episode_0063

Jiyeon and I finished our light shower.

“Mom! Soap got in my eyes!”

I wrapped my daughter’s head in a towel and wiped her eyes.

“Hehe~ Mommy!”

Then Jiyeon pulled me close, drying my body as well.

Covered in bubbles, Jiyeon made various shapes with them.

While touching my head, she said, “I can’t say the name due to copyright, but it’s a cute mouse!”

She then made a mouse head.

With my head still wrapped up, I carried Jiyeon into the bathtub.

As she soaked in the warmth, Jiyeon let out a small sigh.

“Aah~”

After relaxing, she hugged me again.

Looking at me, Jiyeon said, “Mommy’s bubble bath is the best.”

“She’s mischievous just like her dad.”

We bathed together with Jiyeon.

Finally, as we dried off, Jiyeon wiped my back.

“Oh, your skin is so soft!”

“You’re good at soaping too!”

After some conversation, we left the bathroom, signaling the end of the bath.

“Da…Dad… Show me your daughter!!!”

With that shout, my husband entered the bathroom to check on Jiyeon.

Seeing his expression, Jiyeon stiffened and said, “Eek… I feel bad.”

Upon hearing this, Jihu froze and began to space out.

“Dad’s a pervert. Why are you looking when you’re undressed?”

“Oh… I just… that’s…”

My husband was shocked.

As he pondered what to do, Jiyeon exclaimed, “Dad’s a pervert! I’m leaving!”

“Oh, Dad’s in trouble? Sounds fun, I want to join.”

Saying this, Jiyeon went back to her room.

Then Jiho approached, also calling out “Dad’s a pervert,” and my husband started spacing out again.

This is… well…

“Honey… calm down a bit, she’s just a girl, I’ll talk to her later.”

Despite my words, Jiho continued to space out, not listening.

Hoping he would calm down a bit…

I patted my husband’s shoulder and followed Jiyeon to her room.

**

“Dad, soap got in my eye.”

“…….”

“Dad’s peepee is big.”

“…Embarrassing….”

With that, we left the bathroom.

“Huh? Is this the end of our bathing scene?”

“No one cares about men’s bathing scenes. Or do you want to join me in the tub?”

“Eek… Men in the tub…”

“If you say that, it hurts my feelings.”

Leaving the bathroom with my son, we returned to the room.

“Oh… sleeping?”

In my room, Jiyeon was sleeping next to Jiwon.

“It seems she got tired after showering right after getting wet in the rain, she collapsed right away.”

Seeing her asleep, I doubted if this was the same girl who was causing trouble just moments ago; she looked like an angel.

As I was about to turn off the lights and sleep…

“If the whole family is sleeping, I’ll sleep too!”

With Jiho’s words, I quietly lay down on the bed, not next to Dad but where Jiyeon and Jiwon were.

“Sleeping with Dad?”

“Sleeping in the same bed with a man is a bit…”

But the bed was quite cramped. Would it be okay to sleep on the bed railing? I thought.

Thud—

Indeed, my anxious heart was not wrong.

Still, Jiho fell off and hit his face…

He tried to get back up but then…

“Turn off the light before coming over.”

Today, my son shed tears and turned off the light for me.

**

The next day, returning home from work, Dad handed me my salary.

“Congratulations to our son.”

“What for?”

“You’ve paid off all the debts now.”

Saying this, he gave me my salary.

Working hard for 9 years, did I really pay off all those debts?

“So what are you going to do? Are you going to look for another job now? Or will you keep working here?”

I didn’t know how to respond to my father’s question.

After some contemplation, I simply said that I would continue working here.

There’s nowhere else to transfer to at this point anyway.

Feeling that staying here wouldn’t be so bad, I told him I would stay.

Upon hearing this, my father replied, “Is it okay if your mother and I visit to see the grandchildren next time?”

I quietly nodded in response to my father’s question.

“At least let us know a day in advance before we come.”

Saying this, my father acknowledged and began to wear the expression of a truly happy person.

Is seeing their grandchildren really such a joyful thing for them?

Thinking this, I gazed at my father for a while.

Just then, I received a call from the school.

What could this be about?

Answering the call, it was Jiho’s homeroom teacher on the line.

“Yes… What can I help you with?”

The teacher sighed upon answering the call.

“Jiho got into a fight with another student today, and things got a bit physical.”

“I see…”

It seemed like Jiho had been in a fight. Feeling a bit flustered, I intended to bow my head and apologize.

“But his mother came and joined the fight.”

“Really…?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to the teacher’s words.

Nevertheless, I acknowledged and informed my father of the situation before heading straight to Jiho’s school.

**

We quickly arrived at Jiho’s school by car.

There, Jiho was bowing his head, and Jiwon had a swollen face as if he had been scratched.

“Sigh… You… seriously.”

Rather than getting angry right away, it’s important to assess the situation first.

“Could you please explain what happened?”

I asked the homeroom teacher to help me understand the situation.

Approaching me slowly, the teacher led me outside and began explaining the situation.

After understanding the situation, I met with the other child’s parents.

“That kid is the problem! Just like his mother! Always resorting to violence!”

I bowed my head apologetically in response to the other parents’ words.

“Dad…”

“….”

When Jiho looked at me with pleading eyes, I gestured for him to stay quiet.

“I’ll handle everything, just wait a bit.”

I said while patting Jiho’s head.

“It’s true that our child struck first. Isn’t there fault on both sides?”

“What? Those families are impossible to reason with!”

Soon enough, the other parent started yelling at me.

“Please calm down and listen.”

I stared at the person and spoke firmly.

“After understanding the situation, it seems your child harassed mine first.”

“How do you explain that part?”

Both families started getting agitated at my words.

As they began to argue, I maintained my composure and said directly to the parents,

“You’re the ones who aren’t listening.”

“If your child harassed mine, you should address that issue first instead of protecting your own kid as if they’re precious.”

“Whether through legal action or an agreement, we’ll discuss this later.”

With that, I handed over my business card, took Jiho and Jiwon, and left.

Continuing to converse with unreasonable people is futile.

I’ll have to involve a lawyer later, one way or another.

**

After seeing Jiho off…

He continued to bow his head.

“Hey Kang Jiho, before we go home, let me ask you one thing.”

“Uh… yes?”

“Why did you hit him?”

Jiho bowed his head and apologized in response to my question.

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have gotten angry… I shouldn’t have hit him.”

“He… He insulted our mom… I couldn’t help it.”

That was the reason behind it.

That kid insulted his own mother first.

From Jiho’s perspective, there was no way he wouldn’t get angry.

“Jiho… There are precisely two things you did wrong.”

“First, hitting that kid. No matter how angry someone makes you, it’s not right to hit them first.”

“And second, why didn’t you just make him into minced meat?”

“What?”

Ah, damn it, if you were going to hit him at least once, you should’ve just turned him into minced meat. Just one punch and seeing him like this makes my heart ache for no reason…

“Hey, if you had touched my parents, you should have killed half of them, not spared them, right?”

At my words, Jiho looked at me in confusion.

I know I shouldn’t raise him like this.

But still, he did touch my parents.

Wouldn’t it be fine to kill half of them?

“Jihoo… That doesn’t seem right.”

“As expected, right?”

I lifted Jiho up as is, wiping the tears from Jihoo’s face halfway.

“Kid! Do men cry when they shed tears!”

Thinking that way, while pondering how to stop Jiho’s tears.

“Next time, around the end of the year, how about we go to the beach together?”

At my words, Jiho and Jiwon seemed surprised, looking at me.

“We hardly ever went on a family trip.”

“Let’s go on a trip this time.”

Jiwon was taken aback by my words, but soon regained her smile and agreed to go.

“I need to check out swimsuits tomorrow.”

Saying that, as I was heading home.

“Hey, Kim Jiwon, I’m curious about something.”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you get slapped?”

Come to think of it, did Kim Jiwon fight with an elementary schooler?

Why does he have a scar from being slapped?

These days, kids are scary, huh? So that’s what happened…

“Well.. there’s this thing…” Jiwon explained, looking flustered.