Episode 58. Nightmare (1)
After December 31st passed.
Kang Dae-oh, who was greeting another new year with his family, exchanged New Year’s greetings with Min Seung-yeon and Kang Yeyoung as soon as the date changed to January 1st.
A little later.
Min Seung-yeon said with a hint of regret.
“It would have been nice if Yera and Yebin were here too.”
Kang Yera was currently working as a special MC at a music awards ceremony, so she couldn’t be with them.
Kang Yebin was in the same situation as her unnie.
She was also appearing at an acting awards ceremony hosted by one of the three major broadcasting stations, working with the MCs and hosting the show.
Watching his two daughters appearing simultaneously on different broadcasting stations at the same time, Kang Dae-oh wore a wry smile.
“Everyone’s busy. It can’t be helped.”
His daughters had been living busy lives ever since they started striving for success in their childhood.
Perhaps that’s why.
Since they became adults, there haven’t been many times when the whole family could gather on significant days like Christmas or New Year’s Day.
This time, too, they celebrated the New Year without Kang Yera and Kang Yebin.
Of course, he would be able to see his two daughters again in the morning.
But it was far from enough to erase the regret of not being together on a special day, at a special moment.
Even so, Kang Dae-oh couldn’t express any regret about his daughters working hard towards their dreams, so he decided to put more effort into comforting Min Seung-yeon.
Being together at special moments was important, of course.
“If we want to, we can meet anytime, us.”
This was also a very important fact, so Min Seung-yeon was able to force herself to swallow her regret.
Even with the new year, Kang Dae-oh’s workload did not decrease.
Instead, the tasks Kang Dae-oh had to check and sign increased.
The reason was global expansion.
In the past, managing only Japan was enough.
But now, thanks to Amare, which has opened in most countries, Kang Dae-oh was destined to continue his work hell, yesterday, today, and in the future.
Nevertheless, Kang Dae-oh didn’t particularly dislike his current situation.
‘If I think back to when I ran a cafe alone and business was bad, this is better.’
Kang Dae-oh seemed to be thinking about the past after a long time, so he paused his work, took out his smartphone, and started looking at old photos.
The days of his youth when he opened a cafe alone in the market and tried desperately to earn money.
One day, baby angels arrived, starting with Kang Yera, then Kang Yebin, and Kang Yeyoung. Three angels came to Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon.
But the angels didn’t just come empty-handed.
Thanks to the privilege of regression, Kang Dae-oh used the future memories his daughters told him to rise to his current position.
‘Back then, really. All sorts of things happened.’
Watching videos from his daughters’ school art performances, Kang Dae-oh briefly indulged in memories.
At that moment, the door to Kang Dae-oh’s office opened, and Vice President Yoo In-seok appeared.
He smiled faintly as he looked at the children’s art performance video playing on Kang Dae-oh’s screen.
“You were watching old videos.”
“Yes. What should I say? Perhaps because I’m getting older, whenever I have free time, I find myself re-watching old videos or photos like this.”
“I completely understand. Because I’m the same as you, CEO.”
“I thought as much.”
Perhaps it’s human instinct to try and recall the past as we embrace new times.
Kang Dae-oh was keenly feeling this fact these days.
Especially.
“When I see photos and videos of the kids when they were little, I really miss those times.”
The moment children are born, they take center stage in their parents’ lives.
Kang Dae-oh still held the same thought.
For his children.
With the wish for his children to be happy.
This was his number one goal in life.
“Still, your daughters, CEO, grew up without much stress, doing everything they wanted to do, didn’t they? In that sense, I think you must be very proud.”
Kang Dae-oh wanted to express deep empathy with Vice President Yoo In-seok’s words.
However.
If he applied what he had vaguely heard from his daughters about the time before their regression.
They hadn’t grown up just happily, as Vice President Yoo In-seok said.
Rather, it was filled only with despair.
How Kang Yera regressed to the past.
Why the other daughters also returned to the past.
These things had not yet been properly resolved.
Of course, he vaguely knew.
But because he only vaguely knew, Kang Dae-oh was afraid to ask his daughters directly.
Because.
He was afraid that he might hear things he didn’t want to hear.
There’s a reason why they say ignorance is bliss.
So, Kang Dae-oh preferred the happy present over the unfortunate past.
It was much better to encounter the past only through videos or photos, as he was doing now.
Vice President Yoo In-seok chuckled.
“I should leave work early today. Since you’re watching old photos and videos, CEO, I also feel like spending time with my family after a long time.”
“Didn’t you say everyone had left home?”
“But their homes are close, so they’ll probably come right away if I call them.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Sometimes, such a trip down memory lane is good.
Since things had turned out this way.
Kang Dae-oh also decided to follow Vice President Yoo In-seok’s lead and leave work right on time.
He harbored a slight expectation, wondering if he could gather with his family today.
But it was as expected.
The only person at home was Kang Yebin.
‘Min Seung-yeon isn’t here today either.’
He had heard she had a meeting in the afternoon.
It seemed it was extending quite late.
Meanwhile, Kang Yera, who was eating snacks and watching TV alone in the living room, greeted Kang Dae-oh, who had just returned.
“You worked hard, Dad!”
“Have you eaten?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Really? Then wait a little. I’ll make you something to eat.”
“You, Dad? You know how to cook?”
“Of course. Your mom usually handles it, but your dad can certainly make simple dishes.”
It felt a bit awkward to go out for a meal just the two of them.
But he also hesitated to order delivery.
Kang Dae-oh rarely ordered delivery food.
This was because the place where he first opened Amare was a market. Fresh ingredients were easily obtained by Kang Dae-oh simply stepping out of the cafe and taking a quick stroll around the entire market.
With a market right in front of his workplace, why would he need to go out of his way to find a supermarket?
Kang Dae-oh saw that as a loss, both in terms of time and price.
Perhaps because they were all part of the same market community, the merchants often sold Kang Dae-oh particularly good items at reasonable prices.
There were times when Min Seung-yeon would praise her husband every time Kang Dae-oh came back from shopping like this.
‘These are all memories too.’
Memories not only with his daughters but also with his wife came flooding back.
Kang Dae-oh, wearing an apron, said with a wry smile.
“I guess your dad is getting old these days.”
“Why suddenly?”
“Just. Whenever I have a bit of free time, I find myself looking at old photos and videos. And the frequency of spending time like that is gradually increasing.”
Kang Yera chuckled softly at her dad’s honest words.
“Yeyoung says she feels pressured whenever you say things like that, Dad.”
“Pressured? Suddenly?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She asked me, ‘Unnie, does Dad mean we should start getting married?’”
Kang Dae-oh shook his head, completely denying Kang Yera’s words.
“That’s absolutely not what I meant. I’m genuinely, purely, just saying this because I want to feel a bit of nostalgia for the old days, exactly as I said. So please tell Yeyoung she doesn’t need to feel pressured later.”
“Okay, Dad.”
Kang Dae-oh, who was about to diligently resume cooking, subtly threw a question to Kang Yera to continue the conversation.
“Yera, what about you? Have you ever had thoughts like Dad sometimes?”
Because she wouldn’t have only bad memories from before her regression.
So he asked cautiously.
However, Kang Yera’s answer was surprisingly firm.
“No, I haven’t. I’m very satisfied with my current life.”
There was no reason or need to look back.
Hearing his eldest daughter’s words, Kang Dae-oh did not ask further about it.
At the outdoor movie set, where overnight filming continued.
Despite it being night, the lighting was quite strong.
Kang Yebin, who decided to catch some sleep in the car while waiting, looked slightly flustered as the lights poured down much stronger than she expected.
“This won’t do. I’ll have to put on an eye mask to sleep.”
When Kang Yebin stated her thought, her manager dismissed it, telling her to wait a moment.
Then.
Chwarak, Chwarak!
She pulled the car’s blackout curtains attached to the window.
“This should do it.”
“Oh, you’re right. I didn’t think of that. Thank you, unnie.”
“You’re welcome. Sleep well. I’ll be as quiet as possible.”
“Okay. Then please wake me up when filming is about to start.”
“Got it.”
Kang Yebin reclined the seatback as far as it would go, lay down, and closed her eyes.
Since this wasn’t the first or second time she had to film all night, Kang Yebin had developed the habit of falling asleep immediately even in such an environment.
As she slowly drifted off to dreamland.
“……”
Kang Yebin’s expression gradually hardened.
Was she having a bad dream?
She began to toss and turn, and a faint groan escaped her lips.
A moment later.
Faint sleep-talking flowed from Kang Yebin’s lips.
“……Don’t do that…… unnie……”
Tears welled up in Kang Yebin’s eyes.
Her startled manager urgently woke her up.
“Yebin-ah. Yebin-ah? Wake up.”
“……”
Kang Yebin, opening her eyes belatedly, only then noticed the presence of tears flowing down her cheeks.
Her manager wiped Kang Yebin’s tears with her handkerchief and said.
“Did you have a bad dream? Surely you weren’t instructed to act tearful in your dream, were you?”
To lighten the heavy atmosphere a bit, the manager deliberately offered her guess in a joking tone.
Nevertheless, Kang Yebin remained silent for a while.
After letting out a deep sigh, she with great difficulty, truly with great difficulty, moved her tightly closed lips.
“Yes. I think so.”
It was a nightmare she didn’t want to recall.
No, a nightmare she absolutely didn’t want to remember.
