and slowly... And the snow didn’t stop. It kept falling, piling up in his heart. Without even realizing it, it kept growing. And the more it grew, the more solid and unshakable it became. It showed no signs of melting and instead grew even stronger.

“But I didn’t just let everything drift away like I originally planned. No—it was more like I couldn’t let it go. I don’t even know why. I thought I had outgrown such attachments,” Do-Jun confessed.

Ae-Kyung listened quietly, absentmindedly fidgeting with her mug. She suddenly found herself reminiscing about the day she first met Do-Jun at the Hunter’s Bureau. The day she asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend to fend off a man harassing her on the subway. The day he accompanied her to visit Gwang-Ho after over a decade of estrangement. There were many other moments, each and every one of them a fond memory.

She murmured softly, “Because you didn’t let go... I was saved.”

It wasn’t just her. It was the same for the other S-rank Hunters as well. Though none of them spoke in detail about their pasts, each of them had their own circumstances and troubles. Yet, when they mentioned Do-Jun, they all agreed on one thing: meeting him had been a turning point in their lives. Through this experience, they had formed a bond.

S-rank Hunters had always been at odds with each other; their guilds constantly engaged in subtle power struggles. It was only now, thanks to Do-Jun, that they had truly come together. Something like this would have been impossible before his arrival.

These powerful individuals weren’t drawn to his strength—they were drawn to him. Of course, initially, they had been awed by his power. But if that had been all there was to him, they would have eventually gone their separate ways, just as they had always done before.

“I saved you, huh...” Do-Jun muttered and closed his eyes to ponder.

Had he really done something that could be called salvation? He wasn’t sure.

Silence settled between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Instead, it felt... warm.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Ae-Kyung decided to speak up. She looked at Do-Jun intently before finally muttering, “Supervisor Lee.”

“Yes?”

“Supervisor Lee... Do-Jun.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“I... just wanted to call you by name.”

It was strange how simply calling his name could stir such emotions. A smile spread across Ae-Kyung’s lips. During the day, just looking at him made her heart race. But now, it didn’t. If anything, she felt calm. Warm, even... It was a curious feeling.

“Supervisor Lee.”

“Yes, Hunter Moon?”

“Can I... hold your hand?”

Do-Jun set down his mug and offered his hand. Ae-Kyung placed her own on top of his, their fingers interlocking. His hand felt warm against her skin, probably because he had just been holding the warm mug.

“Supervisor Lee. Can I... rest my head on your shoulder?”

Do-Jun gave a small nod.

With permission granted, Ae-Kyung gently leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder. It was firm, yet comfortable. The faint scent of fabric softener from Do-Jun’s shirt tickled her nose.

“It smells like strawberries,” she remarked.

“Does it?”

She nodded slightly.

It was a scent that made her feel at ease. Comforting and peaceful. Unlike the usual rush of excitement. In fact... this was even better.

“Supervisor Lee.”

“Yes.”

“I know I can’t have you all to myself, so I’ll hold back my greed. But just for tonight... Could you let me stay like this? Just for a little while longer...?”

Her quiet plea left Do-Jun with no choice but to accept. Time passed. Ten minutes. Twenty. An hour... Before long, the clock struck midnight.

Ae-Kyung had fallen asleep. Technically, it was already the next day, but Do-Jun didn’t move. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the balcony.

Outside, a single snowflake drifted down. Then another. And another...

Snowflakes, delicate as petals, bloomed in the night sky, blanketing the frozen earth in warmth.

Watching the snowfall, Do-Jun thought to himself, It’s warm.

Logically, it should have been cold. Snow is a cold phenomenon. Still, it was warm.

Do-Jun slowly closed his eyes. Normally, he wouldn’t sleep and would have used this time to practice his cultivation, but just for tonight, it felt alright to fall asleep and rest like an ordinary person.

***

Early the next morning.

As dawn began to break, Byeol woke up unusually early. But soon after, she started dozing off again, nodding off in bed. A rather loud slap sounded as she decided to slap her own cheeks to wake herself up. Then, with a roll, she tumbled across the bed.

“Huh?” She was confused as nothing stopped her. Usually, someone was there to block her path.

“Nobody’s here...?”

Not seeing Do-Jun or Ae-Kyung in bed, Byeol wriggled off the mattress and clambered down to the floor.

“Where’d they go?” She looked around, and then she saw it.

Beyond the window, a field of pure white snow stretched out before her. Snow was still falling, gradually. The first snowfall of the year had finally arrived in December.

Byeol’s eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, “Whoa! It’s snowing!”

Excited, she rushed out of the bedroom and into the living room. She had to tell her dad about this right away! But what she saw was different from usual.

Normally, around this time, Do-Jun would be sitting on the sofa, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. But today, he was fast asleep, leaning against the couch. Next to him, leaning against his shoulder, was Ae-Kyung. She held Do-Jun’s hand tightly, a peaceful expression on her face.

Byeol stared at them for a long time, mesmerized. Then, suddenly, she gasped and hurried back to the bedroom. Grunting with effort, she dragged out the large blanket she had been using, then carefully draped it over Do-Jun and Ae-Kyung.

“There.”

As she stood in front of her Daddy and Mommy with a content look on her face, a voice floated over.

—Byeol! You’re awake? It’s snowing outside!

Through the pots on the balcony, Apophis, in its garden shovel form, cheerfully delivered the news.

Byeol gasped and quickly put a finger to her lips. “Shhh! Don’t wake them up.”

She tiptoed to the balcony and gently picked up Apophis, bringing it inside. The little shovel peeked toward the sofa, and for the first time ever, it saw Do-Jun truly asleep. It was a sight it had never witnessed before.

“Daddy always weads the newspaper in the morning. He must be weally tired,” Byeol said.

It was a snowy December morning, with snowflakes slowly but surely covering the ground.