〈205〉 Amusement Park Family Outing
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May.
As always, looking at my wife and children around me, I couldn’t help but think how lucky I was.
Hee-na and I try to spend as much time as possible with our family, and thankfully, it wasn’t that difficult.
It’s hard to say this myself, but Hee-na, Sa-rang, and So-mang all genuinely enjoy spending time with me.
The three of them always gravitate towards me, the head of the family. As a result, they often gather around me, even during their free time, forming little groups of two, three, or even all four of us.
Sometimes I worried that this might isolate my family from interacting with others, but everyone seemed to manage their social lives well, so there were no major issues.
Hee-na and Sa-rang constantly received messages, even with their notification alarms turned off, and So-mang was a popular little star at daycare. According to her teachers, all the girls her age were captivated by So-mang’s chic and somewhat aloof demeanor.
Once, So-mang brought a puppy doll to daycare. That day, she held the doll and smiled brightly, showing a side of herself so different from her usual self that it caused quite a stir.
Anyway, I was relieved that everyone seemed to get along well with people outside of the family, and it was definitely a good thing that we were such a close-knit family.
“Mom! How can you hog Dad’s lap all by yourself!”
“It’s Mom’s turn now, isn’t it?”
“I was there for 30 minutes, so it’s my turn now!”
“I don’t wanna.”
“So-mang sat there for an hour at first! It’s my turn, big sister!”
“Dada~”
“Don’t try to cutely ask Dad! That’s not fair!”
Today, we were all gathered in the living room, taking turns sitting on my lap. First, it was So-mang, and then Hee-na, who won rock-paper-scissors against Sa-rang.
Even though she’s already in her thirties, Hee-na isn’t at all embarrassed to cling to me like this in front of the children. Rather, she seems to enjoy flaunting it.
“So-mang had an hour, so Mom gets an hour too~”
“Ugh!!”
“Eomma [Mommy]…”
“It doesn’t work even if you look at me like that~ So-mang always gets to sit there anyway.”
Even now, she was pushing away her daughter and son with the logic that she deserved an hour too since So-mang had an hour.
She was always such a kind and wise wife and mother to me and the children, but she showed no mercy at times like this. Besides, it was a reasonable argument, in her mind.
I just sat quietly, watching the three of them argue over who got to occupy my lap. Hee-na was already on my lap, and the children were holding onto my arms, so I couldn’t move.
What right did I have to speak in this situation? Even if I did, I knew better than to say a word. For the sake of family peace, I couldn’t take anyone’s side.
This happened often anyway, and it rarely led to real arguments.
“Then let’s talk until it’s Sa-rang’s turn, and then we’ll go to sleep. It’s getting late.”
“I want to sleep together tonight!”
“Then bring your pillow later. So-mang, do you want to sleep together too?”
“Yes.”
“So-mang sleeps between Mom and Dad, and what about Sa-rang?”
“Next to Dad!”
“Hee-na, the fan… never mind.”
The children would definitely hug me tightly and make me sweat because it was warm. So I wanted to suggest turning on the fan, but I decided to hold back. It’s the change of seasons, and if the children were exposed to the fan breeze all night, they might catch a cold.
Anyway, it seemed like everyone clinging to me every day was getting more intense.
It was a happy feeling, but also a slightly worrying one.
[Han Yeon-hoo: So I arranged this meeting. Everyone, give me your opinions]
[Kim Soo-hwang: What the fuck]
Starting with swearing. You haven’t grown at all, Kim Soo-hwang. We’re already in our thirties.
Well, in fact, I didn’t arrange a separate meeting. It just seemed like my friends were all looking at their phones during the day when Hee-na and the kids weren’t around, so I brought up the topic in our group chat.
I guess Yoon-sung is off today, but the rest of you are slacking off at work too much.
[Kim Soo-hwang: Some of us are struggling all the time, and you’re talking about being full and happy]
[Lee Hyun-woo: This bastard’s problem isn’t needing counseling, it’s just showing off]
[Shin Eui-hyun: ㄹㅇ; [Real;]]
[Jung Yoon-sung: Can I come over?]
[Han Yeon-hoo: No]
But the reaction was more violent than I expected. Have I been bragging too much? Is it bragging? I was just telling them about my daily life.
In the meantime, Yoon-sung was bored and asked if he could come over. I thought he had been dating the part-timer at the store since last year, so why is he acting like this? Doesn’t he usually go out with her on his days off?
[Han Yeon-hoo: Jung Yoon-sung, what about your girlfriend?]
[Jung Yoon-sung: She’s working on a weekday, you son of a bitch]
[Han Yeon-hoo: Ah]
Come to think of it, I think I heard that she quit her part-time job and got a full-time job at a company this year.
[Kim Soo-hwang: So what? Lee Hee-na, Sa-rang, and So-mang like you too much, so that’s the problem?]
[Han Yeon-hoo: It’s not that… well, it is, but it’s not *just* that.]
[Kim Soo-hwang: That’s the same thing, so what the fuck is it!!!!!]
[Lee Hyun-woo: Is this guy really crazy? It’s a waste of my precious work time because of this bastard ㅅㅂ [ssibal; Korean swear word]]
[Han Yeon-hoo: No, aren’t you grateful that you’re spending your slacking time well thanks to me?]
Shouldn’t they be grateful to me?
[Lee Hyun-woo: You’re attacking my mental state too, you crazy bastard!]
[Han Yeon-hoo: Then get married]
[Lee Hyun-woo: ㅅㅂ [ssibal; Korean swear word]]
[Shin Eui-hyun: I want to give you advice if I can, but I really want to swear]
[Jung Yoon-sung: I’ll bring tteokbokki [spicy rice cakes], so can I come over?]
[Han Yeon-hoo: No]
After pouring out a bunch of swear words, they started to accept the story. They were probably just looking for something to kill time anyway.
[Kim Soo-hwang: Try going out alone once a week. Just for two hours on Saturday or Sunday. Let them be independent without you.]
[Shin Eui-hyun: Isn’t two hours too short?]
[Kim Soo-hwang: Two hours will feel long for them.]
[Han Yeon-hoo: Two hours *is* too long…]
[Lee Hyun-woo: ㅁㅊ; [crazy;]]
Even when I go on a date or outing with one of them, the rest are waiting for me at home, so it wasn’t easy to leave all three of them. I don’t think they’d let me go in the first place.
[Lee Hyun-woo: But the kids are still young. It’s natural that they don’t want to be separated from their dad. Sa-rang is still 13 years old… already 13 years old?]
[Shin Eui-hyun: I saw her briefly the other day, and she’s grown a lot. Wow… it feels like just yesterday that I was taking her for a walk in a stroller.]
[Kim Soo-hwang: Is it real that it’s been over 10 years already?]
[Jung Yoon-sung: Han Yeon. Do you remember what I said when Sa-rang was riding in a stroller? You guys should know too. If you’re having a hard time, tell me. You can always get a job as a manager at our store.]
[Han Yeon-hoo: Doesn’t this guy know how to give up]
[Lee Hyun-woo: ㄹㅇ [Real] He’s recruiting 365 days a year;]
[Jung Yoon-sung: Okay. I’ll bring a lot of Pi-kachu pork cutlets that Sa-rang likes, so can I come over?]
[Han Yeon-hoo: No]
Anyway, none of the opinions so far were useful. I didn’t want to go out alone just because they were too attached to me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to spend time with my family.
I’m just a little worried about the future.
[Shin Eui-hyun: When will we be able to hear Sa-rang say “Dad is annoying”?]
[Kim Soo-hwang: I thought it would be soon, but when I saw them playing last month, I don’t think we’ll hear it for another 3 years.]
[Jung Yoon-sung: I can’t imagine Sa-rang saying that. That kind child…]
[Kim Soo-hwang: That’s true. But puberty can come suddenly.]
[Han Yeon-hoo: Yeah. Our Sa-rang would never do that~]
Don’t slander Sa-rang. Even if Sa-rang goes through puberty, she will never treat me like that!
[Kim Soo-hwang: What about So-mang? Is she still a carbon copy of Lee Hee-na?]
[Han Yeon-hoo: Do you think her face will change if you don’t see her for a month or two? She’s still a mini Hee-na.]
[Kim Soo-hwang: She’s going to be amazing later. Hee-na’s older brother is so handsome. She’ll grow up to be the same, right?]
[Shin Eui-hyun: What’s it like to be born with good looks…]
[Lee Hyun-woo: None of us here know that, so shut up]
[Jung Yoon-sung: I’ll bring oden [fishcake skewers] for So-mang, so can I come over?]
[Han Yeon-hoo: No]
It’s not a new thing that So-mang is handsome. She really has a selfishly beautiful face, even though she’s my son. Sa-rang is the same.
[Kim Soo-hwang: Just do what you’ve been doing. Eventually, an appropriate distance will be created over time.]
[Shin Eui-hyun: That’s right. Spring is coming to an end, so take the kids to an amusement park. So-mang hasn’t been there before, has she?]
[Han Yeon-hoo: She went there when she was a baby…]
[Lee Hyun-woo: That’s where you should go. I’m going to work ㅅㄱ [soo go; goodbye]]
[Kim Soo-hwang: Me too ㅅㄱ [soo go; goodbye]]
[Shin Eui-hyun: ㅂㅇ [bye]]
[Jung Yoon-sung: I’ll buy chicken too… can I come over?]
[Han Yeon-hoo: No Everyone, good work~]
[Jung Yoon-sung: You son of a bitch]
[Han Yeon-hoo: ]
* * *
I didn’t get any useful answers from the conversation with my friends for about an hour. The only thing I got was the suggestion of an amusement park? It doesn’t really matter since I just brought it up for small talk while the kids were all there.
Anyway, Sa-rang’s puberty.
I used to worry about when Sa-rang would go through puberty and start ignoring me, so I tried to spend a lot of time with her in advance.
But now I don’t worry about that at all. No matter how I think about it, I can’t imagine Sa-rang showing me that kind of attitude, no matter what kind of puberty she goes through.
Anyway, as Soo-hwang said, our very close family relationship will naturally adjust over time. So I shouldn’t worry about that and just go to the amusement park with the four of us.
So-mang is still very young, so she may not remember it later, but memories of having fun with her family will remain in her mind, even if vaguely.
Wouldn’t it be much more fun for Sa-rang than playing rock-paper-scissors for my lap every day at home?
With that in mind, in the evening when all the family members were gathered.
I said to the three people who were huddled around me again.
“Shall we go to the amusement park next week?”
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