[You have successfully traveled back in time.]

I opened my eyes at the sound of the system’s voice. Sunlight seeped through the curtains, illuminating my cluttered one-room studio apartment. Disheveled clothes draped over chairs and an untidy desk—it was a familiar scene from long-forgotten memories.

In a daze, I rose from the bed and my head throbbed as if from a night of heavy drinking.

”Ugh.” Out of habit, I reached for the smartphone next to my pillow. To my surprise, my hand clutched an old, outdated model that I hadn’t used in years. Confusion settled in as I checked the date.

“Huh?”

At first, I thought it might be a glitch. The phone displayed a date from fifteen years ago. I furrowed my brow and kneaded my throbbing temples. I had clearly died when the final quest began. The Sword Saint’s sword piercing my heart was still vivid in my memory.

Travel back in time? I recalled the notification from earlier on and rushed to the bathroom. Turning on the light, I examined my reflection in the mirror.

“This can’t be... What’s happening?”

In the mirror was a much younger version of myself. Judging by the date, it was me at the age of twenty-six. I turned on the faucet and splashed my face with cold water, breathing in and out in an attempt to calm my racing thoughts. I pinched my thigh and felt a sharp pain. This can’t be a dream, can it? Is it real? I couldn’t believe it, but this was unmistakably my reality. I had traveled back in time and I needed to gather my thoughts.

How? My initial question was how I had traveled back in time. Time traveling is the kind of thing you only see in movies. Why has this happened to me?

I took a moment to recollect. Ah, yes. The system said it was a unique quest. Moments before I died, the system’s voice had mentioned it was initiating Hunter Lee Seojun’s unique quest. But at this point in time, I’m not a hunter yet. After a moment of hesitation, I opened the quest window.

[Unique Quest: Changing the Future]

[Prevent Seola’s five misfortunes. (0/5)]

I gazed blankly at the semitransparent window. Quests were missions that the system assigned to hunters. Completing them often yielded valuable rewards, making them an essential part of a hunter’s life. Over the years, I had completed countless quests, but I had never encountered one labeled as “unique.”

Five misfortunes? Unfortunately, I couldn’t grasp what those five misfortunes were. Perhaps I truly had been a terrible father to Seola, as she had claimed. I could only guess at one of them.

Eunhye. It was the death of Seola’s mother, Yoo Eunhye. I checked today’s date one more time. I remembered the date of her death. It was seared into my memory as the day coincided precisely with another tragic event.

Eunhye’s death, Seola’s estrangement—I’ve traveled back far enough to prevent everything I’ve regretted.

The past flashed before my eyes. After her death, I raised Seola on my own. Well, I can’t exactly say I raised her. If I had been a proper hunter, I would have had a steady income and more time at home, but I wasn’t. I had embarked on the path of a hunter rather late in life, and as a result, I was rarely at home. This was because I’d foolishly signed a contract with a guild and ended up buried in debt.

Back then, I’d convinced myself that I was protecting Seola from harm. But looking back now, it may have just been that I didn’t care. In truth, I used many excuses to neglect her. Seola was right. I was a terrible father. Regret weighed heavily on me. I had lived a hellish life, laboriously paying off my debts. Yet in the end, I found myself utterly alone.

You don’t even know what misfortunes Seola had to endure, you idiot. It was all my fault and I was determined not to squander this second chance. This time, I would set everything right.

Ding-dong. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, interrupting my thoughts.

Ah, today is the day. I recalled the day Eunhye first brought Seola into my life, holding her hand. It had been six years since I broke up with her when I was twenty years old. She showed up without warning, claiming Seola was my daughter.

At the time, I was unable to conceal my bewilderment. Seeing my ex-girlfriend on my doorstep had caught me off guard, not to mention with a daughter in tow. I had demanded a paternity test, which thinking about it now, wasn’t appropriate in front of a child.

I had thrown a fit, arguing that the child couldn’t possibly be mine. The results, however, confirmed that Seola was indeed my daughter, and as a new father, I struggled to accept such a sudden change. I was a real scumbag. I chuckled bitterly.

Despite the gravity of the situation, I realized that my shock couldn’t have been greater than Eunhye’s or Seola’s. It was clear that she had endured a lot, putting aside her pride to ask for help. And I couldn’t even begin to imagine the deep wounds Seola had suffered until that point. It wasn’t like I could undo what had happened, so I should have just accepted it.

“Who is it?” I asked as the doorbell rang.

“Open the door, please.” Eunhye’s voice came from outside.

I hadn’t heard her voice in years, and I choked up for a moment. After collecting my emotions, I responded in a deliberately calm tone and quickly tidied my messy hair.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Yoo Eunhye.”

After a brief hesitation, I made up my mind and reached for the doorknob. Suppressing my uncertainty, I opened the door and found Eunhye standing outside.

“Hello, Seojun.”

“Eunhye,” I replied but I was unable to continue the conversation. It felt as though something hot had lodged itself in my throat. Before my eyes was someone who had died. The reality of my return to the past hit me once again.

With my mouth half-open and my speech faltering, Eunhye glanced downward. There, holding her hand, was a small child. “Say hello to your father, Seola,” She gently prompted.

“Hello, Father…” Seola greeted me hesitantly. Her innocent, inquisitive eyes looked up at me and I remained silent, my mouth hanging open in a daze.

Eunhye watched me for a moment before choosing her next words carefully. “I know. It must be shocking and hard to accept.”

“Uh, well...”

“This child really is your daughter, Seojun.”

I didn’t know how to respond. Instead, I moved closer to Seola and knelt down in front of her. Meeting her eye level, I saw my beautiful daughter clearly for the first time. Her fair skin, clear eyes, tiny plum lips, and even her squishy cheeks were just like her mother’s. I couldn’t help but want to pinch them playfully.

Why did I not do this before?

“Seola?”

“Y-yes?” Seola looked at me with curious eyes, but it seemed I was a stranger to her. She took a step back and tightly held her mother’s hand.

With a serious expression, I said to her, “I am your father.”

Seola’s eyes widened in surprise, and an awkward silence hung in the air.

Feeling a little self-conscious, I scratched the back of my head. “Ah, sorry. That was a terrible joke. You can just call me ‘Dad.’”

“Seojun, you...”

“Come on in. I don’t want to keep you standing on my doorstep all day.”

It seemed that my reaction had caught Eunhye off guard as she looked at me with a bewildered expression. I knelt down, extending my hand politely like a knight. “May I escort you, my lady?”

“Of course!” Seola responded, her face lighting up.

***

“You’ve... changed.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Eunhye turned to Seojun with a puzzled expression on her face. As soon as they’d entered the apartment, Seojun had begun cleaning the messy room. He also cracked playful jokes with Seola and was currently watching children’s cartoons with her.

As Seola remained engrossed in a cartoon playing on Seojun’s mobile phone, he ventured carefully into the kitchen and rummaged through a drawer. Not long after, he brewed a cup of tea from leaves which looked to be a gift from someone. This definitely wasn’t the kind of person Eunhye knew Seojun to be.

“You’ve definitely matured over the years.”

“After six years, people change,” Seojun replied, taking a sip of tea.

Sitting across from Seojun, Eunhye couldn’t help but be amazed by his transformation. The Seojun she remembered would only drink sweet lattes. She shook her head in disbelief.

“So... Seola really is my daughter?”

“Yes. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”

“No. I believe you.”

Eunhye had been reaching into her handbag, but she paused. She had expected Seojun to demand a paternity test or something official, and his quick acceptance surprised her.

Seojun gazed at her intently and asked, “Why did you keep it a secret?”

“It’s not as if we parted on good terms.” Like many former couples, the end of Seojun and Eunhye’s relationship hadn’t been amicable. He had left hastily, and she had discovered her pregnancy shortly afterward. “I had originally planned to raise her on my own. But circumstances forced me into this situation.”

“What happened?”

“There was an accident. My house collapsed, and I had nowhere to go.”

Seojun nodded in understanding.

Eunhye struggled to find the right words. “I won’t ask you to take responsibility. She’s my child, and it was my choice to have her.”

“So?”

“Let us stay with you for a while. I can’t raise her in a motel.”

She had no supportive parents to turn to and no close relatives she could rely on. She’d scarcely managed to track Seojun down, hoping he would at least show his daughter some kindness. She’d prepared herself for friction but was willing to endure it for Seola’s sake.

“All right, let’s do that.”

“Huh?”

“This place isn’t that big, but clearing out some unnecessary stuff will free up more space.”

Seojun seemed to accept the situation as something obvious and he welcomed Eunhye and Seola into his home without question. Eunhye found herself very flustered.

“Where are your belongings?”

“B-belongings? Oh, they’re outside.”

“Give me a minute. I’ll bring them in,” Seojun said, placing his cup down and rising to his feet. On his way to the entrance, he struck up a conversation with Seola. “Are you having fun?”

“Yes!”

“Let’s stop here. It’s bad for your eyes.”

“But I want to watch more...”

“Why don’t we play a game together later, instead?”

“Okay!”

After stroking Seola’s hair, Seojun left the house and brought in the suitcase that had been outside the door. Returning to his seat across from Eunhye, Seojun watched Seola with a surprising amount of affection in his eyes. “She’s beautiful. She looks a lot like you.”

“Wh-what?”

“She’s beautiful, just like you,” he repeated, his eyes still fixed on Seola.

This was the moment when her confusion reached its peak. Did I come to the wrong person? The Seojun she used to know was more of a troublemaker and a rascal, not someone who expressed affection like this. But this Seojun appeared refined and caring, and she could even sense the sincerity in his voice. She took a sip of tea and tried to regain her composure.

“Eunhye.”

“Yes?”

“Will you marry me?”

Eunhye’s mouthful of tea dribbled back into her cup.