By Zephyria Speechless, Yu-jin couldn’t make a sound. Time passed as he just stared at the child with his mouth open. Say something, what are you doing! He could hear himself scolding himself, but even so, he just stood there blankly. Angela is quick-witted for her age, so she must know something is wrong. No, even the dullest child would have to notice. That Yu-jin is hiding something about Papa.
But how can he say it now?
When what felt like an eternity of less than 5 minutes had passed, Angela suddenly spoke.
“It’s okay, Daddy.”
“What?”
Momentarily surprised, he involuntarily asked back. Only then did Angela shift her gaze from the window to Yu-jin.
“You don’t have to tell me about Papa if you don’t want to. Anyway, I don’t have a Papa, right?”
That’s not true.
He had to say it now. But Angela didn’t give him time to gather his courage and ran across the living room and up to the second floor.
“Angie…”Yu-jin belatedly called out the child’s name, but all that returned was the sound of the door closing. The fact that Angela had closed the door to her room felt like a rejection of him. Anxiously looking around, Yu-jin belatedly walked up the stairs, chasing after the child. But he needed courage once again to knock on the door. After taking a deep breath, he knocked twice in rhythm, and after a pause, the child answered.
“Yes.”
Only after receiving permission did Yu-jin open the door. Angela was squatting on the bed, hugging a teddy bear bigger than herself.
“Angie.”
Yu-jin sat on the edge of the bed, calling his daughter’s name and gently stroking her back.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Papa in advance. Were you very upset?”
Angela shook her head after a pause.
“No.”
“Then?”
He asked again, but Angela was silent, as if lost in thought. Yu-jin waited for the child to speak on her own, but his daughter showed no sign of opening her mouth. After another ten minutes or so, Angela opened her mouth as if mumbling.
“……Mr. Campbell.”
“Huh?”
At first, he didn’t understand what she was saying. Yu-jin asked, puzzled, and belatedly understood his daughter’s words.
Mr. Campbell.
Yu-jin was startled by the name that suddenly popped out. He had never imagined that his name would come out of Angela’s mouth. Why, and how?
“Mr. Campbell, what about Mr. Campbell?”
Asking as carefully as possible so as not to alarm the child, Angela was silent again before muttering in a small voice.
“We, we can’t see Mr. Campbell again, can we?”
Yu-jin looked down at Angela’s face for a moment. But it wasn’t easy to figure out the child’s true feelings. In the end, he gave up and asked directly.
“Angie, do you miss Mr. Campbell?”
“Huh? N, no. It’s not like that, Daddy.”
Angela jumped up and shook her head. But the child’s fierce denial only made Yu-jin’s guess even more certain.
“Angie…….”
Faced with an unexpected situation, Yu-jin was at a loss as to how to persuade the child. He had felt that Winston and the child’s relationship had become much closer since some time ago. But Angela had repeatedly said that she wouldn’t fall for Winston, hadn’t she?
Was that perhaps to reassure me?
Her true feelings may have been different. Angela didn’t have a Papa, so perhaps Winston’s efforts had worked on the child.
But she may have been deliberately saying that it wasn’t true because she was watching my mood…….
Thinking that way, he felt guilty. The adults were fighting and didn’t consider the child at all. Yu-jin felt suffocated when he thought of Angela, who must have been embarrassed and didn’t know what to do in the middle.
“Angie, you can see Mr. Campbell if you want to.”
It would be difficult right now, but after some time, he would have to reveal the truth to Angela. He was also thinking of telling her when she was older.
Maybe that’s now.
Hoo, he took a deep breath and was about to open his mouth when Angela suddenly pushed away the teddy bear she was holding and shouted.
“No, Daddy. I don’t want to see Mr. Campbell. I’m worried about the baby!”
“What?”
Yu-jin was embarrassed once again. He had forgotten what kind of lie he had told. Angela continued urgently.
“You have my sibling in your belly, Daddy. Mr. Campbell is Papa. So Mr. Campbell has to come to see the baby, right? The baby has a Papa.”
Yu-jin was stunned as if he had been hit. Even in the meantime, his daughter continued to bombard him with difficult questions.
“Daddy, when is my sibling coming out? How much longer do I have to wait? Is it a girl or a boy?”
Even with the continuing questions, Yu-jin stared down at his daughter without saying a word. He didn’t know how the child’s thinking had fallen into such a flow, but what was certain was that the lie he had told to deceive Winston had harmed his daughter.
“Haa…….”
Yu-jin couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh. The time had come to pay the price for what he had done. He would have to chew over his regrets one by one, feeling embarrassment and guilt each time.
But he couldn’t put it off any longer. He should have said it sooner. Yu-jin braced himself and opened his mouth.
“Angie.”
“Yes.”
The daughter who had been waiting answered right away. Before saying the decisive words, Yu-jin had to take another deep breath. Looking into the two eyes full of trust towards him, he confessed with difficulty.
“I’m sorry, there is no sibling.”
At Yu-jin’s words, Angela stared at him with wide eyes. Yu-jin felt his heart ache and added an explanation.
“Daddy was mistaken. I wasn’t pregnant.”
Even as he confessed, he thought that Angela might be happy on one side of his heart. She hadn’t welcomed the idea of having a sibling, and she had also said that she didn’t want Winston to come.
But contrary to his expectations, Angela drooped her shoulders and revealed her disappointment all over her face. Yu-jin was embarrassed and looked at his daughter before opening his mouth with difficulty.
“Didn’t you dislike having a sibling?”
Asking lightly as if joking, Angela muttered softly.
“Yeah, I did…… but now that I think there really isn’t one, it feels strange here.”
Angela put her hands on her chest and lowered her head. She had made a difficult decision to accept her sibling, but she must have felt empty that it had ended so futilely.
“I’m sorry, Angie. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
Yu-jin hugged Angela and patted her back, apologizing. Angela, who was quietly nestled in Daddy’s arms, mumbled something. This time, Yu-jin understood a beat late.
“Then Mr. Campbell won’t come…….”
Yu-jin just hugged the child without saying a word. He was glad that he didn’t reveal his expression this time. Instead of sighing, he frowned and opened his mouth, looking at his face reflected in the window.
“We’ll be able to see him again, Angie.”
“Uung…….”
The child answered in a small voice, but there was no energy in her voice. She must have thought that this was also a pleasant lie. Having lived a short life, Angela had experienced too many disappointments and frustrations. Yu-jin also knew that she had an unchildlike cynical side. But now, he couldn’t say anything more. All he could do was hug the child tightly.
* * *
“Mr. Campbell, Mr. Campbell.”
At the urgent call, Winston, who was sprawled on the sofa, frowned. Seeing his master groaning with deep wrinkles between his eyebrows, the Butler continued in an anxious voice.
“Please wake up, it seems we’ve found Yu-jin. I just received a call.”
There was a gap of about two or three seconds before Winston reacted. He seemed to stiffen for a moment, then suddenly opened his eyes wide and abruptly raised his body.
“What did you say?”
“P, please wait a moment.”
The Butler, momentarily surprised, uncharacteristically stuttered and belatedly held out his cell phone. Winston immediately took it and blurted out.
“You found Yu-jin? Where?”
It took some more time to say the next words. Winston’s expression, which had been listening silently, gradually became fierce.
“What?”