Chapter 30

30. Father and Daughter

On the way into the sledding area, Hyun-ju said,

"That girl we just saw was really pretty."

Do-jin replied,

"Yeah, she looked like a celebrity. The boy was cute too."

Do-jin and Hyun-ju were recalling the family they had just seen and chatting about it.

Si-woo, holding his parents' hands and walking slowly, tilted his head.

"Pretty?"

It seemed both like it and not like it. It could vary depending on whether the standard was set for ordinary people or celebrities.

Si-woo put it out of his mind and looked at the snowy field in front of him.

What was important to Si-woo was not the nameless person he had seen in the parking lot, but the sledding area that stretched out before him, refreshing and open.

He felt a sense of liberation.

"Wow-!"

Si-woo spread his arms and ran into the white snowfield.

He had seen snow many times in both his current and past lives, but he still loved it.

There was no special reason for liking something good.

As Si-woo ran around the snowfield with a cheerful face, there was a boy nearby doing the same thing.

"Wow~!"

The boy, who seemed to be about the same age as Si-woo, was also running around on the snow, arms raised in the air.

Si-woo and the boy met face-to-face on the pristine snowfield.

The two children, who were about the same height, stared at each other blankly.

Seeing the boy just staring at him, Si-woo waved first.

"Hi~"

The boy, looking a bit embarrassed, turned his head to look for his mother and then belatedly greeted Si-woo.

"Hi..."

The boy's parents came over.

"Ji-ho, did you meet a friend?"

Seeing the parents' faces, Si-woo realized why the boy looked familiar.

It was the family he had seen in the parking lot. They had parked and entered similarly.

The girl whom the parents had praised as pretty was also standing behind them.

"How old are you?"

The boy's mother asked Si-woo.

Si-woo moved his mouth to answer from inside his toddler's winter mask.

"Three years old~"

Feeling a bit disappointed, Si-woo thought about how he had wanted to cross his arms and say, "I'm 20 months old," when the auntie asked how old he was.

'Ah, I've watched too many commercials directed by A. It makes me want to do silly things.'

Being a bit weird was subtly addictive.

"Three years old? You can even say your age, how smart. Our Ji-ho is also three."

"Yup~"

"Aww, how cute. You answer so well?"

Hyun-ju greeted them.

"Hello."

The boy's mother returned the greeting.

"Yup, hello."

They smiled at each other and bowed once more before turning away.

Both mothers were a bit shy.

"Baby, bye~ have fun playing!"

The boy's mother waved goodbye to Si-woo.

Ji-ho, called by his name, also waved his hand following his mother.

Si-woo and Hyun-ju also waved.

"Bye-bye~"

The Ji-ho family seemed to be going to eat before playing and headed towards the sledding area's food court.

While Hyun-ju was checking Si-woo's fur hat and mask again, Do-jin, standing behind them, said,

"I have a feeling we'll run into that family again."

Hyun-ju looked at Do-jin with a puzzled expression.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"When I went to the aquarium with Si-woo, if we met at the entrance, we kept running into each other inside. See, later Si-woo and that boy will be having a snowball fight."

"......Oh, really?"

Do-jin recalled the father of Min-seo he had met at the aquarium.

Since the sledding area wasn't very large, they would likely keep running into each other.

Since the children had greeted each other, it would be awkward to pretend they didn't know each other.

And, an hour later—

Do-jin's prediction came true.

Si-woo, seeing Ji-ho approaching with his hands full of snow, thought,

'That kid is really cute. I want to buy him a bag of snacks.'

Ji-ho was the cutest child Si-woo had ever seen.

Even if their personalities didn't match, in terms of appearance, Jung-tae had been the top choice, but that changed today.

Ji-ho sprinkled snow on Si-woo's puffer jacket and giggled.

Si-woo scooped up some snow from the ground and pretended to throw it at Ji-ho.

Ji-ho laughed and ran away happily.

"Play over here~ It's dangerous over there where the sleds come down~"

Ji-ho's sister, Ji-yeon, was slowly following the children, her hands in her puffer jacket pockets.

Her job was to prevent the children from going to dangerous places and to help them up if they fell.

The parents were sitting on nearby chairs, watching the children play.

"Ji-yeon takes good care of the kids. She's pretty and kind. We wish we had a daughter like Ji-yeon."

Hyun-ju said.

It wasn't just a polite remark; she really meant it.

Ji-yeon seemed like an ideal, well-behaved, and beautiful daughter.

Ji-ho's mother, who had become a bit closer while drinking beverages, waved her hand.

"Oh, no, not really... sigh..."

Ji-ho's mother suddenly sighed deeply.

Do-jin and Hyun-ju looked puzzled.

Just as Ji-ho's mother was about to change the subject, Ji-ho's father, oblivious to the situation, spoke up.

"Man, ever since he became a middle schooler, what's with this kid? Is it the middle school second-year syndrome? He says he wants to be a singer and just plays guitar at home every day. I'm so frustrated."

Ji-ho's mother elbowed her husband.

It was a way of saying, "Do you want to badmouth your daughter in front of strangers?" but her husband didn't care about others' opinions.

He acted on impulse.

"Why? Ugh, really. He used to study well until elementary school, but after entering middle school, he got some strange ideas..."

"Hey!"

This time, Ji-ho's father flinched.

Ji-ho's mother glared at her husband with a "talk too much, do too little" expression and then awkwardly smiled at Do-jin and Hyun-ju.

Do-jin and Hyun-ju awkwardly smiled back.

They could sense that a fight would break out at home.

To ease the tension, Do-jin spoke up.

"Ah, so... Ji-yeon sings well, I see."

Hyun-ju was surprised and turned to look at Do-jin.

Her husband wasn't very perceptive either.

Seizing the opportunity, Ji-ho's father lit the fire.

"Don't even mention it. She doesn't sing well at all. When she sings, it's like a whisper... you can't even understand what song it is. How can she become a singer like that..."

"Hey, hey... honey~?"

Ji-ho's mother called her husband again.

Her voice sounded more flustered this time.

"What?"

Ji-ho's father, noticing that everyone was looking at his back, turned around.

Ji-yeon was standing with her brother Ji-ho.

"...Mom, Ji-ho's diaper."

Ji-yeon left Ji-ho in front of her parents and hurriedly went back to Si-woo.

Ji-ho's father, scratching his head awkwardly, asked his wife,

"...Did you hear that?"

A sharp voice immediately came.

"Can't you tell from his face?"

While Ji-yeon was bringing her crying brother to her mother, Si-woo, lying in the snow, was listening to the adults' conversation with heightened hearing.

'Hmm, I understand the parents' feelings, but the words are a bit harsh. Is this realistic?'

When Ji-yeon returned, she took Si-woo's hand and moved to a place a bit away from their parents.

As they walked, stepping on the white snow, Ji-yeon asked Si-woo,

"Do you want to go to your mom? Should I take you?"

Si-woo shook his head.

"Si-je~ I want to play~"

Being held by his mother was something he did every day.

Si-woo fell forward onto the snow.

He flailed his arms and legs.

It was a rare midday freedom.

Si-woo rolled around in the snow until his puffer jacket was covered in snow.

Ji-yeon watched him for a while and then carefully sat down on the snow.

Lying in the snow, Si-woo watched the sleds zooming down from a distance and thought about how he wanted to ride one again.

It was the ultimate thrill he could enjoy in a baby's body.

'Come to think of it, the water slide I saw on MyTube looked pretty fun too, but... I guess I can't ride it with my dad holding me, right?'

This world had so many delicious foods and fun things to do.

But he couldn't enjoy them because he was a baby.

'Sigh... I'll wait. I'll enjoy everything to the fullest when I grow up.'

Thinking that he should suggest going sledding when his parents were done resting, he heard Ji-yeon sniffle from the side.

Si-woo rolled over to look at where Ji-yeon was sitting.

'No... don't, don't cry.'

Ji-yeon was digging in the snow with her hands and had red-rimmed eyes.

A 15-year-old girl who hadn't received her father's approval was deeply hurt.

"Sniff..."

"..."

Si-woo, who had been silently watching Ji-yeon, stood up, his small body covered in snow.

He called out to her like a small snowman.

"Big sister~"

Seeing Si-woo, Ji-yeon quickly wiped away the tears that were about to fall and spoke.

"Why? Do you want to play? Sniff. Do you want to have a snowball fight?"

Si-woo, who had walked over, grabbed Ji-yeon's arm and said,

"Don't cry~"

"Huh? No, I'm not crying."

Ji-yeon tried to smile calmly, but another tear rolled down her cheek at the unexpected comfort from a 3-year-old.

Si-woo, whose hands were cold from the snow, reached out to Ji-yeon's red cheeks.

His hand, trying to wipe away her tears, touched Ji-yeon's face.

"Ah, cold!"

Ji-yeon flinched.

Si-woo, realizing his mistake, awkwardly stopped his hand in mid-air.

He was wearing gloves.

The snow on his gloves had transferred to Ji-yeon's face.

Seeing the slightly flustered look in Si-woo's eyes, Ji-yeon burst into laughter.

"Hehe, so cute. Tsk."

Ji-yeon also rubbed the snow from her gloves onto Si-woo's face.

"Kyaa~!"

Si-woo laughed and ran away.

Ji-yeon, as if she had never cried, stood up and chased after Si-woo.

With her gloomy mood lifted, Ji-yeon was playing happily with Si-woo when her brother Ji-ho came back holding his mother's hand.

Do-jin and Hyun-ju, who had been watching the children play, were also there.

And—

Ji-yeon's father was there too.

Ji-yeon's smile, which had been there a moment ago, froze.

"Big sister~"

Ji-ho, calling out to his sister, grabbed Ji-yeon's hand.

His other hand reached out to Si-woo.

Si-woo, thinking Ji-ho was a cute kid, took his hand.

Ji-yeon, looking at the two adorable children, held back her sadness and turned away.

But her father spoke first.

"You're still young. When you grow up, you'll say, 'Oh, I should have listened to Dad and studied.'"

"..."

"You won't regret it. Your dad, who has already lived life, is telling you... Ugh, never mind. Forget it."

Ji-yeon's gaze briefly fell on Do-jin and Hyun-ju, Si-woo's parents.

She felt so embarrassed.

She didn't understand why she had to listen to a lecture about her future here.

Ji-yeon's mouth, which she had been trying to hold back, opened involuntarily.

"...I sing well."

"What?"

"I sing well. My friends all say I do."

Ji-yeon's father said in a frustrated tone,

"Hey, is singing in a karaoke room the same as being a professional singer? What do they know? They just say you sing well because you're their friend... Hey! Ji-yeon! Where are you going when I'm talking to you...?"

Ji-yeon, not listening to her father, turned around and quickly walked away.

"Are you not standing there?!"

With her head down, Ji-yeon quickly crossed the sledding area alone.

Ji-yeon's father, with an angry look, chased after her.

At that moment, a safety officer's shout was heard.

"Hey! That's dangerous!"

Ji-yeon looked up.

A large tube was sliding down from the top of the sledding area at high speed, heading straight for her.

"Kyaa!"

As Ji-yeon screamed in surprise, her father lunged forward.