Ch.341341. Girl’s Dad or Just a Fool…

“So, what do you think?”

“W-what do you mean ‘so’? Seriously, I can’t believe this. Don’t say weird things, or actually, just don’t talk to me at all!”

When I casually asked while gently stroking her hair, she shook her head vigorously to brush off my hand. She seems embarrassed, but her playing hard to get is kind of cute.

I’d like to tease her more, but that would obviously cause a commotion, so I shouldn’t. Suppressing my urge to joke around, I glanced at Woohee. Having completely devastated her mother with just a few words, Woohee now seemed ready to wrap things up as she cleared her throat and continued.

“Anyway, perhaps that’s why? Sometimes I feel lonely. Even though my loving mom and dad share so much love with me, it seems like your love for each other is slightly greater than your love for me. I especially feel this at night.”

“…At night?”

Isn’t Woohee asleep at night? What exactly is she feeling? I glanced at Hwa Nabi wondering if she knew something, but her expression matched mine—confusion. From what I could tell, she didn’t seem to know anything either.

Though nothing was certain yet, the keyword “night” made me strangely uneasy. That’s because there aren’t many things Nabi and I could do at night, except for, well, making love.

But there’s no way she could have heard us. We’ve been as restrained as possible with children in the house, and when the mood inevitably struck, we were extremely careful about noise. We even replaced the bed with an expensive one that doesn’t creak, so it’s impossible she could have heard anything.

“Nabi, sounds from inside the room don’t carry outside, right?”

“Yes, whispers are barely audible. You know that, we tested it together before.”

“Yeah, we did. So I know, but…”

Just maybe. I don’t think it’s possible, but what if some sound we weren’t careful about leaked outside the room? If we were distracted by other activities, it wasn’t entirely impossible. No matter how thorough we try to be, human actions always have gaps.

Though I thought “no way” and “that can’t be,” I waited for Woohee’s next words. But what came out of her mouth was completely different from what we expected.

“I sleep separately from mom and dad. Every night, you take turns coming to my room and telling me stories until I fall asleep. I love that time, but it also makes me feel sad. We sleep together every night, but when I open my eyes, I’m always alone.”

“…”

“So sometimes I ask mom or dad if we can sleep together, but every time, you both smile bitterly and say, ‘Our Woohee is all grown up now, you can sleep alone, right?’ Then I have no choice but to nod.”

“…Wow.”

This is really, truly unexpected. To be honest, I’m shocked. I had no idea Woohee felt this way. Our Woohee, who always seemed so mature and composed beyond her years, was feeling this lonely.

Unconsciously covering my mouth, I looked at Hwa Nabi. For some reason, her expression was strange. Rather than looking shocked like me, she seemed almost… admiring?

“Our Woohee is really something else…”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking.”

“It’s unfortunate, but I understand that mom and dad need your own time together. So I always hug our cat Nabi instead when I sleep. But recently, even our Nabi seems lonely, sometimes giving me strange looks. As a fellow sufferer of nightly loneliness, I can tell.”

Woohee suddenly hugged the teddy bear that was on the piano. At that moment, coincidentally, the music from the teacher’s phone changed. If the previous song had a sweet feeling, this one was more profound. Because of this, Woohee simply hugging a teddy bear somehow looked wistful, like embracing a long-lost lover.

“Nabi probably needs a friend to comfort her loneliness, just like me. But that’s impossible. Mom and dad said one cat is enough for our house. Any more would just be another animal eating our food.”

I don’t think we said it quite like that. Is Woohee taking after her mother, changing memories to suit herself?

“So I feel really sorry for Nabi. She’s spent nearly six years without any friends, and she’ll continue to have none. Nabi will probably keep feeling lonely, just like me who can’t sleep with mom and dad every night.”

“…”

If nothing else, Woohee’s final words—”just like me who can’t sleep with mom and dad every night”—hit me like a stake through the heart.

In the end, she’s just making a long case for getting another cat… but by using her own loneliness as the reason, she makes me feel guilty for not getting one.

“I love mom and dad very much, and I understand your love for each other, but I wish you could understand me too. You’re already giving me overflowing love.”

“…This is about getting a cat, right?”

“Yes, I think so…?”

“What should we do, just get one?”

“That’s up to you, but isn’t this too sudden? This isn’t something to decide on impulse—we should discuss it as a family.”

“Hmm, you think so? Then…”

As we were quietly exchanging opinions with Hwa Nabi, the homeroom teacher stopped the music and looked around at everyone.

Then, looking toward the back where we were, she casually asked:

“Mom, Dad! Are you going to get Woohee a cat?”

At that moment, everyone’s eyes—children and adults alike—turned and fixed on Nabi and me. The kids could have made a fuss about discovering their parents, but instead, they were all staring intently, as if we were the center of attention.

It feels like I should answer quickly given the atmosphere… but since we haven’t clearly decided, I can’t readily say anything. As I hesitated, Hwa Nabi stepped forward and answered decisively in my place.

“I can’t answer right now, but we’ll decide after discussing it as a family.”

“Woohee, your mom says she’ll think about it?”

“Teacher, I haven’t finished my presentation yet. If it’s not too rude, may I continue?”

“Oh, yes. Go ahead then?”

Woohee, who had spoken so resolutely, glanced at us. I thought she would stop after receiving our ambiguous answer, but judging by her expression, that wasn’t the case.

It seems she wants a definite answer here, but what is she planning? She’s probably used up most of her cards by now.

“Yes, I understand everything, but I wish you wouldn’t kiss where I can see you. And at night too, when I’m not yet asleep, you go outside my room, happily thinking I’m asleep, and mom and dad hold hands and go to the bedroom…”

“…Alright, we’ll get you one!”

What is this kid saying? I was listening quietly but became alarmed and quickly made a cutting motion across my throat while desperately shouting.

Please cut her off before she says something strange!

Using my hands, eyes, and body language, I desperately signaled to the teacher. My efforts must have worked somewhat, as the teacher gently stroked Woohee’s head and smiled.

“Woohee, your dad says he’ll get you a cat?”

“Heeh, really? Dad, I love you!”

With a beaming smile, Woohee bounced toward us at the back. I quickly moved forward to meet her, and our father-daughter pair embraced fiercely in the middle of the classroom.

From the outside, it truly looks like a touching family reunion. Others must feel the same way, as someone started clapping, triggering thunderous applause. Stop it, you people.

“…You could have just been honest with dad.”

Ignoring the applause, I whispered in Woohee’s ear. She opened her eyes wide and asked as if she didn’t understand what I meant.

“Dad, don’t you remember what you told me before?”

“Um… what did I say?”

“You said, ‘Tell me why you want another cat, and if it’s reasonable, I’ll consider it.'”

“Yes, I did say that?”

“At that time, I asked if I could answer later, remember? This is my answer.”

“…”

I stared at Woohee, dumbfounded. Is this really a four-year-old child? Why is she so smart? Should we get her intelligence tested or an IQ test? Wait, aren’t those the same thing?

While I was having these silly thoughts out of confusion, Woohee gave me a charming smile just like her mother’s and came close to kiss me on the cheek. It’s nice to see my daughter’s affection after so long, but I feel dazed from being completely outmaneuvered by a four-year-old.

“…Heeh.”

Woohee keeps imitating her mother’s laugh while hugging my torso. Despite my confusion, I hugged her back, and for some reason, everyone around us kept applauding as if celebrating.

…Honestly, I’m still not sure what just happened. My head is spinning. But at least I’ve learned that Woohee is smart, so maybe that’s enough?

I unconsciously looked to the side and caught Hwa Nabi’s gaze. She had approached and was now crouching beside me, gently stroking Woohee’s head while communicating with her eyes.

‘Do you understand now?’

‘Huh? What?’

‘Why I called Woohee a fox.’

‘No, I still don’t get it…’

‘…Sigh, you daughter-obsessed fool.’