Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Unnecessary Toys
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'Why say it's not needed?'
I was having a hard time understanding Daeun's story.
No, why on earth was she saying she didn't need any toys?
I had no choice but to ask Daeun again.
"Daeun, you don't like toys? Let's at least go take a look."
But Daeun's response was quite firm.
"No go! Wanna!"
Then Daeun headed toward the daily necessities aisle, which seemed completely unrelated to her.
In the exact opposite direction from the toy section, no less.
'Did she see it?'
No, I hadn't told Daeun where the toy section was.
But she walked off in the complete opposite direction as if she already knew exactly where it was.
Was this really just a coincidence?
"Daeun! Wait up!"
I hurried after Daeun, who was walking ahead on her own, and naturally followed the path she was taking.
And that's when I realized something was a bit off about the route she was following.
Toilet paper, wet wipes, pots and pans, and feminine hygiene products.
Daeun seemed like she was just wandering aimlessly, but it felt like she was following someone.
So, the person she was following right now was...
'Hyorin?'
That was my guess.
If I was right, then the reason Daeun wanted to come to the mart was because of Hyorin.
That raised a question.
If the reason she wanted to come to the mart was for Hyorin, then why say she didn't need toys?
"Daeun."
"Yeah?"
"Daddy's got something he's curious about."
At the mention of something curious, Daeun stopped walking and looked up at me.
"What Daddy curious about with Daeun?"
"Um, it's something about you, but also something about Mommy."
"About Mommy? Mommy?"
Her face lit up the moment Mommy came up.
"Um, if it's about Mommy, would you answer?"
"Yeah yeah! Daeun likes talking about Mommy!"
Her reply was so innocently bright that I hesitated for a moment on how to ask.
What if it had nothing to do with anything, and I was just prying unnecessarily?
But I made up my mind.
"Um, have you ever come here with Mommy before?"
Her eyes widened at the question.
"So you have."
"How you know?"
"Just had a feeling, so I asked."
"Daddy smart! How you know when Daeun no tell?"
Daeun seemed genuinely amazed, even amused.
"Daddy knows everything. He loves Daeun so much."
"Daeun too! Daeun loves Daddy too!"
"Then can you tell Daddy?"
"What?"
"About what happened when you came to the mart with Mommy."
Daeun's expression changed slightly at that. It seemed like something had definitely happened that day at the mart.
Her reaction was proof enough.
But that was as far as it went.
Unless Daeun told me what happened between her and Hyorin that day, there was no way to find out.
"Can you tell me?"
Daeun pondered for a moment.
Normally, she loved talking about Hyorin and would have spilled everything, but for some reason, she hesitated longer this time.
And her final answer was this.
"No. Daeun no tell."
"...Why?"
Daeun smiled brightly as she replied.
"Cuz Daeun loves Mommy."
"Daeun!!"
Painter O came running over happily from afar.
Behind her, Director Go was pushing the cart, and somehow it felt awkward.
'Why does pushing a cart make her look so dignified?'
I don't know what it was, but Director Go exuded elegance in every action.
Whether she knew it or not, she pushed the cart full of stuff over to me and asked.
"Did you look around a bit?"
"Ah, yes. A little."
"I saw a toy section on the way in. You should've gone with Daeun and picked one out. I would've bought it for you."
"Yeah, you saw it too, Director?"
I'd thought she only cared about what she needed, but apparently not.
"I didn't see it on purpose. It just caught my eye."
"Same thing."
"No, it's different."
Tsk, what was the difference?
"So you didn't get any toys?"
I pondered how to explain what happened with Daeun.
"Um, I was going to buy one if she liked it, but she said she didn't need any."
"Yeah, Daeun said she didn't need them?"
"Yes, so we didn't even get near the toy section."
Director Go looked quite surprised at that.
"She didn't even go to the toy section, and said she didn't want to go?"
"Yes."
"Did you ask why?"
"I asked vaguely, but she didn't explain in detail."
"So what's the reason?"
I glanced at Daeun, who was playfully chatting with Painter O.
"Looks like something happened with Hyorin. I don't know the details."
Director Go's expression shifted subtly at that, as if she knew why Daeun was acting that way.
"And she didn't say anything else?"
"Other stuff?"
After a moment's thought, I told Director Go what Daeun said at the end.
"Oh, and lastly, Daeun said she wouldn't tell because she loves Mommy."
"As expected..."
As expected? Did she know something?
Just as I was about to ask out of curiosity, Director Go spoke.
"I'll talk to her."
"Yes? Y-you, Director?"
"Yeah, seems like there's something Daeun doesn't want to tell her dad."
"M-me?"
"Because she loves Mommy."
She handed me the cart after saying that and walked straight over to Daeun.
A little later, Painter O, who had been with Daeun, came back to my side and asked.
"Did something happen with Yunmi? Her face suddenly looked really scary."
"Ah, well..."
I briefly explained to Painter O what Director Go and I had talked about.
After hearing everything, Painter O smiled faintly and said.
"Leave it to her. She might not seem like it, but Yunmi's great at this kind of thing."
I nodded without thinking at Painter O's words.
"She took care of Suryeon all by herself from start to finish."
Hearing that Painter O had handled everything alone made Director Go look different.
Before, she was someone who had reached the peak in her field, cool and accomplished. Now, she was...
'A mother...'
Director Go watching Daeun looked just like a mom.
A mom who could warmly embrace everything.
Director Go took Daeun to the first floor and into an ice cream shop.
She let Daeun pick her own ice cream, ordered it, and they sat down to eat while starting some kind of conversation.
I wondered what they were talking about.
"I'm worried."
That was how it looked in Painter O's eyes.
Of course, it was natural to worry since Daeun was hiding something from me.
But I couldn't show it too obviously.
"A little."
Painter O rested her arms on the cart handle, propped her chin, and said.
"No need to worry that much. Yunmi might look super strict and gruff, but she's not really like that."
The look in Painter O's eyes as she said it was a bit different from before.
There was trust in the way she gazed at Director Go.
"Did I ever tell you this before?"
"What?"
"Even after what happened to Suryeon, I never once blamed Yunmi. If anything, I was grateful, thankful, and sorry."
Painter O tilted her head to the side and continued.
"You said Daeun has similar memory skills to Suryeon, right?"
Had she heard it from Director Go?
"Yes, that's right."
"Then you probably know. Kids with exceptional memory sometimes get trapped in past memories."
"Trapped in past memories?"
Painter O looked a bit surprised at my clueless response.
"That never happened?"
"No, not yet."
Nod.
"Probably because Daeun's much smarter than Suryeon. Suryeon was on the autism spectrum, after all."
It could be because of the autism that she acted that way. But I didn't think it was necessarily tied to cognitive ability.
I'd probably just seen Daeun get trapped in a past memory today.
"If a kid gets trapped in a past memory, what should I do?"
"When that happens?"
Nod.
Painter O thought for a moment and said.
"This is what Yunmi did, not me. If the kid is acting based on a past memory, instead of hiding it or making them forget, Yunmi would make them talk about it more."
Make them remember even more?
It was a bit hard to understand.
Encouraging a child acting on a memory to dwell on it even more?
"There must be a reason the child can't let go of that memory. Listening to the story and understanding the reason is the most important thing, she said."
It was tough.
Hard to even comprehend, and I wondered if it was really the right approach.
But I trusted Director Go.
At least the happy memories with Suryeon were all real.
At that moment, Director Go, who had been talking with Daeun, stood up.
She came straight over to me and said.
"Go."
"Yes?"
"Daeun's looking for you."
"M-me?"
Why was she suddenly looking for me?
Unable to understand, I cautiously asked Director Go.
"Um, why is Daeun suddenly looking for me?"
Director Go grabbed the cart handle and said.
"She wants to tell you something."
"What?"
"About what happened when she came to the mart with Mommy."
No way!
"She said she'd tell me?"
"Yeah, that's why I told you to go."
I couldn't hold back my curiosity at Director Go's words.
"How did you do it? When I asked, she just said she wouldn't tell because she loves Mommy."
Director Go thought for a moment and explained.
"Daeun's still a little kid. Remembering everything doesn't make her an adult."
"Yes."
"She's a child who still has a lot to learn, even struggling to judge what's right or wrong in her feelings. So what should you, the adult, do?"
To someone just thinking normally, Director Go's words might not hit home.
But maybe because I'd gone through the whole process...
- Daeun's still just a little kid.
Her words really sank in.
And I think I understood what Director Go meant.
"I'll go."
Director Go finally nodded at my words.
"Yeah, I believe you'll do well. And one more thing—don't worry if the talk drags on. Daeun's way more important right now. Give her your full time."
Her following words made me think deeply.
"Don't regret it later after losing it, like I did."
"Yes, thank you."
"Yeah, Daeun's waiting. Go on."
"Okay."
With that, I headed straight to Daeun and sat down across from her.
"Daeun, can you tell Daddy what happened with Mommy that day?"
Daeun's lips trembled as she replied.
"Yeah... Daeun tell Daddy."
And so Daeun told me what happened that day. After hearing the whole story, I...
Grip.
Felt my chest tighten painfully.