Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Christmas Gifts and a Promotion
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Flash.
Yeonwoo, who had been sleeping soundly, snapped his eyes open.
As he sat up, he straightened the shirt that had ridden up over his belly and tidied his hair.
It was something he’d picked up from his grandmother, who always fixed her hair, clothes, and face the moment she woke up.
Then Yeonwoo looked around.
Today was Christmas.
Santa Grandpa must have left presents, right?
"Ah!"
Yeonwoo soon spotted the pile of gifts under the bed and jumped out of bed.
With excitement bubbling inside, he checked out the presents and started with the biggest one.
"A keyboard!"
He’d realized while composing that more keyboards were always better.
They had different key feels and slightly different sounds... Actually, he just liked having a bunch of them in all sorts of colorful designs.
"What’s this?"
But did Santa Grandpa give more than one present?
Who knows.
He’d never received any before.
Yeonwoo unwrapped the second one.
"Hehe."
It was a kids’ headset.
Lately, he’d started using a headset to catch sounds more accurately, but this one was small-sized.
Santa Grandpa must have picked it out specially for him.
And finally, the grand finale.
Yeonwoo’s heart began pounding.
He carefully peeled away the wrapping to reveal what was inside.
"Emperor King Sauras!!"
But that wasn’t all.
There was the second combiner mech from Sauras Force, Mecaroptos King, and the third, Dragon Burst.
Plus the Sauras Force transformation gear and the Sauras Sword!!
Every Sauras Force toy was there.
"But why’s it in Japanese?"
The odd part was that the writing on the box was in Japanese, not Korean.
Well, Santa Grandpa probably got it from Japan.
Yeonwoo shrugged it off with a pleased smile as he gazed at his haul.
"Yeonwoo, you up?"
Hearing the rustling from Yeonwoo’s room, Heo Ok’s voice called out.
"Yes!!"
Yeonwoo stopped what he was doing, replied, gathered up the torn wrapping paper, and headed out.
"Grandma!! Santa Grandpa brought presents!! A whole bunch of them!"
"Really? You must’ve been good without crying, so he gave you lots."
"Hehe. What about Auntie and Dad?"
"Dad’s eating breakfast!"
Shin Jihoon’s voice came from the kitchen in response to Yeonwoo’s question.
Yeonwoo tossed the wrapping paper into the recycling bin and went into the kitchen.
Shin Jihoon was eating toast, ham, and eggs with his bedhead still messy, sipping coffee.
"Yeonwoo, you need breakfast too? Want me to make you toast?"
"I can do it."
Yeonwoo pulled out some bread, popped it into the toaster, and said,
"Dad, Santa Grandpa gave me Emperor King Sauras and his friends. You know what’s cool? The three robots can combine! I really wanted all three, but I only asked for Emperor King Sauras so Santa wouldn’t feel burdened, but he must’ve read my mind."
The moment he saw his dad, Yeonwoo turned into a nonstop chatterbox.
"I’m gonna show them off to my friends at kindergarten, Dad."
"Good for you. But can you bring toys to kindergarten? You asked Grandma, right?"
"Grandma, can I bring my toys to kindergarten?"
"Hmm... What to do? Yeonwoo, you’re graduating soon, aren’t you?"
"What’s graduating?"
Come to think of it, no one had mentioned Yeonwoo’s graduation.
He hadn’t been at kindergarten long, and to the adults, kindergarten graduation didn’t feel like a big deal.
"You’ll be going to elementary school, so it’s time to finish up kindergarten."
"Huh? So I can’t go to kindergarten anymore?! I won’t see my friends?"
Seeing Yeonwoo’s shocked face, Heo Ok hurriedly added,
"But now you’ll go to elementary school. You’ll still see your old friends, but you’ll meet even more new ones. Elementary school is ten times bigger than kindergarten."
"Oh......"
While Yeonwoo nodded along, Shin Jihoon suddenly remembered something and spoke up.
"Now that I think about it, we need to prep for Yeonwoo’s elementary school entrance. Buy a bag, school supplies, stuff like that. Wonder if the school will send guides."
"A bag? I’ll buy the bag. I want to get him a randoseru!"
As Shin Jihoon mentioned prep, Himari walked into the kitchen. She’d rushed to Korea with the robots, couldn’t find lodging, and had shared a room—and bed—with Jiyeong the night before.
"Randoseru? What’s that? In Japan, they call school bags randoseru."
Heo Ok answered Shin Jihoon’s question instead of Himari.
"In Japan, elementary kids have to carry these bags called randoseru. [Himari, they don’t use randoseru in Korean elementary schools.]"
Randoseru, derived from the Dutch "ransel" meaning backpack, was the mandatory bookbag for Japanese elementary students.
It looked like military gear—too big and thick for kids, heavy, and insanely expensive, sparking debates about consumerism.
In Korea, older folks remembered similar bags as remnants of Japanese rule, calling them something only the rich used.
Anyway, hearing they didn’t use randoseru, Himari’s eyes went wide.
"Teacher, then what bags do they use? I want to buy his bag as a gift."
"Just regular backpacks. Your pronunciation’s gotten a lot better, Himari."
"Yeah, talking and messaging with Yeonwoo helped my Korean and pronunciation."
"I see."
Having arrived late at night for her sudden Korea trip, Himari could only properly chat with Heo Ok this morning.
They hadn’t talked last night for fear of waking light-sleeping Yeonwoo.
"Anyway! Yeonwoo, your first elementary school bag is on your Aunt Himari! Cool?"
"Yes, Aunt Himari."
"Then what should this auntie get him? Sneakers maybe?"
As the adults chatted about the upcoming elementary enrollment, Yeonwoo paused from playing with his robots and looked up at them.
"But what do you do on Christmas?"
"Good question? What do people do on Christmas?"
"Himari sis, what do you do in Japan?"
"Our country? Christmas isn’t a holiday there. But couples usually go out. Oh, and eat KFC chicken."
"You eat KFC chicken? On Christmas? That’s weird. Why?"
"Who knows?"
"Now that you mention it, unless you’re religious, there’s no must-do thing on Christmas?"
Listening to the adults, Yeonwoo nodded.
Just a day off, nothing more or less.
"Hey, you still not dating? Gonna rot at home on Christmas?"
Shin Jihoon, who’d been quietly listening, asked his sister.
Jiyeong bristled at that.
"Where’s the time for dating these days?! I’m swamped producing VVX!!"
"Last I heard, it’s been like ten years since you......"
Jiyeong finally snapped and hurled her half-eaten toast at Shin Jihoon. He snatched it mid-air with amazing reflexes.
"Told you not to ask. Why get mad?"
"Yeah, Yeonwoo’s watching—what kinda manners is that at the table?"
Jiyeong glared at her pincer-attacking brother and mom, then shot up from her seat.
"I’m not eating!!"
"Turning forty and throwing a hunger strike?"
"You date then, oppa! I’m married to music!"
"Oh really?"
Jiyeong stormed to her room. Shin Jihoon smirked at her retreating back, then Yeonwoo asked,
"Dad, you gonna date?"
"Uh? Yeah?"
Shin Jihoon was momentarily speechless.
Watching his dad, Yeonwoo said,
"I’m okay with it. Dad should date too."
"Y-Yeonwoo. Do you even know what dating is?"
"Yeah, playing with a girlfriend, right? I play great with Yeonseo, Jia, and Yena!"
It sounded like he was confessing to two-timing, but Yeonwoo didn’t quite grasp what dating really was.
Kids these days dated in kindergarten, but Yeonwoo, who’d started late, hadn’t even formed the concept yet.
Shin Jihoon wondered if he should give Yeonwoo some basic sex ed on boys vs. girls and relationships, or if it was too soon.
* * *
Time flies by terrifyingly fast.
Christmas felt like yesterday, but in a blink, New Year’s arrived.
Yeonwoo was now seven.
Well, technically after his birthday, but anyway, elementary school age.
Everyone gets excited, makes new resolutions, but honestly, nothing changes much besides the calendar.
After the holiday, most adults head back to work.
Shin Jihoon was no different.
Overworked section chief at a major corp—envied by all, but the pressure was immense.
He arrived an hour early, prepped his work, studied English conversation till nine.
Lately, he’d added Japanese for new deals.
Then the workday began.
Leading his now-communicative deputy and staff, plus the still-clueless newbie, on a new project.
Even diligent efforts got overturned by that asshole section chief plenty of times, but that was over now.
The section chief, at a crossroads of exec promotion, manager till retirement, or firing, got the boot—thanks to his toxic personality or sheer incompetence.
He claimed a mid-sized firm offered him an exec spot so he left voluntarily, but everyone knew better.
Anyway, rumors from late last year solidified, triggering massive reshuffles.
Even the deputy manager spot.
Jihoon, a section chief who’d risen fast, was in line for deputy but wasn’t banking on it.
But lo and behold.
He leapfrogged older seniors to snag the promotion. In days, he’d be deputy manager.
Happy?
Not really.
Sure, the raise was nice, but more headaches.
He was already handling deputy-level work, lots to learn, more studying and worrying.
Overtime was mandatory.
He yearned to see his hard-won son ASAP, but no dice.
"Ugh......"
Lost in work, it was suddenly 8 p.m.
By now, his son would be home from the studio, deep into dinner or playtime.
Lately, obsessed with toy robots, skipping practice to play, from what his sister said......
She sent videos sometimes, but it wasn’t the same. He wanted to see him in person.
Then—
As if sensing her brother’s thoughts, his no-good sister messaged.
[Oppa, Yeonwoo’s new composition video’s up. You see it?]
Shin Jihoon glanced at his smartphone.
Not Yeonwoo’s channel, but Teacher Hyungnimban’s, where Yeonwoo’s songs and arrangements went up—the alarm was on.
He checked no subordinates around, plugged one wireless earbud in.
A song flowed out, mirroring his exact mood.
How could a kid who’d never worked a day make something like this?
‘Title...?’
Composed by Yeonwoo, lyrics by Chae Hayeon and Jo Soyeon poured heart into: "Hang in There, Today Too."
It felt like his son cheering him on—Jihoon really perked up.
[Hey oppa?]
[Don’t leave me on read, reply at least?]
[Hellooo, Shin Jihoon-ssi?]
[Hey]
...Jihoon, lost in his son’s music, thoroughly ignored his sister’s KakaoTalk.