Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Seuli's Seaweed Soup
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Peaceful Friday morning. Dasom, who had gotten up early and was playing with Mom, spotted me.
"Big bro! Big brooo!"
I scooped up the pattering Dasom as she came running and looked at her.
"How'd my Dasom sleep?"
"Yeah!"
The two-year-old toddler Kang Dasom, now able to communicate with short words, reached out her arms to me.
Maybe because I'd hugged her so often since she was little, our Dasom had grown up full of affection.
Dasom grabbed both my cheeks, giggled, and snuggled fully into my arms. I patted her back and started playing with her.
Mom, watching us fondly, approached me.
"Haneul, sleep well?"
"Yes, I did. You?"
"Of course I did~ Oh, my son! Happy birthday~"
"Ah, thank you."
The reason I wasn't going to school today, even though it was Friday, was that today was my birthday.
It's not like I skip school for my birthday. Most kids go even on their birthdays.
But I had a perfectly valid and reasonable excuse not to go.
What was it?
Today was my birthday—and also National Foundation Day.
National Foundation Day, the day the history of the Korean Peninsula began. That's the day I was born.
My name "Haneul" was probably made up to celebrate me being born on National Foundation Day.
Dasom looked at me with a big grin and hugged me even tighter.
"Happy birfday!!"
Her pronunciation was off, but the meaning came through crystal clear.
I hugged her tightly, full of gratitude.
"Dasom, thank you~"
"Yesss! Hehehehe!"
Watching Dasom burst into laughter in my arms made me so grateful to have a little sister. I couldn't help but feel thankful that such a lovable kid had come to our family.
I set Dasom down, and she toddled off again to hug Mom.
"Son, sure you don't want more sleep?"
"I'm good. I slept in way later than usual today."
That was true.
It was 8 a.m. now. Considering I usually got up at 6:30, this was incredibly leisurely.
I stretched and headed to the kitchen.
"Nothing to eat...?"
"Of course there is~ I even made seaweed soup special for my son~"
"Ooooh...."
If I had to pick the day that changed the most since I entered this novel world, it'd be my birthday.
The old me never celebrated my birthday at all. There wasn't even anyone to celebrate it with.
The orphanage would do a group thing for the kids' birthdays, but that was it.
I'd never had a proper celebration or received anything real. I think I even liked Christmas more. It came every year on the same day and gave me a gift each time.
After only those days, having a big celebration every year repeat made it natural to start looking forward to my birthday.
Though the important part wasn't that—it was my parents' care for me.
"Can I eat right away?"
"Sure~ Go ahead. Won't regret it?"
"Regret?"
"It's coming soon?"
Her words made a question mark pop up over my head for a second, but I quickly got it.
Not just family celebrates my birthday every year. My friends do too.
And among them, the one who celebrates it biggest is...
-Ding dong~
Probably the person ringing our doorbell right now.
I opened the door and stepped out, and there was the friend I'd been waiting for most... my most precious one.
"Haneul...! Happy birthday!"
I nodded right away as Seuli came in beaming.
"Yeah, thanks. Come on in."
I held the door for Seuli, and she came straight inside. She neatly took off her shoes, straightened them, then headed to the living room toward Dasom.
"Dasom~"
"Seuli unniii!"
Dasom toddled over like before with arms out, and Seuli opened hers too.
-Hug~!
"Kyaaaa~"
"Dasom, been good?"
"Yeah!"
It was a question that made sense. We'd had exams at school up until yesterday.
As second-semester exams for third year, they weren't that tense, but Seuli's super diligent. She'd studied really hard, so she'd cut back on coming over daily to see Dasom.
Thankfully, our two-year-old Dasom understood and held back without getting upset, even though Seuli hadn't come as often.
What a grateful, wonderful kid. Our Dasom.
"Seuli, welcome."
"Auntie, hi...! Uncle?"
"He left early for work."
"Ah...."
Dad's been super busy lately. On top of work, he's constantly out on field trips or business travel, so we don't see him much.
But I know he thinks of me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have slipped a letter into my desk drawer amid all that busyness.
When I woke up, he'd messaged me: 'Check the far right of the bottom drawer. Happy birthday. Sorry I can't be there.'
I checked right away, and there was his handwritten letter and some money.
How could I feel upset? I was just thankful.
Anyway, now it was just Mom, Dasom, me, and Seuli at home.
"Seuli, you haven't had breakfast, right? Eat with us."
"Ah...! Auntie, um...!"
Dasom rummaged in her bag and pulled out an insulated lunchbox.
"Oh, Seuli. This is..."
"I made seaweed soup myself...!"
"Oh my..."
Mom looked flustered but smiling, then asked me.
"Son, don't you wanna try your girlfriend's seaweed soup over Mom's?"
"Girlfriend...?"
Seuli's head drooped at Mom's odd word choice, her ears turning red.
Mom really has no tact. She knows Seuli's sensitive to stuff like that.
I denied it flat out.
"We're not like that. Still... I wanna try Seuli's seaweed soup."
"Goodness... Fine, Seuli. Let me have some of that soup? Gotta heat it up for this clueless son of mine."
"......Yes."
The 'clueless son' wording was weird, and Seuli's deflated voice too. But like a two-eyed stranger in One-Eye Village, I let it slide.
Instead, I tried picking up Dasom for some healing time...
-Squeeze
Dasom pushed my cheek away with her tiny hand.
The Dasom who'd laugh just from a hug normally.
"...Dasom?"
"Seuli."
......Looks like Dasom prefers the pretty, cute Seuli unni who's been rarer lately over her everyday big bro.
Dasome, choose wisely. Who do you think you'll see longer, me or Seuli?
Alas, Dasom ignored that completely and reached only for Seuli.
No choice, I handed over the re-hugged Dasom to Seuli, who looked at her and said,
"Dasom, let's ditch this clueless big bro and play just us~"
"Hehehehe~"
Watching Dasom laugh again the moment she was in Seuli's arms, I thought once more.
I'm the only normal one in this One-Eye Village.
A little time passed, and breakfast of Seuli's seaweed soup was served.
"Haneul~ Seuli~ Time to eat~"
I helped Mom set the table.
The menu was simple.
Seaweed soup, rice, bulgogi, grilled mackerel, and stir-fried kimchi.
Simple dishes, but each one full of care.
Especially the seaweed soup—it had a delicious smell I'd never tried before.
"Haneul, try it first."
"Ah... Okay."
Mom offered me Seuli's seaweed soup, and I took a sip.
-Slurp
The sound echoed, and Seuli and Mom stared at me.
"Haneul, how is it...?"
"Son. How's Seuli's seaweed soup?"
Seuli's seaweed soup taste—in one word?
......Half heart, half MSG.
Not that it tasted bad. It was super tasty.
But this flavor was impossible in our house, where we use minimal MSG.
Which made it taste even better.
So I erased the MSG thought from my mind and said,
"It's amazing. Really rich flavor."
"Really...?"
"Yeah, really."
"Hehehehe."
I smiled at beaming Seuli, and Mom took a sip, then praised her.
"Now Haneul can have Seuli make his meals?"
"No...! Auntie still does it way better...!"
"Still? You'll do better than Auntie later?"
"That's not it~!"
Mom was teasing the easily teaseable Seuli.
In that super peaceful scene, Dasom said to Mom,
"Mommy...! Mommyyy...!"
"Aigoo, okay, princess~"
"I'll do it. Dasom, let's eat~"
I fed her baby food with the little spoon and stared at her cute munching mouth.
How long did I watch that adorable sight? When I snapped out of it, Dasom had finished all her food.
I wiped her mouth, picked her up, patted her back, took her to the living room, sat her in front of the TV, and put on Pororo—which I'd watched as a kid—instead of the Peekaboo Mom never let her see. Then I came back.
Meanwhile, the two hadn't eaten.
"Why aren't you eating?"
"Gotta wait for the birthday boy~"
"To eat with Haneul...!"
Their kindness made my lips curl up automatically.
After that, I started eating the delicious birthday meal with them.
A birthday spread full of heart and love.