Gasp…
“Hy-Hyeol… you can’t say that to a friend about their name.”
I was restless thinking about Kkotsu who might be shocked. But Kkotsu seemed more angry than shocked. He clenched both fists and shouted while trembling his shoulders.
“Hy-Hyeol is w-weird too…!”
“…What?”
As if it was something he’d never thought of, Hyeol made a dumbfounded face and looked at me.
“Dad, is my name really weird?”
“……”
I was greatly flustered and couldn’t find anywhere to look, wandering around helplessly.
“Is Baek Kkotsu strange, or is Gwak Hyeol strange?”
“Huh…?”
What I had been dreading finally came.
Gwak Hyeol vs Baek Kkotsu.
Hyeol wanted the correct answer, but just choosing between the two made me feel dizzy.
Kids, actually both names are strange…
But I couldn’t bring myself to say that to the children, so I was deeply troubled.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
That’s when Hyeol pointed out my silence. Kkotsu also seemed very curious about my answer, staring at me with wide eyes.
“No… both names are so pretty that I was thinking about it…”
“That’s a lie.”
“……”
Huk, is it too obvious…? No, in times like this, I need to act calmly without getting flustered.
“Then… what’s your dream, Hyeol? Dad is really curious about what Hyeol’s dream is.”
Hyeol stared at me as I changed the subject, then pouted his lips.
“…You know.”
“Ah… I was wondering if Hyeol’s dream might have changed.”
This really isn’t easy. I smiled awkwardly while breaking out in a cold sweat.
“I don’t change as easily as kids do. …Wait and see.”
Saying that, Hyeol went thump thump thump, quickly into the guest room and brought back his kindergarten bag. Like Kkotsu, Hyeol put his bag on the floor and rummaged inside with his hand.
Even if he says that, looking at what he’s doing, he’s still a kid after all.
That’s when it happened. With a rustling sound, something shiny unfolded from Hyeol’s hand.
“What is this…?”
I examined what Hyeol brought. It was a notebook that looked like a card wallet. Looking closely, cards with famous people’s faces and achievements were inserted one by one inside vinyl coating sheets. I guessed it was some kind of educational cards for children.
“I’m going to become people like this when I grow up.”
Hyeol said with a proud expression.
If I’m not mistaken, there seems to be a president in there too…
But I swallowed the words in my heart as much as possible. No matter how absurd it sounds, you shouldn’t discourage children’s dreams, whatever they may be. Children have infinite possibilities just by having dreams.
I decided to respect Hyeol’s ambitions.
“Wow, Hyeol is amazing. Since Hyeol wants to become such great people, Dad won’t have anything to worry about, right?”
I said something that would come from a textbook, but Hyeol and Kkotsu weren’t really listening. Kkotsu was already looking at each card with curious eyes.
“There’s more.”
Whether Kkotsu was looking or not, Hyeol folded up all the cards he had spread out. He put the card notebook back in his bag, then whispered in a slightly quieter voice this time.
“I’m going to live with an Omega… like Dad…”
Huk, as expected…
I thought Hyeol wanted marriage just like in the original story. In the original, he also has a contract marriage with the main shou Kkotsu. It seemed like it was to continue the family line… The detailed story was hazy in my memory and I couldn’t recall it well.
I looked at Kkotsu, who would become the future son-in-law. Kkotsu seemed to have lost interest in Hyeol and was now holding a rabbit doll, continuously stuffing toy carrots into its mouth. Eventually, when a hole was punched through the back of the rabbit doll’s head, Kkotsu laughed, finding it amusing.
If those two get married… would Kkotsu debone fish and feed it to Hyeol? Imagining it somehow made my heart feel warm.
“Teacher, the meal is ready.”
That’s when I was having such thoughts. The ajumma came out of the kitchen and said.
“Oh, yes…! Let’s go eat.”
Hyeol immediately headed to the bathroom to wash his hands, and Kkotsu threw down the doll and headed to the kitchen. He doesn’t seem to have any intention of washing his hands today.
“Well then, enjoy your meal.”
“Oh… are you leaving?”
I was surprised and asked, seeing the ajumma already wearing her coat. She glanced at the clock on the wall once and smiled gently.
“Yes, it’s almost time to get off work.”
“Ah… I see. Um, if it’s okay with you, having a meal together…”
I was the one eating at someone else’s house without the homeowner, but I thought Baek Woojin wouldn’t mind one more person’s meal.
“Oh my, just your words are enough. I need to hurry home and take care of my family too.”
“Ah…”
I hadn’t thought of that. In the end, I escorted the ajumma to the front door.
“Bye, good… bye…”
Kkotsu, who had come to my side at some point, bowed politely to the ajumma.
“Yes, I’ll go. See you tomorrow, Kkotsu.”
“Yes, ye-yes…”
After the ajumma left work, I returned to the kitchen. As soon as Kkotsu sat in his dining chair, Hyeol, who had been sitting and waiting first, opened his mouth wide.
“…Huh?”
Wondering what he was doing, I looked at the dining table with a puzzled feeling and was dumbfounded. In the center of the dining table lay a long hairtail fish.
I don’t know how long I’ll stay here, but it seemed like I should give the ajumma a hint not to make fish dishes for a while.
*
After finishing the meal, Hyeol and Kkotsu were busy watching TV, and I was in the middle of washing dishes.
Beep beep.
The sound of the front door lock opening was heard and Baek Woojin entered. I stopped washing dishes and quickly went out of the kitchen.
“Oh… you’re back?”
I wiped my wet hands on the apron around my waist and greeted Baek Woojin.
“……”
But Baek Woojin didn’t say anything and just stared at me intently.
What’s this, did something happen…?
I was hesitating about what to say to him standing there blankly when Kkotsu came running over and clung to one of my legs.
“Dad, wel… welcome… home…”
Kkotsu bowed his head in greeting and then quickly ran back to watch TV. I watched the child’s retreating figure for a moment, then turned to Baek Woojin who was taking off his shoes and entering.
“What about dinner?”
“Not yet…”
Baek Woojin muttered briefly and walked briskly toward his room. I followed behind him, but when Baek Woojin suddenly stopped in front of the door, my face bumped into his back.
“…Ah.”
Whether it was intentional or not, Baek Woojin immediately turned around and examined my clothes. His gaze looking at the apron I was wearing was slightly wavering.
“Oh, this… I wore it briefly while washing dishes.”
Feeling embarrassed by his gaze, I fluttered the apron, and Baek Woojin shook his head.
“The apron is quite wet.”
“Ah, that’s right… I’m actually terrible at washing dishes… Oh, but I didn’t break any dishes…!”
Just in case, I quickly shouted, and Baek Woojin silently approached me and took off my apron.
“Oh, I haven’t finished washing the dishes yet…”
“The rest can go in the dishwasher.”
“Ah, there was a dishwasher… I didn’t know.”
Actually, I knew there was one, but I didn’t know how to use it, so I just washed dishes by hand.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
