Congratulations from Those Who Matter
“Shall we call it a day, then? Dinner’s getting close anyway.”
Truth be told, I wanted nothing more than to stay up all night and finish organizing everything. But at least a week to ten days of hard physical work still lay ahead just to get the office properly settled. I needed to ration my stamina carefully.
Greg gave my shoulder a couple of light pats.
“Jun. You take the kids in first. I’ll just give the living-room floor and the kitchen a quick wipe and then come up.”
“Yeah. Greg and I will wrap up the last bits, so you go on ahead with the kids, Jun. Tomorrow’s going to be busiest for the boss again anyway.”
I smiled a little and opened the playroom door. The children were so absorbed in their own games that they didn’t even glance up when it swung open.
I knelt down and called to them.
“Reni, Luca. My young lords! Shall we clock out for the day?”
Reni, who had been sitting at the table coloring, looked over at me with his mouth slightly open. He shifted his bottom on the chair as if he couldn’t decide whether to get up or keep playing. The desire to obey Dad and the desire to keep having fun were clearly colliding. It made me genuinely happy that he seemed to like being here so much.
“We’re coming back tomorrow, so you don’t have to feel too sad, Reni. We’ll be here every single day from now on.”
“……Okay!”
Reni nodded and then came scampering over to throw himself into my arms.
Seeing that, Luca also started diligently crawling toward me—
“Papa.”
—except he didn’t. He simply stayed right where he was sitting and stretched both arms out toward me.
“Our Luca’s telling Dad to come fetch him properly, is that it?”
“Mm.”
Just you wait until the day you finally start walking, buddy.
I swallowed the laugh that wanted to burst out and knee-walked over to scoop him up. Luca was clutching a red ball tightly in one hand, clearly planning to take it home with him.
The sight seemed to light a lightbulb over Reni’s head.
“Daddy, can I bring my sketchbook too?”
“You want to?”
The boy grinned and dashed back to the table, gathering up the sketchbook he’d been coloring in.
I scooped both barefoot children into my arms and stepped out into the living room.
“We’ll head up first, then. Don’t overdo it before you leave.”
“See you tomorrow. You worked hard, Jun.”
“Have a good evening, Boss!”
Reni waved at Cassandra and Greg.
“Bye-bye!”
The commute home was short and blissfully easy.
Open the door, step into the elevator, ride up exactly one floor, and the workday was over. It truly could not get any better.
The elevator chimed.
“Third floor.”
“Third floor!” Reni echoed the clear mechanical voice, then added brightly, “Our house!”
He laughed at his own joke, and Luca and I couldn’t help laughing along with him.
I opened the door, set the boys straight onto the dining chairs, and asked,
“What should we have for dinner tonight? Tell me if there’s something you want.”
While I dampened a towel and wiped Luca’s face and hands, Reni thought for a moment before placing his order.
“Daddy, I want mashed potatoes. With sweet pumpkin and milk.”
“Shall we?”
The menu Reni had chosen was simplicity itself. Even better, it meant I wouldn’t have to prepare a separate dinner for Luca—two birds with one stone. Our eldest really was a thoughtful little guy.
I already had peeled potatoes ready, so I filled a pot with water and set them to boil at once. Mashed potatoes only needed butter, milk, salt, and pepper once the potatoes were soft enough. Beside them I steamed some sweet pumpkin in the rice cooker. Feeling the meal was a little light on protein, I boiled three extra eggs and made egg sandwiches as well.
When everything was ready I scooped neat rounds of mash onto a plate, arranged them prettily, and set it in front of Reni. The boy’s face lit up as he picked up his fork and spoon.
“Thank you for the food!”
“You’re welcome. Eat well.”
“Mamma.”
“That’s right, our Luca’s going to eat mamma too.”
Still holding a small hope, I pressed a spoon into the baby’s hand.
Plop.
“……!”
I had been gripping the bowl firmly with both hands in case he decided to hurl spoon and dish together, but today, for some reason, Luca actually stabbed the spoon into the food. He stared at it with fierce concentration for a long moment, then carefully lifted it.
And the long-awaited first bite.
“Wow, Luca’s doing so well!”
Luca looked at me with a proud little expression, as if he had understood Reni’s praise perfectly.
I gave him every bit of the praise he deserved.
“Our Luca’s all grown up. He can even eat by himself now.”
Only half the food on the spoon actually made it into his mouth; the rest ended up on his cheeks. Still, I couldn’t have been prouder. Just in case, I kept one hand locked around the bowl while I smoothed his hair back with the other, praising him nonstop.
Thankfully, once the spooning began, it kept going. Sometimes the baby pinched the food off the spoon with his fingers, sometimes he spilled everything and had to scoop again, and of course he smeared it everywhere. None of that mattered. The fact that he had started was what counted. Luca seemed to feel the same way; he ignored one or two little mistakes and kept eating with determination.
When I gave him a second bowl because so much of the first had ended up on the floor, he even bounced his feet with delight.
“…….”
Just this morning I had been wishing he would hurry up and learn to use a spoon, and already I felt a tiny pang that he was growing so fast.
Before I knew it he had finished the second bowl as well.
“Our Luca’s all done?”
“Mm.”
I tilted the empty bowl to show him, full of fondness—only for Luca to flash a grin and fling the spoon straight onto the floor.
Clang!
……Scratch the “growing too fast” part. Just when is this kid going to stop throwing spoons?
“Luca, even when you’re finished you don’t throw the spoon.”
“Hee…….”
After a soak in warm water, a thorough towel-dry, and soft pajamas, both boys looked thoroughly content. They lay quietly on the bed, gazing up at the star-filled canopy with satisfied faces.
I wondered what on earth those little heads were thinking about.
Reni stretched a small hand toward the ceiling, opening and closing his fingers as if trying to catch the starlight. Luca, who seemed quite taken with the red ball, lay blinking with his attachment teddy in one hand and the ball in the other.
I couldn’t resist asking the child who could actually answer.
“Reni, what are you thinking about?”
Reni hugged a fistful of blanket and turned to me with a smile.
“Happy thoughts.”
“Yeah? What’s making you so happy?”
“Vroom-vroom is good, and going to work is good too.”
“I see. Then let’s go to work together again tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
He answered with a bright grin, then suddenly looked a little troubled and asked,
“But Daddy, do we go to work every day?”
“Hmm? Probably, yeah.”
Reni pressed a hand to his forehead in thought, then raised both arms in a cheer, then sat up and laced his fingers together, wriggling them as he spoke.
“Sister said that in the fall Jennyfer is going to kindergarten, and big brother Tony is going to school.”
“Ah, right. That’s true—Reni will be going to kindergarten soon too.”
I smiled and stroked his hair. Reni let out a huge, worried sigh.
“Mmm, then what about work?”
“You can come to work after kindergarten.”
He tilted his head.
“Is that sooo?”
“Of course. Our Reni’s going to be really busy once autumn comes, huh?”
Reni propped his elbows on a star-shaped cushion and rested his chin in his hands. After a stretch of serious consideration he finally nodded.
“……Then. Then Daddy will have to work overtime every day!”
“Uh…….”
Where did he even learn the word “overtime”?
After tucking the boys in, I treated myself to a brief soak in hot water and then sank into a deep sleep.
When I drifted half-awake again, I felt someone’s gaze and slowly opened my eyes.
That someone was, of course, Luca.
Somehow he had already climbed over and was sitting right beside my waist, staring at me. Next to him, Reni lay sprawled across the guard cushion with arms and legs dangling, sound asleep. They had probably woken up before me, played together for a while, then Reni had drifted off again while Luca moved on to his next target—me.
At least today I had managed to open my eyes before receiving a morning slap to the face.
I smiled softly and offered a morning greeting.
“Luca’s up?”
My voice was still rough with sleep, but the baby answered with a smile of his own. He crawled closer and rested his head in my open palm.
“…….”
Warmth filled my entire hand. I rolled onto my side, cupped his face with my other hand, and gently stroked his cheek.
“Our Luca, are you pretty again today?”
“Hee…….”
I sat up, pulled the sunshine-smiling child into a tight hug, pressed a kiss to his soft hair, met his eyes, and hugged him again until my chest felt full to bursting.
How could any morning be this happy?
“Luca, shall we wake big brother Reni and go eat mamma?”
“Mm.”
As if he had understood every word, Luca started crawling straight toward Reni.
“……!”
Thankfully I lunged in time and stopped him before his little palm could land on his brother’s face.
Still clutching my racing heart, I asked,
“Luca, can’t Daddy savor the afterglow of emotion just a little longer?”
“Mamma.”
“Right. Food really is the most important thing…….”
After gently waking Reni, we washed our faces, ate breakfast, changed clothes, and managed to leave for work without being late.
The elevator chimed again.
“Second floor.”
“Second floor! We’re here for work!”
“Auda!”
The boys’ vigorous shouts announced our arrival; Greg and Cassandra were already there.
“Good morning. You’re both early.”
The desk chairs still hadn’t arrived, so the two of them were sitting at the island table, each staring at a laptop. They returned the greeting.
“Morning!”
Cassandra lifted a coffee cup that looked like it had come from James’s café and waved it cheerfully.
Greg, on the other hand, raised a hand with the face of a man who had already pulled three all-nighters in a row.
After “clocking” the children into the playroom, I asked him,
“Something wrong?”
Greg shook his head as if it were nothing.
“Stayed up last night studying some editing stuff.”
“I like the dedication. Though it means no date after work. Tough break.”
“Eh, these days even when we do go on a date Rachel only talks about work, so it’s pretty much the same.”
“Oof.”
While we traded small morning talk I checked the table and benches whose varnish I had applied last thing yesterday. The finish had dried completely. The solid wood furniture, its grain deepened and gleaming, looked genuinely handsome. The sparkling chandelier, the new lighting, the dark-toned walls, and the wooden pieces all blended together into something quietly luxurious.
I had asked Evan to leave the curtains and blinds if he was going to throw them out; they matched perfectly too. Maybe expensive things just have a way of looking right no matter what.
The office was starting to take shape, but of course there was still a long shopping list: computers, all kinds of audio gear, paper, a printer, a coffee machine, cups, cleaning supplies, pens—endless little things. Luckily the double-point bonus from the Manito App meant I didn’t have to stress about the cost. I had paid a premium for the solid-wood table, but the points that came back at double value would cover the rest of the supplies just fine.
I was jotting down everything else we still needed on a notepad when Greg suddenly remembered something.
“Oh—Rachel said she’d swing by on her way to work later.”
“Yeah?”
I checked my wristwatch. Hmm, I should buy a wall clock too……
No, wait. That wasn’t the important part.
“Isn’t it already way past starting time?”
“She said she was planning to be late today for unavoidable personal reasons.”
Ah. The kind of bold move only an employee whose heart had already left the company could pull.
I was shaking my head a little when a knock sounded at the front door.
It was Evan.
“What brings the editor all the way here at this hour?”
“I had something to deliver on my way to the office.”
I couldn’t hold back a small smile. Apparently his position let him set his own start time whenever he felt like it.
Evan handed over a heavy shopping bag.
“Ah—could this be……?”
I looked at him, unable to hide my excitement. Evan smiled faintly and nodded.
“These photos won’t go into the recipe book, but they turned out so well I thought you might like to keep them. I had them framed. Since you’ve opened your own studio, please accept them as a small congratulatory gift from me.”
“Thank you so much.”
With a fluttering heart I pulled out the largest frame first and tore the wrapping open.
It was a crystal-clear acrylic frame of me sitting on the sofa with the two children—both wearing adorable sunglasses—tucked against my sides.
“…….”
I guess when something is too good for words, you really do go silent.
My expression must have said enough, because Evan looked satisfied.
Knock-knock.
I was about to offer him a cup of coffee when another knock came from the entrance.
Rachel.
I had assumed she was only dropping by to check out the office, but in her hands was a signboard embossed with our studio logo. Behind her stood James, carrying a cake that read “Congratulations on the Founding.”
“Congratulations on the start of JL Studio!”
“Congratulations! Let’s do great things together!”
Cassandra brought out a huge bouquet she had been hiding in another room and held it out.
While my eyes were still caught by the glowing candles on the lavishly decorated cake and the flowers, Greg appeared with both children in his arms and stood beside me.
“You know how grateful all of us are to you, right? So even if it’s a little cliché, we wanted to do this.”
Everyone formed a loose circle around me and began to clap. The children joined in with shining faces.
“Daddy, congratulations!”
“Audanda!”