Episode 10. Object of Aspiration (2)
While she was busy with housework, Min Seung-yeon tilted her head at the absurd call from her husband.
“Do I just need to hand the phone to Yebin?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Why suddenly? Do you want to video call Yebin or something?”
When work is difficult and exhausting, there’s no better remedy for parents than their children.
Min Seung-yeon suddenly wondered, ‘Is Kang Dae-oh saying he wants to video call Kang Yebin because the cafe work has been really tough lately?’
However, for that to be the case, his voice was overflowing with vitality.
He even sounded like someone who had something exciting happen.
“Alright. Wait a minute.”
It was perfectly normal for a father to miss his daughter. Min Seung-yeon decided not to make a big deal out of it and switched to a video call.
After that, she approached Kang Yebin, who was reading something by herself on the living room mattress.
“Yebin-ah. Daddy wants to see our daughter.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Mom will be doing the dishes in the kitchen, so talk to Dad. Okay?”
“Okay.”
With the smartphone fixed on its stand, Min Seung-yeon moved to finish the housework she was doing.
Kang Yebin secretly watched her mother walk away, then adjusted the smartphone’s volume.
Only after lowering the volume to a level her mother couldn’t hear did Kang Yebin open her mouth.
“Dad. What’s going on? You’re video calling me at this hour…”
Her expression and tone completely transformed from that of a child to an adult woman.
Although her pronunciation still slipped a bit, it was much, much better now compared to when she was babbling.
As if she thought he had deliberately called because he wanted to discuss something about the future with her, Kang Yebin continued the call while constantly monitoring her mother’s movements.
Just as she expected.
A question emerged from Kang Dae-oh’s mouth.
A comment was left on the video of Kang Yera singing a children’s song at the pediatrician’s office, and he wanted to ask about it.
“They said they’d like her to sing a theme song for a children’s animation. It’s a place called JT Studio. I was wondering if it’s okay.”
“JT…”
“I searched online, but it didn’t come up. They said it’s a studio started by someone named Na Jun-tae producer?”
“…Ah!”
The moment she heard the name Na Jun-tae, Kang Yebin’s expression changed 180 degrees.
“Dad. Did you perhaps try to contact that person?”
“No, not yet. I only got their contact information. Just in case, I wanted to ask you and Yera first before replying.”
It’s better to tap on a stone bridge before crossing it.
Especially since it concerned his daughters, Kang Dae-oh wanted to approach the situation with the utmost caution.
After all, his daughters had worked in the entertainment industry in the future before regressing.
If there was anything he didn’t know, it was best to ask them.
“Among the people I know, there is someone named Na Jun-tae. He’s also a producer, you know? But whether it’s the same person, I don’t really know.”
“So, there’s a possibility of them being a namesake, right?”
“Yes.”
Furthermore, both of them make producing their profession.
Could this be considered a coincidence?
He couldn’t know for sure.
Not until he confirmed it himself.
“Then Yebin, what kind of person is the Na Jun-tae you know?”
“He’s a star composer. I know him as someone who has written many famous songs, to the point of being called a hit-song machine (제조기).”
Even popular singers would willingly join a waiting list to receive a song written by Na Jun-tae.
If the Na Jun-tae who contacted Kang Dae-oh was indeed that Na Jun-tae…
This matter could provide a huge opportunity for Kang Yera to achieve her dream.
Kang Dae-oh’s worries deepened.
“Daughter. So… Na Jun-tae, you said? Would you be able to tell just by looking at his face?”
“Yes. I’ve run into him several times at the broadcasting station too. So I’ll know if I see him.”
“…Really?”
An idea flashed through Kang Dae-oh’s mind.
A good way to proceed with this matter surely and safely had come to him.
The next day.
Min Seung-yeon took Kang Yebin somewhere.
Her steps led to the cafe operated by Kang Dae-oh.
Ttal-lang! As she opened the door and stepped inside, Kang Dae-oh welcomed the mother and daughter as if he had been waiting for them.
“Welcome.”
Unlike Kang Dae-oh, who had a bright expression, Min Seung-yeon seemed quite uncomfortable.
“Are you really sure it’s okay?”
“Huh? What?”
“No. You suddenly told me that you’d watch Yebin today, so I should make plans with my friends and enjoy myself for a day. It’s just strange because you said it so suddenly.”
There had been no prior indication whatsoever.
So when her husband suddenly brought this up, she doubted her ears.
Kang Dae-oh took Kang Yebin from Min Seung-yeon and continued speaking.
“It’s not sudden. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. You’ve been struggling so much with childcare. Even if it’s not a lot, I wanted to give you a day where you could forget the word ‘childcare’ from your mind.”
“If you do that, I’d like it, but… then why did you open the store today? You could have just stayed home all morning.”
“Because there’s someone I’m meeting.”
“You have a meeting? Then wouldn’t leaving Yebin here actually be a hindrance?”
“No. It’s a meeting where Yebin absolutely has to be present.”
“…???”
The more explanations she heard from her husband, the less Min Seung-yeon could figure out what he was thinking.
Before Min Seung-yeon could probe further.
Kang Dae-oh gently pushed her back.
“Didn’t you say you were meeting your friends before lunch? You might be late if you stay here, so hurry and go.”
“Al…right. My daughter, you have to be good with Dad. Okay? Don’t cry just because Mom’s not here.”
“Yes—!”
Kang Yebin replied energetically.
Min Seung-yeon, who poked her second daughter’s cheek with her fingertip, grabbed her handbag and walked out of the store.
Once only Kang Dae-oh and she were left, a deep sigh escaped Kang Yebin’s lips.
“It’s hard acting like a one-year-old baby.”
“My daughter is going through a lot of trouble.”
“More importantly, Na Jun-tae producer-nim, what time is he supposed to come?”
Kang Dae-oh checked the current time and replied.
“He’s supposed to come here around 11 o’clock.”
“By the way, how… did the meeting happen so quickly?”
“Na Jun-tae producer, was it? It seems he has a very tight schedule for making theme songs. He said he has some circumstances. He’ll tell us when we meet today, so let’s hear it together with Dad later.”
“Yes. But Dad.”
“Huh?”
“Mom and unnie about this matter. Why did you say we should keep it a secret for now?”
Even if it was to prevent Min Seung-yeon from worrying unnecessarily, Kang Yebin kept wondering, ‘Shouldn’t we tell Kang Yera since she’s the one involved?’
Kang Dae-oh replied to this as follows.
“I thought it would be better to confirm first if this Na Jun-tae producer is the person you know, Yebin, the future star producer, before telling her. If we told Yera without confirming, and it turns out he’s not that person when we meet him, Yera might be disappointed, you see. And if he’s not, there’s also a possibility that he’s a fraud.”
Kang Yera receiving a request for a children’s animation theme song so early was from another timeline in the future. In other words, it was something that didn’t happen in the dimension where Kang Yera and Kang Yebin originally lived.
Therefore, the possibility of it being a scam could not be ruled out.
But if the Na Jun-tae producer was indeed the person Kang Yebin knew…
It seemed best to tell Kang Yera about this and proceed with the contract unconditionally.
Kang Dae-oh didn’t want to create any unnecessary worries for Kang Yera.
All of this was ultimately because of a father’s heart.
Having finally heard all of Kang Dae-oh’s true intentions, Kang Yebin nodded her small head with an expression that said she completely understood.
“So I just need to stay in the cafe?”
“Uh-huh. But you need to look as much like a normal baby as possible to Na Jun-tae producer. I’d like you to pay attention to that point. In that sense…”
Kang Dae-oh pulled out something he had prepared beforehand.
“My second little baby, how about you hold a pacifier for a change?”
“…I don’t want to.”
“Other babies have a hard time giving up pacifiers, but you and your unnie really hate them. What’s the reason?”
“Because it makes me look like a baby.”
“No, you are a baby.”
Even if she wasn’t on the inside, she was a child on the outside.
As long as a law isn’t enacted in South Korea to determine age by mental age rather than physical appearance, Kang Dae-oh’s words are correct.
Haa.
Kang Yebin, after letting out a deep sigh, reluctantly put the pacifier Kang Dae-oh handed her into her mouth.
Umul-umul, jjeup-jjeup!
Kang Yebin’s chubby cheeks moved diligently.
At the sight of his second daughter like this, a smile naturally formed on Kang Dae-oh’s lips.
His first and second daughters often displayed adult-like speech and behavior in front of Kang Dae-oh.
But when they acted just like ordinary babies, their cuteness was almost lethal.
‘Indeed. My children are the prettiest and cutest.’
When it comes to one’s children, it doesn’t matter if one is biased.
It’s natural for parents.
As they talked, time flew by, and it was already 11 AM.
Exactly on time, the cafe door opened once more.
“Is this perhaps the cafe operated by Kang Yera’s father…”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m Kang Dae-oh, who contacted you yesterday.”
As Kang Dae-oh greeted him, he was inwardly surprised when he saw the man who had visited the store.
‘He looks almost the same age as me?’
He looked like he was in his late 20s to early 30s.
He hadn’t expected him to be so young.
He wanted to ask how old he was.
But he thought that asking someone’s age upon first meeting might be a breach of etiquette as a citizen residing in a country of Eastern courtesy, so he kept his mouth shut.
Meanwhile, Na Jun-tae producer handed Kang Dae-oh a business card.
“I’m Na Jun-tae. And this cute baby here…”
“She’s Yera’s younger sister.”
“Ah! I see. No wonder. I thought their features looked similar.”
It was natural for sisters to resemble each other.
“But aren’t you operating the cafe right now? Are you working and looking after the baby at the same time?”
“After I talk with producer-nim here, I plan to close the store and go home for the day anyway. It’s fine.”
“Ah, I see. I hope you didn’t deliberately open the cafe on your day off just because of me…”
“No, not at all. I just suddenly felt like taking a break. Please, have a seat here. What can I get you to drink?”
“Then, an iced Americano, please.”
“Understood.”
As they moved to their seats.
Kang Dae-oh pretended to comfort Kang Yebin and secretly whispered to her.
“How is it? Daughter. Is he the person you know?”
Kang Yebin’s head, which had been squinting and examining Na Jun-tae,
Kkeudeok-kkeudeok.
Moved up and down.
