Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Of Course She'd Be Curious
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It was only natural that she'd wonder about it. All her friends had dads, but Daeun didn't.
Of course, it wasn't like he was gone forever, just absent for the time being. But explaining that to little Daeun back then couldn't have been easy.
[I wonder how they told her.]
I wanted to ask Daeun, but it wasn't easy to bring it up. Still, her reaction put my mind at ease.
[Hyorin must have explained it well.]
Hyorin had always believed I'd wake up someday, so she probably explained it in a simple way Daeun could understand.
That was when it happened.
"Wah!"
Daeun spotted a pretty fish in a sparsely populated aquarium tank and shouted up at me.
"Daddy! I wanna see that one!"
With that, she toddled off toward the tank.
Seeing her like that, Jungeun hurriedly held out his hand to me.
"Photo! We gotta take a photo! You have that camera I lent you this morning, right? Hand it over!"
"Oh, yeah, that."
At the mention of the camera, I pulled my bag around front and handed him the camera I'd stashed inside.
Jungeun grabbed it and immediately checked the film.
"Huh, I figured you'd take a ton, but there's barely any."
Maybe just two shots?
"Well, just enough for a souvenir. Polaroid film's expensive anyway."
"Psh, price isn't the issue right now—take as many as you can! Lots of 'em! And share a few with me. How great would that be?"
As he said that, Jungeun framed Daeun in the lens as she smiled at the fish.
Click!
I narrowed my eyes at his antics.
"You don't have some photo album collection of Daeun at home, do you?"
He replied matter-of-factly.
"Of course I do."
What was with this brazen confidence?
But Jungeun had good reason for his boldness.
"Hyorin asked me to."
"What?"
"She asked me to collect photos for her."
Hyorin had asked Jungeun to gather photos?
It made no sense.
If she wanted them collected, she'd do it herself. Why ask him?
"Why?"
I asked right away to satisfy my curiosity, and he shrugged it off casually.
"No idea. She just asked me to gather photos."
So even the photos he'd been taking of Daeun all this time...
"You aren't still snapping pics of her now because Hyorin asked, are you?"
"I do it because I want to, but yeah, her request is a big part of it."
Hyorin's request...
As he spoke, Jungeun gazed at the somewhat worn Polaroid camera.
"I really don't know the reason. But I can guess."
"No way."
"Yeah, she probably sees me as her insurance policy."
Insurance?
I doubted Hyorin would ask him for something like that, but...
"You know her personality better than anyone."
Hyorin was smart. And more realistic than most.
She'd lived believing I'd definitely wake up one day.
But time marching on relentlessly must have shaken her faith at times, weakening her resolve...
She probably struggled to live a full life. That's why she'd made that request of Jungeun.
As I mulled that over, he spoke up.
"She needed someone to capture the world's cutest moments perfectly."
"So that's the insurance..."
He nodded.
"Yeah. With her husband in a coma, monthly bills piling up with living expenses and hospital fees, plus her career—she had to shoulder all that pain alone. Could she really capture every irreplaceable moment of Daeun's like that?"
Hearing him say it solidified my conviction.
Daeun, whom she loved more than her own eyes.
But reality has a way of intruding, creating moments when even she couldn't be with Daeun.
Like sending her to daycare despite knowing she hated it.
An unavoidable force, you might say.
In that situation, Hyorin wouldn't have wanted to let those precious, once-in-a-lifetime moments of Daeun slip by unrecorded.
That's why she'd asked.
To record any moments she might miss.
"I don't know what you think, but even if Hyorin hadn't asked, I'd have documented Daeun growing up. It's my job, and... I'm her one and only uncle, after all."
His words filled me with genuine gratitude.
"Thanks."
Not just anyone could do what Jungeun did. It was possible because it was him, and he did it gladly because it was him.
"Thanks for what? I didn't do it for your gratitude. That's all I need."
"What?"
At my question, Jungeun glanced at Daeun beaming at the fish and grinned.
"When Daeun grows up and thanks me for capturing her childhood... that'll be enough."
I felt it once again.
"She'll probably say the same. You're her one and only uncle."
Jungeun was a great friend.
[Wow, this place is insanely crowded.]
How could there be this many people all the way to the last aquarium exhibit? It was scary to even take a step.
The silver lining was that Daeun held my hand the whole way and we made it to the end safely.
My instructions must have gotten through to her. That's when Jungeun sighed heavily beside me.
"Phew, we finally made it."
He glanced around restlessly.
"Looking for something?"
"Yeah, I gotta hit the bathroom."
"Bathroom?"
Come to think of it, it had been a while since any of us went.
I was starting to feel the urge myself, so I asked Daeun.
"Daeun, don't you need the potty?"
"Ah! Daeun need potty now! Pee-pee coming!"
I figured as much. She'd drunk a ton of water after seeing the penguins because she was thirsty, so of course she'd need to go.
Impressive she'd held it this long.
"Alright, let's hurry to the bathroom."
"Okay! Coming!"
We finished viewing all the fish and headed straight for the bathrooms... but there was a problem.
"Uh... this is bad."
"Yeah."
"Mmm."
It was really bad.
Who knew most people at the aquarium would have the exact same idea as us?
The last bathrooms before exiting.
They were packed with a massive crowd waiting to use them.
You'd think there was a show going on in there.
The issue was we'd have to stand in line forever.
[Maybe the family bathroom... Oh.]
Same story there. Actually, worse. Parents swarmed it for diaper changes.
"Whoa."
At this rate, bladders were gonna burst.
If we hadn't mentioned it, maybe it'd be different, but once you say the word "bathroom," the urge hits like crazy.
"Mmm—!"
Even little Daeun was no exception.
"Daeun, you okay holding it?"
"Yeah! Hurts!"
She looked desperate.
I wanted to let her go first, even if I had to wait.
[Man, the women's line is even longer.]
If she could manage alone, I'd send her into the ladies' room by herself.
But that idea died before it started. The women's line was even longer than the men's.
"Daddy!"
Daeun's face was turning yellow—was she getting more desperate?
If we waited, she might really have an accident in her pants. Time to decide.
I turned to Jungeun.
"Think there are bathrooms outside?"
We'd have to skip the gift shop, which was a bummer, but better than an accident.
Jungeun's expression stayed grim.
"There are, but probably just as bad. Think about it—everyone else thought of it too."
True, judging by this line.
"Still better than here. Daeun might not make it."
"No accident! Ugh! Daeun no accident!"
We had to prevent that at all costs. Not just the mess, but for her pride.
"Daeun, can you hold it a little longer? Daddy'll carry you and run to the outside bathrooms as fast as I can. Fewer people there."
"Fast! Daddy go fast!"
"Got it!"
I scooped her up in a hurry—right then.
"Um... is the little one desperate?"
A man ahead of us in line spoke up.
Normally, my shyness would stop me from responding properly, but this was an emergency.
"Yes, she drank a lot of water."
"Ah, then if it's okay with the kid, want to go in with my wife and child? We've been here a while, so we're next."
"R-Really? Could we?"
He stepped out of line, went to the woman who looked like his wife, said something, then waved us over.
He was saying to come.
"Let's go, Daeun!"
"Yeah! Daddy!"
"Jungeun, you stay here..."
"Got it! I'll hold our spot—hurry!"
"Thanks!"
I grabbed Daeun's hand and entrusted her to the wife.
"Thank you so much."
"No problem. I'll take her in and help her pee. Don't worry, go take care of yours."
I looked at Daeun.
"Daeun, go pee all nice and easy. Okay? Daddy's going to the men's room."
"Yeah! Daddy! Daeun... mm! Daeun do good!"
"Whew, our girl's tough. Wanna go in with Auntie?"
"Yes!"
With that, as the line shortened, Daeun took the lady's hand and entered the women's room.
Watching her go, I thanked the relieved-looking husband profusely.
"Really, thank you. You saved us."
"No big deal. We parents gotta help each other."
I shudder thinking what would've happened without them.
"Alright, let's get back in line for ours."
"Yeah."
We returned to our spot.
A short wait later, the line shrank fast, and it was nearly our turn.
[Hmm, taking longer than I thought.]
I'd been glancing at the women's room. Daeun was still inside—must be taking a while.
Normally, she'd be out by now...
I worried a bit, but with the auntie there, she should be fine. That's when—
"L-Let's go! Ugh, gotta pee bad!"
It was our turn. Jungeun and I rushed into the men's room.
Splash!
We relieved ourselves refreshingly, washed up thoroughly, and emerged looking like we'd survived.
"Man, I was about to explode."
"Me too. Next time, bathroom first."
"For real. One more like this and my bladder's done for..."
As we exited together—
"Waaahhh!"
A child's wail echoed pitifully from outside. That voice...
[...Huh?]
A chill ran down my spine.
"Huh?"
Jungeun tilted his head, sensing something off from the cry.
"Hey, isn't that Daeun?"
Whoosh!
I bolted out without answering.
The sight that greeted me...
[Hah.]
I had to force my pounding heart to calm.
"Waaah! Where Daddy! Phone zero one zero..."
Thinking she'd lost me, Daeun was sobbing and reciting my name and phone number.