Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Happy Birthday, Daeun!
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"Happy birthday, Daeun!"
Everyone had gathered in the studio to celebrate Daeun's birthday.
At this surprise appearance, Daeun was beaming with a smile like she owned the world.
"Wow! Wow!"
Then she ran over and, seeing the food laid out in the center of the studio, repeated
"Wow! Wow!"
once more.
Seeing Daeun like that, Jungeun, who was standing at the front, asked,
"How is it? You like it?"
"Yeah! Uncle! It's all stuff Daeun wikes!"
"That's right. Everyone here said it seemed like stuff you'd like, so we bought it!"
"Really?"
As she said that, Daeun looked at all the people looking at her.
Director Go, Painter Oh, Jungeun and Aram, Erina.
And Painter Son and Professor Kwon, plus Officer Kim Sucheol, must have been contacted by Aram.
Everyone had made the effort to come celebrate Daeun's birthday.
In response, I bowed my head to each and every one of them, looking them in the eye.
'Would've been nice to invite Daeun's friends too.'
There were others who wanted to come, and Daeun's friends, but sadly the timing didn't work out.
Still, having this many people show up was something.
Smiling, I said to Daeun,
"Then let's go inside and sit down. Everyone must be hungry from waiting for us."
"Yeah!"
With that, we sat down in front of the lavish birthday spread.
Then Jungeun grinned and said to everyone,
"Kanghyeok made all of this himself."
At that, Aram jumped in surprise.
"Really? You made all this by yourself?"
Painter Son also looked mildly shocked as she said,
"Oh my, there's so much. It must not have been easy alone. Took a long time, didn't it?"
"Ahaha, no big deal. It's Daeun's birthday, so of course."
At that, Daeun, sitting next to me, shot her hand up and said,
"Daddy was super busy this morning! But he made a big mess!"
Giggling as she tattled, I hurriedly covered her mouth with my finger and said,
"That's a secret!"
But Daeun, like she was teasing me on purpose, told everyone everything.
"The fwoor got all dirty too! But Mommy cleaned up after Daeun and Daddy!"
"Yeah, Mommy."
Daeun, if you say it like that, people will misunderstand.
At Daeun's sudden remark, I laughed and cleared it up.
"Oh, Daeun's mom sometimes said stuff like that. She said Daeun takes after me a lot."
"Ah."
Only then did everyone's faces relax.
At that, Jungeun laughed and said,
"Come to think of it, Daeun does look a lot like Kanghyeok."
"Bestest, Uncle."
"Yeah, especially how she treats me—you can really tell."
"How does Daeun tweat Uncle?"
At that question, Jungeun turned it back on Daeun.
"Who's Uncle?"
"Daeun's Uncle!"
"How about Uncle helping Daeun when she needs it?"
"Super wike!"
"Then who's Daeun's favorite person?"
"Daddy! Mommy!"
"After Daddy and Mommy?"
"Um...... Grandma."
"So not after Grandma, huh. What number is Uncle for Daeun?"
"Um......"
Daeun thought about it.
"Hmm......"
Kept thinking.
"Hmmmmm......"
After a long while pondering, Daeun spread out all ten fingers and answered.
"Uh, ten."
"Bestest...... Uncle's sulking."
Oh no, Jungeun was super sulky now.
He turned his whole body away in a huff, and Daeun panicked and said to him,
"Ah! Not ten! Uh uh! Five!"
"No, bestest."
Then he looked at me with the saddest face and said,
"See? Just like Daeun's dad."
At that, Daeun looked at me and asked,
"Where's Daddy rank Uncle?"
"Uncle."
"Yeah!"
"Um, like 415th."
Of course both Jungeun and I knew it was all a joke, but Daeun was the only one taking it seriously.
"Whoops! No way, Uncle's sulking. Tell him five too, Daeun."
Uh oh...... Daeun, that might make Jungeun even sadder.
At Daeun's words,
"Sob!"
Jungeun really got sulky, and at his reaction, everyone burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
Thanks to Jungeun's sacrificial comedy, we got to see Daeun's cuteness, and the studio filled with laughter.
Amid the laughter, I stood up from my seat. Naturally, everyone looked at me.
Looking at them, I smiled and said,
"Alright, shall we do that thing?"
At "that thing," Daeun asked,
"What's that?"
To that, I picked up the cake Director Go had prepared and said,
"Sing happy birthday and blow out the candles!"
"Yay! Daeun wants to!"
Of course—the star of the day was Daeun.
Flick!
In the darkened studio, with only indirect lighting on, the candles burned brightly.
Smiling at the sight, I started the song.
"Happy birthday~!"
Everyone clapped and joined in.
"Happy birthday!"
Daeun clapped along, eyes sparkling, following the birthday song.
As the song reached its end, our voices grew louder.
"Dear Daeun! Happy birthday!"
Clap clap clap.
The song ended, and everyone clapped.
Daeun, who had been waiting, lit up and said,
"Then Daeun blow!"
At that, I hurriedly stopped her.
"Hang on!"
"Why?"
"You have to make a wish first. You always wish before blowing out birthday candles."
"Wish?"
"Yeah, anything Daeun really wants to happen, or whatever you want to wish for."
At that, Daeun nodded and said,
"Got it! Daeun make wish!"
Then she clasped her hands together, squeezed her eyes shut, and earnestly made her wish.
For a good long time.
No, pretty long.
'Hmm, is it a long one?'
I thought it'd be quick, but she kept wishing until half the candles had melted.
What on earth could she be wishing for that took so long? Just then,
"All done!"
Worried the candles might go out, I quickly said to Daeun,
"Then blow them out!"
"Yeah!"
Whoosh!
Daeun blew them out in one go, and Jungeun, who had been filming it on video, said,
"Happy birthday, Daeun!"
The others crowded around Daeun too, smearing cake on her face.
"Happy birthday, Daeun!"
"Waaaa! Festival!"
"That's how birthdays are supposed to be, Daeun!"
At that moment, Aram smeared cream not just on Daeun, but on my face too.
"Daddies have to do it too!"
"Ah! D-don't."
I tried to escape the attack, but Aram was faster.
With her face indistinguishable as cake or Daeun, she watched and said,
"Heehee, Daddy's face got more!"
"You're the same, Daeun! Hya!"
I wasn't backing down and smeared cream on Daeun's face too.
Now birthday or whatever didn't matter.
Everyone was having a cream fight like it was a festival.
But there was one person no one could approach.
"Don't...... do it."
No, someone was challenging the impossible.
"Why not?"
"If you do that, I'll really get mad."
"Oh, you know how to get mad, huh?"
Painter Oh approached Director Go slowly, cream-covered hand raised, grinning mischievously.
Director Go backed away bit by bit, still scary-faced.
"Don't come closer."
"I'm coming though."
"If you really do......"
"What if I do?"
"......"
Director Go bit her lower lip, at a loss for words.
Thud.
No more room to retreat.
Backed into a corner, Director Go faced a choice.
Get cream on her face like this, or shake off Painter Oh's grasp and flee.
Everyone watched the thrilling scene intently.
"Come on, over here."
Painter Oh closed in with a sly smile, right up to Director Go's nose.
A tense standoff.
Then, Director Go said something unexpected.
"Aram, if you block Uncle, that white horse you wanted then..."
Up!
"Uncle! Stop!"
Whoa, she defused it just like that.
"Hey, niece, move."
"Uncle, how about we talk this out instead of this?"
"Don't forget—that white one, Uncle can buy it for you too."
"And clothes to match."
"Uncle, sorry."
"You really...... gonna play it like this to the end?"
"You know I have no choice."
"Niece, move. Uncle's not holding back anymore."
"Uncle moves. I'll protect this spot no matter what."
Swish.
Painter Oh raised her cream hand.
Aram crossed her arms like ready for battle.
Who would win this showdown? As we watched with bated breath,
"Director!"
Yeah, Daeun?
Daeun went up and called to the director.
The director turned and replied,
"Daeun, what?"
"Daeun has something to say!"
"Yeah, what?"
The director bent her knees a bit, and everyone's faces darkened as they watched.
And understandably so, because Daeun's hand behind her back had......
"Hya!"
"Eh?"
Cream on it.
It happened in a flash.
Daeun, succeeding in creaming the director's nose, grinned wide and said,
"Heehee! Daeun did it!"
So sudden.
I tensed, worried the director might get mad.
But.
Smile.
'Eh?'
The director, who never smiles at such antics, smiled.
Wiping cream off Daeun's face, she said to her,
"You little prankster, our Daeun."
There was a brief commotion.
Everyone washed off the cream from their faces and ate.
Luckily, thanks to preparing a ton of food that morning, there was plenty for all.
"Wow, this is really good. How did you make this seaweed soup?"
"Yeah, the texture too—it's not regular seaweed, right? Fresh seaweed maybe?"
As expected, Painter Son noticed right away.
"Wow, how did you even think of that? You seem better at cooking than me."
As everyone praised the food I'd made, Daeun must've wanted to join in.
"Daddy supew good! Daeun dwink lots!"
Everyone's praise was nice, but nothing beat Daeun's.
"Thanks, Daeun."
Hee-!
As we all ate contentedly, I suddenly got curious.
"But Daeun."
"Yeah!"
"What did you wish for earlier? Seemed like it took forever."
At my question, everyone perked up their ears even while eating, curious.
It had gone on longer than expected, after all.
To that, Daeun grinned brightly and answered.
"Um, it was a supew impowtant wish, so Daeun wished supew supew hawd!"
"Yeah, important wish."
She wished hard—how important could it be?
"Yeah!"
"What was it?"
At that, Daeun looked straight at me and said,
"I wished Daddy doesn't go away! Daeun wikes bestest!"