part 24

[Think of me~ 

think of me fondly~]

Hayeon was humming a song as she walked across the golf course. 

I was following her, as usual. 

It had already been a month since we started playing golf together every day. 

But today was the first time I really listened to the song Hayeon was singing.

I tried to appear nonchalant.

But inside, I was quite surprised. 

Her singing voice.

It was incredible.

Despite being in English, Hayeon's diction was impeccable. 

It wasn't just her pronunciation that was good.

Her intonation, nuance, pitch, rhythm, even her emotional expression—everything about her singing was spot on.

I wondered if Hayeon was just naturally talented or if children had this innate ability to copy a song perfectly after hearing it once. 

Having never raised a child myself, I was confused. 

I thought maybe Hayeon inherited her talent from her father, who was a K-pop singer.

But still, it was astonishing.

"How was your swing today, Hayeon?" 

I asked cautiously, trying to steer the child's attention back to golf.

"Well, it was okay," Hayeon replied briefly. 

Usually, she was quite talkative.

But when it came to golf, her words were always short. 

Recently, her interest had shifted from Shakespeare to musicals. 

Hayeon could talk about musicals all day, but golf seemed to hold little interest for her. 

It felt like she was just going through the lesson because she had to. 

Taking photos seemed to be the only thing she was genuinely engaged in while playing golf.

Hayeon quickly changed the subject. 

"By the way, where are we having my birthday party tomorrow?"

After a month of lessons, I had learned enough about Hayeon to know that forcing a conversation about golf was futile. 

It was better to follow the child's lead. 

"I booked a Western-style restaurant you like."

"With a musical stage, right?"

There it was again. 

These days, Hayeon was so obsessed with musicals that everything had to be about them. 

Even the songs she hummed were influenced by musical theaters.

"Something like that," I replied.

"Great!" 

Hayeon nodded in satisfaction and resumed humming a song from 'The Phantom of the Opera' as she walked. 

Watching her, I couldn't help but sigh.

Lately, Hayeon was particularly obsessed with 'The Phantom of the Opera.' 

I wondered if it was appropriate for a child her age to watch a musical with murder scenes.

But I was reluctant to intervene, especially since Hayeon's father had already given his permission.

These days, Hayeon listened to musical songs from the moment she woke up until she went to bed. 

The music was loud enough to be heard even from the annex. 

During lessons, Hayeon would hum musical songs, and as a result, I naturally learned which musicals the child was currently into. 

Until last week, Hayeon had been repeatedly listening to 'Lion King.' 

Before that, she liked old musicals like "Oklahoma," "My Fair Lady," and "Carousel." 

Now, it was all about 'The Phantom of the Opera.'

It was ironic. 

Hayeon's father, busy making money in Seoul, knew nothing about this, while me, just a hired tutor, knew every little detail about Hayeon's interests.

Well, anyway.

The thought of a birthday party without a father left me feeling uneasy. 

I watched Hayeon walking ahead, a bittersweet smile on my face. 

It was only recently that I learned Seung-rok never celebrated Hayeon's birthday. 

He believed birthdays were meaningless, claiming every day was a birthday. 

So it didn't matter to him.

Every year, Hayeon would have a quiet meal with her grandfather on her birthday.

She never thought that her birthday was a special day.

I couldn't accept that.

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and have lunch with Hayeon on Saturday. 

Seung-rok was undoubtedly a good father.

He seemed genuinely dedicated to working for his child's sake. 

If Hayeon wanted to see a musical from abroad, he would buy plane tickets to Australia without hesitation. 

Yet, for some reason, he showed no interest in birthday parties.

As a mere golf instructor, it was excessive for me to take care of the child's birthday. 

But I owed Seung-rok a lot.

More importantly, I couldn't stop thinking about Hayeon spending her birthdays without her father.

I, too, grew up without a father. 

At least I had my mother, though she was a troublemaker who constantly caused problems. 

Still, it was better than having no one.

[Say you love me~]

Hayeon hummed as she swung.

My heart ached a little. 

How could she be so cheerful? 

She was so different from me. 

Growing up without a father, I was always timid. 

My mother, trying to boost my spirits, would throw grand birthday parties, inviting all my classmates. 

She would book large venues like hotel buffets and amusement parks. 

Honestly, it was overwhelming. 

But I couldn't confess that to my mother. 

I knew she was going out of her way to make an effort for me. 

All I wanted was for her to be with me, but that seemed so difficult.

Lost in these thoughts, I made up my mind and took out my phone. 

While Hayeon was swinging, I discreetly sent a text message to Seung-rok.

***

-You know, it's Hayeon's birthday tomorrow. Can you come to the party?

I stared at my phone screen in silence. 

It had been five hours since I sent the message to Seung-rok, and there was still no reply. 

In the meantime, the lesson had ended, and I had taken Hayeon home before heading to the hospital where my mother was. 

My mother was still unconscious, with no signs of improvement. 

It felt like this situation would drag on forever. 

The only comfort was that Jisun Sunbae, as always, accompanied me during the visit.

After the somber visit, Jisun Sunbae and I had our usual tea time in front of the hospital coffee vending machine. 

The conversation was a bit brighter than usual, thanks to Hayeon.

"Can I come to the birthday party too?" 

Jisun Sunbae asked unexpectedly after I mentioned that I was planning a birthday party for Hayeon.

"Is that okay? It's during lunch on a holiday."

Jisun Sunbae shook her head. 

"I have nothing to do every day. A holiday lunch out sounds nice."

I smiled and nodded. 

I wondered how busy Jisun Sunbae really was.

She was the world's top golfer.

Although she retired now, many people still wanted to play golf with her. 

She couldn't refuse all of them.

Even if she had two bodies, it wouldn't be enough. 

Yet, she agreed to have lunch with me, which meant she wanted to spend time with me. 

I gratefully accepted her kindness.

"…Can I bring one more person?" she asked.

"Another person?"

I hesitated for a moment. 

I had reserved a table for six just in case. 

There was a chance Seung-rok might come.

If he did, he might bring his manager or manager Cha since he couldn't drive himself. 

But even if Seung-rok came, it wouldn't be a problem for Jisun Sunbae to bring one more person.

"Sure," I said.

The conversation naturally shifted to Seung-rok not attending his sister's birthday party.

"Isn't it too much for him to skip the kid's birthday party?"

"He said it was because of work. It happens. He's not even her dad, so what's the big deal?"

Jisun shrugged as if she couldn't understand what the fuss was about.

Well, Jisun Sunbae probably never considered Seung-rok to be Hayeon's father.

Her perspective was bound to be different from mine.

"Still, he's practically her dad."

"He's not her real dad, so what's the problem? Besides, it's good that he's not too close to Hayeon."

"What do you mean?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly, sensing that Sunbae was steering the conversation in a different direction.

"If he spends too much time with Hayeon, he won't have time for dating."

Here we go again. 

I downed the rest of my vending machine coffee and sighed deeply.

"It's not like that, Unni."

Jisun Sunbae looked at me with a meaningful gaze.

"Nothing's going on between you two? Really?"

I nodded firmly. 

Jisun Sunbae furrowed her brow slightly.

"That can't be true. How can such a handsome man and a beautiful woman live in the same house and nothing happens?"

"Seung-rok hardly comes home. He can't even make it to the birthday party. We barely see each other."

"He doesn't have another woman?"

"Really, he doesn't."

Jisun Sunbae blinked.

"Is that even possible? He's tall, handsome, sings well, and is wealthy. Maybe his sexual preferences lie in a different direction?"

"Haha."

I avoided Sunbae's gaze. 

He was a man who had a child in his early twenties. 

At least his sexual preference was very clear, let me put it that way. 

But I couldn't say that.

So I just laughed.

"If that's not the case, then he definitely has feelings for you. Who suddenly rents out an entire house, even if it's a separate building? And advances a year's salary? Where in the world would you find such an angelic employer? He definitely has feelings for you."

No way. 

I bit my lip slightly without realizing it as I listened to Sunbae.

"Try to win him over. I'll cheer you on."

"Think whatever you want."

To avoid Sunbae's overly confident gaze, I headed to my car.

***

That night, Seung-rok sent a bland text message.

-I have a prior engagement. 

Who didn't know that? 

Even Hayeon was aware of it. 

Despite that, I asked him to come. 

But all I could do was sigh. 

And so the night passed.

The next day, at the appointed time, I headed to the restaurant with Hayeon and her grandfather. 

I picked a venue that resembled a musical theater for Mina. 

Among those, I found one with delicious food. 

I also made sure it used organic ingredients, which Seung-rok always preferred for the child. 

And it had to be open on Saturday mornings.

So it was hard, but with the help of fate, I managed it.

Living with a K-pop star was surely harder than I thought.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, Heyeon's grandfather, looking excited, asked Hayeon, 

"What do you want to eat, Hayeon? Beef Steak?"

"No. Don't they have lamb?"

"Lamb? How do you know about that?"

While Hayeon and her grandfather carefully selected their menu, I discreetly took out my phone. 

Jisun Sunbae was nowhere to be seen.

"Teacher, what do you want to eat?" 

Hayeon asked me, and only then did I look at the menu. 

Perhaps because it was such an expensive place, everything looked delicious. 

I chose a salad from the recommended menu, the lightest option available.

Just then, 

"Sorry I'm late, Mina~." 

Jisun sunbae entered, smiling brightly as always. 

"You're late, Sun…bae?" 

I was about to scold her, but my breath caught in my throat. 

Standing next to Sunbae Jisun was composer Eui-jin Lee, dressed impeccably in a gray suit, complete with a vest.

"Hello. I heard it's Seung-rok's younger sibling's birthday, so I came." 

I looked back and forth between Sunbae and Eui-jin Lee without saying a word. 

There was a very suspicious atmosphere. 

If they were just hooking up or anything, they wouldn't show up together in front of others. 

They made an excuse to come here because they liked each other. 

I wasn't sure what the situation was, but the suspicious air was undeniable. 

"Please, have a seat." 

I guided them to their seats. 

It would have been a perfect birthday party if only the child's father had come.