Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 366

After completing his expedition of the fifteenth floor of the Core and compiling all related data, Do-Jun called the S-rank Hunters for a briefing in the operations room of the Hunter’s Bureau. Inside the room, Young-Chul and the gathered Rankers listened in complete silence, their expressions serious as if not wanting to miss a single word.

They’ve definitely grown stronger, Do-Jun thought as he quickly scanned each Hunter.

All the S-rank Hunters present had cleared the Tutorial Zone and had experienced at least the first floor of the Core. Behemoth was a special case, but even the most recent Ranker, Ye-Ji, had just recently returned from gaining experience on the second floor. At this point, their abilities far outstripped those of S-rank Hunters from other countries.

“The final and perhaps most important floor is the fifteenth floor of the Core. As I mentioned earlier, you can acquire specific things through the three gatekeepers: the Star of Transcendence, significantly boost your power and receive physical enhancement, and artifacts. There may be minor trials involved in the process. Additionally....”

Roughly thirty minutes passed after that. By the time the briefing ended, it was a little past 6 PM. The session started at 2 PM, and although they took a couple of ten-minute breaks, it lasted over four hours.

Do-Jun closed the strategy manual and said, “That concludes today’s session. Thank you all for your hard work. It’s Friday night. Go wrap things up and enjoy yourselves. Hunter Min-Ji, you mentioned you had plans tonight, right? Sorry for running late.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine!” Min-Ji replied.

Her “plans” involved picking up an artifact she had dropped off at the National Smithy and placing a custom order for another. She checked her phone and saw a text message from the National Smithy asking for her estimated arrival time. Just as she was about to reply that she was now on her way, Min-Hyuk approached Do-Jun after packing away the printed materials and the strategy book into his bag.

Do-Jun was organizing his laptop and turned his head slightly, sensing Min-Hyuk had something to say.

“Supervisor Lee, are you going to the bathhouse today?” he asked. “It’s nothing serious, but I was just thinking I’m overdue for a good scrub. If you’re okay with it, I’d love to tag along.”

Every Friday, Do-Jun made it a habit to unwind after work with a visit to the bathhouse. A couple of years back, Min-Hyuk had gone with him once and remembered it fondly. He’d even beaten Do-Jun in a breath-holding contest and been treated to a banana milk afterward. That memory resurfaced, and he subtly expressed interest in joining again if Do-Jun was going.

At a glance, the other S-ranks looked like they were getting ready to leave, like it was no big deal, but their ears were entirely focused on the conversation unfolding. Do-Jun recalled the friendly culture of going to the bathhouse with the Fissure Exploration staff and helping scrub each other’s backs.

With a gentle smile, he nodded. “Sure, that sounds nice. We can scrub each other’s backs while we’re at it.”

To the S-ranks, that was a bombshell. The time Min-Hyuk had gone to the bathhouse with Do-Jun and even received banana milk had already become a legend within the DAC, and now, he was about to engage in a private back-scrubbing session with Do-Jun! That was a problem. The DAC had an unspoken rule: monopolizing Do-Jun was strictly not allowed.

“I—I...!” Min-Ji burst out.

All eyes turned to her.

Blushing from the attention, she lowered her head and mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper, “I would also... like to come... with...”

At that moment, Kang-Hyun shot his hand into the air and exclaimed, “Supervisor Lee! I’d like to join as well!”

He was quick to make his case. As president of the DAC, there was no way he could let this chance slip by. His eyes looked sharp as he became more serious than he’d been even during the Core briefing.

“Sure, that sounds good,” Do-Jun said in approval.

Even more hands shot up.

“M-me too!” This time, it was Jun-Yeol raising his hand like an excited child tagging along to an amusement park.

Soon after, Kwak Young-Ho, Lee Jin-Goo, and all the male S-rank Hunters jumped on board. Young-Chul, who had been watching silently, cleared his throat and stepped up beside Do-Jun.

“Unfortunately, women can’t enter the men’s bath,” he said.

Min-Ji bit her lip in frustration. It sounded like Young-Chul was teasing her on purpose. Her hands trembled. Ye-Ji shared her frustration, but what could they do? Women weren’t allowed in the men’s bath, and vice versa.

Ae-Kyung finally spoke up. “I don’t think we should be dividing by gender like this. Aren’t we living in a time of gender equality?”

She raised her phone so everyone could see. People leaned in slightly to look at the screen, which displayed a listing for a 24-hour sauna[1] near Bangbae Station.

“Sauna...?” Min-Ji asked.

Many of the S-ranks weren’t familiar with it. They had heard of them, of course, but had never actually been to one, so they didn’t really know what it entailed. Min-Ji, for example, thought it was just a place to sweat things out.

Ae-Kyung explained, “Yes. Mixed bathing isn’t allowed, but after bathing, there’s a shared space where everyone can enjoy sauna rooms together. Drinking cold sikhye after a soak feels like heaven. If we go here, there’s no need to fight over Supervisor Lee by gender.”

“Oooh...” Min-Ji’s eyes sparkled. “Do they sell banana milk there?”

“I’m pretty sure they do.”

“T-then... how about we go here instead?” The thought of sipping banana milk with Do-Jun after a bath filled Min-Ji with joy.

Ye-Ji also looked delighted by Ae-Kyung’s proposal. She asked, “Hunter Moon, how did you know about saunas? You don’t seem like the type to frequent one.”

“I went with Byeol not long ago. We even made sheep towel hats and wore them. You know what that is, right? It’s super cute. Actually... I’ve always wanted to put one on Supervisor Lee, just once...” Realizing what she’d just said, Ae-Kyung trailed off in embarrassment.

Do-Jun just chuckled. He simply found the idea of all of them going to a sauna together... fascinating.

“Hunter Min-Ji, didn’t you say you had plans?” he asked.

“I’ll move them to tomorrow. Even if the sky falls, I’m going today,” she replied.

“Alright then, shall we head out?”

Everyone began filing out of the operations room.

Except for Kang-Hyun, who remained behind for a moment, clenching his fist. Sheep towel hat...!

***

Naturally, the news that the Chief of the Hunter’s Bureau and a group of S-rank Hunters had all shown up together at a neighborhood sauna came as a huge surprise to both the staff and guests inside. Their popularity was such that even celebrities would struggle to match it, so the barrage of photo and autograph requests was inevitable. They couldn’t ignore the attention, so they patiently obliged each request before finally making it into the locker room.

Do-Jun, having left the others behind, had already changed, showered, and was now soaking in the hot bath. Young-Chul sat down beside him with a small splash. The warmth of the water wrapping around their bodies prompted a sigh of relief. Not long after, Kang-Hyun, Jun-Yeol, Min-Hyuk, Kwak Young-Ho, and Lee Jin-Goo entered the bath, having finished their showers. Kang-Hyun opened an eye and checked Do-Jun’s head.

“Is there something you want to say?” Do-Jun asked him.

“N-no, Supervisor Lee. It’s nothing.”

He quickly closed his eyes again. When were they going to engage in the sheep headwrap activity?

At that moment, everyone noticed Young-Chul stretching his arms with his fingers interlaced. The ring on his index finger sparkled. It was the Taegeuk pin, which he usually pinned to his clothing, but during showers, he somehow slipped it onto his finger like a ring.

“Sir, did you always wear a ring?” Kwak Young-Ho asked.

“Hahaha! Glad you asked. I can’t say too much, but... let’s just say only official members are allowed to have it. Hmhm.”

Only after showing off did he stop stretching.

***

Changed into their sauna outfits, the S-rank Hunters launched into their sauna adventures. But before they explored, there was one important mission: visiting the snack bar.

Watching the chattering, giggling S-ranks tailing after him, Do-Jun suddenly felt like he was leading a brood of baby ducklings.

“Fourteen bottles of sikhye, and two trays of charcoal-roasted eggs, please. How much is it?” he asked.

“Oh my, I’m not sure I should even charge you... You’re our beloved Hunters who protect us...”

“It’s alright. Please ring it up.”

“Well, in that case, the eggs are on the house. Hohoho.”

While Do-Jun chatted with the snack bar owner and paid, Kang-Hyun nervously looked around. Then, leaning in close to Ae-Kyung, he whispered, “Where do we get the sheep headwrap...?”

Suppressing a chuckle, Ae-Kyung fetched a few fresh towels from a pile in the corner. She began crafting the sheep-heads, with Ye-Ji helping beside her. The other S-ranks watched with fascination, jaws slightly open.

“Here, come grab a sikhye,” Do-Jun said as the drinks came out.

He turned to look behind him and found the S-ranks deeply focused on their towel hats. Pretending he hadn’t seen anything, he began placing sikhye bottles on the tray.

“Supervisor Lee.” Ae-Kyung came over, smiling as she showed off a completed sheep-head towel, then gently placed it on Do-Jun’s head.

Seeing this, Kang-Hyun covered his mouth with his hand and then quietly pulled out his smartphone.

“S-supervisor Lee, could we take a picture...?” he asked.

“Hmm...” Do-Jun glanced over at the S-rankers, all now sporting their towel hats. Then, he handed his phone to the snack bar attendant. “Excuse me, ma’am, would you mind taking a photo of us?”

“Oh, of course, I’d be happy to!”

Do-Jun sat on the warm marble floor, and the S-ranks quickly gathered around him. Young-Chul stood behind them, watching proudly.

“Alright, here we go. One, two—click!”

Just as Do-Jun was about to thank the owner with a smile, someone suggested, “Let’s take some with different poses too!”

“Great idea!”

“Alright, what kind of pose should we do?”

“Let’s have a quick meeting.”

Watching the unusually fired-up Rankers, Do-Jun realized he didn’t really mind anymore.

***

“Welcome back, Father!”

“Thanks, Yoon-Hee.”

“Did you eat?”

“I did.”

After changing out of his clothes, Do-Jun sat down on the couch.

The children were gathered on the rug in front of the TV, snacking on fruit. Byeol munched on a slice of apple, then climbed into Do-Jun’s lap. Even though he hadn’t showered at home, he smelled pleasantly clean, which made Byeol blink in mild amazement.

“Daddy, when did you shower?” she asked.

“After work, on my way home, sweetie.”

“Gasp! You went to the bathhouse?”

“I went to the sauna this time.”

“Ohhh.” Byeol recalled her own visit to a sauna. “Did you dwink sikhye?”

“Of course.”

“Did you eat baked eggs?”

“Ate those too.”

“Did you do the sheep towel?”

“I did.”

She folded one finger after another while counting, then asked, “And you went in the warm woom too?”

“Yup.”

“Mhm... that’s puhfect...” she declared.

Do-Jun couldn’t help but chuckle.

1. Korean saunas have just about everything: baths, hot/cold sauna, rest area, arcade, you name it! ☜