Ch#54
54. Gift is Panties?
"Min-ho got two gifts. If I had a dad, I would've gotten more too."
Na-eun whispered into Ji-ho's ear as he pouted sullenly.
"Ji-ho. Min-ho doesn't have a mom. Wouldn't you want a mom if you didn't have one, just for more gifts?"
Ji-ho's eyes widened at her words.
"No? No way."
He shook his head vigorously to say no, then suddenly jumped up.
"We have to play chika-chika quick!"
Na-eun laughed watching Min-ho and Ji-ho run into the bathroom. Then Kang-woo spoke up from beside her.
"Aren't you going to open my gift?"
Na-eun smiled at his words and said.
"I have a gift too."
She handed Kang-woo the gift she'd prepared.
"Let's open them together."
Kang-woo and Na-eun faced each other by the sparkling tree, each holding the other's gift. The winter scene outside the window was quietly serene, as befitting the season. Kang-woo urged her to open the box he held out.
"You usually open gifts slowly. I'm curious. Du-gu-du-gu-du-gu."
Na-eun tapped the nearby table nervously, building tension. Then she unwrapped the box. Inside was another, smaller box.
"It's this small?"
As Na-eun asked in disappointment, Kang-woo replied, holding the large box she'd given him.
"Size isn't everything, is it?"
Na-eun pulled the small box from the larger one. It was clearly a jewelry box. Opening it revealed two delicate logic old necklaces, each engraved with the same initials.
<K&N>
Na-eun fiddled with the pendant using her fingertips as she gazed at the necklaces bearing their initials side by side.
"Both our initials are here. Is this a couple's necklace?"
Kang-woo nodded at her question.
"Put it on me too."
The necklace soon dangled over Kang-woo's suede shirt.
"It's really pretty."
The men's version had a slightly thicker chain, but the pendant was the same size.
"I'll put this one on you."
Kang-woo fastened the necklace around Na-eun's slender neck.
"I like that it's not a common design."
As she said, the necklace wasn't ordinary. The octagonal pendant's edges were densely studded with small diamonds that sparkled beautifully.
"Now that I've received this, my gift feels embarrassing. I'll give mine later, next time. Give it back."
At Na-eun's words, Kang-woo quickly unwrapped his gift as if that was out of the question. Inside was a pair of luxury logo-embossed men's panties. Kang-woo laughed.
"How am I supposed to take this?"
Na-eun waved her hand at Kang-woo, who eyed her meaningfully.
"What do you mean 'take it'? I bought it because it's the most practical gift. Now that you've received something like this from me, it feels embarrassing all over again."
Kang-woo teased her.
"You should be embarrassed. It feels like it comes with some ulterior motive."
Na-eun's face flushed at his words.
"No. It's just something you use every day, so I thought it was a gift without any burden or meaning."
"Then it's too insincere."
"What?"
"It feels like you deliberately chose something forgettable."
Na-eun fell silent at his words. He was right. She'd wanted to give a forgettable gift. Something that would leave nothing behind even if they parted later. But now that she'd received this necklace, she had nothing to say. As if reading her mind,
Kang-woo said.
"I'll pass these panties down through generations."
He said it with a confident expression.
"Pardon? Why?"
Was it because he had no heirs to pass them to...?
As Na-eun blankly thought that, Kang-woo laughed and said.
"I'll cherish them, wear them sparingly, hand-wash them myself, and pass them down. Not the kind you wash quickly and toss when worn out, as if they hold no memories between us."
"What does all this mean over some panties? And hand-washing?"
Whether this man even knew how to hand-wash or not, Na-eun was certain he never would.
"You won't."
But Kang-woo remained confident.
"I will. I'll wear these sparingly, wash and dry them by hand myself, and even give them to our kids later."
Our kids? Not Choi Kang-woo's kids, but our kids? Who did he mean? Why did his words always leap so far ahead?
"I don't know."
As Na-eun's face turned red, Kang-woo said.
"Sit here and listen to music. This is something I play on Christmas to feel good."
Kang-woo turned on the music. A soft melody fitting for Christmas flowed out.
"I'll make coffee. It's still early, so breakfast can wait a bit."
"The kids woke up too early."
The two took their gifts to their rooms and didn't come out. In the meantime, the rich aroma of coffee filled the air.
"It was good to have my brother give Min-ho his gift. Min-ho accepted it without any resistance."
"Yes. I was thinking the same."
"By the way, Min-ho got two and Ji-ho only one, so he seemed upset, but what did you whisper to make him so calm?"
"Min-ho doesn't have a mom. So I told Ji-ho that. Asked if he'd want no mom just to get two gifts, and his mouth snapped shut."
"Wow. Brutal. Sometimes I realize how cold you can be, Na-eun."
"You have to be firm when raising kids. And they need to accept that everyone has different circumstances. That's how they can be happy. Ji-ho doesn't have a dad. I explained it before."
"What did you say? That's a tough concept."
"I said I don't have a dad either. And that everyone is different. He may not fully understand, but he'll remember."
"Were you sad when your dad passed?"
"Yes. My dad was really kind. He gave gifts often and even checked if I'd put lotion on my face before school in the morning."
"Fathers like that were rare back then. Look at mine. Lotion? Who knows if he ever thought of us."
"He must have."
"Even if he did, probably not like you think. He likely saw us as heirs to carry on the family, so we had to study well and excel at everything."
Na-eun laughed at Kang-woo's words.
"That's not a bad mindset."
"But it's a huge burden on kids. No affection, just good food and clothes, so do your duty well. That's how it sounds."
"There are families with lots of affection but financial struggles. Every home has its hardships."
"But for kids, isn't parental love more important than money?"
"Of course emotionally. But when a child wants to pursue a dream, parents need the means to support it. That's why I'm working as a live-in tutor and saving hard. For the future."
Kang-woo laughed at Na-eun's words.
"Yeah. Drink your coffee."
Na-eun sipped the coffee he'd made and said.
"Our CEO has so many talents. You could be a barista."
"Shall we open a tea house together? I'll make coffee, and you sell burdock tea."
"That sounds good."
"Ten cups a day."
"Could we live off that?"
Kang-woo laughed then.
"Want to live off meals with me?"
Na-eun didn't answer as his words suddenly veered there. Just then, Ji-ho came out.
"Mom! Look at this."
The train was already assembled. It didn't require much, but the two boys had done it.
"Wow. You two did this?"
"Yeah. Min-ho helped."
"Awesome."
Pressing the button, the train ran along the track.
"So cool. You both did amazing."
It was a Christmas morning that felt especially warm.
Ha-young was rolling around in bed late on Christmas morning, not getting up.
"No matter how I think about it, it's weird. Do I really have to believe that CEO and Na-eun aren't close? Even a woman like me got no glance from him—why would he look at Na-eun with a kid in tow? Still, that atmosphere back then seemed so friendly... Hmm."
As Ha-young tossed and turned on the bed, the door burst open and Mi-suk entered. She approached and smacked Ha-young's back.
"Get up, you lazy thing."
"Mom, why hit me? Why smack your grown daughter's back?"
"Do you know what day it is for you today, Ha-young?"
"It's not your birthday, Mom."
"It's Christmas, Christmas."
"I know. I was out late last night because it's Christmas."
"Christmas, and no gift for your mom?"
Mi-suk crossed her arms and glared at Ha-young. Ha-young blinked back at her, dissatisfied.
