SIDE STORY 7

Living with her grandparents in Korea for a year, attending a Korean school, and spending two months in Korea every summer vacation, Rose’s Korean improved significantly.  

She finally learned to pronounce “Samchon” (Uncle) correctly, but for a while, she called Taejun “Santon.” It seemed it wasn’t easy to change a name once it became familiar.  

The summer she turned ten. When Rose returned from spending summer vacation in Korea and called Taejun “Samchon” for the first time, Taejun showed a rare, complicated expression.  

That night, before going to sleep, when asked how he felt about finally being called “Samchon” by Rose, Taejun looked troubled.  

‘Proud. Proud, but… sad. Why do I feel this way?’  

Rose grew at a frightening speed before their eyes.  

‘Rose, please don’t grow up too fast.’

Minhee would often murmur while hugging the suddenly taller Rose. Then Rose would place her palm above her head, draw a straight line in the air to Minhee’s shoulder, and smile lovingly.  

‘I’ve grown this much! Soon I’ll be taller than Aunt Minhee!’

Despite experiencing the terrible tragedy of losing her parents at a young age, Rose was bright and pure, but she was also more thoughtful and mature than her peers.  

Taejun and Minhee, recalling their own childhoods, where they had to mature beyond their years, felt a pang of sympathy for Rose.  

Shortly after Violet was born, they had another conversation with eleven-year-old Rose about adoption. Rose gave a shy smile with an apologetic expression.  

‘I’ll think about it. It’s not that I don’t want Aunt Minhee and Uncle to be my mom and dad. I just… need a little time.’

They understood Rose’s feelings. She felt sorry not to Taejun and Minhee, but to her own parents.  

All the while, Taejun and Minhee took special care to ensure Rose didn’t forget her parents.  

When the anniversary came, they opened the memory box Rose made and shared the memories inside. Even the reticent Taejun would tell Rose detailed stories about his brother and sister-in-law.  

Rose had spent as much time with Taejun and Minhee as she had with her parents. Her memories of them grew fainter each year, like faded photographs.  

But sometimes, Rose would look at her parents’ photos for a long time, as if trying to revive her memories. Minhee could never forget the tender expression Rose wore during those times.  

The guilt of a child whose once-small world of parents had become unfamiliar, the vague longing, and the incomplete, fragmented memories.  

It overlapped with Minhee’s feelings as her memories of her mother slowly faded.  

‘I think waiting until Rose decides for herself is the right thing to do.’

At Minhee’s words, Taejun nodded.  

At the same time, they constantly reminded themselves that their first child together was Rose and how special and precious she was to them.  

And finally, puberty arrived.  

***  

Taejun’s return from work.  

As soon as the sound of the front door opening was heard, Violet let out an “Oh!” in surprise. Her large gray eyes widened.  

Then she dropped her brother’s dinosaur model she was holding and waddled on her chubby short legs toward the entrance.  

“Appa-pappa!”  

Big, clear eyes, white skin, and rosy cheeks on her round face.  

Violet, except for the dimples that appeared when she smiled, was the spitting image of Minhee as a child.  

With her hair fluttering, she dashed on her bare feet toward Taejun, throwing herself at him.  

Taejun, kneeling on one knee and extending his arms, melted at the sight of his daughter.  

“Vivi. Were you good today without causing any trouble?”  

“Appa! Appa!”  

Stretching his lips, Taejun stood up with one arm around Violet, while Leo, who had approached, tugged on his pants.  

[Daddy, Daddy! Answer me! What’s the name of the herbivorous dinosaur that lived in South Africa during the Late Triassic?]

[Melanorosaurus.]  

At Taejun’s answer, Leo’s eyebrows drooped. Taejun chuckled and ruffled Leo’s hair.  

Leo was currently obsessed with dinosaurs and quizzed his dad with a question every day after work. It was a little game they started some time ago, and Taejun had won every round so far.  

“Vivi, hold on tight.”  

Taejun placed Violet’s arms around his neck and extended a foot toward Leo. Leo climbed onto the large foot and held Taejun’s hand.  

“Jump on three.”  

Leo looked up at Taejun and nodded excitedly.  

“One, two, three!”  

As Taejun lightly kicked his leg up, Leo soared into the air like a tossed soccer ball. Taejun caught him in mid-air, lifting him up.  

“Kyahaha!”  

Leo’s voice, a mix of screams and laughter, and Violet’s giggles, like a small ball rolling, echoed simultaneously.  

“Leo’s dream is to join the Big Apple Circus. Thanks to someone.”  

Minhee approached, wrapping her arms around Taejun’s waist, and gave him a playful glare. Taejun grinned and kissed Minhee.  

Seeing this, Violet wiggled her bottom.  

“Vivi! Vivi! Appa kiss!”  

Taejun lowered his head towards Violet, who grabbed his face with her small, chubby hands, pressing her nose against his cheek.

“Where’s Rose?”  

Taejun asked in a puzzled voice. The group hug routine, which started when Minhee came as Rose’s live-in tutor, continued, with the whole family greeting Taejun when he came home.  

“She’s getting ready for the Spring Fling.”  

“Spring Fling?”  

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?”  

When Taejun shook his head, Minhee made an “oops” expression.  

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. I forgot to tell you with the hectic start of the spring semester.”  

Minhee smiled sheepishly and moved toward the living room.  

“Spring Fling is the name of a dance party attended by middle school kids from private schools on the Upper East Side.”  

Taejun, following Minhee, set the kids down on the living room sofa.  

“A dance party… Isn’t Rose too young for that kind of thing?”  

Minhee replied nonchalantly.  

“More than half of the middle school kids around here attend the party.”  

Taejun raised an eyebrow.  

“…Are there boys there too?”  

Minhee chuckled as if she heard something absurd.  

“Of course! What fun would a dance party be with only girls?”  

In fact, until a year or two ago, Rose had no interest in boys.  

Attending an all-girls school, she had little opportunity to interact with boys, and she would make a face whenever she saw the typical childish, rough antics of boys her age.  

‘Eww, boys are so annoying! Ew, boys are really annoying!’

But Rose had entered puberty, and her little world turned upside down.  

The girl who insisted only on pink declared she would wear black, became interested in makeup, and no longer paid attention to unicorns and rainbows, which she once loved, saying they were for little kids.  

Last October, there was a joint musical performance between Aster School and its brother school, Alton School. The joint performance, involving all sixth graders, was a tradition between the two schools for decades.  

Rose auditioned and landed a fairly significant supporting role, and she became friendly with the boys from Alton School who came to Aster School for after-school rehearsals.  

After the joint musical performance, Rose’s perception of boys changed. They went from just being “annoying” to sometimes being “cute.”  

This was because Rose had her first “crush,” a boy she had a one-sided affection for. He was her partner in the musical performance.  

Rose confided all these details to Minhee, giggling together often, but she never told Taejun. She felt embarrassed to share such things with him.  

Taejun removed his jacket and loosened his tie. As soon as he sat on the sofa, Violet crawled onto his lap. Leo, dragging a worn dinosaur encyclopedia, sat at his feet and opened the book.  

“The kids decided to gather at Avery’s house and go together.”  

Avery, Rose’s best friend, lived just a block away.  

“Thankfully, Avery’s mom rented a limousine to take the kids to the party venue. Anton already agreed to pick up Rose when the party ends. Oh, and Dylan will escort Rose to Avery’s house.”  

“…Dylan?”  

Hearing the unfamiliar name, Taejun looked confused. He had memorized the names of the kids at Aster School, but Dylan wasn’t among them.