NOVPUBLate November.
Another year was drawing to a close, its final month looming on the horizon.
Raising Sarang has taught me one undeniable truth: time flies at a dizzying pace.
It seems like only yesterday she was squirming in our arms. Now she's crawling, walking, and running to embrace me.
At nearly five years old, I fear her first day of elementary school will arrive in the blink of an eye.
Watching Sarang grow daily fills me with a mix of pride, gratitude, and a tinge of melancholy.
I can't quite pinpoint the source of this wistfulness. Perhaps it stems from my friends' recent playful jabs.
"Enjoy her clinginess while it lasts. Once she hits middle school, it'll be all 'Dad! Stop washing my clothes with yours!' True story from my family."
"Absolutely. Soon enough, you won't even be allowed in Sarang's room."
"Shut... up..."
"Just saying~"
Suhwang and Yoonsung's merciless teasing when we met last, claiming I hadn't shown Sarang's face in a while, made my blood boil. Yet deep down, I knew the truth.
Sarang's daddy's girl phase was likely nearing its end. Most kids start distancing themselves from their fathers around late elementary school.
Perhaps my melancholy stemmed from imagining this impending future. While I understood this was a natural progression in most families, it didn't ease the ache.
"Daddy, want some of my sausage?"
"You sure? Say ah~"
The thought of this cheerful girl who happily feeds me side dishes one day scowling and speaking to me with irritation... it felt like my heart was being torn apart.
After days of contemplation, I reached a resolution: if this fate was inevitable, I'd savor every moment until then.
To do that, we needed more time just the three of us. While we already spent plenty of time together, what we lacked were moments of true privacy - times when it was solely the three of us, without other family members around.
So, after dinner, I made an announcement to Heena and Sarang.
"Heena! Sarang! Let's go on a hotel vacation!"
I'd declared it boldly, but in truth, I had no concrete plans. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, fueled by my recent unease and my friends' teasing.
But my dear wife, though momentarily puzzled by my sudden proclamation, quickly broke into a radiant smile and agreed.
"Sounds great~ I need to use up some vacation days anyway. But are you sure it's okay for you?"
"My university shift is pretty flexible. As long as it's not everyone taking off at once, they'll let me use my days. Plus, we're only talking a day or two including the weekend."
"Really? Should we invite the family and see who can join us?"
"Actually, how about just the three of us this time?"
"Just us?"
"Yeah. I realized we haven't really gone on a trip, just the three of us. What do you think?"
"I love it! When? Which hotel? Have you looked into any places?"
"Uh... no? I just thought of it now..."
"Then I'll look into it!"
"Th-thanks?"
Heena's excitement at the prospect of a trip for just the three of us was palpable. She immediately opened her laptop and began researching. I had planned to start looking together once Heena agreed, but seeing her enthusiasm, I figured it was safe to leave it to her.
Besides, even if we researched together, I'd likely defer to Heena's opinions anyway. I could always adjust my schedule to match her available days off.
As I watched Heena intensely focused on her research, Sarang climbed onto my lap.
"Daddy. Where are we going?"
"We're going on a trip, just Mommy, Daddy, and Sarang."
"Where to? The playground?"
"Somewhere much farther than the playground. We'll all ride in the car and go far, far away."
"Really! Sarang wants to go too!"
"Of course. We'll all go together, just the three of us."
Sarang's excitement at the prospect of going anywhere with Mommy and Daddy warmed my heart. This is what I needed to cherish. I'd make sure to take plenty of photos.
This was why I'd suggested the trip.
I needed to engrave this image in my memory - Sarang on my lap, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
I hugged Sarang tightly, my adorable daughter who, like Heena, greeted everything I did with a joyful smile.
Little did I know then.
That even after a year, or ten years, Sarang would remain unchanged. That all my worries had been for naught.
That the real problem would be her inability - no, her unwillingness - to outgrow being a daddy's girl.
In that moment, I couldn't have imagined.
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Raei Translations
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As we began preparing for our hotel getaway with Heena, the biggest hurdle wasn't scheduling - it was our families.
When we announced our plans for a trip just for the three of us, protests erupted from all sides.
"How could you even think of going without me? Have you no conscience? After all I've done for you two!"
"Come on... It's just this once, just the three of us."
"Take me with you! I'll even drive!"
"Manager- I mean, Rin noona, what about you?"
"...Can't you at least take noona?"
"If we start including people one by one, we might as well take everyone."
I was starting to waver, especially considering how much Heeseong hyung had helped us, but...
"Oppa. I haven't forgotten about you setting up Yeonho that time."
"...That was a month ago... You lectured me for two hours and you're still holding onto that..."
"What?"
"Fine, fine. So petty, going off by yourselves..." n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
Heena swiftly shot him down. Averting my gaze from Heeseong hyung's grumbling, I faced our next challengers.
"Son-in-law. You'll need someone to watch Sarang while you two have fun, right? I'll come along~"
"Now, now. It's dangerous for one person to watch a child these days. You need at least two."
My mother-in-law and father-in-law.
However.
"Mother, Father. We've never been on a trip just the three of us, so we'd like to take this opportunity. Please understand."
"Well... I suppose it can't be helped then."
"Ahem..."
Heena gently but firmly rejected their offer. This might have been the first time I'd seen Heena refuse a request from my parents.
Faced with Heena's refusal, they gave up without further argument. In this world, my parents were just as weak to Heena as I was.
Honestly, I was starting to waver, thinking maybe we should all go together at this point. But Heena's resolute stance against any tagalongs left me with no doubt.
Whether she truly wanted a trip just for us or had other reasons, I no longer had the confidence to change Heena's mind. So I averted my gaze from my parents' hopeful glances in my direction.
The situation wasn't much different on our side of the family.
My sister-in-law was the first to raise objections.
"Absolutely not! I want to go too! I want a hotel vacation! I want to swim in the hot spring pool with Sarang!!!"
"Noona, you can't even take time off work."
"I'll make it happen! Even if I have to quit my job!"
"Right. Next in line for overtime."
"Waaaaaah!!"
Though not a major corporation, my sister-in-law worked for a solid mid-sized company. Her job kept her so busy that taking time off was nearly impossible. She seemed to earn more than many at larger companies, but her work-life balance left much to be desired.
Knowing it was futile, she threw a tantrum for a while before finally bursting into tears out of frustration.
Beside the wailing sister-in-law, Jeongwoo hyung casually dropped a comment.
"I can go."
"But sister-in-law can't."
"So don't take her. I can go."
"Wow."
"Ya!!! Han Jeongwoo!!!"
"I can drive. I can cover Sarang's lodging costs."
"You, you!! How could you even think of going without me?!"
"I can adjust my schedule to match yours easily."
"Ya!!!!"
I couldn't help but admire his cold-blooded willingness to ditch his wife. Of course, my sister-in-law immediately grabbed him by the collar and started shaking him.
Leaving the couple to their squabble, I turned my attention to Sunhoo hyung, who was playing with Sarang.
"Little one~ Want some candy?"
"Yes! Sarang loves candy!"
"This is a rare find these days. An old-fashioned lollipop like this."
"Wow! Daddy! Uncle gave Sarang candy!"
"That looks yummy~"
Sunhoo hyung didn't seem particularly interested in joining us. I expected as much. While he adored Sarang, he found long trips to be a hassle.
Finally, all that remained were my parents. As if in cahoots with my mother-in-law, my mom's first comment eerily echoed hers.
"Son. Don't you need someone to sleep with Sarang at night?"
While a bit more blatant than my mother-in-law, the intention was clear. Dad, silent beside her, seemed ready to agree at a moment's notice if we invited them along.
Knowing it would be hard for Heena to refuse my family, I was about to step in when...
"Mother, Father. We've never had the chance to go on a trip just the three of us, so we'd like to take this opportunity. Please understand."
"I see... Well, I suppose there's no helping it then."
"Ahem..."
Heena gently but firmly rejected their offer. This might have been the first time I'd seen Heena refuse a request from my parents.
Faced with Heena's refusal, they gave up without further argument. In this world, my parents were just as weak to Heena as I was.
After all that persuasion, our travel party was finally confirmed as just the three of us.
Of course, I continued to struggle with subtle attempts at bribery from various family members afterwards. But with Heena so set on going just the three of us, I couldn't bring myself to ruin it.
Over the next few days, we eagerly prepared for our trip. Heena submitted her vacation request, and I aligned my days off with hers. We even managed to book a hotel, albeit a bit late. In Sokcho, no less - the beach town filled with memories from our high school days. Though we'd be staying at a different place this time.
Luckily, being mid-month, a few rooms were still available. The price was steeper than expected, likely due to the peak season.
Still, we were fortunate to snag a room at all. Had we aimed for Christmas, it would have been impossible. But our Christmas was already committed to both our families anyway.
With travel preparations complete, a few days before departure, I picked up Sarang and met Heena at the department store after her work.
However, as soon as we entered...
"Honey, how does this look on me?"
She immediately held a bikini against her body, seeking my opinion. Sure, we were going to a place with a heated pool, but this seemed a bit...
Was she feeling deprived because we couldn't go to the beach this year due to my military training?
