Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Time passes far too easily.
I never thought I’d come to feel it this sharply.
“Yeoreum, are you ready?”
“Yes, ajusshi. I already made side dishes separately, so eat those.”
The girl speaking so confidently while preparing breakfast was once a tiny child who barely reached the table.
Now she was no longer just a girl.
Yeoreum had become a young woman.
And today was the day of her university entrance exam.
A day that represented everything she had worked for.
“I’ll take you to the exam center.”
“No need. It’s the same whether I take the bus or the car.”
“If it comes to it, I can just use a police car.”
“Ajusshi, that’s abuse of authority, right?”
“…Fair point.”
Using a police car for this would definitely count as abuse of authority.
“And you should be resting right now. You look tired.”
“Compared to someone who studied all night, I doubt I’m the tired one.”
“‘Doubt’? Ajusshi, you’re definitely more tired. Special Response Team ace, Gu Hyunmin.”
“Who told you to casually say ajusshi’s name like that?”
She laughed.
That familiar teasing smile had become more natural over time.
Sharper. More confident.
Almost… mischievous.
Then she suddenly opened her arms.
“Ajusshi.”
It was the same gesture as always.
Without hesitation, I opened my arms as well.
She ran straight into me.
“Ajusshi, I’m going now.”
“Yeah. Do your best.”
“I will. And ajusshi… look forward to it.”
“To what?”
“My acceptance letter.”
She had already secured early admission to Hanguk University.
Top university in the country.
Even without that, her grades were more than enough.
All that remained was today.
I wanted to stop her.
I really did.
But I couldn’t.
Because she wanted it.
“…Yeoreum. Do you really have to go there? Can’t you just stay here?”
“Ajusshi, I want to go.”
“Why?”
“So I can repay you.”
“You don’t need to.”
I didn’t raise you so you’d repay me.
I raised you so you could live.
“So I can. I’ll be back.”
She smiled.
That smile made it impossible to argue.
“Then go.”
“Yes.”
She leaned in and kissed my cheek lightly.
“Ajusshi, I’m off.”
Then she left.
Just like that.
I stood there for a moment before sighing.
“…Right. Time to clean.”
I cleaned the house.
Living room. Kitchen. Her room.
Her room was, as always, a disaster of magical girl merchandise.
Posters, acrylic stands, figures.
A full-blown collector’s room.
If I had stopped her earlier… maybe she wouldn’t have ended up like this.
But then again, she was happy.
And that mattered more than anything else.
I glanced at a photo on her desk.
Middle school graduation.
Me smiling awkwardly.
Her smiling like the world was hers.
“…Don’t become a magical girl.”
I muttered quietly.
Not that she could hear me anymore.
Time passed.
Eventually, it was time to pick her up.
“Dad—!”
She came running toward me the moment she saw me.
Bright. Alive. Overflowing with energy.
“So? How was it?”
“I did great.”
“Of course you did.”
“Ajusshi, you trust me too much.”
“I do.”
She hugged me tightly.
Like she always did when she was happy.
Then she looked up.
“Let’s go home. I want meat.”
“Already bought it.”
“Perfect.”
She smiled.
That same smile.
And I realized something.
She really had grown up.
Too much.
Too fast.
And still…
She was mine to worry about.
“…Yeoreum.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
She paused.
Then smiled softly.
“I won’t. Because I have to stay with you longer.”
“…Tch.”
That answer was cheating.
We went home.
And I made a silent decision.
No matter what happened next…
I would stop her.
From becoming a magical girl.
Even if it meant going against fate itself.