Side Story Chapter 24 – Two. No, Three.

Everyone has something they want.

It could be something very important or, on the contrary, something trivial.

But as we live our rough lives, we learn one thing.

No matter how desperately you want it, you can’t always get it.

There may be personal differences, but this applies to everyone.

Even if it’s a child, there’s absolutely no exception.

Even if parents want to give their children whatever they desire,

They can’t act beyond their own limits.

In that case, what do you think a child would do?

They might whine and make a fuss with a crying voice.

They could try to negotiate by saying they’ll do anything.

Or they might even resort to extreme measures.

Like throwing themselves on the ground and throwing a tantrum with all their might.

“Mom! Just once!”

“No, get up quickly.”

This was happening in our home as well.

The truth of the world that you can’t get everything you want.

Everyone deeply feels this truth at a young age.

Yumi was also in the process of realizing that truth.

Even in a bustling department store, she lay flat on the floor.

“Why! Just once! Really!”

“Get up, Yumi.”

Of course, Hyeji’s attitude didn’t change at all.

Even if she had enough ability to indulge in her child’s whims,

It’s not good to unconditionally satisfy a child’s demands.

Especially not at an age where she hasn’t even started kindergarten yet.

“But! But!”

“No means no.”

“I don’t want to! I said I don’t want to!”

What if that ends up causing bad habits in the child?

“Then Yumi will live here. Mom will go.”

“It’s fine!”

“Really? I’m really going?”

That’s why Hyeji was showing the image of a model mother.

“Dad is lying down too!”

“……”

I was just slightly deviated from the model dad image.

Hyeji, who had lost her words, turned her gaze to me with a creaky neck.

The forcibly suppressed anger gradually flickered in her eyes.

I felt like I would be shattered just by her gaze.

“Kim Shinwoo.”

“……Yeah.”

A voice as chilling as scraping glass with a fingernail.

It was so scary that Yumi was looking around nervously.

I almost reflexively stood up but barely suppressed the urge and quietly continued.

“What are you doing?”

“…..Get it for me, Hyeji.”

“Dad! You’re so cool!”

Honestly, I couldn’t help this time.

“There’s nothing good for the kid.”

“Not for Yumi, for me.”

“Dad, are you out of your mind?”

“Are you really crazy?”

Some might find it strange all of a sudden.

Why we suddenly ended up in a department store and

Why I randomly lay down on the ground.

The beginning was like this.

I was handling a kitchen knife to cook at home.

It all started when I tried to show some tricks with the kitchen knife.

I wanted to impress the kids a bit.

“Dad, what are you doing?”

“It’s dangerous…”

“It’s fine.”

A bit dangerous, but I felt somewhat confident.

It wasn’t like I picked up a knife for just one or two days.

Couldn’t I pull off a simple trick with just a kitchen knife?

After all, a dagger used to be my main weapon.

Even if I couldn’t handle a gun, using a knife was a piece of cake.

– Clang!!!!!

“Dad, you messed up!”

“……”

The piece of cake was me.

Was it because the weight was slightly different from the dagger I usually used?

Or was it because I had become lazy from staying at home all the time?

In a split second, the kitchen knife slipped from my hand and knocked over one plate.

And that one plate made the rest of the dishes fall down like a chain reaction.

[This won’t let you regress.]

‘F*ck.’

Like a domino that crumbles with just one touch.

To make matters worse, the piece said it wouldn’t help with regression.

Even if I could regress, I needed a piece to lend it to me.

Where on earth could I start to recover and survive?

This was really a big deal.

“Dad, there’s nothing to worry about!”

“……Why…?”

Yumi confidently spoke to me.

“There’s a knife, so what could be scary about moms!”

“Moms aren’t afraid of knives.”

“……Dad, this is bad.”

Of course, she quickly showed a pitiful face after my next words.

Anyway, not long after, the heroines came back home and scolded me like crazy,

After getting hit, we went to the department store to replenish the broken dishes and do some shopping.

And there, Yumi and I were ignoring the gazes of others and staging a protest.

Right in front of the display where the game consoles were set up.

“Kim Shinwoo, are you a kid? Lying down and asking for a game console at your age?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give this up…”

Honestly, it was embarrassing, but it was worth enduring the shame this time.

[Dog-young kid.]

‘F*cking bitch.’

The new Zelda game just came out, and how could I resist this?

Even though my main focus was on mobile games,

There was no way I could give up on this.

Yumi felt the same way as me.

But it seemed like Hyeji couldn’t afford to give it up either.

“Mom…”

“No.”

Even without raising her voice, her tone was filled with enough intimidation.

Seeing Yumi was too scared to say anything,

Hyeji softened her expression a bit and started to explain.

Still strict but with a very gentle tone compared to earlier.

“I’m okay with everything else. I don’t care how much money it takes.”

“……”

“But I think staying cooped up at home isn’t good for you.”

“……”

It was truly the image of a mother.

I could feel her sincerity from her earnest expression.

Yumi sat up neatly and started to listen.

Though she stole glances at the game console with longing eyes,

It seemed that her mom’s words were even more precious to her.

“I think people should go outside and play. What do you think, Yumi?”

“……Okay.”

No matter what, I was glad Yumi was listening well.

‘But why can’t I go outside…’

[‘If you’re a ‘person’.’]

‘Ah.’

I felt a bit ashamed of myself and simultaneously saw Hyeji as amazing.

Hyeji could have easily taken the easy road.

She could have shouted that it wasn’t allowed and scolded us.

Or she could have dragged us along forcefully.

But Hyeji didn’t do that.

Even if it was a child who didn’t understand the ways of the world,

She conveyed her thoughts firmly yet calmly.

And ultimately, her efforts bore fruit.

“Mom, I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay. Thank you for understanding me.”

Yumi stood up and apologized to Hyeji.

At first, I worried whether I could raise her well during parenting,

But I was relieved that she had grown enough to acknowledge her mistakes.

Actually, it was a natural expression for her age.

Still, I was just grateful and proud that she didn’t push back until the end.

Then Hyeji smiled warmly at Yumi.

“Yumi, then what do you want to do besides the game?”

“Um… just a minute…”

So I decided to change my mind here too.

Of course, I hadn’t given up on that excellent game yet.

But if I were to enjoy it alone, what was the point?

The time spent with my family is more precious and joyful.

Compared to Yumi, what I had was nothing.

“I’ll do what you want, so pick anything.”

“Got it!”

“What is it?”

Just then, Yumi, who seemed deep in thought, seemed to have made a decision.

I didn’t know what she wanted exactly,

But I promised to go along with whatever it may be.

At that moment, Yumi proposed her compromise after carefully considering it.

“Let’s go fishing!!!”

“Do you want to ride a boat too?”

“Yeah, Dad!”

“Kids, does that mean we can buy two game consoles?”

And Hyeji immediately followed up with a quick agreement.

“Get a controller too, Hyeji.”

“Mom! I want a red one!”

“……Okay…”

Honestly, it was a bit ridiculous.

I said not to worry about the cost and to go for outdoor activities,

But I never expected it to turn out like this when we actually tried to go outside.

Still, since I was able to get a game console, it was worth lying down.

Of course, the glares from people around us became even colder than before.

Ayeon was looking at us as coldly as the others.

Even though we were family, it felt a bit embarrassing to talk to her,

So Ayeon let out a deep sigh from a bit of a distance.

Afraid of missing anything, she tightly held onto Yeonwoo’s hand.

“But thank goodness Yeonwoo is calm.”

“…….”

At that moment, Yeonwoo suddenly shook off that hand and ran towards us.

Ayeon called out to Yeonwoo with a void hand, but

That word only fueled Yeonwoo’s speed.

“……Calm…?”

But he hadn’t forgotten his good nature.

Yeonwoo diligently replied to Ayeon.

However, there was a minor issue here.

“……Three of them…”

“……”

He had answered while lying right next to me and Yumi.

“Yeonwoo, do you want a game console too?”

“……Yes… Dad…”

“Mom! Get one for Yeonwoo too!”

As mature as he seemed, Yeonwoo wasn’t immune to it either.

It seemed strange seeing him act this way until now,

Now he was truly acting like a kid.

Anyway, since we could all buy game consoles,

It reaffirmed that the courage to lie down without hesitation was necessary.

“……Kim Shinwoo, this little punk…”

“……I had three kids… f*ck…”

Of course, Hyeji and Ayeon’s feelings were heavily weighed down on the ground.

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