Chapter 3

Chapter 3 (3/245)

03

"Unexpected quest?"

Han Sung frowned at the message that seemed to belong in a game. The system window then displayed something akin to a grade, a D+, which made him feel even worse despite not being a college student. He swiped the system window away as if dismissing a phone alarm.

But the message window reappeared almost immediately, and Han Sung let out a complaint with a face full of annoyance.

"This is driving me crazy. Why does it keep happening..."

Suddenly, something fell in front of Han Sung, accompanied by a bright light. He instinctively closed his eyes but soon opened them again and picked up what had fallen.

"...?"

What had fallen was a five-thousand-won bill, dark in color. Holding the money, which was worth less than an hour's work at minimum wage, Han Sung let out a hollow laugh, feeling absurd, and stuffed the money into his pocket with a complaint.

"Got five thousand won for cleaning up poop. Is this good or bad, really..."

Although it was a small amount, Han Sung, who found even a hundred won precious, had no reason to throw it away. He consoled himself by thinking it was just a chore and, at the same time, began to understand the principle of the mysterious child-rearing assistance system.

'So, if I take care of the child, I get a corresponding reward, right?'

Thinking about it simply, it was no different from a game. Complete a quest and receive a reward. And the value of the reward was probably directly related to the D+ clearance rank given earlier.

"Well, if there's any conscience, it's only right to give a reward."

Still, it seemed the designer of this child-rearing assistance system had at least a bit of conscience left. Han Sung thought this and muttered the following words to himself.

'But I still don't have the slightest desire to take care of a child.'

Han Sung, who had no experience raising a child, could easily guess that the cost of raising one would be astronomical. But for a mere five thousand won, or even ten thousand or fifty thousand won, it would be insane to raise a child. It would be more practical to register the child as his own and receive government support.

'Not to mention, I don't even know if there's any support for adoption.'

In South Korea, even unmarried mothers, who at least have some formal support, struggle to overcome financial difficulties. There might not even be any support at all.

"Either way, it's a mess."

Is this a country? Han Sung wanted to shout this out loud but suppressed it, lying down on the floor.

"Whatever, just send the kid to an orphanage. Why am I even stressing over this?"

He had no responsibility to raise a child he was forced to take care of. Han Sung closed his eyes, trying to ignore his pricking conscience.

"Uaaaaaah!!"

"Damn, you scared me."

But as soon as he closed his eyes, the baby started crying loudly for some unknown reason. Han Sung jumped up in surprise and immediately checked the baby's condition.

"What now? I just cleaned your poop. What else do you want from me?"

"Uaaaaaah!!"

"Stop crying and just tell me in words!"

It was absurd. A one-month-old baby couldn't possibly speak. But at twenty, Han Sung couldn't understand the baby's cries either.

While trying to calm the baby, scolding it, and doing everything he could, a message window appeared, blocking his view.

"...Hunger?"

Hunger. Hunger. Hunger. The same meaning but different words flashed through Han Sung's mind.

"What? You're hungry?"

"Uaaaaaah!!"

The baby seemed to answer his question with a cry.

'There's milk in the fridge... but will that work?'

Although it was cold, he thought it might be okay if he warmed it up. Han Sung went to the fridge, took out the half-finished milk, and poured it into a cup.

"Is this really okay?"

His knowledge about babies was extremely limited. All he knew was that breast milk was better than formula. He had no idea if regular milk was suitable.

If he gave the baby the wrong milk, it could get sick, and he might have to take it to the emergency room. If the baby got seriously ill, the responsibility would fall on him, regardless of any blood relation.

The hospital bill could be astronomical, or worse, he might end up in jail. Neither outcome was appealing to Han Sung.

"Better to buy formula."

It was better to avoid ruining his life over a few thousand won. Han Sung sighed, put on his clothes, and was about to leave the house.

"Uaaaaaah!!"

But the baby started crying even louder, as if trying to stop him. Han Sung paused at the front door and muttered to himself.

"Oh right. There's the baby."

He couldn't leave the baby alone at home. If he did, the baby might cry for hours, and the neighbors might call the police, suspecting child abuse.

In other words, Han Sung had to take the baby to the convenience store.

"Great."

He had no stroller or baby carrier. The only option was to carry the baby with his strong arms.

Han Sung looked down at the baby in the basket, groaning with fatigue and frustration.

"Did I wrong you in a past life?"

"Uaaaaaah!"

It seemed they were indeed enemies from a past life.

–––––––

It was almost 10 PM, and the night air was very cold.

Early October, the leaves hadn't even started to fall, and the early autumn had just begun. Despite this, the cold air piercing through his clothes made Han Sung sarcastically dismiss the news reports about heat waves.

'Global warming, my ass. It just seems to be getting colder every year.'

At this rate, spring and autumn might disappear from South Korea, leaving only summer and winter. A summer that would suffocate people with mosquitoes and humidity, and a winter that would freeze everyone to the bone.

"Ugh, just thinking about it is terrifying."

Han Sung, who disliked both cold and heat, found neither appealing. The pointless thoughts made him shudder, and he glanced into the basket he was carrying.

"Uuuuuu..."

"Hey, stop crying. I'll buy formula at the convenience store and feed you soon, just wait a bit longer."

The baby, who had been crying as if it had lost its country, had grown tired and was now only whimpering.

'Luckily it's late and there's no one around. If it were daytime... ugh.'

The thought alone was terrifying. It was fortunate that the baby was hungry at night.

"Come on, we're here. Stop whining."

Seeing the lights of the convenience store, Han Sung tried to calm the baby. But the baby, having regained its energy during the brief silence, started to frown, and Han Sung hurriedly entered the store like a soldier dodging a grenade.

"Welcome... Mr. Han Sung?"

Hwa Yeon, who had just finished her shift an hour ago, greeted him in the quiet convenience store.

"Did you forget something?"

"No, I need to buy something urgently!"

Hwa Yeon looked at Han Sung, who had returned so soon after his shift, with a puzzled expression, but Han Sung didn't have time to care about her gaze.

"Hwa Yeon, where's the formula?"

"The formula is at the far left corner... but why do you need formula?"

Hwa Yeon looked even more bewildered as Han Sung, who seemed to have forgotten to turn off the gas stove, frantically searched for formula among all the items. Han Sung, instead of answering her question, almost threw the formula can onto the counter and panted.

"Thanks! How much is it?!"

"Let me see... 22,000 won."

"22,000... 22,000 won?"

"22,000 won."

"Why is baby milk so expensive...?"

"Maybe because it's good for them?"

How good could powdered milk be to cost 22,000 won? Han Sung hesitated, pulling out his wallet, unable to understand the price.

"Uuuu..."

"Uuuu?"

Hwa Yeon, startled by the sudden baby coo, looked around.

"Was that... from the basket?"

"Ah... that's..."

Hwa Yeon's question made Han Sung even more flustered. But before he could explain, the baby's cry answered for him.

"Uaaaaaah!!"

"...I'll buy it. Please hurry with the payment."

Hearing the baby's cry, Han Sung took out cash from his wallet with a resigned voice. Hwa Yeon reflexively took the money, put it in the register, and gave him the change, then quietly looked at the baby in the basket.

"Mr. Han Sung, is this baby..."

"No, it's not my child."

Before Hwa Yeon could finish her question, Han Sung cut her off, preemptively preventing any misunderstanding.

"Oh... I see."

But Hwa Yeon's expression and gaze were like those of an adult dealing with a minor trying to buy cigarettes. She clearly didn't believe him.

"Uaaaaaah!!"

"The baby must be very hungry. You should feed it the formula quickly."

"Ah, yes."

The baby's cries grew louder, and Hwa Yeon handed him the receipt with a suggestion. Han Sung immediately took the formula can and approached the microwave in the corner of the store, starting to read the instructions.

"Use the microwave to heat the water for 90 seconds, then cool it to 40 degrees in the fridge before putting it in the bottle..."

...Bottle?