The Great Catch and the Truth Unspoken

Two fishing floats bobbed on the surface of the quiet lake. They swayed gently with the ripples stirred by the mild May breeze, signaling that there was nothing biting. I didn't know the first thing about fishing, but I kept touching the rod resting on the tripod, adjusting its position to make it look like I was actually doing something. The floats remained stubbornly still, but it was a pastime that felt strangely satisfying compared to doing nothing at all.

"The view is killer, though."

The sun was high in the sky, casting rays through the clouds over a picturesque landscape. Amidst a scenery that would have looked even more magnificent from a distance, Joo Young-cheol opened his mouth, his voice heavy.

"So, in the end, you're saying you have no idea what's going on inside Yeoeun's head?"

"...Yes."

It had somehow turned into a counseling session. With the crystal-clear lake water reflecting everything before us, I felt a strange urge to be completely honest.

"Ahem!"

He cleared his throat with great solemnity before speaking. Since it was a family matter that wasn't unrelated to him, he was taking it quite seriously. With his neck stiffened, he continued.

"Sigh... honestly, I've never known that in my entire life."

"..."

A sudden reversal of expectations. He had been projecting the aura of a master, but now he was scratching the back of his head like a deflating balloon, looking as if he were the one with the headache. He even sounded anxious as he poured his heart out.

"You know, it’s not something to brag about, but... I’ve felt like I’ve been manipulated by my daughter from the moment she first opened her mouth."

He let out a long, consecutive sigh.

"You wouldn't know, but she was impossibly cute the moment she started talking. She was so adorable that I’d rush home every single day. The saying 'she's so pretty I could eat her up' was invented for my daughter."

"I-is that so?"

After his sudden outburst of doting fatherhood, he added, "She was too cute. So adorable I could have eaten her up. Sigh... actually, that was the biggest problem."

He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing.

"Whenever she asked for something, I bought it for her without a second thought. Sometimes, following my wife's advice, I’d realize she was becoming spoiled and try to show some strictness, but do you know how little Yeoeun reacted every time?"

He turned to look at me, as if the memory were still vivid.

"This brilliant daughter of mine learned to make a sulky, pitiful face whenever my resolve weakened. She used it not just when she wanted something, but whenever she got into trouble or found herself in a disadvantageous position."

"..."

Somehow... that sounded exactly like Yeoeun. I hadn't seen it, but I felt a deep, indirect sense of empathy.

"Right, and in the end, I never once won against Yeoeun after that. I bought her whatever she wanted, took her wherever she wanted, and played with her by nibbling on her cheeks every day until she started elementary school."

He sighed for the umpteenth time.

"Maybe that’s why... I don’t know if that’s the cause, but Yeoeun started getting bored of things very quickly."

"Ah..."

The topic was circling back to my own dilemma. My ears perked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up instantly.

"As you’ve probably felt, she grew up in our house without ever having to worry about going hungry. Since Yeoeun could get anything she wanted easily, both because of her natural beauty and the environment she grew up in, she seems to have developed a personality where she discards things just as easily. ...It’s not a perfect family, but that’s how it looks to me."

"Oh... I see."

"After that... from a young age, the precocious Yeoeun started meeting men frequently. As a father, I initially went berserk, asking what kind of men they were, but a daughter eventually becomes a woman, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and I just ended up giving up as time went on."

At this point, he stroked his stiff beard.

"Then, when she was in her early twenties...? We happened to have a conversation like this, and I decided not to get deeply involved anymore."

"..."

A chill ran down my spine. My heart sank, fearing this might not be someone else's story.

"You don't know it yet, but there is no business as difficult to manage as one's own child."

With a third, drawn-out sigh, he continued.

"She was a child who studied quite well, just as she was pretty, but after graduating from university, she suddenly went down a strange path, saying she wanted to be a Pilates instructor. No matter how much I tried to stop her, she insisted she was hooked, and there was no way to block her."

"I see..."

"'Tomboy' didn't even begin to cover it. Since then, I’ve tried my best not to interfere in my grown daughter's life, but living only by her own whims, she’s already thirty...!"

He sighed every chance he got.

"Sigh... my daughter is already thirty, and now I can't stand the impatience anymore! I gave birth to her so beautifully, I provided her with everything, and I can't bear to see our family line end so emptily!"

He shifted in his fishing chair, his small anger flaring. It looked like he might swing his fishing rod and break it if he had the chance.

'...So, he called me here to listen to his own story.'

He had more troubles than I did. Now that I saw it, this was a place for him to vent, with me as the common denominator—Yeoeun. Still, it seemed like getting it off his chest had caused some emotional shift. It felt like he wanted to be as light as a feather after dumping his burdens on me.

"So, so! That’s why I have quite high expectations for you!"

"...Listening to you, it sounds like my neck might be on the chopping block soon, too."

He turned his head and strongly denied it.

"No! As a father, based on my big data, Yeoeun doesn't even meet men once she gets bored of them. She doesn't even give them a glance!"

He scanned me up and down with conviction, just as he had before. He looked me over as if there was something special about me, gripped my shoulders tightly, and puffed me up.

"I can't quite put it into words, but you have an energy. The energy to save our family!"

"I'm not so sure..."

"Hey, don't you dare say you're weak or give up! That's right, as you said, whenever you have the chance, pin Yeoeun down and do it! Do it every chance you get! If you have to, you can even skip contraception in secret!"

"...If I did that, I'd never see her again."

"Ah, that's true."

The old man was already planning his daughter's marriage—no, he had gone a step further and was planning for grandchildren. I wondered if everyone became like this when they became parents. My own family was starting to bring up such topics, but he was acting as if his feet were literally on fire.

Soon, he leaned his head back on the fishing chair, looking exhausted from his passionate sermon.

"Well... my greed is great, but in the end, I just want my daughter to be happy."

"..."

"In the life I've lived, I found that giving love was more enjoyable than receiving it. Yeoeun can be happy just by being her naturally free self, but I hope she realizes there is an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even greater joy in the world."

Looking at his complex expression, one thing hit home. I wondered if even someone who seemed to have everything in the world had troubles that couldn't be solved.

"Um... sir—"

Jingle-jingle!

Just as I was about to offer some comfort, the bell on the fishing rod rang violently. Something had taken the bait on my rod. The line went taut, and the float plunged into the water.

"Ah! Finally, something's caught! Pull it up!"

"Yes! I'll— Whoa-oa-oa-oat!?"

As soon as I lifted the rod, the weight shifted forward. When I pulled back to reel it in, the line became dangerously tight, bending the rod into a sharp curve. Seeing me, the old man snorted as if I were overreacting.

"Hey, why are you making such a fuss?"

"No, that's not it...! This thing has incredible strength!?"

"What could be in a lake like this! It’s probably just a boot full of water— Whoa-oa-oat!?"

As soon as he grabbed the rod with me, his body lurched forward too. Soon, with the seasoned skill of a veteran, he planted his feet, braced his hips, and leaned back.

"D-don't let go! Something real is caught here!"

"What on earth is this!?"

"If it's a lake, a carp? A catfish!? I don't know! We have to pull it up first!"

Since it was a simple rod without a reel suitable for freshwater fishing, we had no choice but to pull with brute force. After a long, grueling tug-of-war with the fish, we both shouted at the same time.

"“It’s a massive catch!”"

At the final moment, the shadow of a giant fish surfaced. To exaggerate a little, a creature the size of my waist suddenly appeared. At its sheer scale, the wrinkles of worry that had filled our faces were smoothed out completely.

"...What on earth are those two doing?"

Dad sent me a photo. Whether it was a carp or a crucian carp, he was beaming, sending a proof-shot of himself holding a giant fish. For some reason, perhaps because they set up a tripod, the two of them were smiling brightly, holding the fish between them and giving a thumbs-up, looking like they belonged in a fishing magazine.

'Why is this man hanging out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with Dad?'

I’d heard in passing that he was going somewhere for a short vacation, but I never imagined it would involve my father's fishing hobby. I was a bit puzzled, but when I thought about it, it was my father who had introduced Seungwoo to me in the first place. They might have developed a close bond since he saved his life, but I hadn't expected them to get this close behind my back.

Well, it was highly likely to be my father's meddling, as usual.

"Sigh..."

Seeing his face suddenly made me let out a deep sigh. I zoomed in on the smiling Seungwoo in the smartphone photo and stroked it a few times with my thumb. Seeing his face brought up a lot of complicated thoughts. I felt like it was time to finally get a grip on these complex feelings.

"Yeah, it’s time... I should tell him the truth, right?"

I shook my head as if to shake off the thoughts. I pressed the power button to turn off the screen. Dragging this out wasn't like me.

It would be an incredibly difficult conversation, but a head-on breakthrough was the only answer. I finally decided to tell him. The truth that weighed heavily on my heart every time we met.