[Third Person POV:]
"Mm..."
Jean stirred in her sleep, her back pressed against something cold... like a wall.
As her eyes slowly fluttered open, she found herself surrounded by unfamiliar surroundings.
Her gaze immediately shifted to her left. The baby was still there, sound asleep, her tiny chest rising and falling peacefully.
Relief softened Jean’s expression before her attention turned toward the man slouched in the chair nearby.
Kai appeared to be deeply asleep, his posture anything but comfortable.
A pang of guilt tugged at her heart at the sight of him. She should have noticed his condition last night, but exhaustion had weighed so heavily on her that she had barely been able to think, let alone listen to her conscience.
Sitting up slowly, Jean remained silent as she watched him for a few moments.
’He’s grown thin... and quite talkative.’
The thought almost made her smile.
Compared to the awkward nerd she remembered from their school days, Kai had become surprisingly easy to talk to.
There had always been a certain charm to his awkwardness back then, but the passage of years had changed him. He seemed more mature now, more composed, yet somehow still familiar.
A faint smile touched the corners of Jean’s lips as she remembered how tenderly he had held the baby yesterday.
She had dreaded the worst when she finally decided to approach Kai. Yet, the memories she had of him had not betrayed her.
He was still the same kind and caring person she remembered.
"Mmm..."
The baby stirred in her sleep, and Kai immediately flinched awake.
"Ah, what happened? Does she need to be fed again?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
Jean nodded. "Yes, but don’t worry. You can sleep on the bed if you want."
She had slept more peacefully than she could remember in a long time. For once, her body felt rested enough to take care of the baby without feeling like she might collapse from exhaustion.
Kai rose from the chair and stretched his arms.
As his shirt pulled taut against his body, Jean’s eyes lingered for a moment before she realized something she had never considered.
He wasn’t sickly thin anymore.
He had clearly kept himself in shape.
’What am I thinking...’
Jean quickly shook her head and turned her attention back to the baby.
Checking the diaper, she soon understood the reason behind all the fussing.
"What happened? Does she need to be cleaned?"
Jean nodded before hesitantly asking, "Umm, do you have a pot I could use? I need some water in it."
He nodded immediately and got to work.
Watching him move about so diligently eased some of the knots in Jean’s heart.
Having a child might be one of the most beautiful experiences in the world, but caring for one demanded patience, tenderness, and unwavering care.
Even though it had only been half a day, Kai had already shown her that he could be a caring father.
Once he returned with the bowl, Jean carefully removed the baby’s diaper and began cleaning her.
Kai remained nearby, his gaze fixed on what she was doing. He did not seem uncomfortable or distracted. Instead, he watched attentively, as though trying to memorize every step.
"Can you hand me the bag of diapers? It’s in my bag."
Kai nodded and carefully searched through her belongings.
He didn’t need to be so cautious, but Jean understood why he was.
He was simply being considerate of her privacy.
Kai retrieved the diapers, but before he could hand them over, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
He passed the bag to Jean before glancing toward the entrance.
"I’ll go check. Do you need anything else?"
Jean shook her head, her eyes briefly shifting toward the door.
"Who could it be?" she asked, a hint of concern creeping into her voice.
Kai offered her a reassuring look.
"It must be the landlord. Don’t worry."
Jean nodded, and Kai turned toward the door.
....
Click.
As Kai pulled the door open, he found a short, balding man standing on the other side, a deep frown etched across his face.
"Rent," the landlord demanded in his usual shrill voice, grating against Kai’s ears like a rusty blade.
"It’s only the first day. Couldn’t you have waited until the evening?" Kai asked with a wry smile.
He had only received his payment from Mark yesterday and had planned to settle the rent by afternoon anyway.
"Couldn’t you have paid me a day earlier?" the old man retorted, narrowing his eyes.
Kai rolled his eyes and reached for his phone.
"Twenty-five hundred."
His hand stopped.
Kai frowned at the landlord. "It was two thousand last month."
"The neighborhood has become more expensive. Strong hunters are moving closer to the guild, and landlords everywhere are raising their rents."
Kai clicked his tongue.
"Increase of five hundred? Aren’t you just pulling numbers out of thin air?"
The landlord snickered.
"Pay, or leave right now. I’ve already called a few men, knowing what kind of fuss you tenants like to make."
Kai’s eyes turned cold.
For the briefest moment, the landlord flinched.
Kai slowly exhaled, forcing his irritation down before checking his balance.
A little over twenty-three hundred.
That was all he had left.
He would receive more money from Mark, but not until evening. Besides, arguing with that man felt utterly exhausting.
Taking the risk, Kai transferred twenty-five hundred, covering the shortfall with nearly two hundred from his System reward.
The payment went through successfully, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. So the numbers were true. This was the first evidence that the system he saw last night wasn’t a hallucination.
"There. Now don’t disturb me."
With that, he closed the door in the landlord’s face.
"Who was it?"
Kai turned at the sound of Jean’s voice, a smile already forming.
"Nothing. Just... some thorny old man."
He returned to her side and found the baby feeding on formula once again.
"Can’t she eat something else now? I mean, she does look about a year old."
Jean nodded.
"Yes... the doctor said I can feed her some rice and vegetables, as long as they’re easy to digest."
Her head lowered, and her voice grew quieter.
"But I’ve been on the run recently, so buying and cooking proper food for her has been quite difficult."
The admission immediately wiped the smile from Kai’s face.
Concern settled in his eyes as he took a seat nearby.
"I know we were never close, Jean, but you know you can trust me. So please, can you tell me what exactly happened after we parted ways two years ago?"
Jean’s shoulders trembled.
Her eyes slowly grew glassy, and Kai immediately noticed.
"Hey, it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me."
She shook her head.
"No, it’s not that."
Her voice trembled faintly as she continued.
"It’s just... I feel like if you knew the truth, you would end up hating me too."
Kai fell silent.
What could have happened to her?
The Jean he remembered had always been bold and aloof, someone who rarely allowed others to see her vulnerable side. But now...
Regardless, he stepped closer and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It’s okay. Take your time. And even if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay too. Just... please don’t cry."
Kai had believed that the passing years and everything he had experienced would have numbed the emotions he once held for the girl.
But seeing her like this reminded him why the concept of love had entered his life in the first place.
He still loved her as much as he had the first time he saw her.