TL/Editor: looloo
Status: ongoing
Illustrations: posted in discord
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I wanted to rush over and hug Sarang, who had practically sprinted to me, but I couldn''t bring myself to do it. Even though it was just volunteer work, the children''s safety was at stake, so I couldn''t be careless.
Only after the traffic light changed and I lowered the g to stop the children from crossing did I pat Sarang''s head with one hand.
"Our Sarang, you did so well following what mom and dad taught you. I''m so proud of you!"
"Hehe! Daddy, what are you doing here? Are you gonna do this every day now?!"
"Just sometimes. Were you surprised?""I was so surprised! I was sad when you weren''t there this morning, but now I''m happy!"
"Oh no, were you sad because daddy wasn''t there?"
"Yeah! I brushed my teeth and came out, but you weren''t there!"
"I''m sorry I didn''t tell you. But you''re happy to see me now, right?"
"I am!"
While keeping an eye on our surroundings, I chatted briefly with Sarang, who was clinging to my leg. Next to her, Jooeun held onto Sarang''s sleeve, hiding behind her and nodding shyly.
"Hello, mister..."
"Hi Jooeun. Did youe with Sarang?"
"Yes..."
She''s quite energetic when ying at the yground, but she bes quite shy when I''m around. It''s not ufortable, just a bit timid. I guess it''s because I''m an adult man.
Being called "mister" stung a bit, but being called "oppa" would''ve been worse, and having my daughter''s friend call me "uncle" didn''t feel right either.
After that, two more girls who seemed to be Sarang''s ssmates greeted me one after another.
"Hello!"
"Hello! Are you Sarang''s mister?!"
"Yes, I''m Sarang''s dad. Hello, everyone~"
"You look like an oppa!"
"Yeah, really!"
"Haha. Come on now, oppa?"
"He''s my daddy~"
What sweet children, aren''t they?
Not because they thought I was an oppa, but because each child had their own unique charm. Among them, Sarang puffing up with pride saying "He''s my daddy~" was the cutest thing in the universe. ???о?ê?
After listening to them chatter around me like little chicks for a moment, I sensed it was time to send them on their way. I needed to continue managing traffic safety, and the kids couldn''t bete either.
"Alright kids, time to go. Your teacher will be waiting."
"Okay!"
Their chorus-like response was adorable too.
As I watched them fondly, Sarang looked up at me with a slightly disappointed face.
"Daddy, are youing homete today?"
"Hmm... A little? Why?"
"I want to y with you..."
"I''ll try toe home as soon as I can. Until then, can you wash your hands well, eat your food, do your homework, and wait for me?"
"Okay! But you have toe home quickly!"
"I will. Now, go with your friends."
"See youter! Bye-bye, Daddy!"
"Bye-bye~"
I waved goodbye to Sarang as I watched the children walk away. They were giggling and chattering excitedly, with Sarang at the center of it all.
Sarang kept ncing back at me as she walked. Once the children were out of sight, I refocused on traffic safety.
This really felt like the most fun activity I''d done in a while. It was great to have that brief chat with a surprised Sarang and to see some of her friends I hadn''t met before.
Plus, the volunteer work itself was rewarding.
And in this short moment, I once again felt keenly that Sarang was Heena''s—our daughter. While talking to me, she kept wanting to take out the smartphone from her pocket.
She probably wanted to take a picture, but she didn''t because we''d told her not to use her smartphone on the way to and from school unless it was important.
Our daughter is so adorable and well-behaved that no amount of praise could do her justice.
---Raei Trantions---
The morning''s volunteer work, which turned out to be much more fun than I''d expected, came to an end. Before heading to work, I chatted a bit longer with the mothers who hade out today.
I''d left plenty of time in case I wasn''t sure how things would go today, and as a parent myself, I figured some casual interaction and information exchange couldn''t hurt.
Of course, most of it was just chit-chat about the kids. What they liked these days, which celebrities they were into.
"My daughter copies every idol she sees on TV."
"Oh my, ours too. Who does she like these days?"
"That girl group... Mountain Star, I think..."
"Ours too! They must be really popr right now. My kid keeps asking me to find their videos on YouTube."
But it wasn''t easy for me to join in. Somehow, Sarang''s interests seemed a bit different from the other kids''. Sarang wasn''t into celebrities.
Well, it was still a good opportunity to hear about these little things. I was curious about how other children were in their daily lives.
Then Seyeon''s mother brought up Sarang.
"How''s Sarang at home?"
"Sarang? Well... She does her homework, and during breaks we cook or y games together..."
"Really? What about studying?"
"We''re not making her do extra studying yet."
"Oh my, we''re looking into English academies for our kid... They say the earlier you start English, the better."
"But it must be nice that her dad ys with her like that~"
"That''s true. My husband only tries to do weird things, so our kid doesn''t want to y with him. Can you believe he wants to take the child fishing?"
"Oh..."
Fishing, huh. I''d like to try that too. I wonder if Sarang would dislike that kind of thing?
Sarang would probably happily go anywhere if I just asked, but if we got into it deeply like that, who knows?
After that pleasant chat, I got up to leave for work. I politely epted their suggestion to meet and talk again sometime.
To be honest, I wouldn''t mind meeting them, but Heena probably wouldn''t like it much. She might be okay with it if she came along too, though.
---Raei Trantions---
After a tough day, it was time to head home.
Since I started workte, and with the development schedule pushed up a bit, I ended up leaving work eventer than expected.
I hurried home. Late nights like this were prettymon, but I''d promised to y with Sarang today.
Still, it was almost 10 PM, so even if we yed, it would only be for 30 minutes to an hour at most.
When I got to work and saw roughly what I had to do today, I realized I wouldn''t be able to leave on time. So around lunchtime, I sent Sarang a message apologizing.
[ Sarang?: Daddy, hang in there! Sarang loves you! ]
[ Me: Thanks, Sarang! Daddy will do his best! Daddy loves you too! ]
That was Sarang''s encouraging reply. So lovable it would recharge any dad to 100%.
That''s why I was confident. Surely Sarang would greet me with a smile. She probably wouldn''t even mention her disappointment about not being able to y. But it was precisely because she was that kind of daughter that I felt even more sorry.
Anyway, I arrived home as quickly as I could.
And when I opened the door...
"Daddy, wee home..."
"Oh, uh... I''m home."
I expected to be greeted by her pretty smile, but Sarang had a slightly grumpy look on her face. I was momentarily confused, but fortunately, that dissatisfaction didn''t seem to be directed at me.
So I quickly washed my hands and feet, then came out and whispered to Heena.
"Heena. Did something happen to Sarang? She looks upset."
"It''s all because of you."
"Because of me? Why? Sarang and I had a good time today."
"Anyway, it''s because of you."
"Come on, what happened?"
Heena''s "it''s because of you" mantra left me with nothing but question marks. Since it didn''t look like Heena was going to give me an answer, I had no choice but to approach Sarang.
The sight of Sarang looking at her smartphone with a sulky face was somehow unfamiliar. It was strange that she was looking at her phone instead of me, even though I hade home.
I gently hugged Sarang and asked softly.
"Our Sarang, why are you so angry?"
"I''m not angry."
"No? Did something bad happen, then?"
"No..."
"Will you tell Daddy why you''re like this? Daddy really wants to see Sarang''s smiling face."
"Okay..."
Thankfully, Sarang seemed willing to answer without hiding anything. I listened carefully.
"This morning, my friends saw Daddy, right..."
"You all said hello to Daddy too."
"But Seyeon said Daddy was really handsome. She said she wished he was her dad."
Oh my, how ttering. Is it because I''m youngerpared to the other dads?
I felt quite ttered, but since Sarang was still pouting, I held back my smile and asked again.
"She did? She said she wished I was Seyeon''s dad?"
"Yeah. And we were supposed to y at the yground, but she said she wanted you to y too."
"I see. Should we go to the yground with Daddy this weekend and y with your friends?"
"...Okay..."
Sarang''s response here wasn''t very enthusiastic. This wasn''t like her – she wouldn''t dislike going to the yground with me, even if her friends were involved.
"Don''t you want to go with Daddy?"
"I like ying with Daddy."
"Then? What don''t you like, Sarang?"
"Seyeon keeps saying in the chat that she wishes you were her dad! She keeps saying she wants to y with you!"
*Bang! Bang!*
Sarang expressed her displeasure by hitting the sofa. Did she dislike it that much?
"You didn''t like that?"
"No! Daddy is Sarang''s daddy! You''re only supposed to y with me! She keeps saying she wants to y too!"
"I see~"
Listening to her, it was both serious and not serious at all. In short, Sarang''s possessiveness had red up.
And now I could understand why Heena''s answer wasn''t very helpful. Her possessiveness must have red up too.
They say there are three times in life when a person is popr, and it seems like all three havee for me at once.
The first was when I met Heena.
The second was Sarang.
And the third is now.
Ha.
What am I supposed to do with all this poprity? Sorry for being so handsome!
If my friends had heard that thought, they would have beaten me up. With that amusing thought, I spoke gently.
"Daddy is always Sarang''s daddy. But you didn''t fight with your friend, right?"
"We didn''t fight... But Jooeun, you know. When we wereing home earlier."
"What about Jooeun?"
"She got angry for me! She said you''re Sarang''s daddy, and Seyeon shouldn''t keep saying weird things!"
"Oh~ Jooeun is very kind."
"Yeah! I like Jooeun so much!"
When I mentioned Jooeun, a smile returned to Sarang''s face. She seemed happy.
Is this the power of long-time neighborhood friends, true friends? I should buy Jooeun something deliciouster.
Anyway, it was time to wrap up this conversation.
"But Daddy wants to y with Sarang at the yground too, so can you y with your friend for a little bit then? Of course, I''ll y with Sarang the most."
"Okay... But I''m number one!"
"Of course. Sarang is always number one!"@@novelbin@@
"Then it''s okay!"
"I want to go too."
And while I was making yground ns with Sarang, Heena suddenly chimed in.
What''s this about? I mean, I don''t mind if shees along, but...
"Didn''t you say you had something to do this weekend?"
"I do, but I can spare a bit of time for some fresh air."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And you know Sarang and I are joint number ones, right?"
"Haha... Of course."
Of course I know.
But you''re not going to give Seyeon a flick on the forehead when we get there, are you?
Author''s Note:
The plot''s been revealed.
---
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