Chapter 306

After finishing breakfast, Do-Jun put away the dishes and got ready for work.

It was only June, but it was already starting to feel like summer, so Do-Jun decided to pull out his summer suit. As he stood before the full-length mirror, adjusting his tie, he noticed Byeol staring at him intently. Her small lips parted as if she wanted to say something, then closed again. Clearly, she had something on her mind.

“I-I pwobabwy can’t come to work with Daddy, wight?” she said softly.

Ah. So that’s what it was.

Do-Jun chuckled.

The daycare gave the children a day off today, and she probably felt a little bored. After coming home, Yong-Yong would sometimes tell Byeol all about his adventures at Seoul City Hall, which seemed to have piqued the toddler’s curiosity.

“I pwobabwy can’t go because I’ll be a distwaction, wight, Daddy?”

Even at her young age, she was trying to be considerate.

Do-Jun found the sight so adorable that he chuckled softly. He paused to think. Normally, bringing a toddler to the workplace would disrupt his colleagues. Yes, under normal circumstances, that would be true. However, his hesitation didn’t last long.

***

In recent years, modern society has seen a rise in people choosing to remain single. There are many reasons for this—financial struggles, a preference for solitude, or simply not meeting the right person.

The Seoul City Hall’s Fissure Management Division was no exception, with many employees opting to stay unmarried. One of the most notable proponents of this lifestyle was Jong-Min, the Section Chief of the Fissure Management Unit.

At forty-two, Jong-Min had plenty of dating experience and was even currently in a relationship, but he had adamantly declared to his colleagues that he would never get married. There were many reasons, but the most important one was that he disliked children.

“Raising kids is nothing but stress. You can’t get a good night’s sleep, you have to feed them formula every two hours, change diapers, and deal with their constant whining. I could never handle that,” he rambled on about his reasoning in the early hours of 8 AM, before the office was even full.

Listening with his arms crossed, Cheol-Soo nodded in partial agreement but didn’t fully share the sentiment.

“You’re looking at it too negatively,” he said, sipping his coffee. As a father of two, he understood both the joys and hardships of parenting.

Jong-Min shook his head. Kids were a hard no. He valued his personal time, like drinking beer while watching baseball or movies after work, and hiking on weekends to relieve job-related stress. Having kids would mean giving up all of that.

“Anyway, my mind’s made up. I’m never changing it,” he declared.

“Sure, sure. I wouldn’t expect anything less from our stubborn Section Chief Park,” Cheol-Soo teased him.

They tossed their disposable cups into the trash and walked out of the break room. When they passed by Do-Jun, Cheol-Soo raised a hand in greeting.

“Morning, Chief,” Do-Jun greeted him.

“Good morning. Oh! And our little Byeol is here too!”

Cheol-Soo’s exclamation made Jong-Min glance over, and his eyes widened. Cheol-Soo was lifting a toddler into his arms, gently patting her back. That was all good, but there was one problem. The child was exceptionally, maybe excessively, adorable.

“

Haha

! What brings you here, sweetheart? Didn’t you go to daycare today?” Cheol-Soo asked Byeol.

“Today’s a bweak day,” she replied.

“Ah, I see. So you came to hang out with your dad?”

“Nope! I came to wohk, too!”

At that, Cheol-Soo couldn’t help but laugh. He gave her a few more pats on the back before carefully setting her down. Jong-Min, who had been watching this scene in a daze, slowly approached.

Gazing down at Byeol, he blinked and asked Cheol-Soo, “Who... is this...?”

“Do-Jun’s daughter. I told you before, didn’t I?”

“Wait... I thought his kid was in high school? You know, the one who goes to the Hunter Academy...”

“That’s Yoon-Hee. This is Byeol.”

“O-oh. I see. So there’s another one.”

“Cute, isn’t

sheeee

?” Cheol-Soo grinned teasingly.

For a moment, Jong-Min almost nodded, but he quickly masked his reaction.

Pretending to be uninterested, he muttered, “I told you, I’m not into kids.”

He then returned to his desk. Yet, every three seconds, his eyes darted back toward Byeol.

***

After the employees had settled in and the morning bustle, thanks to a certain someone, died down, everyone shifted into work mode around 9:30 AM. Sensing the change in atmosphere, Byeol quietly sat beside her dad, watching him work with wide eyes. Before long, though, her eyelids started to droop.

“Ah! I can’t fall asweep!” She tried to fight it, but her eyes soon began to close again.

At that moment, the printer on Do-Jun’s desk whirred to life, spitting out a sheet of paper.

Do-Jun picked it up and said, “Sweetheart. Can you help Daddy with something?”

Byeol’s eyes opened. She accepted the paper he handed her with both hands. Blinking with curiosity, she looked at the bold title at the top and sounded it out in a small voice. “Fisshuh Management Wepoht.”

“Now, your job is to take this to that nice Mister over there. Can you do it?” He pointed toward Jong-Min, who sat at the head of his unit.

“I can do it!”

“That’s my smart daughter.”

“I’ll be wight back!”

Chuckling, Do-Jun watched as Byeol hopped off the chair and toddled over to Jong-Min. Of course, having overheard their conversation, Jong-Min looked up as Byeol approached, holding the report in her tiny hands.

“Here you go, Mistah. Daddy said to give you this.”

“Oh... Uh, right. Thank you.”

Jong-Min took the report, struggling to suppress a smile. The corners of his mouth twitched upward, but he quickly forced them down. He knew Cheol-Soo was watching with a smug grin, and if Jong-Min even so much as smiled, he’d be teased about it for days.

“I did it, Daddy!” Byeol exclaimed happily.

“Good job. Thanks to you, Daddy’s work just got a lot easier.”

“Weally? Byeol did gweat, wight?”

“Of course.”

Pleased with herself, Byeol clenched her fists in triumph.

Meanwhile, Jong-Min turned his chair so Cheol-Soo couldn’t see him and allowed himself the faintest smile before getting back to work.

***

At noon sharp, Jong-Min stepped out of his office and announced, “Alright, everyone. Let’s take a break and grab some lunch.”

He often had lunch meetings with external guests, so he usually left the office as soon as lunchtime started. Today was no different. Meanwhile, most of the office staff preferred the company cafeteria.

“Let’s head to the cafeteria,” Do-Jun said.

“Yay!” Excited by the thought of food, Byeol happily trotted after her dad.

Until last year, the cafeteria had been located in the Press Center building behind the government complex, but it recently moved to the second floor of the main building because the old building was under renovation. The menu offered a choice between Korean and Western dishes. As always, Do-Jun opted for the Korean meal. After a moment of indecision, Byeol followed suit, picking the same option as her dad.

Since Byeol was too short to reach the serving counter, Do-Jun picked up two trays. Scooping up a fairly large scoop of rice, he served Byeol a generous portion. Aside from the main dish, all other side dishes were self-serve.

“Hello,” Do-Jun greeted the cafeteria lady serving the main dish.

She returned his greeting with a warm smile. Unlike most employees who simply took their food and walked past, Do-Jun always greeted the staff politely, earning their fondness.

“Meat!” Byeol exclaimed.

The steam rising from the stainless steel pan of beef bulgogi caught her eye. Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at the sizzling dish. Standing on her tiptoes, she rested her hands on the edge of the counter and peeked over, locking eyes with the cafeteria lady.

“Hello! Give me wots of meat, pwease!” she said.

“Oh my!” The lady was momentarily startled by the unexpected sight of the little girl.

“This is my daughter,” explained Do-Jun.

“Ah, I see! How adorable! Alright, plenty of meat, coming right up!”

“Yay!”

The lady generously scooped several servings of bulgogi onto Byeol’s tray, piling extra on top of the rice since the side dish compartment was too small to hold it all. Byeol beamed with joy.

“Say, ‘Thank you,’” Do-Jun reminded her.

“Thank you!” Byeol gave a deep bow with her hands pressed together in front of her belly.

“Hoho, come again next time. Ajumma[1] will make you lots of delicious food,” the lady chuckled.

Although Do-Jun hadn’t worked at Seoul City Hall for long, he had managed to become acquainted with most of the staff. People passing by couldn’t help but comment on how cute Byeol was. Watching from a distance, Cheol-Soo nudged Jong-Min in the ribs and chuckled.

***

Kids are nothing but trouble and a nuisance. I’ll never get married or have children.

That was what Jong-Min firmly believed. And even now, that belief hadn’t changed. Though maybe it had wavered just a little.

“Daddy, did you see me using the pwinter?” Byeol asked proudly.

She had used the office copier to make copies of documents needed for the afternoon meeting and delivered them to the conference room. Now, she eagerly approached Do-Jun, seeking praise. Hyuk-Soo, who had taught Byeol how to use the copier, buried his face in his hands, trying to suppress his laughter.

It was Monday afternoon, the time when most office workers succumbed to the notorious “Monday blues.” However, the presence of one small girl had transformed the entire office into a place full of warmth and laughter.

What if I... had a kid?

Jong-Min wondered.

If he lived an ordinary life like everyone else—got married and had kids—how would that feel?

He let out a small, dry chuckle. Raising a family wasn’t easy. In a world where even taking care of oneself was a challenge, the idea of protecting and raising a child felt like an even heavier burden.

Wake up, Jong-Min. You’re not that great a person. You’re selfish and self-centered. Remember that

, he told himself sternly.

That was why he never wanted to become a father. No matter how much he thought about it, he simply couldn’t see himself being a good dad. If he knew it, wasn’t it better never to start a family in the first place?

A simple life—coming home from work, having a beer while watching TV, hiking on weekends, or going on dates with his girlfriend—that was enough. He didn’t need anything more. But lately, his girlfriend kept bringing up the topic of marriage more and more frequently. That scared him.

Feeling awkward and out of place amid the cheerful atmosphere, Jong-Min stood up and headed for the rooftop to clear his mind.

***

The rooftop door swung open. Jong-Min glanced over as Cheol-Soo approached with a cigarette in his hand. Without saying a word, Cheol-Soo stood next to him and lit his cigarette. As he exhaled, white smoke drifted out, catching the faint glow of his breath.

“Cheol-Soo,” Jong-Min said.

“Yeah.”

“Are you happy right now?”

Cheol-Soo chuckled quietly, instantly understanding the underlying meaning of the question. “Nope.”

“See? I told you not to get married.”

“Right. But, hey, some friend you are. You should’ve tried harder to stop me.”

Marriage was madness. Wasn’t the man standing right here proof enough? Jong-Min took a long drag of his cigarette and let the smoke escape with a sigh.

Cheol-Soo said, “The moment I get home, neither the kids nor my wife bother to say hello. Well, unless I’m carrying fried chicken or something, then suddenly, I’m ‘Dad’ again. It’s like I’m nothing more than a walking ATM.”

“And yet, you keep telling me to get married—”

Cheol-Soo talked over Jong-Min. “But you know what? If I were born again, I’d still marry the same woman and have the same kids.”

“What...?”

Cheol-Soo shrugged before explaining, “Sounds crazy, right? But that’s how it is. They say people live off memories. No matter how tough things get, it’s the good memories that help you hold on. The days when my wife and I were dating. The moments when Woo-Jin and Young-Hee were born. Our family trips together. You know, the little things.

“No matter how hard life gets, those memories keep you going. Happiness? Sure, it’s nice to come home after work, crack open a beer, and watch baseball without a care in the world. But when you’re really struggling, those kinds of pleasures won’t hold you up.”

Cheol-Soo stubbed out the cigarette, the filter burnt down to the end. He then pulled another cigarette from the pack, but just as he was about to light it, he paused.

“Ah, dammit. I promised the kids I’d only smoke half a pack a day.” With a sigh, he slipped the cigarette back into the pack. “Anyway... whether you get married and start a family is up to you. It’s your life, after all. And yeah, once you have kids, your freedom pretty much disappears. Look at me. I can’t even smoke as much as I want to because of the kids.”

Jong-Min chuckled dryly. “So are you telling me to get married or not?”

“It’s your choice, man. Would you do it just because I told you to?”

“No, I should be making that decision on my own.”

“Exactly. Still... you know,” Cheol-Soo said after a pause.

“Hmm?”

“Life without freedom isn’t all that bad. It means you’ve got somewhere, or someone, to come home to. After work, when you bring home some fried chicken, there’s someone waiting to share it with you, even if I never get to eat the drumsticks.” He chuckled to himself.

Jong-Min let out a bittersweet sigh. “Cheol-Soo.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think I could be a good dad?”

“One day, yeah. Maybe in a year, or five, or ten... but someday.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because you’ll grow. Dads grow alongside their kids.”

***

Byeol fell asleep almost immediately after they got home. It seemed like today’s events tired her out. After gently pulling the blanket up to her shoulders, Do-Jun softly patted her belly.

“Dads grow alongside their kids.”

He smiled as he recalled Cheol-Soo’s words from the rooftop.

1. Korean word for a married or middle-aged woman. Although it is used as “aunt” or “aunty,” it does not refer to an actual family member relationship. ☜