Really, Really, Really the Last Time!!
I tore open the delivery box—and tore it open some more. Two frozen pizzas, a whole chicken, a cake packed in an icebox, and finally, the wine I'd slipped into my basket while shopping in town. Truth be told, I'd wanted to order fresh cream cake from the café in town, chicken from the chicken joint, and pizza from the one big franchise spot they had.
But reality is a cold bitch. In this rural backwater of Huhaeri Village, delivery was impossible. The only other option was going into town myself to pick it up... but I couldn't go alone. Why? Too far. The only way to town was with Kim Bom. And if I went with her, she'd catch on to the party prep. So I'd settled for whatever frozen crap I could order online.
"Ugh... is this what you'd call a party spread?"
In Seoul—or even a decent-sized city or county seat, hell, just living in town—I could've thrown together something way better with delivery or whatever. But this was Huhaeri Village. Be grateful a delivery truck even shows up once a day.
I opened the cake box first. Luckily, the ice packs had kept its shape intact. Though the cream had melted a bit and slid around. I checked my smartphone: 5:37 p.m. I'd told Kim Bom to come at 6, so she'd be here soon. Still, I had a tiny bit of time left.
I scanned the table one more time. Plates and forks, a few candles bundled with the cake. Pitiful compared to a proper restaurant or café in Seoul. But this was the best I could do.
'Emoticon success celebration party.'
I knew the excuse was a stretch. The emoticons had blown up weeks ago, and the royalties were already rolling in. But I couldn't think of any other natural way to invite Kim Bom to a party. A discharge celebration? No way—the whole reason I was hospitalized was her choking me into a heart attack.
I popped the pizzas in the microwave, the chicken in the air fryer, and placed the cake with candles in the center of the table.
Yeah. Today was the day.
Today, right here, I'd sort everything out. This bizarre relationship with Kim Bom. The "Daddy" title. Her unbreakable delusion. End it all and start something new.
It wouldn't be easy, of course. Her delusion was rock-solid, and logic didn't work on her. But I still had one last card to play.
I paced the living room. I'd already cleaned twice. Even scrubbed the bathroom spotless.
'I'm so nervous.'
My palms were sweating. Even back when I was Han Minseo, I don't think I'd been this tense... maybe when I handed in my resignation to Choi Seori in person.
I clenched my fists. Today, I would make it work. Kick off the party with the emoticon excuse, chat and eat to loosen up the mood, a glass or two of wine to ease the tension. Then, naturally—
Knock knock knock.
I jumped at the sound from the front door.
"It's not locked! Just come in!"
The door opened, and Kim Bom stepped inside. She'd put extra effort into her appearance today. Heavier makeup than usual, and instead of her sundress, a more elegant light purple dress. She held a bag in one hand.
"You're early."
"I was too excited! A party with Yeoreum!"
She held up the bag. "I made some fruit and sandwiches! Felt like I should bring something."
"Aigoo, you didn't have to. Thank you."
She glanced around the table. "Wow, a real party! Pizza, chicken, cake!"
It was nothing special, but she exaggerated her joy like it was all for her—thinking of me. Hard not to feel a little good about that.
"It's nothing. Hard to get the good stuff out here, unlike the city..."
"What are you talking about? This is plenty! And Daddy preparing it like this? I'm touched!"
Daddy again. But I let it slide. Today, I had an ace up my sleeve.
Kim Bom sat on the sofa. I grabbed the wine bottle and stood before her.
"Wine?"
"Sure! It's a special day, after all."
Special day. She was right. Today would be special.
My hand trembled faintly as I poured. 'I can do this. I have to.'
By the end of this awkward party, our relationship would be different. I believed that as I raised my glass too.
…………
We picked at the slightly cheap-tasting pizza slice by slice, tore into chicken legs, sipped wine. Confession time: Kim Bom's homemade sandwiches beat the frozen pizza and chicken hands down.
"Yeoreum's emoticons are killing it, right? How many sales so far?"
"Hmm..."
A ton. Enough to coast for five years without working.
"Lots. But it won't sell like this forever. Sales are trending down already. Someday everyone who wants one will have it... and that'll be it. So I gotta work harder."
"You're amazing! I always knew you were like this."
Knew what? She didn't need to say it. Probably hinting, 'Daddy's always been this way.'
I refilled her wineglass. Glanced at her—cheeks faintly flushed. Mine probably too. The alcohol was easing my nerves bit by bit.
Dinner wound down, and it was cake time. I lit the candles; she sang the celebration song.
"Congrats on the emoticon smash~ Congrats on the emoticon smash~ Daddy's—ah, ehehe."
I ignored the little slip mid-song, blew out the candles, and served slices. Sweet cream melted in my mouth. Didn't pair great with wine, but too late to nitpick now. Should've skipped the chicken and pizza if I cared about combos.
And finally... the moment arrived.
I set my wineglass down. Straightened my back. Met Kim Bom's eyes.
"Bom."
My voice came out lower than usual. Not on purpose.
"Yes?"
"I have something to say."
She sensed the shift, setting her sandwich down. I stood, went to the entryway cabinet, and pulled out the hidden bouquet. Pre-ordered from the town florist. Had taken serious effort to hide it from her during shopping.
Kim Bom's eyes widened. "This is...?"
"Bom."
I'd rehearsed a hundred times, but my voice still shook a little. Me, Han Minseo, Yeoreum—three lifetimes, first confession for all of us. Can't be helped.
"I... really like you."
Forcing out the opener smoothed the rest.
"From the first time we met, I thought you were a good person. Kind, warm, considerate. And above all, beautiful..."
I dropped to one knee—like in the movies. Held the bouquet up with both hands.
"So I'm mustering my courage here. Will you date me, Yeoreum? With marriage in mind?"
I finished, offering the flowers, watching her face. It was frozen solid. Eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. Total shock, like I'd blindsided her.
'Perfect. Just a little more.'
"I love you, Bom, and I will going forward. Always."
This was my ace, my best idea: confess with marriage as the premise. Lovers, future spouses. No stronger, more normal bond. Instead of denying her father-daughter delusion head-on, overwrite it with something bigger. Shift to a socially accepted, natural relationship.
I couldn't stop her seeing me as Daddy. But give her a new role as lover and fiancée? Over time, the daddy fantasy would fade, replaced by the reality of romance.
At least, that's what I believed.
"......"
"......"
The silence stretched. One second, two, three... Before I hit ten, Kim Bom shot up from her seat. She circled the table toward me. And then—
"Bom?"
No time for a reply—I was buried in her embrace.
"Eep?!"
Her huge, soft breasts smothered my face; the bouquet slipped from my hands to the floor.
'It worked...!'
Relief and triumph surged. Her intense reaction meant she'd accepted, right? Finally, a normal start. Not daddy-daughter, but man and woman.
She hugged tighter; her body heat seeped into me. Her unique scent filled my nose. Soft, springy pressure overwhelmed my face.
'Didn't expect her to be this thrilled.'
She leaned down slowly. Her lips neared mine. Warm breath tickled my ear. Then she whispered,
"I want to keep living with you too, Yeoreum."
Her voice held a strange heat. Ecstatic, yet... off somehow.
"And..."
A pause. Her lips brushed my earlobe.
"I wanted to have Daddy's baby."
The world stopped. Or rather, my brain did. It refused to process what I'd just heard.
'Daddy's... have Daddy's baby?'
The meaning slammed home. I'd miscalculated completely, utterly, horrifically.
I'd failed. Again.