Chapter 15: Worried

It took the authorities several hours to bring the situation under control. In the meantime, everyone had been instructed to remain inside the shelters designated for emergencies of this kind.

His arm had been treated inside the shelter as well, though the medical staff had wrapped it in a thick bandage beneath his shirt and instructed him not to remove it for the next two days.

By the time Kai was finally allowed to leave and make his way home, the clock had already passed four.

Naturally, his thoughts immediately turned to Jean and the baby. He had left before either of them had woken up that morning, and although he had left a note explaining that he would be out for a while because of some work, she certainly could not have expected that the work would keep him away for this long.

What concerned him more was that he had not received a single call from her.

’Or maybe I’m overreacting?’ he wondered. Perhaps she had simply understood that whatever had kept him away must have been important enough to prevent him from returning sooner.

Still, she was probably upset. He had left her alone for hours to take care of the baby, after all. Hoping to make up for it, Kai stopped along the way and picked up a few oranges, along with some pudding.

He took a taxi home since, naturally, the trains were not operating at the moment.

Dhak.

After paying the driver, Kai turned toward the house.

Then he froze.

"Huh?"

His eyes widened.

Jean was sitting on the top step outside the house, the baby held tightly in her arms. Her eyes were red and swollen with tears.

When their eyes met, more tears gathered in Jean’s eyes, and she immediately turned her face away.

Kai did not waste another moment. He climbed the stairs and stopped before her, his gaze moving between her and the baby.

"What happened? Why are you sitting out here? Is the baby okay?"

His first thought was that the child might have fallen ill. Being unfamiliar with the area and left alone for so long would have made the situation all the more difficult for Jean.

Jean, however, shook her head.

"I just..." Her voice trembled slightly. "I just thought you abandoned us."

"Huh?"

Kai stared at her, stunned.

Abandoned them?

His sweet little daughter and...

[Ding! You have...]

He ignored the system’s notification. Whatever it wanted to tell him could wait. Right now, there was something far more important demanding his attention.

"Come inside first."

Kai gently took the baby from her arms before extending his free hand toward Jean.

She hesitated for a moment, as though still gathering herself, but eventually placed her hand in his. Kai helped her to her feet and led them both inside.

He pushed open the door and switched on the lights.

The first thing he did was look down at the baby.

She gazed back at him with those big, innocent eyes, her head tilted slightly to one side as though she were trying to understand how her father had suddenly appeared.

Kai’s tense shoulders finally relaxed.

Seeing his adorable little princess safe and sound eased the knot that had been tightening in his chest ever since he had seen Jean waiting outside.

He breathed out softly before turning toward her.

"Sit down, please."

Jean sniffled and lowered herself onto the chair.

Kai noticed that the note he had left that morning was nowhere to be seen. She must have read it.

"Why did you think I would abandon you, Jean? Do I really look like that kind of man?"

Jean shook her head.

"I know you’re kind, Kai... but I barged into your life without warning and left you with all these responsibilities. Anyone could feel overwhelmed by something like that."

Kai fell silent for a moment.

Now he understood what must have been going through her mind. She had arrived in his life unexpectedly, bringing a child with her, and suddenly found herself depending on a man who had spent his entire life living independently. Then, without any warning, he had disappeared for hours.

As she had said, under those circumstances, it was not unreasonable for her to have drawn such a conclusion.

A pang of guilt settled in his chest.

"Then why didn’t you call me?" he asked. "I kept checking my phone, expecting at least a message from you."

He had deliberately written his number at the bottom of the note precisely so she could contact him if anything happened.

That was also why he had done something he almost never did. A man who normally kept his phone on silent had left it on ring all day, waiting for her call.

Jean’s gaze suddenly dropped to her lap. There was a hint of embarrassment in her expression when she finally answered.

"I don’t... actually have a phone."

"..."

Kai stared at her.

And then it finally clicked.

That was why he had never once seen her using a phone since she arrived.

She didn’t have one.

"I’ll get you one tomorrow. I promise."

Kai approached her and rested a hand gently on Jean’s shoulder before continuing, his voice softening.

"Once you have it, contact me whenever you want. Every time you feel like I might run away, call me. Shout at me if you have to. Demand that I come back. I don’t care. Just..." He paused, his expression turning earnest. "Don’t cry like this. Please."

Jean slowly looked up at him. Her eyes were still red, but the fear and distress in them had given way to something else.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. They simply looked at each other.

Then suddenly...

"Bababa!"

The child began bouncing excitedly in Kai’s arms, pulling his attention away from Jean.

"Yes, yes. Daddy missed you too, baby."

A smile spread across his face as he gently pressed a finger against her little nose. The baby giggled in response, her laughter filling the room with a warmth that seemed to ease the tension that had lingered between them.

Jean relaxed as well.

She slowly rose from her seat and wiped at the corners of her eyes.

"You must be tired. Let me brew some tea."

Kai gave her a faint smile.

"I’d like that."

He was, in fact, exhausted. The events of the day had taken more out of him. Not to mention his arm. The wound was healing, but the process was painfully slow.

"Do we have anything to eat?" he asked, suddenly aware of the unpleasant churning in his stomach.

Jean smiled and nodded.

"I prepared dinner as well. I’ll serve you some noodles for now."

Kai’s brows rose, the corners of his lips curling into a teasing smile.

"So... you were about to leave after preparing dinner?"

His playful tone made Jean flinch.

She glanced back over her shoulder, her cheeks turning noticeably red as she narrowed her slightly moist eyes at him.

"We must pretend that this never happened."

Kai was momentarily stunned.

He had never seen her blush like that before.

He was tempted to tease her further, but after everything she had endured today, he decided she had been riled up quite enough.

"Alright."

He surrendered without a fight.

Just then, he remembered the system notification from earlier.

’System?’

[Task: To make your partner cry because of you.]

[Reward: Guardian Embrace]

[Rank: SS]

[Description: A skill that enhances the physical and magical abilities of the host in proportion to the danger his family is facing...]

[Additional Reward: Wonten Space X]

[Description: A newly introduced smartphone equipped with a seamless calling system.]

"..."

For some reason, Kai couldn’t shake the feeling that the additional reward was the system’s way of expressing its disappointment.

Well, who cared?

A reward was a reward.