Episode 6. The Second Child Is Born (4)
As the night deepened, the atmosphere between Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon, who were looking at each other, also ripened.
“Shall we have one more drink each before heading in?”
At Kang Dae-oh’s suggestion, Min Seung-yeon smiled brightly.
“What if you get too drunk and pass out like I said earlier? Honey, I’m going to make sure you don’t sleep tonight.”
At his wife’s provocative remark, Kang Dae-oh involuntarily gave a wry smile.
Just as the last cocktails the couple ordered were placed in front of them.
A man passed by, reacted with ‘Huh?’, and spoke to the couple first.
“Hello! You’re the ones I took a picture of during dinner earlier, right?”
The male staff recognized the couple and approached where they were.
“Where is the baby?”
“She’s sleeping in the room.”
“You two were having a cozy time together. I’m sorry. I interfered unnecessarily.”
Kang Dae-oh shook his head.
“No, not at all. Thanks to you taking such a great photo earlier, my wife loved it so much… I was actually hoping to run into you again while walking around here, so I could express my gratitude. I’m glad we got the chance.”
At the words of thanks, the male staff scratched his head, saying it was nothing.
“I’m studying photography in my spare time while working here. I’m glad you liked it.”
“No wonder. I said I could feel the scent of a professional in the photo. So you’re aiming to be a photographer.”
The male staff nodded, then suddenly formed a rectangle with his index fingers and thumbs, taking a posture as if framing the couple in a shot.
“If you liked the photo I took, shall I take another one for you?”
Kang Dae-oh looked at Min Seung-yeon.
Min Seung-yeon nodded vigorously and handed her smartphone to the male staff once more.
“Alright, I’ll take it now. One, two… Cheese~!”
Following the male staff’s “Cheese” cue, the couple curled up the corners of their mouths.
Click!
The photo taken with the open bar as a background also turned out very well, as expected.
Thanks to the male staff, Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon secured a few more memorable photos.
The two were only able to get up from their seats after finishing every last drop of their remaining cocktails.
“Shall we head back now?”
“Let’s.”
Before that, Kang Dae-oh had something he wanted to confirm with Min Seung-yeon.
“Honey. By any chance… are you thinking of a second child?”
At the mention of a second child, Min Seung-yeon’s face turned red.
She quickly looked around, then slapped Kang Dae-oh’s arm, making a smack-smack sound.
“There are people around, you really have no filter!”
“No, I just asked in a pure sense.”
“I don’t know…! But raising Yera, it seems parenting isn’t as hard as I thought. Maybe having a second child would be okay…?”
In fact, parenting felt easy thanks to Kang Yera behaving well on her own.
It was expected that the difficulty would significantly increase starting with the second child, but since Min Seung-yeon said it was okay.
‘If Yera and I help diligently, it’ll work out somehow.’
Min Seung-yeon reached out and linked arms with Kang Dae-oh.
A sweet scent wafted from her as she gently leaned against him.
Was it the scent of the cocktail?
Or.
Was it a sign of his wife’s love, filled with anticipation for making love with her husband after a long time?
He couldn’t be sure.
‘Well, that’s not what’s important anyway.’
To make a second child.
Kang Dae-oh intended to try his best tonight.
Fearing that sleeping Yera might wake up, Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon carefully opened the front door, trying to make as little noise as possible.
Min Seung-yeon, who entered the room, turned on the living room light and pointed to the firmly closed bedroom door.
“Can you check if Yera is sleeping? I’ll be taking a shower in the meantime.”
Kang Dae-oh knew very well what the shower was for.
Kang Dae-oh nodded and slowly opened the bedroom door.
At that moment.
“……!”
Kang Dae-oh almost screamed without realizing it.
It was because of Yera, who was looking up at him with wide eyes, close to the door.
“Oh, you weren’t sleeping?”
“Shhh—!”
Kang Yera put her index finger on her lips, signaling her dad to be quiet.
“I’ll pretend to be asleep, so go quickly.”
“Go? Where?”
“Mom said she’s going to shower, right? You should go in with her and do this and that. Haven’t you watched dramas?”
“……”
The words “Isn’t it you who watches too many dramas?” almost slipped out unintentionally.
Hearing such words from his young daughter made him feel very strange.
“Hurry up!”
“Ah, alright.”
Kang Dae-oh reluctantly left his spot.
Meanwhile. As if she heard voices, Min Seung-yeon stopped undressing and quietly asked her husband.
“Yera, are you awake?”
Kang Dae-oh and Kang Yera’s gazes crossed once more.
Even for Kang Yera, who shook her head.
Kang Dae-oh uttered a white lie.
“No. She’s sleeping. Very soundly.”
Kang Yera gave a thumbs-up, signaling “Good.”
To think he would be receiving marital coaching from his daughter.
‘I’ve really experienced all sorts of things in my life.’
He kept letting out hollow laughs, thinking that no other dad in the world would have experienced something like this.
After finishing their 2-night, 3-day family trip and returning to daily life, Kang Dae-oh diligently greeted customers today as well.
As Kang Yera, who used to attend a cultural center, began attending daycare full-time, there was a change in the customer base visiting the cafe run by Kang Dae-oh.
“Hello! You’re Yera’s father, right?”
“Yes, that’s right, but…”
“I’m Junwoo’s mom, from the same daycare as Yera. Yera helped our Junwoo a lot with his picky eating habits. I’m so grateful… I heard you run a cafe, so I plan to only come here from now on. Thank you so much.”
Kang Dae-oh smiled and thought to himself.
‘They’re here again.’
It had only been 10 days since Kang Yera started attending daycare.
Already, mothers were starting to visit Kang Dae-oh’s cafe, saying that Kang Yera had helped their children a lot.
Thanks to this, the cafe’s sales continued their high-point streak every month.
Kang Dae-oh even had to put up a part-time job advertisement, having decided it was too difficult to run the cafe alone.
“Oh my! The coffee is delicious too!”
“Indeed. Yera’s father, you’re very skilled.”
“Junwoo’s mom. Let’s come here again with Yera’s mom.”
“Oh, that’s great!”
The mothers’ chitchat session officially began.
Perhaps because Min Seung-yeon’s name came up.
Just then, she visited Kang Dae-oh’s cafe.
“Yera’s mom!”
“We were just talking about contacting Yera’s mom anyway.”
However, Min Seung-yeon’s expression was unusual.
She gave an awkward smile and told the mothers they would talk later.
Stomp, stomp.
She approached Kang Dae-oh.
“Honey. Just a moment.”
“Huh? Why?”
Leaving behind the worried mothers who wondered if the couple might be having a fight, Min Seung-yeon grabbed her husband’s wrist and headed inside the cafe.
Her expression became quite serious.
Consequently, Kang Dae-oh also became tense.
“What’s wrong? Did something bad happen?”
Kang Dae-oh wondered if he had made some big mistake with Min Seung-yeon that made her angry.
No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t recall doing anything that would cause it.
He also worried if something had happened to their daughter. A myriad of thoughts crossed his mind.
However, Min Seung-yeon’s answer was far from a “worry.”
“Look at this.”
What was in her hand was none other than.
A pregnancy test kit.
Two distinct red lines.
“I think I’m pregnant.”
As Kang Yera had predicted.
Indeed, after the family trip, a second baby angel had come to join the family.
As Min Seung-yeon became pregnant with their second child, there was a big change in the family’s daily routine.
The biggest change was Kang Dae-oh’s work schedule.
He decided to close the cafe earlier and take one day off unconditionally each week.
He planned to use his free time to take care of Min Seung-yeon as much as possible and look after Kang Yera.
However, there was nothing much to take care of.
Because Kang Yera was doing everything well on her own.
“Our daughter eats so well by herself!”
Min Seung-yeon smiled contentedly as she watched Kang Yera skillfully eat the meal Kang Dae-oh had prepared, holding a plastic spoon.
Entering her seventh month of pregnancy, Min Seung-yeon’s belly was growing steadily.
As her body became heavier, the things she could do gradually decreased.
Still, Min Seung-yeon wasn’t too worried.
Because the closer she got to full term, the more things Kang Yera could do on her own.
And her husband also tried to help as much as he could.
Min Seung-yeon felt much more at ease.
“Oh my!”
Suddenly, she put her hand on her belly and reacted with surprise.
Kang Dae-oh, who was doing dishes, turned his head towards the sofa where Min Seung-yeon was sitting and asked.
“Did the baby move?”
“Yes. Do you want to feel?”
“Just a moment.”
Kang Dae-oh took off his rubber gloves and placed his hand on Min Seung-yeon’s belly.
Then, he felt something tap his hand.
How to describe it. It was like…
“It feels like it’s high-fiving with dad.”
At the word “high-five,” Min Seung-yeon chuckled.
“Oh, come on, no way. A baby who hasn’t even been born yet couldn’t possibly think and move on its own already, right?”
“……”
Kang Dae-oh involuntarily looked at Kang Yera.
Kang Yera made a meaningful expression and asked her dad.
“Why, dad?”
“……No, nothing.”
Min Seung-yeon wouldn’t know.
The fact that there was already a precedent.
He thought it couldn’t be the second child too.
However, the baby responding only to Kang Dae-oh’s hand position was quite unusual.
Kang Dae-oh, just in case, moved his hand to a different spot.
Then, this time too, the fetus showed a miracle by accurately identifying the location of Kang Dae-oh’s hand.
‘No way… it can’t be, right?’
The feeling was somehow ominous.
Two days before Min Seung-yeon was admitted to the obstetrics and gynecology hospital.
Since she couldn’t leave Kang Yera at home alone, she visited her in-laws’ house with Kang Dae-oh.
It was to leave Kang Yera with her mother-in-law and father-in-law for a few days.
“Then, please take good care of Yera, mother-in-law, father-in-law.”
“Don’t worry, dear.”
“I wish you a safe delivery. When the baby is born, I’ll bring Yera to visit.”
“Yes. Please do come. I’ll be waiting.”
Finally, Min Seung-yeon kissed Kang Yera’s forehead and said goodbye.
“Mom will see you again in a few days. Until then, don’t cry and wait patiently, okay?”
“Yes, mom. Don’t worry. Dad too.”
Kang Dae-oh awkwardly curled up the corners of his mouth.
Dad doesn’t worry.
Because he already knows Kang Yera’s true nature.
After a brief farewell, Kang Dae-oh said to Min Seung-yeon.
“Let’s go now, honey.”
“Alright.”
Before stepping out the front door.
Kang Yera stopped Kang Dae-oh for a moment.
“Dad!”
“Huh, daughter. Why?”
“Please take good care of mom and my sibling.”
Everyone smiled contentedly at the mature words of their daughter.
Kang Dae-oh smiled brightly and replied in a strong voice.
“Alright. Dad will take responsibility and do well.”
It was a request from his beloved eldest daughter, not just anyone.
As a dad, he naturally had to grant it.
