Side Story 3: Dad Can’t Be Stopped

“Dad, Mom gave birth to a doll.”

Hyunho whispered while peering at the baby sleeping in the cradle.

“I know.”

Seunghyuk looked back and forth between the sleeping Sohyun and the baby with a strange expression. He already knew from the 3D ultrasound that the baby was a girl and looked exactly like Sohyun. But seeing her in person felt completely different.

The nurse was amazed, saying it was the first time she’d seen such a pretty baby right after birth. The baby had distinct features and was doll-like and beautiful, just like Hyunho said.

“Huh? Yena opened her eyes.”

The newborn’s eyes were pitch black and sparkled like well-cut black diamonds. Her gaze was captivating, drawing people in.

“Hi, Yena? I’m your big brother.”

Hyunho whispered so the baby wouldn’t be startled.

“Dad, what are you doing? You should say hello too.”

“What?”

Seunghyuk asked, flustered.

“What do you mean what? ‘Hello?’ Don’t you know?”

“Uh.”

Seunghyuk leaned his head toward the baby. They say newborns can’t distinguish objects, but somehow it seemed the baby’s eyes were looking at Seunghyuk.

“Hello? I’m your dad.”

“Nice to meet you, little sister.”

Following Hyunho’s lead, Seunghyuk did the same.

“Nice to meet you, my… daughter.”

The moment he uttered the word “daughter,” Seunghyuk’s chest tightened.

‘My daughter, the pretty butterfly that flew into our family.’

Seunghyuk looked down at Hyunho, who was grinning nonstop.

“Are you happy?”

“Yeah, I’m super happy. I have a sibling now too.”

“Other kids say they hate it because their siblings steal their parents’ love.”

“Not me. I’m going to love my sister so, so much. Just like Mom did for me when she was my big sister.”

Seunghyuk was shocked by Hyunho’s words. He thought Hyunho had forgotten. The time when Sohyun was his big sister. He’d followed her well, calling her Mom. 

But Hyunho remembered everything. That Sohyun had been his big sister, that she’d raised him with love.

Seunghyuk stroked Hyunho’s head with remorse.

‘I haven’t been good enough to you all this time. I’m sorry, Hyunho. I’ll be better to you from now on.’

***

“Sir, President. Maybe you should just go home today…”

The chief secretary gently grabbed Seunghyuk’s arm, trying to stop him.

“Why? Isn’t today when the new products come in?”

Seunghyuk said as he stepped onto the department store escalator.

“That’s true, but I don’t think your wife will like it.”

“You mean there’s no place to put the stuff?”

“Exactly.”

The chief secretary wiped the sweat beading on his forehead with a handkerchief. Seunghyuk brought home toys every other day, so Sohyun had asked the chief secretary for help. 

Please stop Seunghyuk.

“You’re right, the house is too small now. Please pull together a list of houses to move to.”

“Pardon?”

“Spacious, with a garden. Oh, and a pool would be nice too.”

“Pardon?”

The chief secretary’s eyes widened.

When they reached the toy section, the store manager, recognizing Seunghyuk’s face, approached with a bright smile.

“Hello, Mr. President. Some really wonderful items came in today.”

“Oh, really?”

The chief secretary could only stare at Seunghyuk with blank eyes as he went on a shopping spree.

***

“Look at this, Yena.”

Seunghyuk shook a rattle made of solid wood. It was a new toy he’d bought today.

“Ooh…”

Yena, who was almost a hundred days old, made eye contact with Seunghyuk and started babbling.

“Ooh, ooh, what do you think? You like it too?”

“Ah-oo, ah-oo.”

Yena’s appearance as she babbled with her lips pursed and her cute little mouth open was so adorable it made his heart ache. She was cute, pretty, and lovable—no one could deny she was Sohyun’s daughter.

“That’s right, that’s right. Oh my, good job.”

“Good grief.”

Sohyun put her hand on her hip and sighed. Her eyes went back and forth restlessly between Seunghyuk babbling in collaboration with their daughter and the department store shopping bags on the floor.

“Seunghyuk, I told you, didn’t I? There’s no place to put things, so stop buying toys.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk about—how about we move to a bigger house?”

“Move?”

“Yena’s room is too small.”

“The room isn’t small—there are too many things. You bought a bicycle for a baby who can’t even walk, and what’s with the vanity set?”

“So today I got a rattle… Wait, wait, Dad? Did you say Dad, Yena? Sohyun, our Yena just said Dad. Yena, Dad! Dad!”

Sohyun shook her head in resignation. Was this really the same man who hated having children so much?

The man who worried about having his love stolen by a child was nowhere to be found—who was this man who came home from work with both hands full of presents, only looking at his daughter?

“Dad, are you playing with Yena again?”

Hyunho, who’d come home, approached them briskly.

“Hyunho, you’ve been busy lately.”

“I’m in fourth grade. There’s a lot to study.”

“Hyunho, want to go to a baseball game this Saturday? Your favorite team is playing.”

“Wow, really?”

Hyunho jumped high enough to hit the ceiling, then immediately looked crestfallen.

“I can’t. I have English supplementary class that day.”

“Why are you studying on a Saturday? Skip it.”

“It’s a native speaker class though?”

“That makes it even better. You can learn foreign languages by going abroad.”

“You don’t take classes to go abroad.”

“You learn faster when you go and experience it firsthand. Dad will help you. Let’s go to the baseball game.”

Seunghyuk ruffled Hyunho’s hair.

“Wow, Yena, your brother’s going to a baseball game this week.”

Hyunho spoke to Yena proudly.

“Ooh-ooh, ah-oo…”

Yena babbled while waving her arms and legs, seemingly responding.

“Ooh-goo, ooh-goo, that’s right, you’re happy too?”

“Yena said Dad.”

“No way, you’re lying.”

“Really? Yena, Dad, Dad!”

“No, say brother. Brother, brother.”

“Ah-oo-oo, bba.”

“Wow, she said brother.”

“No, she said Dad.”

“Bba, ah-oo-oong…”

Watching the noisy scene of now three people babbling together with Hyunho joining in, Sohyun finally laughed.

“You father and son really can’t be stopped.”

She couldn’t stand how lovable these men were, turning into fools in front of the baby.

end of side stories