The reporters in the hall did not move. They did not speak. Everyone was waiting for the second announcent. The silence was absolute. This led to a heavy atmosphere in the room. People looked at Kang Min with wide eyes. They held their recording devices tight. Because of the previous news about the sinkholes and the new company, they expected another world-shaking revelation.
Suddenly, the heavy door on the far side of the stage pushed open. It was the door opposite the main entrance. The reporters turned their heads at the sa ti. They wondered who was coming into the room. A soft sound ca from the floor beyond the door.
*Click. Click. Click.*
It was the sound of small feet hitting the polished wood. The footsteps were light and slow. They were approaching the center of the stage. The sound headed straight toward Kang Min.
Kang Min stood up from his chair. He did not look at the reporters anymore. He looked down at the floor. He walked to the edge of the large table. Because the table was high and had a solid front, the reporters could not see who was there. This led to people leaning forward in their seats. They tried to see over the edge.
"Who is it?" a journalist whispered.
"Is it a secret executive of the company?" another asked.
Kang Min leaned down. He went completely out of view behind the table. This led to a long pause. The room remained quiet. People could only hear the rustle of fabric. Kang Min was looking at a pair of small, black doll shoes. One of the straps was hanging out. It was unbuckled.
Kang Min grabbed the strap. He pulled it tight and pushed the pin into the hole. He did the sa for the other shoe. This was a simple action. But because the world was watching, it felt very dramatic.
Kang Min stood back up. He did not co up alone. In his arms, he was holding a person. He lifted the person high enough for the caras to see.
It was a child.
The people in the hall reacted imdiately. So gasped. So dropped their pens. A loud murmur filled the room. This led to the photographers clicking their shutters even faster.
The child was a girl toddler. She looked to be about two or three years old. She had grey hair. The hair was tied into two neat ponytails on each side of her head. She had large, red eyes. The eyes were bright and clear. She was adorable. She looked at Kang Min with sparkling eyes. She did not seem afraid of the caras or the crowd. She leaned her head against Kang Min’s shoulder.
Kang Min looked toward the door the child had co from. Park Woonhee was standing there. She was leaning against the doorfra. Kang Min looked at her and raised a subtle thumb up. He was thanking her. He had asked her to help him get the child ready for this mont.
Woonhee smiled. She moved her head to the side slightly. She looked at the child and then at Kang Min. In her head, she was just as confused as everyone else in the room. When Kang Min had asked her to help him earlier that morning, he did not explain anything. He just handed her the child and so clothes. Woonhee was shocked when she first saw the girl. She did not know Kang Min had a child. But she decided to help him anyway. She judged that she would find out the truth along with the rest of the world. Because of that, she watched the stage with curiosity.
Kang Min turned back to the microphones. He held the child securely on his hip.
"This is the second announcent," Kang Min said. His voice was steady. "This child is my daughter."
The room beca very loud. Journalists started shouting questions imdiately.
"I am starting Kang Company for a specific reason," Kang Min said, speaking over the noise. "I am a father. Because of that, I have decided to change my lifestyle. I will not be doing constant Tower hunts or floor clearing anymore. I will not spend months away from ho. I want to be present for her. This led to my decision to focus on Abyss sinkholes. These are tasks I can finish quickly with my skills. It allows to stay in the city. I will take care of my daughter and run my company at the sa ti."
He looked at the crowd. The reporters were firing questions like bullets.
"Who is the mother?"
"Are you married, Kang Min?"
"Is the child an awakened player? Does she have a rank?"
Kang Min did not change his expression. He looked at the journalists with a cold gaze.
"I will not answer questions about my private life," Kang Min said. "I refuse to talk about her mother or my marital status. Those things do not involve the Tower or the public. This is my final word on the matter. As for her status as an awakened player, that is also private information. She is a child. Because of that, she deserves a normal life."
Inwardly, Kang Min felt a different kind of pressure. He looked at the toddler in his arms. He could not say the truth. He could not say that this child was born from him, a Calamity and a literal constellation.
The public would not understand a child hatching from a seed. This led to him maintaining a calm exterior while his mind was racing.
"The na," a reporter shouted again. "What is her na?"
Kang Min looked at the girl. Her red eyes looked back at him. She looked like she was waiting for him to speak.
"I will not be sharing her na at this ti," Kang Min said. He adjusted his grip on the child. "I have told you what you need to know."
He thought about the question regarding her na.
"Shit...’
Kang Min thought to himself.
’I forgot to give her a na after she hatched from the star-seed.’
Kang Min did not wait for another question. He turned around and walked toward the side door. Woonhee opened the door wider for him. The reporters kept shouting and standing up, but the security guards moved in to block them.
Kang Min stepped through the door and into the quiet hallway. Woonhee closed the door behind him. The noise of the crowd beca muffled.
Kang Min sighed. He looked at the girl.
"We need to find you a na," he whispered.
The girl blinked her red eyes and grabbed his ear. Because of that, Kang Min winced.
"I have a feeling you’ll be trouble now that you’ve taken this form..."
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