Daddy is too Strong
Chapter 137

Chapter 137

It was a dull, rainy day.

Byeol woke up slowly after 10 AM and was glued to the balcony window like a piece of gum, watching the scenery outside. On rainy days, the sky was dark, and the familiar buildings were hidden behind the fog. What mattered most to Byeol, though, was that she couldn’t go out to play when it rained.

“I was supposed to go to the store today...” she said dejectedly.

At her feet lay a coin purse in the shape of a chick. The chick’s belly was full and bulged, thanks to the allowance she had diligently saved.

But what was the use? It was raining outside.

Byeol decided the gloomy sky was because the Sun hadn’t risen, though in reality, it was merely obscured by the rain clouds.

“The Sun is sweeping in. If you work hard like the Sun, you need west.”

Just then, her stomach let out a thunderous growl. To Byeol, this was a signal for rescue. She needed food, but Yong-Yong was still fast asleep.

“I’m not hungwy. I am fine,” she said to herself, even as her stomach rumbled again, this time even louder.

Perhaps she was thinking about food a bit too much. She gazed longingly at the store below. It had many delicious items, and images of snacks danced in her mind.

She could no longer deny it.

“Actually... I am hungwy...”

***

Yong-Yong scratched his head with a front paw, staring intently at the rice cooker in front of him.

“Man... How did this work again?”

He opened the lid, pressed the cook button, and fiddled with it in various ways.

Unfortunately, Karsiel had gone to the Academy with Yoon-Hee today. Why did it have to be today, of all days?

There was no rice. No side dishes.

“Byeol, you must be really hungry. Just hold on a little longer,” Yong-Yong said.

Byeol froze in terror as a vivid memory of Yong-Yong’s kimchi jjigae flashed in her mind—a dish so dreadful she never wanted to eat it again.

“Nope,” she said, shaking her head.

“Huh?”

“I’m not hungwy at all. I ate a lot last night.”

At that moment, another loud rumble echoed from Byeol’s stomach. Flustered, she quickly covered her belly with both hands, but it did little to suppress the sound.

Grrrrooowl!

“W-what’s that sound? Where is it coming fwom?” she said casually, trying to cover up the betraying sounds.

Yong-Yong chuckled as if thoroughly amused and turned back to inspect the rice cooker again. No matter how much he examined it, he couldn’t remember how to cook rice.

“Hmmm.”

At times like this, there was always the internet. The best option would have been to ask Yoon-Hee, but since she was likely in class, he didn’t want to bother her.

Grabbing the SpacePad, he typed “how two use rise coker” into the search bar. Thanks to the convenience of modern technology, even his typos were corrected, and the search for “how to use a rice cooker” began.

Soon, Yong-Yong was reading a blog post with illustrations that guided users on the proper use of the rice cooker.

“Hey, everyone! Today, we’ll be learning how to use a rice cooker.

“First, open the lid of the rice cooker.”

Yong-Yong followed the steps and opened the lid as directed.

“Second, wash the amount of rice you’ll need.”

He unzipped the bag of rice.

“How much do I need?”

Deciding more was better, he scooped enough to fill the rice cooker to the brim. After all, they were going to eat a lot.

Following the pictures, he poured the rice into a basket and began rinsing it under running water. As the water turned cloudy, Yong-Yong smiled proudly.

“Yong-Yong’s good at this!”

Fascinated by the process, Byeol drew closer and watched intently. Watching Yong-Yong’s method reminded her of how Yoon-Hee prepared rice, and a smile spread across her face.

“I am hungwy!”

“Delicious food coming right up, just give me two minutes!”

“Okay!”

Clearly in a good mood, Byeol started humming a tune, mostly a theme song from a children’s cartoon.

“After rinsing twice, pour the rice into the rice cooker.”

Yong-Yong poured the rice into the cooker, filling it to the brim.

“Next, add an appropriate amount of water.

“The next steps are quite tricky, so this is when you call your mom. She’ll take care of everything! Enjoy your meal.”

Yong-Yong felt a deep sense of betrayal. No wonder the blog post had over eight hundred comments.

Comments (812)

﹂CollegeKidInSinchon: What if my mom’s in Busan?

﹂OP: Politely ask her to come over, haha.

﹂CollegeKidInSinchon: fml.

Yong-Yong facepalmed with his paw and sighed deeply, typing furiously into the SpaceTab.

﹂xXSupremeYongYongXx: Don’t liv like dat.

After much thought, he tried to think of a “mom” he could call. He recalled the several “moms” Byeol had—surely all of them could cook. However, he couldn’t call any of them since the only phone number he remembered was Yoon-Hee’s.

“Ah!” He had an idea.

***

A girl with short pink hair, dressed in a black maid uniform with white frills, appeared out of thin air. The number “8” was visible on her thigh just above her knee-length skirt.

She was the eighth dragon, Anne.

Anne washed the rice that Yong-Yong had prepared with practiced ease, her movements nearly identical to Yoon-Hee’s. She filled the rice cooker with only half of what Yong-Yong had taken out, spread her hand over the rice, and poured water until it just covered the back of her hand.

“Water should just slightly cover your hand,” she explained as she pressed the cook button.

Yong-Yong clapped his tiny paws and said, “You’re worthy of being Byeol’s mom!”

“Pardon?” Anne tilted her head, confused.

“So, Lord Izaas, this is your new nest,” she commented.

“Yep. What do you think?”

Anne looked around. It was much smaller than a typical dragon’s nest, but the cozy atmosphere gave it a warm, homely feel.

“It feels... happy.”

“Right?” Yong-Yong nodded, satisfied.

“But this child...” Anne’s gaze fell on Byeol, sensing an energy that wasn’t human. It was the same energy as the Core.

“Byeol is my baby sister.”

“I see. Hello, I’m Anne,” she said, smiling as she extended her hand to Byeol.

“Ang?” Byeol struggled with the pronunciation, but Anne didn’t seem to mind.

“While the rice cooks, I’ll find some side dishes,” she said.

“Do you have money?” Yong-Yong asked.

“I don’t have any Earth currency, but I don’t need any.”

With a crackle, a Fissure to the Core opened before her.

***

The Core’s lake was situated at the lowest point of the first floor. Gentle ripples danced across the clear, serene water, allowing the bottom to be seen from the surface.

Anne retrieved a fishing rod, infused it with mana, and soon after, a thin, translucent thread of mana formed at the tip of the rod. With practiced ease, she began to fish.

“Have you been here before?” Yong-Yong asked.

“Yes. I’ve come here many times with you in the past.”

“Hm.”

While conversing with Anne, Yong-Yong’s gaze kept wandering toward Byeol.

Since they arrived at the Core, the only thing Byeol kept saying was, “Please don’t make me eat fish. I beg of you.” She had been whining to Anne nonstop, but Anne remained unfazed and brought them to the lake to catch some fish.

Seemingly given in, Byeol was staging a one-person roleplay in protest, constantly moving around to play the multiple parts.

“Oh, no! Fish is not something you eat!”

Byeol stood up, moved to the other side, and sat down again. Then, an imaginary opponent countered, “No, no. I think fish might be edible?”

With furrowed brows, she sternly lectured the “opponent.” “Buddy, are you cwazy? How could you eat that? Idiot!”

“Hey! No need to call me names!”

“Y-you’re right, I apowogise.”

Watching Byeol’s “split personality” unfold, Yong-Yong nudged Anne’s side with his paw. He was visibly uneasy and swallowed nervously.

Yong-Yong cautiously made a suggestion. “How about we change the menu? I think you might have broken Byeol.”

Anne smiled and gestured for Byeol to come closer.

“Byeol, could you come here for a moment?”

Startled, Byeol stopped her roleplay and approached Anne.

“You don’t like fish?” Anne asked.

“I... don’t.”

“Why not?”

Byeol drooped her head and answered in a mosquito-like voice. “It’s not tasty...”

“If it tasted good, would you eat it?”

“Yes...”

Anne smiled warmly and said, “Then just leave it to me.”

***

A sizzling sound filled the air as the fish, called Ilaio, fried to a crisp golden brown in the pan. Ilaio was a species of blue-backed fish, slightly larger than an adult man’s palm, native to the lake on the first floor of the Core. Its savory yet tender texture made it a favorite among the first-floor residents.

“Alright, it’s ready.”

Anne laid out the meal: steaming white rice, a perfectly grilled Ilaio, and soy sauce. Although the side dishes were sparse, the aroma alone was enough to whet anyone’s appetite.

Well, almost anyone. Byeol remained reluctant.

Anne deboned the fish, dipped the flesh lightly in soy sauce, and placed it on Yong-Yong’s rice.

“Give it a try, Lord Izaas.”

Yong-Yong took a bite of the fish and rice. The fluffy grains of rice rolled around in his mouth, blending with the savory richness of the fish and the salty tang of the soy sauce. His eyes widened, and he turned to Anne.

“Wow! You’re an amazing cook!” he remarked.

“Eat as much as you like. I’ll keep deboning it for you.”

Byeol was intrigued as she watched Yong-Yong devour the meal. Noticing this, Anne smiled, scooped some rice, and placed a piece of fish on top.

“Whoosh.” Anne mimicked the sound of an airplane as she guided the spoon toward Byeol’s mouth.

Byeol leaned back.

“You’re not eating? Then I’ll have to eat it myself.” Anne brought the spoon closer to her mouth.

At this, Byeol flinched and blurted out, “I want it!”

Anne chuckled, then made the spoon “fly” playfully back and forth before landing in Byeol’s mouth.

With each bite, a smile crept across Byeol’s face.

After swallowing, she exclaimed, “It’s tasty!”

***

After finishing their meal, Do-Jun took the kids to the store across the street.

It had been raining heavily earlier, so they shared a large umbrella, which he folded neatly and placed in a corner upon arrival.

The store’s elderly owner smiled warmly as Yong-Yong and Byeol entered. “Hoho, I knew you would come. I’m glad I waited.”

For some reason, her day didn’t feel complete without seeing the two of them.

“Yep! Today’s my shopping day!”

Byeol proudly showed off her chick-shaped coin purse to the owner.

“Did you bring a lot of money, Byeol?” the owner asked, though she was prepared to let Byeol have whatever she wanted, even if she didn’t have enough money.

Meanwhile, Yong-Yong cautiously approached the owner and whispered, “Granny, what’s my tab at?”

Even without money, Yong-Yong occasionally visited the store and ran up a tab, something he kept a secret from Do-Jun.

The owner glanced at Do-Jun before whispering back to Yong-Yong, “It’s all paid off. Someone cleared it yesterday.”

“What...?”

While the kids picked out their snacks, Do-Jun took a moment to enjoy the scenery outside. The rain had stopped as if it had never fallen, and the dark clouds had drifted far away. Tomorrow, the sun will be back on duty right on schedule.