Side Story Chapter 37 – Gentle and Peaceful Everyday Life, and…

Ever since the kids started kindergarten, surprisingly, there hadn’t been any major incidents or accidents.

Maybe it was because they got hit with an extremely powerful vaccine from day one.

Or maybe the other kids had left a strong impression on them.

At least, I hadn’t received any calls regarding Yumi and Yeonwoo.

“Are we stopping soon?”

“Since the kids are coming now, let’s wrap it up… I’m tired…”

“Well then, should I send them to academy so they come late from now on?”

“……Fine… just don’t mess with the kids…”

Of course, that meant I had to squeeze out even more time, but still…

Except for the first day, they hadn’t fought with anyone.

And they completed their homework daily without putting it off at all.

From the kids’ perspective, it was just annoying and boring homework.

I was truly thankful that they had grown to be this diligent.

“Mom, why are you throwing rocks from the balcony?”

“Yeonwoo! What in the world? Who said that!”

Of course, their curiosity had become more vibrant as their experiences widened.

“It’s for science homework.”

“…Please make sure you say it properly next time…”

“Got it. But Mom, you’re throwing Dad instead of rocks?”

“Oh, that’s fine! I got caught sneaking in purchases!”

It meant the kid was growing up correctly, so it wasn’t bad at all.

Especially in Yumi’s case, she didn’t just stop at finishing her homework.

She had reached a point where she was studying on her own without anyone prompting her.

She even tackled problems that she didn’t need to solve at her level, so you could only imagine how much she was doing.

“Mom, how do I solve this? I don’t understand.”

[Hold on a second… this is harder than I thought.]

Thanks to that, we struggled quite a bit to explain the solving process.

‘Teaching others is definitely hard.’

[No, the problem is just too difficult.]

‘Ah.’

That was for real.

Whether it was because of her extreme academic enthusiasm at such a young age.

Or perhaps if she had an unexplainable ambition about the problems.

Yumi poured all her attention into her studies, which was both admirable and concerning.

However, I thought this was a bit too much.

Of course, if other parents heard this, they’d say I was spoiled.

But no matter how much, if it’s too excessive, it’s worse than doing nothing at all.

Especially for Yumi, she was just a kindergarten student.

Children should have precious memories unique to their age.

I didn’t want to take away that time for something as mundane as studying.

But still, regardless of how I felt, Yumi kept studying.

“Yumi, you don’t have to be so diligent already.”

“That’s true. Why don’t you relax and watch Pororo with me?”

“I’m not watching.”

She even went as far as to refuse what could be considered kids’ crack — Pororo.

“Are you serious…?”

“Yeah. I’m not watching.”

Honestly, I couldn’t believe it.

Before going to kindergarten, she used to throw tantrums wanting to play endlessly.

Now that she was going to kindergarten, she was only focused on studying like this.

I was beyond surprised; I was genuinely worried.

At her age, playing should be the most important thing.

“That damn penguin claimed to be playing all the time, but ended up sneaking into med school.”

“……”

“Betraying bastard… I was the only one who really played…”

Of course, Yumi had her reasons for feeling this way.

She definitely played with friends every single day.

So if her friend succeeded wildly and she felt betrayed, it would make sense.

At such a young age, she had already tasted the world’s bitterness.

Anyway, I was relieved that the kids adapted to kindergarten without any issues.

Honestly, I had my doubts about whether this was okay when sending them.

But seeing how happy the kids were now, I knew the choice back then was right.

At that moment, Yeonwoo confidently articulated his own little adventure to Ayeon.

“Mom, today we did a kindergarten beautification activity with all my friends. I did well, right?”

“Wasn’t it hard? Good job.”

“It was a bit tough, but it was fun.”

While it wasn’t exactly an epic tale, it was still a story worth telling.

After all, cleaning meant enduring annoyance, coming through with assigned roles.

Depending on the situation, it required cooperation with others.

So, it wasn’t strange for Yeonwoo to feel proud about having done that.

“What roles did Yumi and Yeonwoo each have that made it so fun?”

“Yumi was the representative, and I advised other people from the side.”

“Really? Can you tell me what advice you gave?”

For the sake of achieving cleanliness, Yeonwoo must have battled dirt in his own way.

“High-yul U-”

“Wait a second…!”

……It really was ‘battle.’

‘Ah, that cleaning…’

[……Yeonwoo’s lab…]

Suddenly, the meaning of ‘cleaning’ turned slightly absurd.

Then Yeonwoo made a guilty face towards Ayeon, lowering his head.

He probably misunderstood that he said something wrong and Ayeon hastily cut him off.

He looked genuinely sorry, to the point where tears were forming at the corners of his eyes.

Thanks to that, Ayeon took Yeonwoo to another room and comforted him, which was somewhat amusing.

“I’m sorry… Mom…”

“Oh, no! It’s okay! Yeonwoo didn’t do anything wrong!”

Of course, there was not a trace of laughter in that moment.

Just then, something suddenly blocked part of my view.

Wondering what it was, I turned my gaze, and it was Yumi.

She was holding a rough shape of a sphere.

“What’s that, Yumi?”

“I made soap in science class today! I’ll give it to Dad!”

The item that previously blocked my view was none other than soap.

Though it looked pretty rough compared to store-bought products.

It was the prettiest, most precious natural soap in the world.

Not just anyone, but Yumi made it by herself.

I kept repeating to myself that it was truly good I sent her to kindergarten.

“Thanks, Yumi! I’ll use it well.”

“Yeah! If you need it next time, I’ll make more!”

Considering she was still a child, it was surprisingly well made.

Hyeji was quite skilled with her hands compared to others.

Did Yumi inherit that knack as well?

At least, I could catch a glimpse of talent in that aspect.

“Our Yumi isn’t a genius? Making something like this all by herself.”

“Actually… Dain helped.”

Feeling guilty, Yumi averted her gaze and confessed the truth.

It made my earlier praise for her seem a bit hollow.

But anyway, to not leave her feeling embarrassed, I decided to change the subject.

After all, she had the courage to say it, so I thought I shouldn’t leave her awkward.

“You made friends with someone with a pretty name. That’s great, Yumi.”

“Hmm? Dain is a boy.”

“……What…?”

In that instant, my heart sank.

“Mom named him when she naturalized, and that’s what she named him.”

“……Really…?”

I never expected a boy’s name to come out of Yumi’s mouth.

Previously, I couldn’t understand fathers making a fuss about having a daughter.

But now that I found myself in that situation, my hands and feet began to tremble like crazy.

Which son of a b*tch has dared to reach out to Yumi with those filthy hands?

And he’s even relatively open about gender!

[Hey! Dad, are you watching? Yumi is now this Dain’s prisoner!]

‘F*ck, does that girl want to die for real?’

Only then did I understand why fathers with daughters wield shotguns.

Hearing what I just did made homicidal intent well up instantly.

Even if it were other parents, they wouldn’t be much different from me.

For now, I barely managed a smile and calmly spoke to Yumi.

“What’s that boy’s name?”

“Why are you asking about his name?”

Of course, if Yumi wanted, I wouldn’t totally disregard her wishes.

But Yumi was still just a kindergarten student.

It was too early for her to be dating.

I get it; I know I sound like a boomer.

But how could I just let some unknown b*stard casually handle my daughter?

“Just… I think I should know…”

“Okay. Wait a sec, I can’t remember the last name.”

“Make sure to remember, Yumi… Dad absolutely needs to know…”

At the very least, I needed to know who he was.

Using the excuse of helping with soap making to approach Yumi.

If he makes any reckless moves, I’ll make him vanish like frothy soap.

The murderous intent kept stacking on top of itself.

If I see any strange signs, I’ll turn him into an idiot.

If he tries for a one-night stand, I wouldn’t mind ending his life that night.

It was an obsession that went beyond overprotectiveness; I couldn’t help it.

Here, I needed to keep my focus and vigilance.

Regardless of age, boys were always dangerous.

“Yuda-in! Yuda-in!”

“Uh-oh……”

In another sense, that boy was really dangerous.

[……Did you just say you’d make him disappear like soap…?]

‘It’s a metaphor! I’m not saying I really will, you little b*tch!’

It felt like my nonexistent evaluation just dropped even further.

No, why the f*ck is a person’s name Yuda-in?

And on top of that, making soap in the ‘science lab’ no less.

This seemed suspiciously orchestrated by someone with ill intent.

I felt like I could cry out of frustration from being stuck in this situation.

“Oh, by the way! Dad!”

“…….What…?”

Fortunately, I was able to keep my composure thanks to Yumi calling me.

Wondering what it was, I turned my gaze to see Yumi holding a piece of paper.

Coincidentally, Yeonwoo stood beside her, also handing me a similar piece of paper.

This paper was not as shocking as before but…

“Catch!”

“Here you go, Dad.”

It was enough to deal a significant blow to my mind.

“Shinwoo, what is that?”

“……Want to take a look?”

“Let’s see it together, sister!”

This time, I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

“……Is this time really here…?”

“What clothes should I wear…”

[Honestly, it feels a bit early.]

The same applied to the other heroines as well.

The papers that Yumi and Yeonwoo handed me.

Many letters were written on the sheets, but the one that stood out clearly was just a tiny portion.

“Mom, Dad! We’re all going, right?”

“You’re coming, right?”

Those letters spelled the words “Parent-Teacher Open Class.”

---