Seia's Special Slide
The next day.
Today was a day he could afford to sleep in a little.
Even knowing that, Jeong-woo's eyes fluttered open at the crack of dawn.
As expected, Seia was curled up in his arms, still fast asleep.
“Ugh… yesterday was a little busy.”
The response to the bibimbap had been better than he’d anticipated. There had even been requests to make it a regular menu item instead of just today’s special.
From Jeong-woo’s perspective, there was nothing to complain about. Running a Korean restaurant meant leftover side dishes were a frequent occurrence. It hadn’t even been a full week yet, but the banchan he’d prepared on opening day had already carried over to the next.
Of course, they were stored meticulously in the refrigerator, so using them posed no problem. Still, no one could stop the gradual loss of freshness and flavor over time.
Repurposing those ingredients for bibimbap was a perfect solution.
“First, I should make some kimchi…”
He hadn’t planned on it, but he had received quite a large sum of money. The question now was how to use it.
After careful thought, Jeong-woo decided that creating a safe environment for Seia when she was home alone was the most important thing. That didn’t mean he intended to leave her by herself. It was for those moments when she took naps or needed extra sleep even on weekdays—when she woke up and came looking for him.
The idea of her having to descend the stairs weighed heavily on his mind. She was still so young. If she stumbled down half-awake and groggy, an accident could easily happen.
That was when the idea struck him. What if he built a small slide beside the stairs?
Major construction was out of the question. The building didn’t belong to him, and he wasn’t even sure the money he’d received would cover it.
The saving grace was that Jeong-woo was quite handy. He wanted to make something special for Seia. He couldn’t do anything about climbing the stairs, but he had come up with a safe and fun way for her to come down.
A slide.
His plan was to install one that ran in a smooth, continuous line from the second floor all the way to the first.
These days, he didn’t even need to handle the construction himself. There were hunters with building-related abilities who could finish the job in an instant if hired for a day.
But their fees were exorbitant. Construction-capable hunters were usually high-ranking to begin with, making them difficult to book. The cost of materials was separate.
“I already ordered the materials in advance…”
With the components stored in the warehouse, he intended to install the slide before Seia woke up. While hiring a hunter with construction powers was expensive, delivery services powered by magic stones could transport items to any location in the blink of an eye.
Even though the parts were custom-made, the fact that Jeong-woo was installing them himself kept the price reasonable. Plus, he would have the precious memory of creating it with his own hands for his daughter. It couldn’t be more perfect.
The slide components filled the warehouse. Because they were custom-ordered and chosen for maximum durability, each piece was surprisingly heavy.
The staircase between the first and second floors wasn’t particularly tall. In total, Jeong-woo only needed to install six parts.
The advantage was that he didn’t need to nail anything into the wall—the components were heavy enough to support themselves.
“Up we go.”
He lifted one piece and began installation from the bottom of the stairs. The slide would occupy about half the staircase’s width. Fortunately, the stairs weren’t narrow to begin with, so the space didn’t feel cramped.
“Install it here like this…”
Jeong-woo’s task was simple. He just needed to position each ordered component in the right spot and connect them together. Aside from their weight, there wasn’t much that demanded intense focus.
“It’ll run all the way down like this.”
As he carried and positioned each piece one by one, a smooth, unbroken slide took shape from the very top of the stairs to the bottom.
Jeong-woo handled the connections himself. Without an electric drill, he had to tighten everything by hand, but he didn’t consider the effort a burden at all. Without this hands-on process, he would have felt embarrassed claiming he’d installed it himself.
In his hands were a small Phillips screwdriver and a hex wrench. Those two tools were all he needed.
Once the screws between the slide components were securely fastened, the safe descent for Seia that Jeong-woo had longed for would finally be complete.
“Hehe…”
It felt far more fulfilling than he had imagined. Just picturing Seia waking up and sliding down brought a smile to his lips.
Although the slide now reached the bottom of the stairs, Jeong-woo wasn’t satisfied yet. He had ordered six parts in total. Five had been used to connect from the top of the stairs to the bottom.
That left one remaining piece.
It was the curved section designed to deliver riders straight into the restaurant interior. Now, when Seia rode the slide, she could glide directly from the second floor into the dining area.
The path from the restaurant to their living space was simple. Opening a single door revealed the stairs leading up. The location didn’t interfere with customer tables or traffic flow, making the design feasible.
It did take up about half the entrance, but it wasn’t as if customers needed to climb the stairs side by side.
“Now all that’s left is the finishing touch.”
He only needed to place a thick cushion where Seia would land. It wouldn’t obstruct customer pathways or interfere with the tables. This was the moment Seia’s personal elevator was born.
“Hmm…”
There was one lingering concern—whether the slide was truly sturdy. That was what mattered most.
And there was only one sure way to test it.
Jeong-woo would ride it himself.
“It’s been ages.”
It wasn’t just a few years. These were memories from over a decade ago.
“It should… be fine, right?”
This was strange. He hadn’t thought it was particularly high or long, but once he climbed to the top, it felt much taller than expected.
“…Why am I shaking?”
He knew it was sturdy, yet for some reason he found it difficult to fully surrender his body to it.
But he had to. This was the slide Seia would use. If it was safe for him, it would be safe even if she jumped and played on it.
“Hoo.”
He let out a short breath and committed his body to the slide.
“Whoa!”
The moment he released his grip, Jeong-woo was sucked downward as if caught in a powerful current. In the blink of an eye, he had glided from the second floor into the restaurant. The soft cushion beneath him left him staring blankly around.
“…It seems okay, I guess.”
It was only because it was his first time. It definitely wasn’t because he was scared. Absolutely not.
Maybe riding it once more would feel more natural? As he turned to climb the stairs again, he saw Seia standing at the top, hugging her rabbit doll and looking down at him.
“Daddy…?”
“Se-Seia, you’re awake?”
“I heard Daddy yell ‘whoa!’”
“Haha… so you heard that.”
At least it didn’t seem like she had woken up because of him.
Seia rubbed her eyes as she gazed at Jeong-woo, then noticed something right beside her that hadn’t been there the day before.
“Is this… a slide?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, woooow…!”
She was so astonished she dropped the rabbit doll she’d been holding.
“Daddy just tried it, and it’s really sturdy. Want to give it a go, Seia?”
“…Yes!”
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t scared at all, but Seia understood something important. Overcoming this fear would bring an equally enormous happiness. Besides, the first time was always the scariest—after that, it was nothing.
Seia stretched both legs straight out on the slide and leaned back, then released her grip on the sides. Being much lighter than Jeong-woo, she descended more slowly. Still, it wasn’t exactly slow, and as she slid down she let out sounds whose meaning wasn’t entirely clear.
“Kyaaa!”
Was she frightened? Or was it fun?
What mattered was the expression on Seia’s face after she reached the bottom. She landed perfectly on the thick cushion with a soft poof, then burst into bright laughter as she ran to Jeong-woo.
She wrapped her arms tightly around his leg and said, “Thank you so much, Daddy!”
“…Yes, my sweet girl.”
For a moment, tears sprang to his eyes. Seia’s heartfelt gratitude carried far more power than he had expected.
“Was it fun, sweetheart?”
“Yes! It was totally, super fun! Can Seia ride it one more time?”
“Of course. I made it just for you.”
“Woooow—!”
Filled with excitement, Seia marched confidently up the stairs. He had built the slide out of worry that she might get hurt on the stairs, yet in a way it had the opposite effect. After all, she had to climb the stairs to ride the slide back down.
Well, climbing was safer than descending, and perhaps this was simply what it meant to be a parent. It even provided a bit of exercise.
“Kyaaa!”
He hadn’t put in that much effort, but seeing how much Seia loved it filled him with even greater satisfaction. Maybe he should make more things like this for her in the future. Since he was fairly handy, he could probably create toys or dolls without too much trouble.
“But Seia, you must always be careful on the stairs. Understand?”
“Yes! Be careful on stairs!”
He would have loved to let her ride more, but today they needed to make kimchi. There was no need to prepare a large batch anyway. People these days didn’t eat much kimchi.
“Today is the day you make kimchi with Daddy.”
“Kimchi is delicious.”
“Hehe, is it really?”
Seia always looked forward to kimchi-making days. Whenever they prepared it, Jeong-woo would buy meat from the butcher and make boiled pork to go with it. Freshly boiled pork paired with freshly made kimchi was a rare delicacy that could only be truly appreciated when prepared that very day.
…Should I add this to the menu too?
The thought tempted him for a moment, but it was too much work. Running the restaurant meant he might have to rely on store-bought kimchi, yet since it was also food for Seia, he wanted to make every menu item himself.
“We’ll make the kimchi this evening, so let’s have the boiled pork for dinner. Sound good?”
“Yes!”
He would simply buy some cabbage and salt it properly. During that time, he planned to enjoy a cozy outing with Seia.
Before opening the restaurant, they used to go out together on weekends. But weekends were crowded, so they could never visit as many places as they wanted. An amusement park would be too far for today, but exploring the city streets was definitely possible.
“We’ll stop by the market first, then head downtown. Today we’ll eat something delicious outside. Okay?”
“Okay!”
“Right then. Let’s get ready to go out!”
“Can Seia ride the slide just one more time?”
“Haha. Sure. One more ride, then we’ll get ready. Deal?”
“Yes!”
“Daddy will go to the market to pick up some kimchi ingredients.”
“Will you come back quickly?”
“Yes, I’ll be back soon.”
After giving Seia’s hair one last gentle stroke, she headed for the slide while Jeong-woo made his way to the market.