By Zephyria 
Yu-jin let out a short sigh, furrowed his brow, and asked in an uncertain voice.
“Will you keep this a secret?”
“Of course. I swear.”
He raised one hand as if taking an oath. But Yu-jin knew well that secrets always have a way of leaking out. This person would probably be no different. Even as he thought that, his mouth moved on its own, spilling out the words in his heart.
“I wonder if the reason the child was bullied was because of me.”
The secretary fell silent again. After a few seconds of silence with a surprised expression, he spoke with difficulty.
“Suddenly, for what reason?”
The carefully chosen question was simple but natural. Yu-jin let out a bitter sigh and muttered.
“The kids who bullied Angie were the ones who came to the party we held before, and at the time, they all said they’d become friends. They even invited her to come to their kindergarten, and I naturally thought they’d all play well together there… but that wasn’t the case.”
Even after hearing his words, Yeon-woo still couldn’t understand. Children are fickle; they can be the best of friends today and become enemies tomorrow over something trivial. So why was this person blaming himself?
Seeing Yeon-woo’s expression, Yu-jin confessed bitterly.
“There were bad rumors about me. I thought maybe it was because of that…”
Only then did Yeon-woo feel like he somewhat understood the situation.
“So.”
He took a deep breath and cautiously broached the subject.
“Are you worried that Mr. Seol’s public activities might have a negative impact on the child?”
It was accurate. Yu-jin hesitated, then nodded. Yeon-woo tilted his head, furrowed his brow again, and spoke.
“In that case, shouldn’t you be even more active? You should show that you don’t care about such rumors. And often, when people actually meet you, you’re different from the rumors, right? There’s no need to deliberately miss such an opportunity.”
Having said that much, Yeon-woo cautiously asked.
“Is the child affected by such things or doesn’t like them…?”
“Ah, no. It’s not like that. Angie is a strong child.”
Yu-jin shook his head and confessed honestly.
“Actually, I found out about this incident later. The principal told me… until then, I didn’t even know such a thing had happened, because Angie never said a word about it…”
“I see, she’s a very strong child indeed.”
Smiling and affirming his words, Yeon-woo quietly watched Yu-jin for a moment before speaking.
“Shouldn’t Mr. Seol also learn from his daughter’s courage?”
At those words, Yu-jin blinked in surprise. Seizing the timing, Yeon-woo continued to persuade him.
“You need to be confident for your child’s sake, so she can gain more strength. The reason Angie could handle it alone is because you are her daddy. Don’t you think so?”
Then he playfully added.
“Violence is bad, but if the other party provides a pretext, sometimes there’s no choice.”
At that, Yu-jin couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing his face, Yeon-woo smiled warmly and patted his arm.
“Come to the party, Mr. Seol. Bring the child too. There will be a flood of amazing articles. Angie will be even prouder of you.”
Would that really happen?
“…I used to dig through trash cans because I had nothing to eat. I could collect cans or plastic bottles and sell them for money…”
His own miserable past spilled out of his mouth unbidden. Hearing this, Yeon-woo looked surprised, then immediately pulled Yu-jin into a tight hug.
“You endured so hard. That’s why you could write such stories.”
As if praising him, he vigorously rubbed Yu-jin’s back. Yu-jin suddenly felt his nose sting. Sniffling, he swallowed hard, hesitated, then carefully hugged Yeon-woo back.
Ah.
Belatedly, he noticed a faint scent. This person… is an Omega. …Just like me.
With that, his heart felt at ease, and all walls crumbled. Resting his head on Yeon-woo’s shoulder, Yu-jin whispered.
“We have a lot in common.”
At that, Yeon-woo answered in a voice tinged with laughter.
“That’s why I came here.”
Yu-jin laughed out loud.
***
“What? A party? Really? For Daddy’s novel?”
Upon hearing the news, Angela opened her eyes wide and shouted loudly. Soon after, seeing the child jumping up and down on the bed with a “Waaah!” of delight, Yu-jin couldn’t help but laugh.
“Are you that happy?”
“Yes, of course!”
Excited and breathing heavily, Angela snorted and hurriedly continued.
“Then will actors come too? Who’s coming? Can I go too? What about the movie set? Where are they filming? Can I go watch? I’ll be good and listen, I want to see too!”
The sight of the child running back and forth on the bed, pleading, brought a smile to his face. Unable to resist his daughter’s cuteness, Yu-jin scooped her up into a hug.
“Daddy, I can’t breathe.”
The child mumbled a complaint from within his embrace, but Yu-jin didn’t let go. Instead, he kissed her all over her head, took a deep breath in and out, and finally whispered.
“I love you, Angie.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
Only after hearing the child’s reply did he finally release Angela. Watching the child exhale the breath she’d been holding, Yu-jin affectionately stroked her cheek.
“Angie, is everything okay with the kids at kindergarten?”
When Winston found out about the incident later, he was absolutely furious. He strongly protested to the principal, met with each of the parents of the children who had bullied Angela to extract apologies, and even issued strong warnings to prevent a recurrence. He actually wanted to send bodyguards into the kindergarten, but that was against the rules, and he had to give up when told that insisting on it would mean withdrawal.
“That lousy kindergarten, we can just move to another one.”
Winston ground his teeth and spat out, but Yu-jin thought differently. What if the same situation happened again somewhere else? Maybe it was better to stay here since they’d already weathered one storm. They could observe a bit longer and move later if needed.
Persuaded by Yu-jin, Winston reluctantly put all plans on hold, and fortunately, Angela seemed to be doing well so far. But Yu-jin had been reminded several times that his child was far more mature than her peers. Just like last time, this time too, his daughter might be hiding the truth. ‘I didn’t want to worry Daddy.’ Angela had always said that.
Worried, he peered into the child’s face. Angela blinked, then smiled brightly and answered.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry, Daddy.”
Her bright expression put Yu-jin at ease, but he still couldn’t completely let go of his worry. As if fully aware of the still-concerned gaze directed at her, Angela puffed out her chest and declared confidently.