Chapter 13

13. … has started following you.

The doljanchi, a custom that has existed since the Six Dynasties period in China, was a ceremony to predict a baby's future.

Siwoo carefully observed the items laid out by the adults, reminiscing about the past.

- Go and pick what you like! Hahaha! You picked the martial arts book I wrote! You're truly a born martial artist!

- Right! Our baby picked the bow! He might pass the military examination in the future!

- What do you want to be when you grow up? Choose what you want. You picked the brush! You will study under your father and become a renowned scholar…

What does a scholar mean?

No matter what he picked during the doljanchi, the end result was always a martial artist.

'This time will be different. No, it must be different.'

Unlike the previous doljanchi where he chose something to fit the atmosphere of the family, this time he decided to choose seriously.

It was the final path he would walk.

The host asked Siwoo's mother, Hyun-ju, who was holding him.

"Now, we will proceed with Siwoo's doljanchi. Did you pick anything during your doljanchi?"

"I picked a pencil…"

"Ah~ a pencil! Did you study well in school?"

The host didn't wait for Hyun-ju's answer and immediately took the microphone away.

"Yes! She studied very well! She must have studied very well!"

Hyun-ju and the guests burst into laughter.

The host then asked Do-jin.

"Did you pick anything during your doljanchi, sir?"

Do-jin awkwardly smiled and answered.

"I also picked a pencil."

"Wow~ you too! Our Siwoo will surely be a great student like his parents! Is there anything you hope Siwoo will pick?"

"Everything is good, but if I have to say, I hope he picks a pencil or a thread."

"What about you, ma'am?"

The microphone was passed to Hyun-ju.

Hyun-ju looked at Siwoo in her arms and spoke.

"I also… a pencil or a thread?"

Actually, anything is fine.

She just gave the same answer as Do-jin to fit the atmosphere.

"Ah~ you and your husband have the same heart! Will our Siwoo really pick a pencil or a thread? Let's start the doljanchi! Ma'am, please have Siwoo sit in the chair!"

Amid the many people watching, Hyun-ju sat Siwoo in the large, soft baby chair prepared in front of the dol table.

Siwoo looked at the items laid out in front of him with burning eyes and then tightly closed his mouth.

"Oh~ look at his expression! The baby is full of enthusiasm!"

"Siwoo! Choose carefully! Let the aunts take pictures!"

"Don't just grab something because it's close! Choose carefully~! Hahaha!"

'I was going to do that anyway.'

Siwoo slowly extended his hand.

A microphone, a book, a pencil, a stethoscope, money, a camera, a gavel, a calculator, and many other items symbolizing the child's future were laid out.

'What do I really want to become in this life?'

Of course, this decision won't determine his life or future career.

His mind could change in a month.

However, it was the first time Siwoo deeply pondered his future.

Siwoo's hand stopped in mid-air.

He decided to live without regrets, doing everything he wanted until he was exhausted and fell dead.

To do that…

Finally, Siwoo's hand moved.

At the moment when everyone's attention was focused on him,

"Ubuubu-!"

Siwoo, with a bright smile, spread his arms as wide as possible, leaned forward, and embraced all the items on the dol table as if he didn't want to miss a single one.

"…"

The host was momentarily speechless.

He had attended many dol parties as an MC, but he had never seen a baby like this.

How could he embrace everything so perfectly?

'What should I do? Should we do the doljanchi again? That would be awkward.'

Just as the host was hesitating about what to say in this unexpected situation,

Siwoo's aunt, Hee-ju, a drama writer, quickly summed it up.

"Look! Hyun-ju! Our Siwoo was destined to be an actor! He wants to do everything! The only possible job is an actor! Don't you agree, everyone?"

The people responded.

"Oh~! That's right! An actor! An actor!"

"Only an actor can be a doctor, a lawyer, and a police officer! An actor!"

"Siwoo might become a star when he grows up, so should we get his handprint or something now?"

The host called out.

"Yes! Our Siwoo will be a great and wonderful actor in the future! Now… Siwoo is holding the microphone to his mouth again? Why? Is he going to be a singer? He'll do everything? Yes. Our Siwoo can do anything he wants~ I'll support him~!"

The sound of laughter filled the dol party.

The doljanchi ended in a warm atmosphere.

Afterward, Do-jin's parents and Hyun-ju's parents gave Siwoo, their grandson, good wishes, and Hyun-ju thanked the guests and gave them small gifts.

Thus, Siwoo's first birthday party came to an end.

* * *

Siwoo was now one year old.

Being 0 and 1 is distinctly different.

It's like the difference between a kindergartener and a primary school student.

About two weeks after the dol party,

Siwoo's vocabulary, which had been stagnant, began to grow.

"Mu~ mu~"

Siwoo, who had crawled over to Hyun-ju, grabbed her leg and looked for something.

"Mu? Is my leg 'mu'?"

Hyun-ju joked and laughed.

Suppressing a sigh that almost escaped reflexively at her mother's wit, Siwoo pointed to the water dispenser with his finger.

"Mu~"

"Huh? Water?! Do you want water?"

"Woong~ mu~"

"I see! I'll give you water~ Our Siwoo can now ask for water and is growing up so much!"

Hyun-ju, amazed, brought a cup of water.

Siwoo sipped the water and thought,

'I'm not fully grown yet. I still need to combine two words, improve my pronunciation, and it feels like a mountain to climb, so I might die of frustration… I'll go through a language explosion around 18 months and start speaking smoothly from 24 months, so please think our son is smart and speaks early.'

Of course, he shouldn't forget to speak like a child.

Siwoo had experienced his parents' life in his previous life, so he understood their feelings well.

Parents hope their child will grow up while also wishing they won't grow up too quickly.

Because they know they won't see this current form forever.

Step by step.

Walking like this, so adorably.

"Mamma~! Mamma~!"

Begging for food like this.

"Should we have baby food?"

Hyun-ju picked up Siwoo and sat him in the baby high chair.

- Meow~!

- Woof~!

"Are you hungry too? I know, I know. I'm sorry, but I only have one body."

Ding-ding-ding-!

A melody came from the washing machine.

The laundry must be done.

He needed to hang it out quickly.

If left wet, it would start to smell.

- Woof!

- Meow!

"Shh~!"

Seeing his mother was busy, Siwoo made Boksil and Nero quiet.

When the children calmed down, Hyun-ju hurriedly ran to the washing machine, opened the door, and then came back to give Boksil and Nero their food, and heated the baby food in a double boiler.

"Phew, Siwoo, we'll eat soon. After you finish eating, play on the mat. I need to clean up. Should I do the dishes first? Oh, I forgot to throw out the food waste."

'Mom, what about the laundry?'

Hyun-ju had forgotten about the laundry.

Siwoo decided that if his mother didn't remember, he would go to the washing machine and remind her later.

'I need to earn money, whether I continue as a baby actor or become a kid model like Jung-tae. I should get a dryer and a robot vacuum cleaner for mom to make her life easier.'

Today, his mother seemed a bit tired.

While eating baby food, Siwoo reached out to his mother.

"Why, Siwoo? Have you finished eating?"

"Poo~!"

Hyun-ju, smiling at her son's affection, offered her cheek.

Siwoo grabbed his mother's face and kissed her cheek.

Feeling a sudden warmth and energy after receiving a kiss from Siwoo, Hyun-ju thought it was a sense of happiness from a mental aspect.

"Thanks to our son, I feel energized. You need to grow up healthy and not get sick. Understand?"

"Woong~!"

After putting Siwoo, who had finished eating, on the living room mat, Hyun-ju started doing housework.

Siwoo played hide-and-seek with Boksil and Nero in the living room.

Sometimes, Nero, unable to resist his hunting instinct, would make a show of stepping forward and back, as if about to pounce on Siwoo and Boksil, only to be caught by the scruff of the neck by Siwoo and then let go.

While playing leisurely, Siwoo's mother's phone, which