Ch.338338. Girl’s Dad or Just a Fool

About twenty minutes later, just before the parent observation class was about to begin.

Parents are allowed to observe starting ten minutes after class begins, and right now it’s one minute before class starts. In other words, I’m not late yet. Realizing this fact, I let out a deep sigh.

Ah, thank goodness. I thought we’d be late because Hwa Nabi kept throwing tantrums, asking me to touch her body out of embarrassment, but somehow I managed to coax her and make it just in time.

“……Phew.”

I quickly straightened my clothes and looked to the side. Hwa Nabi had rushed here too, so her coat was wide open in the front.

Because of that, other parents kept glancing at her, so I cleared my throat and subtly shielded her body.

I need to see Woohee’s face later, and what would she think if she saw us looking so disheveled? I tried communicating with my eyes as I closed the front of her coat, but even though she knew I was looking, she turned her head and avoided my gaze. She followed me here, but it seems some resentment still remains.

She’s not a child, but her childishness made me smile. Hwa Nabi narrowed her eyes and glared at me. She seemed to be saying, ‘Why are you laughing?’ Since she was the one who avoided eye contact first, I avoided her gaze too.

“Husband.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Your tie is crooked.”

“It looks fine to me.”

“No, it’s tilted a bit to the right. Come here, I’ll fix it for you.”

Insisting on fixing my tie, it seems she’s using this as an excuse to torment me. Her intentions are obvious, but I can’t refuse since I can feel other parents subtly watching us.

She probably knows this too. Looking up at me with innocent eyes while knowing the tie doesn’t need fixing, she’s one hundred percent confident in her scheme.

“…Really? Then please do.”

Well, knowing this doesn’t mean I can do anything about it.

“Husband, bend down a little.”

“Like this?”

“A bit more, more. Okay, perfect.”

I bent my upper body to make it easier for her to torment me. Hwa Nabi undid my tie with seemingly delicate fingers, then gently retied it.

-TIGHTEN.

“Nabi, my neck. My neck…!”

“Oh my, were you sleepy? I’m sorry, I couldn’t control my strength.”

…I take back what I said about delicate. Hwa Nabi fixed my tie rather aggressively.

She’s good at this sort of thing, so the shape turned out nice, but after tightening and loosening the tie, my neck still feels strangled. I gently rubbed around my neck, while Hwa Nabi dusted off my clothes with a prim expression.

“Men and their whining.”

“You know that’s a very sexist remark…?”

“Why? It’s natural that women and men are different, so some discrimination is acceptable, isn’t it?”

I don’t understand why she’s thumping her chest while saying that. No, I don’t want to understand…

“Excuse me, are you Woohee’s mother?”

Just as I was about to retort that saying such things would get her beaten up elsewhere, I heard an unfamiliar woman’s voice from behind me. At first, I thought it was the homeroom teacher, but when I turned around, it was an unfamiliar woman.

Ah, right. The homeroom teacher must be teaching now. Then who is this person? She looks to be in her late twenties, but I really don’t recognize her, so I glanced at Hwa Nabi.

“Oh, aren’t you Gyeoul’s mother?”

“Yes, I’m Gyeoul’s mom. You remembered me?”

“Of course I remember! How could I forget Woohee’s friend’s mother with such outstanding beauty?”

“You’re one to talk, Woohee’s mother. Don’t people mistake you for a college student wherever you go?”

I wondered if Hwa Nabi might know her, and sure enough, she does. Seeing how comfortably they compliment each other, they’re clearly not meeting for the first time, and from the flow of conversation, she must be the mother of Woohee’s friend. It makes sense that I wouldn’t know her.

But didn’t she say the child’s name is Gyeoul? Is it a girl? Well, since she’s Woohee’s friend, she must be a girl. I waited quietly with that thought. Hwa Nabi knows so many people that when I go out with her, being left standing like a sack of barley is quite common.

Since I’m already used to it, I kept quiet, but suddenly Gyeoul’s mother’s gaze fixed on me. Since she’s seeing me for the first time, she looked me up and down, and when our eyes met, she hurriedly lowered her head.

“Oh my, I’m sorry. It was rude of me to stare when we’ve just met…”

“It’s fine. I’m used to people looking me over.”

I’d only care if it happened once or twice. People scanning my body happens several times a day, so I just let it go. I waved my hand to indicate she shouldn’t worry about it.

“Ah, are you perhaps a model or something?”

“No, just an ordinary…”

“My husband does look like a model, but he’s not one—he’s a company employee. The company name is Hanwi… what was it again?”

“…Construction, Hanwi Construction.”

She asked so naturally that I answered, but as soon as Hanwi Construction was mentioned, I could feel everyone around us staring.

Feeling awkward about it, I pretended not to notice.

“Hanwi Construction? Is that the Hanwi? The one that… what was it, makes semiconductors?”

“The semiconductor company is Hanwi Electronics. We mainly export heavy equipment and handle domestic and international construction projects. Like building skyscrapers in urban areas.”

“Ah, I see. Woohee’s father does such impressive work. Woohee must be proud.”

“Oh, it’s nothing to brag about…”

Maybe it’s her way of speaking, but her excessive praise makes me feel awkward. Hwa Nabi nudged my shoulder with her elbow.

‘Wait a minute, husband. Aren’t you enjoying this too much?’

‘I’m not enjoying it, just having a normal conversation.’

‘Your mouth is stretched into a grin. Control yourself.’

The world is harsh when I can’t even smile freely. Since Hwa Nabi was making such a fuss, I reluctantly returned to a blank expression.

“By the way, I work as a daycare teacher. I’m in my second year now.”

“Oh, daycare… Gyeoul’s mother, you’re doing such meaningful work too. Taking care of children isn’t easy. It must be tough when they throw tantrums and cry.”

Working as a childcare teacher while raising your own child must feel like you’re still working even after you clock out. As someone who works at a company, I can’t even imagine it.

“No, not at all. Children are so adorable! I go to work with a smile every day.”

“Wow… that’s amazing.”

Taking care of two children is already overwhelming, so looking after dozens must be incredibly draining. To go to work smiling every day, you must have incredible mental strength. It seems true that childcare professions require innate calling.

I tilted my head in genuine admiration. Seeing me, Gyeoul’s mother laughed quietly. So I smiled back, and Hwa Nabi nudged my side.

‘Husband, are you flirting in front of me?’

‘Is smiling at someone considered flirting…?’

Then how many people are comedians on TV shows flirting with?

‘That wasn’t just smiling, you were beaming at her. Like you found her cute!’

‘What’s wrong with her….’

Is this an extension of her earlier sulking? But she seems genuinely upset… I can’t possibly understand what she’s thinking. Whatever it is, I should probably go along with it to improve her mood.

I subtly wrapped my arm around Hwa Nabi’s waist. Just as I was about to pull her closer for a hug, children’s laughter suddenly erupted from inside the classroom.

What’s that? Did something funny happen? Several parents, including myself, gathered near the window. Normally, we should stay away to avoid disturbing the class, but when you hear such laughter, it’s impossible to resist the curiosity.

Peeking through the window, I saw the teacher sitting at the piano with the children gathered behind her. It seems to be music class, with the teacher playing the piano and the children singing along. Could that be what made the children laugh?

“They say children laugh just by looking at fallen leaves, and that seems exactly right, doesn’t it?”

“I know, I thought something funny had happened.”

“At that age, they find anything that moves entertaining, don’t they? Children can have fun with just a tissue.”

I found myself nodding at the conversation around me. Our Woohee played with tissues like that until last year too, often leaving the whole house in a mess. It’s nice how parents raising children of similar ages can relate to each other like this.

With these thoughts, I kept watching the classroom. Normally, we shouldn’t peek before the observation time, but since I’m already here, I might as well see how Woohee is doing in class.

Roughly counting, there are about twenty children in the classroom, and Woohee was sitting at the very back.

But, what’s that?

“…Huh.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. The reason being, Woohee at the back was holding hands with some boy.

And not even shyly—she was talking to the boy next to her with a very confident, excited face…!

“Husband, why are you trembling?”

“Na-Nabi, look at that. That!”

“What? What’s happening?”

“Woohee is holding hands with some strange boy right now!”

“What? Didn’t I… didn’t I tell you? That boy is—”

“Yes, that boy right there. He’s not Woohee’s boyfriend, is he? Who is he? Where did he come from? Who does he think he is, holding my precious daughter’s hand like that?”

“…Sigh, I give up.”

I unleashed my anger without restraint, and Hwa Nabi, who had tried to calm me down, turned away in exasperation.

The person she looked at was none other than Gyeoul’s mother.

Receiving Hwa Nabi’s gaze, Gyeoul’s mother, with an extremely embarrassed face, muttered quietly.

“Um, I’m so sorry….”

“…Oh.”