A Friend Worth Learning From
I stared wide-eyed at what the child was doing.
Ever since the day I first showed him that trash belonged in the trash can, I had figured he would learn eventually and often demonstrated the same thing.
Every time, he would look at me like I was some kind of weirdo. And yet, here we were.
I was so moved I could not even speak, while Greg and Cassandra clapped and showered Luca with a storm of praise.
"Wow, Luca! You must be really smart! When I first saw you, you couldn't even hold your head up properly..."
Greg trailed off mid-sentence. Having watched Luca for so long, a deep wave of emotion seemed to wash over him.
Cassandra, who had somehow already been filming Luca, continued the praise in a proud voice.
"I think Charlie started doing simple errands around this age too, but Luca does seem a bit ahead. What a good boy."
"Maybe it's because he's developing so well? You know how they measure head circumference to check if the brain is growing properly."
That could be. But none of that mattered to me right now.
I scooped the child up and planted kisses all over his head and cheeks.
"Luca, good job. Of course our son is a genius. The coolest kid in the whole world."
Every time I witnessed the child's growth, that familiar emotion flooded over me—like being submerged in warm water.
The first time he called me Dad, the first time he rolled over, his first steps. When his first tooth came in, and moments like today...
"Our Luca, you've gotten a little closer to being human!"
"Jun, you really have a knack for ruining the moment with comments like that..."
"Starting today, I should teach him how to clean up his toys too. I was planning to teach one thing at a time, but it seems our kid can handle it all."
"Luca, run for it!"
No matter what Greg said, Luca—fully aware he was being praised—beamed with a proud little smile.
Nestled in my arms and grinning goofily, he was utterly adorable.
Really, when had he gotten so big...
I kissed the admirable child several more times and patted his bottom.
Watching me, Cassandra's expression turned somehow complicated.
Then she spoke in a small voice.
"It makes me reflect all over again. There was a time when I was moved by everything my child did. But as they grow, I seem to forget those memories completely. Somehow I feel sorry for Charlie."
She added that not long ago just having him healthy and smiling had been enough, yet just yesterday she had argued with him about not wanting to go to school.
"That's surprising. I didn't think Charlie would ever not want to go to school. He seems to have lots of friends and do well in his studies."
"Yes, that's right. It's not that he really doesn't want to go. He was just saying he wanted to play a little longer, but I scolded him asking when he was going to study then. I don't even know why I did that."
I pondered for a moment how best to answer.
But Greg stepped in a beat faster, waving his hands.
He comforted Cassandra, telling her there was nothing to worry about.
"What's the big deal? My mom was like that every single day, but kids all know. That their parents do it because they worry about them."
Cassandra smiled faintly as she looked at Greg.
And then Greg added something he absolutely did not need to say, earning himself a smack on the back for it.
"Though even knowing that, not listening is just inevitable."
The child was so precious that from that moment on I never put him down. I fed him lunch while holding him, played with him, and finally put him down for his nap.
As I rubbed the sleeping baby's soft, fluffy cheeks with my finger and patted his belly, Greg opened the playroom window and quietly scolded me.
"You'll wear the kid out. And Boss, aren't you working today?"
"Nope. Not working."
Of course there was always more work than I could handle.
But today our baby had made a giant leap in development!
I absolutely had to stay by his side all day celebrating.
"Okay. Then I should at least film this and put together a compilation of doting-dad moments. There are tons of clips piled up already."
"Sounds to me like you're saying you'll collect my lazy moments and edit them."
"Is that you admitting you're showing a lazy side right now?"
"No. Do you have any idea how hard I work normally?"
As we bickered back and forth, Luca's eyes fluttered open.
"Did our Luca sleep well?"
Luca turned his head to look at me, then grinned and waved his arms and legs up and down.
Just like this, he was exactly like Luca at three or four months old.
"He's only grown in body; that face is still the same."
I hugged the softly yawning child close and kissed him.
Even just waking up, Luca let out a laugh that sounded a little like a dolphin.
"Since Luca's up, shall we go pick up big brother?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Today big brother went to kindergarten after a long time, so he might have missed Dad and Luca. Let's go get him quick."
The January air was quite cold, so I layered clothes on him. Like that, with my second son who looked twice his size in all those layers, I went to pick up the first.
"Daaad! Lucaaa!"
My worries proved completely unfounded—the moment class ended, Reni ran to us looking thrilled.
Having received all sorts of new stimulation from kindergarten after so long, Reni chattered nonstop about everything that had happened that day the entire way home.
There had been many things, but what truly caught my ear was that he had met his elementary-school buddy for the semester.
"He's a fourth-grade big brother! But his name is similar to Dad's, so I liked it."
"Similar to Dad's name?"
"Yeah! Dad's name is 'Jun,' but the buddy's name is 'Seong-jun'!"
A kid from Korea, then. Whether it was pure coincidence or the kindergarten teachers' arrangement, I could not say.
The buddy program paired upper-elementary or middle-school students with children from kindergarten through first grade.
It was said to help kids socially and emotionally; there were surely things they could learn by interacting with different age groups.
While Luca, just past his first birthday, was only now recognizing himself and figuring out what he could do, Reni was already moving into the stage of developing social skills.
"So what did you do with your buddy today?"
"We made a snowman and played together! Next time I'm going to the elementary school and then to the library."
Reni's eyes sparkled as he talked about going to elementary school. He even said his heart was pounding with excitement.
"Okay. Then until you meet your buddy next time, you'll have to practice reading books hard."
"Yeah!"
Full of motivation, the moment we arrived at the office Reni grabbed a book with a bit more text than the usual picture books and began reading it aloud.
Luca, who often imitated big brother, sat down at the table right along with him and "read" a book of his own.
"...Luca, the book's upside down!"
Of course it was still just pretend.
Reni laughed and held up the book he was reading so Luca could see, reading along with him.
"Big brother will read for you. Now, to...day! Clara... followed the plu...mp! Plump! Plump octopus..."
Reni read the book diligently.
But the way Luca kept glancing back and forth between Reni and the book with a suspicious look was just too funny.
You were holding your own book upside down, so why the suspicion?
As I happily captured the kids on camera, Cassandra called me over, saying an email had arrived from Evan.
"Is the material for this month's video already out?"
I asked because it was earlier than the usual timing for emails from the publisher or bookstore, but Cassandra shook her head.
"No, it's that Bibliophile is holding a contest together with Cotton Candy Books?"
"What?"
Cotton Candy Books was the publisher of children's books including Clara's Great Adventure with the Plump Octopus, the very one Reni had just been reading.
It was also more famous among adults for handling stories that felt a little too bizarre to simply call fairy tales.
A contest with a publisher like that.
"Let's see—it's an original contest for kindergartners through lower elementary kids. Sounds fun, right? Ah, it's a shame Charlie doesn't qualify."
And Evan was asking about Reni's interest in participating.
To talk about the contest as well, I made plans to meet Evan—whom I had not seen even once since the new year—at a cafe in Downtown.
Coming out into the city after so long, I parked on the street and settled the kids into the stroller.
"Daaad, there are so many people!"
Reni looked around with a face full of excitement at the big-city scenery he had not seen in ages.
Since we were meeting after Evan finished work, the sun was gradually setting.
The city at dusk—when the tall buildings and street trees began to give off sparkling light—was also the prettiest time of day.
"Does Reni like the big city?"
"Yeah! It sparkles, there are lots of people, and the houses are super big!"
"I see."
Luca seemed a little excited too, turning his head diligently this way and that to take everything in with a faint smile on his face.
The cafe was not far from where I had parked, but I pushed the stroller slowly on purpose for the kids' sake.
"Looks like it snowed a lot yesterday. There's still plenty piled up along the roadside."
"Yeahhh. Dad, but adults must be too busy to have time to make snowmen!"
Reni said this while looking at the thick snow heaped on both sides of the sidewalk. Then he let out a short gasp of wonder.
"Dad! Over there—ducks! Baby ducks!"
"Ducks?"
Where the child pointed stood a little troop of snow ducks lined up in a row—someone had made them, though who knew who.
No way. They were actually adorable.
I stopped the stroller right in front of the duck troop and carefully captured the kids and the ducks all in one shot.
"Daaad, can we take the ducks home?"
I caught Luca's hand, which was already reaching toward them.
"Next time it snows, let's make the exact same ones on our terrace at home. These might have an owner, you know? And we're heading to the cafe right now—if we take them inside, the ducks will melt."
"Okay!"
Unlike Reni, who quickly accepted a logical explanation, I was a little worried about Luca.
But fortunately he did not seem all that attached; the moment I started pushing the stroller again, he quickly looked elsewhere.
No matter how slowly I walked, we reached the cafe in no time.
"Waaah!"
The meeting-place cafe was still fully decked out in its year-end holiday atmosphere, so the kids remained a little excited as they looked around.
I found a seat in a quieter corner with less foot traffic and settled the kids so they could see outside.
While I packed their outer clothes into the stroller as they sat by the wide window gazing out, Evan appeared.
"It's been a while. Have you been well?"
I stood and greeted him warmly, and Evan responded looking even more at ease than the last time I had seen him.
"Yes, thanks to you. I watched the Christmas and New Year lives as well."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
I still felt a little embarrassed whenever someone outside the office staff mentioned the videos.
After ordering coffee and cake, I handed the kids the snacks and drinks I had packed from home, along with some toys.
Once everything was ready, Evan took out his tablet and began explaining the contest once more.
"Do you know Cotton Candy Books? They're famous for publishing popular children's books."
"Yes, I remember them because the stories they put out are so peculiar."
Evan smiled slightly, as if he understood perfectly.
"From an adult's perspective, there certainly is that side to them."
"How did you end up holding a contest with them? Doesn't Brown House Publishing have anything to say about it?"
"Yes. First we hold a contest with them, and if the response is good, then we persuade them to open one for adults."
Evan waved a hand lightly as if it were no big deal while he explained.
"And the reason for holding this contest is, well, promotional. When a contest for children is announced, there are always plenty of passionate parents who join in."
"You used to talk as if running this bookstore was more about chasing a dream than chasing money."
I joked with a slight smile, and Evan answered in the same light tone.
"Money isn't everything, but if children encounter Bibliophile from a young age, they might remain customers even after they grow up. I want to become a lifelong bookstore that walks with them as they grow."
"..."
He made it sound plausible, but in the end it was still about securing lifelong customers.