episode_0011

“Mi, Mirae, are you having fun?”

“… … .”

“You didn’t cry because you missed your mom?”

“… … .”

“Mi, the future?”

My daughter, who looks like she’s going to burst at any moment. She came flying to daycare right after school, and as expected, her future anger was sky-high.

“… Mom didn’t come home in the morning either.”

“I’m sorry… .”

There’s no excuse. I could have gotten up early in the morning and stopped by home, but I was too complacent.

“… Mom smells different.”

“Huh, huh?”

My face turned hot at the gaze that was looking at me with a dark complexion.

A different smell… Well, it would smell different.

I have never stayed in another house before. At best, it was next door. And since it was right next door, I had to come back and take a bath.

I smell different from others. Needless to say, I smell like Hannah Yeon.

“Hey, what do you think Mom smells like?”

My hot face didn’t even think about cooling down. Instead, I felt warm all the way to the top of my head as I vividly remembered what had happened that morning.

Of course, Hanna Yeon was the same Hanna Yeon as always.

I ate the breakfast Hannayeon prepared for me when she said, “Eat breakfast.” I washed up when she said, “Wash up.” Then I took the same bus to school. Thinking back, nothing happened except for the kiss.

Yeah, other than kissing… .

“Ugh… .”

The future’s gaze is harsh. But what if my daughter finds out that I kissed her friend? If I tell her a joke, wouldn’t that be a chance to escape this heavy silence?

A kiss between a friend by mistake? If I were 7 years old, I would have definitely laughed. Why, even in ninja comics, they put scenes of friends kissing each other as a joke.

“Mirae-ya, listen up. Mom mistook you for Mirae and kissed your friend!”

“… … .”

“Ahaha, isn’t that funny? Kissing my friend thinking it was the future… .”

“… … .”

“I thought you kissed… but you didn’t? I can’t remember… .”

Ahaha… . The sound of weak laughter echoes back. Due to the characteristics of a single-parent household, Mirae’s affection for me is special. I can be confident about this.

Maybe that’s why tears like chicken droppings started to fall from Mirae’s eyes. Kissing was an act of confirming our love for each other. She probably didn’t like the fact that she shared it with someone else.

“I hate you, Mom… .”

The future is fading away beyond the blazing sunset. Black hair fluttering loudly, short legs moving busily. Since the future’s running wasn’t that fast, I was able to catch up quickly.

I grabbed Future’s shoulder and spun her around, hugging her in a flash.

“Do you really hate me?”

“… Give me down. I don’t want to be with Mom.”

I know you don’t mean it, but my heart still feels like it’s been stabbed by a needle.

“… Really?”

The hand holding Mirae gained strength. The feeling of soft flesh on her cheek. Mirae remained silent for a moment as if she was thinking, and then opened her mouth heavily.

“… From now on, you won’t go anywhere else for the future?”

“Of course. Oh, you said you’d write a memorandum, right? When I get home, should I make a pretty memorandum with Mom?”

What is a pretty memorandum? I don’t know what it means even though I did it. But the form of the memorandum doesn’t matter. If the future is happy, that’s the best.

“I decided to write a hundred pages… .”

“Future, the heart is more important than the number of memoranda. Because it’s a promise that you will definitely keep. So let’s write just one properly?”

I never thought it would be too much. I could easily write a hundred pages for the future.

But if there are too many memoranda, doesn’t it seem like a joke? The weight of the promise is reduced. Yeah, that’s why I said let’s just use one.

“… Okay. I’ll just use one.”

This time, I nodded obediently. The tears had stopped and I could see that she was feeling better, so I rubbed my cheek against Mirae’s and spoke as lively as I could.

“Good, our future. Okay. I’ll hug you until you get home!”

“Ugh… I hate this smell!”

But Mirae’s reaction was cold. I didn’t even sweat today since I didn’t have any physical education class. But Mirae is so disgusted. Is there something wrong with my body?

I asked, carefully putting the future down.

“Ho, does Mom smell weird?”

“No… I want to smell mommy… Wash me and hug me… .”

What, that was it? The bathroom supplies at Hannah Yeon’s house and our house definitely smell different.

Hannah Yeon uses a body wash with a subtle floral scent. On the other hand, I prefer a more comfortable scent that is mild and plain. If I had to describe it, I smell like a baby. I like the soft and fluffy scent.

“Uh-huh, then I’ll wash up and come out and hold you until tomorrow morning!”

Feeling better, he grabbed Mirae’s hand tightly and shouted. At the same time, Mirae’s eyes also grew wide and began to sparkle.

“By tomorrow morning?! What about food?”

“Eat it without holding it.”

“, when you wash too?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Are you going to take a leisurely bath for the first time in a while?”

Lately, I’ve only been washing myself with a shower. There’s no particular reason, and since filling the bathtub with water and cleaning up every day is a chore, I’ve naturally started avoiding it.

“Hehe… .”

Mirae smiled broadly and ran away shyly. It was a completely different atmosphere from when she ran away, as if she wanted to go home as soon as possible.

“Did it work out well?”

“Yes, well. Somehow.”

After the mother-daughter meeting was over, a woman who had been walking a little distance away approached me quietly. When I responded with a gentle smile, the woman finally let out a small sigh and looked into the future.

“Thank goodness. Actually, I was a little worried. The future is much harder than I thought… .”

“It’ll get better little by little as it grows. After all, it’s still a baby.”

In particular, the absence of one family member would have been even more painful. In addition, the memory of the birth mother leaving behind might have been buried in the subconscious. Even if it was when she was a baby, it could remain as a trauma.

“The future is a crybaby! It’s so ugly!”

“… … .”

“Aaah! Don’t pinch me! Mom, Mirae is pinching me!”

So, let’s overcome it slowly. Until the future’s wounds heal. Let’s lead the future until it can walk on its own.

Because that’s a mother’s role.

* * *

As soon as we got home and finished bathing, we lay down side by side on the floor and started writing a memorandum.

─Mom only sleeps with Mirae.

─Mom, just kiss Mirae.

─Mom only takes a bath with Mirae.

─Mom only eats with Mirae.

“… Even food? Then what do you do at school?”

“You can eat it alone!”

“I’m lonely alone… .”

“Ugh… .”

The small hand that was holding the eraser tightly moved as if it was regretful. Fortunately, the agenda about food was erased, but Mirae picked up the pencil again as if there was still something left to write.

─Mom, don’t leave the future behind.

“Yeah, I’ll never let you go.”

This is what the future truly desires. I swept my hand through the future’s hair, making a vow.

Mirae shook her head as if the sensation was ticklish, then smiled bashfully and wrote one more line.

─Mom is going to marry Mirae.

“Will the future marry your mom?”

“Yeah! I want to do it with Mom!”

It was something that everyone would have said at least once. Of course, it’s natural to like the person you’re closest to. As you grow up, you’ll naturally realize that LOVE and LIKE have different meanings.

“Yeah, Mom, you should marry Mirae.”

“Hehehe, Mom… .”

Mirae muttered in a languid voice, her face pressed against my neck and she nuzzled it. The hair tickling her chin smelled like the same shampoo.

“You like it that much?”

“Yeah! You have to follow everything written in the memorandum, right?”

“Of course. That’s what a memorandum is for.”

I just got out of the shower, so I’m slowly starting to feel sleepy. The floor is warm because the boiler is on, and I feel like just sleeping like this today.

“Oh, that’s right!”

As I was dozing off with my eyes half-closed, Mirae left my arms and took something out of her bag.

“What is that?”

“Auntie’s lipstick!”

The white case in Future’s hand. Why is that coming out of Future’s bag?

“Why that… .”

“I told you not to use it.”

Mirae opened the lid and turned the lipstick. A short pillar of color slowly revealed itself. It was a light pink that suited the middle-aged woman.

…is that a substitute for the dojo?

I don’t know where I saw it, but it seems like I knew a lot about the memorandum. Honestly, I thought I would forget it after a day or two.

“Okay, give me your hand.”

“Excuse me, I’ll get some cleansing tissues.”

Mirae’s skin is still soft, so I have to erase it as soon as I take it. I picked up two cleansing tissues from the desk and sat down again.

At the same time, the tiny hands of the future touched, and pink lipstick was painted on their thumbs.

“Hey hey! If you want to save your daughter’s life, take the picture quickly!”

“… Where did you learn that?”

Mirae, who had been shouting with both hands on her waist, proudly spoke while putting lipstick on her own hands as well.

“I saw you on Masked Rider yesterday!”

“Was it the Masked Rider… .”

Masked Rider, you bastard!

What on earth is the story about, that there’s a scene where they take the daughter hostage and make her write a memorandum? Is this really a children’s animation in the first place?

First of all, it seems like there is no problem since the lady is still. But just in case, I should check before going to bed. It is easy to find if you search the vegetable wiki where all kinds of information are mixed together.

“Mom, if you take this picture, you have to keep it all. If you don’t… the future will punish you.”

Mirae, who had finished coloring her fingers, came next to me. At first, her eyes seemed playful, but gradually became more serious. In the end, the atmosphere became so gloomy that it felt eerie.

“That was on Masked Rider too?”

“No, the future thought.”

Punishment… Well, if Mirae cries a lot and comes looking for me, it’ll definitely be difficult.

It doesn’t matter. Just keep it.

A special day like yesterday doesn’t come around often, and getting married is a ridiculous thing to begin with.

“I’ll definitely protect you. Do you trust your mother in the future?”

So without hesitation, I pressed my fingers against the A4 paper. Two big and small fingerprints on a pure white paper. This is my promise to the future.

“… Yeah, believe me. Because Mom said lying is bad.”

A promise between a mother and a daughter that must be kept no matter what happens.