Episode 428:
I had no choice but to wear the white dress I wore yesterday.
“You can just buy some clothes to wear outside right now.”
“no, I do not want.”
“Sure.”
He said he didn’t like it and didn’t even think about forcing it.
Children who lived in environments where their opinions were not valued often did not know what they wanted. Even if you feel an emotion, you don’t know what kind of emotion it is, and even if you think clearly, you shouldn’t assert it. In that sense, Jang Seo-ah was very desirable.
‘The kid is very smart. I know how to say whatever I want to say.’
If you give me a choice, I give it to you, but I don’t want to give arbitrary advice to a child who just says what he wants. What the child needed now was respect, not the adult’s opinion.
“….”
Maybe?
‘…I should have raised my child properly to know that.’
The pain of failed parenting lasts a long time.
Jaeheon Lee wiped the corners of his mouth because he felt a bitter taste in his mouth. After changing his clothes on his own, he made the child sit in front of me and gently combed his hair. Jang Seo-ah closed her eyes like a cat basking in the sun and enjoyed his touch.
Her hair was not tied up, just combed neatly.
“Then let’s go.”
“huh.”
“It’s not yes, it’s yes.”
“yes.”
“You look like Minhong.”
“Hi-Hi.”
I watch them smile because it’s nice to see them.
I was worried that he would feel uncomfortable if I kept carrying him around even though he wasn’t really a family member, so I left him alone, but the child who was walking for a while slowly came up to me and snuggled up against my leg. Lee Jae-heon picked up the child again without saying a word. Even for his age, he is quite small, so he can fit his entire body right on top of my arm.
The child’s face feels more comfortable, as if picking him up and carrying him rather than letting him walk was the right answer. Her lips were tightly closed, as if she had put some effort into them, and her red cheeks were slightly swollen, as if she had been thinking about doing so.
‘I want to press it to turn it off.’
The child’s face was small enough to fit in Lee Jae-heon’s one hand. If I pressed both cheeks with my hands, it felt like the air inside would come out. Of course, as Jaeheon Lee is a wise adult, he did not translate his imagination into reality.
When I opened the backseat door to put her in the car, Jang Seo-ah, who had put her down for a moment, looked up with bright eyes. I wanted to know something, so I looked at him and spoke without hesitation.
“I want to sit next to you.”
“That’s difficult.”
“why.”
It’s not ‘Why?’ It’s ‘Why?’ Indeed, he was a man of strong spirit who admired the tattered appearance of an adult man in the dark world and called him a zombie. Even against royal Lee Jae-heon, his momentum was not lost.
Lee Jae-heon believed in and explained the intelligence of the smart child Jang Seo-ah.
“Child Seo-ah is small, so it could be dangerous to ride in the passenger seat. “All cars in the world are made for adults, so the seat belts are too tight to fit a child’s body, making them more dangerous than other seats when the car suddenly stops or an accident occurs.”
“why.”
“I know you’re not asking because you’re really curious, but because you’re grumpy. It’s just that I’m worried about you. It would really hurt my heart if Seo-ah got hurt. “Let’s take a look at our kind-hearted and thoughtful Seo-ah just once.”
“….”
“…Shall I buy you ice cream?”
“With the taste of milk.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Since he refused chocolate milk, I wondered if he didn’t like anything too sweet, but he seemed to just like milk.
I wondered if there was ice cream in the department store lounge, but it didn’t matter if there wasn’t. There are probably many people who would run errands for just 1 million won in exchange for a milk-flavored ice cream.
Jaeheon Lee said, holding the steering wheel with his child in the back.
“But not on an empty stomach. “I feel sick and need to cry.”
“…I hate it so much.”
“I hate that too. “I don’t want you to feel upset, so let’s eat our meal and eat ice cream.”
“I don’t even like food.”
“That’s right. I see.”
Jaeheon Lee chuckled as his small cheeks swelled again.
‘You idiot.’
Due to environmental conditions, the underworld was unable to maintain a plentiful diet. I was lucky if I found an edible fruit on the way, and I was lucky if I could pick up a snack at a convenience store, even if it meant plucking out an eye. At that time, Jang Seo-ah, who had been quietly eating whatever was given to her, started complaining.
So, that was just a foolish thing. All his life, he had no one to accept his complaints and was not in an environment to complain, but now that a rich adult named ‘Lee Jae-heon’, who does not die easily, has become his guardian, he is a foolish fool. How obnoxious would it be for a 6-year-old child to be grumpy?
“Is there a reason you don’t like rice?”
“I just hate it.”
“Then I like rice, I like cereal, I like bread.”
“…I like bread.”
“The flour is delicious.”
And bread gains weight well. Since this had already happened, I thought about fattening up the skinny child’s body. Since I haven’t had a proper breakfast, it would be nice to have some light, soft bread that won’t strain my stomach.
‘I wonder if there’s bread in the lounge…’
It’s been so long since I’ve been to a hotel lounge that my memory is vague. It seemed like if I pressured him into bringing ice cream with him, he would bring it on his own. Therefore, this was a useless worry. My ego as a stubborn and strong-willed old man and royal told me not to worry about such things.
Now he was going to spend money, not to worry. There were already a lot of things that were bothering me, but I promised myself once again that I would use this opportunity to shake them all off and come back.
“I have a problem with Seoa children.”
“yes.”
“Does our Seo-ah like a skirt or pants?”
“A skirt.”
“Explain the reason in 30 characters or less.”
“omg.”
“I was just teasing you. “Don’t be nervous.”
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“Oh, of course. “That is a valid statement.”
I was worried that she might have been forced to wear a skirt, so I asked her, but she didn’t look like she was lying. It seemed sincere that Jang Seo-ah liked skirts more than pants.
“We need to buy pajamas too… Did you say you wanted some sleep pajamas? “Is your memory correct?”
“That’s right.”
Oh my, it’s so fucking cute.
“….”
I held my breath and came to my senses.
‘…I’m usually clear, but when I’m distracted or in a good mood, I talk a lot.’
Maybe it was because the baby was so small, but it was especially cute. I think it would be great to see Choi Min-hong and Choi Min-hong shopping together while holding hands.
Perhaps because Jang Seo-ah was rarely assertive, Minhong kept wanting to tell Seo-ah something. I think he said his birthday was earlier, but does he think he is his older brother?
“…That’s right.”
“yes.”
“I’m not going to work tomorrow. “I took a vacation.”
“yes.”
“And when it gets dark, the other adults will come too.”
“yes.”
“Adults who played together in the other world.”
“yes.”
“Minhong will come too…”
“Yes.”
“cute.”
“yes.”
“I’m going crazy…”
It was so funny that I giggled and hit my head on the steering wheel. I was stopped at a red light, so this was okay. What was so funny was that Jang Seo-ah, a child who saw Lee Jae-heon like that, also giggled. The loud laughter of a child of that age filled the car.
I felt a little dizzy.
“Yes, it’s good to smile.”
It was because I couldn’t believe I was smiling.
Why here?
* * *
Before they left the officetel, Lee Jae-heon deposited 500 million won in advance at the department store, their destination. It was as if the benefits given to VIPs were purchased with money. When I informed him of my intention to visit today, he simply asked me to give him the car number. This was to make it easier to enter the private parking lot.
Honestly, it was annoying.
‘It’s hard to hire a secretary in my situation, but…’
His older sister and older brother had secretaries who took care of such small things, but Lee Jae-heon was just a manager at a large company. Although there was nothing I couldn’t do, I wasn’t in a position to hire a secretary. I don’t really want to go up any higher, but sometimes it felt a little uncomfortable.
When I arrived at the parking lot, an employee approached me right away.
“Mr. Lee Jae-heon?”
“That’s right.”
“Thank you for visiting. “I will guide you to where you want to go.”
“Do I look like a child who can’t find his way?”
“Oh, I’m sorry if it sounded like that.”
“…what a joke.”
Lee Jae-heon clicked his tongue slightly and said as he picked up the child from the back of the car.
“I should stop by the lounge first.”
“Then I will take you this way. “I wonder if there is any service you would like…”
“My child is hungry because he hasn’t eaten yet.”
“I will prepare it for you.”
“Something like soft bread and milk ice cream.”
“Yes sir.”
It was a firm smile that suggested he would have a good social life, but the employee was already saying, ‘As soon as he arrived, he started acting crazy. I could hear myself shouting, ‘What kind of restaurant is this?’ Lee Jae-heon, who was sitting on a sofa in the lounge, made an audible noise as if he had finally remembered it.
He opened his wallet and took out 50,000 won bills. He then handed it to the employee standing nearby with a clean gaze without any trace of contempt or arrogance.
“Can I buy this much?”
“yes? No, we do not receive compensation for the services we provide…”
“Why?”
“That’s our policy….”
“Why? “You don’t even get tips?”
“It’s stipulated…”
He recklessly shoved money into the embarrassed employee with a smiling face.
“why?”
“….”
The employee, who was silent for a moment, responded with faster and more precise service. It seemed like he was categorized as Jinsang, who had a nasty personality and was a typical old man, but was well versed in throwing away money. At this level, he wouldn’t have made a fuss about Jang Seo-ah, whether it was peek-a-boo or something else. I’m going to try to forget it altogether.
‘All the employees initially assigned will be people who know the industry.’
Thinking like that, Lee Jae-heon broke the bread brought by the employees into small pieces and put it in Jang Seo-ah’s mouth.
“delicious?”
“Neng.”
“This?”
“Neeh.”
“Then this is it.”
“Nem.”
Judging by the short answer, I guess croissants aren’t that good.
Lee Jae-heon didn’t care much, but he kept all the employees away for fear that the child would get tired of eating. Fortunately, there were no other customers in the lounge, so I was able to eat comfortably. The face of the child who ate bread in the morning looked quite satisfied.
It was time to feed him rice and even eat milk ice cream.
“….”
“…?”
The child’s gaze landed on a large human figure in the distance.
‘…I think it’s a security guard.’
Although he was tall overall, perhaps because he was a department store employee, his impression itself was grim. Maybe it was a matter of atmosphere. Although he took care of himself, it was clear even from this distance that his body had been strengthened through actual fighting. The appointment may have been made in consideration of the relationship with the industry.
Lee Jae-heon looked down again and saw Jang Seo-ah.
“…Hmm.”
As always, he had a calm expression and a quietly closed mouth, but it was amazing to see a 6-year-old turn a blind eye to the snack he was enjoying in the first place. The security guard can be seen looking at Seo-ah discreetly, and the child herself smiles slightly and wiggles her hands when their eyes meet. A natural exchange of glances. I didn’t know the security guard standing at the entrance, so it seemed like they had a connection.
‘Did you meet each other while wandering around the industry?’
Jaeheon Lee observed the bodyguard closely. It wasn’t close or in front, but I could still see the face clearly. Moderately neat clothing and a cool appearance that hints at the life he has lived.
“….”
I felt like I could vaguely understand why Jang Seo-ah only stuck with the toughest survivors. Isn’t it because the people who protect and worry about them all have such scary faces?
‘I roughly understand the situation.’
It seems like he’s quite happy to see me so intently, so should I call him over and say hello? Or should we try to coordinate the situation so that the two can meet naturally? If Jang Seo-ah, who is good-natured and smart, welcomes a child like this, she probably doesn’t have a bad personality. She wouldn’t be harmed by leaving her with the child.
As Jaeheon Lee was thinking deeply, something suddenly occurred to him.
‘…Did I say that Seong Dae-young was coming here too?’
Oh wait.
“….”
Lee Jae-heon’s eyes glanced at the bodyguard without being noticed.
I think I could use this.
(Continued in the next part)
