Chapter 73

EP.73 Dad is Sad #2

“I’m home… Oh, Father?”

Yuria, who opened the front door, is startled.

The smell of alcohol permeating the entire living room and the numerous bottles scattered on the floor are the reasons for her surprise.

It’s understandable, seeing her always stern father passed out drunk.

She quickly approaches and shakes my shoulder.

“Father! Wake up!”

“Ugh…”

“Why are you like this? Did something happen? Is the business not doing well?”

Yeah, something happened.

I frown and mutter a woman’s name.

“Ma… Margaret…”

“…!”

I can hear her swallowing hard.

Do you miss her too? Your mother.

“Margaret… You…”

I continue my drunken rambling.

I even writhe in apparent agony, so Yuria lifts me up.

She’s definitely strong.

She lays me down in the bedroom and covers me with a blanket.

It’s the middle of summer, why a blanket? I’m burning up.

I half-open my eyes and see Yuria watching over me.

“Father, are you awake? Look at your bloodshot eyes… You drank too much, didn’t you? Should I get you some water?”

I shake my head and place a hand on Yuria’s small face, her cheek.

Then I force out some tears.

“Ah… Margaret…”

“Ah, Father… I…”

She’s flustered.

She could move my hand away, but she doesn’t seem to want to.

Yuria knows she looks just like Margaret in her youth.

That’s why she stays still. So that I, her father, can look at her and find comfort in remembering Margaret.

“Margaret… I missed you…”

I speak with a choked voice, tears in my eyes.

Yuria’s eyes also start to well up.

She misses her mother too.

“…”

She places her hand on mine.

A gesture of comfort.

I place my other hand over hers and gently scratch her index finger with my nail.

At this touch, Yuria’s face flushes with embarrassment.

I pretend to be drunk to keep Yuria from doing anything else.

“Yuria… You’ve grown up so well.”

“…”

“You’ve become so mature… But there’s one thing that bothers me.”

“Bothers… you…?”

“Did we raise you too strictly? You only call me Father… It’s a bit disappointing.”

When we met in Gangbuk, you cried and called me Dad.

But that was only once. After that, you only called me Father.

It’s disappointing. Really disappointing. In this day and age, a 21-year-old girl calling me Father.

Starting tomorrow, call me Dad sometimes.

That’s why I’m dropping these hints.

Yuria doesn’t respond to my words.

She just nods slowly with a determined look.

I continue my monologue, stroking Yuria’s cheek.

“I remember the day I first saw you. You were tending to flowers in a beautiful garden, so graceful… The day I first saw your lovely face…”

“…”

“At least we’ve met now. From now on, let’s… share love again. Together with Yuria, living peacefully… together.”

“Ah, Father… You’re too drunk. I’m not Mother… Ah!”

Yuria, trying to stop me, is startled.

I slowly get up and hug her tightly.

She lets out a shallow sigh and hugs me back, slowly stroking my back from top to bottom.

It’s a touch meant to soothe, like calming a baby.

With my arm around Yuria’s back, I use my right fingers to gently press under her armpit.

As if by accident.

This is one of Yuria’s erogenous zones.

After touching here, if I touch her chest, she really likes it.

“…Huh!”

She reacts immediately.

At the same time, the device goes “Whoong…!”

A sign it’s weakly charging.

Did Yuria hear that sound?

“Stop! Stop it!”

She did. The way she hurriedly pushes me away gives it away.

The guilt of feeling sexual excitement from her father’s touch.

This, along with the love triangle with Seunghyun and Jihyuk, will lead to your ruin.

Should we include Taegon and call it a quadrangle?

Pushed by Yuria, I fall onto the bed, making a “Ugh…!” sound and smacking my lips.

Time to sleep.

The next morning.

I come out to the living room, scrunching my face to act like I have a hangover.

Yuria is sitting on the sofa with a complicated expression.

“…Are you awake?”

“Yeah… My head hurts so much.”

“Should I make you some ramen…? Koreans often use it to cure hangovers.”

“Never mind. I’m not in the mood for ramen. Last night, I dreamed of Margaret…”

“…Mother?”

She’s pretending not to know. She even avoids eye contact.

“Yeah. It was… a sweet dream I haven’t had in a while. I wish I could linger in it, but I can’t. I didn’t want to wake up. I wanted to stay there forever.”

At my words, Yuria bites her lip.

After a moment, she looks straight at me and says.

“Don’t leave me here… Don’t go… Dad.”

Oh ho… After what happened with the device charging yesterday, her heart must be in turmoil, yet she calls me Dad for my sake?

What a filial daughter.

“Of course… Wait, what did you just say? Dad?”

At my wide-eyed question, Yuria lowers her head.

Her face is turning bright red, so she must be really embarrassed.

“It’s just… I wanted to call you that… Is it not okay?”

“Not okay? I’m happy. I didn’t know you could say that.”

“…I might not do it often, but sometimes… I’ll call you that.”

“Haha… What a day. I had a nice dream, and my daughter calls me Dad so affectionately.”

I laugh heartily.

Yuria smiles faintly at me.

“I have to go out soon. I might be late… I’m sorry to leave you alone at home.”

“Are you going down to Daejeon again?”

“I have to. The company is in Daejeon.”

“I’m sorry. Because of me…”

“Don’t say that. You’ve been looking pale lately, so it might not be bad to get some fresh air.”

“Okay… I’ll do that.”

I give Yuria a kind smile and head to the bathroom.

I know where you’re going.

**

Outside, disguised as Song Jihyuk, I wait for Yuria at a café near Sinope.

She’ll definitely come. To see Seunghyun.

After a long time of drinking coffee and reading a book, I see Yuria, dressed casually, walking towards Sinope.

She lingers around Sinope for a while, and when Seunghyun doesn’t show up, she enters the café where I am.

Then she spots me.

“Oh? Jihyuk?”

Pretending to be engrossed in my book, I turn my head in surprise at Yuria’s call.

“Yuria?”

“What are you doing here?”

“That’s what I want to ask you. Your house is quite far from here, isn’t it… Or not?”

“It is, but…”

“Let’s sit down first. What would you like to drink?”

“Ah, I’ll order.”

“Okay.”

Yuria goes to the counter, orders a drink and a slice of cake, and sits across from me.

Glancing at Sinope, Yuria turns her gaze to me.

“Did you… resolve things with Sehwa?”

“Seeing me here from the morning should give you the answer, right?”

“Sounds like you haven’t made up yet.”

“Exactly. But…”

Zing!

As I’m about to speak, the vibration bell on the table rings.

Yuria excuses herself, gets up, and returns with her order.

Then she offers me a fork.

“It’s carrot cake… Want to try some?”

Yuria’s kind offer.

I smile and shake my head.

“No, I’m good. I don’t like sweet things.”

“I see…”

She cuts a piece of the cake with the fork and takes a bite, making a “Mmm…” sound.

It must be quite good.

After sipping her Americano, she asks.

“Why did you fight with Sehwa?”

“It was something trivial. She was being picky about food, so I told her it’s better not to be picky… Then she suddenly blew up. Really… I was speechless…”

Yuria covers her mouth and chuckles.

“Sehwa’s usually so kind, so her reaction seems suspicious, don’t you think? When did the fight start?”

“About three days ago, I think.”

“Could it be that Sehwa’s on her period…? You know, that time of the month…?”

I make a face like I’ve been hit with a hammer.

Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Yuria bursts into laughter.

After a moment of blank staring, I slap my forehead.

“Definitely… That makes sense.”

“You’re surprisingly clueless. So different from your calm and decisive self when demons appear…”

“Huh… Can’t argue with that.”

“I don’t know why she hid it from her boyfriend. Was she embarrassed? In this day and age… Sehwa’s also at fault for not being honest. So don’t feel too bad.”

I chuckle and say.

“It’s only been a little over a year since you came here, but you’ve completely adapted. Anyway, thank you. I almost missed that.”

“Don’t mention it. I just want you two to get along… By the way, Jihyuk, do you know when that store opens?”

Yuria points to Sinope with her fork.

I turn my head and look at the bar for a moment before answering.

“It’s a nightclub, so it won’t open until late evening. But why are you…”

“There’s someone I know working there. A guy, so he must be a waiter, right?”

He’s actually a manager, but he does waiter duties sometimes, so it’s not entirely wrong.

“I don’t know much about it. But did you come here this early to see that person? As I said, it won’t open until evening…”

“I didn’t know it opened so late… Last time I saw him, he was taking out the trash in the afternoon… Maybe he comes in early…”

Yuria rests her elbows on the table and props her chin.

Her profile is incredibly beautiful.

The café patrons are staring in awe, which says it all.

“Not close, are you?”

“Well… That’s true. But now that you know, aren’t you going to make up with Sehwa? If I were you, I’d go home right now…”

“She’s not home right now. She said she’s meeting a friend and will be back late, so I’m alone today.”

“Really?”

Yuria, who’s been looking around, leans in and whispers.

“Then can you come to the lab with me now?”

“The lab?”

“Sehwa said you’d increase the device’s capacity… Isn’t that right?”

“That’s true, but weren’t you waiting for someone?”

“I came too early. I’ll come back in the evening. If it’s inconvenient, I’ll just tell Dr. Cash.”

“No, it’s fine. Dr. Cash should rest, and I have nothing to do… Let’s go together. Finish your cake first. I’ll keep reading.”

Yuria nods and picks up her fork.

The cake disappears in an instant. She must really want to go to the lab.

After finishing her coffee in one big gulp, Yuria gets up to leave, but I stop her.

Then I tap the corner of my mouth with my index finger.

There’s cream there, so she should wipe it off.

“Ah…”

“You’re a bit clueless too, Yuria.”

Yuria wipes her mouth with a napkin, looking embarrassed.

“I guess so. Shall we go?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

To be continued―――――――――――――――――――――

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