Memories in an Instant
Today was a special day for Se-ah.
Simply stepping out into the city was enough to make it so.
And Jeong-woo had no intention of letting such a special day fade into nothing more than a memory.
It wasn't a famous spot—just the kind of place you might find one of in any neighborhood or downtown area.
The next destination Jeong-woo had chosen was an instant photo studio.
The building in the city center wasn't particularly large.
They arrived at the studio on the third floor.
It was still early, so there were no other customers, and since it was unmanned, the place felt completely empty.
“Wow, wow!”
Se-ah's voice was even more excited than before as she looked around.
It was no ordinary photo studio—shelves were stocked with wigs, props, and all sorts of accessories.
A rainbow-dyed afro wig sat prominently on display, alongside a pig-nose glasses, a horse mask, and countless other silly, cute, or stylish decorations.
Se-ah's eyes sparkled with curiosity, yet she didn't reach out and touch anything without permission.
“What is this place?”
“It's where Se-ah and Daddy are going to take pictures together.”
“Pictures!”
At the word “pictures,” Se-ah's face lit up.
Among the few photos they had at home were some from when Se-ah was little.
Of course she was still young now, but these were from when she had been much smaller.
There were also photos of his wife, but he still couldn't bring himself to show those to her.
He remembered the first time Se-ah had seen one of those pictures—she'd called it cute and asked who it was.
When he'd told her it was herself, her expression had been one of pure surprise.
That was why Se-ah liked photos.
So that's what I looked like back then.
After that, they had spent time together looking through Jeong-woo's old photos and his graduation album.
It had happened last year.
On a bitterly cold day.
They had crawled under the warm electric blanket, eating tangerines while flipping through the pages.
When Jeong-woo looked at Se-ah now, it didn't seem like she remembered every detail of that day.
But the feelings from that time were clearly still with her.
“So Se-ah can wear those too?”
Se-ah pointed at a display shelf filled with all kinds of accessories. Jeong-woo nodded.
“Of course. You can wear anything you want.”
Se-ah's bright smile was already brimming with mischief.
He didn't know what she was planning, but that smile made him feel like he'd gladly go along with any prank she came up with.
Se-ah approached the display case, her brow slightly furrowed as she tried to decide which prop to pick.
The item that caught her eye the most was the rainbow afro wig.
Paired with the pig-nose glasses.
Without hesitation, she grabbed both and brought them straight to Jeong-woo.
“Hm? Does this mean you want Daddy to wear them?”
“Yes!”
Her beaming smile was unbearably adorable.
Even a stranger meeting Se-ah for the first time wouldn't have been able to refuse.
In the end, Jeong-woo found himself accepting the afro wig and pig-nose glasses as if under a spell.
The moment he put them on, Se-ah's expectant gaze melted into a wide, delighted grin.
“Hehe. Daddy looks so funny!”
A rainbow-colored explosion of hair and a pig nose.
Whether it suited him or not didn't matter.
Watching Se-ah burst into giggles, he felt like he could do anything if it made her laugh like that.
“Well then, I suppose it's Daddy's turn to pick something for our Se-ah?”
“Ah!”
Today, he had decided to teach her something.
An old saying, and a good one.
Give an inch and they'll take a mile.
Jeong-woo reached for the top shelf of the display case.
Se-ah had glanced at it earlier too, but had given up because she couldn't reach.
If the wig and pig-nose glasses were merely cute, the items up here were on another level.
The upper shelf was packed with animal masks of every kind.
Among the horse masks, frog masks, and others, Jeong-woo selected one and brought it over to Se-ah.
A Hahoe mask.
It was a traditional Korean mask, but to Se-ah, who had never seen one before, it might look a little frightening.
“Ehh…”
Did she really have to wear it?
Jeong-woo's smile was just as full of mischief as hers had been.
“Really… wear it?”
“Yeah…?”
Se-ah's face had been smiling just moments ago.
Suddenly her expression crumpled into something like a teary kitten.
Her already large eyes glistened under the studio lights, as if on the verge of spilling tears.
“Really…?”
Se-ah knew her greatest weapon all too well.
She might not yet know if it worked on other people, but one thing was certain—it was devastatingly effective against Jeong-woo.
It was like a get-out-of-jail-free card.
“…No. We can't do that. We can't hide our Se-ah's pretty, cute face behind a mask.”
“Hehe. Then Daddy doesn't have to wear it either. Daddy's handsome too.”
The word “handsome” coming from Se-ah's mouth was unexpected.
“Really? Daddy's handsome?”
Se-ah nodded vigorously.
“Yes! Way more handsome than the people on TV!”
The people on TV.
Se-ah didn't watch much television, but the people who appeared on it were usually good-looking.
‘Mm-hmm. That's my daughter.’
Just as Jeong-woo thought Se-ah was the cutest and prettiest girl in the world, Se-ah thought the same about him.
Whether it was because he was her father or because of a five-year-old's completely objective perspective didn't matter.
What mattered was that this was the first time she had ever called him handsome.
“Haha… Our Se-ah has good taste.”
“Hehe. Is Se-ah the prettiest too?”
“Of course. Our Se-ah is the cutest and prettiest.”
As he praised her and gently stroked her hair, Se-ah closed her eyes, accepting the affection as if she'd been waiting for it.
Sometimes she was like a cat, but at moments like this, she seemed more like a puppy.
“We can take as many pictures as we want, so let's start with a normal one and then try some headbands.”
“Okay!”
Together they pulled back a curtain and stepped inside. A small space opened up, with a camera screen right in front of them.
“Let's start with four shots…”
After setting it to four photos and paying with his card, a mechanical voice echoed from the machine.
“Get ready. Ten…”
“Se-ah, it'll take the picture in ten seconds.”
“T-ten seconds?”
At the mention of ten seconds, Se-ah began counting down on her fingers, folding them one by one.
A chuckle escaped him, but right now the important thing was getting the photos right.
“Alright, Se-ah, look at the screen here—”
“Okay—”
Se-ah nestled comfortably in Jeong-woo's arms, staring at the screen.
Her slightly nervous expression was cute too, but nothing beat her smile.
“Three…”
With three seconds left, Jeong-woo deliberately scrunched up his face into a ridiculous expression. Se-ah, who had been watching the screen with him, burst into giggles.
“One…”
Right on cue, the shutter clicked.
Since he'd set it for four photos, the ten-second countdown began again immediately.
He liked the slightly stiff Se-ah, and he liked the relaxed, comfortable Se-ah just as much.
He also liked the Se-ah who puffed out her cheeks like balloons at his request.
“Are we done?”
“Yeah. Let's try on some other props now.”
Jeong-woo had already brought over several headbands he thought would suit Se-ah.
There were cat ears, bunny ears, puppy ears, and bear ears—plenty of options.
He planned to try them all on her.
This would be a new experience for Se-ah, but it was also Jeong-woo's own selfish wish.
“Want to try this one?”
“Bunny?”
“Yeah. That's right. Our Se-ah is going to become a bunny.”
He carefully placed the bunny-ear headband on her head.
Because her head was so small, the headband looked a little loose, which only made her look cuter.
Bunny-eared Se-ah.
The ears were made of wire, so he could shape them however he liked. With a touch of flair, he gently bent one ear forward.
“Does Se-ah look pretty?”
“Hoo…”
He had to take a deep breath before he could answer properly.
“Yeah. You look beautiful.”
“Hehe.”
Maybe it was because she was wearing a brown outfit today.
The bunny ears, which had turned a little less white from being handled by many people, somehow suited Se-ah even better.
Se-ah looked a little awkward as she reached up to fiddle with the headband, but her expression soon changed.
She was looking at her own reflection on the screen.
Seeing the bunny-ear headband that looked just like the one on the stuffed bunny she always hugged while sleeping, Se-ah gave a soft, shy smile.
‘This is it.’
Nothing suited Se-ah more than that natural smile.
Just as the ten seconds were starting to feel endless, the shutter clicked again.
Jeong-woo immediately handed her the next headband.
“Our Se-ah, want to be a kitty this time?”
“Kitty is good.”
If it was cute, Se-ah liked everything.
The cat-ear headband suited her just as well as the bunny ears had.
In fact, it fit so perfectly that he almost wondered if it had been made specifically for her. He couldn't help regretting not having bought one for home earlier.
While he kept marveling at how adorable she looked, the photos were finished in no time.
Soon, all the pictures—from the first set to the latest—began printing out.
“Se-ah, shall we look at the photos when we get home?”
“At home?”
“Yeah. We'll look at them one by one while we eat. How does that sound?”
“Se-ah likes that!”
Just as Jeong-woo had wanted the start of their day to be special, he hoped the end of it would be special too.
Something extraordinary might happen, but revisiting the happy memories they'd made today would be just as meaningful.
Sometimes, looking back at the path you've already walked is better than staring at the road ahead.
And doing that together with Se-ah would make it even better.
‘Our reservation time is almost up.’
It was time to go make the cake.
No one knew what kind of cake would come out in the end.
The fact that they weren't buying a finished cake but making one with their own hands—that was what made it meaningful.
It was just like the life he and Se-ah were living right now.
No, maybe it was the same for everyone.
A perfect cake made by an expert versus a clumsy cake made by someone who didn't know anything.
When you slowly, carefully shape that imperfect cake, only then do you understand the process behind everyone else's finished cakes.
And that's when you realize it.
The process of making the cake matters more than the finished cake itself.
Even after the photos were done, Jeong-woo and Se-ah kept trying on different props for each other, their laughter never stopping.