(MDITFB) Chapter 6

He had forgotten that his body was in a serious condition.

Being hit by a Cretan Bull was almost equivalent to being hit by a car.

He flew several meters and even rolled around a few laps, so there was no way his body would be in good shape.

However, as a hunter, his recovery rate was fast. Despite that, he had to be hospitalized for several days to be completely recovered.

‘All right, what happened after this.’

There were also good things about being in the hospital.

He was able to calmly organize his future events and plans while resting in the hospital bed.

He didn’t remember everything that happened in the next 15 years. However, he was able to remember many important and major events.

He wasn’t bored because he spent his time recording them.

“When you first ran into the Cretan Bull, what did you think?”

“Oh, I don’t recall what I was thinking, but I believe my first thought was to protect her.”

He had an interview with a TV station.

At that time, he could feel the changes in the eyes of the people in the hospital room.

Even doctors and nurses would recognize and greet him at times. It was burdensome, but it made him feel embarrassed inside.

Time flew by quickly, and the day of his discharge arrived.

“Daddy! Seol-ah is here!”

Seol-ah and Eun-hye visited him almost every day.

They showed up on the day he was going to be discharged, and Seol-ah was holding a box containing a cake with one hand.

However, the people in the hospital room seemed to welcome Seol-ah more than him.

“Oh, my. Seol-ah is here.”

“Grandma! Doesn’t your back hurt?”

“No. Thanks to Seol-ah’s concern, I’m all better.”

“I hope it doesn’t hurt from now on.”

“Yes, of course, of course.”

The old woman who was in the room with him often looked after Seol-ah. 

Often because Eun-hye and him had things to discuss. So the old woman had been the one to offer it.

“Seol-ah. Are you visiting today?”

“Hello, mister!”

“What a pleasant greeting! Hahaha!”

“Hello, grandpa and sister!”

“Oh. Hello.”

She greeted the man on the other side, the grandfather at the window, and even the nurse.

Sometime later, Seol-ah had gained the love of everyone in the hospital room. She was often seen receiving snacks such as candy.

Seol-ah is friendly, and tends to get along with others quickly. 

Besides, she’s pretty and cute, so she’s become a vital force in the hospital room.

“Seo-jun, are you going to be discharged today?”

“Oh. Yes.”

“Then we won’t be able to see Seol-ah anymore, will we?”

The people around them were buzzing. The man on the other side of the room looked at him with slightly dangerous eyes.

“Why don’t you stay in the hospital a little longer?”

“I-I have work I need to do……”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“What?”

“Did I tell you I used to be a boxer?”

It looked like he was taking a slightly extreme approach.

However, when Seol-ah entered the hospital room, the atmosphere changed to a calm atmosphere, as if it had never been serious.

That man wasn’t a bad person, given that he’s kind to children, but to be honest, he was a little scared.

[T/N: I would be scared too… (ס_ס;;)]

Fortunately, Eun-hye intervened.

“I bought this.”

“What is it?”

“An ice cream cake!”

Seol-ah’s eyes twinkled. It wasn’t just a cake, it was an ice cream cake. Eun-hye smiled while looking at Seol-ah, and whispered to him.

“This is to congratulate you for your discharge, Seol-ah seems to have wanted it.”

“Good job.”

The uncle on the other side, who looked closely at him and Eun-hye, whistled as if he were teasing Seo-jun.

“Whiiiiiist. The ice cream is melting. It’s getting hot in here.”

“Good times. of course.”

[PR/N: Good times refer to the good old days where grandma was lovey-dovey with her SO.]

The grandma laughed and defended them, while Eun-hye immediately retreated from him.

There was an ethical problem, so they were pretending to be a young couple at the hospital.

As he was trying to figure out how to change the topic, something beside him shone brightly.

“Ice cream…….”

Seol-ah was so concentrated that she could almost put a hole in the ice cream cake. 

Eun-hye cut the cake with the enclosed bread knife and put it on a platter.

Seol-ah swallowed her saliva after receiving the first slice of ice cream cake that she had been anticipating so intensely.

Then, she held out her plate of ice cream cake to Seo-jun.

“Eat daddy!”

“Huh? Seol-ah should eat first.”

Seol-ah shrugged.

He was a little stunned when the plate was offered to him.

Eun-hye seemed to have planned to give the cake to Seol-ah in the first place, seeing that there were many chocolate decorations on it.

Yet she was willing to give him the cake that she couldn’t stop looking at because she wanted to eat it so badly.

He was quite touched, so he couldn’t dismiss it as a joke like usual.

“Thank you.”

“Yes!”

The old woman looked at them with a joyful gaze.

Eun-hye cut Seol-ah another slice again. And Seol-ah got up from her seat and turned to the grandmother sitting next to her. 

“Grandma should eat too.”

“Oh, my. Are you giving it to me?”

“Yes!”

“I don’t know if I can accept this.”

“Come on.”

Eun-hye nodded at the old woman’s question. The grandma smiled very happily and ate the ice cream cake.

Seol-ah’s actions did not stop there.

The ice cream cake was handed out to everyone in the 6-person room, including the uncle on the other side.

It was only natural that the affection, in the eyes of the people in the hospital room, deepened.

Eun-hye sensibly cut the cake into eight pieces, so everyone had a proper share.

“Let’s eat now.”

“I will enjoy this food!”

Seol-ah finally got her share of the ice cream cake. She sliced a chunk off with her fork and shoved it in her small mouth.

A happy smile appeared on her face as her eyes closed. It was so delicious that her little body swayed from side to side as if doing a dance.

Seeing that, the people in the hospital melted like ice cream.

Eun-hye asked as if she was curious about how Seol-ah felt.

“Seol-ah, what do you think?”

“It’s very very delicious!”

             *         *         *

Seo-jun was discharged.

The people in the hospital congratulated him, but secretly advised him to stay a little longer.

Because of the ice cream cake incident, the old woman started treating Seol-ah like she was her own granddaughter.

The man on the other side came out particularly aggressive, but Seo-jun survived on the pretext that he had work to do.

At first, it didn’t seem to fool him, but it was only then that the man understood.

Some even gave money to Seol-ah and fed her delicious food.

‘It’s because she’s so lovely.’

Now he was the problem. His limbs which had been immobile for a long time were jittery.

The hospital recommended physical therapy, but he declined. A hunter’s body takes little time to return to its original state.

Before the regression, it was quick to heal after an injury, so this much was fine.

‘Whatever I do, I must have a weapon to protect myself.’

In the battle of Cretan Bull, he deeply acknowledged that fact. Fortunately, a license isn’t required to purchase a hunter’s weapon.

When he was in the hospital, he explained his plans to Eun-hye in detail.

Although Eun-hye was a little surprised to hear that he was an adapter who accepted mana.

Since he had a history of blocking the Cretan Bull, she seemed to understand it to some extent. 

So, Eun-hye went with him to buy a weapon.

“Daddy, where are we going?”

Of course, Seol-ah came along as well.

When he was in the hospital, the old lady was present to look after Seol-ah, but now that he’s been discharged, there was no one to do so.

However, he could not leave his child alone at home. It was all the more so as she had a history of destroying a house.

“We’re going to the market today.”

“The market? Mommy would like that.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because there’s a lot of tteokbokki that mommy likes!”

He looked at Eun-hye.

How much did they eat to the point where she immediately thinks of tteokbokki when she hears the word ‘market’?

Eun-hye slowly avoided his gaze as if she didn’t know. Then she asked awkwardly, as if intending to change the subject.

“By the way, is there really a workshop in the market?”

“I told you so. Don’t you trust me?”

“No. Normally, workshops are in department stores or guild buildings.”

“The things in department stores are usually made by masters, so they are expensive. It’s a luxury for beggars.”

“What’s in a guild building?”

“There is a limit to what a blacksmith in a guild can sell, and that only changes for those in that guild.”

“Really? I see.”

Eun-hye tilted her head as if she didn’t know that. It was a very cute look.

The same thing had happened to him once.

“Then, what’s sold in the workshops in the market?”

There are mostly unnamed blacksmiths.”

“So isn’t that a bad thing?”

“Not all singers without a name can’t sing.”

“You’re very persuasive. That’s true.”

They traveled for a long time by bus and subways.

After going all the way to the outskirts of Seoul, they finally arrived at Sangbong-dong, Jungnang-gu.

After crossing several roads, they stopped at a place called Woorim Market.

Whether she expected a street lined with workshops or something, the response that he got was a puzzled look by Eun-hye

“Is it just an ordinary market?”

It was literally just an ordinary looking market. Shops, including old restaurants and pharmacies, were lined up.

“Follow me.”

He passed through a busy alley and entered a dark street where the sun did not shine.

Seol-ah seemed a little nervous, so she grabbed his hand and looked around.

They reached a dark corner of the street. He halted in front of an old store where the sign had run out of power.

Eun-hye’s eyes were filled with a bit of absurdity.

“Are we here?”

“Yes. We’re here.”

He immediately entered the store. As if it had not been lubricated for a long time, the door creaked as they entered.

To be honest, it looks like an abandoned building from the outside, but according to his memory, this place was a workshop.

“Looks like it’s a workshop.”

“Pretty!”

Various weapons were displayed inside the building.

Weapons that were so gorgeous, it’s hard to believe they were stored in this shabby building.

At first glance, it was no ordinary workshop. Seol-ah put her face close to the exhibition hall and examined the weapons.

Eun-hye was also looking around, wondering if it was the first time something like this had happened.

“Who are you?”

Then, a voice came from inside.

An old man walked out a door, which probably led to his workshop.

His face was drenched in sweat, and he was a little younger than Seo-jun remembered.

‘Bingo.’

Finally, he could be sure that he had come to the right place. In anything, a first impression was important. So he bowed his head.

“Hello, sir. I’m Seo-jun Lee, an aspiring hunter.”

Then, he poked Eun-hye’s side hip and gave her a glance.

Eun-hye politely bowed her head and greeted him.

“Hello, I’m Yoo Eun-hye, also an aspiring hunter.”

Seol-ah wasn’t given a hint, but followed their lead and greeted him.

“Hello! I’m my mom and dad’s daughter, Seol-ah!”

The old man stared and blinked at them, grinning profusely.

“Haha! Such bright greetings! Are you guys a family?”

“Yes!”

Without a moment to say anything, Seol-ah took Eun-hye’s hand. The old man looked down at Seol-ah carefully.

His eyebrows were tilted, which could be mistaken for an angry face.

A child might be afraid, but Seol-ah had no sign of that at all. Rather, when they made eye contact, she smiled softly.

“People who raise children in such a polite way mustn’t be bad people!”

The old man held out his hand in front of Seol-ah.

Seol-ah held the old man’s hand without knowing what was going on. The old man moved his hand up and down to shake her hand.

Only after shaking hands with Seo-jun and Eun-hye did the old man introduce himself.

“Nice to meet you! My name is Kang! And my last name is Chul! People call me Steel!”

The old man’s name is Kang Chul. 

Later on, he was a blacksmith who would make a name as the best master in the world.

Translator: Morgan

Proofreader: Cherise

QC: Morgan

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