NOVPUBSome time had passed since Heena's adorable service at the motel.
On weekdays, I reported to the reserve forces unit, primarily training in reservist management. I hate to admit it, but life at the unit was pure bliss.
The commander was a gentle, fatherly figure, and the senior servicemen were friendly. Since the reservists paid us little attention, we had few demanding tasks.
They arrived and departed like zombies, utterly disinterested.
As a new recruit, I made sure to arrive early for cleaning. But that was just part of maintaining smooth social relationships - no big deal and hardly taxing.
However, my early weekday departures left Sarang pouting. She'd naturally assumed I'd still take her to daycare, but that was no longer possible.
"Daddy's leaving now. Sarang, no goodbye?"
"Daddy... bye-bye..."
"When Sarang returns from daycare, shall we eat snacks together?"
"Yes... wanna eat snacks with Daddy..."
Initially, she clung to me tightly, likely fearing another long absence. But after repeated explanations that I'd return in the evening, she understood.
Still, her downcast look every morning was inevitable.
And so began a daily routine somewhat different from before my training camp stint.
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Raei Translations
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This might seem abrupt, but since Heena landed a job, my allowance from home completely stopped. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Around her third paycheck, we visited my parents, and she declared they needn't send me money anymore.
"Mother, I'll take care of Yeonho now. I'll also send you living expenses."
"You've just started working, there's no need... It's fine."
"No, really. We haven't even moved out yet, so we'll have enough to spare besides savings. It may not be much, but please accept it."
After Heena's persistent persuasion, we ended up giving an allowance instead. Naturally, we also started providing living expenses to my mother-in-law.
So, with my home allowance cut off, I...
"Honey, here."
"What's this?"
"I made a card at the bank during lunch. Use this for anything you want."
"Oh~ Okay. Thanks."
"Don't be too frugal, alright? If you want to do something, do it. It's our money."
...started receiving an allowance from Heena. Well, 'allowance' isn't quite accurate. She simply handed me a credit card and told me to buy whatever I needed. An unlimited allowance, you could say.
I didn't refuse. We weren't a couple who needed to fret over each other's finances, but a married pair with a child. Currently, only Heena was employed, hence this arrangement, but once I found work too, everything would be combined anyway.
Besides, receiving the card didn't mean I'd spend recklessly. I rarely had occasions to spend money. At most, I'd buy some snacks and occasionally clothes or daily necessities.
Partly because it was Heena's earnings, I wanted to be frugal, but even before, apart from date expenses, I only spent money on games and clothes.
But since Sarang's birth, I barely played games, and Heena either bought clothes with me on dates or purchased what she wanted me to wear.
Anyway, despite having the card, I wasn't spending just for myself. Then one day, as I went about my routine, a package arrived at home.
"Daddy! Sarang drew this! Daddy, I drew lots! Here!"
"Wow~ You drew so well~ Is this Daddy? It's spot on!"
"Mommy and Sarang are here too!"
"You drew Mommy and Sarang beautifully too~"
"Son-in-law~ A package came for you earlier?"
"Huh? Really? What could it be? I didn't order anything."
One day, after finishing my reserve duty and returning home, I was admiring Sarang's daycare drawings when I heard about a package arrival. I was puzzled, as I rarely ordered anything, though I enjoyed browsing items online.
Wondering if Heena had ordered something, I brought the box to the living room.
But when I saw the item description on the shipping label, I couldn't believe my eyes.
[ Nintendo Switch Console ]
The label listed items I hadn't even glanced at recently - a game console, software, gaming accessories, and more.
I double-checked the address and orderer's name, thinking it might be a misdelivery, but the address was correct and my full name was clearly visible.
What the hell? I'd thought about trying it once, but... Did I sleepwalk and order this? Impossible.
"Oh, Han Yeonho finally bought a game console? But isn't that card from Lee Heena? Did you get permission?"
Behind me, frozen in bewilderment, I heard Heeseong hyung's voice. Startled, I hastily denied it.
"No, no! I didn't buy this!"
"What are you talking about? The only people here who'd buy this are me or you."
"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"
"Then was it me?"
"Hyung, it wasn't you?"
"Nope."
"It wasn't me either."
"......"
"......"
We eyed each other suspiciously. As hyung said, only he or I would buy a game console here.
But it wasn't me, so the culprit must be...
"Did a package arrive?"
As we stared at each other, Heena, who had showered after returning home with me, entered the living room. Despite my innocence, I felt cold sweat forming as I spoke, almost defensively.
"Yeah. But it's in my name though I didn't order it."
"Is it a game console? I ordered that."
"What?"
"You bought it?"
At those words, both Heeseong hyung and I looked at Heena, surprised. Although Heena occasionally watched me play, she'd never shown interest in games herself.
Even before, she just cuddled up to me while I played, never really engaging with the games. She had been jealous of game characters once, though.
Despite our surprise, Heena calmly sat beside me and checked the box.
"Yeah. This is it. I bought it."
"Why so suddenly?"
"You mentioned before that this game looked fun, remember?"
"Well, yeah..."
I understood she bought it for me, but its suddenness left me confused. Seeing my reaction, Heena elaborated.
"You used to love games so much, but you hardly played since we started studying together. It's been even worse since Sarang came along."
Well, I did give up gaming when we began studying intensively. I occasionally played console games with Heeseong hyung after moving in here, but since Sarang's birth, I barely had time for even that.
We'd even put away the computer I brought from our house long ago. We needed to make room for Sarang. The laptop I used for studying sufficed for web browsing anyway.
"But I'd get a little jealous if you only played games... Remember when we all played this together at your house before? I thought it would be nice if we could do that sometimes... I heard this has a lot of games like that."
She said this with a slightly flushed face, seeming embarrassed. Come to think of it, during Christmas or some other time, Heeseong hyung borrowed his friend's console along with his own, and we all played together.
"Wait. What about hyung's console? I hadn't seen him playing for a while."
"Oh, is that why you asked about it the other day? Where it was?"
"Yeah. But oppa said yours was broken?"
"Yeah. I threw it out a while ago."
So it was broken. Well, that makes sense. Not just me, but hyung had been playing less and less too. He probably didn't feel the need to buy a new one.
Anyway, I could understand Heena's intentions. She knew how much I used to love gaming and wanted me to enjoy it again, but she also didn't want to feel lonely if I focused too much on games, so she bought something we could play together.
Realizing this, a wave of emotion washed over me. To be honest, I didn't really care about not playing games anymore.
Of course, I could still enjoy playing if someone asked me to join, but after such a long hiatus, I wasn't particularly desperate for games.
But regardless of my thoughts on gaming, what mattered most was that Heena had bought this for me.
"Heena..."
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah. Thank you so much."
"Hehehe... There are even exercise games, you know? Since it's hard for you to go to the gym now, let's exercise together at home with this~"
"Oh, that sounds good!"
With all doubts resolved, my heart swelled with excitement. It felt like receiving a birthday present as a child.
So, like an excited kid, I started unboxing and examining the contents one by one. With each item I pulled out, the scent of new products tickled my nose.
Ah, this is it. New stuff is always the best!
"What's this?"
Sarang, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, put her face on the table and started examining the things I was taking out.
"It's a game. You've seen uncle playing before, right?"
"I saw! Grandma scolded uncle! She said he'd go into the TV if he kept doing that!"
"That's not good~ What should Sarang do?"
"Stay far away from the TV!"
"That's right~"
Looking through the contents, I saw games Sarang could watch and play along with too. For example, one of the very famous titles, "Animal Crossing: New Horizons."
It's a peaceful game where you befriend animal villagers as a human avatar, decorate your island, and even pay off loans. With cat characters everywhere, Sarang would probably love it too.
Did Heena know this and order it together? Heeseong hyung doesn't have this type of game. He prefers action games.
"How is it? I searched and ordered some famous ones that we could play together."
"It's perfect. Best choice. Our Heena did so well~"
"Mmm... Praise me more."
"You're so good~ Heena, you're so kind~"
While I continued examining the contents, I patted Heena's head with one hand. Then Sarang pushed her head in from the opposite side.
"Sarang too! Say Sarang is good too!"
"Our Sarang is good too~ You know to watch TV from far away, and you draw well too~"
"Hehe!"
That's right. I can let go of games anytime for my family, but if my dear wife bought it for me, I can't not play it.
Now, what should I play first?
