Chapter 16: Does My Daughter Really Like Me?
"Uh... that is..."
"Ayoung. I really appreciate you wanting to help your dad. No parent would turn that down, especially when their daughter's not feeling well but still tries to ease their burden."
"…."
I kept talking to Ayoung, who had her head bowed and couldn't meet my eyes.
"But you know, you're a full-grown adult now. Even if it's comfortable with Dad, there are some lines we have to respect."
"No, that's not... I mean..."
"Don't interrupt. Just listen. Hmm... Not sure if I should even say this, but Ayoung, try to see it from Dad's side too. I'm a man, after all..."
'This should get the point across, right?'
Ayoung, whose head had been buried practically in the ground, suddenly froze.
Then she snapped her head up.
She clasped her hands together as she spoke.
"Dad...! I'm sorry! I was wrong!"
"…."
I stayed quiet to hear how she'd apologize, but her response caught me off guard.
I had no idea how she'd react—flustered, evasive maybe—but she went straight for the honest approach.
"I was just gonna put Dad to sleep and head back, but I missed being in your arms after so long!"
"Huh?"
'Your arms... she missed them?'
Come to think of it, ever since she started growing up for real, our family hugs and skinship had naturally tapered off.
'Well, yeah... she's older now.'
But looking at Ayoung now, hands pressed together and pleading with me, it hit me how I'd been acting lately.
"So I thought I'd just lie next to you for a tiny bit, super quick, then go... but I ended up falling asleep. Sorry!"
'Yeah, when you put it that way...'
We used to hug after breakfast before she left.
Or when we walked together outside, she'd link arms with me.
Lately, though? No hugs. Just holding hands sometimes.
Thinking back, it felt like I'd been deliberately avoiding her because I was hyper-aware of her as my daughter.
'Yeah... that's it.'
Staring at her like that, all her recent behavior started looking different.
Not just clumsy mistakes or ignoring me—not one-dimensional stuff.
Maybe she was just craving affection.
'Ugh... I've been awful.'
Ayoung was abandoned by her parents and raised by me from a kid till now.
I'd felt sorry for her, she listened well, and honestly, she reminded me of myself—suddenly dropped into this world, living alone and lonely—so I'd poured extra love into her.
But just because she was becoming an adult, I'd started pulling back on our usual stuff.
From her side, it must've felt like...
'Huh? Why isn't Dad loving me like before? Did I do something wrong?''Maybe that's why she acted out—to get my attention.'
That thought made me feel guilty looking at her apologizing to me.
'I've done something terrible.'
"So Dad! I..."
"Ayoung, I'm sorry."
"Huh...?"
I apologized first, and she slowly opened her tightly shut eyes to look at me.
I gently took her awkwardly raised hands, set them on the table, and held them tight as I spoke.
"I've been kinda cold and distant lately."
"D-Dad?"
She stammered, probably thrown by my sudden shift.
I started sharing old memories with her.
"Yeah. We used to hug a lot, link arms, and sometimes I'd even give you piggyback rides."
"Uh-huh... yeah, we did."
She listened, thought for a moment, then nodded at me.
"But I got too fixated on how grown-up you are now and started avoiding it. Not with bad intentions, but I bet it felt like I was dodging you."
"…."
"You're an adult now, and since I'm a guy, I worried it'd make you uncomfortable. Sorry if it came off that way."
After I apologized for my actions, Ayoung stared at me quietly for a bit.
Then she dropped her gaze to her rice bowl and started talking.
"...No, Dad. You don't need to apologize. I get it—I wasn't considerate of you either."
"...Sorry."
"No! Dad doesn't need to apologize!"
She waved her hands frantically.
She carefully pulled her hand away, then covered mine with hers as she spoke.
"But Dad, just one thing I want you to know... right now."
"…."
"I like you, Dad. Of course I do—you're all I have."
"…."
"So it doesn't matter what we do. Even skinship like before—I don't hate it. So... I love you, Dad!"
She shot up and walked over to my side, arms wide open.
I stared up at her, stunned.
Ayoung's confession.
'Love... she means...'
As a dad... right? That's it?
Or...
Serious inner conflict kicked in.
'Definitely... yeah. Family love, right? Isn't it?'
That bright smile. The hug pose—familiar, though we hadn't done it lately.
Just like the old days.
But... but... BUT!
'Damn it... why does it sound so ambiguous?'
Why did "it doesn't matter what we do" twist into something else in my ears?
And her face when she said it—she seemed to expect... something more.
While I agonized, she started urging me.
"Dad... you gonna hug me or not?"
"Uh? No, no! Of course!"
Her sunny expression was clouding over second by second, so I jumped up to reassure her.
Maybe the height difference—she looked up at me with a soft smile.
Slowly, as I opened my arms, she wrapped hers around my underarms in a hug.
"I love you, Dad."
"...Yeah. Ayoung. Dad loves you too."
First thing I felt was her body heat, a bit warmer than mine.
A faint sweat scent mixed with cozy fabric softener.
And the soft swell of her chest pressing against mine...
'What the hell am I thinking?! In this touching moment!'
I tried to ignore the sensation on my chest, but it failed.
Cursing my dick starting to rise, I ended the short—but way too long—hug.
As I gently pulled her away, she tilted her head questioningly.
"Uh... Dad?"
'Sorry, Ayoung. For having such a awful dad.'
We could've gone a few more minutes, but I was already half-hard.
Any longer, and it'd poke her dangerous spot, position-wise.
Hiding my panic with an awkward smile, I said,
"Ayoung, sorry, but Dad has to head to work."
"Oh... right."
She smiled bashfully at my words, then tiptoed up for a cheek kiss.
Mwah.
"Have a safe trip, Dad."
'If she were my wife, it'd feel just like...'
I flinched.
What nonsense. About my daughter, no less.
'But... if Ayoung were my wife...'
I hid the weird feeling swelling in my chest and turned away.
"...Yeah. Ayoung. Dad'll be back."
After getting to work, I chatted with Kim Taeyang—my recent dilemma consultant—while working on specimen research, telling him about this morning.
"...So yeah, that's my dilemma."
"Whoa... that happened?"
He looked shocked as I explained the morning mishap.
'Yeah, I was shocked at first too.'
Totally normal reaction.
"Right? Right. Sigh... I dunno. Maybe I'm overthinking it."
"No way, Park Seongchan! That's a blatant signal! Blat-ant!"
He yelled in frustration at my take.
"Hey, keep it down."
"Uh... yeah, got too hyped. Sorry."
I accepted his apology and continued.
"But honestly, I feel weird lately. She's the daughter I raised for ten whole years."
"Yeah."
"And now a few incidents make me hyper-aware? Nothing for ten years?"
He clicked his tongue at me.
"Nah, nah, nah. Our unicorn."
"What isn't?"
"You think there were no incidents. But Ayoung's been creating them nonstop. You just ignored them... nah, were too oblivious to notice."
Is that it?
"No..."
"What do you mean no, you blockhead."
"What else!"
"No wonder nothing's happened till now—you're this dense. Normal people would've had her skipping college straight to the marriage registry."
"M-Marriage registry?"
Marriage registry.
We'd just been talking about breakfast, and that weird thought from the doorway lingered in my head.
His words made me blurt out in panic.
And that was my mistake.
"Huh? Why bring up marriage registry?"
His eyes lit up like he'd struck gold.
"Uh... nothing. Just."
I tried playing it off, but he eyed me suspiciously and let out a creepy chuckle.
"Heh heh... hey, you."
"What now."
He suddenly hummed a familiar tune, pretending nonchalance.
"Thinking of marriage~ with you~"
"Stop."
'That damn perceptive ghost.'
One slip-up, and he clocked exactly what I was thinking.
Confirmed by my reaction, he burst out laughing.
"Kuhaha! Park Seongchan! You're already half-fallen for Ayoung!"
"No! From what she said in the first place..."
Then, a thud from somewhere—like someone tripping.
"What was that?"
This was the specimen lab, handling dangerous chemicals.
Mess up, and you could get seriously hurt—or worse.
Had to be careful...
'No breaking glass sound, though.'
Worried something happened, I rushed toward the noise.
It came from the entrance.
"...Seoyeon?"
And there she was—Yoon Seoyeon, familiar face, slumped over with her head down.