Ch.339339. Woohee Knows

“I mean, I told you not to do it, didn’t I? Why didn’t you listen?”

I pretended not to hear Hwa Nabi’s teasing remark as she snickered, and glanced at Gyeoul’s mother.

I did apologize for my rude outburst in the heat of the moment, and my fault was clear… but it’s not like I could take back what I’d said, which made me feel quite uncomfortable. Gyeoul’s mother told me not to worry about it, but still.

“Should I visit her later and apologize properly…?”

“And what would you say?”

“That I’m sorry for being rude, and that I’ll take responsibility for this.”

“Oh, come on. Husband, what exactly are you taking responsibility for? Do you even know how serious it sounds when you say you’ll ‘take responsibility’?”

“No, but I was still in the wrong…”

“Forget it. I’ll talk to her about this later myself. So don’t think about getting involved. Got it?”

We both seemed to have raised our voices quite a bit, but fortunately, the children were singing along with the teacher’s piano accompaniment, so our conversation was drowned out.

The kids were singing so loudly that they didn’t even notice us parents sneaking in through the back door. Seeing this, Hwa Nabi and I stopped our unproductive conversation and focused on watching the children sing.

“Nabi, doesn’t this song sound familiar?”

“Yes, of course it does. You hear it often when you turn on kids’ channels. What was the song called again? Baby Shark, was it?”

“Oh, is that the title? Pretty straightforward.”

Since the lyrics mention everything from baby shark to grandparent sharks, I guess the title is just “Baby Shark.” It’s meaningless, but I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Woohee always asked me to play this song, but you didn’t know?”

“Since the lyrics kept saying ‘baby shark this and that,’ I naturally thought the title was Baby Shark too.”

As we were chatting idly while watching Woohee from behind, she suddenly turned around as if she’d heard our conversation.

Of course, my eyes, Hwa Nabi’s, and Woohee’s met in mid-air. I immediately smiled and waved my hand gently.

‘Woohee, Daddy’s here.’

“……”

Woohee stared at me silently for a moment, then turned her head away without making a sound.

Embarrassed by her apparent indifference to my presence, I glanced at Hwa Nabi. She was desperately trying to hold back her laughter, looking like she was about to die from amusement.

‘Why are you laughing…?’

‘…Pfft, hmm. Our Woohee is quite smart, isn’t she?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘If she acknowledges you, the other kids might turn around too, which would disrupt the class. She probably knows that and is pretending not to see you on purpose.’

‘Ah… so that’s it.’

And here I thought Woohee had suddenly started disliking me and was ignoring me. My heart, which had sunk, returned to its original position, and I sighed in relief.

“Children, it’s almost time for your parents to arrive, isn’t it?”

—Yeeees!

“When your parents come, are you going to show them how cool and pretty you are, or not?”

—We’ll show them!

“Then, since we don’t want to make mistakes in front of your parents, shall we practice our presentations once more?”

The homeroom teacher, speaking in an exaggerated tone perfect for dealing with children, glanced toward the back. Then she gave a cute wink, which was a signal to the parents.

It meant we should stay quiet during the children’s presentations. Most parents, including Hwa Nabi and me, seemed to catch on and quietly nodded.

“Now, let’s go in the order we decided. Gyeoul was first, right?”

Oh, a name I’ve heard before popped up. Gyeoul must be that little brat—I mean, Woohee’s friend who was holding her hand.

If they’re close enough to hold hands while singing, they must be quite intimate. Alright, let’s see. I’ll judge whether he’s suitable for Woohee by watching his presentation.

I stared at this Gyeoul kid with fire in my eyes. Hwa Nabi nudged my shoulder and whispered quietly.

“Husband, you’re tensing your jaw muscles.”

“Is that better?”

“Uncross your arms too. Someone might think you’re an interviewer.”

“…Better now?”

“Relax your expression, smile. Don’t you know how scary your face gets when you frown? What if the kids accidentally look back and start crying?”

“……”

My face isn’t that bad, is it? When I responded with just my eyes, Hwa Nabi shook her head, insisting that it was indeed that bad.

I had a lot to say about that, but given the setting, I kept it to myself for now. We’ll see about this later…

“Gyeoul, did you take out what you prepared? Good, now present it to the teacher.”

Making sure the children don’t turn around not only reduces their presentation anxiety but also prevents them from noticing their parents in the back. Clever thinking.

I’ve heard that observation classes with young children are usually hard to control, but this way of secretly bringing in parents makes things easier. I’m learning something good here—I should use this technique if I ever find myself in a similar situation.

While I was lost in these thoughts, Gyeoul’s presentation began. The topic was what he had seen, heard, and felt while attending kindergarten. Cutting through the fluff, it was essentially praise for his teacher and friends, especially Woohee.

“Children, didn’t Gyeoul do a great job? Let’s all give him a round of applause!”

As the cute sound of clapping hands filled the room, Hwa Nabi leaned in close. Wondering what she wanted, I glanced at her and saw her asking me something with just her eyes.

‘Husband, what do you think?’

‘Huh? About what?’

‘About Gyeoul. He speaks really well, doesn’t he?’

‘…Well, I suppose he does.’

As much as I hate to admit it, he seems quite perceptive and speaks at a level well beyond that of a typical four or five-year-old. Unless someone wrote the script for him, he just seems like an incredibly smart kid. Is this why Woohee chose him?

When I peeked through the window earlier, he looked quite handsome too. So what remains are his daily habits and personality? Even if everything’s been good so far, I can’t hand Woohee over until those are confirmed…!

‘I wonder if our husband is just a daughter-obsessed fool, or just a fool in general….’

‘……’

While I was lost in these absurd thoughts, it became the next child’s turn. The topic was what they liked in everyday life.

Listening to it, the speaking skills were typical for Woohee’s age group, but perhaps because I had just heard Gyeoul’s presentation before… As much as I hate to compare, I had to admit Gyeoul was much better.

‘See? There’s a clear difference in level compared to the other kids, right?’

‘Yes, I get it. But why do you keep emphasizing that?’

‘Hmm… because you never know what might happen?’

What do you mean, “never know”? I barely managed to stop myself from speaking out.

Strange, I’m having trouble controlling my emotions today. After suppressing my irritation as much as possible and keeping my mouth shut, I noticed Hwa Nabi glancing at me. Her eyebrows were gently curved, as if she found my sullen expression adorable.

‘What, are you actually sulking?’

‘I’m not a child. I wouldn’t sulk over something like this.’

‘…Heh, how cute. Geez, who allowed you to be this cute?’

Hwa Nabi stood on her tiptoes and gently patted my head. I was about to swat her arm away but stopped because it might make noise. I’ll definitely deal with this later.

“Jimin did well too. Now, it’s the last one, right? It’s Woohee’s turn?”

“Yes.”

Woohee stood up after giving a short answer. The teacher looked at her with a slightly puzzled expression. I couldn’t read her thoughts, but she was probably wondering why Woohee had stood up when she hadn’t been told to.

Before the teacher could say anything, Woohee stepped forward and turned around. The children’s gazes were fixed on Woohee, and so were all the parents’—at least thirty pairs of eyes focused on her. Yet Woohee calmly looked at Hwa Nabi and me.

“Teacher, can I start my presentation now?”

“Um, but Woohee, where’s the paper with your presentation?”

“I memorized it all, so I don’t need it.”

“But you just made it the day before yesterday, and you’ve already memorized it…?”

“Yes, there’s nothing wrong with memorizing it, is there?”

Woohee tilted her head as if questioning what the problem was. Seemingly at a loss for words, the teacher fumbled with her lips before shaking her head.

“Ah… that’s right, there’s nothing wrong with memorizing it. Okay, then, go ahead and start your presentation.”

“Yes. The title is ‘My Dad.'”

“……”

Wait, is this about me? I unconsciously turned my head sideways and met Hwa Nabi’s gaze. She seemed just as surprised as I was, her eyes wide open as she looked at me.

‘Is Woohee talking about me right now?’

‘She just said “dad,” so it seems like it, doesn’t it?’

“What, Nabi, you didn’t know either?”

‘No, of course not. This is the first I’m hearing of it too.’

“…Ahem.”

While we were busy communicating with our eyes, Woohee cleared her throat as if to say “look here.”

Ah, the presentation isn’t over yet. Finally coming to my senses, I looked at Woohee. She stared back at me with a slightly pouty expression. Then, slowly, as if to make sure I heard every word clearly, she opened her mouth.

“My dad seems to love my mom more than anything else in the world.”

“…Huh?”

“Pfft…!”