Chapter 120
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120
The rest of the ingredients were prepared in no time.
While we were getting ready, Eun-chae tried to pop a piece of undercooked meat into her mouth and dipped her finger straight into the sauce for a taste, but weren't these just the kind of small hiccups you could laugh off?
A small smile touched Dokyun’s lips at the memory. He placed all the prepared ingredients on the table, sat down next to Eun-chae, and began to explain how to make a sandwich.
“Alright, first, we’ll put a slice of bread on the bottom. Then, you can add as many of the vegetables you prepared, the meat, and the sauce as you want. Once you’re done, you just put another slice of bread on top.”
“Okay.”
Dokyun watched as Eun-chae nodded at his words and picked up a piece of bread.
She took the bread, added a single slice of onion, a sliver of garlic the size of a fingernail, and one scrap of lettuce. Then, she piled on so much meat that it was spilling over the sides before finally topping it with the other slice of bread.
Dokyun watched her press down firmly on the top slice with the palm of her hand and let out a triumphant little ‘huff.’ A laugh burst out of him, and he chuckled softly.
“You did a great job.”
“Yes, I did a great job.”
With a little nod, Eun-chae pushed the sandwich she had just made toward Dokyun’s mouth.
“This is for Honeybee.”
“Hm?”
“This one is for you, Honeybee.”
Dokyun glanced back and forth between the sandwich being shoved at his face and Eun-chae. Seeing her stare intently at his mouth, he let out a soft chuckle and took a bite.
He took a huge mouthful, enough to stuff his cheeks, and began to chew. The strange sandwich, which seemed to be nothing but bread and meat, made him stifle another laugh. After swallowing, he spoke to Eun-chae.
“It’s delicious.”
“Is it delicious?”
“Yes, it’s incredibly delicious.”
After he spoke, Eun-chae met his eyes for a moment before taking a bite of the sandwich herself. She swallowed and nodded.
“Yes, it’s delicious.”
Seeing the satisfaction radiating from her, Dokyun felt another smile spread across his face.
Picky eating isn’t good for you.
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he decided it didn’t matter as long as she was this happy. He gently stroked Eun-chae’s hair before starting to make his own sandwich.
Unlike the one Eun-chae had made, his was packed with vegetables, a moderate amount of meat, and a generous helping of sauce.
As Dokyun assembled his sandwich, Eun-chae, who had been watching him, opened her mouth in an ‘ahh,’ making it clear she wanted a bite.
Another soft chuckle escaped him as he held the sandwich out to her.
Eun-chae opened her small mouth as wide as she could and took a bite. Her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk’s. She chewed it carefully, swallowed with a gulp, and gave a small nod.
“It’s delicious,” she uttered.
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Dokyun replied, observing her closely.
It seems like she likes it, but…
Since it was impossible to read her mood from her expression, he had to infer it from her movements and tone of voice, which was no easy task.
He watched Eun-chae eat for a while longer. Noticing that she had already finished more than half of her sandwich and was starting to pat her stomach, he decided it was time to stop and opened his mouth.
“Alright, that’s enough for now. Let’s get up.”
“Hm?”
“We have somewhere to go today.”
Eun-chae tilted her head at his words. Dokyun smiled at the sight, stroking her hair as he continued.
“We’re going to the aquarium.”
“What’s that?”
Dokyun met the eyes of the curious girl and answered in a slightly playful tone.
“A place with lots of and lots of fish.”
*
Apart from the difficulty of reading her emotions, Eun-chae’s likes and dislikes were surprisingly easy to figure out with just a little observation.
The fact that she liked meat, that she enjoyed sleeping, and that she loved fish.
It was while watching Eun-chae’s daily ritual of staring at the pond, a routine she never skipped, that Dokyun had thought she would absolutely love the aquarium.
Of course, he wanted to show it to her.
However, he hadn’t been able to act on the idea right away because her condition had been so precarious.
Her seizures were one thing, but it was impossible to know how she would react to strangers. He had no choice but to be cautious.
While racking his brain for a solution, Dokyun belatedly remembered the phone number the doctor had given him and decided to ask for his advice.
He recalled their phone conversation.
—I can’t be certain without seeing her myself, but… from what you’ve told me, her progress is excellent. Still, just in case, could you continue to observe her for a few more days and report her daily routine to me? We can make a decision then.
And so, after several more days of observation, he had finally gotten the approval he needed.
As he helped Eun-chae change in the dressing room, Dokyun let out a soft chuckle, wondering if this child had any idea how much trouble he’d gone through.
Once she was fully dressed, Dokyun gave a small nod, expressing his satisfaction.
Looks like my character customization skills are still sharp.
Back when he was deep into gaming, there was a time when he’d spent more effort decorating his character than leveling up.
He had channeled that experience into picking out her outfit.
A sweater and a long skirt. He draped a light coat over her and neatly combed her hair back, tying it into a single ponytail.
“You look pretty.”
“I’m pretty?”
“Yes, very pretty.”
Eun-chae looked at Dokyun, whose voice was filled with satisfaction, then gave a small nod and hugged him.
She was grunting and standing on her tiptoes, looking like she wanted to be held again.
“We’re going out today, so no being held.”
Dokyun drew the line. Seeing Eun-chae’s brow furrow slightly, he took the hand that was clutching his collar, held it tight, and intertwined their fingers.
“Instead, I’ll hold your hand just like this.”
“Tight?”
“Yes, tight. So you can’t let go of my hand all day today, either.”
Suddenly, he remembered the day he went to the amusement park with Eun-ji.
He never wanted to go through the heart-stopping experience of searching for a lost child again.
He spoke with a gentle smile, conveying that sentiment. Eun-chae fidgeted with their intertwined hands, her expression blank, before finally nodding.
“Okay. Tight.”
Thankfully, her answer was a yes.
*
After parking in the aquarium’s lot, Dokyun surveyed the entrance.
It was teeming with people who had come out to enjoy the gradually warming weather.
Looking closer, he could see families, groups of friends, and couples.
All sorts of people, each with a bright expression, were making their way inside.
After a moment, Dokyun shifted his gaze to Eun-chae, who was standing beside him, holding his hand.
She was staring intently at the crowd, her mouth hanging slightly open. A wave of relief washed over Dokyun.
It doesn’t seem like she dislikes people.
If he had to define it, her reaction seemed to be one of boundless curiosity. Contrary to his worries, she didn’t seem to have an aversion to strangers.
Realizing this, Dokyun felt his heart grow lighter. He let out a short breath and roused Eun-chae, who was still standing there blankly.
“Shall we go inside now?”
“Hm?”
Seeing her look up at him, Dokyun smiled.
“We have to go see the fish.”
“Ah.”
At his words, Eun-chae’s eyes widened slightly. From what he’d learned so far, that meant she was excited.
She was still awkward at expressing herself through her facial expressions, but he had become able to guess her feelings from these unconscious reactions.
A brief silence. After seeing Eun-chae nod, Dokyun led her into the aquarium.
The interior was bathed in blue, creating a mystical atmosphere.
A massive tank stretched from the entrance, covering the entire ceiling. Inside, fish of all shapes and colors swam gracefully.
Dokyun let out a soft “Ohh,” lost in brief admiration.
How many years has it been…?
It was his first time since high school, almost ten years ago.
He’d been going out so much lately that he’d even ended up at a place like this.
He let out a dry laugh at the thought. A moment later, he glanced over at Eun-chae and felt another smile escape his lips.
Her feet were rooted to the spot the moment they walked in. Her head was tilted all the way back, staring at the ceiling. Her mouth was slightly agape.
She was completely captivated by the fish swimming above her head.
“You’ll strain your neck like that.”
“Hm?”
His playful remark finally drew her gaze back to him. If she’s already stopping at the entrance, it’ll take us an eternity to see everything, he thought, gently guiding her deeper inside.
The further they went, the more kinds of fish appeared. There were tropical fish, ugly-looking sea bream, and even stingrays and sharks.
As they walked and watched, Dokyun felt a deep sense of satisfaction welling up inside him at Eun-chae’s reactions.
Thankfully, just as he had expected, Eun-chae absolutely loved the fish.
She didn’t seem to have any preferences. The moment she saw something swimming in the water, her gaze would lock onto it, and she would stop in her tracks.
She would occasionally press her hand against the glass or flinch when a fish swam past her, moving forward at a slow pace.
At one point, another laugh burst out of him. It was when Eun-chae, who had been observing a tank, pressed her index finger against the glass.
A school of fish swarmed toward her outstretched finger, causing Eun-chae’s body to go completely rigid, not moving a muscle.
She didn’t even react when he tapped her shoulder. He laughed so hard at the sight that he felt he wouldn’t be sad for a long time, sustained by this memory alone.
After that, a swimming dolphin spotted Eun-chae and followed her until the end of its tank, and a giant stingray captured her attention for a long while.
After passing through the tunnel of tanks, they arrived at the penguin enclosure.
At the end of his gaze was Eun-chae, staring blankly at the penguins.
She was standing perfectly still, having a staring contest with one of them.
Dokyun glanced back and forth between the penguin and Eun-chae, then let out another laugh when he realized the two of them looked exactly the same.
How could their postures be so identical? He was laughing at the sight when it occurred to him that he should take a picture. He let go of Eun-chae’s hand, took two steps back, and framed the shot so that both the penguin and Eun-chae were in it.
Click.
The sound rang out. Eun-chae tilted her head, then walked the exact three steps that now separated them and took his hand again.
“You can’t be far away.”
She was the one reminding him now. A small smile touched Dokyun’s lips as he apologized.
“Sorry, I was just taking a picture.”
“Hm?”
Seeing her tilt her head again, Dokyun showed her the photo he had just taken.
“Here, this is a picture.”
As Eun-chae stared blankly at the image on his smartphone, Dokyun added an explanation.
“Remember what I told you before? That when hard times come, you should remember the happy moments.”
“Yes.”
“This picture is the same thing.”
Dokyun paused, choosing his words carefully.
Feelings were like that, weren't they? It was more important to explain them in a way the heart could feel, rather than with logic.
“On days when I want to remember today, I’ll take out this picture and look at it for a long, long time. And looking at this picture, I’ll think of you, I’ll think of this place, and I’ll recall everything that happened today, one by one.”
After the day of parting that would someday come, he would be able to remember her with this photo.
“And I’ll think to myself, ‘I had so much fun that day. I was so happy to be with you.’”
Dokyun finished speaking and looked at Eun-chae, who was meeting his gaze.
Her eyes, which he once thought were empty and impossible to read, were looking straight at him, filling their vacant space with his reflection.
“…Then.”
A word popped out.
Dokyun waited quietly for her to continue. Eun-chae’s lips trembled for a moment before she spoke again.
“Am I… always going to be with you, Honeybee?”
Dokyun felt his eyes widen at her words.
His mouth fell open slightly, and his fingertips twitched.
Staring blankly at Eun-chae, a bright, radiant smile spread across his entire face as he nodded.
“Always. Until the day I die.”
Eun-chae was now, at last, able to refer to herself as ‘I’.