Through the gap of the shirts lifted by the doctor and nurse, the greenish skin of Yondu was revealed.
Like her face, her skin was a pale white.
However, along with the white skin, undeniable colors were visible.
Although I didn’t want to believe it, once confirmed with my own eyes, I had to acknowledge the reality.
Yondu’s body still bore reddish and bluish bruises that hadn’t faded away yet.
Even after rolling up her sleeves, the same scars were visible.
“I didn’t notice at all.”
Wearing long sleeves and pants, I didn’t notice the scars at all.
That Yondu had such wounds. Not even a little.
I secretly thought that it couldn’t have been to that extent. At least not raising her with violence and abuse.
After all, she was just five years old.
A little girl so small that she could barely wrap one of my legs in her arms.
The thought of inflicting severe violence was so dreadful I couldn’t even imagine it.
I thought my uncle would be the same as me.
No matter how much of a troublemaker he was, he wasn’t that kind of scum.
But it was a naive thought. My uncle was that kind of person.
“No, stop it! Don’t look, Dad! Please don’t!”
Yondu desperately struggled and resisted in front of the doctor.
Why did she hide it from me?
Why did she refuse to bathe and struggle to put on clothes she couldn’t change herself?
Why didn’t she want to show me the painful parts?
As I pondered over these questions, emotions welled up in me momentarily.
‘It was what I thought.’
Yondu thought it herself.
That if I saw the scars caused by right actions, I would be hated.
Nobody had to tell me that.
It wasn’t an exaggerated thought.
‘Among relatives, no one knew Yondu’s face.’
In other words, even the relatives didn’t know. It meant something simple.
Yondu had been living in the prison my uncle had created all along.
In a closed space where external interaction was thoroughly blocked.
Moreover, my uncle didn’t recognize Yondu as his daughter and abused her.
The emotions Yondu received there must have been nothing but hatred and anger.
She must have grown up without receiving anyone’s love.
‘The bruises that haven’t healed yet.’
They were the result of that process.
The pain left by my uncle’s hatred and anger towards Yondu.
She didn’t want to show such things to anyone.
Especially not to me, who had become dependent on her, calling her Dad.
“Stop… Please stop it now.”
I couldn’t bear to watch it anymore.
Yondu suffering in front of me. The doctor released Yondu’s hand upon hearing my words.
But I could sense one thing keenly.
‘Of course.’
The gazes of the doctor and nurse towards me were sharp.
The reason was obvious. They probably thought I made Yondu like that.
The bruises on Yondu’s body were traces of abuse and violence to anyone’s eyes.
It was impossible for such irregular scars to occur for any other reason.
‘Even if I were a doctor.’
They would have doubted me immediately.
How should I handle this situation?
It was a very difficult situation for me.
That’s when it happened.
Yondu, who had been shedding tears incessantly, suddenly got off the chair.
Although the doctor tried to grab her, she was so fast that she slipped away.
Yondu ran straight to me and hugged me.
“Sob… Sob. Sob! Dad, does Yondu hate you now? Sob, not a princess? Family… Sob!”
My pants became damp.
I bit my lower lip hard and said.
“That can’t be true.”
“…?”
“I couldn’t possibly hate you, Yondu. You’re such a beautiful princess. How could I hate my family.”
“Family…”
“Yes, that’s what family is. Dad will never hate you in the future. Under any circumstances.”
Yondu’s heavy breathing gradually subsided.
Her cries were no longer heard.
Though tears rolled down her cheeks every time she nodded at my words.
For a while, I did my best to calm Yondu down.
Perhaps because there were no patients. The doctor was watching silently.

“…That’s how it happened.”
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no other solution.
I told the doctor everything.
What happened at the funeral today. How I ended up taking care of Yondu. The fact that until just now, I didn’t even know Yondu’s face.
I didn’t know if Yondu had any painful spots, so I brought her to the hospital, not even dreaming of bruises on her body.
Lastly, the story about my trashy uncle.
‘It couldn’t be helped.’
It was a topic I didn’t want to discuss with others as much as possible, but it couldn’t be helped.
I couldn’t go back home and report child abuse and go to the police station.
Oh, of course, I didn’t talk about it with Yondu beside me.
‘Thankfully, it seemed like he was relieved by my words.’
Yondu was temporarily left to the nurses outside.
Now it was just the doctor, me, and the nurse who had been there from the beginning.
The doctor, who hadn’t said a word while I was speaking, spoke up.
“So that’s what happened…”
“Yes. You may find it hard to believe, but it’s all true.”
To be honest, even from the perspective of telling everything, I was a little scared.
What if they didn’t believe me and reported it to the police?
The doctor nodded and opened his mouth.
“No, I believe you. I’ve been thinking since Yondu ran to you from the chair. There must be some reason.”
“Ah.”
“It doesn’t make sense for a child to run to someone who abuses them. After hearing their conversation, I became even more convinced.”
I was relieved that he understood.
But the problem was that this wasn’t the end.
The doctor suddenly grabbed my hand with both hands and said.
“You’re really a good person. You’re so young, how did you make such a decision…”
Surprised, I raised my head and could understand the exact situation.
Was he moved? The doctor’s eyes were red.
Even the nurse next to him was silently sobbing.
‘It doesn’t seem like such a sad story no matter how much I think about it.’
Was I sad thinking about how Yondu had been all this time?
If that’s the case, I could understand. It was so unbearably sad for me too.
I responded appropriately.
“No, it’s not like that. It was the sudden heat of the moment that led me to raise her, but I’m not such a good person.”
“No, you are a good person. It’s not easy to raise a child alone. Even if it was impulsive, ultimately, it was your decision, wasn’t it? For Yondu, to raise her on your own.”
The nurse beside him vigorously nodded as if to agree.
I appreciated it, but I didn’t particularly enjoy this atmosphere.
I smiled and spoke up.
“Thank you for saying that nicely. But can I ask you one thing?”

“Of course.”
“I would prefer it if only the two of you knew about what I said about Yeon-du and my situation. Of course, I can’t prevent any negative consequences if others find out, but I would like to keep it between us as much as possible…”
Before I finished speaking, the doctor smiled and said, “I understand. I know what you’re thinking, Mr. Ju-won. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re a thoughtful person even though you’re young. I would introduce you to my daughter if I had one.”
“Haha…”
You wouldn’t say such things if you knew I worked at a convenience store, barely making ends meet.
Of course, I kept that to myself.
The doctor spoke again, “Raising a child must be difficult. If Yeon-du ever feels unwell in the future, be sure to come here. I’ll provide treatment for free.”
“Oh, no! We’ll come here, but I’ll pay for the medical expenses properly. I feel a bit burdened.”
“You don’t have to feel burdened…”
“No, it’s okay. My salary came in this month, so it’s fine.”
I didn’t mention it was from my convenience store job.
The doctor nodded after a moment of hesitation.
“Since you’re insisting to this extent, if I say more, it might feel like coercion.”

As I checked the receipts, I noticed one clear fact.
The hospital bill and the pharmacy bill had a significant difference in costs.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
The cost for all the tests and treatments at the hospital shouldn’t have been this low.
There was no doubt the doctor intentionally reduced the hospital bill.
Well, it might be too much to refuse when they’re offering this much.
In reality, the pharmacy bill was also a considerable amount for me.
“Let’s go, Yeon-du.”
“Home?”
“Yeah. It’s time to go home.”
“Wow… going home! Hehe!”
I chuckled as Yeon-du gleefully responded.
“There won’t be any more troubles for Yeon-du now. Oh, but Yeon-du.”
“Yes?”
“When we get home, can you take a bath?”
After a brief silence, Yeon-du shouted confidently, “…I can take a bath!”
“Ah, lovely.”
Today was too eventful.
After stopping by the mart to buy the essentials, I headed home.
Arriving home, I put down the groceries and looked at Yeon-du.
I rolled up my sleeves without hesitation.
Despite feeling exhausted, I had to make sure Yeon-du got cleaned up, especially after today.
Taking Yeon-du with me, I headed straight to the bathroom.
“It’s okay, Yeon-du.”
Seeing the wounds again in front of me, it seemed difficult.
I didn’t rush and waited with a smile.
Then, Yeon-du slowly revealed the red and blue bruises.
It was hard to look at, but I couldn’t show any hesitation.
I turned on the shower.
Yeon-du opened his mouth, watching the water come out.
I smiled and asked, “Put your hand in, Yeon-du. Is it cold or warm, just right?”
Yeon-du nodded once and cautiously placed his hand under the water.
“It’s cold!”
“Haha, got you.”
“Ugh…”
Yeon-du looked at me with a mix of annoyance, realizing I tricked him.
“Dad…”
“Sorry.”
“Joyo.”
“Huh?”
“That… I’m happy.”
Yeon-du pointed at the shower with a small finger.
I held the showerhead and asked, “This?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you like it?”
As I teased him again, Yeon-du’s eyes sparkled with moisture, like a lake.
Wait, was he about to cry?
Feeling anxious, I quickly switched the shower, saying, “I’ll give it to you. I’ll give it, Yeon-du.”
When I handed him the showerhead, Yeon-du smiled brightly, as if to say, “When did I ask for that?”
But it seemed heavy as he struggled to hold it with both hands.
I approached cautiously and said, “Be careful, Yeon-du. Don’t let it slip, or you’ll hurt yourself… Ahh!”
But suddenly, a stream of water hit me in the throat.
Yeon-du tried to hold the shower head tightly, but couldn’t control the force, and it shot water at my face.
It was a disaster. I was still fully dressed.
“Oh, dad! Are you okay?”
No, not at all.
Yeon-du seemed flustered and waved the shower head around wildly.
I managed to approach Yeon-du and grab the showerhead.
But it was too late. I was already soaked.
“This rascal…”
Yeon-du looked at me with wide eyes and asked, “Dad… Is Yeon-du going to be punished…?”
With that expression, normally, I wouldn’t punish him, but I was an exception.
I smiled and replied, “Yes.”
“Yay!”
Bathing quickly turned into a water play.
Well, but it was enjoyable. Seriously, it was really enjoyable.

After the fun bath, or rather water play, I applied the prescribed ointment to every bruise on my body.
Yondu asked what it was, and explaining was quite difficult.
“I simply explained that it’s medicine that eventually makes the skin whiter.”
That was the best way to explain it.
After applying the medicine, I prepared a simple meal.
Calling it a meal is a stretch, it was just fried eggs and kimchi.
This is just a side note, but being in my sixth year of living alone, I was practically a chef when it came to egg dishes.
Even if it was just fried eggs.
If I were to explain the secret, it’s not frying, it’s deep-frying.
Oh, of course, the kimchi was convenience store kimchi. Since my workplace is a convenience store.
After trying the fried eggs, Yeon-du said with her mouth full, “Wow… It’s delicious!”
Thanks for saying that. I’ll make something even tastier tomorrow.
Now that I’m not living alone anymore.
I have to pay attention to meals for Yondu’s growth.
After the meal, the last thing to do was brushing our teeth.
I brushed Yondu’s teeth with the children’s toothbrush and toothpaste I had just bought.
Fortunately, Yeon-du liked it, saying it tasted good.
It was quite a challenge to explain why you shouldn’t eat it.
Thus ended all the journeys of such a spectacular day.
“Yeon-du.”
“Yes, Dad!”
“Cover yourself with this and use this as a pillow. Blanket and pillow.”
“Blanket and pillow…”
It seemed like Yeon-du had a habit of repeating the words I said.
I patted Yondu’s head once and lay down on the mattress.
I didn’t buy a bed because it’s too much hassle, so I just bought a mattress to sleep on, surprisingly it’s comfortable.
But Yeon-du stood still holding the pillow and blanket, staring at me blankly.
“You won’t sleep, Yondu?”
“Even if I lie down, it’s okay?”
“Huh?”
“Next to Dad… it’s okay?”
“Of course. Families usually sleep together.”
Of course, we didn’t sleep together when Dad was alive.
Yondu smiled widely and flopped down next to me.
“Hehe, Dad…”
“Sleep comfortably, Yondu. You must be tired.”
“Yes… Dad too… Thank you, Dad…”
Looks like she’s very tired.
Watching her fall asleep without saying much, even her sleeping figure looks like a real angel.
How can her eyelashes be so long? Mine are quite long too, it’s fascinating.
Pat pat.
The hair just washed seems to shimmer.
She’s my daughter. Suddenly, I’m confused if it’s real.
“Let’s live well.”
No matter what, we’ve become a family.
That’s when it hit me.
I was petting Yondu’s head when I felt like I was missing something.
‘What is it..?’
What day is tomorrow?
Today is Monday, so tomorrow is Tuesday. My workday.
Wait a minute, work? It’s a workday?
Following my train of thought, I realized what I was missing.
Am I stupid? Why didn’t I think about this?
What about Yeon-du when I go to work tomorrow?
This is a big problem. I needed to find a solution.