Chapter 28: A Day That Tasted Like Victory

After receiving the Courageous Citizen Award.

I shook hands and exchanged greetings with fire department executives, police executives, and even officials from the Hunter Association.

They praised me, saying my actions as a hunter would serve as an exemplary model.

Once all the ceremonies were over.

I came to a nearby restaurant with Eunbyeol.

“Eel house! Eel! Delicious eel!”

The menu was eel.

It had been a very long time since we last ate eel, so Eunbyeol seemed to be in high spirits.

She was clapping her little hands excitedly.

It’s a bit expensive, but that’s fine.

Eel is an expensive dish.

In this restaurant, it was nearly 40,000 won per eel.

Even so, I had chosen this eel place.

My annual salary is 5 billion won, after all.

To someone like me now, eel is no longer an expensive food.

Even if I had no money, I’d still buy it for Eunbyeol.

I looked at Eunbyeol sitting across from me, singing her own little “eel song.”

Eunbyeol, who had suffered so much being born the daughter of a useless father.

For her, I wouldn’t regret buying anything—not just eel.

“Eunbyeol-ah, shall I start grilling now?”

“Yep yep! Daddy, grill it deliciously!”

“Haha, got it.”

At Eunbyeol’s reply, I placed the well-prepared eels on the grill.

SIZZLE!

The pale flesh turning pinkish.

The moment they hit the grill, the eels began to wriggle.

“Ah! Daddy, they’re alive! The eels are still alive!”

“Haha, is that so?”

“Yep! They’re wriggling! Hnn, poor things!”

Eunbyeol made a pouty face.

Haha, Eunbyeol-ah.

These eels were already long gone before they got here.

Smiling, I carefully grilled the eels.

Once they were perfectly cooked to Eunbyeol’s request.

“Eunbyeol-ah, they’re done. Come try some.”

I placed a piece of grilled eel on the plate in front of her.

It was a plump, juicy body section.

“Yep yep! I’ll eat well, Daddy!”

“Okay. It’s hot, so blow on it first, alright?”

“Yep!”

Eunbyeol really picked up the thick piece and blew on it.

As if it were a steaming hot bun.

After blowing on it for a long time, she finally popped the eel into her mouth.

Nom nom.

Eunbyeol’s chubby cheeks wiggled.

Then suddenly.

“Woooow! It’s super delicious!”

Eunbyeol grabbed both her cheeks with an ecstatic expression.

The long-awaited grilled eel must have tasted amazing.

“Haha, Eunbyeol-ah, is the eel yummy?”

“Yep! Super duper yummy! It melts in your mouth!”

“Wow, that good?”

“Yep yep! Daddy, try some too! Don’t give it all to Eunbyeol, try it yourself!”

“Alright, then Daddy will have a bite.”

Saying that, I picked up a smaller piece.

The big ones are for Eunbyeol, the small ones for me.

I lightly dipped it in the brown teriyaki sauce and put it straight into my mouth.

Chew chew.

I chewed the eel.

And then…

“Wow… this is art…”

I let out an involuntary exclamation.

“Yummy, right? Daddy, super yummy, right?!”

“Yeah, it really is. It’s seriously delicious.”

“Hehe, told you! Eunbyeol said it was yummy!”

Eunbyeol said proudly.

I kept chewing, still stunned.

Wow, it really is insanely good.

I wasn’t exaggerating—the eel was genuinely incredible.

The sweet teriyaki sauce perfectly complementing the clean, delicate flesh.

The juices flowing out with every bite made it feel more like premium meat than fish.

It was so delicious that the price felt completely justified.

“Eunbyeol-ah, it really is amazing. Let’s eat a lot today.”

“Yep yep! Let’s eat tons!”

With Eunbyeol’s cheer, I began grilling eels diligently.

Today was a good day—I had done something worthwhile and received the Courageous Citizen Award.

The day an ordinary man like me was treated like a hero.

While we were happily eating for a long time.

“Daddy, eat this!”

Eunbyeol held out a perfectly grilled piece toward me.

It was none other than the tail part.

“Huh? Eunbyeol-ah, why are you giving this to Daddy? You eat it.”

“Nooo! I saw on TV that the tail is for men!”

“What? Hahaha.”

Oh my goodness, seriously.

Eunbyeol, do you even know why men are supposed to eat the tail?

Laughing at her adorable behavior, I ate the tail.

“Daddy, is the tail yummy?”

“Yeah. It’s delicious. It’s even better because Eunbyeol gave it to me. Thank you, Eunbyeol-ah.”

“Yep yep! From now on, Daddy eats all the tails!”

“Haha, alright. Then all the plump body parts are for our Eunbyeol.”

“Okay! Hehe, yay!”

Eunbyeol raised both hands high and beamed.

Eunbyeol smiling brightly as if she owned the whole world.

Seeing her like that, I smiled warmly too.

Because I felt like I owned the whole world as well.

Thank you, Eunbyeol-ah. For letting a worthless dad live like a hero.

Smiling, I silently thanked my daughter.

Today was truly a wonderful day.

***

Daphne Entertainment.

The headquarters of Korea’s top entertainment agency was enormous.

Naturally, it had multiple recording studios, and from one of them leaked a stream of curses.

“Ha, fuck…”

The man clutching his head and swearing repeatedly was Kwak Daesu.

A member of Daphne’s A&R team, he was currently composing in front of a MIDI keyboard.

But no matter how many keys he pressed, a satisfying melody refused to come.

“I’m really going to lose my mind…”

Kwak Daesu irritably stopped the endlessly looping track.

Then collapsed onto the small sofa in the studio.

“What the hell am I even doing right now?”

Kwak Daesu found the whole situation absurd.

He was fine with writing a song for the rookie girl group Daisy.

But the competitor for the double title track was a little kid.

Not a high-schooler, not a college student—just a five-year-old brat.

Kwak Daesu couldn’t suppress the wave of self-loathing.

“I have no idea what the hell Nam Seungha is thinking. No matter how good the melody is, is it right to bring in a damn child?”

Kwak Daesu shook his head while lying down.

Nam Seungha.

Sure, the guy was good at composing, but clearly his judgment had gone cloudy.

Maybe old age had finally made him senile.

“Seriously, no one around here is fucking sane.”

Kwak Daesu got up from the sofa.

He was thirsty—he’d at least grab a cola from the vending machine.

Or maybe go to the convenience store and crack open a beer.

As he left the studio and headed to the vending machine in the hallway.

“Oppa Daesu!”

He ran into a junior colleague.

Her name was Ahn Hyeji.

The woman currently assisting with Seo Eunbyeol’s composition process.

Sigh.

Of all people, why did it have to be her?

Kwak Daesu clicked his tongue.

“Hey. Got any coins?”

“Wow, oppa. Extorting money from your junior?”

“I’m broke right now. I’ll buy you coffee later, just lend me some.”

“Tch, you better keep that promise. Definitely.”

Ahn Hyeji playfully rolled her eyes and handed him some coins.

Kwak Daesu inserted them into the machine and pulled out a cola.

As he opened the red can with a PSSHT, Ahn Hyeji spoke.

“Oppa Daesu, how’s the composing going?”

“Eh, so-so.”

“So-so? That’s not good, is it?”

“What are you talking about?”

Kwak Daesu narrowed his brow and drank the cola.

The fizzy drink stung as it went down his throat.

While he gulped it down, Ahn Hyeji continued.

“We’re doing amazingly well over here.”

“…It’s going well?”

“Yep. Eunbyeol wrote some absolutely incredible melodies.”

“Oh, that? Pfft, come on. It’s still just kid-level stuff.”

“No way! Even I thought it was really good.”

“Even you thought it was good?”

Kwak Daesu’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“Yes. Honestly, it was way better than the one Teacher Nam Seungha played for us last time.”

“Better than that? Even to your ears?”

“Absolutely.”

When Ahn Hyeji answered without the slightest hesitation, Kwak Daesu frowned.

Ahn Hyeji.

This girl was endlessly cheerful, but her composing skills were genuinely top-tier.

Even among Daphne’s elite composers, her melody sense stood out.

If even Ahn Hyeji acknowledges it…

Kwak Daesu’s expression soured.

If someone with her skill said it was good, then the song really was good.

“Oppa, but do you know what’s even more shocking?”

“What.”

“Eunbyeol didn’t bring just one or two melodies.”

“What does that mean? Don’t tell me she brought ten or something?”

“No.”

Ahn Hyeji grinned and continued.

“One hundred.”

“…What?”

“One hundred. She brought a hundred melodies.”

“Ha.”

Kwak Daesu snorted in disbelief.

“Ahn Hyeji, say something that makes sense. Composing isn’t a joke. How could she bring a hundred melodies? How long has she even been working?”

“I’m serious. Last time she came, she really brought a hundred melodies.”

“Plagiarism, then.”

“No way. Absolutely not plagiarism. The melody lines are so fresh that plagiarism is impossible. Not me, not even you, oppa—and honestly, I don’t think even Teacher Nam Seungha could write like that.”

At Ahn Hyeji’s words, Kwak Daesu’s forehead creased deeply.

“So… all hundred are good?”

“Yes. Of course there are varying levels, but every single one was good. Not just filler-track level—they’re all title-track worthy.”

Fuck.

Kwak Daesu’s face completely crumpled as he cursed inwardly.

While I’m suffering because not even one melody is coming out…

His stomach boiled.

He had been struggling for days without a single usable melody, yet that little kid had already written a hundred.

In this infuriating situation, a bitter taste filled Kwak Daesu’s mouth.

“Oppa, you better get nervous. If you don’t pull yourself together, you’re going to lose the bet to Eunbyeol. Got it? Hehe.”

Ahn Hyeji said that with a bright smile and walked away.

Watching her retreating back, Kwak Daesu ground his teeth.

“Fuck this shit!”

He hurled the cola can into the trash with all his might.

“…What did you say? Hunter Seo Juwon received the Courageous Citizen Award?”

Myth Guild conference room.

Guild Master “Shin Daeho” asked again after hearing the report.

The Silver attack squad leader immediately replied.

“Yes, Guild Master. We received contact from Gangnam Fire Station before the meeting.”

“I see. And why exactly did he suddenly receive an award?”

“There was a ten-vehicle pile-up on the main road recently. Hunter Seo Juwon rescued citizens from the burning scene.”

“Hoh, there was such an incident?”

“Traffic was completely jammed, so rescue teams couldn’t arrive quickly. He used skeletons to carry out the rescue. Thanks to him, there were no fatalities.”

“Hahaha, is that so. Good. Very good indeed.”

Shin Daeho smiled with satisfaction.

The vice guild master and the attack squad leaders also clapped in admiration.

Shin Daeho continued.

“This won’t do. It seems I must personally reward Hunter Seo Juwon.”

“A reward, sir?”

“Yes. What is the role of a guild master? To reward those who do well and punish those who don’t. So we must give him a reward. He has greatly raised the honor of our Myth Guild.”

Shin Daeho spoke with a pleased smile.

“Silver attack squad leader.”

“Yes, Guild Master.”

“Bestow one Epic-grade item upon Hunter Seo Juwon.”

“An… Epic-grade item, sir?”

The Silver attack squad leader was greatly shocked.

Epic grade.

It was a rare item only two tiers below the very highest, often worth billions of won depending on the part.

“Yes. He raised the name of Myth Guild; an Epic item is the least we can give as reward.”

“Understood, Guild Master. I will deliver it immediately after the meeting.”

“Good. And everyone, spread the word to your respective attack squads. Tell them to follow Hunter Seo Juwon’s example and become altruistic hunters.”

At Shin Daeho’s words, the squad leaders bowed and answered in the affirmative.

Looking at them, Shin Daeho smiled warmly.

Seo Juwon… the more I think about it, recruiting him was the best decision.

Not only strong, but with outstanding character as well—Hunter Seo Juwon.

He was unquestionably the greatest talent the guild had recruited in recent years.