Kiss the Scumbag – Chapter 203

In the morning, when he ran into Winston, something about him seemed off.

His crisp look—light shirt, cotton pants, not a single strand of hair out of place—and even the way he gently poured maple syrup over Angela’s pancakes appeared perfectly normal. But for some reason, Yu-jin felt otherwise.

“Did you… not sleep well?”

He seized a quiet moment to ask, and Winston glanced down at him. Faced with that silent gaze, Yu-jin hastily added, almost as if to justify himself.

“Just… you seem kind of off today. I thought maybe you’re just tired or something.”

“I don’t sleep, normally.”

The reply came back lightning fast. Perhaps realizing how curt he’d sounded, Winston softened his tone this time and added,

“I’ve always had insomnia. It’s nothing new, and I’m not in particularly bad shape or anything. Don’t worry about it.”

Though his voice was gentler and the explanation longer, to Yu-jin, it still felt like an excuse. Guilt briefly flickered through him over the fact that he’d slept well—without dreams, no less—but then he reminded himself that it had nothing to do with him.

“All right then.”

Yu-jin kept it brief and backed off. Winston wasn’t some kid in need of help. He was a grown man, perfectly capable of handling whatever problems came his way. Besides, no matter what happened—what difference did it make? It wasn’t like it had anything to do with him anyway.

As he stood up, brushing aside that thought, Phoebe, who had just finished breakfast, suddenly spoke up.

“Dad, can I go snowboarding? I can, right? Pleeease?”

Her impatient voice repeated the request again and again. Grant shot a nervous glance toward Winston, seemingly waiting for his cue. But to Yu-jin’s surprise, Winston didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to him—Yu-jin.

“Yu-jin, what do you think? Should we let Phoebe and Angie go snowboarding?”

“Huh?”

All eyes instantly landed on Yu-jin. He blinked, bewildered by the sudden spotlight. Why was this decision landing on him?

Confused, Yu-jin turned to Winston, who simply replied, as if it were no big deal,

“The authority’s in your hands, so you’re the one who should decide.”

In my hands? Authority? All of a sudden?

Why?

Questions swirled through his mind, but the pressure from four expectant pairs of eyes was overwhelming. Flustered, Yu-jin mouthed silently for a moment before reluctantly nodding his head.

The moment his permission was given, the kids let out a loud cheer, and Grant quickly thanked him before hurrying off with Phoebe toward their room. Judging by their direction, they were headed to change clothes.

As their figures disappeared from view, Yu-jin turned to Winston, flustered.

“What was that about? Seriously?”

“What do you mean?”

Winston casually scooped Angela up in his arms and looked down at him.

“Grant and Phoebe are guests. That just leaves you, me, and Angela. So naturally, the decision-making falls to you.”

What the hell was that?

What was he even talking about? Had he gone nuts from lack of sleep? What sort of scheme was he cooking up this time? A dozen questions shot through Yu-jin’s mind, but for some reason, none of them made it out of his mouth. It wasn’t so much that he couldn’t speak—it was more like all the words got tangled into one big knot, leaving him unable to form a coherent sentence.

While Yu-jin stood there gaping like a fish, Winston carried on as if nothing was amiss.

“Well, since Daddy said yes, let’s get changed too. Jack’s going to teach you how to snowboard.”

As he mentioned the name of their bodyguard and casually walked off with Angela in his arms, Winston suddenly glanced back, as if remembering something.

“If you open the wardrobe, there should be ski gear inside. Get changed and come out.”

Me too?

Snapping out of his daze, Yu-jin hurriedly called out to Winston as he started climbing the stairs.

“I-I’m good. I’ll pass.”

Skiing? He had never done it in his entire life. And now, out of nowhere, he was being roped into this—and apparently, his ski suit was already prepared too?

“Just change clothes. You don’t have to actually ski.”

Winston spoke gently to the stunned Yu-jin.

“It’ll be more comfortable if you’re going to be outside.”

His tone was far from commanding—more like a soft suggestion. That gentleness caught Yu-jin off guard yet again.

What’s with this guy all of a sudden?

It had been a while since Winston’s attitude began to change, but this level of softness? He never would’ve imagined it. What shocked him even more was the fact that Winston—who never seemed like the type to hand over authority, no matter how trivial the matter—had so easily, and publicly, passed the reins to him.

He really must’ve lost it from not sleeping.

With that conclusion in mind, Yu-jin reluctantly made his way to the room. Sure enough, just as Winston had said, a full set of ski wear was waiting inside the wardrobe.

So he’d planned this all along?

As he changed clothes, Yu-jin thought back. Of course he had. Coming to a place like this, blanketed in snow, clearly meant winter sports were part of the plan.

By the time he’d finished dawdling and finally stepped out into the hallway, Winston emerged from his room too, holding Angela in his arms.

That’s when it hit him.

He’d completely, and without a second thought, offloaded the important task of dressing Angela onto Winston.

And I’m only realizing this now?

He froze for a moment, a bit flustered—but what truly stunned him was the sight before him. Winston, holding Angela… and the two of them, without question, looked like a perfect pair.

No—like it had been deliberately coordinated. In fact, it had to be on purpose.

They were wearing matching ski outfits.

Angela wore a vibrant pink ski suit adorned with bold white stripes, while Winston’s was the exact inverse—pure white, with striking pink stripes running through it.

To anyone looking, they looked unmistakably like a father and daughter.

And the image suited them so well, Yu-jin found himself momentarily speechless, his mind blank.

He just stood there, blinking dumbly, until Angela, brimming with excitement, called out to him.

“Daddy, Daddy!”

“H-huh? Oh—uh, yeah?”

Startled, Yu-jin looked up. Angela beamed at him with a bright smile.

“How do we look? Pretty, right? Winnie and I are wearing matching outfits!”

Hearing that, Yu-jin instinctively glanced down at himself—then realization dawned.

He, too, was wearing the same style of ski suit as Winston.

“It suits you.”

Winston smiled as he said it. Yu-jin, who’d been blinking blankly, suddenly felt his ears flush hot.

“G-Grant’s probably waiting…”

He blurted it out and hurried down the stairs, but his burning cheeks refused to cool.

What the hell is wrong with me? Why is my heart racing over something like that?

He berated himself the entire way down—but no matter how hard he tried to deny it, he knew the truth.

For just a moment, seeing himself in matching outfits with Winston, Winston holding Angela in his arms—they’d looked like a perfectly happy family.

And that thought had made his heart flutter.

***

“Kyahaha!”

Angela let out a loud laugh as she slid down the slope on her board. Seeing his daughter so full of joy, Yu-jin couldn’t help but smile.

Phoebe, despite being just a kid herself, tried her best to act like an adult—giving advice, issuing little warnings, and keeping an eye on Angela as she played. Watching the two of them was both funny and utterly adorable, and Yu-jin found himself laughing over and over.

As soon as breakfast was over, the kids had hurried into their ski clothes and rushed out into the snow.

Yu-jin had ended up changing too—because Winston had reassured him, “You don’t have to ski if you don’t want to.”

The ski suit, which he was wearing for the first time in his life, turned out to be surprisingly warm and comfortable. He was glad he’d taken the suggestion.

Then, out of nowhere, Winston appeared by his side, leaning casually against the low terrace railing where Yu-jin had been resting.

“How are you feeling today? You okay?”

The same question. Over and over, day after day. Yu-jin was starting to grow weary of it.

“Can you stop asking me that already? I said I’m fine. Like, a bunch of times.”

He frowned and grumbled, but unexpectedly, Winston let out a bitter smile.

Surprised by the reaction, Yu-jin turned to look at him. Winston, seeming confused, asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh… nothing…”

Yu-jin hesitated, then decided to be honest.

“It’s just… not the reaction I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

This time, Winston looked genuinely puzzled. Yu-jin paused for a beat.