Chapter 46: The relationship between the family is really good

As we got closer to the entrance, the group of students in uniforms grew in number, eventually occupying half of the venue.
Han Yeoreum, who had been glancing nervously at the students lined up behind the entrance as instructed by their teacher, suddenly spun around.

“…I’m leaving.”

I pressed down on Han Yeoreum’s shoulder as she tried to slip out of the line. She looked up at me with an anxious expression, as if begging me to let her go.

“No way. We came all this way, where are you going?”
“But among the people here,”

“I-I’m the only high school student.” Han Yeoreum replied in a barely audible voice.

“What does that matter? It’s written here, there’s no age limit for entry.”
“That’s just what it says. In reality, this is a place for kids.”

As I held out the pamphlet and asked again, Han Yeoreum started sweating and avoided my gaze.
It’s not that I didn’t understand how she felt, but what was truly embarrassing wasn’t being left behind, but running away from what you had to do using that as an excuse. Just as I was about to speak, having organized my thoughts,

“No one will know anyway.”

It was Yu Garyeon. Yawning as if bored, she flicked her fingernail and continued, looking at Han Yeoreum.

“No one will know. Whether you’re a high school student, or a twenty-year-old jobless person who was kicked out by your parents to look for a job. You’re short anyway.”

Yu Garyeon smiled at me.

“Right?”
“Of course. Who has time to care about others when they’re busy with their own stuff.”
I nodded and added.

“Especially a short brat like this.”
“That’s right. It’s a relief if they don’t get annoyed that an elementary school kid came to a youth experience center.”

Yu Garyeon giggled at my words and swept back her hair.
Han Yeoreum, who had been staring blankly at her, suddenly seemed to snap out of it, her eyes wide like saucers, her fists trembling.

“What nonsense. I’m average height, you know? Can’t you see I’m much taller than that boy over there?”

She was right. Although her face still had a youthful look, she looked much more mature than the other students around her.
But the truth wasn’t important right now. I ignored Han Yeoreum’s words and looked at Yu Garyeon, speaking.

“She says she’s average.”
“She must be talking about the average height of an elementary school student.”
“No, hey. Even if we let Yu Dojin slide, how tall are you to—”

Just as Han Yeoreum was about to point her finger at Yu Garyeon and say something, a sharp voice came from the front.

“The people at the back, please enter~.”
“Oppa, don’t worry about that brat and let’s go.”
“Let’s.”

We left Han Yeoreum, who was spewing a torrent of words from behind, and walked forward. The sound of our laughter grew louder.

“I’ll help you with your admission.”
“Ah, yes. Two adults and a student—”
“These two are really…!”

Han Yeoreum squeezed between me and Yu Garyeon, pulled our arms, and raised her voice.
As we were bickering like that, a soft laugh came from the front.

“My, what a close family.”

The elderly woman who took the tickets I held out looked at Han Yeoreum with a warm expression and then spoke to me.

“It’s nice to see her running over to grab her mom and dad’s hands just because she’s a little far away. My daughter used to be like that, but she doesn’t do it at all these days.”

Family, daughter, dad, mom. Familiar yet foreign words pierced my ears.
Suddenly, a blurry image began to play in my mind.

A serene cathedral with white light streaming in at an angle. I was there, in a suit, fiddling with my tie, waiting for someone.
Soon, I heard the sound of the door opening and people cheering.

A pure white dress swaying gently, and silvery hair, just as beautiful, shimmering and tickling my eyes.
My partner for life, Yu Garyeon, was approaching me with a bright smile.
And just as I was about to gently take her slender hand, the scene went black and changed.

A dreary night, with the yellow light of streetlamps casting down from a dark sky. Exhausted from a long day of work, I was stumbling home.
Soon, I got out of the elevator and weakly opened the front door. A soft, cotton-candy-like sensation pressed against my chest.

“Honey, you worked hard today.”

Yu Garyeon, wearing a blue apron, buried her face in my chest and nuzzled me for a long time.

Cute, admirable, lovely.
Overwhelmed by a fierce emotion that originated from the depths of my heart and spread throughout my body, an emotion that couldn’t be described with the words of this world, I hugged Yu Garyeon tightly. She, too, sighed as if she couldn’t help it, and hugged me back with both arms.

“That’s enough for now, we have to eat.”

Yu Garyeon, seeing me fidgeting with my fingers in disappointment, chuckled and continued, linking her arm with mine as if to say this would have to suffice for now.

“Our princess has been crying and fussing, saying she wants to see her daddy. If you take care of that first, I’ll do it again later… Okay?”

I snorted and nodded. Bring it on, I’ll take care of everything. With that resolve, I clenched my fists and walked towards the dining table.

“Daddy!”

A cockroach with a black wig on its head crawled out with a strange shriek and lunged at me.

“No.”
“No?”

My voice and the cockroach’s voice merged and echoed through the venue. Feeling as if I had just had a terrible nightmare, I felt like I was about to throw up.

“U-Uh? No? What…”
“Oh my, ma’am, you’re at it again! You see a young man and you make him a father. There’s no way he could have a child that big at his age, right?”

A sharp voice reached the flustered elderly woman. The elderly woman, as if she had just realized, smiled awkwardly and spoke.

“Oh my, I’m sorry. At my age, all the young people start to look the same.”
“No, well, it happens. Yes, of course, haha…”

More than being mistaken for a family, I was unbearably ashamed of reacting so seriously to a lighthearted incident.
Dammit, just like a guy who’s never had a girlfriend, I’m getting carried away with my imagination over a single word. If she had held my hand, I would have been on my way to register our marriage by myself.

“…Let’s go in.”

Amidst the silence, I strode forward, hiding my burning face. This is all that damn cockroach’s fault. If it hadn’t been so stubborn about its own embarrassment and just came in quickly.

I turned my head and glared at Han Yeoreum, who was following behind me.
But that brazen brat, instead of apologizing, was glaring at me with a deep frown.

“Look at her glaring. As if she did something right. Right?”

I said, looking to the side. My intention was to brush off the embarrassing incident by creating a common enemy.

“Yes, well, yes, that’s right, well…”

I couldn’t see Yu Garyeon’s expression because she had pulled her hat down low, but I could clearly see her hand, gripping the brim of the hat, trembling slightly.
Don’t tell me she saw my expression when I was fantasizing? She doesn’t think I’m creepy, does she?

Clutching my head at the unthinkable possibility, I glared at Han Yeoreum again with rising anger.

****

After finishing lunch and returning to the office, Lee Dasom poured herself a mug of coffee and went to the window.
As she swallowed the coffee, a bitter sensation, as if waiting, rose up. Putting down the mug, she let out a warm breath and looked out the window.

A clear blue sky stretching out, and fluffy clouds, like cotton balls, drifting here and there, tickling the eyes. It was, without a doubt, a perfect day.
Suddenly, the face of a certain man came to her mind. A face that looked like it would crumble at the slightest touch.

What was he doing right now? The weather is so nice, it would be great if he went for a walk instead of staying at home. No, what if he gets into an accident? More importantly, is he eating well? There were some instant food containers in the trash bag he took out yesterday. Did he get a stomachache from the delivery food he ordered the day before yesterday?

As she continued to think for a long time, Lee Dasom suddenly raised both hands and started slapping her own cheeks.

She was thinking about the time the man had brushed her hand away with a cold gaze.

Not family, but a doll. The man’s words foamed up like waves. Shimmering within the blooming bubbles were the numerous atrocities she had committed until now.

She interfered in his life, citing concern. She tried to confine him in her arms, using the vague reason of having to protect him.
It’s disgusting. So disgusting that I feel like throwing up. But what’s most disgusting is herself, who still can’t let go of her lingering feelings.

But I can’t help it.
I want him to be happy. No, I want to make him happy. He has to be. He has to be happier than the misery he endured because of me. For that, I…

The slapping sound grew louder, eventually echoing throughout the office. The dry sound was interrupted by the vibration of her phone in her pocket.
Lee Dasom grabbed her phone with her reddened palm.

“Yes, Mom. It’s me. Yes, yes… What’s wrong with Dad?”

Lee Dasom’s face, which had been responding cheerfully to the voice on the other end of the line, suddenly turned pale.

“What…?”

Collapsing to the ground, her lips trembled faintly.