episode_0113

“Ugh… Yes, well done, our daughter. Come here, Seonga!”

“Baah~ Awoo~”

With one hand clutching his heart, Seonga toddles towards her father, gesturing.

Yes, she is walking.

Our Seonga is walking!

It feels like just yesterday she was crawling on all fours, but now she’s taking her first steps! According to the in-laws, she seems to be progressing faster than other babies. Could it be that our Seonga is a genius?

I can’t wait to see what kind of child she will grow up to be!

“Miss Seonga is lethal.”

As Seojin’s face, devoid of any emotion, erupts with a nosebleed. Judging by the amount of blood, she is indeed lethal.

I’ll just give you a tissue to stop the bleeding. Don’t get too excited over something like this.

“Oh my goodness!”

As I look away from Seonga to help Seojin with her nosebleed, I hear an angelic voice. It seems like our angel is unhappy about not getting attention, glaring at her mother with a pouty face.

Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but chuckle. She’s so cute.

Look at how she’s reaching out with her tiny, adorable hand. Oh, what should I do? My heart is melting!

Perhaps because she’s the daughter of my husband, she’s inherited all the cuteness!

Especially when the two of them are together, it’s like a painting… Oh, it’s not good for my heart. The two ladies are tormenting me with their beauty.

Having our genes, she will surely grow up to be a stunning beauty, right?

“Agg!”

Lost in ecstasy at the thought, I witness Seonga stumbling forward, losing her balance. The beautiful sight that was like a painting turns into a nightmare.

“Ahhhh!! Seonga!!!”

“Miss Seonga!!”

Our screams overlap. I try to reach her before it’s too late, but the distance between me and Seonga is too far. It’s too late to reach her in time.

“That was… dangerous… Seonga, are you okay?”

Seonga, falling forward, is caught by her father’s hands. While her father is leaning on the ground, seemingly unharmed, he only cares about Seonga’s safety.

“Oo! Ooo!!”

The startled father picks up Seonga. Seonga, still wide-eyed in surprise, doesn’t cry like other babies would. Our Seonga is truly remarkable!

“Thank goodness… husband. Seonga isn’t hurt, right?”

“Yeah, she’s not hurt. She just seemed a bit surprised.”

“Lord Sunwoo. You handled it excellently.”

The face that was just bleeding moments ago is now pale, as Seojin nods in approval. It was a perfect response, indeed. My husband is truly amazing.

As I wipe away the tears in my eyes, Seonga’s gaze meets mine.

“Oooh… Waaaah!!”

At the same time, Seonga bursts into tears. Yes, she must have been very startled. Her cute face is all messed up now.

“Oh, yes, yes. Our Seonga is a good girl, right? It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt.”

“Waaaah!! Waaaah!”

While her father tries to comfort Seonga, she continues to cry and struggle. Thanks to her, her father is now on the verge of tears.

“Se-Seonga, please stop crying… Daddy will want to cry too if you cry…”

“Waaaah!”

“Huh?!”

Oh, Seonga’s little kick pushes her father’s cheek. Ouch.

“Lord, let me try—”

“Waaaah!!!!!”

Seonga continues to cry, rejecting even Seojin’s embrace.

Shocked Su-jin stiffened with her arm outstretched. Her pupils… are clouded. Her body is as stiff as a mannequin. Could she have died standing up?!

“Se, Seong-ah, were you very surprised? It’s okay, it’s okay. Mom is here.”

Approaching Seong-ah causing a ruckus in her husband’s arms, Su-jin reaches out her hand. She’s not confident in soothing, but she can’t just stand by and watch this situation.

“Waaah!! Oh my gosh!!”

“E, e-e-eh?”

“Ouch?!”

Seong-ah jumps into my arms as I take a step closer. Reflexively bending my body, I was able to safely hold Seong-ah in my arms, but my startled heart couldn’t calm down easily due to the dizzying moment.

“Oh, right right… Let the pain go away~ Don’t cry~”

Despite her pupils shaking back and forth, the mother tries to comfort Seong-ah with thoughts of her daughter. She carefully embraces the small body and strokes the back of her head.

Our daughter is so good. Don’t cry. If you cry, Mom will cry too.

“…Are you feeling better now?”

With a disheveled head, my husband smiled in dismay.

“Ah… Ugh… ”

Oh, she really stopped crying. She looks so comfortable that it’s hard to believe she was crying loudly just a while ago.

“It means that Mom’s embrace is the best.”

Su-jin, who has regained her strength, approaches with her usual expressionless face. Mom… that’s right. Babies feel a sense of security just by being with their mothers.

Did I feel that way too?

That woman who abandoned me, what did she think every time she comforted me? This baby I gave birth to is so cute and lovely, how terribly did she think of me to abandon her own baby…

“Baa… Oh my gosh…”

Seong-ah, nestled in my soft embrace, falls asleep with a peaceful face. I was thinking unnecessary thoughts. The past is no longer important, there’s no need to think about it, right?

“Kang Seong-ah. Making Dad’s face like this, you’re quite cheeky.”

My husband poked Seong-ah’s cheek with his finger with an annoyed face. The soft, plump cheek bounces back elastically when he removes his finger, returning to its original shape.

“Hmph… Who do you take after to be so independent.”

Saying that, my husband smiled brightly and glanced at me.

“What’s wrong, husband. When did I act independently like that? Especially in front of the child.”

“Joo Eun-hye. I’m not saying that seriously, am I?”

Puffing up my cheeks a bit and arguing, my husband blinked and asked instead. Is he not joking and saying it seriously? When did I do that!

“Sigh… Put your hand on your chest and think again. Whether there was such a time or not.”

At my husband’s request, I put my hand on my chest.

Hmm. It’s a big, hard, muscular chest. Unlike Seong-ah’s cheek, it’s firm and doesn’t even twitch when poked with a finger.

Hehe… It’s making my mouth water…♡

“Not mine!”

Sigh, I got scolded by my husband. I just did as I was told, didn’t I?

*

Leaving the sleeping Seong-ah to Su-jin, I met the mother who was supposed to come today. I haven’t been able to see her lately because she’s been so busy, but I’m so happy to be able to meet her now.

“You look better than when I last saw you.”

The last time my mother saw me was when I had just given birth to Seong-ah. Of course, it’s natural, but receiving overflowing care from my in-laws, I must have become healthier than necessary.

“…Mom, you’ve aged a lot.”

On the other hand, my mom has become even thinner than before. She seems unable to sleep properly, with dark circles under her eyes, and her skin noticeably dry and cracked.

“I may have been busy… but don’t worry. I’ve finished everything I needed to do.”

“Well, that’s a relief. Just don’t push yourself too hard. If you get sick, I’ll be really upset.”

With pursed lips, my mom tasted a cookie from the snack tray and took a sip of tea with a bitter smile.

It’s not an empty statement. Honestly, I consider this mom, who genuinely worries about me and loves me, more of a real mother than the woman who gave birth to me or the second mom who treated me poorly.

This mom genuinely cares for me and loves me.

It would be strange not to feel upset.

“Is Minjeong doing well?”

“Uh, yeah. Minjeong is doing well. She’s doing so well that it’s annoying…”

“I heard she got into a fight with a returning student and kicked him in the leg.”

“Cough…!”

I look at my mom, who is coughing loudly, with pity in my eyes. I was surprised when I first heard it, but why wouldn’t my mom be like this?

I heard they reached an agreement, but of all things, it was the middle leg that got kicked… Minjeong, you scary thing.

“Cough, cough! Enough about Minjeong… I came here today because I have something to say to you.”

“Something to say?”

I thought she just came to see her daughter, but it seems there’s another intention. It looks like a sincere conversation between mother and daughter is about to begin. Where should I listen in?

“Minjeong is in college now.”

“Yeah.”

“Enhye, what are you going to do?”

…”

My mom looked me straight in the eyes and said, “It’s not too late. Enhye, don’t you have something you want to do?”

So she’s telling me to start looking at colleges now. That’s what she means.

“Your daughter, Enhye. If you want to do something, do it.”

Her smiling face is more serious than ever. Unable to answer easily, I looked down, lost in deep thought.

The desire to go to college still lingers in my heart.

But if I do that, the time spent with Sung-ah will decrease.

It’s not a matter of having someone to take care of the baby. I know it’s not a complete separation.

I’ve been waiting all along.

For Sung-ah. For my little brother. For my daughter. For the day I can hold them in my arms again.

I don’t want to fall apart again.

Even though I’ve become a mom instead of a sister now. Because Sung-ah is my precious star.

Because she is the fruit of the love between me and the person I love the most.

“Aaahhh!!! Aaah!!”

“Cough, cough! Miss!”

I see Su-jin running towards us along with Sung-ah’s crying from afar. Sung-ah must feel the same way, not wanting to be separated even for a moment. It’s clear what my answer to my mom will be.