The boss encouraged me for a while before leaving.
Although his words were quite long, I didn’t feel a bit bothered. After all, the advice he gave me as an experienced parent was helpful, and there was no reason to be annoyed, especially since he raised my hourly wage.
Furthermore, before leaving, the boss even made sure to promise a raise in my hourly wage. He assured me not to worry and said he would persuade his wife to increase it.
No matter how much it would be raised, it was clear that it would be a great help to me.
‘Every penny counts.’
Suddenly, I noticed that Yondu , who had been messing with the sausage, was looking at me.
Then, she smiled mischievously.
“Haha, Yondu, why are you suddenly laughing?”
“Dad is laughing.”
“Did I laugh?”
Yondu nodded her head.
Thinking about the increase in hourly wage, I must have laughed without realizing it.
Indeed, I am undoubtedly a materialistic person.
A slave to capitalism. A slave to money. A cog in the giant machine. Dang it.
‘By the way…’
I’ve heard that babies mimic adult behavior, and it seems like that’s true.
Seeing Yondu laughing along with me after seeing me laugh…
How can she laugh so innocently? And with such an angelic face, too.
Looking at Yondu’s pure laughter, untouched by time, I felt like my doting fatherly side was emerging again.
In fact, it was all thanks to Yondu that my hourly wage went up.
‘…Of course, Yondu deserves more, much more.’
Let’s set aside those materialistic and calculating thoughts for this moment.
At least in front of Yondu, I want to be pure as well.
Click.
I suddenly picked up Yondu and lifted her up.
In what’s called the ‘princess carry’ position.
Come to think of it, it was the first time I held Yondu like this, and she’s as light as a feather.
“Whee!”
Yondu screamed in surprise.
I chuckled and said, “Haha, our little Yondu. Haven’t you ever ridden an airplane?”
“Dad… I’m scared.”
She held onto my arm tightly, probably afraid of falling.
Usually, in this position, the princess would hold onto the neck. But it seemed impossible for the little princess with short arms.
Well, it doesn’t matter. After all, I’m not a prince to begin with.
We can create our own way.
“Yondu.”
“Yes?”
“Should I fly you like an airplane or just bring you down gently?”
“Is flying in an airplane scary?”
“No, flying in an airplane with Dad is not scary at all. There’s no chance of falling, and it’s really fun.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah, really.”
“Then please fly me…”
It was a small thing, but it felt good that she trusted me.
Yondu held onto my arm even tighter, closed her eyes tightly, and took a deep breath.
As I moved my arms, Yondu cut through the air.
Swoosh.
Yondu’s long hair fluttered in the wind.
“Whee…! Wow…!”
At first, she screamed, but soon her tone changed.
She opened her eyes, feeling safe, and started laughing.
woo..
I gently rocked her for a while and then safely put her down on the ground.
Yondu extended her arm slightly, expressing her disappointment.
“It was fun, Yondu?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
Then Yondu drew the biggest circle she could with her short arm.
“This much…!”
“Haha, I can’t keep up, really.”
“Ah… don’t say that, Dad!”
“I won’t?”
“Yeah, don’t say that if you want to live!”
I can’t live because of her.
She’s just too cute.

Time flew by, and it was almost lunchtime.
Even though she was young, Yondu sat quietly in her seat.
She kept asking questions without giving me a chance to rest, but it wasn’t boring.
But an unexpected problem arose.
It happened when a middle-aged man came looking for me.
“Can I have a pack of cigarettes, please?”
As usual, I took out a pack of cigarettes to hand to him.
The problem was Yondu’s reaction.
‘She recoiled.’
She didn’t cause a disturbance, but Yondu definitely showed signs of fear and reluctance.
It seemed like she had unpleasant memories associated with cigarettes.
Naturally, memories of the first time I saw Yondu came to mind.
‘Cigarette smell.’
Yondu’s clothes smelled of cigarettes.
It was evidence that an ignorant uncle smoked next to the child.
From small things to lingering bruises and even cigarettes.
Although she seemed bright, Yondu still carried a lot of trauma.
‘I can’t know everything.’
I couldn’t know all of her trauma and scars.
It was bitter, but it couldn’t be helped.
I couldn’t know how Yondu had lived for five years, what pain she had experienced.
‘But.’
The scars that would emerge as we lived forward.
I had to take care of those scars as a father.
I was a smoker.
I wasn’t a heavy smoker, but I occasionally smoked a cigarette for a change of pace.
But just now, without Yondu noticing, I threw away the pack of cigarettes in the trash.
There were about ten cigarettes left in the pack.
‘At least a minimal effort.’
It was the least I could do, and what I had to do.
I had to become a different person from the uncle Yondu knew.
My eyes couldn’t overlap with hers as an uncle and a father.
Therefore, there was no lingering attachment to cigarettes.
‘I had to quit smoking anyway.’
I had to quit smoking to save money.
And…
“Dad…!”
I didn’t want to see that bright smile turn into a fearful expression.
That alone was reason enough to quit smoking.
With a smile, I said to Yondu, “Let’s have lunch,Yondu.”
“Yes!”
I lifted Yondu and sat her down at the table.
But what should we eat? I wouldn’t hesitate if I were alone.
During work, I don’t worry about my meal expenses.
‘Let’s figure it out.’
With my specialty, quick fixes, meals are easily taken care of.
The slightly expired items can’t be sold, so they become my daily sustenance.
I’ve never gotten sick from eating them.
But, even though that’s the case for me, I didn’t want to give expired items to Yondu.
Is this what it means to be a parent?
“Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition.”
I mutter while looking at the lunchbox compartments.
I’m contemplating what would make a well-balanced lunchbox.
After measuring Yeon-du’s height at the hospital, it turns out he’s a bit smaller than kids his age.
From now on, he needs to eat nutritious meals.
But just as I’m deciding, I hear Yondu’s voice from the table.
“Dad, what’s this?”
“Yondu, I’m choosing what you’ll eat.”
“Can I have sausages?”
What are sausages?
I look at Yondu and understand the answer.
He’s holding sausages in his hand.
I smile gently and say, “No. You need to eat rice.”
Then Yon-du pouts.
Though it’s a sad expression, I need to be firm this time.
“Go put them back.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Instead, if you eat your rice well, I’ll buy you one on the way home.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Dad doesn’t lie.”
“Let’s go play now!”
Yondu rushes to the sausage compartment.
He might become good at finding items in the convenience store because of this.
“Hehe.”
I chuckle again.
I’ve noticed that I laugh more since meeting Yeon-du.
“Let’s go with this.”
While Yondu goes to put back the sausages, I decide on the lunchbox.
It consists of fish cutlet, rolled omelet, stir-fried kimchi, and bulgogi.
I’m no nutritionist, but it seems decent.
‘Let’s leave the money.’
I take one portion of my share for the quick fix.
After heating it in the microwave, I sit facing Yondu at the table.
“Yum.”
Yondu looks at the lunchbox quietly and then opens his mouth.
“Can I eat with my hands?”
“No.”
“…”
Come to think of it, yesterday evening, Yondu also tried to eat with his hands.
He didn’t even know how to use chopsticks.
“Today, Dad will feed you. But from now on, you need to practice using chopsticks so you can eat by yourself.”
“Yes.”
“Here. Aah!”
Yondu opens his mouth wide.
I generously feed him bulgogi and white rice.
“Chew well.”
Yondu nods and chews his food.
Soon, his lips curve up like a crescent moon.
“.. Delicious.”
“Okay. Let’s try the rolled omelet now.”
“Yes!”
My rolled omelet might not be as tasty, but it’s a good source of protein.
Swallow.
A happy smile blooms on Yondu’s lips again.
Suddenly, my mischievous side comes out, and I ask, “Yondu.”
“Yes?”
“Between Dad’s fried egg yesterday and the rolled omelet you just had, which one tasted better?”
Surprisingly, Yondu extends his index finger without hesitation and says, “Dad’s!”
Even these gestures are lovely.
I smile and say, “Really?”
“Yeon-du never lies!”
“Aw, so sweet.”
I was about to give him a third bite.
Suddenly, the convenience store door opens, and students come flooding in.
Normally, there’s hardly any rest during the convenience store shifts.
Even while eating, you have to serve customers immediately.
“Yeon-du, hold on a second. I’ll feed you again soon.”
But it’s strange.
It’s not the right time for students to come in already.
They’re wearing high school uniforms, and it couldn’t possibly be over this quickly.
What day is it today?
“Beom-jae’s treat! Get whatever you want! Haha, pick the expensive stuff!”
“When did I say that?!”
“You said you’d treat since you did well on the test!”
“Heh heh, Beom-jae, I’ll hold you to it.”
“Wow, thanks, Beom-jae!”
Ah, must be the day of the test if it’s ending so soon.
Except for Beom-jae, three male students and three female students come in to pick what they want to eat.
It seems Beom-jae is designated as today’s treat provider.
‘But… what’s?
Is it a trendy phrase these days? It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.
It’s fascinating how I can feel the generational gap between high schoolers and me.
Meanwhile, a female student, while choosing cup ramen, notices Yeon-du, who is holding wooden chopsticks in his mouth.
“Huh..?”
The girl runs up to Yeon-du and exclaims, “Come here! He’s so cute!”
“Huh? Who’s the baby?”
“Oh, come here quickly!”
The scattered students rushed towards Yondu in excitement.
Even Bumjae belatedly joined the crowd.
“C-crazy!”
“What a visual! We had such a kid in our neighborhood?”
“Wow… look at this baby. The eyelashes are insane. How can a baby look like this?”
“Can, can I pet it?”
Even Bumjae, who was just in tears, was staring at Yondu as if enchanted.
Yondu might get scared with so many people around.
“Um, excuse me? Can I have a moment?”
I intervened at last.
Yondu reached out to me and said, “Daddy?”
The moment those words came out of Yondu’s mouth, all attention shifted to me.
“Oh, big brother. No, sir, is she your daughter?”
“How can such an angel…”
“Why is there a baby here?”
Embarrassing questions poured out one after another.
“There’s a reason I brought her here. But…”
“Wow, this is amazing, really.”
With the high schoolers chatting non-stop, it was hard to get a word in.
“Hey, Bumjae, look at her face. She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”
“But still, isn’t the baby too cute? Even more than Wonbi and Taeyi?”
“Father, please give me your daughter…”
A chilly remark slipped out.
“Stop talking nonsense, she’s just a friend.”
“S-sorry…”
Amidst this, a girl spoke up cheerfully.
“I’ll help run the convenience store. I can bring all the school kids here!”
“No, the baby will only be here for a few days…”
“Oh, you don’t have to refuse! If there’s a handsome staff and a pretty baby, everyone will come!”
Wait, don’t do that. I’m just a part-time worker.
And the hourly wage doesn’t go up just because there are more customers.
“Oh, that’s a good idea!”
“Hahyun, did you use your head for once? But your math is 13 points, hehehe.”
“Shut up.”
Before I could say anything, the students, who were completely immersed in chatting, adored Yondu and then disappeared.
I desperately avoided taking pictures.
Actually, the convenience store I work at is not a place where many students come.
Rather, they tend to go to the competing store located on the way home from school.
‘I’m anxious…’
Suddenly, I began to feel incredibly anxious about tomorrow.
“Huff…”
But worrying wouldn’t change anything.
I sat back down facing Yunsu.
“Let’s eat.”
I started feeding Yondu again like a mother bird.
Lunchtime passed, and time went by.
‘It’s 10 minutes before quitting time.’
I didn’t even realize how time had passed.
First, I grabbed a sausage as promised.
“Wow… sausage again!”
“It’s not ‘tto-shi-ji’, it’s sausage.”
…Tto-shi-ji?
“Haha, yeah, ‘tto-shi-ji’. Here you go.”
“Thank you!”
I’m a little worried.
She shouldn’t like sausages too much.
As always, I started getting ready to leave work.
Zzing.
But my phone in my pocket vibrated.
Is it those guys again? I thought it might be a group chat.
I took out my phone to check the caller.
‘… Huh?’
But when I saw the caller ID, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
It was from someone I never expected.