HBSHF | CH 05

Episode 5 – “So Cute!”

After a careful first word, what came next was basically a scream.
“Cuuuuute!!”

The little girl’s chubby cheeks looked like a hamster’s, and her eyes sparkled so much they could make a diamond look like a pebble.
Just seeing Eire completely captured the woman’s heart.

“Whose child are you, huh? How can you be this cute?! You’re so cute I want to destroy my grandpa’s building!”
“Uh… eh?”

Eire blinked, overwhelmed by the flood of sudden questions.
‘The princess talks so much!’ she thought, dizzy.

The woman quickly realized she had scared the child and covered her mouth.
“Sorry, sorry. You’re just the cutest human I’ve seen in ages, I couldn’t help it. But… why are you alone? Where are your parents?”

“My dad? My daddy is…”
Eire hesitated. She didn’t know where he was or how to explain it.

Just then—
Growl.
Her stomach rumbled loudly again. Eire held her belly and pouted.

“Are you hungry?”
The woman asked gently. Eire frowned sadly and nodded, her head drooping as if even her invisible ears were flopping down.

Watching her, the woman made up her mind and walked into a nearby bakery.
A few minutes later, she came out carrying a shopping bag full of bread.
“Here! Want some?”

She pulled out a soft cream puff from the bag and held it out to Eire.
Eire’s eyes widened. She wanted to grab it and eat right away—but she couldn’t.

“Daddy said not to take food from strangers…”

Smart Child Rule #3:
Don’t eat food from strangers.

It was a promise she had made with her dad, sealed with a pinky swear.

“It’s okay,” the woman said with a smile. “I’m not a bad person. I’m a hunter! A hunter who protects little kids like you!”

“Hunter?”
Eire tilted her head.

“You protect Eire?” she asked. Her eyes sparkled with admiration, like she was looking at a real-life hero.

The woman straightened her back proudly.
“Of course! And not just that…”
She pointed toward the bakery sign.
“This old bakery? I own it!”

Eire looked up at the sign and read it out loud.
“Daebang Bakery?”
“Right! Daebang—that’s my grandpa’s name. So that means you can eat as much bread as you want!”

The woman put her hand on her hip and grinned.
“Oh, and my name is Park Ha-rin.”

“Ba-ka-rin? Wow, sounds like a strong princess name!”
“Oh my, did you just call me a princess? Kyaa~”

Ha-rin wanted to scoop Eire up and pinch her cheeks, but she held back. You’re not supposed to touch a child without a guardian.
Instead, she crouched to Eire’s level.

“Did you lose your parents?”
Eire hesitated, then nodded quietly.

“Hmm. There’s a police station nearby. Want to go there with me?”

Smart Child Rule #1:
Don’t follow strangers.

Eire held the cream puff tightly and shook her head. Her eyes shone with determination.
“No. Eire is a smart child, so I can find Daddy all by myself…”

She was saying this bravely when—

Rumble.
The ground began to shake.

Beep-beep-beep!
Ha-rin’s phone screamed with an emergency alert.

[Emergency Alert: Dungeon Break expected in 5 minutes near Seoul Station, Yongsan District. Citizens must move to designated shelters immediately.]

Ha-rin’s face went pale.
“Five minutes? That’s too soon…”

The shaking grew stronger.
And then, in the middle of downtown Seoul Station, a massive red crack split the ground open.

“Ahhhh!”
People screamed as cars honked and chaos filled the streets.

“Kid! Over here!”
Ha-rin reached for Eire, and Eire reached back—but the crowd pushed her away.

“P-Princess!”
“Kid!”

Ha-rin tried to run toward her, but—

Boom!
A giant tentacle slammed into the street, shattering the concrete.

Ha-rin looked up in horror. Her sunglasses slid down, the lenses glowing like scanners.

[Deep Sea Kraken (A-Rank)]

“A… A-rank…”
She swallowed hard. She was only an E-rank hunter. The difference in power was impossible to overcome.

Her whole body trembled at the monster’s presence.
‘I can’t win…’

She looked toward the crowd running away. She should run too. She’d die if she stayed.

But then—
“D-Daddy… ugh…”
A frightened little voice cut through the noise.

Ha-rin’s eyes snapped toward the sound.
Eire was there, trembling and alone on the side of the street.

“Kid!”

Ha-rin was terrified. Every instinct screamed at her to run.
But she couldn’t leave that small child behind.

‘I can’t abandon her!’

She shoved through the fleeing crowd.
“Move!”
“Get out of the way!”
“Ugh—Hang on, kid!”

Finally, she reached Eire and pulled her into her arms.
But now everyone else had already escaped.

Whoosh.
The Kraken’s massive body was now fully out of the crack. It was too late to run.
The ground shook with every hit of its tentacles.

And worse—
“Grrr…”
The Kraken had noticed Ha-rin.

‘No way out…’
She pulled a heart-shaped crystal wand from her inventory.
It was only C-rank—the best she could use without draining all her mana.

‘Can this even block one hit? I just need one… one successful block…’

Her hands trembled as she gripped the wand. It had a single-use barrier spell—but against an A-rank monster, who knew if it would even work?

Still…
She looked at the child in her arms. Eire’s tiny hand clutched her clothes tightly.

“P-princess… I’m sorry. It’s my fault…”
Eire’s lips trembled as she fought back tears. Even in terror, she apologized.

Ha-rin bit her lip, swallowing down her emotions.
“It’s okay. I told you, didn’t I? I’m your hunter-unnie who protects kids like you.”

She steadied her wand, hiding her fear.
‘Just a little longer. The higher-ranked hunters will come soon. I just have to hold out until then…’

BOOM!
The Kraken’s tentacle smashed into a tall building. Glass and concrete rained down.

“Ahhhh!”

Then the tentacle turned toward Ha-rin and Eire.

“Ugh!”
Ha-rin quickly raised her wand. A shimmering half-dome barrier appeared around them.

Crack.
But it couldn’t withstand the force.

“Please! Don’t break!”
The shield splintered after only a few seconds.

Eire squeezed her eyes shut and prayed.
‘God! If I really am a holy child… please save me and the princess, just this once…’

And then—
BOOM!
A deafening sound. Eire’s body suddenly lifted into the air.

She saw the sky filled with debris and broken glass.
‘I have to find Daddy…’

As she fell, strong arms caught her midair.

Eire blinked and looked at the person holding her.
‘The beggar man…?’

It was the scruffy man she’d met earlier—the one who scared her before.

‘No…’
Their eyes met. Her pupils widened.

“Daddy.”
The word came out like a whisper.

At that moment, a blinding light spread across the city—so bright it broke even sealed memories.

The chaos went silent.
And within the fading light, the man finally spoke.

“…I’m sorry, sweetheart. Daddy’s late.”