TL/Editor: looloo
Status: ongoing
Illustrations: posted in discord
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Once again, the calendar turned twice, and after the New Year, February finally arrived.
And now.
It was a little past my birthday and just before Heena's birthday.
We were right before Han Sarang's first birthday.
At 12 months old, Sarang could say Mom and Dad more clearly, walked alone albeit a bit unsteadily, and used her hands to pick up and eat various things.
Because of this, she often put things in her mouth, causing Heena and to panic.
When she tried to eat baby food by herself with a spoon, about one-tenth of it ended up in her mouth while the rest made a ss everywhere.
Not only that, but she had beco even more of a clingy baby, proving she was Heena's daughter.
But not to Heena, to .
Normally, it's the mom that babies cling to, but since Sarang saw her mom always clinging to , she started seeking out every day.
The saving grace was that she didn't have separation anxiety that made her cry when I wasn't around.
Heeseong once showed a video. When I disappeared from Sarang's sight, she beca visibly sad. But soon enough, she called out, "Mommy~" and sought Heena.
But as soon as I reappeared, she clung to again.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Tomorrow was her first birthday party. Sitting in the living room, I was checking the order of events on my laptop, and Sarang grabbed my clothes and kept calling .
I wanted to play with her, but I needed to finalize the details for tomorrow's event.
"Sarang, Daddy is busy. Can you be with Mommy?"
"Aboo!!"
I tried to hand her off to Heena, but before I finished my sentence, Sarang leaned on my leg and buried her face in it, wriggling around.
Oh dear, Sarang...
"Baboo..."
"Just throwing yourself at , huh? Definitely Heena's daughter."
"I-I don't do that much!"
Heena, sitting on the sofa behind , quickly protested. But honestly, I think Heena was more intense, not less.
"Anyway, take Sarang for a bit. I need to check the order."
"Alright~ Han Sarang! Do you want to have so snacks with Mommy?"
"Daddy!"
"Daddy's busy~ Let's play with Mommy~"
"Daddy! Daaadddyyy!!"
"It’s not working, honey."
"You're giving up too soon."
"How can I forcibly take her when she's clinging to you like this~"
Saying that, Heena also hugged from behind. Now I was sandwiched between mother and daughter, and I had no choice but to give up checking the laptop.
Ignoring them and continuing might make Sarang hurt herself by accident.
"Sigh... I'll look at it later. Where's everyone else?"
"Mom and Dad went to double-check the hotel, and I don't know about my brother."
"Well, we don't have anything else to prepare, right?"
"Probably not? We just need to dress up in our hanboks and look pretty~ Everyone's coming to see that anyway."
"That's true."
We hadn't planned a big party, so that made sense. Only grandparents, a few relatives, and so friends of ours were coming.
Despite the event being to celebrate Sarang's first birthday, I was the one feeling more nervous.
"Up we go!"
I lifted Sarang, who was still squirming on my lap.
Our daughter was quite heavy now.
"You’ll do great tomorrow, right, Sarang?"
"Aboob! Daddy!"
"A few months ago, you wouldn't call Daddy, and now it's all you say..."
"I'm worried about when we go back to school. Sarang will be looking for you all day."
"Hmm... Should we take her with us?"
"Maybe? We could get permission from the professors, and take turns watching her..."
"Sorry, it was a joke..."
Thinking about Sarang being sad without us made my heart ache, but she needed to get used to being without us for short periods.
I enjoyed the warmth on both my chest and back, gradually calming my nerves. Human body heat had a remarkable way of bringing comfort.
In that state, Heena and I talked about future plans.
"Heena."
"Yeah?"
"Shall we go to the beach this sumr? Even if we don't swim, let's let Sarang feel the sea breeze."
"Of course, we should go~ Did you think we wouldn't?"
"Well... I don't think this year will be as busy as last year."
Last year, being our first year of college, was tough in many ways. The lectures and assignnts were more overwhelming than expected, and we had no leisure ti.
Plus, Sarang was very young then.
"How about we visit the zoo in spring before sumr? Maybe on Children's Day. Don't you want to see the red pandas again?"
"We absolutely have to go. Can we stay an hour with the pandas this ti?"
"Sure~ if you like the pandas more than Sarang and , go ahead."
"Why does it always co to that..."
Heena lightly pinched my waist. It seed her competition with the red pandas hadn't ended even after four years.
"In the fall... shall we set a date for a shopping mall trip? The place we always went to."
"That's fine too. I think they had a kids' cafe there."
"What if all the other kids fall for Sarang because she's so cute?"
"If you want to take Sarang, you have to pass my evaluation first. There are a thousand criteria."
Of course, I had no intention of handing over our beautiful Sarang to any cheeky kids. Who could dare take away the world's most beautiful Sarang?
"Do you think Sarang will like street food? I hope her taste buds are like yours..."
"Why?"
"Honestly, even though I enjoy it, I know it's not healthy."
"Isn't it nice to share a treat with your daughter?"
"Sure, but even if she doesn't like it as much as I do, she could have so."
"True, I always did that~"
Even Heena, who wasn't fond of street food, always took a bite or two. Whether it was because she could enjoy a little or because I insisted, I'm not sure.
"So, what should we do in winter? We'll gather for Christmas like last year..."
"Hmm... shall we persuade Heeseong to go on a hot spring trip?"
"That sounds good, but why Heeseong?"
"Even if we handle our share, wouldn't Heeseong cover Sarang's expenses?"
"Hahaha... you're too much!"
"If I get a job, I'll buy everything Heeseong wants."
" too! By the way, I think he's started dating recently."
"Oh~ with the cafe manager? He had a long and difficult crush..."
"Really~"
I always felt grateful to everyone in the family, but especially to Heeseong. He never refused our requests and did so much for us.
If Heeseong ended up getting married a bit later, one of my goals was to cover his honeymoon expenses. If not, I'd at least buy him so appliances later.
"Jeongwoo and Yoonjung are getting married next year, right?"
"Yeah. It seems they've settled in at work. They're saving up this year and planning to move out after the wedding."
"Haha, Yoonjung always talks about it when we et these days. She must be so happy."
"Many long-term couples break up, but I'm glad they are doing well. Honestly, I'd love it if Yoonjung beca my sister-in-law."
Jeongwoo, who looked gruff but always took care of , and Yoonjung, who treated like a real sister and gave lots of advice on my relationship with Heena. Sotis she did stir things up, but those were also fond mories now.
"How about Sunhoo? Is he seeing anyone?"
"He'd have to leave the house first... But judging by how often he cos to see Sarang, I doubt it."
"Yeah... And I'm so glad he finally stopped bringing rice crackers and started buying other snacks..."
"Seriously. More than half of those rice crackers were eaten by Heeseong. He'd open a bag, give one to Sarang, and eat the rest himself. What would we have done without him?"
"Honestly, I think he started liking them. I saw him eating them while watching TV the other day."
Sunhoo was as much of a fool for his niece as Heeseong was, though he still didn't go out much.
At least he made his own living, so our parents didn't say much. I wasn't sure how he made money on the computer, but as long as he supported himself, it was fine.
"Daddy! Awuu!!"
"Are you upset because I only talked to Mommy? Sorry."
"No matter what you do, Daddy likes playing with Mommy more~"
"Let's stop competing with Sarang..."
"I'm just kidding~ Sarang, do you want to play blocks with Mommy?"
"Uweeaau..."
Despite Heena's suggestion, Sarang clung to my arms with no interest in anything else. She just wanted my attention and had no intention of leaving my side.
Sarang's love for her dad was nothing new. I dreaded the thought of her hitting puberty in middle school. Imagining Sarang being annoyed with made my heart ache.
If she ever got mad at , I'd probably want to die.
"What if she clings to you tomorrow too?"
"We'll have to carry her around. What will she grab? What did we prepare?"
"Just the usual: a pencil, coin, ball, so toy items... and your photo."
"...My photo?"
"Yeah."
"Why would my photo be there?"
"Your parents suggested it. They said to bring a small frad picture of you from ho."
"I don't understand..."
For so reason, I had a feeling Sarang would grab my photo.
Well, it wouldn't be so bad. If she picked it, it would an she wanted to marry her dad—a cute sign of affection from my daughter. As a dad, I'd welco that!
"If she tries to pick your photo, I'm going to intervene."
"......"
Mom didn't seem to welco that idea as much.
Anyway, tomorrow Sarang would be one year old.
I worried about whether I’d be able to sleep tonight. Maybe it was because Heena's and my birthdays were close too, making it feel like a joint birthday party for the three of us.
So, we chatted excitedly until the family ca ho.
Looking forward to Sarang's first birthday party tomorrow.
Author's Note:
The end is near. Although this is the conclusion, I've started writing for longer than planned, with more ti skips and a greater focus on raising a child. I'm going to break!
Even after the conclusion, the serialization will continue for a bit! Under the na of side stories! I'll move ti forward freely, send characters to the military, write more about Sarang, and maybe even switch perspectives!
Don't we need to see more of the mother-daughter cat duo?!
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