The Pain of Betrayal
Hana betrayed her father.
She betrayed her father.
I miss Dad.
I miss Mom.
"Dad... Mom... when are you coming back..."
I don't want to be alone... I'm scared.
"Hey! Why are you crying like that?! You're such a crybaby!"
"I-I'll go over there..."
Why are you coming toward me? Go away. Don't come.
I hated Dad.
Why did you leave me here... I hate you, Dad...
'No, but still... I like Dad.'
Even if Dad left me here, I still like Dad. Dad will definitely come back for me just like before.
And when I sleep in Dad's arms, I feel warm and fluffy like clouds.
Being with Dad always makes me feel safe.
Being with Dad always makes me happy.
Just being with Dad is the best.
"Hey! Why are you doing that? The teacher said you could play together!"
Why does this kid keep talking to me?
Other men besides Dad said all the moms are bad people.
But why is the teacher saying I can play together?
"Um... Mom said not to play..."
"Mom said not to play?"
Nod.
"You're a mama's boy?"
"Ma... mama's boy is what?"
When the little girl asked a word she had never heard before, the boy pointed to another boy next to him and said it as if he didn't know what it was either.
"That guy's a mama's boy."
"I'm not a mama's boy! I just like my mom!"
"That's exactly what it is! You're a mama's boy!"
Does "mama's boy" mean you like your mom? Then isn't that a good thing?
"Then... do you hate your mom?"
"No? I like her though?"
"Hey! Then you're a mama's boy too! Why are you teasing me!"
The kid who had been mocked for saying he liked her confidently shouted, and the boy laughed "hehehe!" and proudly said he was also a mama's boy.
"You... you're not going to fight—"
"What do you mean? A mama's boy isn't necessarily bad, right?"
"Yeah, you're right!"
When the two seemed about to fight, the one who was going to stop them suddenly put their arms around each other's shoulders and started laughing.
'What... what's going on?'
What the hell is this? They were just fighting, and now they're laughing like they never did?
'Ah... I get it.'
Only then did I realize.
These two are close friends with each other.
And Dad brought me here so I could learn about it.
'Friends... can I really... make friends?'
Mom told me friends are the most precious people after family.
But can I make friends by myself?
What if I'm rejected?
'No, I have to try anyway.'
Dad brought me here because I need to make friends, so even if I'm rejected, I have to try.
"I-I mean..."
"Huh? What?"
"Why are you doing that?"
Summoning courage, Hana spoke first and looked at the two; the one who was about to speak took a deep breath and said.
"U-um... want to play together?"
"..."
"..."
When they heard the invitation to play together, both blinked and looked at each other without a word, so I thought they were going to reject it. Just then, when Hana was about to look sad, the two suddenly smiled brightly and answered.
"Yeah! Let's play together!"
"What should we play!? Ah, thank you."
With that, Hana smiled brightly, and the two sat in front of her, excited to decide what to play.
They were Hana's first friends.
***
While spending time with Beatrice and Yuna, before I knew it, it was time to pick up Hana from kindergarten.
"The time has come so quickly. Then I'll go pick up Hana."
[Come back safely]
"Have a good trip, Cheon-seong."
Saying I was going to pick up Hana, I put on my coat and headed to the kindergarten with the two.
"Oh, Hana's father. You came to pick up Hana?"
"Yes, teacher. Um, by any chance, how was Hana today?"
Worried that maybe Hana had been crying because I wasn't there, I asked how she was, and the teacher smiled and answered.
"Nothing happened that would worry a father like that. You don't need to worry. Rather, Hana became friends with the other kids really quickly and was having a great time."
"Ah, is that so. I'm really relieved."
Thankfully, unlike my worries, it seemed Hana had quickly become friends with the other kids.
"Then I'll take Hana home, so please wait a moment."
"Oh, no. I'll go with you too."
"Really? Then come this way."
With the teacher saying she would go with me, she gave a smile that said "of course" and told me to follow her.
"Actually, most parents who come to pick up the first kids at kindergarten say they'll go together like you, Mr. Hana's father."
"Ah, so that's why you were smiling."
I wondered why she was smiling, but it turned out there were a lot of parents worried about their own children like me and came to go together.
After exchanging short conversations with the teacher a few times, we arrived at the place where the kids were playing.
"Catch me!"
"Hik, there!"
"Hey, left left! Go left! I'll go right!"
"Where's left?! Here!?"
"That's right, idiot!"
Among the other kids, I saw my cute daughter Hana and two boys chasing after her... no, two boys playing with her.
"Hana! Dad's here~!"
"What?! Really?!"
Hana, who had been running toward me calling my name, suddenly stopped, looked in the direction the voice came from, saw me there, and ran toward me faster than when she was playing with the boys earlier.
"Dad~~!"
"Hmm. Did our daughter play well today?"
Lightly picking her up and hugging her, I asked, and she nodded with a bright smile, saying she had fun.
Just as I was relieved to hear Hana had fun, she pointed at the two boys looking at me from behind and said.
"Dad, Dad! These are my friends! Kids, this is our dad! How is it? Dad is really cool, just like I said!"
"Hmm, I don't know much..."
"I don't know either."
"Hey! How cool our dad is!"
"Hik! But... their faces are hidden..."
The sight of Hana hugging me in her arms, talking familiarly with the two boys, looked exactly like she was talking to other kids.
Ah... so those boys were Hana's friends?
"You fucking... no, I get it. My Hana's friends. Nice to meet you. I'm Hana's dad."
Out of embarrassment, I almost cursed out loud.
I have to remember to be embarrassed. She just has friends with boys and I'm about to curse?
"Hello! I'm Min-jun, Hana's future male friend!"
Fucking embarrassing and all, I just wanted to curse.
What? Hana's future what?
How dare a guy like you call yourself Hana's boyfriend?
I won't allow it. I won't allow it even if I die.
'Or just kill this bastard...'
No, for now, hold back. I have to hold back. Right now, it's in front of Hana.
And this is the kindergarten where Hana has to go. I have to hold back, Cheon-seong. Hold back, hold back.
"So... that's how it is. What's your name?"
I calmed my anger and asked the more calm-looking boy next to the arrogant one.
"Ah, hello! I'm Lee Ji-hoon, Hana's future husband!"
Creak.
Fucking, do I have to change kindergartens?
How did two bastards like this get tangled with Hana on the very first day?
"Hehe! Dad! I'm amazing! Today Min-jun and Ji-hoon like me!"
"Ha... haha. So... so that's how it is, Hana. Um, but Hana, they didn't really accept it, right?"
Please don't let that be true.
No matter how much my eyes are dug out, I won't allow Hana to have a boyfriend.
Even if I die, even if my heart is ripped out, I won't allow that much! Never!
While waiting for Hana's answer, I hoped it would be no, but Hana betrayed my first expectation.
"Huh? They accepted it, so isn't that a problem?"
The time and space seemed to freeze.
Hana... my loving daughter Hana has a boyfriend. Two of them.
Kindergarten, all of it, I just want to kill everything.
That day, my world collapsed.
......
......
......
......
......
"Ah, Cheon-seong. How was the trip? How was kindergarten today, Hana?"
"..."
"It was fun, Mom!"
At Yuna's question, Cheon-seong simply carried Hana to the ground without a word and headed to his room, and Hana answered that it had been fun.
"Huh? Cheon-seong? Hana, do you know why Dad is like that?"
"Um... I don't know. Since when we picked up Hana, he's been like that."
At Yuna's question to Hana why it was like that, Hana answered that she didn't know, it had been like that since earlier.
"Um... I see. Thank you for telling me, Hana."
"Yeah! But Mom, Mom! You know, I made two friends today! I'm amazing!"
"Wow, really? Our Hana is amazing."
Hana told Yuna everything that happened today, and Yuna comforted her, reassured that Hana had happily made friends with the other kids unlike their worries, and they high-fived.
They didn't know that because of today's events, Cheon-seong had become like that.
***
"Haa, today was really a daughter's day!"
"Hey, your days are always just a fuck-up day, lol lol lol lol"
While giving his friend a non-encouragement encouragement after losing all his money at the casino, he grabbed his friend saying he'd treat him to a drink and headed to the bar.
"Hehe~"
"Whoa... what's with the body. Isn't that just a living X?"
"Huh? Who is that... whoa, it's a real living X."
Just as they were heading to the bar, the friend was looking at someone and making admiring sounds, and the curious man looked over to see a woman in a black dress that barely covered her chest and a witch's hat from a fairy tale humming a song as she walked by.
"Whoa... miss. Are you alone?"
"Huh? Are you asking if I'm alone?"
"Who else is there besides you among the women passing by here?"
"Yeah, that's right. So what were you asking? Um.... ah! If I'm alone? Yeah, I'm alone."
At that moment, the friend approached the woman and asked if she was alone, and after hearing that she was, he licked his lips and asked.
"We're about to go to a good bar now, want to come together?"
"Hey! What the hell are you talking about suddenly!"
"Hey you! What do you mean! Drinking with a pretty girl like this is definitely a good thing!"
At his friend's words, I looked at the woman again.
Lips tinged with a soft purple, skin as white as eyes.
Long dark green hair and emerald-like eyes.
Even the eyelashes that made those eyes stand out.
And above all, that artistic body was truly beautiful.
Definitely, if I could drink with a woman like this, it wouldn't be a waste of money.
'And she's still young-looking, if I drink a lot of alcohol and handle it well...'
The calculation was over.
I can't miss this opportunity with a woman like this.
Even if I spend all my money, this is the lifeline I must grab.
"Let's go together. I'll treat you."
"Oh~ Even if it's like this... then I won't refuse."
The woman said she wouldn't refuse, put her hand on her cheek as if embarrassed, and answered, and the two men headed to the bar with the woman, expecting what would come after the drinks.
***
'...I'm tired.'
I couldn't even get a full night's sleep.
Because of those damn kids yesterday, I couldn't sleep at all.
And eventually, this fucking morning came.
"Ah, you're awake, Cheon-seong?"
"Dad! Good morning!"
When I came out of the room, Yuna was preparing breakfast, and Hana who had finished preparing for kindergarten greeted me.
'Fuck... it's a mess.'
Today too, I have to send Hana to the kindergarten with those two bastards.
I was in a tired state from being shocked by Hana's words yesterday and not being able to sleep, but Hana was waiting for breakfast with a face full of expectation.
Really, that sight made me not want to send Hana to kindergarten at all.
To send Hana to a kindergarten full of wolf kids who are after her in my absence, I really didn't want it to the point of death.
"Hehe, kindergarten is exciting."
But I couldn't say anything to tell her not to go to a kindergarten that excites her like that, or to change kindergartens.
And that didn't change even when it was time to eat.
"Haah..."
"Huh? Dad, why are you sighing?"
"Cheon-seong, doesn't the food agree with you...?"
"Ah, no, Yuna. As always, it's really delicious."
At my sigh, Yuna asked if the food didn't agree with me, but as always, Yuna's food was delicious.
The food was delicious, but I was sighing because I had to send Hana to kindergarten after eating, not because Yuna's food was bad.
It was just that as a father, I didn't want to send my beloved daughter to a place full of those two bastards.