SIDE STORY 8

“Promise me you won’t say you heard it from me, and don’t act like you know. Promise!”  

At Minhee’s insistence, Taejun nodded reluctantly, looking puzzled.  

Only then did Minhee glance at Rose’s firmly closed door and lower her voice to whisper.  

“Dylan McNaught, he’s Rose’s crush. Remember the boy who was Rose’s partner in the joint musical performance? They say he’s really good at sports and studies. He stood out among the Alton School kids who acted like zoo monkeys because he had such good manners and was quite popular. Oh, and it turns out Dylan’s grandmother is Korean. That’s why they got closer.”  

“……”  

Taejun, surprised by this new information, was speechless for a moment.  

“Why am I only finding out about this now?”  

“Sorry for not telling you earlier. Rose was embarrassed and asked me to keep it a secret.”  

Taejun, looking pale, rested his elbows on his knees and covered his temples with his hands. He seemed genuinely shocked, so Minhee gently patted his back to comfort him.  

“Understand, it’s puberty. It’s an age full of secrets, especially for girls.”  

“Damn. So when is Dylan McNaught coming?”  

Minhee checked her watch.  

“Not long now. About fifteen minutes?”  

“Is it okay to send just the two of them? Shouldn’t an adult go with—”  

Taejun abruptly stopped speaking and pulled his phone from his suit pocket. Anton’s name and number appeared on the screen.  

Startled, Minhee snatched the phone from Taejun before he could press the call button.  

“Don’t even think about sending Anton! It’s just a walk together for one block. If Rose’s friends find out, she’ll be teased endlessly. How are you going to handle that blame—”  

At that moment, Rose’s door swung open, and she walked out.  

“Hi, Uncle! Aunt Minhee! Which one suits me better?”  

Rose stood in the living room, holding a small crossbody bag and a shoulder bag.  

She wore a tight-fitting black mini dress with thin straps and pink high-top sneakers that reached her ankles. They were items she had chosen while shopping with Luca. However, the hem of the skirt was way above her thighs.  

‘That’s strange… When she first tried it on, the skirt was about 5 cm above the knee…?’  

Minhee tilted her head in confusion.  

Then she noticed the uneven hemline. It seemed Rose had shortened the skirt herself with hand stitching. It was something girls her age might do.  

Taejun muttered incredulously.  

“…She’s going to a dance party in that outfit?”  

Ignoring Taejun, Rose ran over to Minhee, alternating between the two bags and striking poses.  

“Aunt Minhee, which one looks better?”  

Minhee pretended to ponder seriously, hesitating before pointing to the small crossbody bag. It was less likely to get lost while having fun.  

“Hmm… This one looks prettier.”  

“Right? I thought so too.”  

Then, ahem, Taejun cleared his throat. Rose and Minhee turned to look at him simultaneously.  

Violet was sitting on Taejun’s thigh, chewing on his tie, while Leo sat on his knee, pointing at dinosaur pictures and reciting their scientific names.  

With an awkward and desperate expression, Taejun spoke.  

“Well… um, the white dress you wore before, with small floral patterns and sleeves. That one also looked, um… nice on you, Rose.”  

Rose and Minhee froze simultaneously.  

Taejun, uncharacteristically stammering as he recommended a dress for Rose to wear to the party, left them unsure of how to react, blinking in confusion.  

Then Taejun pulled the tie from Violet’s mouth and cleared his throat again.  

“Ahem. The dress you’re wearing now is p-pretty, but it’s a bit… um, a bit short… So maybe change into that white dress—”  

Finally realizing which dress Taejun was talking about, Rose gaped and shouted in disbelief.  

“Uncle!! Are you telling me to wear the dress from my elementary school graduation to the Spring Fling?”  

“…Could it be too small now?”  

Taejun frowned seriously, and Rose shot back with a defiant look.  

“Uncle, is the problem that the dress is small? Wearing a dress like that to the Spring Fling is social suicide! I’d have to quit Aster School out of embarrassment. No private school on the Upper East Side would take me. We might have to move to New Jersey, where no one knows me! Uncle, you’re so uncool! This is how kids dress these days.”  

Rose mixed teenage exaggeration and hyperbole as she ranted.  

Taejun, looking dazed, stared at Rose, about to respond, but Minhee shook her head slightly, signaling him not to say anything.  

It was time for Minhee to intervene between the two.  

“Rose, it’s still chilly at night, so you should wear a coat over that. Why don’t you go get your coat? Dylan will be arriving soon.”  

As soon as Minhee mentioned Dylan’s name, Rose’s expression changed instantly.  

Her face turned crimson, and she bit her lip to hide her rising smile before darting into her room.  

Minhee approached Taejun from behind, who sat on the sofa with a dazed expression, watching Rose, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, gently patting him. It had been a long time since her husband had been this speechless.  

Aster School teachers called the 6th and 7th grades the “Crazy Years” during the four years of middle school.  

These were the two grades with the most incidents and dramas during the thirteen years of school life, including kindergarten.  

Kids just entering puberty experienced mood swings as intense as menopausal women. Moreover, they imitated the dress and behavior of high school girls, eager to grow up faster.  

Having witnessed and experienced the transformations of the young girls she taught as an elementary school teacher, Minhee naturally accepted Rose’s changes. But Taejun, who had to drop out of school at thirteen and focus on survival, had no time to experience the growth process called “puberty.”  

Therefore, it seemed even harder for him to understand the growing Rose, who in his heart was still the cute and lovable six-year-old.  

Taejun murmured as he rubbed his face with his hands.  

“When did Rose… when did she grow up like this?”  

“Rose is growing every day. All these changes are a natural process that teenagers go through, so don’t worry too much.”  

At that moment, the intercom rang. Taejun’s shoulders tensed momentarily.  

“Don’t open it.”  

Taejun warned in a grim voice.  

Minhee chuckled and kissed his temple.  

“Calm down. If you don’t want Rose to hate you forever, don’t be scary to Dylan. They’re still just kids, twelve and thirteen, right? Anyway, they’re just friends. For now.”  

Leaving Taejun sighing heavily behind her, Minhee picked up the intercom receiver. She told the doorman to send Dylan up and turned around to find Rose standing right behind her.  

“Holy macaroni! You scared me, Rose.”  

“Is it Dylan? Is he coming up now?”  

“Yes. He’ll be here soon. Are you ready for the party?”  

Rose hurriedly smoothed her hair with her fingers and asked urgently.  

“Aunt Minhee, how do I look? Is it okay?”  

“Slay!”  

Minhee gave a thumbs up, using the trendy word among school kids that replaced “cool.” Only then did Rose sigh in relief and give Minhee a thumbs up in return.  

“Aunt Minhee, you slay too!”  

The doorbell rang, and a moment of silence fell over the penthouse. Minhee whispered to Rose.  

“Remember what time your curfew is? Don’t be late coming home.”  

“Don’t worry.”  

Rose whispered back, straightening her shoulders and slightly lifting her chin.  

Minhee suppressed a laugh, biting her lip as she opened the front door.  

A tall, brown-haired boy with a friendly face, quite tall for thirteen, smiled politely at Minhee and extended his hand.  

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dylan McNaught. I’m here to pick up Rose.”  

Minhee shook Dylan’s hand with a smile.  

“Nice to meet you, Dylan. Please take good care of Rose on the way to Avery’s house.”  

Suddenly, a dark shadow fell over Dylan’s face.  

Minhee turned around.  

Taejun stood behind her like a statue, casting a shadow over Dylan with a chilly aura.