My Dad Is Too Strong

After breakfast, Dojun arranged the table and prepared for work.

As June is coming, I take out my summer suit and wear it. Wearing a tie in front of a full-body mirror, Do-jun turned his head to the star's gaze staring at him. The dainty lips open, then curl up again. Of course, there's something to say something to say.

"Bam Lee is working as an abba, daughter in a cotton pad?"

Aha. That's why.

Do-jun smiled. Today is the day when Byul doesn't go to the daycare center.

You must be very bored. Sometimes I would tell the stars what Yong-yong did at City Hall, which seemed to have stimulated the baby's curiosity.

"Work vs. room vs. no liver?"

The baby was taking care of himself.

Do-jun laughed because it was so cute.

And I thought for a moment. Because it was clear, usually in common sense, that taking a baby to work would be rude to other fellow employees.

Yeah. Usually.

I think a little bit about what to do.

But worries did not last long.

Modern society in the 21st century has seen an increasing number of people support "non-marriage" in recent years.

There were many reasons. Having no money, being alone, having no one to like, etc. And the crack management department of Seoul City Hall was no exception. There were quite a few people who had not married, especially those who had declared non-marriage.

The representative non-marriageist was Park Jong-min, the chief of management.

Park Jong-min turned 42 years old this year, and although he had a lot of relationships and still had a girlfriend, he declared to his colleagues that he would never get married. The biggest reason was that I didn't like "child."

"How stressful it is to raise a child. I can't sleep well at dawn and I have to feed him powdered milk every two hours. I have to change diapers. He's whining. Oh, I can't handle that."

Eight o'clock in the morning, before everyone goes to work.

Park Jong-min talked in the lounge.

With his arms crossed, Kang Chul-soo, who was listening to it, sympathized with it to some extent, but did not fully agree.

"I only see things as negative."

Kang Chul-soo, who is raising two children, said over a cup of coffee.

Park Jong-min shook his head. I hate children. He was a man who needed his own time. After work, drinking beer, watching baseball or movies, or hiking on weekends, the stress from work was completely relieved. But, if I had a child, I had to give it all up.

"I will never change my mind anyway.”

"Yes, sir. Would you be so stubborn?"

They put disposable paper cups into the trash can and left the lounge.

And Kang Chul-soo, who made eye contact with Do-joon, raised his hand slightly to greet him.

"Hello."

"Yes, good morning... ...whoa! Our cutie Byul is here too!"

Park Jong-min turns his head slightly at the noise of making a fuss.

And his eyes grew bigger and bigger. Kang Chul-soo was patting a baby on his back, and the problem was that the baby was ridiculously cute.

"Hahaha! What brings you here? Didn't you go to the daycare center?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

"Hah. I see. Oh, how cute. That's why you followed your dad around, huh?

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

At the moment Kang Chul-soo laughed.

Then pat your back a few more times, then carefully lower it on the floor.

Park Jong-min, who was watching the scene in a daze, slowly approached. Then he looked down at the star, opened his mouth slightly, and asked Kang Chul-soo.

"He's... Who is he?"

"Dohjun's daughter. I told you last time.”

"Oh, no... Didn't you say high school? "Why, you said you were attending an academy..."

"He's Yoon-hee, and he's Byul."

"...he, yeah? There was one more."

"So cute, huh?"

Kang Chul-soo asked with a sly smile.

Park Jong-min, who was lost in his mind, tried to nod his head for a moment, but soon seemed not interested. 'I don't like babies,' he said, returning to his seat and staring at the computer monitor screen. But once every three seconds, I kept looking at the stars.

***

After the staff goes to work and there's a commotion.

It wasn't until 9:30 a.m. that each of us went into work mode.

The stars were unusually calm, as if they had read the air.

He clung to Do-joon's side and stared at his father working. But not long after, slowly closed his eyes, and his head curled.

"Hot! I won't doze off!"

That too. The baby's eyes began to close again.

At that time, the copy machine on the desk makes a loud noise and a printout comes out of it.

"Baby. Can you help me with my dad's work?”

The stars opened their eyes. And he received the printouts from Dojun with both hands. The star blinked his eyes and looked at the title, which was written in large letters at the top of the printout, and read aloud.

"Silver ten liver ribo go west."

"You can take this to the guy over there. Can you do it?”

refers to Park Jong-min, the chief of management. Byul looked at Park Jong-min sitting at the top of the management world.

"You can do it."

"That's right. I'm proud."

"God, come all the way!"

Do-jun smiled. The star came down from the chair, and mumbled to Park Jong-min.

Naturally, Park Jong-min, who heard Do-joon and the star's conversation, lifted his head slightly and looked at the star approaching him. The star who arrived at Park Jong-min handed over the crack management report.

"Ah, Joe, I said."

"...uh. He, yes. Thank you."

Park Jong-min, who received the printout, managed to hold back his lips. Because Kang Chul-soo was watching the scene with an unlucky smile. It was obvious that Kang Chul-soo would make fun of him for a few days if he laughed.

"God, da, go, what are you!"

"Good job. It made my dad feel better."

"Jing Ja? Rice Li, how are you?"

"Then."

Byul clenched her fist at the thought of her father's help.

Meanwhile, Park Jong-min, who received the crack management report from the star, coughed in vain, then turned his chair around and smiled slightly so that Kang Chul-soo could not see it.

"Come on, let's eat and work."

The crack manager came out of the manager's office at 12 o'clock and said, The section chief left the office almost every day at lunchtime because he had appointments with outside guests. Today was no exception. On the other hand, office workers used to love the cafeteria.

"Let's go eat, too."

"Yes."

The thought of eating made Byul chase after her father excitedly.

Until last year, a cafeteria had been set up in the press center building behind the building, but the cafeteria was newly opened on the second floor of the building in the name of remodeling.

For the menu, you could choose between Korean and Western food, and Dojun chose Korean food as usual.

Star, who was worried about his choice, soon chose the same Korean food as his father. Dojun picked up two plates. This is because the star was too short to reach the food stand.

Thick.

Dojun especially put a lot of rice on the star's plate.

Except for the main side dishes, the distribution was voluntary.

"Hello."

Do-joon greeted the restaurant lady who served the main side dishes.

The restaurant lady welcomed Dojun. Unlike most of the staff members, Dojun was always courteous in greeting the restaurant ladies.

"Everything."

Smoke was rising from the beef in the stainless steel container.

The star glistened his eyes as he looked up at the beef. Then he lifted the magpie's foot and put his hand on the edge of the food stand, poking his face up. I make eye contact with the restaurant lady.

"Aju Mo ni. Don't you dare. Your new week."

"What?"

Unexpectedly, the lady who ran into Byul was embarrassed.

"She's my daughter."

"Oh! Really? Ho ho ho ho. How cute! Yeah, you asked for a lot of meat, didn't you?

"My!"

My aunt used tongs to scoop up the meat several times and put it on the plate. The side dishes are small, so place them on top of the rice. The stars smiled brightly.

"Thank you."

"Thanks for everything."

bow one's belly button

"Ho-ho. Come again next time. I'll make you a lot of delicious food.”

Although Dojun did not work for a long time at City Hall.

Somehow, I became acquainted with the staff, so I pretended to know most of them. People passed by and said, "Cute. Kang Chul-soo laughed at Park Jong-min's side as he watched the scene from behind.

***

A child is but a nuisance and a hindrance.

I will never get married and have children in my life.

Park Jong-min thought. Of course, the idea still remains unchanged.

It was just a little shaky.

"Ap Bar. Rice Lee Bok-sa, go to bat?"

Moon Byul, who had left a copy of the materials needed for the afternoon meeting in the conference room, asked Do-jun. Kwon Hyuk-soo, who taught stars how to copy, stopped burying his head and laughing. Monday afternoon. In general, office workers were supposed to be drooping with Monday blues, but the atmosphere in the office was very amicable with the mere presence of stars.

'... ...what if I had a child, too?'

Just as normal as everyone else.

What if you get married and have a baby?

Park Jong-min laughed out loud laugh. It is not easy to start a family. It is even more difficult to protect a child amid the storm of life and a world where it is hard to keep one's own body.

'Come on, Jong-min.'

I'm not a good person. He's extremely individualistic, selfish, and only thinking about my body-

That's why Park Jong-min didn't want to be a father. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't be a good father. Then, shouldn't we not start a family from the beginning?

The life of watching TV with beer after work.

Sometimes hiking or dating a girlfriend on weekends.

Yeah. That's enough. There was nothing more to hope for. That's why I've been afraid of my girlfriend talking about marriage lately.

'........'

Park Jongmin feels awkward.

Stop, get up and head for the roof.

in a burst

The roof door opens. Kang Chul-soo approaches Park Jong-min, who was smoking.

Kang Chul-soo stood beside him without saying a word and lit a cigarette. When he breathed out, the white smoke shone Kang Chul-soo's breath.

"It's Cheol-soo."

"Why."

"Are you happy now?”

Kang Chul-soo laughed as he immediately realized what it meant.

"No."

"I told you not to get married.”

"You said it was the same love and country love, and you should have been more active when I said I was getting married."

Marriage Is a crazy thing.

See, isn't the married man in front of you proving it?

Park Jong-min's cigarette smoke blew away with a sigh.

"When I get home, I don't even say hello as a child and a wife, no. He's only a dad when he buys chicken. I'm not a money-making machine.”

"He told me to marry him..."

"By the way, I will marry my wife now and meet my children again even if I am born again."

"......what?"

Kang Chul-soo shrugged.

"You look crazy, don't you? But that's what happens. People say that people are animals that feed on memories. When I have a hard time, it's good memories to be a support. When I was dating my wife, when Woojin and Younghee were born, and when we went on a family trip together. Well, and so on."

".........."

"No matter how hard it is, I'm just going to stick with these memories. Happiness? Like you said, I'm happy to go home and watch baseball while drinking beer. But those happinesses don't support me when it's hard."

".........."

Put a cigarette in the ashtray with a filter.

Kang Chul-soo brought out another cigarette. Trying to make a fire, but stopping.

"I can't smoke anymore because I promised the kids I'd smoke half a pack a day. Anyway, getting married and starting a family... Jong-min is your freedom. Your life is yours. If you get married and have children, then you don't have freedom from then on. Look at me, I can't smoke as much as I like because of the kids.”

"Do you want me to get married or not?"

Park Jong-min burst out laughing.

"Your choice. Are you going to do it if I tell you to?”

"No. I'll choose."

"You still have it.”

"Hmm?"

"Life without freedom isn't just as bad. That means I have a place to go back. If you buy chicken on your way home from work, there's someone to take it out with you. Of course I can't eat the legs."

I can't help but giggle coming out.

Then, Park Jong-min murmured bitterly.

"It's Cheol-soo."

"Uh."

"Do you think I can be a good father?”

"Someday it will. Whether it's a year, five years, or ten years... Someday."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because we're going to grow. Originally, the father grows up with the child as he grows up."

***

Back home, Star must have been tired and fell asleep right away.

He patted me on the stomach after covering me with a blanket over my shoulder.

The father grows up with the child as he grows up.

Recalling what Kang Chul-soo said on the roof during the day, Do-jun smiled.