The Signboard's Promise
The brief mirage of a day came to an end, and it was time to return to reality.
Perhaps still weary from yesterday, Jungwoo woke a little later than usual and immediately checked on Seia, who was sound asleep.
She must have been exhausted too—her small mouth slightly parted as she breathed softly in deep slumber.
“I got up a bit late, but… it shouldn’t be too bad.”
If he finished his own preparations first and then helped Seia get ready, they would have plenty of time.
Today, there were a few things he needed to bring down to the restaurant.
The cake he had made yesterday, for one.
It had been on his mind from the start—he planned to offer dessert to the customers today as a special treat.
After all, there was one more cake left.
One was meant for something else.
Yesterday had been a special day for Seia and Jungwoo, filled with new experiences. Tomorrow would be special within the frame of “family.”
Gently stroking Seia’s hair as she slept, Jungwoo whispered tenderly.
“My daughter. I’m sorry.”
Yesterday had been an outing for both Seia and himself.
Tomorrow, the restaurant would need to run as usual.
Jungwoo wanted to celebrate Seia’s birthday more than anyone else.
Last year, he hadn’t been able to do anything particularly special for her.
All he had managed was to make the food she wanted to eat together with that rabbit doll she always carried around.
Why did that memory still linger in his mind?
It was guilt, regret, and a resolve to do better from now on.
That was why yesterday had truly been Seia’s birthday gift.
He had taken her to every place they had never visited before and created unforgettable memories.
Some might say that simply going into town, baking a cake, and visiting an arcade hardly counted as a birthday present, but Jungwoo thought differently.
What mattered wasn’t the gift itself, but the memories that remained.
A day spent with her father—starting with the slide, moving on to the arcade, and ending with delicious braised pork.
The memory of falling asleep in her father’s warm embrace beneath the moonlight on a slightly chilly evening.
From the beginning of the day to its end, he had given her precious memories that couldn’t be discarded.
That didn’t mean he intended to let the actual day pass without acknowledgment.
He had a plan of his own, though it wasn’t something he could accomplish with his will alone, which left him slightly uneasy.
Well, he had done everything he could prepare. All that remained was to wait for the result.
“Mmm…”
Just as Jungwoo’s thoughts came to an end, Seia rubbed her eyes and whimpered.
Her instinctive, sleepy hand reached out for warmth and naturally found its way into Jungwoo’s arms.
The way her tiny hands tried to cling to him was both adorable and heartwarming.
“I’d love to hold you longer, but we need to get ready to go out now.”
The ingredients for today’s service had already been purchased yesterday.
They would keep fine in the refrigerator for a day.
With a heavy heart, Jungwoo gently pried the clinging Seia away and immediately began preparing for the day ahead.
Changing clothes, washing up.
Placing the photos they had taken yesterday into frames.
The sound of clattering, running water.
The hum of the hair dryer and the rustle of changing clothes.
Amid these ordinary, natural sounds of daily life, Seia, who had been deeply asleep, slowly opened her drowsy eyes.
“Haaam…”
She yawned, though her small mouth didn’t open very wide.
At the same time, she wiped away the tears that had welled up and looked around.
Thanks to the soft blanket and the electric blanket hidden beneath it, Seia could start her day warm and cozy.
Still slightly dazed from sleep, the first thing she looked for was, of course, Jungwoo.
“Where’d you go?”
Normally, when she opened her eyes, Jungwoo was always one of two things—either gently patting her head or waiting for her to wake up right in front of her.
How did he always know when she was pretending to sleep?
Seia thought her father really knew everything.
Her wandering gaze stopped at the rustling sounds coming from inside the room.
To reach him, she pushed aside the blanket that had been covering her, and the slightly chilly air helped clear her sleepy mind.
“Achoo, cold.”
Though the cold made her want to crawl right back under the warm blanket, what mattered more to Seia was her father, not the bed.
Instead, she hugged the rabbit doll that had been warmed alongside her and headed toward Jungwoo.
Jungwoo, who had just finished changing, was about to go wake Seia when she appeared.
“Daddy.”
“Hm? You’re up, Seia?”
“Hehe. Yeah. Seia’s awake now.”
Seeing the proud look in her eyes, Jungwoo felt as if the fatigue that came with early mornings had been washed away.
“Why didn’t you stay in bed?”
“Because Daddy wasn’t there.”
“Haha, since you’re up, shall we get ready to go out?”
“Ehh…”
Though she whined once, Seia still made her way to the bathroom to show she was ready.
Jungwoo chuckled and helped her prepare.
He had worried she might be tired after playing so much yesterday, but perhaps because she was at an energetic age, a single nap had her bouncing back to full strength.
Once Seia was ready, Jungwoo gathered the things he had prepared earlier, and together they headed down to the restaurant—using the slide, of course.
Today’s opening preparations were simple: two tasks.
One was preparing the ingredients, and the other was setting up the signboard.
Normally, the signboard would feature Seia’s heartfelt “Today’s Menu,” but Jungwoo planned to add something extra today.
After picking up the photos from the cake workshop, he and Seia had gone to “Daiso.”
It was a place where you could find anything, and Jungwoo hadn’t just bought frames there.
He had printed all the photos the owner had taken and the ones he had taken himself.
“We still have about thirty minutes left. We finished preparing faster than I thought.”
“Daddy.”
“Yes, Seia?”
“What can Seia do?”
From the bright sparkle in her eyes, it was clear she wanted to help with today’s preparations.
“Hmm…”
This was the first challenge of the day.
What task could be both rewarding and not too difficult?
It also had to be easy enough.
Given Seia’s personality, she wasn’t the type to give up easily, so she might spend the entire day trying to figure out a solution if it was too hard.
“Then, how about you cheer Daddy on?”
“Cheer?”
Seia’s question wasn’t because she didn’t understand the word “cheer.”
It came from wondering how she should cheer and what kind of encouragement would truly give her father strength.
Seia’s face grew serious.
She tilted her head one way, then the other.
Then, as if she had a good idea, she looked at Jungwoo and stretched out both hands.
“Hm?”
It was something she often did—her cute way of asking to be held.
“Up we go.”
As he lifted her into his arms as she wished, he felt a soft sensation on his cheek along with a gentle “mwah.”
“Hehe. That’s my cheer.”
“Whoa…”
It was the first time.
The first time Seia had taken such an active initiative.
Jungwoo didn’t think it was because she had been shy before.
After all, physical affection wasn’t how their family usually expressed love.
Though she seemed like an energetic child, Seia was actually quite sensitive.
That sensitivity simply didn’t show much because she was still so young.
“This… is going to give Daddy so much energy.”
“Hehe… Really?”
“Yeah. Now, Seia, you need to write today’s menu too, right?”
“Yes!”
The menu for Seona’s Restaurant today had been decided after careful thought.
Kalguksu.
While it could be made with various ingredients, the most popular version was clam kalguksu.
The preparation wasn’t too complicated, and it seemed perfect for the slightly chilly weather these days.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never made kalguksu for Seia before.”
Today seemed like the perfect time.
The refreshing yet warm broth and the chewy noodles.
He hadn’t even started cooking yet, but Jungwoo was already salivating.
“Alright, Seia. Let’s write it down.”
Seia nodded with a determined expression.
“Fresh anchovy broth and.”
“Fresh anchovy broth and.”
“Chewy noodle kalguksu.”
“Chewy… chewy noodle kalguksu.”
She stumbled a little on the word “chewy,” but this was already an improvement from last time.
Carrying Seia’s neatly written menu and the photos he had brought, Jungwoo headed to the front of the store.
Just like before, he posted Seia’s writing, and this time, he added the photos they had taken yesterday alongside it.
All that remained was to write one final message.
[Today, we will be serving cake dessert after your meal.]
The photo taken at the cake workshop served as proof that Jungwoo and Seia had made it themselves.
It wasn’t an opportunity that came every day.
Just like with the pork cutlet last time, chances to eat something made with Seia’s touch were truly rare.
“And…”
Below it, he added one more small line.
[Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday. Though the menu is set, we would be grateful if you could celebrate with us. Ah, the menu will be provided free of charge.]
It was a small event he wouldn’t normally have done, but the unexpected money he had received recently had given Jungwoo some breathing room.
Not just peace of mind.
The kind of leeway that allowed him to give materially to others.
“This should be fine, right?”
Who would come, he wondered.
Strangely enough, a few faces came to mind.
Though the restaurant hadn’t been open long, there were people he could already call regulars.
He couldn’t help but hope they would come.
And there were those who had witnessed Jungwoo carefully preparing the signboard.
“I keep running into this place by chance.”
“By chance?”
It was Park Geon-su and Seong Ye-eun.
It was around their usual commute time, and both of them paid quite a bit of attention to Seona’s Restaurant, so it naturally caught their eye.
“Ah, I saw it yesterday too.”
“Where?”
“In town. They were playing games at an arcade with his daughter.”
“Games?”
Imagining the two of them playing at an arcade, Seong Ye-eun felt as if she had somehow missed out.
“…Why did you see it alone.”
“Haha, come now. Are you saying I should’ve called you if I saw them?”
“Next time, please do.”
“Are you serious?”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“Hah, it seems both you and I have found one more meaning in life.”
Even as they conversed, their gazes remained fixed on the restaurant.
Jungwoo finishing the signboard, and Seia watching him from inside the store.
Jungwoo didn’t seem to notice his daughter watching—he wasn’t looking toward the window where Seia was pressed against the glass, grinning from ear to ear.
“Let’s stop watching and go. We have work to—”
Just as they were about to head back to the guild, something they shouldn’t have seen appeared right in front of Seona’s Restaurant.
“That is…”