episode_0031

Driving just a little outside the neighborhood towards the outskirts of the new city, soon fields and undeveloped areas spread out before my eyes.

In the end, even if you call it a new city, once you step just a bit outside the city center, it’s not much different from the countryside.

“Isn’t the view refreshing?”

I turned to Dayoung, who was sitting in the passenger seat, and asked.

“Refreshing? Not really. It’s just plain rural.”

Agreeing with that statement, Davin burst into laughter without much thought.

“Well, it’s still nice. It’s rare for all of us to go out like this together.”

“That’s true. Why is your sister so emotionally dry, though?”

Agreeing with Davin, I teased Dayoung, which made her snap back, raising her voice.

“What did you say? I may not know about other things, but I absolutely cannot agree that my emotions are drier than that brat’s!”

Well, the comment she made when we went to watch a movie together before still shocks me. It seemed like Davin’s friends felt the same way.

“Well, anyway. It’s nice to see such a refreshing place after a long time.”

Even just stepping slightly out of the city where I currently live brings a sense of liberation. How great would it be to go on a faraway vacation next week? And being able to swim in a pool with an ocean view, the kids are excited, and so am I.

“Dad, have you decided what to buy when we go today?”

Since only our family was in the car now, I quickly reverted to being called Dad. I felt a strange pang despite asking again if it might be better to stick to being called Mom in case of any mistakes.

Maybe making a mistake outside wouldn’t be so bad. Just correct it right away and call it a mistake.

“Hmm? I’m not sure, Dad, but Dayoung, can you decide for me?”

We had planned to simply go shopping for clothes, but since I’m also clueless about women’s clothing, nothing specific came to mind.

“Well… first, swimsuits, then summer dresses and beach sandals, and maybe a beach hat? The rest, well, just bring some clothes you already have.”

Since I only had my clothes, I asked Dayoung about it.

“I should buy some too. Hmm… I could wear what I have, but I probably need to buy a new swimsuit.”

Kids grow up so fast. Especially Dayoung, it feels like all the nutrients she’s consuming are going to her chest, not her height, so last year’s swimsuit definitely won’t fit.

“Oh, and while we’re at it, how about Davin gets a Hawaiian shirt?”

A Hawaiian shirt. It definitely gives off a summer vibe, and it’ll make the outing feel even more enjoyable.

“Sure, sounds good. Hehe.”

It’s been a while since our family went shopping together, so seeing how excited Davin was made me happy.

I quickly drove and arrived at the outlet after about 20 minutes.

Surrounded by sand hills, the outlet is still located in an undeveloped area. It seems like a large-scale development is planned as part of the preparation for construction.

From the entrance to the parking lot, it was already jam-packed. Sundays are always like this. It took over 50 minutes from leaving home, dropping off Seungyoon, to arriving here, and another 30 minutes to park due to the line at the entrance. There were so many people, it was ridiculously crowded.

So, I’m already feeling drained. Although I’ve become a bit more active recently, fundamentally, I’m the kind of guy who prefers lounging around and sleeping at home on weekends, so it wasn’t that surprising.

As if getting off the car exhausted, when I slumped my shoulders, a hand patting my shoulder suddenly appeared, and when I turned back, it was Dabin.

“Thank you for driving, Mom.”

Ah, this is what being a parent is about. There are many difficult moments, but there are also such quiet touches?

“Oh, thank you. Son. Indeed, we only have our son.”

There is an uncomfortable height difference of roughly 7-8cm, but Dabin persistently patted his shoulders until we entered the outlet.

“Ah~ Feels refreshing. Thank you, Dabin.”

“What’s that, hehe.”

Usually, around the second year of middle school, parents tend to hesitate to pat their children’s heads, but strangely, our Dabin doesn’t seem to mind such gestures. No, he seems to even like them?

“Shall we start by looking at hats and shoes first? Since changing clothes and trying on things can be tiring, it might be easier to choose and move on with simple items.”

Dayoung asked me, and I nodded in agreement as I found her opinion reasonable.

“Alright, shall we go buy hats first then?”

Following Dayoung’s lead, we moved around, purchasing hats, sandals, and a Hawaiian shirt for Dabin.

“Hmm, even at the outlet, it’s not that cheap. Online, they were selling this for 2, 3 man won cheaper.”

Dayoung expressed dissatisfaction.

“What can we do? Don’t we need to consider the wages of the employees dealing with all these people on weekends, the electricity bill for cooling the store, and various other overhead costs?”

It’s a very obvious point, but the reason why offline is more expensive than online is due to these overhead costs. Anyway, despite paying these costs, people come because they can see and try on the actual products.

“We’ve bought all the simple things for now. Now, should we go buy clothes and swimsuits… Are you hungry?”

Well, it’s already 1 o’clock. It’s lunchtime.

“Then, shall we eat something?”

Although I asked, our family’s footsteps were already heading towards the food court. As we entered the food court on the fourth floor, the delicious smell stimulated our hunger even more. After wandering around for about 10 minutes deciding what to eat, we finally decided to have Dakgalbi, which Dayoung likes, and entered the restaurant.

-Ding dong.

As the automatic door opened, the cool air trapped inside the store welcomed us.

“Ah, feels cool.”

“Welcome. Are you three?”

As soon as we entered the store, a staff member approached and asked, and I nodded as the representative and was guided to our table.

I sat next to Dayoung, and Dabin sat across from us, facing each other.

Soon, the waiter brought the menu, and after contemplating what to eat, we simply ordered Dakgalbi for two and assorted side dishes. Since Dayoung and I didn’t eat much, we thought adding side dishes would be enough for the three of us to share.

Anyway, after placing the order and the waiter disappeared, I rested my chest on the table with my chin.

“Ah, feels comfortable.”

Dabin was shocked, and Dayoung raised her eyebrows.

“Mom! What are you doing now? Embarrassing.”

But I couldn’t give in on this part either. Already tired from lack of sleep and long hours of driving, coupled with the stress of shopping and navigating through crowds, I felt the need to at least be comfortable physically.

“You should try this when you grow up. You’ll understand how comfortable it is to put down this heavy lump of fat for a while.”

Even if growth stops right there on the chest, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but considering our family genes and the current trend, Dayoung’s chest will likely grow even more in the future. Anyway, she will understand this behavior of mine when the time comes.

As if firmly stating that there is no compromise, Da-young tapped his forehead and sighed deeply before turning his head outside.

“Huh?”

Da-young exclaimed shortly as if he had discovered something.

“Huh? Jung Da-young!”

Someone greeted Da-young warmly, causing him to turn his head quickly to see a group of kids who looked like Da-young entering the restaurant, about 5 or 6 of them.

At first glance, they seemed to be Da-young’s friends. The group consisted of two boys and three girls, and one of them recognized Da-young and greeted him first.

“Hey, what brings you here, Yeong-eun?”

Da-young responded to the girl’s greeting, but she didn’t seem genuinely pleased.

“We came for shopping. Oh, are these your siblings? Wow, not only Da-young is pretty, but your brother is handsome, and your sister is also very beautiful.”

Yeong-eun said while glancing at me and Dabin. Seeing her gaze shift to Dabin, it was clear that she found Dabin attractive. The girl next to Yeong-eun also kept her eyes on Dabin.

On the other hand, three boys behind them were looking at me. I smiled back at them, making their faces blush. It seemed like in a small society like school, ensuring Da-young doesn’t get tied up with family was my duty.

“Oh, hello. I’m Oh Yeong-eun, Da-young’s friend from the same class.”

Starting with Yeong-eun’s introduction, I wondered why they were going through such elaborate introductions to greet a friend’s family they coincidentally met at a restaurant.

Seeing Da-young’s sarcastic smile when Yeong-eun referred to her as a “friend,” it seemed like these kids weren’t going to be good company.

“Hello, I’m Da-young’s mom. Nice to meet you, kids.”

I put on a fake smile, a common practice as a socialite, but after becoming a woman, I started worrying about whether my expressions were natural.

Anyway, the kids were shocked to learn that I was Da-young’s mom. Especially Yeong-eun, who seemed like the leader of the group, appeared quite surprised.

“Oh, no. How? What?”

“Haha, why so surprised? Don’t be so formal. Anyway, it feels good to see you react that way even if it’s just for show.”

“Oh, no… You look so young. Yes.”

I may have been a former wife, but I hadn’t aged; I had just become younger, so there was a noticeable difference.

If necessary, I could play the part, but speaking like a woman felt somewhat forced.

“Anyways, take care of our Da-young, kids.”

“Yes, of course. Haha.”

Perhaps because they now knew I was the mother, Yeong-eun’s tone softened slightly compared to before. After faking a smile and exchanging greetings, I sent the kids off.

It felt like they were avoiding me once they knew I was a parent.

Anyway, when I asked Da-young about his relationship with those kids, he hesitated to answer. So, instead of pressing further, I let it go when the food arrived.

“Da-young, we’re family, so if you ever have any problems, just tell me anytime, okay? Promise?”

Da-young chuckled helplessly.

“Yeah, got it. It’s not that serious anyway, so don’t worry too much. It’s just an uncomfortable situation. Yeah.”

I replied, relieved.

“Okay, then. Yeah. Well, let’s quickly eat some food.”

That’s how we started our meal in an awkward atmosphere.