By Zephyria “Phoebe, look at this! It’s a snowman I made!”
Phoebe’s eyes widened as Angela showed her the snowman, which was three times her height, and shouted excitedly.
“No way, you put the head up that high? You’re even smaller than me!”
Phoebe straightened her back and looked down at Angela. Of course, the snowman was even bigger than Phoebe. Angela confidently puffed out her chest without being discouraged.
“The bodyguard helped me put it up. I made it, though.”
“So you didn’t make it by yourself.”
Angela hesitated at Phoebe’s primly turned head. What’s wrong with her? Is she mad at me? As she fidgeted and watched, Phoebe, who had glanced down, sighed and shook her head.
“Sorry, I haven’t been feeling well lately.”
Phoebe, with one hand on her hip like an adult, elegantly lowered her eyes.
“Why? What’s wrong? Tell me, Phoebe. We’re friends!”
Angela blinked and looked up, asking urgently. Phoebe pretended to be troubled, resting one cheek on her finger and tilting her head, then soon opened her mouth.
“Actually, something happened at school.”
“What is it? What happened?”
Phoebe sighed again and continued.
“Human relationships are complicated. You’re still too young to understand.”
“I’m not! I’m already four years old.”
Angela shouted in a fit of pique, but Phoebe still had a lukewarm reaction.
“You’re still a long way from going to school. The society of school is very complicated, you don’t know.”
Because it was true, she couldn’t help but hesitate. After a moment of hesitation, Angela asked cautiously.
“Is going to school that hard?”
“Of course.”
Phoebe nodded as if she had been waiting for it and said.
“You’re still a long way from experiencing it, right? Lucky you, not knowing anything.”
Angela’s eyes widened at Phoebe’s sigh as she looked up at the sky.
Cool.
Looking at Phoebe’s appearance, burdened with the worries of an adult, she could see all too well how insignificant she was as a child. That was because Phoebe would soon be in the second grade. Not first grade, but second grade. She was breaking away from being an immature child and becoming a completely mature adult.
“Awesome, Phoebe. I’m jealous, I want to be an elementary school student soon!”
The child’s face, looking up with clasped hands and a gaze full of admiration, was overflowing with respect. Phoebe wore a somewhat benevolent expression and stroked Angela’s head.
“You can do it too. But you probably can’t become a cool elementary school student like me.”
“I want to be one too! A cool elementary school student like Phoebe!”
“Oh dear, that’s going to be difficult.”
“Phoebe! Teach me! I’ll work hard, what do I have to do to become a cool person like Phoebe?” The child’s pure respect made Phoebe’s heart swell. Phoebe couldn’t help but feel proud and looked down at Angela.
“Then I’ll teach you. You have potential.”
“Thank you, Phoebe!”
Wow, Angela shouted and jumped up and down. In her head, she was already picturing herself walking elegantly down the hallway and children admiring Angela. I’m going to become a cool adult like Phoebe!
* * *
“Well, so Phoebe knocked out three of that kid’s baby teeth.”
Grant sighed deeply, as if the ground was sinking, and clutched his head. Yu-jin, who was sitting across the table from him, listened to him with an awkward face, laughing awkwardly. Grant continued to speak.
“She beat him up so badly that I even had a meeting with the principal. Catherine is angry because I taught Phoebe boxing, but think about it. Isn’t it better to hit than to be hit? Besides, Phoebe is a girl. Girls need to build up their strength even more, so that bad boys can’t treat them carelessly.”
Yu-jin asked Grant, who clenched his fist as if he was angry just thinking about it.
“Was Phoebe hurt badly?”
If the other person was hurt that badly, Phoebe must have been injured to some extent as well. Of course, Grant replied.
“So much blood came out of that little nose. Her nose was swollen this much and red, and Catherine was incredibly angry, at me.”
The reason was that she had used violence. Of course, Grant also had something to say.
“No, why solve it with words when you can solve it with fists? That kid apologized to Phoebe after getting hit, you know?”
Yu-jin was flustered, not knowing how to respond to his trembling fist, and hurriedly changed the subject and asked.
“But how did you end up coming here?”
“Ah.”Grant belatedly seemed to remember and unfolded his fist to answer.
“Mr. Campbell invited us. And the school happened to give Phoebe three days off, so I figured I’d just take a vacation.”
So, she got suspended.
He tried to sugarcoat it as a father, but that’s what it boiled down to. Yu-jin didn’t bother pointing it out and moved on.
“That’s good. Angie will be happy to have a friend, and it’s more fun to play with someone her age.”
“Thank you. I was hoping to talk about work while I’m here… would that be alright?”
“Yes, of course.”
Yu-jin nodded with a smile. Grant had mentioned wanting to talk when they spoke on the phone last time, so this was a good opportunity. At Yu-jin’s response, Grant jumped right in as if he’d been waiting.
“Actually, about the reading I mentioned before…”
* * *
When they finished talking and came outside, Winston was at the bar, drinking alone. Yu-jin paused at the sight of him downing the glass full of brown liquid in one go, and Grant, quick to notice, spoke up.
“Mr. Campbell, thank you for letting me talk to Yu-jin. I was able to wrap things up nicely thanks to you.”
“Good to hear.”
Winston said, but there was no enthusiasm in his voice. Yu-jin tilted his head at the strangely listless tone, and just then, an employee came in.
“Mr. Campbell, how would you like dinner? It will be ready in about an hour.”
“Sounds good to me. I should tell the children to come in and get ready.”
With everyone’s attention on him, Grant readily spoke and quickly disappeared. After the employee also left, only Yu-jin and Winston remained. Yu-jin, glancing at the cleanly emptied glass, cautiously asked.
“What’s with the sudden drinking? Isn’t it a bit early?”
Winston stared at his face for a moment, then averted his gaze and muttered.
“Just felt like drinking.”
Yu-jin tilted his head again, but Winston clamped his mouth shut. Figuring it would be difficult to get anything more out of him, he stepped back and said.
“I should go get Angie. See you later.”
Even to that, Winston didn’t reply, only poured more liquor into his glass. Why did he suddenly get in a bad mood? Bewildered, Yu-jin decided not to dwell on it. It seemed pointless to ask when he wouldn’t get an answer anyway, and he figured there was nothing he could do even if he knew. And until dinner was over, Winston barely spoke.
* * *
“So, you see, the thought of Phoebe falling for some dark-haired rascal and leaving my side already fills my heart with bruises.”
Yu-jin secretly sighed at Grant, who had somehow started rambling drunkenly. He had readily agreed to the idea of having a drink at the bar with the adults after putting the children to bed, but this was the result. Even though Yu-jin hadn’t had a single sip, he already felt lightheaded. As he sighed, touching his forehead, he met Winston’s eyes.
“Go up.”
At the words that came out as if he’d been waiting for them, Yu-jin’s eyes widened, and Winston continued in a nonchalant tone.
“I’ll stay here, so go get some rest. You look tired.”
What he said was true. A sudden wave of sleepiness washed over Yu-jin, and he said, “Thank you,” before giving Grant a rough “good night,” but he just kept rambling without responding. As Yu-jin fled, leaving them alone, Winston looked at Grant with disdain. Grant continued to mumble.
“She’s a daughter too precious to even look at, and some unheard-of thief is going to steal her away. I’d rather gouge my eyes out than see that. Phoebe, no. Don’t get married.”
At the unsightly sight of the man finally bursting into tears, Winston clicked his tongue and poured whiskey into his glass.
“It can’t be helped. You can’t keep your daughter with you forever.”
At the cold words, Grant protested, “But—”
“Catherine is dating other men too. How can she do that? When I’m here!”
“She’s divorced, so it’s only natural.”
Until then, it was just someone else’s problem to Winston. As he put down the bottle, Grant continued to wail.
“Even when I go home, I’m alone every day. What’s the point of success if Phoebe isn’t there, and Catherine is going to marry another man? Mr. Campbell, think about it, how would you feel if Yu-jin divorced you and lived with another man…”
At those words, Winston’s movement of bringing the glass to his lips froze. Oblivious to his stiffened reaction, Grant continued.
“It’s a separate issue from me being lonely. My Catherine, my beautiful Catherine with another man… No, my love! Don’t abandon me!”
Grant sobbed, snatched Winston’s glass, and gulped it down in one go. Leaving Winston dumbfounded, Grant collapsed and fell asleep.
“Grant, hey, wake up.”
He shook him roughly, but there was no response. Hearing the low snoring, Winston held back a curse and slung him over his shoulder, then started walking. He carelessly dumped Grant on the bed in the guest room, then came out of the room, only to suddenly stop. At the end of his gaze was Yu-jin’s bedroom.
*If Yu-jin divorced you and lived with another man.*
Winston stood frozen like a stone statue, his gaze fixed. Yes, that’s right. Very slowly, a thought began to dawn on him. It could very well happen. No, it’s only natural. Did you think Yu-jin would stay alone forever? Of course, he’d date someone.
Someone other than me.
At that moment, Winston felt his heart plummet to the floor.