Chapter 237
"D...addy...?"
"Yes! Daddy!"
The child, hearing my muttered words spoken in confusion, nodded her head vigorously. Then, looking up at me, she stretched out her arms and bounced.
"Soo-ah wants a hug!"
And with the sudden outburst from this unexpected child, the atmosphere around us completely shifted.
No fewer than a hundred pairs of eyes were locked onto me with pinpoint precision.
As I scanned the faces of the onlookers, I couldn't help but let out a sigh. Among them were people I knew, mingled within the crowd.
Discipline Head Choi Ireh, who looked as though she was staring at worthless garbage; Kwon Yuri, laughing uproariously; the wide-eyed, stunned expressions of Choi Woojin and Ryu Seunghun, and so on...
And...for some reason, even Jin Yeseo, staring at me with empty pupils.
"..."
Sweat poured down like rain, and a shiver ran up my spine. Though I had faced countless battlefields, I had never experienced this kind of crisis.
Then, someone began approaching with a click-clack of footsteps.
Yeon, with a determined expression as if she had made up her mind, clenched her lips tightly. Her trembling fingers betrayed her tension.
Suddenly meeting my eyes, she quickly averted her gaze in bewilderment and lowered her head.
"W-wait, let's talk for a moment..."
She muttered in a small voice.
"...Soo-ah's dad."
And from behind, a noisy sound echoed loudly.
Yeon Minha, clutching the back of her neck, staggered and nearly collapsed before managing to hold herself steady.
***
"Hehe..."
At the back of the plaza.
I was sitting on a peaceful bench in the Cradle Garden. The space on my lap was completely occupied by a little girl who bore a striking resemblance to Yeon.
The child, who had leapt up and was snuggling against me, giggled with a beaming smile as if overwhelmed with happiness.
"Kong...Soo-ah loves daddy's lap the most!"
"..."
Watching her roll around reminded me of a cat. Maybe her small stature made it feel that way even more.
I didn't particularly feel the need to stop her. I wasn't exactly sure why.
There wasn't any sense of discomfort. Somehow, this child's presence didn't feel unfamiliar; in fact, it felt quite familiar.
Looking at how I was absentmindedly combing her hair with my fingers...
"Kyaa...! Daddy's fingers are ticklish...!"
More than anything, my head was so muddled that I couldn't organize my thoughts properly. Is this what happens when a person faces an overwhelming crisis so suddenly?
Meanwhile, in front of me, a fierce confrontation was unfolding. Specifically, it was Yeon Minha unleashing her anger while Yeon desperately tried to defuse it.
The one saving grace was that the spectators, intimidated by Yeon Minha's sharp gaze, had been driven back several dozen meters.
There were only a few people in this Cradle who could endure Yeon Minha's genuine fury head-on. If curiosity got the better of them, they might end up roasted alive.
"...Now, can you at least explain?"
The first to speak was also Yeon Minha. Her voice, thick with suppressed anger, revealed her true emotions clearly.
It had been quite a while since I had seen Yeon Minha this genuinely angry. After all, such situations rarely arose, and even more rarely did she show this side of herself around me.
But for some reason...
Compared to her earlier dejected state, her current angered appearance seemed more vibrant. Was it just my imagination...?
"...It's a family matter."
And with her hands clasped together, Yeon answered hesitantly while sneaking glances in my direction.
"It's a bit...hard to share with an outsider."
"Huh? Outsider? This girl...no, have you completely lost your mind?"
Hearing Yeon's words, Yeon Minha let out a dry laugh in disbelief.
"I'm her fiancé. Family? Don't make me laugh...who's calling who an outsider here?"
"Ugh..."
While Yeon couldn't hide her pained expression from being struck where it hurt, it only lasted briefly. Soon, as if nothing had happened, she turned to me and began speaking.
"...She's our daughter. She's two years old, and her name is Soo-ah, just as you heard. Do you remember the promise we made before...? If the firstborn was a girl, we'd name her Soo-ah... So we did..."
"Soo-ah..."
"Huh? Did you call Soo-ah?"
Hearing her name, the child lifted her head with a finger to her lips. When I gave her hair a gentle stroke for no particular reason, she giggled and rubbed her cheek against me again.
It had been quite a while since I'd encountered such a cute and harmless little creature.
Two years old. She was younger than I had expected. But looking at her small figure and her lisping speech, she certainly seemed her age.
"...Originally, I planned to raise her on my own."
Lowering her gaze to the ground, Yeon murmured in a sorrowful voice.
"But...Soo-ah really...wanted to see her dad..."
"That's right! Soo-ah wanted to see daddy!"
As if echoing her words, Soo-ah nodded furiously in her embrace. Her reaction was so passionate, anyone could tell it was heartfelt.
However, sincerity can sometimes provoke even greater anger in certain individuals.
"Hey!! Baek Seoyeon!!"
Finally unable to hold back, Yeon Minha's fury erupted in all directions.
"Enough already. Are you planning to act as disgracefully as possible now? If you're going to lie, at least make it believable...!"
Despite the sharp finger-pointing laden with wrath, Yeon remained unfazed. Instead, she calmly looked at Yeon Minha and asked.
"...What doesn't make sense?"
"Everything. Two years ago, weren't you sixteen?"
"...And?"
"And back then...h-how...!"
"...?"
"H-how..."
The raging fire of Yeon Minha's anger instantly fizzled out. The deep red blush on her face wasn't from anger but closer to embarrassment. Her voice, growing quieter, barely conveyed her meaning.
"That kind of thing..."
"..."
With that, Yeon Minha lowered her head completely. Just from her glowing red earlobes, it was clear what point she was alluding to.
On the other hand, I too...found myself wondering the same thing.
As I watched their conversation, my reason slowly began to return, and I cautiously spoke to Yeon.
"...It's true."
At that, Yeon's clasped hands trembled lightly. There was no way to describe this buzzing sensation in words.
The last time I had faced Yeon was just a few days ago. While past resentments were resolved, both old memories and future plans had been tied up there.
It hadn't been easy for me either. I only thought it was the best choice for everyone.
So, for our reunion to begin with such...embarrassing and awkward topics...no one could have imagined it.
"To...have a child, there has to be...something between a man and a woman."
"...Yeah."
Yeon lightly nodded. Her trembling pupils clearly betrayed her tension.
"But we...never went that far..."
Even the most significant interactions between Yeon and me had only amounted to light kisses on the cheek.
Admittedly, I did have a clear desire for more. But due to my own inferiority complex and my desire to cherish the most precious moments until the very end, I had endlessly postponed it.
In hindsight, it was clearly a mistake.
"..."
"So...it really is...!"
On Yeon's face, there was a mix of regret and disappointment. Conversely, Yeon Minha grinned triumphantly, as if she had gained a firm ally.
Thinking my silence was an admission of guilt, it seemed like I had no excuse. But as I looked again, Yeon's face had turned as red as Yeon Minha's just moments ago.
Only when the blush reached the top of her forehead did Yeon lower her head. After fiddling with her fingers for a while, she finally managed to murmur.
"...Well."
"What did you say...?"
Her voice was so small that it was hard to catch. When I asked her again, she squeezed her eyes shut and finally raised her voice.
"I did it...while you were sleeping."
"..."
Instinctively, I covered Soo-ah's ears.
"Soo-ah feels stuffy!"
Then, Soo-ah, who had been curiously observing a fluttering butterfly, began to squirm. Yeon Minha's reaction was even more dramatic. She was truly in despair, as though she had lost her country and her love.
"H-how, that...makes no sense...!!"
After a momentary silence swept over us, Yeon Minha, who had barely regained focus in her pupils, opened her trembling lips.
"B-Baek Seoyeon!! I told you not to lie!!"
She was expressing intense fury with her teeth clenched.
"Illegitimate children of Paechun are spread everywhere like radishes pulled from the field!! Everyone who knows anything knows that! Do you think I wouldn't realize you're pretending with someone who just looks similar...?!"
"It's not like that."
And Yeon, once again, calmly shook her head.
"You can tell by looking directly."
"Directly looking...at what...?!"
Yeon pointed at Soo-ah, who sat on my lap, instead of answering. Soo-ah, now the center of attention from the two people, tilted her head in confusion.
"Those pupils and her eyes. Doesn't she look exactly like Hyun?"
"...!"
And Yeon Minha could no longer offer any rebuttal. The ferocity in her, which seemed as if it could burn everything around her, gradually subsided.
What filled her pupils now was severe despair born from loss. And that arrow of despair was no longer aimed at Yeon but was clearly directed at me.
In Yeon Minha's glaring pupils, a faint tear shimmered. At the same time, they were also filled with deep injustice.
"I-I haven't even done it yet..."