Chapter 7

Part-time Worker Raising a Half-Elf - Chapter 7 (7/245)

07

"Finally home..."

With a voice that sounded as if he could collapse at any moment from sheer exhaustion, Lee Han-sung opened the front door of the studio apartment and stepped inside.

Turning on the lights in the dimly lit room, Lee Han-sung carefully placed the basket he was carrying on the living room floor and immediately lay down on the sofa.

Normally, he should have taken a shower and changed clothes before going to bed, but Lee Han-sung had no energy left for that.

'Not like I'll die if I skip a day of showering. I'll just sleep today.'

The saying that a person who is extremely tired falls asleep as soon as they lie down is not an exaggeration. Lee Han-sung closed his eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep, and thus, the long day...

"Auuuuaaang!!"

"..."

...was not yet over.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, a cry rang out, and Lee Han-sung reflexively got up and looked at the baby.

"Again? What's wrong this time?"

He had already cleaned the baby's diaper and fed it formula, so what more could it want? With a look of annoyance and frustration, Lee Han-sung used his [Suspicious Eye] skill.

"Anxious? No, what is there to be anxious about?"

A one-month-old baby is prone to waking up and crying due to anxiety, as it hasn't yet received sleep training. However, Lee Han-sung, who had no knowledge of this, only thought the baby was needlessly bothering him.

"Annoying... So what am I supposed to do?"

In response to Lee Han-sung's question, the message window answered. Despite his complaints, Lee Han-sung picked up the baby as instructed and started to awkwardly soothe it.

"Why do I have to do this when I'm not even the baby's father..."

Having slept alone without a blanket since he was four, Lee Han-sung couldn't understand why the baby would wake up due to anxiety.

"Uaaah..."

"Should be good now."

The baby's whining gradually subsided, and it fell back asleep. Lee Han-sung then placed the baby back in the basket and lay down on the sofa again.

'Now I can finally get some sleep.'

Fortunately, he managed to soothe the baby more easily than expected. Lee Han-sung mumbled to himself and closed his eyes once more.

'I'll sleep today and go to the orphanage tomorrow. Then I'll return to my normal life.'

Tomorrow, he would be able to say goodbye to today's struggles forever. Lee Han-sung, who had been a bachelor since birth, used this experience to further solidify his commitment to bachelorhood.

"Well... Still, maybe I'll look back on today as a fond memory someday."

Difficult experiences tend to leave a strong impression. With this thought, Lee Han-sung imagined himself reflecting on this moment in the future and muttered to himself.

Feeling a bit melancholic at the thought of parting, he told himself it was just a feeling.

––––—

"...What a joke. I'm the idiot for thinking that."

Walking down the street in the morning sunlight, with birds chirping loudly, Lee Han-sung muttered to himself with dark circles under his eyes.

He hadn't slept a wink all night. The reason was simple.

It was because of this tiny devil, who was now sleeping soundly in the basket.

"Wakes up and cries because of anxiety, then I soothe it and put it back to sleep, only for it to wake up again and cry because it's hungry... Can't it just sleep quietly?"

For 10 hours, he repeated the cycle of soothing the baby, feeding it, and putting it back to sleep. By the time he came to his senses, it was already broad daylight.

'I should have scheduled the appointment for later today...'

Lee Han-sung slightly regretted setting the time with the orphanage too early in his haste last night. However, he was more relieved that he could send the baby to the orphanage as soon as possible.

"Still, where is this Love Orphanage? I thought it was supposed to be around here..."

Despite using his smartphone to navigate and transfer between buses and the subway, the orphanage was nowhere to be seen.

'Could I have taken the wrong route?'

Checking his smartphone and the surroundings, Lee Han-sung broke out in a cold sweat at the possibility.

The transportation costs alone were enough to cover a meal. Already exhausted from lack of sleep, Lee Han-sung felt a sense of despair as he looked down at the ground.

"Haah... Why are you doing this to me since yesterday..."

"Mr. Han-sung? What are you doing here?"

"?"

Suddenly, a very familiar voice brushed past his ears.

"...Ms. Hwa-yeon?"

Recognizing her voice, which was hard to mistake once heard, Lee Han-sung quietly lifted his head.

"Oh, your eyes look so sunken. Did you stay up all night?"

"Your tone sounds like you expected it..."

"Of course. I've never seen a person raising a child alone get a proper night's sleep."

Hwa-yeon answered as if it were nothing. Then, she looked at the baby in the basket, who was looking around, and playfully scolded it.

"Baby, if you make your dad too tired, it won't do."

"Uuh..."

Obviously, the baby couldn't understand Hwa-yeon's words. Confirming the baby's blank stare, Hwa-yeon repeated her earlier question to Lee Han-sung.

"So? What brings you here?"

"Oh, I came to visit the orphanage for some business."

"Orphanage? You mean Love Orphanage?"

"Y-Yes? Yes... Yes?"

What's with this lady? How does she know the name of the orphanage?

Lee Han-sung looked at Hwa-yeon with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. She seemed to read his mind and answered his unasked question.

"I'm volunteering there."

"Oh... I see."

It seemed she wasn't stalking him or anything. Lee Han-sung, who had momentarily suspected the impossible, let out a quiet sigh of relief and nodded.

"Then you must know where it is, right? It's a good thing, as I'm currently lost."

"Shall I guide you?"

"That would be great."

"There's no need to thank me. I was just on my way there myself."

Hwa-yeon started walking, gesturing for him to follow. Lee Han-sung followed her, and the two walked together for a while.

'I've never walked side by side with a woman before... It feels a bit awkward.'

Having never had the time for romance, Lee Han-sung had no female friends to speak of.

His friends were all men, and he rarely kept in touch with them. So, it was natural for him to feel awkward walking next to a woman he wasn't particularly close to.

'The awkwardness is making it hard to breathe. I should say something.'

"Ms. Hwa-yeon?"

"Yes?"

Feeling uncomfortable with the silence, Lee Han-sung initiated a conversation. Hwa-yeon turned her head to look at him, curious about what he had to say.

"From what I know, you're quite busy. Why are you volunteering?"

Working part-time at a convenience store five nights a week while attending university, and also volunteering, was something even a very diligent person wouldn't do.

"Out of interest and for experience."

Hwa-yeon's answer was short and simple.

Volunteering at an orphanage out of interest? Isn't that a bit too noble? Does such a person actually exist in real life?

For Lee Han-sung, who always put his own interests first, it was a completely incomprehensible action.

"Can I ask you a question, Mr. Han-sung?"

Her tone suggested it was his turn to answer since she had answered his question. Lee Han-sung nodded, not really caring.

"Sure, go ahead."

"What brings you to the orphanage?"

"!"

The soft tone in Hwa-yeon's voice suddenly turned sharp.

She was smiling, but it wasn't a genuine smile. Lee Han-sung, who had always been perceptive, instinctively felt the pressure and couldn't bring himself to speak.

The reason for Hwa-yeon's change in attitude was simple.

Finding an orphanage when raising a child alone was a clear indication of what it meant.

In reality, Lee Han-sung was not married and had never been in a relationship, but Hwa-yeon didn't know that.

To her, Lee Han-sung was an irresponsible parent trying to abandon his own child at the orphanage.

'Damn... I'm not the baby's father... I can't even prove it with a DNA test. This is driving me crazy.'

Lee Han-sung, being human, could easily do a DNA test, but the baby was different. Not only was it from another world, but it was also a half-elf. If a DNA test were done, it might end up in a research facility without anyone knowing.

Feeling trapped in a situation where any explanation would sound like an excuse, Lee Han-sung could only sigh.

"We've arrived at the orphanage."

Just as Lee Han-sung was struggling to answer, Hwa-yeon stopped and broke the flow of the conversation.

The building they arrived at was neither large nor small, just an ordinary structure.

From the outside, it looked like any other daycare center. The only thing that identified it as an orphanage was the sign at the entrance.

"Are you not going in?"

Hwa-yeon asked as she watched Lee Han-sung examine the building.

Regaining his composure, Lee Han-sung entered the orphanage with her.

As soon as they passed the entrance, they saw a staff member looking at their phone and laughing, oblivious to their presence. Feeling a bit annoyed, Lee Han-sung approached the staff member and spoke.

"Excuse me."

"Kyaa?!"

A sound like a pterodactyl's cry assaulted Lee Han-sung's eardrums.

'My ears hurt... I thought my eardrums would burst.'

It seemed he had been experiencing a lot of ear-related issues lately. Feeling a strange sensation, Lee Han-sung wondered why the staff member was staring at him so intently.

Why are you staring like that? It's as if I met a celebrity.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable under the staff member's gaze, Lee Han-sung decided to speak before the atmosphere became even more awkward.

"I made an appointment over the phone last night-"

"Wow!!"

The staff member's exclamation cut off Lee Han-sung's words. Despite his confusion, the staff member pointed at him with a voice he had never heard before.

"Are you the Bus Man?!"

"???"