“No!”
“No? Why? Ji-yu will let you eat Dad’s nose too.”
“Noo. I don’t like it, I don’t like Daddy’s nose.”
“Why don’t you like Dad’s nose? Dad’s nose is handsome though?”
Still disliking it, Ji-yu firmly shook her head while grasping her nose tightly with both hands. He kissed such Ji-yu’s cheek again. Then when he gently bit the back of the hand holding her nose with his front teeth without hurting her, Ji-yu finally made an excited “Kyah!” sound, leaned her body far back, and then threw herself with all her might into Seo-an’s chest at once.
“Daddy’s nose, uh. Big.”
“Right, Dad’s an adult. Ji-yu will be like this too though?”
“Really? Like that?”
“…What’s that reaction? What, Kwon Ji-yu.”
Seo-an showed a flustered expression. And for good reason—he’d never heard anyone say he was ugly. He’d even lived hearing sounds that he didn’t know whether were compliments or insults, like at least his face turned out that way, which was fortunate. But to be rejected like this here?
“Ji-yu… likes Samchon’s nose though.”
“…Ji-yu-ya, is your type really Hae-won Samchon?”
He didn’t know what he was saying while holding onto a young child, but for Seo-an, who had been brushing off Hae-won’s words “How can your tastes be so similar?” as a joke every time, this context was too flustering.
“Hm? Kwon Ji-yu. Quick, tell only Dad while Samchon’s not here. Is that really your type? You like people who are born that pretty?”
“Ahh, what’s chi-yang?”
Ji-yu seemed utterly embarrassed by Dad’s persistent questions. Standing on Seo-an’s thighs and gripping his shoulders tightly to balance, Ji-yu was twisting her body around, dodging the answer for no reason.
Then, Hae-won’s voice was heard from the side.
“Ah, so my face is born that pretty.”
Seo-an stopped his hands for a moment. Ji-yu’s movement also stopped likewise. Ji-yu, who whipped her body around, jumped and flew over to Hae-won’s arms as if flying.
“Aw, Ji-yu-ya. Samchon’s sorry for being late. Did you wait long?”
Hae-won naturally held the child and skillfully soothed her. Even while doing so, his gaze remained on Seo-an the whole time. The obvious gaze was somehow blatant. Seo-an unknowingly rubbed the back of his neck.
Somehow it felt like he’d been caught talking behind someone’s back. To be precise, it was a compliment, but seeing him swagger like that, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
Just when he was about to mumble through it.
“Ye-in-ah!”
Ji-yu, who had been laughing with an even bigger reaction in Hae-won’s arms, suddenly called someone. As if meeting a daycare friend, at the name the child suddenly uttered, Hae-won and Seo-an’s gazes simultaneously turned toward where the child was looking.
“Ji-yu-yaaa.”
A child who clearly looked to be Ji-yu’s age could be seen toddling over holding her mom’s hand.
“Oh, Ye-in.”
It was a name Seo-an didn’t know, but Hae-won raised his eyebrows as if he already knew her.
When Hae-won put down the child squirming in his arms, Ji-yu ran with clumsy steps and stood in front of the child called Ye-in. Meanwhile, Seo-an slyly moved to Hae-won’s side and poked his side, asking.
“Who’s Ye-in?”
“Ah, this is a secret between Ji-yu and me. Ji-yu grabbed my lips and told me a man must keep secrets.”
“…Grabbed your lips and said?”
“Yes, to hold them together like this.”
Hae-won let out an absurd laugh and grabbed his own upper and lower lips together at once. For some reason, the child’s expression and actions seemed visible before his eyes, so Seo-an also burst out laughing in disbelief.
He’d taught her several times that secrets meant keeping your mouth shut tight like this, and it seemed she’d done exactly that to Hae-won. Anyway, she’s smart.
But being proud was one thing, and being curious was another.
Seo-an poked Hae-won’s side once more while keeping his gaze fixed on Ji-yu.
“Who is it? I’ll pretend not to know.”
Seo-an asked once more while keeping his gaze on Ji-yu. Then he made eye contact with Ye-in’s mother and exchanged greetings with their eyes. The woman also seemed to already know Ji-yu well, as affection was dripping from her eyes looking at the child.
“Ji-yu says she likes her. She says she’s sooo pretty.”
At the sound that followed, Seo-an looked at Hae-won with wide eyes.
“Really?”
Holding back the laughter that burst out next was quite difficult.
What on earth is emotion? Even that small thing has an ideal type, and instinctively fidgets with her hands and acts coy in case she might look bad. Fidgeting even with those small cotton-ball-like fists.
Right… what really is emotion?
A severed relationship will only leave traces if you try to reconnect it, yet it makes even the distance deliberately kept narrow like this.
“……”
Seo-an’s gaze that had been on the child soon turned to Hae-won. Emotion is a storm that makes even a child who doesn’t even know the word flustered, so how could an adult who’s already experienced all sorts of hardships handle it?
A tree deeply driven into the soil, with its hidden roots exposed, is bound to sway even in a small breeze.
“If you keep looking like that, I might suggest leaving just the kid and the two of us going on a date.”
Was the blatant gaze too naked? Hae-won spoke in a low murmur while looking straight ahead.
At the same time, as if it were a promise, Ji-yu waved her hands excitedly from over there and said.
“Daddyyy! I want to watch with Ye-in, uh, with Ye-in— together. Is that okaaay?”
“No, Ji-yu-ya. Ye-in should watch with Mom, and Ji-yu should watch with Samchon and Dad. We were going to hold hands on both sides like this and watch together, remember?”
“Ahh, but still…”
Ji-yu now seemed to find Ye-in in front of her more precious than them. As if not wanting to separate, Ji-yu, who held Ye-in’s hand tightly, opened and closed her lips as if wanting to say something.
But perhaps having no other tantrums to throw, she suddenly raised her head and looked at Ye-in’s mother. As if asking her to save her.
“Why is the kid so shameless?”
When Seo-an, who whispered small enough for only Hae-won to hear, burst out laughing in disbelief again, Ye-in’s mother, who had been conquered by Ji-yu’s eye attack, readily took Ji-yu’s hand.
“I’ll take the kids in and watch with them. You two can comfortably spend time together, it’s fine.”
“Still… it’ll be hard for you to watch the kids. We’d rather—”
He was about to say they’d take her and look after Ye-in too.
“Then we’ll gratefully ask you to do so. How about having dinner with us after the musical ends?”
Hae-won quickly intercepted the words as if he couldn’t let this opportunity just slip away.
“Ah, we’re going camping later. Let’s eat with the kids next time.”
Ye-in’s mother smiled brightly and gave a favorable answer for now. As soon as that happened, Ji-yu’s clear voice rang around them.
“Ye-in-ah! Sleep over at my house later.”
Having obtained permission, Ji-yu began openly wooing Ye-in while tilting her head prettily. Seo-an was continuously flustered at the child’s appearance he didn’t know, wondering who she took after to be so aggressive.
Ji-yu just like that, without even greeting them, held Ye-in’s hand and entered the theater.
Seo-an, who readily gave his number to Ye-in’s mother who said she’d call after it ended, thanked her several times. Unlike the woman who seemed to think lightly of it as if such things were common among daycare parents, Seo-an was just bewildered by this situation.
“Ji-yu seems to be very proactive in love. This is also different from Hyung.”
“What does the kid know? She’s just acting according to what she likes because she likes it.”
Seo-an glanced at Hae-won, who seemed to be reproaching him. Whether he did or not, Hae-won said with a grin.
“Exactly. So what do you think Hyung should do?”
“What?”
“No, not that ‘slowly’ thing. Aigoo, try learning from the kid. They say children are mirrors of adults.”
“Is that really how you use that saying?”
“I don’t know, you just use it whenever, that’s how it works.”
Even while leaving the lobby and naturally heading to the car, the conversation between the two didn’t cease. Seo-an stared at Hae-won, who was blatantly telling him to express himself, then stroked his face for no reason.
“So, did you have a good visit with your parents?”
When he even smiled slightly, the eyebrows neatly positioned on Hae-won’s pretty face rose once significantly. But even then, he soon rubbed his cheek against his palm affectionately and answered.
“Yes, very much.”
“Okay, then… I guess it’s time to play with me now.”
“That sounds perfect.”
Hae-won smiled brightly as if that was exactly what he’d been hoping for. A smile also bloomed fully on Seo-an’s lips without him realizing it.
***
“How long is the musical’s running time?”
“About an hour, they said.”
“Ah, not very long.”
The two who arrived at the cafe side by side had a cozy conversation. During that, Hae-won showed disappointment upon learning that the time given to them was only about an hour.
“I guess it makes sense considering the kids can’t endure it.”
Though he didn’t know well, it seemed like about 20 minutes was the limit for children’s animations. Even that had breaks in between. Considering that, was an hour long…
Still, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed, so when Hae-won gulped down his drink, Seo-an laughed quietly.
