Side Story: Typhoon
Side Story: Typhoon
"I'll be going now!"
"Don't fight with your friends, and no running around!"
"Okay!"
I smiled as I watched Arini walk into the kindergarten, her face bright with a grin.
Originally, Arini's kindergarten was supposed to have a picnic today, but it had unfortunately been canceled, so the kids heading into the kindergarten weren't in the best spirits.
The one child who loved playing the most was the only one still smiling brightly, so even the kindergarten Seonsaengnim gave her puzzled looks that seemed to say, what's up with her?
I'd barely sat down when the parents gradually started gathering around me.
Among them, I was noticeably the youngest, yet oddly enough, people tended to gravitate toward me.
Jaehwan's father, who was older than me, let out a sigh and looked toward the entrance.
The kids shuffling into the kindergarten, slumping like zombies, really stood out.
"Oh dear, the Seonsaengnim are going to have a rough time today. The kids' mood and the situation outside are both so gloomy."
"Tell me about it. Our Eunseong was throwing a fit, asking why they can't go on the picnic."
"Jaehwan was the same until yesterday... but this morning, I think he took one look outside and came to terms with it."
The parents exchanged stories about what had happened that morning.
Unless the weather forecast was wrong, outside looked like the world was about to end in five minutes, thanks to the typhoon.
It was a relief the kindergarten was in the apartment building; otherwise, I might not have been able to send her to kindergarten at all.
Even a young child would naturally have nothing to say after seeing the state of things outside.
If you went outside in this weather, it wouldn't end with just a minor injury.
But a picnic?
No way.
"How was it for Arini's father? I saw Arini earlier, and she was the only one smiling brightly."
So that's what they were curious about, was it?
I gave a bitter smile as I watched the parents flock toward me, asking for the secret.
Because I smiled bitterly, the parents only grew more curious, and they crowded in even more.
And not only that, I could also spot a few of the kindergarten Seonsaengnim just behind them.
"We already went on a picnic on Saturday. In the Gyeonggi Province area."
"Wow... I didn't even think of that..."
It was an incredibly simple answer, but quite a few people were impressed by that one statement.
In this day and age, when both parents working is the norm, how many people could actually give up their weekend to take their kids on a picnic?
Even A-ra, worrying about me, had suggested I just rest at home.
"What should I do? Should I talk it over with the kid's mom this weekend and go?"
"But with this typhoon, I'm not sure if that'll even be possible..."
"And besides, if we take it easy today, they'll be on our backs like crazy again starting tomorrow..."
"Work aside, typhoon aside, is there even a good place to go for a picnic?"
Proper working adults really were different.
I was a guy with nothing to do but manage the fry shop and upload videos to Qtube, so I had free time, but the other parents were mostly business owners managing huge companies, judges, lawyers, doctors, and other professionals.
"I'll definitely need to have a talk with my wife."
"Me too... I'll head up first, then."
They glanced at each other, and one by one, they slipped away.
They probably wanted to hurry up, talk it over with their wives, finish the conversation before the kids were done, and break the good news the moment they got home.
By the time all the parents and kindergarten Seonsaengnim were out of sight, I was the only one left sitting in the chair.
"Haaam... man, a yawn's coming out."
Had the tension eased now that I'd sent Arini off to kindergarten on time?
A huge yawn escaped me. I opened my mouth so wide it felt like it might split.
Lately, A-ra had been hounding me until late at night, so I was a bit short on sleep.
How much so? Lately, it felt like she was wringing me out until my balls were completely empty.
Did she want a second child?
Or was her libido just that active?
Surely it couldn't be both?
"Time to head back up to the apartment..."
A-ra was home today too because of the typhoon, so I figured I'd go back, maybe touch her chest a little, and get some more sleep.
No, wait. If I did that for no reason, A-ra might get excited and pounce on me first thing in the morning.
Should I just sleep quietly?
***
"Hoo boy, our little puppies. Do you want to go for a walk?"
"Woof!"
"Mung."
I lay down on the bed to take a nap, but our little rascals were making a huge fuss, wanting to play.
Outside, the typhoon was raging and it was a total mess, but Lil' One and Pipsqueak had brought their leashes in their mouths and were pestering me to take them out for a walk.
"If we go out in this weather, you'll get blown away..."
"There's a small auditorium in the basement, isn't there? Couldn't we just walk them there and come back?"
"There?"
"Well, for an apartment auditorium, it's an incredibly spacious place. It's also used as an indoor gym, so you could exercise there too."
"But there'll probably be people playing badminton there."
"Ah, it's not like we'd be walking them right in the middle."
"Was that so?"
"Come to think of it, wasn't this apartment an animal-friendly place where you could bring your dogs to the sky lounge or the first-floor lounge, too? No one would say anything about bringing our pups to the auditorium."
Once I made up my mind, I put it into action immediately.
I fastened the leashes the dogs had fetched onto their necks, sprang up from the bed, and stepped out the front door.
Still, when riding the elevator, I had to hold the dogs securely in my arms.
You never knew when an unforeseen situation might arise.
Of course, on a windy weekday morning, there was almost no one riding the elevator.
I arrived at the basement auditorium without running into anyone in particular.
".....What's this?"
The moment the elevator reached the basement, a commotion reached my ears.
The sound of noisy laughter and running around came all the way here.
I only found out what the racket was once the elevator doors opened.
The little ones who were supposed to be in kindergarten had conquered the basement auditorium and were using it as their own playground.
"Oh! Daddy!"
Of course, Arini was here too.
It seemed like she'd been playing with her friends, but the moment she spotted me, she dashed across the auditorium and threw herself into my arms.
Smiling from ear to ear, Arini nestled into my arms and rubbed her face against me.
Then, just like her mother, she started sniffing, keung-keung, catching my scent.
"Daddy smells like Lil' One."
"Dog smell?"
"Yeah."
Since I'd been holding Lil' One and Pipsqueak just a moment ago, the smell couldn't be helped.
The 'Lil' One smell' Arini mentioned was just the scent of dog shampoo.
Once I lifted Arini up, her friends came running over.
To kids, dogs were basically irresistible stuffed toys, after all.
"Wow... Mister? Oppa? Can I pet the dog?"
"Yeah. Pet them gently."
The other kids, drawn to the dogs, came and asked me for permission.
I was twenty-seven but still looked like I was in high school, so it was a little funny watching the kids try to decide whether to call me oppa or mister.
Well, it made sense, since their parents were mostly pushing forty.
"Arin, is he an oppa?"
Sure enough, one kid who seemed to be Arini's friend came over and started showing interest in me.
It seemed she considered me around oppa age.
"No, he's my daddy."
"Hmm... daddy?"
She tilted her head slightly, as if not understanding, but soon lost interest in me and went to see the dogs.
As expected, dogs were definitely better than some ahjussi like me.
But more than that, the important thing was why the kindergarteners were here.
I thought they'd said they'd only be inside the kindergarten because of the typhoon.
"Arini. But why are you here?"
"The Seonsaengnim said we could play as much as we want in the auditorium today."
"Really? Where are the Seonsaengnim, then?"
"Over there!"
Where Arini pointed, I could see a Seonsaengnim sitting in a chair, reading a book to the children.
Being a kindergarten Seonsaengnim really wasn't a job just anyone could do.
I considered saying hello, but I'd already greeted them this morning...
Since the kids were focused, I figured it was best not to disturb them, so I went to sit in a corner spot.
Arini seemed to prefer sticking close to me rather than running around and playing, because she'd been nestled in my arms for a while now, breathing softly.
She looked more comfortable sleeping in my arms than lying by herself.
"Anyway, Lil' One and Pipsqueak, who came out for a walk, are having a rough time of it."
The kids were well-behaved, so they weren't bullying them, but the way they were petting their heads and stroking their bodies was a bit intense.
They were doing it with such intensity that I almost wondered if their fur might wear away from all the petting.
But seeing how they were holding up well without barking, as expected of our pups.
When we got home later, I'd have to give them a special meal of Cesar, without any kibble.
"Mmm...... Daddy?"
My daughter rubbed her eyes and woke up.
She looked around, then made an expression as if she had no idea why she was here.
"You're up?"
"Why is Daddy here?"
"Did our daughter have a really good nap?"
It seemed Arini, having just opened her eyes, couldn't even remember why I was holding her.
Young children who had just woken from a deep sleep often forgot what happened right before they fell asleep.
"Oh, right. Lil' One and Pipsqueak..."
"They're over there playing with your friends."
"Mmm... I'll pet them later when we go home.."
She seemed to want to just sleep for now, because she nestled back into my arms.
Sleeping during class, she really took after her daddy!