Chapter 92
“There’s plenty of baby food prepped and frozen in the freezer.”
They had even written out and stuck on the fridge instructions for thawing the baby food and combining the cubes.
“Why did you bother doing all this? I bought the best cuts of hanwoo because I was going to make it for her.”
“I thought it might be a hassle for you, Mom.”
“Why would it be a hassle for me? Making something delicious for her is fun, and you’re trying to take all that fun away.”
“You can eat the frozen stuff yourself when you get back.”
Even Yoonseok, who usually couldn’t resist picking at his wife, had no choice but to side with Madam Yang Jeongmi this time.
“Oh, and did you install the app in advance?”
Registering the two of them as co-parents on the childcare log app, whatever it was called, Bebetime or something, took yet more time. And just when they thought that was the end…
“For routines or care that aren’t in the app, I organized everything here, so please make sure you read it.”
He had even printed it out and made a booklet. Yoonseok had lived nearly forty years as a diplomat, but he had never seen such obsessive handover documentation.
“Uh… and what else did I miss?”
The busy rascal’s lecture, despite insisting they had to leave in ten minutes, showed no sign of ending.
“Kanghyeon-ah, we’ve raised a child too.”
“And the result is me.”
“You grew up just fine. What’s the problem?”
“Yeah, you unfilial brat. Be grateful to us.”
Only then did Kanghyeon remember the one last thing he had forgotten to say.
“Please don’t fight in front of Saebyeok-ie.”
Their daughter, busy sucking on frozen apple, still rolled her big eyes around as she stared intently at the adults around her, as if she understood the conversation.
“You know she takes after her mom, she’s smart and quick to read the room. She’s not just recognizing people anymore, she picks up on emotions and understands words pretty well.”
Right now his parents were united against the common enemy that was their son, but the moment he disappeared, wouldn’t they inevitably become rivals over their granddaughter? Even after saying it, Kanghyeon couldn’t feel at ease.
“Maybe we should’ve left her with Hyeji’s Grandma.”
“What? At her age, you want her to take care of a baby this big by herself for two weeks. Do you have any sense at all?”
“The helper aunties are there too though.”
“We won’t fight, we won’t fight.”
Jeongmi promised, panic-stricken at the thought of losing her chance to have her granddaughter all to herself for two whole weeks, but to Kanghyeon’s ears it sounded exactly like a politician saying, ‘I will work for the common people!’
“Alright. If we feel like fighting, we’ll close the door and fight.”
“Then who watches Saebyeok-ie? Fight over text.”
“Fine, fine. Hurry up and go! The ten minutes are already up!”
“Hyeji-ya, don’t worry about Saebyeok-ie and enjoy your honeymoon. Buy whatever you want with this.”
Jeongmi handed her a thick envelope of spending money she had already exchanged, stepping in for her nagging son.
“Thank you. We’ll use it well.”
As Hyeji accepted the money without even a token refusal, Kanghyeon looked at his daughter in her grandfather’s arms. The baby, smiling brightly without knowing anything, looked pitiful.
She’ll look for us.
It was the first time in Han Saebyeok’s life that both parents would disappear at once for two whole weeks. She might misunderstand and think Mom and Dad were gone forever.
That was why they had planned to go on their honeymoon later, once Saebyeok was older, the three of them together, but…
“Taking Saebyeok-ie along on trips is something you’ll do plenty of until she goes to college. The only chance for just the two of you while you’re young is now.”
“Your dad’s right. Every trip has its timing. If you go long after getting married, will it even feel like a honeymoon?”
“It’ll be a ‘restymoon’.”
“Ugh, what’s worn out is your sense of humor.”
When it came to marriage, Kanghyeon hadn’t listened to his parents’ advice, but now their words, that even if you regret going now you’ll regret not going later, kept nagging at him. His usual philosophy was that it was better to regret doing something than regret not doing it. And honestly, aside from missing his daughter for two weeks, what reason was there to regret a honeymoon?
“Saebyeok-ah, look at Daddy.”
The daughter he wouldn’t see for the next two weeks looked into his eyes with curiosity-filled pupils. Now was the moment.
If you play with Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad will definitely come back. If you play with Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad will definitely come back. If you play with Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad will definitely come back.
Kanghyeon planted the suggestion into his daughter’s mind. Since she probably didn’t fully understand language yet, he layered it with images too.
“So stay well with Grandma and Grandpa.”
Whether the suggestion worked or not, Saebyeok didn’t cry even as Mom and Dad grabbed only their big suitcases and stepped out the front door. She just stared blankly. Jeongmi waved the baby’s tiny hand.
“Saebyeok-ah, say ‘Have a good honeymoon, Mom and Dad.’”
“Have a safe trip. And don’t fight.”
“We don’t fight.”
“If you don’t fight, is that even a married couple? You’re just coworkers.”
