episode_0116

Once the talk of the wedding came up, I had no choice but to start preparing.

The excitement of the in-laws for the long-awaited wedding of the youngest son was no joke.

Due to this, I found myself being turned into a doll, being forced into various dresses by my mother and the maids, but I wasn’t feeling particularly cheerful about it.

“Sweetie, how does this look on me?”

It’s pretty, but… isn’t it a bit too revealing at the chest?

“Wedding dresses are supposed to be pure white, right!”

Isn’t it a bit too extravagant? It seems like it would be uncomfortable to walk in.

“Cherry blossom color suits you!”

Oh my! That would be perfect for our Seonga!

“What do you think of this design?”

Don’t be ridiculous. Even if you say that, a mini skirt is out of the question. It’s the worst.

There’s about half a year left until the wedding.

My job now consists of spending days with the adults looking at dresses, and even though I may not have a sense of style, I’m not someone who can’t filter out designs that look embarrassing.

No, it’s not that I don’t want to wear them or that I don’t like the dresses being shown. Some of them were excellent and looked good, right?

It’s just that the hangers looked too shabby compared to the clothes… I’m not sure if my body is worthy of touching such beautiful dresses. It’s just my opinion.

In addition, due to the concern for the health of the precious youngest daughter-in-law, I’ve been experiencing days of stress that are several times more burdensome than usual, with skin care and special diets being taken care of.

Thanks to that, my body is plump without any dry areas, and my skin has improved significantly… but can I really enjoy this treatment?

If I keep receiving such kindness, I might start to think I’m someone important. It’s getting awkward…

Anyway, after a tiring day of work, it’s time for dinner.

Pressing the pause button on the wedding talk that took up mealtime, I led my tired body to the bathhouse.

As expected, there’s nothing like a bath to relieve the accumulated fatigue.

“Seonga, isn’t the water too hot?”

“No! It’s warm.”

Seonga was the first to immerse herself in the tub. Following her, my husband and I slowly submerged our bodies.

The steam-filled bathhouse. An area large enough to accommodate at least 50 people… Is there any luxury like having such a nice bathhouse all to ourselves~

– Splash, splash

Suddenly, a small water spout appeared in front of me, and yellow objects swirled around. It was Seonga’s water duck toy that she brings every time she goes to the bathhouse.

“Mom. Mom, the water duck is the best!”

Seonga follows three ducks floating along the water stream with round eyes.

Big duck floating. Bigger duck floating. Small duck floating.

Seonga shows me three ducks of the same shape but different sizes as if showcasing them. What caught my eye was Seonga’s hair, which had grown longer without me realizing.

“When did it get this long? We should trim Seonga’s hair a bit, right?”

It didn’t bother me much before, but now I think I should intervene a bit.

Although Sujin occasionally looks after it, Seonga’s hair has grown so long that it reaches below her shoulders, so we should trim it in a big way rather than just trimming it little by little.

“I don’t want to! I’m not cutting my hair!”

“Huh? Why is she like this? Trimming it now will make it grow prettier.”

“Still, I don’t want to! I’m going to grow my hair! I want it longer, much longer!”

Seonga skillfully avoids my hands as if sliding away. I had a few things to say, but since I didn’t have the energy, I decided to let it go without saying anything.

It’s Seonga’s cute wish, so who am I to say anything.

If you want to raise Seong-a, then raise her. If you want to scold her briefly, then scold her briefly.

“Seong-a is really something. She’s so strong-willed.”

My husband grabbed my shoulder and stared at Seong-a intently.

He seems to be saying it’s unavoidable, but it sounds rather impressive.

She talks fast, but I wonder if she’s growing up too quickly. What if she decides to leave home and live on her own soon? What will I do then!

‘What is she doing all by herself…’

Watching Seong-a play with a rubber duck in front of me, my husband and I observe her silently.

Feeling a bit disappointed as I melt into the warm water, I relax my tense body and sink my shoulders deeply.

With so much to worry about for the wedding, it’s not the time to be concerned about problems that haven’t even arisen yet.

The main issue is the wedding… How should we invite the guests?

Mom, Min-jeong, and my brother.

I can call Mom and Min-jeong many friends or acquaintances in their own right, and my brother is no exception… But what do I do when I have no friends or acquaintances other than them?

If it continues like this, it might turn into the worst wedding ever? Ugh… I don’t want that…

“What do you think our dear husband is thinking?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”

My husband leaned on my shoulder and said. His face reflected in the water clearly shows a worried expression.

His voice even lowered after a pause, enough for me to think that my husband is worried enough.

…Thinking about it further only deepens the non-existent self-loathing.

I shouldn’t be like this in front of Seong-a, but emotions are not easily restrained.

“Um, dear husband.”

“Why? Dear?”

“Dear husband, do you ever miss the old days before you met me… Do you ever want to go back to that time?”

I blurted it out. The gaze I feel from behind is uncomfortable.

What will my husband say? Will he coldly acknowledge it and express his grievances? Or will he sternly scold me for saying such things?

Either way, I will accept it obediently.

“…Sometimes I do think about those days. But”

His long, muscular arms enveloped me and Seong-a, pulling us into his embrace.

It was a moment when I could clearly feel the body heat of my husband and Seong-a even in the bathhouse.

“When I hold you and Seong-a in my arms like this, I can clearly realize what I need to do, where I need to be.”

My husband held me and Seong-a tightly without moving, embracing us.

…My nose tingled and I felt like crying.

A corner of my heart is throbbing.

Having immersed myself completely in the water, I leaned against my husband’s body, holding Seong-a close and trying to suppress the growing warmth.

To say such embarrassing words so casually… Why should the listener feel more embarrassed than the speaker! It’s so mortifying!

“Oh! Mom’s face is all red~”

“Bubble bubble bubble…”

That’s not it, Seong-a. Mom’s face is red because it’s hot.

“Really? Seong-a, Mom’s face really turned red?”

“Yeah! It turned as red as an apple! Smoke even came out!”

“Really? Should we try to guess why Mom’s face turned red?”

“Wow~ A guessing game! Let’s do it~!”

“Bubble bubble…splish splash…!! Stop making weird noises, both of you, and Seong-a, you have to push Mom’s back, so come here!”

As I stood up with my body soaked in water and grabbed Seong-a tightly, she let out a small scream while squirming.

I’m sorry, Kang Seong-a. Mom is a little upset because of the teasing. This time, I won’t let you go easily, okay?

“I don’t want to push your back! I want to play with the duck!”

“Wash up and get ready! We’ll play with the duck later.”

“No! Nooo~! Daddy~!”

Seonga turned to look at the master and started whining. At the same time, I also turned to look at the master with all my might.

“…I’ll take good care of the duck.”

“Uwaaah~!!”

Seonga burst into tears at the master’s lamenting declaration. I might have been fooled in the past, but not anymore. Our daughter, should she stop her useless resistance and surrender?

“Uu… Duck…”

In the end, Seonga ended up taking a bath without a word. I don’t understand why she resists so much when she doesn’t even dislike taking a bath together.

Is it because she wants to spend more time with her dad? They get along so well… Maybe they’re more like father and daughter. Really.

“Uhh, ah? M-Master? What are you doing right now…?”

As the master pushed Seonga’s back with a foamy sponge, his big hand patted my back. Startled, I turned around to see the master sitting with a towel in hand.

“While my dear wife washes Seonga, I thought I’d help wash her back.”

“Well, you should at least give a heads up before doing that. You scared me.”

“Haha, sorry sorry.”

With a brief chuckle, the master skillfully washed my back. It’s a strange feeling.

Me washing my child’s back, the master washing my back… We’re already a family, but why does this strange sensation feel even more familial?

I feel embarrassed for no reason. My face is getting hot again. If I don’t hurry up and finish washing, I might end up in another awkward situation.

But really, master.

I shouldn’t have expected to be ambushed from behind, should I?

Tsk!