The Star of the Kindergarten

"Ahh, that's good!"

Evening beers—about as humble a hobby as a married couple could claim—always left us in a thoroughly fine mood.

"Oh, right. Suhwan. Is Poksini okay? She seemed worn out today. You don't think something went wrong when she had the kittens?"

"I looked her over for that very reason... She seemed fine. The kittens all look healthy, too. I think she's just tired."

"Yeah? Should I make her something nourishing, then?"

Noona looked worried about Poksini, who had given birth to four kittens not long ago. Having been through it herself when she had So-eun, she seemed to feel a kind of kinship.

"If she's next to me, even ordinary kibble might as well be a tonic, don't you think?"

"...You think so?"

I'd only been showing off, and Noona let out a snort of laughter.

Just then my phone started buzzing, announcing a call.

"Huh? What's Mom calling about at this hour?"

"Your mother?"

I nodded and picked up.

Mom's question stopped me cold. Honestly, I'd given kindergarten a passing thought, but I still didn't have any real plan. Being apart from So-eun every single day—how was I supposed to survive that?

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Mom's asking what we're going to do about So-eun's kindergarten."

When I went quiet all of a sudden, Noona, sitting beside me, asked what was going on. And the moment I told her, she snatched the phone right out of my hand. Hey—why?

Phone stolen, Noona launched straight into a bright, laughing chat with Mom about this and that. It was a slightly different voice from the one she used with me or So-eun, which only made the whole thing more absurd. I'd seen it often enough, but honestly, I never quite got used to it.

Anyway, after a brief exchange, Noona got to the point.

After a short back-and-forth with Mom, Noona handed the phone back with a perfectly serene expression.

"What do you mean, sending So-eun to kindergarten next year?"

"I was going to tell you soon. Kindergartens recruit the following year's students around winter every year."

"Does she really have to go?"

"It's not mandatory... but I think it's better if she goes. There are things we might not be able to teach her properly, and she needs friends of her own. Besides, So-eun will be five next year."

"Ngh..."

I couldn't find a single word to say. Sending So-eun off to kindergarten stung, but Noona wasn't wrong. No matter how much social sense she might pick up at the café, giving her friends her own age mattered too. Even so, the thought of being apart from So-eun for hours every day starting next year already burned in my gut.

I knocked back the half-finished beer in one gulp, and the burn climbed all the way up my throat. Damn it.

"Gaaah!"

"Good grief."

The carbonation stung my throat until my eyes watered, and Noona looked at me like I was hopeless. Harsh.

I wiped the tears away for no good reason and shoveled snacks into my mouth to soothe the ache. Then, once I'd cleaned out what was left, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠something tapped my leg.

"Papa!"

"Huh? So-eun, you're awake?"

"Mm! Papa!"

"What's up?"

"Wha's a kinnygarten?"

For a second I wondered how long she'd been awake. But she was tugging at my pants like she needed an answer right now, so I decided to satisfy her curiosity first.

"Kindergarten is a place little kids like you go. At the café it's all grown-ups, like Mommy and Daddy, right? But kindergarten is full of friends for you."

"Fwends! Tok-tok-tok-tok-tok!"

Hearing her call the five Tokkiz tok-tok-tok-tok-tok, I couldn't help but laugh. I brushed a hand over So-eun's plump cheeks and shook my head.

"The rabbits are your friends, that's true. But the friends at kindergarten aren't rabbits. They're friends like you."

"Huuuh?"

Whether she couldn't quite follow yet or not, So-eun only tilted her head. Watching her, I really did hate the thought of sending her off. But I knew there was no helping it, so I had no choice but to give in—which was exactly why I decided to pour even more of myself into her while I still could.

"Prrbbt!"

"Pyahahang!"

I pulled her in and blew a raspberry on her belly, and she squirmed with delight.

"So-eun, want to sleep with Daddy again?"

"Mm!"

She'd only just woken, but maybe she wanted to sleep again anyway. She nestled into me and immediately started nodding off.

"...Out like a light."

The way she'd started bobbing the moment I held her, then dropped straight into sleep, was a little absurd. Even so, she was no less lovable for it, so I left the cleanup for tomorrow's me and fell asleep with Noona, So-eun gathered in our arms.

In the spring of the year So-eun turned five, her kindergarten days finally began.

"Waaaaah! So-eun!"

Watching her take the teacher's hand and walk into the kindergarten, I broke down sobbing. Four hours apart from her every single day from now on! No—worse, what if someone picked on her?

"People are staring. Come on, let's go."

Dragged along by Noona's hand, I still couldn't tear my eyes from the building. Unable to let go to the very end, I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no choice but to watch the CCTV feed the kindergarten provided.

"See? Nothing to worry about."

Checking the feed with Noona, I could only nod, slowly. On the screen, So-eun was beaming, bright and happy, as if she were having the time of her life, playing right along with children her own age. The girls in particular had clustered together, playing with dolls one moment and little toys the next.

Then something caught my eye. The bag So-eun had set beside her seemed to be twitching, strangely.

"Noona, this... doesn't it look like it's moving?"

"...It does, doesn't it?"

Staring hard at the screen with Noona as the bag kept squirming, I spotted something small poking out of So-eun's kindergarten bag with a little boing.

"Wait. Isn't that a rabbit ear?"

Whatever white thing was peeking out near the end of the zipper kept wriggling. The moment I confirmed it, I rushed off to check on the Tokkiz. And no matter how I looked, there weren't five of them—only four.

"Where's Sam-gito?"

"The baby took him, sha!"

From the testimony of the four remaining Tokkiz, I knew exactly what was squirming in So-eun's bag. Without me or Noona noticing, she had packed Sam-gito inside. And as if to prove it, the bag on the CCTV screen flew open and Sam-gito popped right out.

"...She really took him."

Noona and I pressed our hands to our foreheads once we confirmed it. What were we supposed to do? But nothing particularly went wrong. Sam-gito was long used to living pressed in among people, and So-eun was right there taking good care of him. If anything, thanks to Sam-gito, So-eun was becoming the star of the kindergarten.

The children, amazed to see a rabbit, flocked to her, and she kept them in order while letting them look at Sam-gito. Before long they were sticking doll clothes on him and playing, and the kids gathered around So-eun and Sam-gito as their center.

Naturally, we also got a call from the kindergarten teacher because of him. She was asking whether it might cause any problems, but once I told her I was a Druid, she seemed rather pleased instead. And so So-eun started showing up at kindergarten every day with animals in tow.

"Waaah! So-eun's wearing a fox scarf today!"

One day she went in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with a red fox wrapped around her. The weather was a bit nippy, and thanks to the fox, So-eun was smiling softly in the warmth.

"So-eun came on a horse!"

Another day, when the kindergarten bus broke down and everyone had to come on their own, she arrived riding Bboni.

"Waaah! A penguin! We're fwiends!"

One day she even walked into kindergarten hand in hand with Pe-eng.

Naturally, So-eun became, quite literally, the star of the kindergarten. She showed up with all kinds of animals and played with her friends, and there wasn't a single child who disliked her. It wasn't just dogs, cats, and rabbits—she brought plenty of animals you didn't get to see easily. Geese and raccoons, of course, and she'd even brought Hanmu, so there was no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way the children wouldn't love it.

And that popularity reached its peak when they went on a field trip to the zoo.

"Hi! Hi! Pirururuk!"

"A parrot!"

Drawn by the charm of So-eun's visit, the birds came flocking to her side in a rush. It was no wonder the children, able to see the birds up close thanks to her, fell completely for So-eun. The kids who figured that just being around her meant fun with the animals fell head over heels.