ReLife Player

ReLife Player 023

[Good Morning (4)]

«Honey, Daddy’s home!»

I ran to the front door at the sound of my father calling.

He didn’t call, what’s going on?

Even though my father was an absent-minded man, he didn’t come home from Incheon unexpectedly.

Did he have a fight with my mom?

No, that’s not possible. My mom is always holding on to him.

«You didn’t call… What the hell!»

I opened the door and was horrified to see a deer running through the door.

Once inside the house, the deer looked around to see what all the fuss was about.

«Dad, why did you bring a deer!»

«Haha, how about it, isn’t it pretty?»

As I rolled my feet at the sight of the deer, my father gave a unique laughter. If I hadn’t given him a look to do something with the deer, he would have watched the deer wandering around the kids’ room.

«Uh-oh!»

«What kind of deer is that?»

«What do you think? Isn’t it pretty? It’s a present.»

Dad picked up the wobbly deer.

When I picked it up, I realized that the little deer was quite cute. I reached out and the deer stuck its head out and rubbed against me.

«Awww.»

Awww, how cute.

The deer seemed to like it, too, and completely relaxed into my touch.

«But, Dad. Are you going to eat that?»

«Why would I eat it, its so cute!»

Haaa. I was only joking.

Even the deer looked surprised.

«Then why is it….»

I held the deer in my arms and panicked, not knowing what to do.

But he didn’t struggle. He was struggling when he was in my arms earlier.

Oh my. He was so tiny.

The deer is now small enough to be held in my arms. He looks up at me, his eyes adorable, and I stroke his head.

«Yes, its cute.»

«Right?»

My father smiled with satisfaction.

I stared at him and realized something.

That’s right!

«Dad, how did you get here…!»

Why is he here!

Before I could finish my sentence,

«Eek, honey, I’m coming!»

My father turned and ran out the front door.

«What the hell….» (E/N: It’s Eunha’s mother dream)

☆

«What the hell, really….»

For a dream, it was vivid.

«Oh my God.»

When did I dream with this person again.

«Mmm~»

Although I didn’t know what kind of dream it was, it seemed like a troubling problem. The way she gathered her eyebrows was just like him. ( E/N: I think ‘him’ is Eunha’s grandpa)

Oh my, she shouldn’t resemble me. Euna gathers her eyebrows easily, and I’m worried she’ll develop wrinkles later.

«Children…»

She turned her head to see if her husband was asleep and if the children were sleeping well.

«Well….»

She kicks off the covers and stretches out.

The time was 5:20 am. Eunha should still be asleep, but he wasn’t.

«Where is he…?»

She felt anxious without her child. Just a few days ago, Eunha didn’t listen and ran to the monster, so she couldn’t help but worry.

No. No. He must be somewhere in the house.

Yeah, it’s not our house, so he must be lost.

She opened the sliding door and stepped outside. The air was stale in the hallway, but she had no intention of going back in.

«Where is he?»

Eunha had always been a quiet child. Euna used to cry as a baby, often keeping her awake at night, but Eunha rarely cried.

At first, I was worried that he wasn’t interested in anything, but I was wrong. Whenever I came home, whenever his dad came home, whenever Euna came home, he would stare at us, even if he didn’t react. He seemed relieved to see us.

At some point, he would make a short sound whenever we came into view, and when we patted him, he would react with a variety of expressions, although he was a bit shy. When he made a fat face like his dad, it was adorable.

Eunha started crawling when he was only 8 months old, and he would run all over the house when he was awake. By the time he was 11 months old, he was walking and calling out to his family in babble.

Minji’s mom was envious of Eunha’s rapid growth compared to other children of his age.

When Eunha was 2 years old, he was still looking out the window with a sullen face.

Strangely enough, that day, he seemed so far away. It was like a starlight that was right here, but you couldn’t reach it, and if you got distracted, you’d lose it among the stars.

I sometimes get that feeling when looking at Eunha. Like a child gazing into an indescribable distance. There was an aura of loneliness and solitude that no child should feel.

So I wanted to make sure that Eunha could see me here and now.

‘Shall we go see our Eunha’s friend today?’

‘Friend?’

Eunha tilted his head. He didn’t know the word friend, but it was so cute to see his face as if he had just heard an unfamiliar word. I wanted to poke the cheek that still had baby fat.

But Eunha surprised me with an unexpected question.

‘Do I have friends?’

‘…Well, how many friends do you have that you don’t know about?’

It was an awkward question, one that I would have dismissed as a mistake from a child who had just learned to speak.

But for a moment, I was mesmerized by Eunha’s lonely face.

You’re so cute, Eunha, but you haven’t been out yet. You don’t realize how many people are in the world who love you.

From now on, I’ll have to take you outside when it’s time.

Determined to let Eunha run around with his friends, I took him to Minji’s house.

The two kids have been fighting since they first met, and I’ve always been fascinated by Eunha’s childlike behavior. I loved how stubborn Eunha was, as if he would lose if he reconciled, and how cute he was playing with Minji even though he didn’t want to.

‘Wow, he’s the same age as Minji, but he says hello so well.’

‘Eunha learned to talk quickly.’

‘When I heard that on the playground, I thought you were bragging, but now I see it’s true.’

‘Oh my God, you didn’t believe me?’

‘How could I believe that, a baby who was only a few months old was walking and talking. I thought, Who in the world learns so fast?’

That day, Minji’s mom told me that she envied her for having such a smart son. She wished she had a child who grew up fast. She asked if he was a genius.

‘No, he’s not the smartest kid in the galaxy, he’s so ordinary.’

My son is neither smart nor a genius. Neither am I, nor is he. I don’t want him to be a genius.

I just want him to be a kid and take his time. I want him to grow up happy and joyful.

He doesn’t have to start acting like an adult already. Children are best when they are children.

Maybe it’s because the tomboy princess is her sister.

As time went on, Eunha became more polite and respectful.

To me, it looked like he was forcing himself to be an adult. When I saw how a child so young was so restrained in his emotions, and how he was sometimes overcome by feelings of longing, I wanted to hug him.

I think that’s why I hugged Eunha more than Euna.

I want you to grow up normal. Don’t worry about anything. Mommy and Daddy will protect you.

A child who doesn’t tell me anything, who is anxious about something, who sometimes looks into the distance, and who burns loneliness even if he doesn’t say it.

I hugged him and wished him a happy life.

The first time he threw a tantrum, I was as surprised that he was. I was happy that he didn’t throw tantrums, but I was also sorry that I couldn’t listen to him.

«Mom, Dad. Can’t we go see Grandma next time?

Eunha, who was scared of something at that time, was the one who was scared but faking nonchalance, and he was the one who was alone, thinking about something and feeling lonely.

What is it that makes you so lonely, so scared?

I want to know, what is bothering this child.

We want to know, but Eunha doesn’t seem to want to tell us, even if we ask.

It’s okay, Mommy and Daddy aren’t scary at all. Mommy and Daddy are stronger than he thinks.

I wanted to tell him that, but I felt like if I said it out loud, he would shut down.

So we decided to wait for him to tell us someday, so that he wouldn’t break down.

And even now….

I’m honestly not sure.

When Eunha abandoned us and ran to where the monster was.

I felt like the world was falling apart. Watching him walk away from me, telling me he’d never tell me anything, that he’d carry it all on his shoulders, made my heart ache with tears.

Please. Please stay alive. Just be safe.

By the time I got to the hospital and found out they were okay, I had almost started crying.

But I couldn’t. I can’t be seen crying to my child here.

Feigning nonchalance.

Hiding my worry and relief.

Pretending to be cool.

Waiting for you to say.

‘That’s all?’

If I said more, I’d give away my true intentions.

Eunha’s face stiffened at my words, and the panic that soon followed was that of a child who didn’t know what to do.

But I can’t. I can’t show weakness here.

‘I won’t do that again.’

Eunha’s words were a promise that he wouldn’t get involved in anything dangerous again.

But I could tell, and his dad could tell, that he was lying.

You can’t be a parent and not know when your child is lying.

‘…Don’t do that next time.’

‘Mommy and Daddy were so worried about you. If you do it again, Mommy will scold you.’

We couldn’t tell him not to lie.

It’s not like we didn’t know that Eunha was stubborn.

He’d probably take the risk of running off on his own if something similar happened to him. No matter what we say, he will never change his mind.

So I couldn’t tell him. Don’t lie. Don’t run into danger.

In the end, what we came up with was that if we couldn’t break his stubbornness, we would stand by his side and watch over him, no matter what.

«Uh-oh.»

I snapped out of my reverie to find Eunha and my mother sitting on the patio.

«This is….»

As I watched Eunha chat with my mother, he was the innocent child I had hoped he would be.

I couldn’t approach them easily, for fear that he would disappear like a dream.

I was envious of my mother, and I envied the way she talked to Eunha.

‘…Okay. Let’s go get some milk.’

I don’t know what I was thinking.

I wanted to get in between them, even though I knew I shouldn’t.

I remembered what was in the cupboard. Finding the powdered milk in its familiar place, I prepared enough for the three of us.

‘Oh, really?’

Eunha was taken aback when I held out the tray just as he finished speaking.

‘My mom is always good at showing up unannounced.’

He must have realized it all along.

Well, I used to surprise him like this.

‘So who should drink this?’

‘Me! Me! Me!’

Oops.

I loved the way he threw his hands up and shouted like a child, and the way he stuck his tongue out at the hot milk and frowned.

‘Do you want Mommy to blow?’

‘I can blow.’

‘Really?’

I wanted to punch him in the cheek, but I knew that any more teasing would make Eunha explode.

Then I was talking to my mom and told her about my dad’s dream this morning.

«You can’t be….»

«Oh~»

Mom. No way.

I threw up my hands and told her it couldn’t be true.

If I leave it like this, my mother will say something strange again.

To change the subject, I turned my attention to Eunha, who was sipping his milk.

I wondered, what does this child want to be?

I suddenly wondered,

«Eunha, what do you want to be when you grow up?»

«Huh?»

The child froze, unable to say anything. He hesitated, but his answer was that he didn’t know what to do.

Eunha was at a loss, as if the future is lost.

What are you worried about, you’re so young, how lovely.

‘You don’t have to know.’

‘What?’

‘You don’t need to know. You’re still young, and you’ll just have to figure it out. You’ll have your ups and downs. You’ll make friends, You’ll fight. Study hard, play hard, and one day you’ll know what you want to do. And if you don’t, you’ll live until you do.’

Really. I wanted to say, ‘You’re so a mother, mom’.

I puffed up my cheeks in secret protest, and my mom looked at me and gave me a small smile.

That smile makes me want to puffed up my cheeks again, even though Eunha is right next to me.

But I have to say something! I can’t let my mom take it away.

‘…I see. Grandma’s right, we’ll just have to think about it later. Time is on our side, and the Eunha is the galaxy, so you can do anything.’

‘…What?’

You can do anything. Mommy and Daddy will be on your side no matter what you do.

You’re our child.

‘Eunha is the name of a universe of infinite possibilities. It’s a galaxy, so you can do anything.’

Mommy’s got your back. You’ll find what you want to do with your galaxy.

I’m here to tell you. You can do anything.

But you can’t do anything bad.

If you do do something bad, come with me to apologize. Mommy will be there for you.

Mommy. Daddy. We don’t want anything bad for you.

We just want you to be happy, Eunha.

The morning sun was rising.

The morning air was cool, but the mug was still steaming.

I don’t know what you want to do in the future, Eunha, but I hope you have a happy future─,

Good night,

and good morning. (E/N: I’m not crying)

☆

Some time later, a surprise during dinner.

«Eunha, Euna, you’re having a baby sister!»

What?

Eunha, who was eating, was suspicious of his father’s announcement. He didn’t even notice that the side dish he was holding with his chopsticks fell to the floor.

«I’m getting a sister!

«Yes. You’re getting a sister.»

Euna jumps up and down with joy at the news of a new sibling, and her mother is embarrassed.

Eunha looks at what’s happening as if it’s someone else’s business,

«Eunha?»

When he realized what was happening he became overwhelmed with emotion.

«Thank you mom, thank you so much, I’m so happy to be born, it’s the best thing in my life, I’ll do better from now on!»

Eunha burst into tears.

The three were stunned by Eunha’s emotional response.

«Well, well. If anyone overhears, they’ll think you’re the dad.»

Dad scratched his head, and Mother and Euna burst out laughing.

The sound of happy laughter filled their home.

The story of one such evening.

Notes!

E/N: I don’t know if you guys get it but basically the dreams of a deer are part of some Korean traditions, dreaming about a deer can also be interpreted as a sign of an upcoming birth or the birth of a baby. It is believed that a deer represent fertility and prosperity, and dreaming of a deer can indicate a new beginning or a new life. So that’s why the grandma reacted like that…anyways I hope this helped you to understand it better.