Episode 25. Doing What You Love (2)
Kang Dae-oh’s daughters possessed a powerful ability to know what would happen in the future.
However, merely ‘knowing’ wasn’t enough.
To properly utilize their future knowledge, they needed someone to act on their behalf.
This was because they were still very young, and many things were restricted for them.
The person who mainly took on this role of action leader was Kang Dae-oh.
Today, too, he took his wife on a late-night drive, fulfilling his daughters’ wishes.
Looking at the rapidly passing scenery outside the car window, Min Seung-yeon hummed softly along to the song playing on the radio.
Since she took care of all the housework, she spent relatively less time outside the house compared to her husband or daughters.
Perhaps that’s why.
“You look happy?”
To Kang Dae-oh’s eyes, Min Seung-yeon seemed quite excited.
Min Seung-yeon gave an awkward smile at her husband’s words, which hit the nail on the head.
“I didn’t know going out for a breath of fresh air at night could feel this good.”
Even though South Korea is evaluated as having relatively good public safety compared to other countries, it is advisable to avoid a woman walking alone at night.
Moreover, Min Seung-yeon was raising three children.
It was difficult to spend time like this unless it was a drive… no, a walk with her husband in this manner.
Kang Dae-oh nodded several times while turning the steering wheel.
“If you want to go out like this anytime, just tell me.”
“It’s okay. You must be very tired after work.”
“I get to heal with you too, doing this. It’s actually good, you know.”
She knew well that he said it out of consideration for her.
Min Seung-yeon’s smile deepened at her husband’s words.
“But honey, where are we going?”
“You’ll know when we get there. Or, is there anywhere you want to go?”
Min Seung-yeon thought for a very short moment.
But then she shook her head.
“No. Nothing specific comes to mind. I’ll just go wherever you want to go.”
“Alright.”
With his wife’s belated permission.
Kang Dae-oh could step on the accelerator without hesitation.
When Kang Dae-oh stopped the car, Min Seung-yeon reacted as if she knew where her husband had brought her.
“This is that place, isn’t it? The park where we used to have many dates.”
“That’s right.”
Before Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon got married, this was their main dating spot.
A park in the city center with a small lake.
Since they were young and didn’t have much money, dating in the park was frequent.
Whenever that happened, Kang Dae-oh used to say this to Min Seung-yeon, his ex-girlfriend and current wife:
“I used to say I’d definitely earn a lot of money later and take you to eat dinner while looking at the night view from a skyscraper.”
Min Seung-yeon adjusted her cardigan, which had slipped down slightly.
“We ate at a place like that just last week. Not just the two of us, though; we went with the kids.”
Now, Kang Dae-oh had become the well-earning husband he had so desired, reaching a level where he didn’t have to worry about how much money a single meal would cost, unlike before.
Min Seung-yeon was thoroughly satisfied with her current life.
She loved this environment where she didn’t have to worry about anything else and could solely focus on her family.
However, Kang Dae-oh wondered if Min Seung-yeon was truly happy with this aspect of herself.
Kang Dae-oh leaned against the railing by the lake and spoke.
“Are you happy?”
“Me? Of course, I’m happy.”
Min Seung-yeon, looking at Kang Dae-oh as if he was strange, asked back.
“Honey, you’re a bit odd today, aren’t you? Suddenly asking to go out at night. Is there something you want to tell me?”
Her husband’s unusual behavior had been bothering her for a while.
Couples can quickly notice even minor changes in each other.
Kang Dae-oh realized that continuing to hide his true feelings would only make his wife anxious.
“Yera and Yebin said they stopped by my office today, didn’t they?”
“Yes, they did, right?”
“They told me, ‘Mom probably wants to do modeling again.’”
“The kids… really said that?”
“Yeah.”
“I never said anything like that in front of the kids… Ah.”
Min Seung-yeon suddenly recalled something she had forgotten in the middle of her sentence.
It was true she hadn’t said it.
But the thought suddenly crossed her mind that Min Seung-yeon from another dimension might have told the children that.
Because her daughters would know what would happen in the future.
They also knew well about the changes in Min Seung-yeon’s feelings and situations at the time that Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon themselves didn’t know.
Min Seung-yeon’s expression changed to one of slight embarrassment, like someone whose true feelings had been exposed.
“I guess I can’t hide anything from the kids.”
Through these words, Kang Dae-oh realized that what his eldest and second daughters had told him was true.
Just like the Min Seung-yeon from the original timeline where the daughters came from.
The current Min Seung-yeon felt the same way.
“Whenever I see you and the kids, I get that thought. Everyone in the family is working hard towards their own dreams. But somehow, I feel like I’m stuck in place… is that what you’d call it?”
Kang Yera, a singer; Kang Yebin, an actress; and Kang Yeyoung, an influencer.
Lastly, Kang Dae-oh became the CEO of a brand, growing his own cafe.
Watching everyone gradually achieve their respective dreams so closely, Min Seung-yeon even felt a sense of alienation.
Like, ‘What am I doing here?’
However, she didn’t have the courage to readily try something new.
What she wanted to do was modeling, but.
“Nowadays, if a mother decides to pursue modeling, people might find it presumptuous, judge her, and criticize her. That’s what I think. There are so many younger women prettier and with better figures than me. Would anyone even hire me as a model?”
She was most afraid of trying and being rejected by many people.
So, she wished to remain in the ‘potential version of herself.’
Like, ‘If I had tried, I could have achieved this much.’
She felt that it might be happier to live trapped in a vague dream that hadn’t been challenged, rather than facing the cold reality.
This thought acted as a shackle, preventing Min Seung-yeon from moving forward.
Kang Dae-oh, who had turned his body from facing the lake to facing his wife, slowly opened his mouth.
“I think you’re worrying for nothing.”
“About what?”
“You’re worrying that people might think you’re an old lady, that it’s presumptuous.”
“But…”
“I’ve told you before, it’s rare to find a woman your age in Korea who maintains your beauty and figure. I’m not saying this just because I’m your husband. Objectively speaking, it’s true.”
“…”
“And modeling isn’t just for pretty and handsome people. I think models are people who can carry clothes well.”
The clothes Min Seung-yeon wore during her fitting model shoots were all sold out.
Few models could bring out the charm of clothes as well as she could.
That’s why Kang Dae-oh felt sorry that Min Seung-yeon was hesitating to move forward due to vague fear.
What could he do to alleviate this fear?
Kang Dae-oh pulled out his smartphone from his pocket.
“Should I take pictures of you for old times’ sake?”
“Suddenly?”
“You asked me to take some photos here before, to submit for your fitting model portfolio, remember?”
The place they were standing was also that memorable spot.
Min Seung-yeon chuckled softly.
“You remembered.”
“Of course.”
Perhaps it was because she was grateful to her husband for remembering their memories.
“Alright. I’ll do it.”
In return, Min Seung-yeon decided to be brave for a moment.
After all, there was no one passing by.
“I can pose however I want, right?”
“Yeah. Freely.”
“Got it.”
Click, click!
Kang Dae-oh diligently pressed the shutter, looking at his wife, who had become his subject.
Even though it was night, Min Seung-yeon’s presence shone brightly in the darkness, as if it were broad daylight only around her.
Who would think Min Seung-yeon was a married woman who had given birth to three children?
Min Seung-yeon said with a shy expression.
“How are they? Do they look good?”
“Yeah. If I didn’t know you at all, I’d want to ask for your number if I saw you passing by, that’s how pretty you look.”
“Oh, really, what are you saying?”
Nevertheless, perhaps her husband’s compliments made her feel good, as Min Seung-yeon didn’t show any sign of dislike despite her words.
While taking pictures, Kang Dae-oh became even more convinced.
He wished his wife, like himself.
Like their daughters.
Would find her own dream and move forward.
“Honey, should we try submitting these, like we did before?”
“Can we do that?”
“Yeah. I happened to look up a few clothing retail sites that are looking for fitting models.”
“You said you’re busy these days. Where do you find the time to look up things like that?”
“If it’s something related to my beloved wife, it’s always a priority over work.”
“You always know what to say.”
Min Seung-yeon nodded slightly and said.
“You take care of it.”
He finally got permission from his wife.
To edit the photos he took of his wife, Kang Dae-oh immediately secluded himself in his room and began editing as soon as he got home the next day.
This was because it was better to send the photos after some post-processing, rather than sending them raw.
‘Being like this reminds me of before we got married.’
Even then, with the sole intention of helping his wife get accepted, he downloaded and studied photo editing programs he’d never seen before.
Perhaps it was like going back in time for a moment.
Even though he was working, Kang Dae-oh felt somehow excited.
In the middle, Kang Yeyoung came to find her dad, glanced at the monitor, and asked.
“Shall I help you?”
If Kang Yeyoung, a master of video and photo editing, helped, the work would be finished quickly.
However.
“No. I’ll do this myself.”
Kang Dae-oh wanted to achieve it solely with his own strength as her husband.
Kang Yeyoung, understanding her dad’s true intention, nodded briefly and quietly left the room to not disturb him.
Time passed.
Kang Dae-oh, who had been staring intently at the monitor, checked that it was almost midnight and grinned.
“Looks like I’ll be staying up all night today?”
Nevertheless, the smile on his face showed no sign of disappearing.
Two weeks passed since then.
Kang Dae-oh, who visited the Amare store located in Shin-Dorim, meticulously inspected various areas with his staff.
“I saw a mop in that corner. Please make sure cleaning tools aren’t visible in the hall if possible. Think about the customers’ experience.”
“Yes, CEO.”
“And also… just a moment.”
Kang Dae-oh’s smartphone vibrated briefly.
A deep smile spread across Kang Dae-oh’s lips as he checked the text message his wife sent him.
At his expression, Managing Director Yoo In-seok chuckled and asked.
“Looks like you have some good news.”
“Yes.”
The text message from Min Seung-yeon read:
“I got accepted.”
