Childhood Friend Who Sees the Future Utters Nonsense

179 – Side Story – Doljanchi

Seol-ha and Seol-ah’s first birthday party has finally arrived, despite everyone’s expectations.

Originally, we wanted to invite more people, but as Yuna said before, we were worried about the children’s condition, so we decided to keep it a little simpler this time.

Even though the invited guests were only a few key executives from the company, Yuna and my relatives, and very close acquaintances like Choi Min-seong and Kim Soo-bin, it was still quite crowded.

“Oh my, my babies. You look so pretty when you dress up like this.”

The mother-in-law, who saw today’s protagonist wearing a colorful kkokkaot, a modified version of hanbok, was at a loss as she rubbed the cheeks of the two children with her hands.

Honestly, when I first had my kids, I expected my mom to be a total idiot, but my mother-in-law seems to be even more idiotic. You can tell by the way she calls me at least once every two days to ask about the kids.

“Swell… .”

“Hamui, Hamuni.”

“Hey, Siyoon, did you just hear that!? Seolha called me grandma?”

“Yes, I heard you clearly.”

I feel so proud when I see my mother-in-law so happy that she almost faints at the sound of my grandmother’s voice.

Now that I think about it, I was also that happy the day my two children first called me dad. The emotions I felt at that time were so overwhelming that it was hard to express in words.

“Mom! I told you to go out first so I could get the kids ready.”

Meanwhile, my wife, who was busy greeting the guests and making final checks, seemed to be displeased with the sight of my mother chatting peacefully with her two children.

My shoulders flinched involuntarily at the sudden shouting, but as expected, my mother-in-law only responded grumpily without even saying a word.

“Hey. What’s wrong with a grandmother coming to see her grandchildren? Isn’t that right, Mr. Park?”

“Ahaha… .”

Suddenly caught in a whale fight, I couldn’t give much of an answer and just laughed it off.

If I nod here, I know I’ll get scolded by Yuna later that night. Well, if I try to appease her, she’ll get better soon, but I’ve learned through my married life that it’s better to avoid such situations if possible.

“Ugh… Dad!”

“Okay, okay. Your mom will take you out, so get ready.”

In the end, Yuna had no choice but to pull out her last desperate card and shout at her father-in-law.

Then, as if he had expected this, my father-in-law, who had been sitting on a chair in the corner, got up from his seat with a bitter smile and put his arm around my mother-in-law’s shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go out and not disturb the young people. My in-laws are having a hard time outside, so why should we be the only ones doing this?”

“Oh, that’s right…! I have to go help Siyoon’s mom.”

Fortunately, there was a good excuse for the situation, so taking my mother-in-law out wasn’t too difficult.

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As soon as the two of them disappeared, the waiting room became quiet.

“Really… . You get so excited at weddings and any other events.”

“I bet you’re happy that something good happened to your daughter. Think positively.”

As I patted Yuna’s back and pulled her towards me while she continued to complain with her lips pursed even after her mother-in-law left, my wife, who had been dragged in without any resistance, smiled faintly with her lips still pouting.

“Anyway… I told you, you speak well.”

“I always say this, I’m not good at anything, but I should at least do well in this.”

“Why aren’t you good at anything? My husband is so good at everything.”

This pattern also feels somewhat stereotyped. But that doesn’t diminish my joy. I’m always proud of the fact that my wife acknowledges that I’m the best husband.

“It’s pretty.”

“Bah.”

“Okay, should we start getting ready too?”

After a brief, sweet moment with my wife, I heard that all the guests outside had arrived, so I each picked up my two children.

One year, if it’s short it’s short, if it’s long it’s long.

I stepped outside, wanting to share the joy I had shared with many people.

***

As we appeared together alone, there was a small applause from the guests sitting on the 30 or so chairs.

Unlike other first birthday parties, the atmosphere was not serious and quiet, but rather cheerful and bright, so some people responded loudly by whistling.

First, we received an introduction from the host we invited today, and spent some time watching a video depicting Seol-ha and Seol-ah’s growth diary with the guests.

Even though I don’t think I’m the type to cry easily, I couldn’t help but feel emotional while watching that video. It was a video I’d already seen several times, but it just made me feel even more emotional.

“Now then, let’s officially welcome today’s main characters. Please come out here.”

After sitting together and watching the video, we walked forward as instructed by the host. It felt awkward and proud to see ourselves facing each other, holding the fruits of our labor in front of the people who had helped us.

“I think you must have had a different impression after watching the video. What if your husband spoke to you first?”

The host, holding the child in his arms, brought the microphone directly to my mouth and asked a question.

It’s a feeling, so many emotions come to mind, so it’s hard to express it in just one word.

“That’s right. Actually, I thought it wouldn’t be very impressive since it was a video I made… But when I actually saw it here, I felt something different.”

“Oh, did you make it yourself?”

“Yes, I really wanted to do this myself, so I begged my wife to do it. She scolded me at first.”

ha ha ha.

I didn’t really intend to make a joke, but the short behind-the-scenes story made people burst into laughter. Yuna next to me poked my waist, asking why I was revealing such a thing.

Who can stop you? It’s revenge.

“Then this time, I would like to ask the wife why she stopped her husband.”

“Oh, no. I didn’t really mean to stop you. I just thought it would be good for you to rest a bit since you’re a very busy person with a lot of work to do…”

“Ah, so that’s what it was.”

Yuna answered the question posed to her flexibly, but I found it absurd.

Surely that wasn’t the reason you brought it up to me. What did you say? Didn’t you say that it would be touching if you saw it for the first time on the same day? Wasn’t the person you were talking about not the twins’ mother, Han Yu-na, but Armo’s Han Yu-na?

“Okay, now that we’ve watched the video, let’s move on to the highlight of the first birthday party, right? Let’s do the doljabi.”

While the invisible fight continued between us, the host smoothly guided the next order and received something. It was none other than a square stand containing the items used for doljabi.

The items listed above were a pencil, a microphone, a stethoscope, a gavel, money, and silk thread.

“Is there something you two Seol-ha and Seol-ah would like to catch?”

“I wish I could hold a pencil because I was weak at studying.”

“I have no other wish than to live a long and healthy life. That would be nice.”

Let’s give honest answers with each person’s wishes, and this time, the host walked towards the audience and held out the microphone to the guests.

The first batter was none other than my mother.

“Then, is there anything you wish for, Mother?”

“I’m Mike. I hope to be like my mom and become a wonderful person who brings joy to people.”

Exclamations erupted from all over at the unexpected answer.

Of course, in this day and age, such stereotypes may not make sense, but older people often secretly hope to hold things like stethoscopes and gavels.

However, my mother, perhaps because she saw Yuna as a good daughter-in-law and a good example, gave a completely unexpected answer.

“Oh, this is a really rare answer. While I was hosting the first birthday party, this is the first time I’ve seen elders from both families ask for the microphone!”

“Oh, really? I think it’s good.”

Mom, who was laughing while covering her mouth, passed the microphone to the next person.

There were several answers after that, but in the end, the choice was up to Seol-ha and Seol-ah.

“Okay. Then let’s see what choices our prince and princess will make. Let’s make sure they get caught at the same time, fairly!”

I thought we’d do it in order, starting with Seol-ha, but this is a bit unexpected. I wonder what happens when the choices overlap. I’m suddenly curious. That would be fun in its own way.

When Seol-ha and Seol-ah were carried in their arms to the stone grabbing items on display, Seol-ah hesitated in her mother’s arms, while Seol-ha reached out without hesitation.

As if he had already made up his mind from the beginning, he shouted with determination and force.

“elegance!”

Thud.

“Oh!”

The object in Seol-ha’s hand was none other than a microphone.

I thought you had some potential since last time, but is you really thinking of walking the same path as Yuna? It’s just a stone grabber, but I’m secretly excited.

“Dad, dad.”

“huh?”

Everyone was curious about what Seol-ah would pick up next.

Suddenly, Seol-ha reached out her hand towards me and acted as if she was trying to escape from Yuna’s arms. To be exact, it seemed like she was coveting the microphone Seol-ha was holding in her hand.

Did Seol-ah really try to choose Mike?

“Oh, what is this!? It looks like Seol-ah wants a microphone too!?”

Excited voices came out from the host and guests at the unexpected and exciting development.

By the way, I can’t just take what Seol-ha has in her hand and give it to her… What should I do here? If I had known this would happen, I should have prepared two for each of Seol-ha and Seol-ah, considering that their choices would overlap.

It was a moment when I unconsciously smiled bitterly due to belated regret.

“Pwa!”

“uh?”

Seol-ha, who was in my arms, handed the microphone she was holding to my younger brother. As if telling him to take it.

“Ugh… . Pa!”

Everyone was dumbfounded by Seol-ha’s unexpected concession, but Seol-ah went a step further.

Instead of just taking the mic, he placed his hand on the end of the mic and held it, as if sharing it with Seol-ha.

The sight of them tightly holding the microphone without taking it from each other or handing it over completely left me speechless.

What on earth does this mean?

It was the first time that I had the thought that the stone grabbing that I had started just for fun might be pointing to the future like Yuna’s precognitive dream.