Episode 4. Princess

“Daddy… Can I call you ‘Daddy’?”
The title Yondu chose was not ‘Brother’ or ‘Uncle’, but ‘Daddy’.
I was momentarily speechless at Yondu’s question.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like being called ‘Daddy’.
‘Can I call you ‘Daddy’? It’s just one word difference, but something felt uneasy about it.
Although she wanted to call me ‘Daddy’, there seemed to be a sense of fear mixed in.
I wanted to know the reason why.
“Of course you can. Yondu, you can call me whatever you want. If you want to call me ‘Daddy’, then that’s what you’ll call me.”
“Hehe.”
Huh? She laughed. I distinctly heard a light laugh.
Her tone had been tensed before, but this was the first time I heard her laugh.
It felt strangely pleasant to hear Yondu laugh.
“Daddy… Da! Ddy!”
Yondu repeated the word ‘Daddy’ several times, seemingly in a good mood.
Wow, she’s incredibly cute. And somewhat fascinating at the same time.
Just the fact that she started calling me ‘Daddy’ made her so happy.
‘No, this won’t work.’
Despite feeling pleased, I still needed to confirm something.
I casually asked Yondu:
“Yondu.”
“Yes, Daddy!”
But before I could ask my question, I was tongue-tied again.
This time, it was for a different reason, not because I was caught off guard.
Was being called ‘Daddy’ such a thrilling thing?
I felt like I was going to have a hard time breathing for a moment.
After catching my breath, I asked:
“Earlier, did you think I might not like being called ‘Daddy’?”
Yondu nodded slightly, as if relieved.
I asked again:
“Can I ask why?”
“… Because it makes you angry.”
“Huh?”
“I get angry when I call you ‘Daddy’…”
“What…?”
I stopped myself from asking further.
I felt like I didn’t need to ask who would get angry when called ‘Daddy’.
The person came to my mind immediately.
‘My uncle.’
My uncle, Kim Dong-seok, reappeared in my mind.
In a disgusting manner.
‘Did he prevent her from calling me Daddy?’
It was obvious why she couldn’t call him ‘Daddy’.
He drew the line because she wasn’t his biological daughter.
For five years, she had to deal with that.
‘I have to erase him.’
I have a goal now.
I decided to erase any trace of that trash which prevented her from calling me ‘Daddy’.
Then the title issue would be resolved.
Her calling me ‘Daddy’ might help her forget about that man.
Then I heard Yondu’s trembling voice.
“Ah, I won’t call you that. Please don’t get mad… I’m sorry…”
Seeing Yondu cower as she spoke, I realized one thing.
I must have had a very stern expression.
It accidentally slipped out while I was thinking about my uncle.
It seemed like Yondu noticed my expression through her hair.
‘This must have been her daily life.’
Looking at her uncle’s expression through the gaps in her long hair.
That must have been part of Yondu’s daily life.
‘No, this won’t do.’
I can’t let Yondu see me and her uncle overlapping.
I have to become a different person for her.
“No. Daddy isn’t angry at all. I’m actually happy? Because Yondu calls me Daddy.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah, really. Will you keep calling me Daddy in the future?”
“Yes!!”
Yondu squeezed my hands tightly.
And behind her hair, I could see her smile.

“Yondu, is it really okay to go out? It’s okay to rest at home if you’re tired.”
“I’m fine, Daddy!”
“Haha…”
The truth is, I’m asking because I don’t look okay.
Just moments ago, I went through quite an ordeal. It was all about Yondoo’s bathing issue.
Feeling a bit groggy, I knew I needed to bathe, and I attempted to bathe Yondoo.
But Yondoo adamantly refused, without giving a reason this time.
“It’s not like she’s afraid of bathing.”
I mean, she doesn’t completely avoid it.
When I suggested she just wash her hands and face, she complied immediately.
It’s strange considering she was happily splashing water around while washing her face earlier.
It’s the first day, so many things are still uncertain.
“Come to think of it.”
I haven’t even seen my daughter’s face yet.
A dad who doesn’t know his daughter’s face. It’s kind of amusing.
Anyway, what I wanted to say is that the mission to bathe Yondoo has spectacularly failed.
“But thankfully.”
There were clothes at home that fit Yondoo.
Why would there be clothes for a five-year-old girl in a 25-year-old man’s house?
The answer is simple.
They’re my clothes.
Strangely enough, somewhere in storage, there were clothes I wore as a baby.
They might be a bit old-fashioned, but compared to what Yondoo was wearing, they were decent.
Firstly, they didn’t reek of cigarettes.
“Huh?”
Come to think of it, Yondoo changed her clothes by herself earlier.
She must have taken quite a while to change without me seeing.
“Could it be…”
Was she just embarrassed?
Well, even if she’s young, being a girl, it’s understandable.
Maybe I’ve been too casual about having a five-year-old around.
Thinking like that, it makes sense why she didn’t want to bathe.
Maybe she didn’t know how to bathe alone, so she rejected the idea altogether.
Washing her face and hands was fine, so she agreed to that.
“Haha, if that’s the case, you should’ve said something.”
Yondu giggled and laughed.
Suddenly, I became curious. What expression was Yondu wearing now?
I could hear her laughter, but her face was hidden behind her hair.
‘Should I check?’
I reached out towards Yondu’s face but stopped.
There’s no need to rush.
I’ll find out naturally in a little while.
For now, let’s go get a haircut.
I’m in the process of cutting those bothersome bangs that block her view.
“Yondu.”
“Yes!”
“Let’s cut our hair nicely. Like a princess.”
“Princess…?”
“Yeah, like a princess.”
“Hehe.”

I felt a sense of relief in Yundu’s steps.
Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Welcome!”
As we entered the salon, a young female employee greeted us.
I returned the greeting casually.
“Yes, hello.”
To be honest, this was my first time at this salon as well.
Given the circumstances, the usual place I frequented unexpectedly closed its doors.
So, as an alternative, we ended up at “Princess Hair.”
The interior here felt more spacious compared to where I usually went, making me slightly uneasy.
Yundu seemed to feel the same; she held onto my hand tightly.
“Can we cut her hair right away, or should we wait?”
The employee glanced at Yundu next to me upon hearing my question.
She slightly furrowed her brow for a moment, then quickly corrected her expression and spoke.
“Is she related to the child…? Perhaps… is she your daughter?”
“Pardon?”
I stuttered momentarily, taken aback by her words.
“Yes, my daughter. Well, she’s like a daughter.”
No, what is this guy saying?
Like a daughter? Even though I’ve been avoiding people recently, this is going too far.
Naturally, the female employee looked bewildered.
I felt the warmth of the surrounding gazes from both employees and customers.
My face contorted in embarrassment, I quickly recovered.
“Yes, my daughter. She’s my daughter. So… I’m her father.”
For a moment, it seemed like Yundu tightened her grip on my hand.
For reasons I couldn’t quite comprehend.
“Oh… I see. You look so young, so I was wondering if you might be her brother or something.”
“Ha, well…”
“Oh, you can cut it now, sir. However, considering the condition of your daughter’s hair, it might be a bit challenging to cut right away. She might need to shampoo first.”
Even with my awkward reaction, the female employee handled the situation professionally.
“Ah, okay. Just a moment.”
I sat down and spoke to Yundu.
“Yundu, can we cut your hair? If we cut it, we can style it as beautifully as a princess.”
“Yes, Daddy! I can cut it!”
“Ha-ha, really?”
Surprisingly, Yundu agreed immediately.
‘Come to think of it, cutting her hair wasn’t a problem…’
I had assumed she wouldn’t want her hair cut because she refused to take a bath earlier.
I asked about cutting her hair, thinking she wouldn’t want it after refusing to bathe. But now, she’s willing.
I turned to the employee with an apologetic expression.
“Then, please. But… Yundu’s hair might be difficult to cut in many ways, so I would like to pay an additional fee.”
Usually, I wouldn’t say something like this.
Seeing the condition of Yundu’s hair, I thought the normal rate wouldn’t be fair.
The employee smiled and replied, “Oh, that’s okay. Just make sure to bring Yundu to the salon regularly! It’s not good for a child like her to grow her hair too long.”
“Ah, yes. I apologize.”
Though it felt unfair to me, I wanted to move on from the situation quickly.
Thankfully, the employee was understanding.
Just in case, I was afraid they might kick me out.
“Please sit with your daughter for a moment.”
“Oh, just a moment.”
“Yes?”
“May I use the bathroom quickly?”
“Yes, it’s over there.”
“Yundu, Daddy will be back from the bathroom quickly.”
“Yes, Daddy!”
I rushed to the restroom as I suddenly felt the urge.
After washing my hands, I was about to leave when a call came in.
Who could it be? There aren’t many people who would call me.
I took out my phone from my pocket to check the caller ID.
Choi Yoon-woo
What’s up with him?
He’s one of my few friends.
We haven’t met recently, intentionally or unintentionally.
“Hello.”
I answered the call, and his distinctive voice greeted me.
“Juwon!”
“Ha-ha, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Not bad. Your voice doesn’t sound like nothing’s up.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Your voice sounds pretty excited, though.”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing. But what’s going on with you? Your voice sounds a bit flat.”
“I can’t say there’s nothing. It’s a bit complicated to talk about it now.”
It would be challenging to explain everything that happened today over the phone.
Plus, I didn’t really want to talk about it.
After talking for a while, he said, “So, I called to talk about something, mate.”
“What?”
“I also wanted to catch up and see the kids.”
“When?”
“I haven’t decided yet, but I’ll try to set a date as soon as possible. I’ll invite you to a group chat.”
“Okay.”
“If you bail on us again, you’re dead, okay?”
I agreed, then hung up the phone.
Actually, I wondered if I could meet him this time.
I probably won’t have much time because of Yundu.
‘Oh, right!’
I’ve been delayed because of the phone call with Yoon-woo.
I wanted to finish up and leave quickly.
‘Was she behaving quietly while getting her hair cut?’
Feeling anxious, I hurried back to the salon.
As I opened the door and peeked inside, I stopped in my tracks as I saw the interior through the glass.
Something seemed off. People crowded around one chair, making it impossible to see who was getting their haircut.
But I could see the hairstylist cutting hair.
‘…Wasn’t that the female employee?’
Suddenly, a sense of unease washed over me.
If she was the one cutting hair, there was a high chance that the customer in front was Yundu.
Could something have happened while I was away?
Perhaps Yundu threw a fit because she was scared of getting her hair cut.
‘Why didn’t I think of that?’
Many young children are afraid of getting their hair cut, and I’ve seen quite a few of them at the salon.
If something like that happened while I wasn’t there, it would be a total nuisance.
Squeak.
I quickly opened the door and entered.
Then I rushed towards the group of people.
If there was a problem, I needed to handle it.
“I-I’m sorry. I was a bit late because of a phone call.”
All eyes turned towards me.
For some reason, I felt like they were all looking at me with curiosity.
Then, I heard Yundu’s voice.
“Daddy!”
I turned my head in the direction of the sound.
Then, I saw Yundu sitting and smiling brightly in front of the mirror.
“Yundu, you…”
At that moment, I understood.
Why people had gathered around Yundu.