Episode 21

Inside the park, amidst families strolling together, stood a solitary figure. It was none other than Hyun.

They're holding a children's experience event at the park today. Shall the three of us go together?

Although Soo-ah's proposal was sudden, Hyun readily agreed.

Currently, Hyun was awaiting Soo-ah at the park. The sky was clear, and the park buzzed with people. From his spot, Hyun quietly observed the children and families playing together.

"The weather is quite hot. Did you have to come all the way to the park?"

Similarly, Kang-chan, who followed behind Hyun, wore a displeased expression. Ever since Hyun decided to accompany Soo-ah and Ji-hye, he had been in this state.

"Instead of sweating under this scorching sun, wouldn't it be better to play indoors where it's cooler? This experience doesn't seem all that special. Why bother with all this hassle..."

"If you're uncomfortable, go back."

Kang-chan grumbled on. Hyun shot him a glare, but the secretary's discontented expression persisted. Just then, Hyun's phone rang. It was Soo-ah.

—Hyun, where are you right now?

"I'm at the park."

—What? You're already here? There's still an hour until our meeting time.

"...I just ended up coming early."

Soo-ah continued.

—Ah... what should I do? Actually, I had some business in the province today, so I dropped by. But the traffic is much worse than I expected, and it looks like it will take a few more hours.

"It doesn't matter. I'll wait."

—Really?

Upon Hyun's assurance, Soo-ah's voice on the other end sounded delighted.

—Alright, then I'll try to get there as soon as possible. Ji-hye is really looking forward to playing with you.

"..."

—Let's have fun later, okay? I'll hang up!

After the call ended and Hyun silently put down his phone, Kang-chan, who had roughly grasped the situation, intervened.

"Will she come late?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's fine. Let's just head home to a cooler place. I'll blast the air conditioning in the car."

"No, I'll wait. And who blasts air conditioning during the spring?"

Hyun responded irritably to Kang-chan's persistent urging. But Kang-chan did not yield.

"Then are we just going to sit here and do nothing? Should I kidnap a kid and help you experience them calling you 'Daddy'?"

"Daddyyyyyy!"

"Precisely, after we get a child to call you like so..."

Kang-chan's words didn't continue. At that moment, a child who had come speeding from afar attached themselves to Hyun's leg. Kang-chan's mouth fell agape as he discerned the child's face.

"Dad! Did you come to see Harim?"

"..."

"I missed you, Dad."

Harim's eyes sparkled as she tightly held onto Hyun's pants. But even faced with Harim like this, Hyun didn't say a word. Rather, he seemed flustered.

"Who is this kid suddenly coming and..."

"Huff, huff, huff!"

Another booming voice echoed. Soon, So-jin, who had rushed over breathlessly, panted heavily and stared at Hyun. When Hyun recognized So-jin, he reacted.

"You, from the bar..."

"Yes! It's been a while, brother-in-law! How have you been? By the way, you look quite different today. I always catch you in a suit. This style suits you very well."

Amidst the exaggerated politeness, So-jin's gaze fixated on Hyun, but it was secretly directed towards Harim, who held his hand.

Kang-chan laughed nervously as he alternated looks between the three family members.

"W-What a pleasant surprise! It's been a while."

"Dad! Let's go over there! That place!"

Harim laughed brightly and pointed towards the zone in front of them. So-jin, who had been sweating profusely, suddenly opened her mouth.

"M-My child!"

"Your child?"

"Yes. Her name is Choi Harim, and she is my daughter, four years old now."

"But where did your husband go? She keeps calling me dad."

"That... there was an accident. My husband has now passed away, so I'm raising this child myself."

The situation was getting out of hand. So-jing who had suddenly become a single mother, hurriedly motioned at Kang-chan, who added.

"Aren't there certain children who call any male adult they see 'dad'? Like Choi Ji-hye."

"That's right. Brother-in-law originally loved Harim very much. That is why Harim always calls you 'dad'."

As So-jin backed up Kang-chan's statement, Hyun remained silent. Of course, Harim had already dragged everyone to the experience zone and smiled brightly.

"Dad! Hurry up!"

Harim was already jumping up and down in excitement. Hyun's face seemed to grow wear by the second.

"Does she usually act like this?"

"Always. I don't know who she takes after."

As So-jin continued speaking, Kang-chan stepped in and smiled brightly.

"This is perfect. You two have fun together."

"What? Why should I?"

"Why not? Since there's nothing else to do, wouldn't it be nice if you two played together? This is a chance to help your sister-in-law out."

As Kang-chan's words, So-jin staggered weakly to prove his point.

"It's true that I'm having a hard time with Harim these days, my body seems very tired..."

"Yes. The weather is also very nice today. It's good to play."

Hyun stood dumbfounded as he watched the two perform their drama.

"Where's the guy who complained about the scorching sun earlier?"

"Come to think of it, even on days like this, sweating and playing seems right. How healthy would your body be?"

With Kang-chan's 180-degree change in attitude, Hyun could only protest. However, before he could open his mouth, something soft poked his hand. It was Harim's petite finger.

"Dad, aren't we going?"

Harim's hand was so small it barely covered half of Hyun's palm. While Hyun looked down at Harim's hand, the child opened her mouth, much calmer than before.

"Or are you going to work again?"

"..."

"But I want to play with Dad..."

With a drooped shoulder, Harim stood waiting. While Hyun remained confused by Harim's reaction, he turned his head.

"Hey, whose kid is this suddenly coming and..."

But by the time he turned around, the two were gone. Only then did Hyun realize that they had left him behind and ran away. He couldn't get angry at the small hand that was holding onto him.

"..."

Hyun ruffled his hair and finally opened his mouth.

"... What do you want to do?"

After Hyun asked, Harim's face brightened. She held his hand tightly and bounced up and down.

"Dad! There! And there!"

"Hey, if you're going to call me something, use Big Brother. At least call me Uncle. What do you mean Dad? Dad is..."

"Hurry, Dad!"

Whether she heard him or not, Harim continued smiling brightly and never let go of her grasp.

---

At the hospital entrance, So-jung and Do-yoon faced each other.

"Are you here for another hospital visit?"

It was their second meeting. Do-yoon approached with a smile as he greeted So-jung, and So-jung did the same.

"Yes, nice to see you again here."

"Likewise. I was just about to leave, but then I saw a familiar face. I was worried I might not catch up with you."

Do-yoon grinned broadly as he stood before So-jung. His gaze drifted towards her phone.

"Did you get your phone fixed?"

"Yes, I got it repaired."

"In the end, you never gave me a call."

"I mentioned it then, but it was my responsibility."

"Still, you could have called for some other reason."

As the two stood by the entrance and conversed, people passed around them. Do-yoon gestured.

"We might be obstructing traffic here. Should we move somewhere else?"

"Somewhere else?"

"Yes. There's a nice café nearby. How about that?"

"Ah... a café?"

"If you feel uncomfortable, there's also a café here at the hospital. It's nothing special. I just have a few questions I'd like to ask."

So-jung considered his words for a moment and nodded.

"Alright, let's go then."

So-jung and Do-yoon entered the hospital building and headed towards the café. Do-yoon situated himself across from So-jung.

"I'm sorry if this is too sudden."

"No, it's fine. I don't have anything else to do right now anyway."

So-jung didn't wish to return home at the moment. Staying outside helped distract her from various thoughts and concerns.

"By the way, we never properly introduced ourselves, did we? I gave you my business card before we parted ways."

"Ah, that's right. My name is Lee So-jung."

"As you have seen from my business card, my name is Jung Do-yoon. Ah, may I call you Mrs. So-jung?"

"Yes, please do."

Their introduction flowed naturally. So-jung took a sip of her drink and asked.

"What did you wish to ask about?"

"Well, actually, I recently saw someone who appeared similar to Mrs. So-jung. I wanted to confirm if that person was you."

"...Me? Where did you see me?"

So-jung blinked in surprise at his unexpected words.

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