A Day of Sweet Surprises
After that, the camera clicked several more times. The owner examined the results and broke into a satisfied smile.
“Hehe. They turned out wonderfully. Must be because our model is so beautiful.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Not at all. Unfortunately we don’t have any frames in stock, so you’ll need to pick one up elsewhere.”
The owner was grateful that photography was one of his personal hobbies. Normally he charged extra for this kind of service when reservations were made—a rare experience captured with a good camera, turning memories into physical photographs rather than leaving them to fade.
It was the sort of thing he ought to be paid for, yet this time he had no intention of accepting money. Instead, he hid a sly little smile as he pursued a different motive.
“In that case… would it be all right if I charged the photo fee in another way?”
“Of course. What would you—”
“The location of Seona’s Restaurant. Could you tell me where it is?”
“Oh, my restaurant? It’s really nothing special…”
“Does a restaurant have to be special? This place is just an ordinary little bakery, after all.”
Jungwoo offered a soft smile at those words and gave the man the address of Seona’s Restaurant.
“It’s not too far from here.”
“If you ever stop by, I’ll make sure to treat you to something delicious.”
“I’ll definitely visit. For now, please enjoy the bread while the photos are being printed.”
“We will. Thank you.”
While Jungwoo chatted with the owner, Seia had grown unusually quiet. The moment she laid eyes on the magnificent honey bread in the flesh, she couldn’t look away. Her little tongue kept darting out to wet her lips.
“Seia, why aren’t you eating?”
“Daddy hasn’t eaten yet. Let’s eat together.”
She had waited for him before touching any of it. Her thoughtfulness made it impossible for Jungwoo not to smile.
“All right. Daddy made you wait too long, didn’t he? Shall we try it now?”
“Yes!”
It would have been better to eat a proper meal first, but since they planned to indulge all day long, Jungwoo cut a piece with a fork to a size perfect for her and fed it to her himself.
Perhaps because her mouth was so small, even though the bite fit, cream ended up smeared all around her lips. The instant it touched her tongue, the sweet flavor and crisp texture of the bread bloomed together in perfect harmony. Seia’s eyes began to sparkle.
“Yummy…!”
It was probably the most stimulating taste she had ever experienced in her young life. If he had to describe it, worldly flavor seemed the most fitting phrase.
“Was it that good?”
“Yes! What’s it called?”
“It’s called honey bread.”
“Honey bwead!”
Jungwoo cut the rest into easy-to-eat pieces. Seia picked up a chunk with her own fork and held it out to him.
“One for Seia, one for Daddy!”
The honey bread he popped into his mouth in one bite was indeed intensely sweet. The kind of sweetness that could make your jaw ache, yet somehow never crossed the line into cloying.
“It tastes even better because Seia gave it to me.”
“Hehe. Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“Then Seia will keep giving you more!”
It was Jungwoo’s job to cut the bread into manageable sizes and top it with more cream. Seia’s job was to pick up each piece neatly and feed them to him one by one, alternating between bread and cream. Thanks to their perfect teamwork, the honey bread disappeared at an impressive speed.
Just as they were finishing, the owner reappeared with the printed photos in hand.
“Perfect timing—you’ve just finished.”
“Yes. It was truly delicious.”
“Yummy!”
Noticing the generous amount of cream still smeared around Seia’s mouth, the owner gave them an innocent smile.
“Here are your photos. If you leave the building and turn right, you’ll find a Daiso. You can get a frame there.”
“Thank you. Seia, shall we get going?”
“Yes!”
“But first, let’s wipe that cream off.”
Jungwoo cleaned her face with a tissue, thanked the owner once more, and stepped out of the bakery. The visit had been far more enjoyable than he’d expected. He felt happy, too.
Once outside, Jungwoo glanced back at the shop sign.
Heeyeon’s Bakery
Did the owner have a daughter? Or was it her own name? Either way, the sign gave off a similar feeling to Seona’s Restaurant, leaving a deep impression on him.
“Seia, we’re going to Daiso now.”
“Daiso…?”
“That’s right. It’s a place that has everything. Once you go in, I bet you’ll want all sorts of things.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration. The store contained more items than Seia could possibly imagine.
Her mood was at its peak. Not only had she enjoyed a fun new experience, she had tasted something entirely new. Jungwoo hadn’t realized how much time had passed inside the bakery until they stepped out and he checked—nearly two hours had gone by.
In that time the streets had grown busier and the air a little warmer. Just enough that a longer walk might make them slightly hot. Walking the streets together like this felt good. They usually stuck to quiet roads far from the city center, so this was a fresh experience in its own way.
“Here we are. This is Daiso.”
“Whoa…”
The building was so tall Seia had to tilt her head all the way back to see the top. This particular Daiso occupied the entire first three floors. Though it wasn’t yet peak hours, plenty of people were already coming and going.
“Daddy.”
“Hm?”
“There’s so many people!”
“Right? That’s because it has everything. Let’s head inside.”
“Okay!”
Once inside, rows of display shelves stretched beneath bright white lights, packed with an astonishing variety of goods. Everything looked new to Seia. There were even things Jungwoo had never seen before. Still, today their only purpose was to buy a frame. They could always come back together another time. It wasn’t a difficult place to reach.
“Excuse me. Could you tell me where the frames are?”
“Frames are in the corner on the second floor.”
Following the employee’s directions, they found an impressive selection of frames in every shape and size on the second floor.
“There are so many frames, aren’t there?”
“Yeah!”
“Want to pick them out? Maybe three?”
Seia nodded enthusiastically. Just as Jungwoo expected, she chose a brown frame. He selected an appropriately sized one from the same design, and while he was choosing, Seia’s attention had already wandered to the stationery section right beside the frames.
When Jungwoo finally looked back at her, she was holding a single item in her small hand.
“Seia, what’s that?”
“It’s string.”
“String? What kind of string?”
“Seia wants to have string.”
Her determination was surprisingly firm. Since string was something he could buy her as much as she wanted, Jungwoo simply nodded without thinking much of it.
“We don’t need anything else, so let’s go eat.”
“Food!”
At the word “food,” Seia’s face already looked as if she were tasting something delicious. It was the same expression she had worn after the honey bread.
Just as he had planned the bakery visit in advance, Jungwoo had another menu in mind for later. After paying for the frame and string, he led Seia straight to the restaurant he had reserved.
It was a dish Seia rarely got to try—Chinese cuisine.
He didn’t often order delivery. He could never be sure exactly what was in it, so he couldn’t bring himself to feed it to her. This was the most famous Chinese restaurant in the area. Western and Japanese food they ate occasionally; she enjoyed sushi from time to time, and he often made pasta or pilaf as well.
The Chinese restaurant they arrived at had an imposing exterior. Seia looked all around the building as if overwhelmed by it.
“Are we… eating here?”
“Haha. Yes. It doesn’t look much like a place for rice, does it?”
“No. It looks like it might give us magic stones.”
“Hm?”
Apparently the restaurant looked like a monster’s lair to her.
“No need to worry. There aren’t any monsters inside—just delicious food waiting for us.”
“…Okay!”
Her face still showed traces of fear, but she trusted her father. When they stepped inside, an employee approached them right away.
“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”
“Yes. The name is Jungwoo.”
“Right this way, please.”
They were led to a private room. Since Jungwoo had already placed their order, it wasn’t long before numerous dishes began covering the table.
He had chosen this particular restaurant among many Chinese places for one reason: they offered a sampler platter that let you taste a little of everything.
The divided plates held the most popular Chinese dishes—black bean noodles, sweet-and-sour pork, deep-fried chicken, and more.
“Daddy!”
“Yes?”
“There’s so much!”
With a spoon in one hand and chopsticks gripped tightly in the other, Seia looked ready to devour everything in sight.
“It’s all for you, so eat slowly. You’ll get a stomachache otherwise. Understand?”
“Yes!”
Jungwoo had ordered the same dishes for himself. He began eating first, and Seia followed suit. Her chopstick skills improved day by day, but she still couldn’t quite handle slippery noodles perfectly.
“Hng…!”
Her slightly clumsy attempts sent little splatters of black bean sauce flying. Before long, her expression shifted from simple hunger to pure determination.
Jungwoo had placed a fork beside her, but she refused to give up, determined to eat with chopsticks. He helped her with many things, but not this. He wanted her to learn that effort leads to results—not just to know it, but to make it a habit.
“Got it!”
After many attempts, Seia finally managed to pick up the noodles. She carefully brought them to her mouth, and an entirely unexpected flavor exploded across her tongue.
“Mmph…!”
“Haha. Good, right?”
“So yummy!”
Next came the sweet-and-sour pork and deep-fried chicken. The crisp exterior gave way to tender, juicy pork and chicken. As expected from a renowned restaurant, the meat retained its natural flavor while the sweet and spicy sauce made Seia’s eyes fly wide open.
What more needed to be said? It was the most delicious version of these dishes Jungwoo knew, so for Seia it must have been revolutionary.
The order of dessert and main courses had been reversed, but if everything tasted good, did the sequence really matter?
Both Jungwoo and Seia left the restaurant thoroughly satisfied.
“Seia, did you enjoy it?”
At his question, Seia—her mouth smeared with black bean paste and various sauces—beamed and answered.
“Yes! But Daddy’s cooking is even yummier.”
As always, Seia’s ability to flatter was top-tier. Knowing his secret weapon for dinner was already prepared, Jungwoo felt a bit more strength rise in his shoulders.
“Hehe. Really? Next time Daddy will cook all these dishes for you.”
“Hehe. They’ll be even more delicious!”
Not just delicious—even more delicious. Jungwoo gently wiped the sauces from her mouth, and the two of them left the restaurant.
Their next destination awaited. Having shown Seia new worlds of cake and Chinese cuisine, Jungwoo now wanted to introduce her to the things he used to enjoy.
The largest multi-game center in the city. A holy land filled with every kind of game imaginable.
It was finally time to show Seia the world of games.