The eggs had gone cold by the time Kael finished checking on the baby. He moved the plate to the small table before returning to the bed, where his son was still asleep with his tiny fists resting beside his face.
Kael sat down carefully and studied the little boy’s face, trying to find something familiar. His nose looked like Sera’s, and he had inherited her gray eyes. There was probably something of Kael in him, too, but he just didn’t know what yet.
’So, you’re my son, huh?’
The baby didn’t answer, of course. Kael chuckled quietly and leaned closer.
"You’re not much of a talker, are you?" Kael whispered.
The little boy shifted beneath the blanket, making Kael immediately stop laughing. He leaned closer to check if he had disturbed him, but the baby settled down again without waking up.
Kael relaxed. He had never taken care of a child before and wasn’t even sure he knew how to hold one properly. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to leave the little boy alone.
A notification appeared before his eyes.
[Ding!]
[New Task: Watch over your child while he sleeps.]
[Progress: 0%]
[Reward: Family Bond increased.]
[Rebate Bonus: Every hour spent watching over your child will convert into one hour of perfect rest.]
Kael stared at the message.
’All I have to do is watch him sleep?’
That sounded easy enough. He glanced at Sera, who was still asleep in the chair. She looked as though she could use several days of rest, so Kael decided not to wake her. Instead, he pulled his chair closer to the bed and settled down.
If the system wanted him to watch his son sleep, he could do that. He had nowhere else to go tonight, anyway.
The apartment grew quiet. Outside, a car passed through the wet street while the refrigerator hummed in the kitchenette. Occasionally, Kael heard footsteps from the hallway, but otherwise, there was little noise.
At first, he kept checking the system panel, expecting something to happen. After a while, however, he stopped paying attention to it and focused on the little boy sleeping in front of him.
The baby looked peaceful. Kael wondered what he would be like when he grew older. Would he be quiet or troublesome? Would he inherit Sera’s intelligence or Kael’s habit of keeping his thoughts to himself?
He smiled to himself.
’I’ll have to find out.’
An hour passed, followed by another. As Kael continued watching over his son, his body gradually relaxed. The pain in his back faded, and the tiredness that had weighed on him since the end of his shift slowly disappeared.
He hadn’t realized how exhausted he was until the feeling was gone.
[Ding!]
[Task Complete: Watch over your child while he sleeps.]
[Reward: Family Bond increased.]
[Current Bond Level: 2]
[Rebate Bonus Activated: Perfect Rest achieved.]
[Your stamina has been fully restored.]
Kael sat up straight. He felt great, not just a little better. It was as though he had slept for a full night.
He rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms, surprised by how refreshed he felt.
’This system is actually useful.’
Before he could test his newfound energy, the baby stirred. His face scrunched up, and a soft cry escaped his mouth.
Kael immediately leaned forward.
"Hey, what’s wrong?" he asked.
The baby cried again, so Kael carefully lifted him from the bed, supporting his head the way he had seen people do in videos.
"Easy, little guy. I’ve got you," Kael said as he held the baby against his chest and rocked him gently.
For a few seconds, the little boy continued crying. Then he opened his eyes and looked around. His unfocused gaze moved across Kael’s face before settling on him, and the crying stopped.
Kael stared at him in surprise. The baby reached up and grabbed a handful of his shirt, making a strange warmth spread through Kael’s chest.
[Ding!]
[Task Complete: Comfort your child.]
[Reward: Family Bond increased.]
[Rebate Bonus: Your presence helps soothe your child.]
[Stress levels reduced for both parent and child.]
Kael glanced at the notification, then looked back at the baby.
"So that’s how it works?" he asked quietly.
The little boy made a small sound, and Kael smiled.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re the boss here," he told him.
He had never imagined himself saying something like that. Yet here he was, standing in his tiny apartment in the middle of the night and holding a baby he had only met a few hours ago.
"I’m your dad," Kael murmured.
The baby stared at him, apparently more interested in his face than the words coming out of his mouth.
"I don’t know if I’m going to be any good at this. But I’ll try my best, okay?" Kael promised.
The little boy tightened his grip on Kael’s shirt, making him laugh softly.
"Let’s take that as a yes," Kael said.
A quiet movement behind him caught his attention, and he turned to find Sera awake. She was sitting in the chair, watching him with red-rimmed eyes.
"You’re holding him," Sera whispered.
Kael looked down at the baby.
"He woke up," Kael replied.
Sera stood, though she had to steady herself against the table before she could take another step.
"I’ll prepare his bottle," she said.
"Wait. You should eat first," Kael told her.
"I’m fine," Sera replied.
"You said that earlier, too," Kael reminded her.
Sera looked away, and Kael sighed. He didn’t want to argue with her when she was already exhausted.
"Sit down. I’ll make the bottle. You can tell me what to do," he offered.
She looked surprised.
"You don’t know how to prepare it," Sera pointed out.
"Then teach me," Kael replied.
For a moment, she simply stared at him before nodding and sitting down again.
"All right."
Sera explained how to prepare the formula, and Kael followed her instructions carefully. He checked the temperature before feeding the baby, making sure it wasn’t too hot. The little boy began drinking almost immediately, and Kael watched him for a moment.
"He’s really hungry," Kael remarked.
"He hasn’t eaten properly today," Sera admitted quietly.
Kael looked up at her.
"Today?" he asked.
Sera lowered her eyes. He wanted to ask what she meant, but the baby was still drinking, so he decided to wait until he had finished.
When the little boy finally stopped, Kael held him against his shoulder and gently patted his back. A small burp escaped, catching Kael by surprise. He blinked before breaking into a grin.
"Did you hear that? He’s already got good manners," Kael joked.
Sera let out a small laugh. It was the first time Kael had heard her laugh since she arrived, and he almost smiled at the sound. However, when he looked at her, he noticed tears gathering in her eyes.
"Sera?" Kael asked.
She quickly wiped her face.
"I’m sorry," Sera said.
Kael frowned.
"Why do you keep apologizing?" he asked.
"Because I don’t know what else to say," Sera replied, her voice trembling. "I showed up at your door after all this time, carrying a baby you didn’t even know existed. I don’t have money, I don’t have anywhere to go, and now I’m asking you to take care of us."
She covered her face.
"You must hate me," Sera whispered.
Kael fell silent. He couldn’t pretend he wasn’t confused or that her sudden appearance hadn’t turned his life upside down. But hate her? He wasn’t sure he ever had.
He remembered the night of their reunion, the way she had approached him, how they had talked, and how she had disappeared the following morning. For a long time, he had wondered whether she regretted what happened between them. Now, he finally had the chance to ask.
"What happened that night, Sera?" Kael asked.
Sera lowered her hands but didn’t answer immediately. She took a deep breath before finally speaking.
"I was engaged," Sera admitted.
Kael’s expression changed.
"Engaged?" he repeated.
"My father arranged it. The man came from a powerful family, and everyone thought it was a good match. My father expected me to marry him," Sera explained.
She gave a bitter smile.
"I didn’t love him. I didn’t even want to marry him. But nobody cared what I wanted."
Kael listened quietly, allowing her to continue.
"At the reunion, I saw you. You were the only person there who didn’t look at me like I was the daughter of the Scarlette family," Sera said.
She paused before continuing.
"I just wanted to forget everything for one night. I wanted to feel like a normal girl who could make her own decisions."
Her voice grew quieter.
"That’s why I approached you. I knew it was selfish, but I did it anyway."
Kael looked at her for a long moment before asking, "So you used me to escape your problems?"
Sera flinched at his words.
"Yes," she admitted, lowering her head. "I’m sorry."
Kael let out a slow breath. He couldn’t say he was happy about it. Hearing that she had approached him because she needed an escape hurt more than he expected. But at least he understood why she had disappeared.
"You could have told me," Kael said.
"I know," Sera replied.
"You could have called me afterward," Kael added.
"I know," she repeated.
"Then why didn’t you?" Kael asked.
Sera’s lips trembled as she wiped her cheeks.
"Because I was scared," she admitted.
She took another breath before continuing.
"When I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to contact you. I really did. But my father was already making arrangements for my marriage. When I refused, everything became complicated."
Sera looked down at the sleeping baby.
"I thought I could handle it myself. I thought I could give birth and find a way to raise him without involving you."
Her hands tightened in her lap.
"But things didn’t go the way I planned," Sera said before stopping.
Kael didn’t interrupt her.
"I lost the support I had. I couldn’t stay where I was, and I had nowhere safe to take him. I tried to manage on my own, but..." She stopped again. "I couldn’t do it anymore."
The room fell quiet.
Kael looked down at his son, who had fallen asleep against his shoulder with one tiny hand still clutching his shirt. He couldn’t imagine what Sera had gone through, but he also couldn’t pretend her choices hadn’t hurt him.
Still, the child had done nothing wrong.
"Look," Kael said at last. "I’m not going to tell you that what you did was right."
Sera looked up at him.
"But I’m not going to turn you away, either," Kael continued.
Her eyes widened.
"Kael..." she whispered.
"I’m not doing this because I owe you anything. I’m doing it because he’s my son," Kael explained, adjusting the baby in his arms.
"And if you’re going to stay here, you need to take care of yourself, too. You can’t look after him if you collapse from hunger."
Sera stared at him before letting out a shaky laugh through her tears.
"You haven’t changed much," she said.
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Kael asked.
She smiled faintly.
"Maybe," Sera replied.
Kael shook his head.
"Get some food into you. We can talk about everything else tomorrow," he told her.
Sera nodded.
After she finished eating, they sat together for a while. The baby slept peacefully between them, completely unaware of the conversation that had taken place.
Then Sera looked at him.
"We should give him a name," she said.
Kael glanced down at the baby.
"Right. We should," he agreed.
He had been so caught up in everything that he hadn’t even thought about it.
"Let’s decide tomorrow," Kael suggested. "We both need some sleep first."
Sera nodded.
"Okay. Tomorrow," she agreed.
[Ding!]
[Family Bond has increased.]
[Current Bond Level: 3]
[New Skill Unlocked: Familial Presence (D Rank)]
[Familial Presence: When your family is nearby, your actions become more precise and efficient.]
[Effect: Slightly increases the effectiveness of all skills.]
Kael read the notification carefully. So his bond with his family could unlock skills. That was worth looking into, though he had more important things to deal with that night.
He looked at Sera.
"You take the bed," Kael said.
She blinked.
"What?"
"You need proper sleep," Kael explained.
"Where will you sleep?" Sera asked.
Kael pointed at the floor.
"Right here," he replied.
"You’re joking," Sera said.
"Nope," Kael answered.
"Kael, I can’t let you sleep on the floor in your own apartment," she protested.
"You can, actually. I’m pretty sure that’s allowed," Kael replied.
Sera stared at him. For a moment, he thought she might argue again, but instead, she let out a tired laugh.
"You haven’t changed at all," she said.
"That’s the second time you’ve said that tonight," Kael pointed out.
"Maybe you should start listening," Sera replied.
Kael grinned as he fetched an extra blanket from the closet. It was thin and worn, but it would do. He spread it on the floor beside the bed and lay down while Sera settled onto the mattress, keeping the baby close to her.
"Kael?" Sera called.
"Yeah?" he answered.
"Thank you," she said.
Kael turned his head toward her.
"You don’t have to thank me," he replied.
"I know. I still want to," Sera said.
Kael smiled faintly.
"Then get some sleep. We’ll figure things out tomorrow," he told her.
Sera was quiet for a moment before speaking again.
"Good night, Kael," she said.
"Good night, Sera," Kael replied.
The apartment slowly fell silent. Kael stared at the ceiling, thinking about the strange system that had appeared before him. Money, an apartment, and now a new skill. He still didn’t understand how any of it worked, but one thing was clear: his life was no longer just about getting through another day.
He had a son now, and whether he was ready or not, he was going to have to learn how to be a father.
[Ding!]
[Task Complete: Provide comfort and shelter for your family.]
[Reward: Family Bond increased.]
[Rebate Bonus: Sacrifices made for your family may return as future blessings.]
Kael closed his eyes. Tomorrow, he would figure out more about the system, learn what had happened to Sera, and start preparing for the future. For now, though, he was content to lie on the floor of his tiny apartment and listen to the quiet breathing of the two people sleeping beside him.
For the first time in years, he wasn’t going to sleep alone, and somehow, that made the uncomfortable floor feel a little softer.