Ahead of Christmas (2)
Reni immediately started pulling out the other socks and matching them into pairs.
Some had “Left” and “Right” written across the tops of the feet, some had rockets drawn on them, and still others said “If you can read this, give me a cookie” on the soles.
These were the socks I had poured my heart into choosing for the “Fun Sock Grab Bag” product—genuinely fun socks through and through.
Seeing how much the kid liked them filled me with more pride than I knew what to do with.
After watching Reni’s enthusiastic sock unboxing, Luca reached toward another gift box, but I scooped him up before he could get there.
“Alright, alright. That’s enough! Time for mam-ma.”
“Mam-ma.”
Luca’s head, which had been turned toward the presents, swung around to me.
“Yeah, let’s eat. You too, Reni. Come here.”
I sat the kids in their chairs and quickly cooked.
Fluffy, piping-hot pancakes topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries, finished with a drizzle of maple syrup.
I made scrambled eggs with milk, cooked in butter, and poured lukewarm milk into cups.
The kids’ eyes lit up at the breakfast spread that seemed to sparkle in the morning sunlight streaming into the house.
Since knife work was still too hard for them, I cut the pancakes into manageable pieces, and both of them gripped their forks and dug in earnestly.
“It’s delicious!”
Reni beamed and made a sound like a little chick peeping.
Considering how much trouble we used to have getting him to eat, this was something to be proud of.
“Is it good? Luca, is yours good too?”
“Yeah.”
Unlike his older brother, Luca had always finished every meal even when he was teething and then tossed the bowl afterward. Watching him stuff both cheeks full like a baby squirrel and chew away was truly endearing.
“….”
I had made his portion especially soft, but seeing him eat so well reminded me of a saying I had heard somewhere.
What was it again? Something about eating with your gums if you don’t have teeth?
Probably not the right context for that phrase, but whatever.
After enjoying a leisurely breakfast with the kids, I baked cookies for the staff at Lemon Soup Pub.
“Aigoo, my back.”
Straightening up from hunching over to decorate the cookies with Christmas toppings drew an involuntary groan.
Still, looking at the green and red cookies made me feel pretty accomplished.
The big, plump cookies shaped like Santa hats and Christmas trees were good enough to appear in a magazine. And the taste went without saying.
While the cookies cooled, I sprawled sideways on the sofa and watched the kids play.
Then, so we wouldn’t be late for the pub, I portioned the cookies into pretty bags and headed out with the kids.
“Ah, we’re here again!”
Reni said excitedly from the stroller.
“We sure are. This is your second time since Cassandra’s wedding, Reni.”
We hurried inside to escape the cold wind.
“Wow!”
Reni gasped the moment we entered the pub. And rightly so.
When Reni first visited, the pub had been decorated like an autumn forest.
But today, it was steeped in Christmas spirit.
Green garlands, red ornaments, and golden lights filled the place—classic Christmas through and through.
“Daddy, is this place special every time we come?”
It wasn’t strange for the kid to ask, given that the whole pub was decorated for the season every time we visited.
“Not exactly, but it seems our Reni only shows up when the pub is special. Ah, Luca.”
In the brief moment I stopped the stroller, Luca stood up and reached for a fake gift box used as decoration.
“That’s fake. Fake.”
“Uung…!”
The stubborn look on his face, determined to see what was inside, left me no choice but to be firm.
“No. That’s not ours.”
But a firm “no” was never going to work on a one-year-old.
While I was locked in a staring contest with a sulky Luca, Cassandra appeared out of nowhere and scooped him up with a laugh.
“Hello, my little prince?”
“Maaba! Auai!”
Luca launched into a storm of baby babble at Cassandra as if his ally had finally arrived.
Then he pointed his little hand firmly at the gift.
“There’s no stopping him, really.”
I sighed softly, and Cassandra laughed heartily.
She handed Luca back to me and picked up one of the gift boxes. Peeling back a bit of the wrapping on the side, she showed it to Luca.
“See? Look, Prince. There’s nothing inside, right?”
Even after confirming there was something like yellow sponge inside the wrapping, Luca still reached out.
From his expression, he seemed to be saying even that was fine.
But I didn’t want to put a decoration that wasn’t a toy into his hands.
So I sat him back in the stroller and pulled out two small gift bundles I had hidden underneath.
“Here, these are from Daddy, so you can open them. But you can’t just grab other people’s things whenever you want.”
Whether the kid understood or not, I gave the appropriate lecture for the situation. At least Reni would get it.
Of course, Luca was completely absorbed in unwrapping his new present, no matter what I said.
“Wow, it’s that one! If you press it, it goes pop and comes out!”
Reni, who unwrapped his faster than Luca, held up a rainbow-colored heart.
But seeing that, Luca reached out and took the toy.
Ugh. That little tyrant.
“Lucaaa, that’s big brother’s!”
Reni crossed his arms with a grumpy look, but if he understood that, he wouldn’t be a twelve-month-old baby.
I took Luca’s hand, which was gripping the toy tightly, and met his eyes.
“Luca, that’s Reni hyung’s. You can’t snatch it.”
“Yeah.”
He answers well enough. The kid, who had been tilting his head as if he didn’t understand, beamed a big smile.
“Aigoo…”
They say kids don’t understand the cause and effect of their own actions until at least age three.
So while I could understand Luca’s behavior, it was still troublesome.
Especially since I felt bad for Reni…
“It’s okay, Daddy. Luca’s still a baby!”
My good firstborn actually comforted me and finished unwrapping the gift package Luca had left half-done. Then he cheered.
“It’s a star!”
“The star one was originally meant for Reni.”
The two kids already seemed absorbed in pressing the soft, springy toys with their little fingers.
I shook my head and stood up straight, and Cassandra patted my shoulder in consolation.
“Watching a one-year-old really isn’t easy. But Luca always eats well and sleeps well, right?”
“Yes. He’s been like that since he was a newborn.”
“Just that alone means Jun’s parenting difficulty is at the lowest level. Being grateful the kid is healthy is enough—anything a little inconvenient or worrisome is a luxury. A luxury.”
“Is that so.”
“Of course. Naturally.”
I parked the stroller properly next to the stage and was taking out the gifts I had brought for the staff when Rex the bartender waved and greeted me.
“Merry Christmas! I watched the video you uploaded last night! Jun, you’re really the best dad.”
Maybe because I had seen the comments that morning.
It felt a little embarrassing, like comments were popping up in real time right in front of me.
“Thanks.”
I answered with a slight smile, and Rex’s eyes sparkled as he continued.
“Next year I’m thinking of making a Christmas tent at home too.”
“Rex, you have a kid?”
“No, for myself.”
As Rex answered that way, his roommate, the other bartender, rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.
The fed-up look as he passed by somehow seemed familiar.
“Come on, you’re a grown adult. Why?”
I asked with a hollow laugh, and Rex shrugged.
“What’s age got to do with Christmas spirit? And more than anything, I figured the heating bill would be lower.”
“Come to think of it, you were close with Greg, right?”
“Yes!”
I kind of figured.
Rather than walking around handing out cookies to the staff myself, it seemed easier to leave it to him, so I handed over the heavy box full of cookies.
“Share these with your coworkers. Merry Christmas.”
Rex said he was really grateful and left to hand out the cookies before the real business of the evening started.
Charlie, who had come downstairs looking for his mom from the second floor, approached with quick little steps.
“Uncle Jun! Luca and Reni!”
“Hi, hyung!”
Reni briefly looked up, gave Charlie a bright smile, then turned his attention back to the toys.
Looking at that, Reni was still just a preschooler after all.
After watching my two sons lost in their own world, blocking out everything around them, Charlie just looked like an adult.
Considering that even adding Reni and Luca’s ages together was only half of Charlie’s, it made sense.
Still, I couldn’t help feeling a little envious for a moment.
“Cassandra must not have any worries now. Charlie’s grown up so sturdy.”
“Yes, of course. Let’s see if Jun says the same thing when Reni turns ten.”
Charlie made a funny face for his mom in front of a snickering Cassandra.
See, that’s what I’m jealous of—understanding every situation and being able to communicate.
I pulled another box out from under the stroller, which somehow held so many things.
“Here, Charlie. This is a present from Uncle for you. Merry Christmas.”
Honestly, I had worried a lot about what to give Charlie.
I thought toys might seem childish, so I ended up asking Cassandra for help.
Cassandra told me Charlie was singing songs about basketball shoes, basketball shoes.
Taking the square box, Charlie asked in a dazed voice.
“Uncle Jun, is this…?”
“Yeah, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”
Charlie looked so happy he couldn’t even speak.
After thanking me over and over, the kid went to show off his new basketball shoes to Dimitri.
Watching the boy’s back, Cassandra gave me an apologetic smile.
“Of course I don’t think you overdid it, but still, thank you for buying something so expensive so readily.”
“Not at all. I wanted to get Charlie something he liked. Partly because he’s your son, Cassandra, but also because Charlie’s been so good with the kids all this time. You know that better than anyone.”
“Thank you. Can Auntie give Reni and Luca their presents on Monday?”
“Yes!”
Reni, who had seemed too absorbed in the toys to be listening to our conversation, answered promptly. Then he took my hand and asked.
“Daddy, is Monday tomorrow?”
“No, the day after tomorrow. Monday is the day we go back to work.”
“Aha.”
Reni looked happy.
He still had trouble fully grasping the concept of days of the week, but it seemed nice that he was getting a little feel for it, bit by bit.
Greg, who usually arrived way before us, showed up almost right at opening time.
“Newborn dad life is rough, huh?”
“Yeah, the baby was crying so hard when I was trying to leave that I had to soothe her… and Rachel couldn’t get out of the bathroom…”
“You don’t have to give me that detailed a situation report. How about we talk to Dimitri and go biweekly with the performances for a while?”
We had a little more financial breathing room now.
And since Greg could still make the music he wanted at the studio and put out playlists, it didn’t seem like a bad idea, so I suggested it.
Greg seemed to think so too, saying he’d talk about it later as he took off his jacket and prepped for the performance.
Today’s set was, of course, a Christmas carol medley.
Songs Greg had been arranging since November and already uploaded as a playlist at the start of the month—ones that would probably become steady videos on our channel.
Cheerful conversation blended with the familiar yet new sounds of carols.
The smell of delicious food and the warm lights that tied it all together harmoniously lit up the winter night, making it warm and bright.