The End of the First Day
The customer had left, but Jungwoo was still chuckling softly at Seia's farewell.
Goodbye. Come again to Seona's Restaurant.
Was there any creature in the world as utterly adorable as this one?
When Jungwoo laughed, Seia broke into a bright, beaming smile too.
"Alright, it's time for us to get some sleep, Seia."
"Okay!"
It was already past nine o'clock.
He hadn't expected their first customer to arrive so soon, but everything seemed to have gone well enough. People appeared to look kindly on the fact that a small diner like this had a young child like Seia around. Most of all, he was relieved that the food had tasted decent—good enough to eat.
No matter how pleasant the atmosphere or how friendly the owner, a restaurant was ultimately a place people entered to eat. If the food wasn't good, they simply wouldn't come back.
"Why don't you go get ready for bed, Seia? Dad still needs to finish cleaning up."
At those words, Seia shook her head so hard her hair whipped through the air. The long strands that fell past her shoulders fluttered like a dark banner.
"Huh? Why not?"
"Seia wants to help clean too."
"Haha. You do, huh?"
He felt like he'd raised her with nothing extra, only the bare necessities, yet Seia was growing up so beautifully. If she was going to help, what could she actually do?
After a moment's thought, Jungwoo started by clearing the empty bowls from the customer's table and from where he and Seia had eaten. Then he handed her a clean dishcloth.
"Just copy what Dad does, okay?"
"Yes!"
He sprayed the table with the soju-filled mister, then wiped it clean with the cloth in smooth, steady strokes.
"Daddy."
"Yes?"
"What's that?"
Curious about whatever he was spraying, Seia's eyes kept darting between his hands and the mister.
"This is what we spray on the table before wiping it. You must never drink it, understand?"
"Yes! Seia wants to spray too!"
From the look on her face, it wasn't the liquid that fascinated her—it was the spray bottle itself. To Seia, it probably looked like a water gun.
"And you must never spray it on people either. Got it?"
"Yes!"
After answering with energetic confidence, Seia aimed the bottle at the table and gave it a vigorous squeeze. A wide mist of droplets sparkled under the still-lit lights.
Even though she was trying to be careful, soju was still too dangerous for her, so he'd quietly filled the bottle with water instead.
"Whoa..."
She was at the age when everything that glittered felt like magic. She had no idea her own eyes sparkled brighter than anything else.
"Okay then, my sweet girl. Please wipe it nice and clean for me, alright?"
"Yes! Cleanly—"
Seia's little brow furrowed in concentration. Jungwoo watched with warm affection as she scrubbed the table—which was much larger than she was—with all her might, then headed into the kitchen.
"I'll set out the menu boards first. And this should go up on the wall."
He planned to post the signature dishes on the wall and keep the more detailed options on the menu board. The representative items he had in mind were stir-fried pork, kimchi stew, and soybean paste stew. Those had been Seia's choices too.
She loved meat most of all. Stir-fried pork—though she still called it "pig stir-fry"—was her absolute favorite.
"I made the spice level adjustable, so there shouldn't be any problems."
When cooking for Seia, he toned down the heat until it was only faintly red. For customers, he added that signature spicy kick. There would always be people who couldn't handle heat well, after all. This diner would welcome hunters, but it wouldn't be only for hunters.
"It's the kitchen where Seia's meals are made too. Cleanliness is everything regardless."
Everything was still brand new and gleaming, but even when that shine eventually faded, Jungwoo refused to let it happen because of poor hygiene. Every dish would be prepared with the same care he gave to Seia's food—clean, sincere, and full of heart.
That was the entire purpose of this restaurant. Naming it after his late wife had come from that same resolve. It was his determination to create a place she could be proud of.
"The inventory is more than enough, so we won't have to worry for a while."
Once the menu boards were done, there wasn't much left. The dishes would be quick to wash anyway.
"Daaaad—"
"Yes?"
He stepped out of the kitchen at Seia's call and found her standing with both hands planted on her hips, waiting for him with proud confidence.
"Haha. All finished, Seia?"
"Yes! I made it cleeean."
When Jungwoo checked the table, he pressed a hand to his forehead, barely holding back laughter. The surface was completely drenched. Of course—he hadn't told her how much to spray. He'd simply said spraying would make it clean, so she had apparently gone all out. Water dripped steadily from the dishcloth in her small hands.
"Our Seia did a wonderful job wiping, but we only need a little spray next time."
"Ah...!"
"From now on, just give it one or two sprays before wiping. Understand?"
"Yes..."
"Still, you worked incredibly hard! That's my girl."
Seia's brief moment of dejection vanished at his praise. She perked up instantly.
"Yes! I wiped it really, really hard. Sparkly sparkly."
He'd read about this somewhere. Instead of praising only the result, find something in the process worth celebrating. When a child brought home good grades, you praised the effort that led to those grades rather than the score itself.
Jungwoo wasn't entirely sure if it was the right approach. He couldn't remember how he'd been raised. But watching Seia grow like this, he felt he wasn't steering her in the wrong direction. Different, perhaps, but not wrong.
"Dad still has a few things to finish. Would you sit here for a little while?"
"Yes!"
Seia clambered into her special seat with some effort. Jungwoo finished wiping the tables with a fresh cloth.
Her special seat was practically the best spot in the house. From there she could see every customer table and straight into the kitchen. She watched with bright, curious eyes as Jungwoo washed dishes and organized supplies.
He wrapped everything up quickly.
"All done."
There had only been one customer, and they hadn't officially opened yet, so closing duties had been light. When he glanced at Seia's seat again, her head was already nodding, her body swaying gently as sleep claimed her.
"She's an angel come to earth."
He wished he could freeze this moment forever. Just looking at her washed every worry and burden away. That was what Seia meant to him.
To a man who possessed nothing, she was an irreplaceable jewel that would never lose its light.
Moments like these were too precious to let slip by. Jungwoo took out his phone and quietly captured her sleeping face. He had already taken countless photos of her—so many he couldn't keep track. Modern phones had huge storage, and he intended to fill every byte with pictures of Seia.
"My princess needs to sleep comfortably."
He lifted her with infinite care, turned off the restaurant lights, and headed slowly up to the second floor. Every step was measured so he wouldn't wake her.
As he'd noted before, the second-floor home was far more spacious and cozy than he'd expected. There was no such thing as "Seia's room" and "Jungwoo's room." When they'd first moved in, he'd considered giving her a separate bedroom. The best way to decide was to ask her directly.
"Should Dad make a room just for Seia?"
Her answer had been short, but nothing could have been clearer. It was the first time he'd seen those big eyes fill with tears. He'd dropped the idea immediately.
"You really should brush your teeth... but this will be the last time, my daughter."
He couldn't bear to wake her when she was sleeping so peacefully. After laying her gently on the bed, he started to rise to wash up when—
"Mmm..."
Seia's arm, wrapped around his neck, tightened.
"Haha..."
At this rate he'd fall asleep without washing either. With no other choice, Jungwoo lay down beside her and began patting her back in a steady rhythm.
Pat. Pat.
Her soft breathing gradually deepened, and the arm around his neck went slack. He carefully slipped free and tucked her favorite doll into her arms.
A white rabbit plush. Time had turned it beige rather than pure white, but that only made it more charming. The moment the soft-furred rabbit settled against her, Seia hugged it tightly and sank even deeper into sleep.
Nights like this—when Seia slept soundly—were Jungwoo's most peaceful hours. A time to reflect on the day.
The small, outdated laptop he'd bought years ago didn't match the current era at all, yet to him it was the most precious thing besides Seia. It took a long time to boot up. He would press the power button, wash up quickly, and it would just be ready by the time he returned.
Whenever he took photos of Seia, he transferred them here. It wasn't for any special reason. Simply put, the odds of both his phone and laptop failing at the same time were low. This was purely for backup.
As he moved today's photos over, Jungwoo found himself scrolling through older ones, remembering each moment.
Seia sleeping peacefully.
Seia kicking through rain puddles.
Seia lying in bed with a fever after catching a cold.
Back then he'd been sick with worry, but now those hardships had become cherished memories too.
Whenever he organized his day like this and looked through the photos, time flew by. An hour or two would vanish in what felt like minutes.
He didn't enjoy staying up late, but perhaps what mattered wasn't the lateness itself, but the reason for it. After a long, busy day, these photos worked better than any energy tonic.
"Time to sleep for real now."
Once again he'd lost track of time while lost in memories. For tomorrow's sake, he needed rest. He had to wake early, clean the restaurant, and get Seia up and washed.
After shutting down the laptop, Jungwoo returned to the bed and lay down carefully beside her. Though she still clutched the rabbit doll, the moment he settled in, she instinctively snuggled into his arms.
If the rabbit was what Seia hugged to sleep, then for Jungwoo, Seia was that same comfort. His nighttime sedative. The sleeping pill that let him rest deeply.
When morning came, the sunlight would greet them both differently than it had yesterday. A new dawn. Just thinking about it made his heart flutter with quiet anticipation.
"Ha... I really need to sleep."
Even with his perfect sedative and sleeping pill right beside him, tonight sleep refused to arrive.