Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 106

8 AM, Monday.

In the office of Fissure Management Team 1 at the Hunter’s Bureau, a man answered a call with a troubled expression.

“Seriously? Why are you telling me this now? If you had even called last night, I could have prepared something once I got to the office. You know I’m supposed to leave for Gangnam Station at nine sharp. Why are you doing this to me?”

—I’m sorry. I also got word from the Icarus Guild this morning. Maybe you could request support from another team... Ah, come to think of it, the new intern is supposed to start today, right? Perhaps you could delegate this to them...

Kim Doo-Hwi, an assistant manager entering his fourth year at the bureau, felt a surge of frustration at the words of the admin team employee on the other end. Since he couldn’t exactly curse at a colleague, he tried his best to keep calm and speak evenly.

Or at least, that was his intention.

“Are you kidding me? You want me to hand this off to an intern who’s on his first day? They probably don’t even know where the printer is... Hello? Hello!”

The call disconnected.

Doo-Hwi quickly hit the redial button, but all he got was the dial tone as his call was declined. For a moment, he felt his brain come to a complete stop.

“How am I supposed to prepare for this meeting by ten?” he muttered in disbelief.

Once a month, the Fissure Management Team 1 met with guilds partnered with the Hunter’s Bureau. They assigned and requested support for the management of B-rank or higher Great Fissures that had recently emerged or were expected to emerge across the country.

The meeting for Fissure zone assignments was initially scheduled for Tuesday, but it had suddenly been brought forward by a day to today at 10 AM.

“And of all the guilds, it had to be Icarus.”

If it had been any other mid-tier guild, he could have apologized in person and still gone to his Gangnam meeting. But Icarus Guild was one of the top three guilds in the country, so that wasn’t an option.

Cancelling the trip to Gangnam was not an option as it was also an important meeting.

“Good morning.”

“Hm?”

Hearing a low voice, Doo-Hwi turned around to see a tall man, easily over 180 centimeters, standing there. Thanks to his broad shoulders, he wore his suit with the polish of a professional model. Although he wasn’t exactly a “sculpted beauty,” he certainly had an attractive, clean-cut look.

“And you are...?” Doo-Hwi asked, puzzled why such a man was at the Bureau.

“My name is Lee Do-Jun, the new intern for the next month.”

Finally understanding, Doo-Hwi nodded and said, “Ah! So you’re the intern scheduled to start today.”

Smiling, he got up and walked over to Do-Jun, patting him on the shoulder.

“You’ve been assigned to the most dreaded department of all. Congratulations,” Doo-Hwi said with a slightly pitiful look.

Fissure Management Team 1 was known for being the most overworked team. Thanks to the workload beyond what any one person could handle, working overtime was the norm, and they even had to take care of protocol for esteemed Hunters. Basically, each team member was doing the job for two people.

“I should be giving you a proper introduction and showing you the ropes, but I’m swamped right now. For now, just sit at an empty desk and get a feel for the office atmosphere. I have to deal with something urgent...”

He needed to have the meeting materials ready and head straight to Gangnam Station by nine. Doo-Hwi immediately began printing the meeting documents and simultaneously dialed his supervisor.

“Chief, it’s Doo-Hwi. I’m sorry to bother you while you’re on vacation. Something came up suddenly... Ah, right. You haven’t left Jeju yet. No, no, it’s nothing crazy. See you tomorrow then.”

The Section Chief, who had gone on vacation to Jeju, hadn’t even left for Seoul yet. Normally, the Section Chief led the meetings, with Doo-Hwi assisting. But today, both of them were unavailable.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Doo-Hwi spoke. “Uh... Mr. Kim Do-Jun? No, wait, sorry—Lee Do-Jun.”

“Yes?”

Since the meeting didn’t cover anything new, it would just be a review of ongoing Great Fissure management and raid progress. All Do-Jun needed to do was read off the materials, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. He decided to take a gamble.

“Could I ask you a favor?”

***

A round table with space for about twenty people was set up in the small conference room on the eighth floor of the Hunter’s Bureau. A bundle of meeting materials was placed at each seat.

The beam from the projector on the ceiling displayed the slide presentation on the conference room screen. Do-Jun reviewed the contents and tested the buttons on the projector remote to ensure the slides advanced properly.

The presentation covered the location and distribution of Fissures ranked B and higher across Seoul. It also listed the primary monsters in each Fissure, as well as the guild responsible for managing each one. Icarus Guild, for example, managed eight B-rank and five A-rank Fissures.

S-rank Fissures rarely appeared, and when they did, a dedicated operations team was usually assembled to raid them, leaving a few cases unaddressed.

Do-Jun recalled Doo-Hwi’s instructions. “Just apologize that the manager and I couldn’t attend. Get signatures from the attending Hunters on the attendance sheet and read the slides as they are. The most important thing is to stay on their good side. Bow politely whenever someone enters...”

He glanced at his wristwatch. He had about ten minutes until the meeting start time of 10 AM.

He realized there were no refreshments or drinks set out on the table.

Maybe I should buy some drinks.

***

Ten Hunters from the Icarus Guild entered the small conference room.

Min-Hyuk, the guild master, frowned as he looked at the empty room. It was nearly 10 AM, but no staff members were in sight. He wondered if this was due to the last-minute change in the meeting date, but it still made no sense for both the manager and the assistant manager to be absent.

“Sorry for the delay.”

A voice came from behind him.

Min-Hyuk clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned around—only to freeze on the spot.

“S-supervisor Lee? W-what are you doing here...?”

“Long time no see, Hunter Min-Hyuk,” Do-Jun said, smiling. “If everyone’s arrived, could you please sign the attendance sheet?”

***

Meanwhile, at Gangnam Station.

Hearing the generic ringtone, Doo-Hwi took out his phone and checked the caller ID. It was his manager.

“Yes, sir.”

—You can answer? Are you not in your meeting?

“Oh, you heard? Well... actually... I’m currently at Gangnam Station. You know, dealing with that RPS case that came up...”

There was a sudden silence.

—Gangnam Station? What about the meeting?

Doo-Hwi gulped nervously, pressing his fingers to his temples as he replied.

“I left it to the new hire. There weren’t any major changes, so he just needs to read through the presentation slides—there shouldn’t be a problem.”

—The new hire? What are you talking about? The new hire doesn’t come until July.

“Uh, well... interns are technically new hires too... I mean, ha...”

Another long silence.

—Are you out of your mind? You left the meeting to an intern? Kang Min-Hyuk is supposed to be at the meeting today. Even with both of us there, we’d barely manage! And you left it to an intern who started this morning... I’m losing my mind. Just...

“I’m sorry, sir. But honestly, there was no other way. I even asked the manager from the other team, but they had an urgent matter, too.”

—You know what, you’re right. It’s not your fault. It’s their fault for changing the meeting date at the last minute. Anyway, when you’re back in the office, give me a report on how things went.

Doo-Hwi let out a long sigh of relief.

***

The meeting proceeded smoothly.

In fact, it was less of a meeting and more like Do-Jun giving a one-sided presentation from the slides. Regardless, the atmosphere was serious, and not a single person made small talk or yawned; everyone kept their eyes on the screen and Do-Jun.

“In cases where ownership is transferred, the distribution ratio will be...” Do-Jun paused, noticing the fruit juices left untouched on the table.

The bottles hadn’t even been opened, and the Hunters were sitting rigidly, their backs straight, listening intently with tense expressions.

“Feel free to drink the juice while you listen. I went out of my way to get it.”

Hearing this, the Hunters glanced at Min-Hyuk. They couldn’t understand why an S-rank Hunter, ranked in the top ten in the country, was sitting there, so on edge around a mere bureau intern, but they decided it was best to stay quiet.

With a subtle nod, Min-Hyuk signaled the other Hunters to drink the juice, and in unison, they opened their juice bottles and started drinking.

“By the way, this meeting was supposed to be tomorrow, right?” Do-Jun asked Min-Hyuk.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“I’m sure you moved it up for good reasons, but... make sure to call Assistant Manager Kim Doo-Hwi later to apologize. Just say you’re sorry for telling him on such short notice this morning.”

***

It wasn’t until 2 PM that Doo-Hwi returned to the office.

He picked up the meeting attendance folder on his desk and saw that all the signatures were there. Meanwhile, Do-Jun was sitting at his desk, browsing through an intern training manual.

“Looks like everything went okay. The signatures are all here,” Doo-Hwi remarked.

Just then, the office phone rang.

“Hello, this is Assistant Manager Kim Doo-Hwi from Fissure Management Team 1.”

—Hello, Assistant Manager Kim. This is Hunter Kang Min-Hyuk from the Icarus Guild.

Startled, Doo-Hwi shot up from his seat, instinctively bowing his head as he answered. “Yes, Guild Master!”

—It’s just... regarding the meeting today...

Regarding the meeting—those words struck Doo-Hwi like a knife in the chest. The intern must have messed up somehow. Otherwise, why would Min-Hyuk be calling directly?

“I apolo...”

Just as Doo-Hwi was about to start apologizing, he heard—

—I wanted to apologize.

“Pardon me...?”

—I just wanted to say I’m sorry for the sudden notification about the meeting change today. I’m calling to apologize.

Did he hear that right? Doo-Hwi doubted his ears.

“No, no. We’re the ones who should apologize for being unable to attend the meeting, sir.”

After ending the call, Doo-Hwi scratched his head, mumbling to himself, “What the hell happened to him? That’s a first... Ah, Do-Jun, how did the meeting go today?”

Do-Jun replied, “I just followed your instructions, sir. The meeting ended pretty quickly, too.”

“No issues came up?”

“Nope.”

Doo-Hwi let out a sigh of relief. “If this had gone south, I would’ve been in for a formal reprimand... Thanks, Do-Jun.”

Do-Jun smiled and replied, “Glad to hear it.”

***

“Welcome home, Father.”

After finishing work, Do-Jun returned home, and Yoon-Hee ran over, smiling, taking his coat.

“How was work today?” she asked.

“Today was just... you know...” Do-Jun mumbled as he sat down on the sofa.

It had been another peaceful day.