My Girlfriend Is Very Good To Me [EN]: Chapter 168

Ep. 167

Late November.

The last month of the year was once again approaching.

The biggest thing I’ve realized while raising Sarang is how quickly time flies.

Sarang, who used to wriggle in our arms, started crawling before we knew it, then walking, and now she even runs into my arms for a hug.

She was already almost five years old. At this rate, it felt like she would be entering elementary school in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Sarang grow day by day was lovely, admirable, and I felt grateful. But on the other hand, there was also a sense of loneliness.

I couldn’t quite understand why I felt that way myself. Was it because of what my friends had jokingly said a while ago?

“No matter how much she clings to you now, once she enters middle school, she’ll be like, ‘Ugh, Dad! I told you not to wash my clothes with yours!’ That’s a true story from my family, by the way.”

“Hundred percent. Soon, you won’t even be able to enter Sarang’s room, you know?”

“Shu… shut up…”

“Shut uuuup~”

Soo-hwang and Yoon-sung, who started spouting such ill-omened words as soon as they saw me, complaining that I hadn’t shown them Sarang’s face lately. I was trembling with anger at their teasing, but I also knew it in my heart.

That Sarang was such a daddy’s girl, this was probably the last of it. Usually, even by the higher grades of elementary school, they slowly graduate from their dads.

Was my loneliness stemming from imagining such a future? Of course, I know that’s a natural phenomenon in a typical family.

“Sarang will give Daddy sausage!”

“Really? Ah~”

The thought that Sarang, who happily feeds me side dishes like this, would one day frown and speak to me in an annoyed tone, already felt like my heart was tearing apart.

So, after a few days of contemplation, I was able to make a decision. If it’s an unavoidable fate, then let’s enjoy it as much as possible before that day comes.

To do that, we needed more time alone. We spend a lot of time like that now, but how should I put it? Time that’s just the three of us, without other family members, is quite rare.

That’s why, after finishing our meal, I declared to Hee-na and Sarang.

“Hee-na! Sarang! Let’s go on a staycation!”

I shouted it out boldly, but to be honest, I didn’t really have a plan. It was a bit of a sudden decision, triggered by the strange anxiety I’d been feeling lately and the teasing from my friends a while ago.

But my wife, after being briefly puzzled by my sudden statement, soon smiled brightly and agreed.

“Okay~ I have to use my vacation days anyway, so I can use them for that. But are you okay with it?”

“Working at the community center is pretty relaxed. They’ll let me use them as long as it doesn’t overlap with everyone else. Besides, it’s only for a day or two including the weekend.”

“Really? Then should we talk to our families and see if anyone who can go wants to join us?”

“That’s a good idea, but how about just the three of us this time?”

“Just the three of us?”

“Yeah. When I think about it, we haven’t really gone anywhere far with just the three of us. What do you think?”

“Great! I love it! When are we going? Which hotel? Do you have any places in mind?”

“Uh… no? I just thought of it…”

“Then I’ll look into it!”

“Plea, please?”

Besides, Hee-na got even more excited at the idea of just the three of us and started researching by opening her laptop. I was planning to look into it together with Hee-na from then on if she was okay with it, but seeing how much she liked it, I thought I could leave it to her.

Anyway, even if we researched together, I would follow Hee-na’s opinion one hundred percent. And I could adjust my vacation days to the days Hee-na could use.

As I was watching Hee-na, who was showing such spirit and concentrating so hard, Sarang climbed onto my lap.

“Daddy. Where are we going?”

“Mommy, Daddy, and Sarang are going to play somewhere.”

“Where to? Playground?”

“A place much farther than the playground. Mommy and Daddy will ride in a car, vroom vroom, and go fa~r away.”

“Really! Sarang wanna go too!”

“Yes, yes. We’re going with Sarang, just the three of us.”

Sarang likes it so much when I say she’s going with Mommy and Daddy, no matter where it is. Right. I have to enjoy this moment as much as possible. Take lots of pictures. That’s what I brought this up for.

I need to engrave Sarang, who’s sparkling her eyes on my lap, even more in my mind.

With that determination, I hugged Sarang tightly. Just like Hee-na, my lovely daughter who happily accepts anything I do with a smile.

But at this time, I didn’t know.

That even after a year, even after ten years, Sarang would be the same, and it was all unnecessary worries.

Rather, the problem was that she couldn’t graduate from her dad. No, that she *didn’t* graduate.

At this moment, I couldn’t even imagine it.

—

The biggest obstacle in starting preparations for a staycation with Hee-na was not the schedule, but the family.

As soon as I said that we were only going with the three of us this time, voices of opposition immediately erupted from here and there.

“How can you even think of going without me? Do you have any conscience? How much have I been your errand boy until now!”

“No… we’re just saying we’re going just the three of us this one time, why are you going so far.”

“Take me with you! I’ll drive, I tell you?!”

“Manager, I mean, Rin-noona, what about her?”

“…Can’t you just leave it at noona… [Noona is a Korean term used by males to address older females they are close to].?”

“If you include one person at a time like that, you’ll end up taking everyone.”

Still, as he said, I was a little weak-hearted because Hee-sung hyung [Hyung is a Korean term used by males to address older males they are close to] had helped me so much.

“Oppa [Oppa is a Korean term used by females to address older males they are close to]. I still haven’t forgotten that you hit on Yeon-hoo back then.”

“…That was already a month ago… You nagged me for two hours back then and you’re still bringing it up…”

“What?”

“Ah, I got it. It’s so petty to only go among yourselves…”

Hee-na lightly shot him down. I averted my gaze from Hee-sung hyung, who was grumbling next to me, and the next person I saw was.

“Son-in-law. If you two want to have fun, you need someone to watch Sarang, right? I’ll go with you~”

“Ahem. How dangerous is the world these days to watch a child alone. You need two people.”

It was my mother-in-law and father-in-law.

However.

“Mom, Dad. The three of us are going on a family trip. Just the three of us.”

“Still, Hee-na~”

“We’re going just the three of us.”

“Hee-na.”

“Dad. I said we’re going just the three of us.”

“…Okay.”

Abandoning all logic and emotion, Hee-na stubbornly repeated ‘just the three of us,’ and in the end, they had no choice but to give up.

Honestly, I was getting weak-hearted, thinking, ‘Should we just all go since it’s come to this?’ but Hee-na showed a firm attitude that she wouldn’t allow any freeloaders.

I really wanted to try traveling just among ourselves, and now I wasn’t even confident in changing Hee-na’s mind. So, I ignored the gazes of the two who were subtly asking for help from my side.

And this situation was no different on my family’s side.

From the start, my sister-in-law was up in arms.

“Absolutely against it! I want to go too! I want to have a staycation! I want to go into the hot water pool with Sarang!!!”

“Noona [Noona is a Korean term used by males to address older females, specifically older sisters or close female friends]. can’t even use her vacation days.”

“I will! I’ll quit my job to go!”

“Yes. The next person scheduled for overtime.”

“Uwaaaaaaa!!”

My sister-in-law, who works at a solid mid-sized company, although not a large corporation, is so busy that she can’t easily use her vacation days. She seems to earn more than most large corporations, but her work-life balance isn’t very good.

Knowing that it won’t work, she throws a tantrum alone for a while, and eventually bursts into tears of sadness.

And next to such a sister-in-law, Jung-hoo hyung casually threw out a word.

“I can.”

“Sister-in-law can’t go.”

“I just won’t take her. I can.”

“Wow.”

“Hey!!! Han Jung-hoo!!!”

“Driving is possible. I can cover Sarang’s accommodation costs.”

“You, you!! How can you even think of abandoning me?!”

“It’s totally possible to match your vacation days.”

“Hey!!!!”

I was impressed by his heartless abandonment of his wife. Of course, my sister-in-law was soon grabbing his collar and shaking him.

Leaving behind the couple’s fight that had started, next I saw Sun-hoo hyung playing with Sarang.

“Little one~ Do you want candy?”

“Yesss! Sarang wuvs candy!”

“This is something you can’t easily see these days. This old-fashioned lollipop.”

“Woaaa! Daddy! Samchon [Samchon is a Korean term used to address an uncle or a close older male friend of one’s parents]. gave Sarang candy!”

“Looks delicious~”

Well, Sun-hoo hyung didn’t seem to have any intention of coming along. I thought so. Even though he likes Sarang, he hates going far away.

Now, the last ones left were our parents. As if they had planned it with my mother-in-law, my mom’s first comment was very similar to my mother-in-law’s statement.

“Son. Don’t you need someone to take care of Sarang at night?”

Of course, it was a bit more blatant than my mother-in-law. My dad wasn’t saying anything next to her, but it was an atmosphere where he would gladly agree if I just said one word to go together.

Since it’s our family, I thought Hee-na would have a hard time refusing, so I tried to solve it myself.

“Mother, Father. We’ve never gone on a trip anywhere just the three of us, so we’re going to take this opportunity to go. Please understand.”

“Okay… then there’s nothing we can do.”

“Ahem…”

Hee-na, who was expressing her intention to refuse gently but firmly as well. I think it was probably the first time. It was the first time Hee-na had refused something our parents had asked for.

And at Hee-na’s refusal, the two of them didn’t say anything more and gave up immediately. Because my mom and dad were as weak to Hee-na as I was in this world.

Anyway, after such persuasion, the number of people going on the trip was finally confirmed to be the three of us.

Of course, I was very tired afterwards, thanks to some family members who were subtly engaging in improper solicitations to me. But Hee-na wants to go with just the three of us so much, I can’t ruin that.

And for several days, we excitedly prepared for the trip. Hee-na applied for vacation days, and I took vacation days accordingly. A little late, but we also booked a hotel. In Sokcho, where our high school memories by the sea are contained. It’s a different place than where we went back then, though.

Since we were going in the middle of the month, fortunately, there were still one or two hotel rooms left, so there was no problem booking a room. Of course, the price was more expensive than I thought. It seems like it’s the peak season.

Still, I was glad there were rooms left. If we had tried to go on Christmas, we would never have been able to book one, but anyway, our Christmas was already set to be with both families.

When the trip preparations were finished up to that point, it was a few days before departure, in the evening. I took Sarang and stopped by the department store to match Hee-na’s time to leave work.

But as soon as we entered the department store.

“Honey, how about this on me?”

She immediately held up a bikini to her body and asked for my opinion. I know we’re going to a place with a hot water pool, but this is a bit much.

Is it because we couldn’t go to the beach this year because of my training camp?