A Heartwarming Birthday Full of Love and Golden Chicken
The game of hide-and-seek ended with Seia as the winner, but the fun was far from over.
Next, it was Seia’s turn to hide.
By some twist of fate, the seeker turned out to be her little grandfather, Park Geon-su. He had looked rather troubled at the prospect.
After all, he could sense exactly where everyone was even if they concealed themselves perfectly.
Still, he made sure to finish the game by pretending he simply couldn’t find Seia and one other person.
“Seia, how was today?”
“It was so much fun!”
One look at Seia’s face told everything. She had truly enjoyed herself.
Jeong-woo could also read the secret expression hidden beneath her bright features—the one only he could see. That look that said she wanted to play even more games.
The ones he had taught her: freeze tag, Mugunghwa Flower Has Bloomed, and all the others.
Surprisingly, though, Seia didn’t beg to play anything else. Jeong-woo didn’t know why, but she seemed perfectly content with just the game of hide-and-seek today.
“Harabuji. Halmuni. Onni.”
At that moment, the triumphant glow faded from Seia’s face. She called out to everyone in a small, careful voice.
The slightly sad look in her eyes made them all turn to her with puzzled expressions.
“Yes, Seia?”
“Next time, on Seia’s birthday… I want to play Mugunghwa Flower Has Bloomed.”
Now they understood why she hadn’t asked for more games today.
She was saving them for later so she would have something to look forward to.
“Heh heh. Of course, my little one,” Park Geon-su said warmly.
“I’ll come too,” Seong Ye-eun added gently.
After everyone’s answers, a brief, comfortable silence settled over them.
“Well then, everyone must be hungry. Shall we enjoy the chicken I made myself?”
The already-fried chicken was still warm, and there was plenty of uncooked chicken left as well.
Since they had played the game Seia wanted, it was now time to eat the food she loved.
“Please stay seated. I’ll bring everything out. These cooled ones are for me…”
Jeong-woo carried the slightly cooled chicken back to the kitchen, even though it wasn’t completely cold. While fresh batches fried, the others pushed the tables together to form one long surface.
“Little one, happy birthday.”
Once everyone was seated, Park Geon-su spoke first, his voice full of grandfatherly affection as he handed over his gift.
“Whoa! Is this for Seia?”
“Of course it is. Go on, open it.”
The box had a rugged, handmade feel. It was fairly large, and the wrapping looked like he had done it himself.
Seia carefully tore the paper open. Inside was a beautiful doll whose clothes could be changed.
“Wooow…”
Until now, the only doll Seia had ever owned was her rabbit plushie. It wasn’t that she didn’t want other dolls, but she simply loved her rabbit the most because it was the cutest.
This new doll, however, felt more elegant than cute. Seia loved cute things, but she loved pretty things too.
Maybe that was part of why she liked Seong Ye-eun so much—because she was pretty.
“What do you think? Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Yes! She’s so pretty!”
Seia gazed at the doll with sparkling eyes for a long time. Then she suddenly turned to Seong Ye-eun, smiled softly, and said, “She looks like Onni.”
Seong Ye-eun flinched for a second. Her heart gave a small, unexpected flutter.
It wasn’t Seia’s usual bright, energetic voice. This was a gentle, quiet smile—the kind that seemed almost enchanting.
Is this… what they call flirting?
Her chest felt strangely warm. The way Seia spoke was so sweet and lovely. Had she learned it from Jeong-woo?
She glanced at him, but his expression suggested otherwise.
“In that spirit, why don’t we have Ye-eun give her gift next?” Park Geon-su suggested.
Seong Ye-eun quickly composed herself and took out her presents. One was something she had prepared herself. The other was the hand mirror the grandmother at the market had asked her to deliver.
Since one gift was inside a box, Seia’s eyes naturally went to the mirror first.
“Do you know the grandmother from the market?”
“Sajang-nim?”
“That’s right. She made this especially for you, Seia.”
“Whoa…”
It was a hand mirror perfectly sized for a child. The surface could capture her whole small face, and the handle had a soft, plush texture that reminded her of stroking a kitten.
Seia lifted it and looked at her reflection. She saw her face every day while washing up, but seeing it like this, outside, felt somehow new and different.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes! I’m going to tell Sajang-nim thank you.”
Since they went to the market almost every day, Seia made a firm promise to herself to give her heartfelt thanks the next time they met.
She clutched the hand mirror tightly in one hand.
In the other, she held the doll from her grandfather just as tightly.
And in her arms, she hugged her beloved rabbit plushie close.
After a moment of careful thought, Seia set down the things in her hands so she could open the remaining box fairly.
The moment she opened it, a soft, fragrant scent wafted out. Just breathing it in made her feel happier somehow.
“Hehe…”
Was this what it felt like to be enchanted by a scent?
Seia wore an expression of pure bliss, as if she were melting from the lovely fragrance she had never smelled before.
Inside the box was a small traditional lucky pouch.
Its classic design captured Seia’s attention completely.
“If you carry it with you, it will always give off a pleasant scent.”
“Hehe. It smells really, really good.”
In truth, this wasn’t an ordinary fragrant pouch. Though the contents were hidden, a Magic Stone lay inside.
It was a kind of talisman. The stone allowed the pouch to emit its scent semi-permanently. There was an old belief that carrying it would ward off misfortune and bring good luck. Some even said leaving one at home would bless the entire household.
Seong Ye-eun wasn’t usually one to believe in superstitions.
But this gift carried deep meaning. It was filled with her sincere wish for Seia to always be happy.
“Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. Happy birthday, Seia.”
Once again, Seong Ye-eun’s hand moved to stroke Seia’s hair but stopped halfway. She settled for offering a warm smile instead.
There were still many gifts left for Seia to receive—the couple who owned the building had prepared something, and Park Geon-su still had his own present.
“Our little puppy. You have to see what Grandma and Grandpa got you too.”
With those loving words from the grandmother, the grandfather placed their gift on the table.
Shopping bags and boxes soon covered the entire surface.
When Seia looked overwhelmed about where to begin, the grandmother kindly began showing her one by one.
“Now that it’s getting colder, we got you some warm clothes…”
There were plenty of outfits Seia could wear, along with adorable shoes. These were from the owners of the building where Seia had first gone to find Jeong-woo and where she had been staying until recently.
They knew better than anyone how much Seia loved the color brown, so nearly everything was in warm shades of it.
“Wooow…”
Seia’s eyes sparkled at the array of brown clothes spread before her. There were puffy padded jackets, coats, and even Ugg boots. She wondered if she could float through the entire winter wearing just these.
“Thank you so much!”
“Hehe, you’re welcome, our little puppy.”
The building owners couldn’t hide their proud, satisfied expressions. This was exactly why spending money felt so good.
Next—and last—was Park Geon-su’s turn. The little grandfather took out a neatly wrapped box and handed it to Seia. It was about the same size as the one Seong Ye-eun had given her.
When she opened it, she found something that looked like a brooch. A jewel-like object was set in the center, small yet radiant, sparkling with an enchanting light.
“What is this?”
“It’s called a brooch, my dear. You wear it on your clothes as decoration.”
“It’s so pretty…”
The center was a Magic Stone that had been used in place of a gem. Its exceptional craftsmanship made it shine even more brilliantly than ordinary jewels.
“Like this?”
Seia brought it to the clothes she was wearing after hearing it was for decoration.
“Heh heh. Yes, that’s right. Here, let me put it on for you.”
After Park Geon-su personally attached the brooch to Seia’s clothes, the gift-giving came to an end.
Just then, the perfectly fried chicken began to arrive at the table.
“Wait, what kind of gifts are these…”
Jeong-woo, who had been completely focused on frying the chicken to perfection, finally got a good look at the presents. He knew better than to judge their value, but even at a glance it was clear none of them were ordinary.
“It’s all thanks to the chicken,” Park Geon-su said with a mischievous smile.
“Exactly. Please think of it that way.”
“Thank you. Now, let’s eat. I did my best, but I’m not sure how it turned out. Haha.”
“Everything Daddy makes is delicious!”
Seia’s words were meant for both Jeong-woo and everyone else. She was the one guaranteeing the taste, even though she hadn’t tried it yet.
But just looking at the chicken told them everything. Fresh poultry perfectly seasoned, fried to a beautiful golden crisp in clean oil. The batter wasn’t merely yellow—it had that deep, rich hue of true gold. It looked so crunchy you could almost hear it just by looking.
Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing echoed through the quiet restaurant. Of course, it was Seia.
Chicken was her favorite food. And now that beloved chicken had been reborn at her own father’s hands.
“It’s hot, so be careful. That goes for everyone else too. Eat slowly.”
Seia gripped a fork in each hand and picked up the roundest piece of chicken, placing it on her plate.
She held both forks backward and immediately began the delicate work of dismantling it. As expected, it wasn’t easy at all.
Her mouth was watering, her heart was racing, and the chicken—fresh from the fryer—was far too hot. It refused to let her easily claim the tender meat.
After finally pulling some meat free, Seia stared at the steaming piece on her fork for a moment. It looked both intimidating and incredibly appetizing.
She cautiously stuck out the tip of her tongue. It didn’t seem that hot.
She was wrong.
“Hot, hot…!”
“Heh heh. You’ll burn your tongue at that rate. Eat slowly, my little one.”
Seia was still no expert when it came to deboning chicken.
The adults, however, could tell exactly which part of the chicken each piece came from just by looking. As if they had planned it beforehand, they all worked together to pick out the softest, most tender bits for her.
At first Seia had used her forks to debone the meat herself, but soon her forks were only used for picking up the perfectly prepared pieces.
One large, tender chunk of chicken. One side was coated in crisp golden batter, while the other glistened with juicy meat.
Jeong-woo had prepared a simple yet perfect combination of his own special sauce, salt, and mustard. Before trying any of them, Seia simply savored the pure taste of the chicken first.
“Mmm.”
It was still hot, but that only made it more delicious. Each bite brought a satisfying crunch followed by moist, tender meat. The fragrant aroma of fresh, perfectly fried chicken completed the harmony.
It was so perfect that Seia closed her eyes, forgetting to even chew for a moment.
“I-it’s so good…”
Seia’s voice held more than just joy. It was filled with pure emotion. The overwhelming flavor was so moving it brought tears to her eyes.