Heartfelt Concern
Lee Hyeonseung watched Siwoo and Sia as they played nearby.
At a glance, they simply looked like two kids having fun. But if you paid a little closer attention, it became obvious that Siwoo was constantly looking out for Sia, making sure she was comfortable and safe.
That realization brought back the words he had spoken earlier.
'Ever since I was little, I used to follow my dad onto the boat and help catch fish.'
Back then, as the eldest son of the family, he had been forced onto that boat whether he liked it or not. He started fishing in middle school, but at the time, he had hated every second of being made to do it.
Now, seeing the way he was treating Park Siwoo, he realized he was acting exactly like his own father had.
The only difference was that his father had forced him into it.
If he thought about it honestly, his father had simply wanted to teach him how to work. And with the skills he had learned, Hyeonseung had been able to support his wife and child all these years. So maybe…
Unlike his own father, what he was doing now felt like he was stealing away one of the few precious moments Siwoo could spend with his own family.
“…I’ll go check on the kids for a bit.”
“Oh… yeah, go ahead.”
“Um… you really don’t have to…”
“It’s fine. I just want to play with the children.”
Hyeonseung grabbed the hat lying beside him and headed toward the kids.
Even from a distance, he could hear their bright, cheerful laughter. But his heart felt heavy.
As he drew closer, it was Park Siwoo who noticed him first.
“Ah… you’re here?”
The boy’s wide, genuine smile brought Hyeonseung a small sense of relief, but he still couldn’t fully relax.
After all, Siwoo was the kind of child who seemed more mature than most adults.
“Yeah. Uncle wanted to play with you guys too.”
“Oh, that’s great then.”
“What is?”
“Sia said she wanted to play at the playground over there. But it’s a bit far, so I was going to ask an adult to come with us.”
“Ah…”
That short exchange made one thing crystal clear to Hyeonseung.
Park Siwoo was far more adult-like than any child his age should be.
And that maturity… wasn’t entirely a good thing.
Some people might welcome a child growing up so quickly. It was certainly better than causing trouble. But Siwoo’s level of responsibility was extreme.
Hadn’t he just said it? 'I was going to ask first.'
Siwoo was constantly worrying about not burdening the adults around him.
Most children his age put their own desires first. Even his own daughter, Lee Sia—who was quite mature for her age—still prioritized what she wanted most of the time.
But Siwoo showed none of that.
Not from the moment they first met at the buffet until now. Not once.
And then there was what his wife had told him…
Everything about the boy was far too mature for his age.
The reason was obvious. He was doing it all for his parents.
His mother and father worked tirelessly day and night. He didn’t want to worry them. That had to be it.
Hyeonseung wondered if he was overthinking things, but right now…
'I just want to let him forget about all that for a while.'
More than satisfying his own curiosity, he wanted to see Siwoo play like a normal kid his age.
“Then shall we all head to the playground together?”
“Yes!”
And so, he took the children to the playground.
He couldn’t give back the time he had selfishly taken from Siwoo’s happiness. But he could fill that empty space with new joy.
The three of them walked up a small hill, and when the playground came into view…
“It’s… really big.”
“Right? That’s why I was going to ask for permission first.”
“I see… You did well.”
It was far larger than Hyeonseung had imagined. He had expected something only slightly bigger than the playgrounds in apartment complexes, but this was on another scale entirely.
Even with quite a few children already playing, more than half the space remained open. There were three massive play structures in total.
“Whoa… so we’re playing here?”
“Yeah! I’m going first!”
“Wait for me! Oh, there’s a bench over there, so you can rest if you want. Since I’m with her, nothing will happen.”
“Uh… yeah, sure.”
With that, Siwoo ran after Sia.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Siwoo. The boy might not remember, but he had once protected Sia from danger.
What bothered Hyeonseung was something else.
'I left her with Siwoo again!'
It was true that he had only come ashore yesterday and had been moving around since morning, so he was tired. But he had come over because he was worried about Siwoo, and now he couldn’t just let the two of them play alone.
“Me too…! Uncle’s coming with you!”
And so, Lee Hyeonseung stepped onto the battlefield known as a playground.
“Here it comes!”
The frisbee flew toward me in a slightly crooked arc, but the moment it got close, it somehow shifted into the perfect position for me to catch.
Smack!
The instant I snatched it out of the air with one hand, Sia cheered.
“Wow! You’re so good!”
“You’re the one who’s good!”
“No way! Siwoo, you catch it so well!”
She was genuinely delighted every time I caught the frisbee.
To be honest, Sia’s talent was almost scary. I had only given her a few quick tips, yet she was already throwing it perfectly. Meanwhile, I had only managed to get decent after playing with Dad whenever I had the chance.
Still, I couldn’t possibly be upset with her.
Not when she was smiling so brightly. How could anyone feel anything but warmth looking at that face?
We played so intensely that I eventually started feeling the heat.
Even with the clouds, the sunlight was still strong enough to make my body burn up.
“Sia! Want to take a quick break?”
“…! Okay!”
The moment I suggested resting, she came running over to my side.
“You know what? It was so much fun!”
“Really? I’m glad.”
“Hehe!”
There were actually plenty of more exciting activities we could have done. Badminton, soccer…
But Dad had said his stamina wouldn’t hold up for those, so we had settled on frisbee.
If I had known Sia was coming, I would have prepared something more varied and fun.
That was why I felt sorry toward her.
She had always loved playing outside—ever since our little pretend-house games as toddlers. So making her settle for something as simple as frisbee felt wrong.
I was just wondering if I should beg Dad to buy something more active nearby when I suddenly remembered a spot in this park.
Oh, right. There was a playground here.
It wasn’t just any playground either. It was an enormous one with massive facilities.
Mom and I had looked it up before coming here, and the memory came rushing back.
Plus, it wasn’t that far from where we were playing now.
Maybe Sia would have even more fun there?
“Sia.”
“Yeah?”
“There’s a playground nearby. Want to go play there together?”
“A playground… um… you’ll go with me, right?”
“Of course I will.”
“Then I want to go!”
“Alright. I’ll go ask for permission…”
The moment I turned toward the tent, I saw Sia’s father walking in our direction.
For a second, I was startled. I thought he was coming to tell us to stop.
But what he said was completely different.
“Ah… you’re here?”
“Yeah. Uncle wanted to play with you guys too.”
I felt relieved. He had come because he genuinely wanted to join us.
With Sia’s father now with us, we headed to the playground.
I had seen pictures, but seeing it in person was something else. It was huge.
Sia had been a little hesitant at first, but once both I and her father were there, she lit up like she could barely contain her excitement.
She couldn’t wait any longer.
“Yeah! I’m going first!”
She dashed off ahead. I tried to follow quickly since I couldn’t let her play alone, but then I remembered what Dad had whispered to me earlier.
He had said Sia’s father was probably tired, so I should try to play with him instead.
I had been about to suggest he sit on the bench, but…
“Me too…! Uncle’s coming too!”
He came running after us.
Well, it was a playground designed for both kids and adults to enjoy together, so it was fine for him to join. I was just worried about his stamina.
Still, if he wanted to play with Sia that badly, it should be okay. So I ended up playing with both of them.
“Whoa! The slide is huge! Siwoo, Siwoo! Let’s go together!”
“Uh… yeah, sure.”
Of course, most of the time it was Sia leading the way while I followed behind.
But the reason I stuck so close wasn’t just to play with her.
“……”
“……”
“…Mom… look at that kid…”
It was because of all the stares I could feel from the people around us.
Everyone was looking at Sia.
And that made me feel strangely upset.
“Sia! Let’s go together!”
I didn’t want to be even a single step away from her side.