Into Daddy's Arms
He came bursting right in.
“Daddy!”
Reni came running full tilt, slime doll clutched tight to his chest, and threw himself into my arms.
I scooped him up in one smooth motion. Kissing the soft hair of the giggling boy, I patted his back as he wriggled with pure excitement.
“Did our Reni have a fun weekend?”
“Yeah! I made fans with the sisters and my friends, and slimes too…!”
“That’s great. Your friends came over, huh?”
“Yeah. My friend said my slime doll was pretty.”
Reni proudly held up the doll as he spoke, pointing to a child peeking our way from a distance.
It was a little girl about his age, her hair in two pigtails.
I asked him quietly, as if sharing a secret.
“Reni, do you like that friend?”
He whispered right back.
“Yeah. Jennyfer is nice. We play ball together and go to slime kindergarten.”
I didn’t quite catch the last part, but I nodded as if I understood perfectly.
This time I leaned in and whispered in his ear.
“Then next time I come, should I make a slime doll for Jennyfer too?”
Reni’s eyes sparkled as he whispered back.
“But, but Jennyfer likes heart slimes.”
“Got it. When we get home, will you help Daddy make it?”
“Yeah!”
I handed the two boxes of cake I’d brought for the people at the church to the sister, then climbed into a taxi home with the kids.
In the back seat with Luca, Reni poked his little brother’s cheek and asked,
“Luca, what did you do?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Did you crawl a lot? Forward-forward?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Did you look at picture books too?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Actually, actually Luca didn’t look at picture books, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Daaaddy, Luca just says ‘uh-huh’ all the time.”
“Luca’s not even a year old yet. So it would be great if Reni teaches him lots of things. And Luca really did look at a lot of picture books.”
“Then Luca must’ve gotten a lot smarter.”
When Reni gently stroked Luca’s head like he was praising him, Luca gave a tiny smile.
Once we got home I fed the kids a snack and put them down for a nap in the living room.
Then I sent Kelly photos of the cake I’d made yesterday and gave her a quick call.
She seemed to love not only the final recipe but the story behind it as well.
“It looks so elegant and delicious. If you could send a sample through Evan again this time, I’d really appreciate it.”
Ah… I let out a quiet sigh inside.
Yesterday I had only been able to leave the café and head home after Evan got back into the elevator and went up to the second floor.
Knowing what had happened, I wanted to avoid running into him as much as possible. After a moment’s thought I asked,
“Um, how about I bring it myself this time? Since this is the last one and all…”
Fortunately Kelly was all for it.
“That would be even better. Last time you only brought the little one, right? If I get the chance to meet your older boy too, I can have a clearer image for the story—no, the interview…”
“Sure, that works. Then around what time…”
We set the appointment for the very next day.
And right before hanging up, just as Vanessa had mentioned before, Kelly brought up plating.
“I’ll send you a few styles that would go well with Author Jun’s recipes, so would you like to take a look beforehand?”
“Yes, please. Ah, but… would it be alright if I plated my desserts on my own personal dishes?”
Honestly I wasn’t expecting much even as I asked. Odds were the publisher had already lined up sponsorships for the shoot.
“That’s not something I can decide on my own, so I’ll check and get back to you. Do you happen to have vintage pieces?”
“No, nothing like that. I was thinking maybe I could design them myself.”
A brief silence followed.
“Wait—Author, you do pottery too?”
I smiled a little. So she’d never once visited my channel. Not a whole lot of affection for her author, huh.
But that was more than fair, so I answered lightly.
“Yes, pottery’s just a hobby of mine.”
We exchanged a few more words after that and hung up.
Truth was, the designs for the dessert plating dishes were already finished. Even if they didn’t make it into the recipe book, I could still post them on YouTube.
A cake stand for the whole cakes and matching plates for the slices, all in the same design.
Since I’d settled on making the jello cakes in a water-drop shape, I decided on slightly concave pedestal plates that would cradle them.
And for the plate the jalapeño sablés would sit on, I kept the unified design but made it square for a bit of distinction.
“….”
It wasn’t anything grand… but the fact that my own designs were being born one or two at a time still felt overwhelming in the best way.
If I kept designing in the spare moments and actually making them whenever I got the chance, someday I’d still be able to manage the basics even without the app’s help.
While crafting all sorts of things with a master’s level of skill, I had realized one common truth.
That when it came to creating a piece, attitude and mindset toward the object mattered more than pure technique. Ironically enough.
Of course, that was something the masters could only say because they already possessed solid fundamentals…
The craftsman’s spirit of taking full responsibility for a work’s birth, the artist’s pride that refused to do anything half-heartedly, and above all the affection for a piece that held a part of yourself.
Joy or sorrow, the very act of pouring your own life into something was art.
The words of one master—that art begins with expressing one’s own heart—struck me deeper than ever.
The next day.
“Hello, Author! Ah, so you’re Reni. Luca, hi there too!”
At the greeting from a stranger, Reni smiled shyly and hugged his slime doll tight, while Luca stared at Kelly for a long moment before whipping his head away.
But Kelly had come prepared with a secret weapon for winning the kids over.
“Author, this is…”
“Oh no, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
Kelly had bought toys so the kids wouldn’t get bored during the interview. Luca’s gaze locked onto her the instant the colorful box appeared.
“It’s a keyboard that lights up and makes sounds when you press the keys. You can even adjust the volume, so it’s good for playing at night.”
“Thank you so much. Ah, and this is separate from the recipe…”
I handed over a box of blueberry muffins I’d baked for her office colleagues to share.
“Blueberry seems to have the fewest likes and dislikes. And allergies to it are pretty rare.”
“Ohhh, really?”
I passed the box to Kelly, but happy voices burst out from the people around her too.
“Thank you, Author!”
“Everything you’ve sent us every time has been so delicious.”
“Ah… yes, thank you.”
Feeling a little awkward at being called “Author,” I returned the greetings and then followed Kelly into an empty conference room.
Luca was completely absorbed in his new keyboard, while Reni chirped answers to Kelly’s questions like a little chick.
“Yeah, I love Daddy. Daddy’s good at everything, and also…”
The boy excitedly bragged about me to a complete stranger he’d only just met today.
I was so happy, yet hearing the praise right in front of my face made me a little bashful.
“Ah, and also! Daddy is the daddy God sent us!”
I quickly covered both of Reni’s ears with my palms before he could bounce out of his seat, and told Kelly,
“He just misunderstood the word ‘godfather.’ It’s not some wrong idea I planted in him. Please don’t get the wrong impression.”
Kelly laughed as if she were thoroughly enjoying herself.
While Cassandra, who had come along for the meeting with Kelly, looked after the kids nearby, Kelly and I finished the final interview.
“Author Jun’s story is every bit as moving as the taste of this cake. And I’m not just saying that because I’m in charge of you—when the recipe book comes out, your story is definitely going to be the biggest topic.”
“Haha, thank you…”
I smiled, ignoring the slight flush of embarrassment that crept up. Honestly, having Kelly call me “Author” so diligently when I hadn’t written a single line myself was still a burden.
Not that anyone else cared…
“Ah, and about the plating—I asked, and they said you should talk directly with Editor Evan about that.”
“Oh…”
Damn.
A wave of regret crashed over me—I should have just said I’d go with whatever they provided.
“Author?”
“Ah, haha… no, it’s nothing.”
“Alright then, shall we head over together?”
Kelly stood and spoke to all of us. Cassandra, though, said she would wait in the lounge since the kids had fallen asleep right there in the stroller.
Reni would be fine even if he woke up, and once Luca was down for a nap he usually slept at least thirty minutes straight, so it should be alright.
“Still, if either of them wakes up crying, please call me right away.”
As we headed toward Evan’s office I tried hard to settle the slight discomfort in my chest.
No—I hadn’t done anything wrong… so there was no reason for me to be on edge.
Kelly knocked and announced our arrival to Evan.
“Evan, Author Jun is here. About the plating we discussed earlier.”
His usual businesslike voice came through the door.
“Yes, come in.”
…Ah, this is insanely uncomfortable.
“Actually what I had in mind was this brand’s…”
“I was thinking the same… but the designs Author brought are definitely…”
The two of them did most of the talking rather than me. Which made sense, really.
At least they both liked the designs I’d brought, so now all that was left was coordinating with the sponsorship side so everything could wrap up without issues.
“Then for fairness we should really check with the other authors as well…”
Ah… I hadn’t thought that far. Because of my suggestion, their workload had just increased.
But the fact that they hadn’t immediately said no—did that mean they judged it was worth the trouble?
I was lost in my own thoughts when Kelly suddenly stood up.
“Then I’ll step out and make a quick call with them.”
…No!
Either she didn’t read the urgency on my face or simply ignored it; Kelly was already dialing someone as she closed the door behind her.
Click.
And unfortunately, the one who noticed the change in my expression wasn’t Kelly—it was Evan.
“Is something the matter? You look uncomfortable.”
“Ah…”
“Whatever it is, please speak freely. Once the book is out, making any changes becomes extremely difficult…”
“No, it’s not about the work. I’m sorry.”
“…”
Evan took a sip of the coffee sitting in front of him.
Please hurry back, Kelly. Please…
Thinking that, I lifted my own coffee cup—only for Evan to speak as if he were talking about someone else entirely.
“You were at the café that day, weren’t you? If you’re curious, I’ll tell you. Grace had a safe delivery, I hear.”
Grateful I hadn’t taken a sip yet, I set the cup back down and answered half in a daze.
“Yes…”
I couldn’t quite bring myself to say congratulations, and while I scrambled for something to say, Evan let out a short sigh and looked at me.
“You’re a neighbor who already knows our situation, so there’s nothing to hide… but did you already know as well, Jun?”