KTS 218

“Wow!”

Angela, dressed in the kindergarten uniform that had arrived the day before, cheered excitedly and spun around in place. The sky, which had been cloudy since the day before, was now filled with dark clouds, and lightning flashed occasionally through the clouds, but the child’s mood was brighter than a sunny morning. Yu-jin’s lips naturally curved upward as he watched her, and he couldn’t seem to bring them down.

“Come here, Angie, I need to finish your hair.”

He gestured to the child, who had run off to spin around after he had stopped brushing her hair. She looked at her whole body in the mirror one more time and then scurried over. But his daughter headed in a different direction than Yu-jin.

“Angie!”

Yu-jin called out in surprise as his daughter jumped into Winston’s arms, who was sitting far away from him. But Angela, unconcerned, said to Winston.

“Winnie do it, I want to go with bunny hair!”

“What?”

Winston, who had instinctively picked up the child, looked at Yu-jin in confusion. The hesitant gaze seemed to be asking for permission. Yu-jin was dumbfounded, but he couldn’t bring himself to nod willingly.

“I’ll do your bunny hair, Angie. Come over here.”

“Daddy doesn’t know what bunny hair is, Winston knows!”

“Angie.”

Yu-jin became anxious, but he couldn’t bring himself to get angry at the child. Above all, today was a very important day in Angie’s life. After all, it was her first experience being part of a group and meeting friends. Therefore, he couldn’t bear to ruin the child’s excited mood because of his own emotions.

Winston was still waiting for Yu-jin’s reaction. All that remained was Yu-jin’s choice.

“Haa.”

Yu-jin finally sighed deeply and nodded weakly.

“Alright, do it that way.”

As soon as permission was granted, the child happily turned around on Winston’s lap. Yu-jin reluctantly got up and walked over to Winston, handing him the brush he was holding.

“Thank you.”

Winston said in a low voice as he accepted the brush. Yu-jin returned to his seat without a word. Yu-jin’s heart was uneasy as he watched Winston, who was frowning as he brushed the child’s hair. How did things end up like this? When the child hated Winston, that was also a worry, but now he was worried that she was too attached to him. What would Angela’s reaction be if she found out that Winston was her papa?

If I say I don’t want to reveal it, would Winston be okay with that?

But he might want to see her sometimes. I can’t stop him from that. If that happens…

Before he knew it, his head was aching, and he was rubbing his furrowed brow with his fingers when suddenly, the child shouted.

“Daddy, Daddy! All done, look at me!”With an excited voice, Angela, with her hair all done, stood with her arms wide open as Yu-jin looked up. Her hairstyle, with her hair braided on both sides and rolled up in a circle at the top, was closer to Mickey Mouse than rabbit ears. But Yu-jin thought his daughter would be disappointed if he said that, so he smiled and said,

“Cute, Angie, it suits you.”

“Right? Like a bunny?”

The child shouted “Wow!” and started spinning in the same spot again. Yu-jin felt complicated as Angela, who had always been mature, was acting like a child for the first time in a while. All sorts of minus and plus emotions were mixed together, such as relief, guilt, bitterness, joy, and happiness, and he didn’t know what kind of expression to make.

As if noticing Yu-jin’s feelings, Winston approached and spoke to him.

“What’s wrong?”

Yu-jin pretended not to know at the quietly subdued voice and asked.

“Did you say ‘bunny’?”

“No, Angie did.”

As Winston readily answered, Yu-jin frowned and muttered.

“It looks like Mickey Mouse, not a bunny.”

“No.”

At Winston’s denial, Yu-jin glanced at him. As if asking what it was then. Winston looked at the child seriously and added.

“It would be Minnie Mouse, since Angie is a girl.”

Yu-jin looked up at Winston in bewilderment. Was he being serious?

But there was no hint of a smile on Winston’s face. Rather, Yu-jin judged that he was serious in his own way, with his eyes slightly frowning and looking at the child with a serious face.

“Okay, Minnie Mouse.”

As Yu-jin accepted it, this time Winston looked down at him.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course?”

Yu-jin, who had spoken without thinking, frowned belatedly after raising his head.

“Was that a joke?”

“……No.”

Winston answered after a pause. With that, Yu-jin was convinced that he had made a joke. A miserably failed joke, though.

Realizing that, he laughed instead. As he burst out laughing, Winston looked at him with a puzzled expression. Yu-jin replied with a face still full of laughter.

“It’s not funny at all.”

Winston also smiled and said.

“But you laughed.”

“I didn’t.”

Yu-jin stubbornly turned his head away. He heard Winston’s low laughter, but he pretended not to notice. Even while feeling his cheeks burning.

* * *

By the time the child returned from kindergarten, it was pouring rain. Every time there was a loud thunderclap while returning in the car, the child would scream in surprise. After that was repeated several times, Winston raised the armrest and made a space in the middle for Angela to sit.

“It’s okay, Angie, thunder is just a natural phenomenon.”

Winston hugged the child’s shoulders and patted her arm, explaining the scientific principle in a casual tone. ‘Angie is still a child, she wouldn’t understand those words,’ Yu-jin thought, but Angela was unexpectedly interested and listened to Winston’s words intently.

“The fairy tale said that the god of thunder is angry.”

“People in the old days thought so.”

The topic naturally moved on to mythology. Yu-jin unexpectedly learned that he was a storyteller. He was unknowingly drawn into his story and listening intently when lightning struck nearby. Winston’s face was clearly revealed in the momentarily brightened vision.

……Huh?

Suddenly, Yu-jin felt that something was wrong. Winston’s voice was calm and no different from usual, but there was a very subtle difference. What was it?

“……So.”

He continued after a brief pause. That’s when Yu-jin realized. The rough breathing that was very faintly mixed in. And when lightning struck again, he could see it clearly. The cold sweat beading on Winston’s temples.

* * *

“Angie, you have to change your clothes and wash your hands now. You just came in from outside.”

“Okay, I will!”

At Yu-jin’s words, the child ran excitedly into the room. Soon after, he turned his head and saw Winston walking to the bedroom. Yu-jin checked that the clothes for the child to change into were on the bed, roughly told her what to do next, and hurriedly followed Winston.

“Winston…….”

The moment Yu-jin opened the door, calling his name, he stopped in surprise. Winston was lying on the bed without even taking off his jacket. To be exact, Yu-jin was shocked and rushed in urgently at the sight of him groaning while curled up in a ball.

“Winston, what’s wrong? Are you sick again?”

At the quick question, Winston answered in a strained voice as if squeezing it out.

“I’m okay…….”

“What do you mean you’re okay! You’re sweating so much…… Where’s the medicine? Should I call a doctor?”

“I’m okay…….”

Winston repeated the same words. Yu-jin suddenly felt that something was wrong.

“Winston, give me all your assets. How about it?”

“I’m okay…….”

After hesitating for a moment, Yu-jin took a deep breath and whispered.

“I’m pregnant, Winston. I’m serious.”

The time it took for an answer to come out was only 1 or 2 seconds, but Yu-jin felt a heart-pounding tension during that time. If Winston remembered this later, he was going to deny it by saying it was just something he said.

“I’m okay…….”

At the same answer this time, Yu-jin let out a short sigh and relaxed his shoulders. But it wasn’t time to relax. He immediately picked up the phone on the side table and called the Butler.

“Please call the doctor. Winston is very sick.”

Yu-jin looked down at Winston and added in a voice mixed with embarrassment.

“He’s completely unconscious…… so I don’t think I can give him medicine right now.”

“Understood.”

After hearing the Butler’s answer, he hung up the phone and stared at Winston again. His heart was incredibly complicated as he watched him groan and suffer. Yu-jin stared at him for a while and rubbed his face roughly with both hands.