Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Graffiti Street
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After finishing all our scheduled events, we returned to the lodging as night had already fallen.
While drying Daeun's hair after she came out of the shower all clean, I asked,
"Daeun-ah, did you have fun today?"
"Yeah! It was so much fun!"
She giggled to herself, perhaps recalling something from earlier that day.
Watching her like that, I held the hairdryer in my hand and thought,
'Another memory made, huh.'
We were in America for work, after all.
Even though the packed schedule had us busy all day, had it really felt like work to Daeun?
If I had to guess, it probably became a cherished memory.
"I'm glad you liked it, so I'm happy too, Daeun."
Whoosh!
"Really?"
Sharing emotions.
After hearing what Representative Yoon said earlier, I'd done a lot of thinking.
From the first time I met Daeun until now.
So many things had happened, but her eyes had always been on me.
In sadness or joy.
She had always looked at my face, crying or laughing, and looking back now, it all made sense—there was a reason for everything.
'Does she want to feel the same emotions as me?'
Heh.
It was cute, but on the other hand, it felt a bit heartbreaking, like she was watching my reactions carefully.
But if this was all part of growing up...
"By the way, what should we do tomorrow? Anything you want to do, Daeun?"
"Tomorrow, Daeun doesn't know."
She shook her head side to side, even as she said she didn't know.
Truth be told, the third day had no special plans.
Representative Yoon had cleared the schedule out of consideration for us, since today had been so hectic.
Come to think of it, today's itinerary had been a bit tough.
Whirr!
As I dried her hair with the blow dryer, I asked again.
"Then, what do you want to eat?"
"Um, chocolate!"
Sigh, who does she take after to love chocolate so much?
"Besides chocolate?"
"Um."
When I asked about other food, she pondered deeply.
Then, with an "Ah!" she said,
"Chicken!"
"Oh! You want chicken?"
"Yeah! Daeun wants to eat chicken super bad!"
Chicken, huh.
When you think America, chicken comes to mind too, right?
I'd been wanting to try it once anyway, so I happily told her,
"Dad wants it too—we're in sync!"
Whoosh!
Her head bobbed vigorously again.
Daeun looked straight into my eyes and asked,
"Daddy wants it too?"
"Yeah, how did you know Daddy wants chicken?"
"Yeah! Just! Daeun and Daddy are in sync!"
Ever since learning she wanted to share emotions, I'd started phrasing things to match her thoughts when we talked, I added.
Thanks to that, the smile never left her face.
"Then tomorrow, we'll go eat the best chicken around here—sound good?"
"Awesome!"
With that, we finished getting ready for bed and slipped under the covers.
Feeling fresh after a shower, everything felt great—the fluffy blankets, the atmosphere, all perfect.
Click.
We turned off the light and lay down, but our conversation didn't stop.
"Daeun-ah."
"Yeah!"
"Daddy wants to do everything you want to do."
"Everything?"
"Yeah. If you want to play, we'll play. If you want something tasty, we'll go eat it."
"You'll really do it all?"
"Of course. So whenever you think of something you want to do, just tell me."
At that, she asked seriously,
"Do I have to say it all now?"
Pfft.
"Not now—just anytime from now on while we're together. Daddy wants to make tons of memories with you."
"Awesome!"
Even in the dark where I couldn't see her face, I could picture her expression.
Then, suddenly, I missed her.
'How great would it be if Hyorin were here too.'
I could do anything Daeun wanted.
Play, eat delicious food.
But there was one thing I couldn't give her.
Memories made with her mom.
If I could have even just one day with Hyorin, it'd be pure bliss.
'Should I bring it up?'
I hadn't been avoiding the topic of Hyorin on purpose.
There just hadn't been an opening.
But now felt like the right time.
Talk about mom that we hadn't had before.
"Daeun-ah, do you ever miss Mommy?"
It was an emotion I'd bottled up tightly, but strangely, I could voice it now.
But...
'Yeah.'
No answer came.
She'd fallen asleep in the meantime.
Rustle.
I turned slightly to look at her, and her faintly visible face confirmed she was out.
'I should've asked a little earlier.'
Regret washed over me, but I couldn't wake her now that she was asleep.
"Guess I'll ask next time."
Muttering that, I started drifting off in a drowsy haze myself.
But a sound shattered my shallow sleep.
Bzzz—
My half-closed eyes snapped open at the sudden vibration.
'Who could it be?'
Who calls this late?
Thinking it might be Representative Yoon, I hurried to grab my phone from the table.
The caller ID made me tense up a bit.
[Officer Kim Sucheol]
It was just past 10 p.m. here.
That'd be around 11 a.m. in Korea.
Worried something had happened, I quietly got up from the bedroom and answered.
"Hello?"
-Oh, are you sleeping by any chance?
"Ah, no. No, I'm not."
-Sorry if I woke you.
"But why the sudden call?"
Maybe because of what Representative Yoon had said at the company earlier, I felt naturally on edge.
They say lovers start to resemble each other.
These two certainly...
-Um, well, I think I've made a huge decision.
"Yes? What kind of huge decision?"
Totally identical.
Even the recklessness.
-I'm going to America right now.
"Yes?!"
It felt like something massive was about to happen.
* * *
The next morning, I woke up unsure how to process this.
Flight time: 14 hours.
It was 9 a.m. now, so Officer Kim Sucheol would arrive at Washington airport in about 3 hours.
'Good grief.'
Just showing up out of the blue—what was he planning?
It was so unlike his usual self that I felt a bit confused.
On the other hand, I understood.
If Hyorin were somewhere, I'd chase her down no matter where.
Still, taking vacation time to come here—was it bold or reckless?
'Hmm.'
He'd called me with a request.
To keep it from Representative Yoon until he arrived at the airport.
He could've just not called, but he needed to know where she was to find her.
At least one silver lining: no schedule today.
'I'll call Representative Yoon later to find out where she is.'
I was curious what they'd talk about when they met.
But some things need time alone.
As I thought that and got ready to head out...
Ding-dong!
Whoosh!
"Huh?"
At the sudden doorbell, I turned and approached, asking warily,
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
Ah.
Speak of the devil.
It looked like Representative Yoon wasn't fated to meet him just yet.
Click.
"Wh-what brings you here without any notice?"
She asked with a serious expression,
"I guess I came too abruptly, huh."
"Ah, no, not at all."
"Sorry. I thought we'd gotten close with all the work lately, but I realize now I was being rude."
Ah, she'd gone too far with the self-reflection...
I quickly shook my head.
"No, really. I was actually about to call you."
Rustle.
Her serious expression softened a bit at that.
"Still sorry."
"It's fine, honestly. I was just worried our plans might conflict. Anyway, what brings you so early in the morning?"
I was curious even without Officer Kim's situation.
Why come to the lodging at this hour?
"Oh, I thought I'd be your guide today."
"My guide?"
"Yes. I was going to assign a separate one, but since you're a guest I'm personally hosting, I worried it might seem rude, so I decided to do it myself."
Honestly, we had a place in mind, but I was a little intimidated.
Communication would be tricky.
We had a translator app, but it was inconvenient.
Still, Representative Yoon as guide?
"You don't have to go that far."
"Oh, if I'm inconveniencing you, I can get a guide..."
"Have you heard of graffiti?"
She nodded at the word graffiti.
"I figured you'd want to see that place."
"Ahaha, really?"
Graffiti—like murals or street art—made it easy to grasp.
A spot in Washington was covered in it, though it didn't quite fit the vibe.
Back in college, I'd been really into social satire.
And I thought it'd be great for Daeun, so I planned to take her.
Then, Daeun, who was playing busily behind me, asked,
"Daddy, what's crappas?"
"Pfft haha."
Crap-ass? Craypas crayons, probably.
Must be a totally unfamiliar word to her.
Smiling brightly at her, I corrected myself.
"It's graffiti—wall paintings."
Her face lit up at "wall paintings."
"They have murals here too?"
"Kind of different from the ones you know—like doodles or scribbles."
"Doodles?"
Her eyes sparkled at "doodles."
"Daeun wants to see too!"
Knew she'd love it.
Representative Yoon politely asked me,
"When were you planning to head out?"
Grinning, I replied,
"Right now."
"Yay! Let's go!"
And so, I set off for Washington's graffiti street with an incredibly expensive ( ) guide.
* * *
'Ah, this is awkward.'
Not that Representative Yoon was uncomfortable.
I'd planned to step aside so they could meet, but here we were together again.
In this situation, I'd definitely witness their reunion.
But human nature is a wondrous thing.
'Ah, I shouldn't, but...'
Knowing I shouldn't, why did I want to see it?
Maybe to feel that fresh romance vibe between a man and woman? Nah.
Seeing them just made me think of Hyorin a lot.
That's why I wanted to watch more.
"It's just a bit further to the street."
"Daddy, Daeun's so excited!"
She'd been like this since hearing about murals and doodles before we left.
Full of anticipation, dying to see the graffiti—suddenly, I worried.
'Hope she doesn't get disappointed.'
High expectations lead to big letdowns.
Glancing out the window half-worried, half-excited at her reaction, the familiar scenery from the internet unfolded before us.
Huge graffiti covering entire building walls.
So intricate, it was hard to believe it was done with spray paint—my worries vanished.
As I admired them from an artist's perspective, Daeun asked,
"Daddy."
With trembling, sparkling eyes.
"Are there giants maybe?"