Absolute Beginner Dad Episode 80

When Kang-jun gave his firm answer, Seol's face brightened visibly.

"Auntie, Daddy's gonna help you!"

Then she peered closely at Yoon Hee-soo's face and asked with childlike concern:

"So you should stop crying now, right?"

At this, Yoon Hee-soo's voice grew small as she murmured, "Yes, yes..." for a moment.

"I should stop..."

After trailing off, Yoon Hee-soo roughly wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and forced a bright smile.

"Ah, silly me..."

Seol gently patted Yoon Hee-soo's shoulder in consolation, then tilted her head and asked in her careful, deliberate way:

"Hmm, but why were you crying?"

Yoon Hee-soo hesitated briefly over how to respond before beginning to explain in terms a three-year-old could understand:

"Actually, Auntie has a daughter about your age. But she's very far away now, so I can't see her."

Seol nodded solemnly. "Seol understands." Then with sudden conviction, she pressed: "Auntie, you cried 'cause you miss her?"

Without waiting for an answer, Seol naturally climbed onto Yoon Hee-soo's lap, pressed her mouth close to the woman's ear, and whispered as quietly as she could:

"It's a secret, but last night before bed, Seol cried too 'cause she missed Daddy so much..."

Though she intended it as a whisper, children her age often struggle with volume control.

This meant Kang-jun, sitting at the same table, unintentionally overheard his daughter's confession. Before he knew it, he was clutching his chest and murmuring under his breath: "So...so cute..."

"Yes, I cried because I missed her," Yoon Hee-soo admitted while gently stroking Seol's hair. Seol responded by hugging her tightly and saying warmly:

"It okay, it okay."

Then Seol looked up at Yoon Hee-soo with shining eyes and continued:

"Daddy said he'll help, so you can meet her."

She turned to Kang-jun for confirmation:

"Right?"

"Of course," Kang-jun answered without hesitation, thumping his chest proudly as he added: "I swear upon everything I am to make this meeting happen. So worry not."

Yoon Hee-soo began bowing repeatedly toward Kang-jun. "Thank you, truly thank you..."

Kang-jun's response came in a tone starkly different from the warmth he used with Seol—icy and detached:

"Save the meaningless pleasantries. I didn't offer help to hear your gratitude."

Just as Yoon Hee-soo slumped and murmured "Yes..." in a deflated tone—

Seol, still sitting primly on Yoon Hee-soo's lap, suddenly whirled on Kang-jun and scolded:

"Be nice!"

Kang-jun made a strangled noise before forcing the world's most awkward smile and staring blankly at Yoon Hee-soo for a beat.

"Is there anything else I might assist you with?" he asked in a completely flat, mechanical tone.

Yoon Hee-soo, momentarily speechless, simply nodded before replying: "Uh...uh-huh..."

Seol then proceeded to bombard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yoon Hee-soo with questions:

"What's your friend's name?"

"Hye-su."

"Is this Hye-su's too?" Seol pulled a figurine from her backpack to show.

"Yes, it was originally Hye-su's toy."

Seol nodded seriously. "Seol wanna give Hye-su toy too..."

"You want to give Hye-su a toy?"

"Auntie, does Hye-su have toys?"

Yoon Hee-soo hesitated before answering with a bittersweet smile heavy with sorrow: "Well...not very many..."

She had kept every single item even remotely connected to her daughter Hye-su, unable to part with any of them.

"But they're all toys she's had since infancy. I don't know if she'd still find them fun to play with now..."

Seol declared: "Seol will share new toys!"

"Huh?"

"Seol has lots and lots of toys!"

She turned to Kang-jun for confirmation: "Right, Daddy?"

At that moment, Bong-gu whispered in Yoon Hee-soo's ear: "Are you familiar with 'Toy Kingdom,' the large toy store in Yeoksam-dong's shopping district?"

When Yoon Hee-soo replied, "Yes, I've been there a few times...", Bong-gu nodded meaningfully and added:

"Actually, Seol owns that building."

"What...?"

"And instead of rent, she receives monthly toy payments."

Yoon Hee-soo blinked as if doubting her ears—

"Wait."

Kang-jun gestured to summon a goblin responsible for facility safety management and said with grave authority:

"Take notes."

Seol began listing off toys: "Car toys, airplane toys, princess dolls, teddy bears, magic wands..." As she rattled them off, the goblin diligently recorded each item.

"We should likely depart 'tonight,'" Kang-jun interjected.

"Tonight?"

"When the princess makes a request, there's no reason to delay."

Yoon Hee-soo bowed deeply again. "Thank you so much..."

Kang-jun responded solemnly: "You may not feel grateful later." He added: "Though I promised the princess I'd reunite you with your daughter by any means necessary..."

After a heavy pause, he continued: "The result may not be what you wish for."

"I see..."

"You may regret the reunion."

Yoon Hee-soo countered: "You said it was a lie, right?"

"Hmm?"

"About burying things in your heart."

She continued firmly: "It is a lie."

Yoon Hee-soo fidgeted with her fingers, her voice thick with unshed tears as she explained:

"Everyone says to bury it in your heart, but I don't know how. Maybe you can bury other things, but how do you bury a child...?"

She looked at Kang-jun. "I don't know if my heart is too small for Hye-su, or if Hye-su is just too big..."

Her composure crumbled again. "No matter how many layers of time I pile on top, she keeps surfacing. I keep ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hearing her little voice calling 'Mommy, mommy' through my sobs..."

After taking a steadying breath, she asked cautiously: "Do you know what you call someone who lost their husband?"

"A widow?"

"And a child who lost both parents?"

"An orphan?"

"Then what do you call parents who lost a child?"

Kang-jun murmured, "That's..." before trailing off. Yoon Hee-soo smiled bitterly and continued softly:

"There is no word for parents who lost a child. They say it's because no single word could ever contain that kind of sorrow."

At this, Kang-jun's gaze drifted to Seol, who was still happily listing toy names without a care.

"Yes...that makes sense..."

Yoon Hee-soo also looked at Seol. "She was a child who got scared at night, just like Seol."

"......"

"So scared she couldn't sleep without me..."

Barely holding back tears, she continued with painful clarity:

"I don't care what form she takes."

She meant it.

"I just want to hold her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠once."

Gnawing her lip, she forced out the rest:

"How terrified must my Hye-su have been all alone..."

"......"

"'I'm sorry, wait for me, Mommy's coming soon'..."

The tears came anyway.

"I just want to comfort her one more time..."

Her silent sobs were...

Contagious in their sorrow.

A child sat on a riverbank's slope.

The reddish water shimmered with ripples.

"Pretty..."

The child knew this river had many names.

Some called ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it Samdocheon, others Hwangcheon.

There were even more complicated names, but those were hard to remember.

Grandma and Grandpa said whatever you called it was its name.

And now, they said, it was really time to cross.

"But I can't..."

The child looked back.

Only thick darkness remained.

"I have to wait longer..."

Lately, familiar things kept slipping away.

It felt like someone was erasing memories with rough, hard rubs.

"Me..."

Recently, forgetting her name had made her cry hard.

Grandma and Grandpa said that was normal.

But some things could never be forgotten.

"The dress Mommy bought..."

The child looked down at the blood-red dress.

"The shoes Mommy bought..."

One remaining shoe, its sole worn through, laces frayed.

"The hairband Mommy bought..."

Fingers touched the band holding back tangled hair.

"But Mommy..."

Now she couldn't remember Mommy at all.

Not her face, not her voice...

Nothing came to mind.

"Stubborn girl."

Hearing the voice, the child beamed.

"Grandma!"

The elderly woman in traditional hanbok hugged the child close and murmured:

"You're still holding on..."

"Yeah, I waited again today."

"What grudge keeps you here...?"

The child answered: "Mommy said..."

But it kept getting mixed up.

What had Mommy said?

Grandma spoke again:

"Child, it's time to cross now..."

"But I can't..."

"I can't indulge you any longer..."

The child stared blankly at the river before asking again:

"Grandma, who was I waiting for?"

Grandma patted the child's back.

"Yes, it really is time to go now..."

The child looked back once more.

Nothingness filled the space.

Only darkness teemed there.

"Let's go..."

The steps came hard.

"I'll go..."

The child forced herself forward.