TDRCB 03

Chapter 03 …

“I don’t need a dad… I only need Mommy.”

Haru’s eyes turned red.

“Mommy, what’s wrong? Is it because Haru did something wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Haru. Mommy is doing this to keep you safe.”

Jangmi tried to pry Haru off her, but in the end, she pulled her into a tight embrace. Haru’s tiny body was trembling.

“I’ll listen to you, Mommy. I’ll never let anyone find out about my powers again. I’ll wear my gloves properly, too. And I’ll only eat snacks once a week…”

“If you get along well with your dad, Mommy will come back. Can you be a good girl and wait for me?”

Haru sniffled and desperately burrowed into her mother’s arms.

“If you keep acting like this, Mommy won’t be able to come back quickly.”

Haru’s head shot up.

“If I’m good, hic, y-you’ll come back quickly?”

“If you eat your spinach properly and go to bed early and wake up early… I’ll come back soon.”

“Sniff.”

Jangmi clasped Haru’s two gloved hands, which were trembling as she fought back tears.

“Haru, take off your gloves when you need to.”

“Huh?”

Haru, who had been sniffing, looked at Jangmi with wide, round eyes.

“Your favorite animation is Detective Dodo, right? From now on, you’re Dodo.”

“H-Haru is… a detective?”

“If you find someone suspicious, hold their hand and find out whether they’re a villain or not. But you must never do that in a crowded place. If your hands glow, people will find out. Understand?”

Haru’s eyes grew round.

“B-but if Haru uses her powers, it hurts! Mommy said I mustn’t use them!”

“If you only take a quick peek, your nose will tingle, and that’ll be the end of it. You must stop there. You absolutely cannot look for a long, long time like you did when you were a puppy.”

Jangmi paused for a moment. She hated herself for having to teach these rules to a five-year-old child, but this was the only way she could protect Haru in a world without her mother.

“Haru, which is more dangerous? Briefly holding a villain’s hand or following them without knowing they’re a villain?”

“Following them!”

“That’s right. So these are rules to protect you. Only when you really need to. Promise?”

Their little fingers intertwined.

Haru nodded. After that, Jangmi told her a few things about her father. Then she tapped the belly of Gomi, the teddy bear Haru always hugged while sleeping.

“Mommy’s present is inside there, so open it after you meet your dad. It’ll help you when you get hurt, Haru.”

Jangmi’s phone vibrated. Her smile vanished as she checked the screen.

“Haru. When Mommy leaves, lock the door and don’t open it for anyone until your dad comes.”

Jangmi pressed her lips firmly against Haru’s forehead.

“I love you, Haru.”

Jangmi opened the front door and was about to leave when she turned back.

Haru stood there with both hands clasped tightly together. The tip of her nose was red, and she was biting her lip hard to keep herself from crying.

When Haru’s eyes met her mother’s, she shouted as loudly as she could.

“Haru won’t eat Choco Song Song, and I’ll wear my gloves every day, and I’ll eat LOTS of spinach and be a good girl! So Mommy has to come back quickly! Haru loves Mommy, too! Lots and lots! Sniff.”

“Okay, Haru. Mommy will come back soon.”

Jangmi forced a smile and left the house.

Her footsteps gradually faded down the hallway. Following what her mother had taught her, Haru locked the door with both locks and returned to hug Gomi tightly.

“I mustn’t cry… Haru is going to be a brave and good girl. That way, Mommy will come back quickly…”

The dawn air, mixed with the scent of the sea, pierced Jangmi’s lungs with its coldness. After getting out of the taxi, she took out her phone and sent the message she had prepared in advance.

The message, which included Haru’s photo and address, read:

—From now on, you raise your own child.

After confirming that the message had been sent, she formatted the phone and threw it into the sea. All she had to do now was board the smuggling ship. While she drew attention overseas, Haru would be with the safest adults possible.

Just as she was about to hide herself, a bright light shone on Jangmi.

“Ms. Oh Jangmi. Please come with us.”

Men in black suits emerged from the shadows between the containers.

Jangmi’s body moved like the wind. She twisted the arm of the man in front of her, shoved him into the man behind him, and slipped into the narrow gap between the containers.

Urgent shouts erupted behind her. Running in the opposite direction from the dock, toward the city lights, Jangmi laughed coldly.

That’s right. Keep your eyes on me.

Leave that tiny, pitiful child alone, and let’s have some fun among ourselves.

Haru greeted the morning alone in the empty house.

She splashed water on her face as she washed up, changed her clothes, took milk from the refrigerator, and drank it. Then she ate the leftover bread from the previous day.

Afterward, she hugged Gomi and sat on the sofa, looking out the window.

Nobody came.

Time continued to pass.

Haru unlocked the door and opened it a little to peek into the hallway.

Nobody was there.

Looking dejected, she was about to close the door when a loud commotion came from downstairs.

The sound of a car engine. A car door slamming shut. And the voices of adult men.

“Why are you here?”

“That’s what I want to ask you.”

Who is it? Is it Daddy? I don’t know…

Just as Haru was about to close the door, feeling extremely nervous—

Shhhrrk!

Words appeared right before her eyes.

[Haru’s Case Notebook]

A New Mission Has Appeared♪

Special Mission! Find a Safe Guardian!

Three suspicious men are approaching. Are they villains or Daddy?

☞ Hold their hands and investigate

☞ Lock the door tightly

Good Detective Stamp [1/10]

Haru’s eyes widened.

The voices coming from the first floor grew louder.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to claim that our Haru is your child?”

“Haru is my daughter. If you’re the one planning to spout nonsense, get lost.”

Haru looked down from the staircase.

Three men were standing at the entrance of the building.

Kang Taejun, who reached the front door first, pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong.

There was no answer from inside.

“Haru? It’s Daddy.”

Lee Hyunwoo spoke through the door. At that moment, a faint sound came from the other side.

“Daddy?”

“That’s right. It’s Daddy!”

“Mommy told Haru not to open the door for just anyone.”

“As expected, she’s sensible, just like me.”

Kang Taejun smiled with satisfaction before continuing.

“Haru, I’m your real daddy. You can open the door for me. Jangmi contacted me and told me to come get you.”

“Mommy did?”

Haru opened the door while keeping the safety chain fastened.

Through the small gap in the door, a little girl hugging a stuffed toy as big as herself stared at them with wide, round eyes.

The three men met her warm brown gaze one after another, each clutching his chest. It felt as though they had been shot, leaving their hearts riddled with holes.

All three men thought the same thing at once.

Cute!

Just as Lee Hyunwoo reached out his arms and approached the child, someone grabbed him by the back of his neck.

“I’m her dad.”

Holding Lee Hyunwoo by the nape as he struggled, Kang Taejun awkwardly forced the corners of his mouth into a smile at the child.

“Haru! Don’t be fooled! This guy is a terrifying bastard without a shred of compassion!”

Gong Daein approached the child and crouched down to her level.

“Haru, if you go with your dad, there’s a 99% probability that you’ll be happy.”

Haru hugged her teddy bear even tighter. Words sparkled above the heads of the enormous men.

[Haru’s Case Notebook]

Three Suspicious Adults Found!

Take a Little Peek Through the Magnifying Glass♪

Candidate 1. A Cold-Hearted Money Maniac Who Demands Perfection

Candidate 2. An Attention-Seeking Brat from the Entertainment Industry

Candidate 3. An IT Genius Incapable of Expressing Emotions

Hold their hands if you want to learn more!

Haru clenched her hands tightly, feeling nervous.

Money maniac? Attention-seeker? Incapable of expressing emotions? I don’t understand any of those words!

Haru was a genius five-year-old who had mastered the Korean alphabet, but these unfamiliar words were far too difficult.

Mommy never taught me words like those.

Haru tilted her head way back and examined the men one by one.

One man had black hair and a strange smile. Another had yellow hair and so much metal in his ears that he looked scary. The last had brown hair, wore glasses, and had an expressionless face.

Haru’s short brown hair, tied into two pigtails, swayed as she tilted her head.

One of these men is Haru’s daddy? None of them look kind, and none of them are smiling! Well, one of them is smiling, but…

Haru avoided Kang Taejun’s smile and remembered the angelic father she had drawn in her picture diary.

Her fantasy shattered into pieces.

Sniff…

Haru hugged Gomi tightly and mumbled,

“Mommy said Haru’s daddy would be tall and handsome…”

“Anyone can see that’s me.”

“What are you talking about? It’s me!”

“There is a 99% probability that description refers to me.”

All three men were incredibly tall.

“And Mommy said he had lots of money, too.”

Kang Taejun spoke confidently with a victorious smile.

“As expected, I’m her father. Even at your age, you must know Daehan Group, right? Your daddy is the head of that company.”

“I have plenty of money, too!”

Lee Hyunwoo shouted indignantly.

“The biggest entertainment group in South Korea! I’m the one who built it!”

Gong Daein pushed up his glasses and took out his tablet.

“The market capitalization of my company is…”

Kang Taejun pushed Gong Daein aside, knelt down, and met the child’s eyes.

“Haru, let’s go to Daddy’s house. I’ve prepared everything to the highest standard, so you can move in today without any trouble. Don’t worry.”

Lee Hyunwoo cut in.

“I prepared things, too! Haru, Daddy’s house has game consoles and a movie theater! Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Statistically, a stable environment is important for a child’s development. Haru, Daddy will live here with you. I bought this building. Renovating the interior would take approximately six months, but… No, perhaps it would be better to demolish the entire building and rebuild it…”

It was a bizarre sight: three men trying to squeeze themselves into the narrow gap in the doorway, each desperately attempting to sell himself to the child.

Haru placed the hand that wasn’t holding Gomi firmly on her hip. Then she began to sort things out.

“Mommy said Haru mustn’t follow just anyone.”

“I’m not just anyone! I’m your daddy!”

Ignoring Lee Hyunwoo’s shout, Haru declared,

“I’m going to test whether you’re villains.”