Chapter 94
- Dad is Coming 2022.03.23.
Jeong Ji-heon said proudly to Jeong-o's question.
“Maybe.”
He wanted to brag. Like her. Ji-heon, who could 100% understand Yena's heart wanting to brag about her dad, asked Jeong-o for permission with a victorious smile.
“Since it's like this, can I go?”
Holding onto one woman, and telling another to come pick her up. He was such a popular, happy man with two women, the corners of his lips kept soaring toward the ceiling. His expression was so soft, it was hard to believe he had been serious for a moment. Jeong-o was even more annoyed by that, but she was also a fool for her daughter, raising both hands and feet for anything related to her. In any conflict, they became one in front of the topic of 'Princess Yena'.
“Be careful. Be careful what you say, and especially be careful about saying names.”
“……”
“Oppa is Jeong Ji-heon, but Yena is Lee Yena.”
Hopefully, Yena wouldn't get hurt again.
“Okay.”
Ji-heon nodded at the delicate request.
“Let’s talk when you get back.”
“……”
“I’ll play with you when I get back.”
“Am I acting like I want to play?”
A peck. Quick body. He soothed her, who retorted in a fit of pique, with a thief-like kiss and turned around. His footsteps, moving step by step, even seemed hurried. Soon, click. The door that had been opened closed. Jeong-o, left alone, poured out her dissatisfaction into the air.
“Seriously, who is he calling a fox?”
As if he wasn't a more vicious fox himself. She could only sigh at this man's nasty heart, who couldn't stand seeing others acting like foxes. * In front of the Go academy building. Do-bin, who arrived at the academy first, waited for Yena with the teacher. It was the day Yena, who had skipped the academy for a day due to illness, came back. Do-bin also came to the academy after two days, following Yena.
“Why didn’t Do-bin come yesterday?”
“Because Yena didn’t come.”
Do-bin said brightly to the teacher's question. While the children were learning Go, Do-bin was learning love. A Go academy without Yena was like shaved ice without red beans to Do-bin. Soon, Yena's kindergarten bus arrived. As soon as the door opened, Yena shouted with a happy smile.
“Park Do-bin!”
“Yena!”
Do-bin grabbed Yena, who got off the bus, and jumped up and down. Yena also stomped her feet along with Do-bin.
“Are you not sick anymore? Are you all better?”
“Yeah. I’m all better.”
“Are you really okay, Yena? Is it okay to go to the academy today? I was told to call Grandma if you couldn't go to the academy. Grandma said she would come pick you up.”
“I’m okay.”
Yena, who answered Do-bin and the teacher lightly, headed to the academy in her usual cheerful and energetic manner. Taking advantage of the teacher's absence during the class, Do-bin whispered to Yena.
“I thought you were dead.”
Recalling the memory of the day before yesterday when he cried, thinking that his beloved Yena was dead, Do-bin's eyes welled up again.
“I called 'Yena' over a hundred times at the hospital, did you hear me?”
“No, I didn’t hear you.”
“Wow! That’s amazing. I called you really loudly.”
Do-bin thought that he should call her even louder next time.
“But why did you collapse?”
At the following question, Yena pointed to the diagonal end of the classroom and whispered to Do-bin.
“Actually, she and her Oppa scolded me.”
Suin, who was shrinking her shoulders, was in the place Yena pointed to.
“Why did they scold you?”
“Because I said I have a dad, they said I was lying, and they told me to call my dad.”
Do-bin, who becomes seriously sensitive when it comes to matters related to Yena, held onto the corners of his lips that were about to droop and squeezed them tightly. Yena nagged at his expression, which seemed to be holding back tears.
“Hey. What are you going to do if you cry!”
“I’m not crying.”
Do-bin wiped away the tears that had welled up on his eyelashes. In fact, Yena was grateful for Do-bin's reaction. She wanted to tell Do-bin the really important story quickly. It's okay. I have a dad too. Her lips fluttered with the exciting feeling of waiting for her dad. Yena was so happy, but Do-bin, who had just heard about the incident from the day before yesterday, belatedly became angry. Unable to contain his anger, Do-bin approached Suin and spoke to her.
“Hey.”
Suin blinked and looked at him.
“Aren’t you going to apologize to Yena?”
“Why?”
“You did something wrong to Yena.”
Suin's face contorted at Do-bin's accusation.
“Apologize quickly.”
“No!”
Suin shouted and ran out of the classroom. Finding the director standing in front of the entrance, Suin burst into tears and grabbed the director's hem. The director was surprised and asked.
“What's wrong? What's wrong, Suin?”
“Teacher, she did something wrong to Yena, but she won’t apologize.”
Do-bin and Yena also came out of the classroom. Do-bin, who spoke clearly to the director, scolded Suin once again.
“Yena almost died because of you.”
At that moment, the academy entrance door opened. It was Suin's mom.
“Mom!”
Suin, who recognized her mom's face, let go of the director's hem and ran to her. Suin's mom was also surprised.
“Teacher, what's going on?”
The director answered with a troubled expression.
“Suin's mother, I told you yesterday, right? There was a bit of an accident between Suin, Jaein, and Yena.”
“Yes, you did. You said our kids told her she didn't have a dad.”
“Mom, he's telling me to apologize to Lee Yena. Waaaaah.”
Suin said, pointing at Do-bin. The sound of her crying grew louder. Suin's mom, heartbroken by her child's crying, complained in a small voice.
“Well... if a kid doesn't have a dad, you can't say they do, you have to say they don't...”
“Yena collapsed because of that, so I think it would be good if you could resolve things and get along, Suin's mother...”
“No, teacher. How can you only take that kid's side?”
Suin's mom was upset at the director's answer. It wasn't just her kids who were at fault, and she was dissatisfied with the academy's response.
“Is it because of our kids that she collapsed? We don't know if she collapsed because of our kids, or because of her own inferiority complex. Kids from single-parent families are usually like that. They usually get overly hurt and blow things out of proportion because of their inferiority complex, even when things could just be passed over.”
Suin's mom wiped away her child's tears and continued to vent to the director.
“Is that why you're pushing our Suin to apologize? Making a seven-year-old cry like this?”
She became even angrier after speaking. Suin's mom, who immediately recognized the child standing next to Do-bin as Yena, took a step closer to Yena and asked.
“Hey, are you Yena?”
“Yes.”
“Yena, I need to talk to your mom. When is your mom coming?”
“My dad is coming.”
“What, what?”
While Suin's mom's eyes widened, the academy entrance door opened and Ji-heon entered. Ji-heon, who had spotted Yena through the academy's glass door, had hurriedly opened the door.
“Daddy!”
The color returned to Yena's face, which had been expressionless. Yena ran nimbly and hugged Ji-heon.
“Huh?”
Do-bin, who saw Yena running to Ji-heon and calling him Dad, blinked and looked at Ji-heon and Yena. But he just watched and didn't say anything tactless like Ji-heon wasn't Yena's dad. An unknown cosmic force blocked Do-bin's mouth. It was the first time in Do-bin's life that he had shown a tactful reaction. Yena hugged Ji-heon tightly and said to the director.
“This is my dad.”
“He’s friends with my dad.”
Do-bin also intervened with his meddling nature and introduced Ji-heon. Ji-heon put Yena down and scanned his surroundings. He was puzzled that people were focusing on him. Something had happened. He had roughly looked into the academy's director and vice-director, as well as the Jaein and Suin siblings and their parents, before coming to the academy, so he quickly grasped the situation.
“Hello. I’m Yena’s dad.”
When Ji-heon greeted the director, Suin's mom quietly mumbled.
“No, she definitely said... that the kid didn't have a dad...”
Yena pointed at Suin.
“Dad, this is Hong Suin. The kid who asked me if it was a lie that I didn’t have a dad.”
“When did I ever!”
Suin flared up.
“You did. You.”
“……”
“Dad, she lost a game of Go to me. So she said things to me. Because I’m better at Go.”
“No. You just forced your way to victory!”
“You can’t lie. I remember all the games we played. Do you remember?”
“Yena has a good memory.”
As Yena grilled Suin, Do-bin chimed in gleefully. Suin pressed her lips together, looking upset. Yena continued to ask.
“Why did you do that to me? Did you do it because you were upset about losing at Go?”
“No! I wasn’t upset!”
Suin shouted. The children in the classroom rushed out. Even Suin's Oppa Jaein was among the crowd. Suin grabbed her mom's arm and whined.
“Mom said so! She said Yena didn’t have a dad. But Yena lied, so I told her not to lie. Waaah.”
She burst into tears again. Suin's mom fidgeted, hugging and patting her child, and Suin continued to cry sadly.
“Why are you only telling Suin to apologize? Suin is crying too.”
“……They’re just kids, they can say things like that. That’s why they’re kids.”
Suin's mom looked around at the people around her and protested in a small voice. Ji-heon asked Suin's mom with a face devoid of laughter.
“Suin’s mother, did you tell your children that our Yena doesn’t have a father?”
“No, there were rumors like that in the community…”
“You told your children exactly what was going around in the community.”
“……”
“You’ve made your children into liars who don’t know manners. You, as their mother.”
Suin's mom was furious at the provocative remark. Suin's mom's target became the director. She wanted to make it seem like this academy had not handled the situation properly.
“No, you can’t say that. Why are you always cornering our children? Teacher, why do you keep asking the child to apologize and making things worse!”
Do-bin chimed in again.
“The teacher didn’t do that. I told her to apologize.”
“Do-bin said he told her to apologize.”
Ji-heon also supported Do-bin's words. Suin's mom yelled at Do-bin in a loud voice.
“Hey, who are you to tell my child to apologize or not!”
“They’re just kids, they can do that. Suin’s mother.”
Ji-heon defended Do-bin. Suin's mom's face turned bright red.
“Children may not be able to apologize. That’s why they’re kids. Let’s leave it at that for the kids.”
“……”
“Since you, the adult and guardian, have come at the right time, you can apologize to my child on their behalf.”
Ji-heon walked towards Suin's mom with heavy steps. Suin's mom seemed to see Ji-heon as the Grim Reaper coming towards her, and she took a step back with fearful eyes. But she couldn't escape Ji-heon's snare. Just then, the class bell rang, creating a chaotic atmosphere. Ji-heon, who had approached closely, spoke in a low voice so that only Suin's mom could hear.
“Do it right, Suin’s mother. Jaein and Jaein’s friends seem to be watching. The less trouble there is here, the less embarrassed the child will be, right?”
“……”
“You’re an adult, you should watch your words in front of children.”
It was so chilling that it felt like my heart would stop.
