The Dreamer's Advice
The dinner party was set for Wednesday evening.
Coming and going to the kindergarten had made everyone a bit scattered, but it was a blessing. As freelancers, it was convenient that we didn't have to stick to weekends or Friday nights.
Two days before the dinner party, I swapped the classic lighting on the island table for something a little more sophisticated.
Honestly, the lighting was practically the centerpiece of the interior. Just changing the lights had made the atmosphere feel ten times better, like the whole room had leveled up.
The golden galaxy-like light that crossed the table blended perfectly with the kitchen's darker tones and gold-handle accents.
And this light was a huge hit with Reni.
“Waaah…….”
The boy squeezed his hands together, staring up at the light with wide eyes, and let out a small gasp of wonder.
“Pretty?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty! It’s like there are so many twinkling stars!”
The way he was looking at it was so excited that I was seriously wondering if I should swap the lights in our actual home too.
I sat Reni in one of the dining chairs so he could comfortably admire the stars—or rather, the light.
Reni sat there, chin propped on the table, eyes sparkling as he gazed up at the glowing fixture.
Our eldest son already loves stars so much. I bet he’s going to grow up to be an astronaut.
I didn’t ask him anything, though. I didn’t want to accidentally sound like I was pushing him toward a future.
While Reni was lost in admiration, the pendant light I’d taken off the island table was being screwed into place by the front-door sensor light.
At first I thought it was a bit much for an entryway light, but it felt bright and pretty right from the start, so I figured the whole atmosphere had improved.
The extra electricity bill would be noticeable, but now we could afford a little luxury.
While I was checking out the newly installed lights, Greg walked in with his camera and suggested we do a quick test shoot.
“Think two camera setups will be enough for the party?”
“Yeah. One for the front door and dining area that captures both in one shot, and another that shows the kitchen and dining from the living room.”
“True. When people are eating, you don’t need anything more dramatic than that. Okay, I’ll set it up that way. Hey, but…… oops.”
I turned at the sound of something sliding across the floor. Luca had appeared, pushing the playroom chair instead of his walker.
Lately Luca had started using all sorts of stuff as support to walk around.
Greg set the camera down and scooped the boy up into his arms.
“Luca, who told you to push chairs around?”
“Uwa.”
Slap!
Greg still got a cheeky slap from Luca today, but he handed the kid over to me and grumbled about the unfinished question.
“Hey, Jun. The day after tomorrow is the party, right? It’s not like we’re only going to eat and call it a day, is it?”
“Huh?”
I gave Greg a puzzled look.
What more could there be besides eating? It wasn’t like we were going to play board games with the kids or anything……
I thought about it for a second and then asked him honestly.
“What exactly do you do at parties?”
Greg looked at me like I was the weirdest person alive for a moment, then clicked his tongue with a pitying sigh and crossed his arms.
“Oh, come on. Your boss-lord look is so rude.”
I held Luca closer to Greg’s face and defended myself.
“Go ahead and slap my cheek, Uncle Greg. Luca, right here.”
Cassandra, who’d been typing furiously on her laptop and had overheard everything, shot me a sympathetic glance and jumped in.
“Wait, why? We might never have gotten to go to a party before…….”
“Have you really never been invited to a party before? At least text me on the weekends, then.”
The word “friends” in his sentence made Reni, who’d been completely distracted by the lights, suddenly reach out to me with worried eyes.
“Daddy, no friends?”
“No, Reni. It’s not like that at all…….”
I led him over to a chair and took his little hand in mine.
Of course, it was true that we hadn’t been invited to parties because we had no friends.
……But it was also true that even if we had, I never liked parties anyway!
“Daddy doesn’t like parties.”
Greg and Cassandra both made sad noises at the same time.
Why? What’s everyone so worried about? I really don’t like parties!
But Reni still didn’t believe me.
“You don’t like them? Why? Parties are all sparkly and fun and delicious!”
Oh. So Reni actually likes parties. But how does our baby know that?
I’d never thrown him a birthday party before. Maybe he was remembering the one Alicia and Kyle had?
Since I couldn’t ask directly, I tried a roundabout question.
“You really like parties that much?”
“Yeah! I have parties on Saturday nights with Tony oppa and Jennyfer! Guests bring delicious food!”
“Really? I see.”
The volunteer group apparently brought delicious food to the church every weekend for the kids to enjoy.
“Frozen treats games, dancing, eating yummy stuff! Parties are so much fun!”
I smiled warmly and stroked the boy’s hair.
“Yeah, that’s good. You had fun every Saturday night?”
“Yeah!”
It was a conversation I’d probably have worried about twelve years from now, but right now it just sounded so adorable.
Anyway, I looked back at the two rude employees still glaring at me.
“So, what else do we need to prepare?”
It felt strange to suddenly act like a party host when I’d spent my whole life keeping my distance from them.
But luckily Greg and Cassandra were both people who went all out when they were having fun, so ideas kept pouring out.
“If a lot of people show up, the whole living room could be turned into a dance floor. Our office speaker system is actually pretty decent, so we don’t even have to touch it. Oh, and there’s a disco ball we could hang from the ceiling too…… We could hire a bartender or set up a wine fountain or something like that?”
Cassandra stood up like she was about to turn the entire office into a party venue and gestured wildly with her hands while she spoke.
Greg immediately jumped in.
“When only guys are there, we play sports games and cheer or play console games. We stock the mini-fridge with beer and just leave it there…… Hey, Jun. Should I bring my game console from home? It’s been a while since I’ve been able to use it because of my mom.”
“……”
Both of them were giving their opinions enthusiastically, but neither of them was quite what I wanted.
But even Vanessa and Mello would probably be worse than these two at parties.
What should I do?
* * *
Time flew by, and Wednesday arrived.
The party started at six in the evening, but I’d been busy since morning as usual.
I made sure the kids had enough time to play after I got them up, checked that any pre-made foods were ready, and changed their clothes during their naps.
Greg and Cassandra had brought separate outfits for work and the party and looked freshly dressed.
After all, we were meeting a YouTube influencer and a makeup artist from the industry, so we had to be careful.
The fact that they’d be appearing in long-form YouTube content also helped.
Fortunately both of them looked really excited.
“I’m so happy to finally get to play again.”
“Seriously. Wow, it’s been so long.”
That made sense. I was already tired…….
But if good things were good things, I just smiled brightly. From now on I had to force a smile anyway to get used to it, so I might as well start early.
The kids woke up from their naps and changed into their pretty outfits.
Luca was dressed exactly the way I wanted, and Reni—since he was having a party—wore a checker-flag dress with stars on it.
Well, only their backs would show up in the videos, so it didn’t matter. It would still look cute with stars on the back.
While Cassandra set up the camera and Greg finished inspecting the office, I started making today’s main dish.
Before I knew it, it was time. The two guests arrived at the office right on schedule.
“Long time no see! Congratulations on the studio opening!”
Vanessa looked stunning in a fall coat and dress and handed me a colorful bouquet and some wine.
Mello followed right after with a big makeup box and a short greeting.
Even though I’d prefer to avoid people who don’t wear makeup on the street, in the entertainment world he was definitely stylish and had that “aura.”
At least I wasn’t completely socially awkward—I accepted the gift with thanks.
Cassandra had already made a huge noise in my place, so I figured that was enough. From the price tag it looked like a pretty expensive brand.
Both guests seemed pleased with the studio and kept making amazed sounds as Greg and Cassandra took them on a tour.
Then Vanessa’s gaze landed on Reni, who was peeking out from the playroom.
Vanessa let out a dolphin-like squeal and pulled out her phone.
“Oh! You’re even cuter today! Can I take a picture with you for my SNS? Oh, I remember you said you didn’t want kids’ faces up, right?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
She put her phone away with a disappointed sigh, but Reni, who’d been praised, looked really happy.
Then he slipped out of the room and hid shyly behind my legs.
I picked up the crawling Luca who had come out following his big brother and introduced him to Vanessa.
Of course Luca didn’t show much interest in outsiders, but Vanessa still found it adorable.
Mello, who came out of the inner studio after following Greg, let out a scream when he saw the kids.
“Oh my, babies! Wait, where did these super cute outfits come from?”
Mello threw his arms wide and rushed toward the children.
Luca turned his head away with the same bored expression as before, and Reni smiled shyly and hid behind me again.
Mello circled around me to get a better look at the Reni who was hiding behind me.
“My goodness, kids’ clothes these days are so stylish.”
……Stylish? It’s a checker-flag dress. Am I the problem here?
“Thank you. The clothes aren’t ready-made, though. Reni designed them himself.”
Mello’s eyes went even wider. I was scared.
“What? This kid has talent from the start! He’s going to be a star baby!”
I didn’t know whether he was joking or actually complimenting, so I was caught off guard for a second, but since he didn’t seem like the type to tease a child, I just nodded.
“Do the kids have SNS accounts? I didn’t get to ask last time because I was distracted, but I’ll follow them now.”
“Oh, no. The kids don’t have accounts.”
“Why? They must be incredibly popular.”
“The kids are still little, and we don’t want their faces to be sold before they even know what’s happening.”
At that, Mello let out a hum and put a hand on his hip, waving his finger.
“I completely understand, but Jun, you’ll have to think about it for a bit. Star qualities aren’t something you just hide when they come out.”
“Is that so?”
“Exactly. If a kid wants to sing, he becomes a singer even if his parents don’t like it. If he wants to be a model, he becomes a model. I even gave up my dream once when my whole family opposed it…… Look at me now.”
Mello smiled proudly. At his confident look I couldn’t help but nod too.
I felt burdened by the man, but Mello still looked bold and happy. He clearly had pride in his work and no one doubted his talent.
“Supporting a child’s star quality properly isn’t a bad idea, is it?”