New Clothes
I'd been lost in my daydreams for so long.
I didn't even realize I'd stepped out of the building until Uncle called me.
"Wasn't fun, huh."
Uncle approached me mid-conversation with that sudden question.
I turned and glanced back inside.
Truth be told, I couldn't really remember the bride and groom's faces. Maybe because I'd overwritten them with my own imagination.
"..No."
"Yeah?"
"It was fun."
Uncle gave me a light smile as he looked at me.
I don't know why, but it made me endlessly happy.
I hugged him with all my might and laughed.
Uncle bought me a hamburger. Even cola and french fries to go with it.
I burst out laughing again when he proudly waved the envelope of cash, saying he had plenty of money so it was fine.
"It's a bit pricey there, but okay. Why'd you pick this place?"
Uncle, who'd already polished off his food, asked me as I was still eating.
"..Ung, I dreamed about eating a hambergar."
I told him I'd dreamed about eating a hamburger.
It was a lie, actually.
I kept wanting to laugh, but I held it in too long and started choking.
Coming out with Uncle was so much fun.
Maybe because I had a fancy strawberry ice cream in my hand.
"Hehe."
I'd never even dreamed of ice cream when I was out with Mom.
Of course, I understood. Our family was poor, and still was.
"..Hey, that's Daddy's.."
"Wanna try it?"
Snatching Uncle's ice cream made him look all flustered, which was hilarious.
Really funny.
As I licked away at the ice cream, wondering where to go with Uncle next time—
"...?"
I sensed something off about the surroundings.
I must've looked scared without realizing, because Uncle patted my head.
It eased my heart a little.
Uncle pulled out his smartphone, checked it for a moment, then said to me.
"Yuna, should we head home now?"
Truth be told, I really didn't want to go home.
I wanted to keep wandering around and playing with Uncle.
"U-ung. Let's go."
I forced the words out.
No more incidents like yesterday, thanks.
Even if something happened, Uncle would protect me, though.
After getting home and washing up, I felt all fluffy and nice.
I approached Uncle, who was sprawled on the sofa like a deflated balloon-man in front of a phone shop.
No way he was sleepy already..
"Daddy mohe."
"I'm lying down."
He might fall asleep like this.
What to do, hmm..
"Let's watch TV together."
"TV?"
"Ung."
A magical girl documentary suddenly popped into my head.
It aired on a popular channel at a fixed time every day..
I pushed Uncle over on the sofa to make room for myself.
Then, skillfully flipping channels with the remote—
"Let's watch this together."
I secretly hoped Uncle would enjoy it.
..No, just that he'd find it okay.
Watching for a while, I worried Uncle might not get it.
So I explained everything in detail.
Then, turning back to the documentary—
—Next up is South Korea's strongest magical girl..
—Star Luminous. With her overwhelming power..
It was talking about Star Luminous.
"Daddy, do you know Star Luminous?"
I was about to launch into another messy explanation about Star Luminous when—
—Sadly, she was confirmed KIA recently during a mission.
The narration hit, and my mind went blank.
Uncle had told me magical girls could die too.
Anxiety swallowed me again, and I yelled at him.
Tears welled up realizing I'd yelled at innocent Uncle.
"Star Luminous is just taking a break, okay.."
Uncle hugged and comforted me.
Feeling even sorrier, I cried harder.
I opened my eyes to the dim master bedroom bed.
"..."
My fuzzy memory meant I'd fallen asleep.
Why had I been crying?
I stared at the slightly yellowed ceiling, thinking alone.
"..."
I was anxious. That was the conclusion.
South Korea's strongest magical girl, the hope who protected the country—
Even Star Luminous had died so pointlessly.
Why wouldn't Uncle suddenly vanish too?
"Daddyyy."
I'd cried out of fear that Uncle would disappear.
Like Mom had now, like Star Luminous had died.
I hated myself for bursting into tears so suddenly.
Uncle must've been so shocked.
Really out of nowhere.
I worried if he'd be disappointed in me.
"..."
I called for Uncle, but no answer came.
Had he fallen asleep too?
But there were no signs of life.
Just the scary ticking clock—no breathing, no rustling.
"..Daddyyy."
Looks like Uncle had stepped out.
A chill filled my chest, packing it tight.
..Being alone was so scary after all.
Felt like a monster would smash the window and eat me any second.
"..."
I got up and almost bolted out of the house again.
A few days ago, I would've. Actually, I did.
I suppressed the urge.
Uncle had just gone out briefly, I told myself.
—Worst case, I could do it again tomorrow.
Uncle wouldn't leave me.
Even if my real dad, who said he'd return someday, never did.
Uncle was different.
I held back and lay there waiting a long time.
Where was Uncle? Why'd he go? When would he be back?
What if he didn't come back—
As I kept waiting—
—Triiing.
Uncle returned with a Star Luminous doll.
He'd gone out in the dead of night to buy it for me, since I'd cried.
"Sleep well."
"..."
I secretly watched Uncle's back as he placed the doll by my head and left the room.
See?
Uncle wouldn't leave me.
I stared at the dust-covered bills.
Was raising a kid alone this tough?
All the savings I'd boasted about amounted to this?
"..."
Could I even spend this money?
No—
A more fundamental question hit first.
The kid's mom had said I could use it freely.
So, when my stint as Yuna's dad ended in a few days and the mom came back—
"What then?"
If I blew through it all, how would they survive?
I stared at the money for a long while.
Then, finally—
—Shff.
I yanked out a thick wad of green bills, stuffed them roughly in my pocket,
and shoved the box deep into the closet.
Don't spend it all. The mom would be back soon anyway.
I glanced at the Star Luminous doll on Yuna's bed and thought.
Maybe take Yuna shopping today.
Plenty of time before Yuna's school let out,
so I swung by my place first.
"Home's still the best."
Lying on my soft bed—not that rock-hard tiny sofa—I closed my eyes
and fell asleep in no time.
—Triiing!
Multiple alarms kept me from oversleeping like last time.
After getting ready, I headed back to Yuna's school.
The school gate at dismissal was chaos.
Kids holding moms' hands, piling into academy vans, chattering with friends as they scattered.
If I'd woken up on time back then, I'd have seen this.
"Where's that kid?"
Looking toward the gate, I spotted a familiar figure.
Who else?
"..."
Yuna, tugging her bag strap, scanning around.
She spotted me and—
"Daddyyy!"
—came running with that shout.
"Hehe."
She grabbed my hand tight and rubbed her cheek against my knuckles.
Her cheeks were red and cold—she'd waited outside a bit.
"Wait long?"
"Nope?"
"Your cheeks are freezing."
Despite my worry, Yuna just grinned ear to ear, thrilled for some reason.
Well, kids don't mind the cold much.
I zipped up her puffy jacket.
"Yuna."
She tugged me toward home, but when I didn't budge, she looked up puzzled.
I turned the opposite way and asked.
"Wanna go somewhere with Daddy today?"
"..Where?"
Sniff. Yuna rubbed her nose.
Were those eyes full of expectation or fear?
"To buy clothes."
"Clothes?"
Yuna blinked for a sec,
then fiddled with her pink puffy sleeve.
"I got clothes?"
That ugly puffy jacket, designed purely for warmth, design be damned.
I eyed it.
"Not that one. A new one."
"..New one?"
Yuna pondered what to say,
but when I confidently pulled bills from my pocket, she giggled—who knows why—and hugged me.
Whatever happened later, I'd do my daddy duties right for now.
The taxi with me and Yuna headed to a huge department store.
The very one from that evening's news.