episode_0041

Since it was time when I was getting hungry, I made some simple snacks. Children tend to prefer simple flavors over complex ones. So, I simplified the menu to steamed eggs, seasoned seaweed, and kimchi. I heard from Choi Jin-hee that they would eat well if I prepared it that way.

Anyway, even though it was a simple menu, I cooked with great care since it was for the kids. I checked meticulously to ensure the seasoning wasn’t too salty and that the eggs were cooked enough, considering the risk of salmonella in summer. Hyeseol, unlike most girls her age, ate her meal well without distractions.

“Oh, she eats well.”

-Chomp chomp chomp.

Watching her earnestly take bites of rice with her small mouth moving diligently, it was incredibly endearing.

Oh, how cute. Our kids used to be like this back in the day.

Back then, both my wife and I were working, so when my mom practically lived with Su-yeon in her studio apartment, she often took care of the kids. We believed in fulfilling our parental duties, focusing on the children whenever we had spare time. Even then, I was the one handling the baby food and feeding the kids, memories of which still lingered vividly.

“Mmm, this auntie’s food is delicious.”

It might sound odd to call me an auntie, but maybe that’s because I’m too immersed in society. Nevertheless, watching Hyeseol enjoy her meal, I smiled and praised her extravagantly as she emptied her bowl.

“Oh, you finished it all? Our Hyeseol is so good, so kind!”

In response, Hyeseol bashfully lowered her head.

“Is Hyeseol good?”

“Well~ She eats well, listens to adults, how kind can she be.”

“Really? Hehe.”

Aww, so adorable. Now that my daughter has grown up and lost her cuteness, always nagging at me, and my son barely reacts to anything, seeing a young child like this makes me feel incredibly fond. Of course, if I were to live with her and see her antics every day, I might grow tired of them, but right now, she seems just like Choi Jin-hee’s daughter. Though A-in used to run around noisily in cafes, seeing them together now, they were surprisingly calm.

Perhaps being left in a strange house and suddenly losing her father made her timid, which weighed on my heart a bit. Nonetheless, I felt the responsibility to take good care of her while I could, so I cut fruits, read storybooks, watched children’s YouTube videos with her, and played together. Gradually, her tone of voice brightened, and her expression became happier than before.

“Auntie! Auntie! Let’s play with toys!”

I’ve heard that showing too many videos isn’t good, so after watching some YouTube, I turned it off and suggested playing with something else. Hyeseol said that.

Well, playing with toys shouldn’t be that difficult, so I nodded and opened the toy box Choi Jin-hee had prepared in advance, only to find…

“Eek!”

Startled, I unintentionally screamed for the house to leave. Hyeseol was even more shocked, her eyes widened. Tears welled up instantly, and she burst into loud sobs.

“Waaahhh!!”

To calm my racing heart from the sudden shock, I hugged Hyeseol, patting her back gently.

“Oh, I’m sorry for screaming.”

“Waaahhh, sniff. Sob! Waaaahh!”

Hyesol was held in the arms and circled the living room, apologizing repeatedly until her tears stopped and she started to sniffle. While soothing her back until she calmed down, Hyesol asked cautiously.

“Mom, are you not angry?”

“Well, why would I be angry? Mom just shouted because she was a little surprised. I’m not angry at all.”

“Why, why were you surprised? Hiccup!”

“That’s…”

After looking back at the toys spilled from the toy box, I raised my gaze again. The reason I was surprised. It was because of the bug models that had spilled out of the toy box.

“Hyesol, do you like insects?”

“Yes! Hyesol likes insects a lot!”

Yes, boys usually like dinosaurs or robots. Breaking the national rule that girls like dolls, Hyesol’s favorite toy play was insects. Not just harmless longhorn beetles or stag beetles, but also cockroaches, centipedes, spiders, and other creepy insects filled the toy box, so it was inevitable to be surprised when the toys spilled out. Really terrifying.

“Well, actually, Mom is a little scared of insects… So I was really surprised.”

Then tears welled up in her eyes again.

“T-then, can’t we play with toys?”

Honestly, there was a conflict. Insects. No, not just insects, but spiders. I don’t know about others, but I used to freeze up just by seeing a spider the size of a fingernail. I was so scared of spiders that even in Spider-Man movies, I would close my eyes and wait for the scene where the spider bites to end. How could I touch and play with them?

“W-well…”

As I hesitated, tears began to flow down my cheeks. Oh, this is really awkward. What should I do? While pondering over it…

-Ding dong!

The doorbell rang like a church bell from the front door.

“I’m back~”

The one who came in was none other than Dabin.

“Oh, you’re here?”

As soon as Dabin entered the living room, he looked back and forth between me, Hyesol in my arms.

“Oh, is this the daughter of the Jinhee lady I mentioned before?”

I nodded, and he nodded back before heading to his room.

What’s this, indifference? Does he dislike kids? Even though he’s in the 9th grade, it’s an age where he should be focusing on himself, but isn’t it normal to at least ask about the child’s name?

-Sniffle sniffle.

Feeling something pressing on my chest, I looked down to see Hyesol pressing against me and asking.

“Mom, who is that guy?”

Suddenly, her tears stopped, and with bright eyes, Hyesol asked.

“He’s Mom’s son. Hyesol is Mom’s daughter, right?”

Hyesol nodded.

“Umm… Oppa?”

It seemed a bit difficult for her to recognize a man so much bigger than herself as an older brother, so I thought about correcting her to uncle, but decided to let her decide for herself.

While it was good that Hyesol’s crying had stopped, after holding a child weighing over 15kg for nearly 10 minutes, my arms were tired. So I put Hyesol down on the sofa, stroked her head, and said.

“Mom might find insects a bit scary, so it might be difficult. When Oppa comes out later, let’s ask him to play with insects together. How does that sound?”

Seeing that Hyesol seemed to like Dabin, I decided to hand my son over to gain some peace of mind.

“Is it okay?”

-Nod nod.

Since Dabin had been missing without saying a word since earlier, I could tell by watching where he disappeared. They say children are cute and handsome, but could it be that even a 5-year-old boy is affected by good looks?

After waiting for a while, Dabin came out wearing different clothes. Then, with twinkling eyes, Hyesol looked at Dabin.

“What’s, what’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Dabin, Mom is going to prepare dinner now, could you play with Hyesol for a while?”

Then Davin, visibly flustered. It seemed difficult for him to play with the child yet, but Hyeseol took the initiative and approached Davin.

“Oppa, let’s play with insects!”

In the end, it seems he chose to be called “Oppa” rather than “Samchon.” Hyeseol’s proactive attitude was enough to shake Davin a bit, but he still nodded his head, glanced at the toys on the floor, and picked up the spider first… Eek!

I quickly turned my head and fled to the kitchen.

Oh… a spider. It’s too much. It’s unsettling just to look at, a Tarantula figure the size of a palm with realistic fur. Why are toys of such high quality these days?

Anyway, while I was preparing dinner in the kitchen, Dayoung also arrived home soon. Seeing Hyeseol’s cute appearance, she approached saying, “Aww! So cute!” but then screamed and ran away when she saw a bug, just like me. Still, this time, Davin was next to her, so she didn’t cry but just looked a bit disappointed as she gazed at Dayoung.

“Dayoung, bugs must be a bit overwhelming for you too, right?”

When I asked Dayoung, who came out to help prepare dinner after changing her clothes, she vigorously shook her head.

“No way. Ugh, especially why is that spider so realistic? Wow… I really got a shock. Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up.”

Seeing her reaction, I realized I wasn’t the only one feeling strange, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Still, let’s try not to show any signs in front of the kids. They might get hurt. Understand?”

Dayoung nodded as if understanding my words. I quickly prepared dinner, called Dayoung and Davin to the dining table, and started looking for Hyeseol as a substitute. Since playing with insects was too much, we turned on the TV and watched a YouTube video together. Perhaps because Davin had already played with insects enough, he smoothly transitioned without any fuss.

That Davin, before eating, could you please hide that creepy spider figure somewhere less visible….