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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: The Bell and Ban Ha-na
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Just as a hush fell over the room.
“Daddy, can we stay and play?”
Seol-i’s question broke the silence… Kang-jun looked at Kajan…
Kajan asked the teachers.
“What are you all doing?”
At his words, the teachers, unable to hide their bewilderment, could only ask, “Excuse me?”
“Open all the indoor play facilities immediately.”
‘What in the world just happened?’
With a dazed look, Lee Ji-hee stared intently at the children and parents playing joyfully in the center’s indoor playground.
One question had led to another, so she had volunteered for supervision duty at the play facility to watch the two of them.
‘He seems ordinary….’
No, that wasn’t right. He didn’t seem ordinary at all.
Because he was incredibly affectionate.
“Seol, what on earth are you doing here?”
“Huuuh…?”
“The concert starts in ten minutes! Come on, it’s time for your makeup!”
When Kang-jun beckoned, Seol-i scampered over and asked.
“Okay! I’m coming!”
Kang-jun then pretended to apply makeup with a toy block and gently asked a question.
“Sally, you can do great again today, right?”
“I’m not Sally….”
“Idols have two names.”
At that, Seol-i muttered, “Oh, wight,” and answered, clenching her tiny, fern-like fists.
“Yeah! I can do it!”
Lee Ji-hee, who had been watching the scene in silence, found a warm smile spreading across her face.
“He’s amazing….”
Usually, children around Seol-i’s age were just beginning to show interest in things like ‘grooming’ or ‘beauty.’
She would have been perfectly happy just playing a simple makeup game.
But he had even incorporated an ‘idol role-play,’ a common dream job for girls Seol-i’s age. How could she not love it?
“He’s perfectly meeting his client’s needs….”
Only now did she feel she could understand why Seol-i spent all day at the center talking nonstop about her ‘daddy.’
“Oh?”
Just then, Kang-jun spotted a new piece of play equipment that had arrived a few days ago and stopped in his tracks.
It was a structure where you climbed a rather steep ramp, rang a bell, and then slid back down.
The floor was layered with mattresses made of shock-absorbent material, so it looked safe.
“Seol, should we try that one?”
At that moment, Lee Ji-hee muttered under her breath.
“That’ll be too hard for Seol-i….”
Not only was the slope much steeper than it looked, but it was the same even if she somehow managed to climb it.
She would need quite a bit of strength to hang on, even for a moment, and shake the rope attached to the bell.
Just then, another teacher sat down across from Lee Ji-hee and struck up a conversation.
“You’re going to burn a hole through them. What are you watching so intently?”
A bright smile on her lips, Lee Ji-hee began to answer casually.
“A parent from my class is playing so wonderfully with his child, I was hoping to learn a thing or two.”
The other teacher asked, “Really? What’s he like?” and followed Lee Ji-hee’s gaze…
“Oh, is that Seol’s father?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“He’s a total natural.”
After speaking, she added.
“To be honest, my eyes have been drawn to him for a while now, too. He’s playing with such passion and dedication, isn’t he?”
Then she whispered softly.
“The other kids are jealous.”
“I’d be jealous too if I were them.”
“But that thing looks too difficult….”
The two teachers sat side by side, watching Seol-i standing before the ramp far away.
“Daddy, I’m gonna try!”
Seol-i took a few steps back, then started running toward the ramp to build momentum, but…
*Flop!*
She didn’t even make it a meter up before she fell and slid right back down with a *whoosh*.
“Hmph, I can’t do it….”
Watching the scene, Lee Ji-hee nodded her head as if she knew this would happen and said.
“The ramp is definitely too steep for children Seol-i’s age to climb all the way….”
Just as the two of them were assuming the father and daughter would give up on the ramp and move to another ride.
“Seol, let’s try again.”
To Kang-jun’s words, Seol-i replied.
“Seol-i is scawed….”
Kang-jun then said, “Watch this,” picked Seol-i up, and repeatedly dropped her onto the mattress right below the ramp…
“Do it again! It’s fun!”
As Seol-i kept giggling, “Heehee, hehe,” Kang-jun took her back into his arms.
“It didn’t hurt at all, right?”
“Nope, it was fun!”
“Then why are you scared?”
Kang-jun added again.
“Daddy will help you, so let’s just try a few more times.”
Lee Ji-hee and the other teacher, who had been watching silently, widened their eyes.
“Oh my, it looks like they’re going to keep trying.”
“It seems so….”
“They won’t make it, no matter how many times they try.”
And so, Seol-i and Kang-jun stood before the ramp once more.
“First, I think your socks are making you slide faster, so how about we try with them off this time?”
When Seol-i replied, “Okay, I will!” Kang-jun quickly took off her socks, rolled them into a ball, and tucked them into his pocket.
“Go!”
Seol-i once again charged valiantly toward the ramp…
*Flop….*
She fell from a point just a little higher than her first attempt and slid down.
*Sliiiide….*
Seol-i’s face quickly fell as she muttered softly.
“Hmph, Seol-i can’t do it….”
At her words, Kang-jun shook his head and offered more advice.
“I think it would be better to run from further back and climb with more power….”
And so, the father and daughter repeated the challenge over and over. With each attempt, they broke their previous record by a small margin, but that was all.
*Flop, sliiide….*
*Flop, sliiide….*
*Flop, sliiide….*
Each time, Kang-jun would encourage Seol-i in a gentle tone while repeatedly suggesting new approaches…
At some point, the two teachers found themselves with sweaty palms, secretly cheering on the father-daughter’s challenge.
“I really hope they succeed.”
“Me too, me too….”
“Wow, that one was close….”
“I know….”
“Oh? Oh? Ah, so close….”
As the two became completely engrossed in watching the father and daughter, the other teachers also started to show curiosity.
“What are you two doing here?”
And they quickly got swept up in it.
“Please, please, please, please….”
In an instant, the audience had grown significantly…
“This time, Daddy will push you from behind. How about we try it together?”
“Togever?”
“Yes. If it feels like you’re going to fall, Daddy will catch you, so don’t worry about a thing and just climb.”
Even with Kang-jun supporting Seol-i from behind with his hands, she repeatedly slid back down after a short while.
“Daddy, I weally can’t do it….”
At Seol-i’s words, Kang-jun nodded once as if he had no choice and replied.
“Alright, let’s take a break for now.”
As the two of them plopped down in front of the ramp, those who had been watching their challenge spoke with a hint of disappointment.
“Hmm, I guess they’re giving up now.”
“I’m the one who feels disappointed for some reason….”
“Still, she made it up pretty high.”
“For kids Seol-i’s age, I guess….”
Just then, Kang-jun looked up at the ramp and began to speak.
“Seol, you know, as you go through life, you’ll face a lot of things like this that seem impossible to achieve.”
“Hmph….”
“If you give up or run away every time, it might be easier in the moment, but it will probably be painful later on.”
Kang-jun’s gaze turned to Seol-i.
“Do you remember how to make a promise?”
At his words, Seol-i replied, “Yeah,” and hooked her pinky fingers together.
“Yeah, Daddy taught me.”
Kang-jun then asked again.
“When you were learning to promise with your pinkies, you said it was too hard and you couldn’t do it, right?”
“Yeah, that’s wight.”
“But you didn’t give up, and now that you’ve learned it, it doesn’t seem hard at all, does it?”
At that, Seol-i answered with a triumphant tone.
“Wight, it’s boring now!”
Kang-jun replied softly.
“It turns out that most things that seem impossible are like that.”
“Huh?”
“Once you actually do them, they’re really no big deal, you know?”
Finishing his words, Kang-jun gently stroked Seol-i’s hair and added again.
“If you give up once, you’ll keep giving up next time. You might even keep giving up and running away when you’re a grown-up.”
Then he added.
“Losing is a habit, too.”
Seol-i, who heard him, was still too young to understand his words and could only tilt her head in confusion…
“Ah….”
But Lee Ji-hee, who was eavesdropping (?) on their conversation, felt a pang in her heart.
And it wasn’t just her.
The other teachers also had dazed expressions, as if Kang-jun’s words had struck a chord with them as well.
“Do you want to try just ten more times with Daddy?”
“Hmph, but Seol-i is scawed….”
“I’ll take responsibility and help you.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Seol-i replied.
“Okay, otay!”
And so, the father and daughter stood before the steep ramp again.
They resumed the challenge they had paused.
*Flop, sliiide….*
She reached a slightly higher point.
*Flop, sliiide….*
A little higher still.
*Flop, sliiide….*
Her hand almost touched the bell’s rope.
“Please, please, please….”
Everyone was cheering for Seol-i.
*Flop, sliiide….*
This time, she grabbed the rope but lost her grip.
“You can do it, Seol-i….”
Eventually, a few teachers closed their eyes tightly, clasped their hands, and began to pray…
*Flop, sliiide….*
*Flop, sliiide….*
*Flop, sliiide….*
*Flop, sliiide….*
This was it. The tenth time. The last chance.
“Seol, you can do it.”
Seol-i started running again…
*Diiiiiiiiing….!*
The sound of the bell rang out…
“Waaaaaaah!”
“She did it!”
“Congratulations, Seol-i!”
The one who had actually succeeded, Seol-i, still looked bewildered as if it hadn’t sunk in, while the ones who let out cheers were the teachers who had been rooting for the father and daughter from afar.
It was a success.
♦ * * *
As they say, the first time is the hardest.
*Diiiiiiiiing….!*
Seol-i rang the bell over and over again.
“Seol-i can do it well now!”
The teachers, watching her with pleased expressions, lowered their voices and exchanged opinions.
“What a wonderful memory this will be for Seol-i.”
“I know, right? Seol-i’s father’s educational philosophy is really amazing.”
“True, and Seol-i was so admirable for following through to the end.”
“And if you look closely, he’s also really handsome….”
“Wow, I’m suddenly so jealous of Seol-i.”
“I seriously shed a tear when she rang the bell.”
Just then, the father and daughter began to get ready to leave…
“Looks like they’re going now.”
Kang-jun and Seol-i approached the cafeteria where the teachers were gathered and said casually.
“We’ll be taking our leave now.”
“Ah, yes, sir….”
“We’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
Kang-jun bowed his head once more.
“Goodbye, evewyone!”
Seol-i followed Kang-jun’s lead, placing her hands on her belly and bowing at a ninety-degree angle.
Lee Ji-hee, a bright smile on her face, stroked Seol-i’s hair and said.
“You were so cool, Seol-i.”
“Weally?”
“Yes, you were the coolest.”
At her words, Seol-i hugged Lee Ji-hee’s thigh tightly, rubbing her cheek against it affectionately.
“Seol-i likes Teacher.”
“Teacher likes Seol-i, too.”
Seol-i looked up at Lee Ji-hee.
“Then Teacher can be Seol-i’s mommy.”
“Huh?”
“Because Seol-i doesn’t have a mommy at home.”
At those words, Lee Ji-hee’s cheeks flushed red as she began to stammer, “S-Seol-i….”
For a moment, her eyes met Kang-jun’s in mid-air before she quickly lowered her blushing face.
‘He must be a kind person….’
And when she thought about it carefully, it didn’t seem like a completely ridiculous, impossible thing.
‘First of all, our ages are roughly similar, and besides, a lot of divorced singles remarry these days….’
Just then, Kang-jun spoke.
“Excuse me, Teacher.”
Startled by his voice, Lee Ji-hee unknowingly let the thought in her head slip out in a tiny voice.
“But marriage is still a bit….”
When Kang-jun, as if he hadn’t heard, asked, “I’m sorry?” she waved her hands frantically and stammered a reply.
“No, no, please, go on.”
“I’d like to ask you something.”
Having said that, Kang-jun finally voiced the question he had been holding in for the past few days.
“Is there a child here named Banana?”
“Excuse me?”
“Seol-i said she’s her best friend.”
Lee Ji-hee, unable to recall a child by that name, was in the middle of asking, “Banana…?” when it happened.
“Oh! It’s Banana!”
A little girl who was also getting ready to go home far away came scampering over…
“Seol-i!”
“Nana!”
Being best friends, the two children greeted each other happily with a tight hug…
“Ah, Ha-na.”
Muttering briefly as if she’d had a realization, Lee Ji-hee pointed to the name written on the side of ‘Banana’s’ daycare bag and said.
“I think she meant Ha-na.”
Kang-jun’s gaze shifted to the child’s name written in neat handwriting on the side of the bag…
- Love Class, Ban Ha-na.
Kang-jun muttered again…
“Not Banana, but Ban Ha-na….”
He suddenly grunted, “Ugh,” and clutched his left chest.
It was cute.
