MDSW 02

Chapter 2

The Surprise Presentation

“Yurina~ Breakfast is ready, come sit down.”

“Okay~!!”

On the morning of the day I returned three years into the past, I had breakfast with Yurina.

By the time Yurina turned twelve, our relationship had completely fallen apart.
So sharing a meal with just the two of us felt like something I hadn’t experienced in ages.

“Guess what Dad made~?”

I asked proudly as I placed a plate on the table.

It was steaming hot scrambled eggs.

“Tada—!”

Seeing ten-year-old Yurina again reminded me of the past, so I made the Dad-style scrambled eggs she used to love when she was little.

When Yurina saw the scrambled eggs, her eyes sparkled.

“Wow! Egg poop!”

Egg poop.

The nickname made me smile nostalgically.

Yurina used to jokingly call my scrambled eggs “egg poop.”

And every time she did, I would give the reaction she wanted and play along with her joke.

Just like this—

“What?! What do you mean egg poop? I told you not to call it weird names!”

“Ahahaha!”

Yurina burst into laughter.

Her high-pitched laugh tickled my heart.

No massage in the world could relieve fatigue as well as the laughter of this little angel.

“It’s hot, so blow on it before you eat. Okay?”

“Okay~!”

Instead of using chopsticks, Yurina scooped up a huge spoonful of scrambled eggs.

Then she stuffed a bite into her tiny mouth so big that I wondered how it could even fit.

“Haha. Your mouth’s going to burst!”

When I laughed, Yurina laughed too.

Feeling playful, Yurina stood on the chair while eating, hummed songs, shook her hips, and even played messy tricks like showing the food in her mouth.

She was clearly excited to receive attention from her parent again.

Are you that happy, my daughter?

Her sunshine-like smile warmed my heart.

It was just a simple breakfast and a bit of attention.

Back then, I never realized that something so small could make Yurina this happy.

“Yurina, do you want Dad to walk you to school today?”

“Really? Aren’t you busy, Dad?”

“Dad promised, didn’t he? That from now on I’ll always stay by Yurina’s side. Once you finish eating and get ready, let’s go to school together.”

“Yes! Dad is the best—!!”

Now that I finally understood what Yurina’s true happiness was, I wanted to give her everything I couldn’t give her back then.

That’s why God gave me this chance.

Just grow up happily, my daughter.

***

“Hehe.”

With her backpack on, Yurina walked along the sidewalk with a bright smile.

She must have been happy that I was holding her hand and walking her to school.

“Yurina, how is school these days? Anything fun or difficult happening?”

I was very curious about Yurina’s school life.

In my memories, I didn’t know much about this period of her life.

I wanted to know what Yurina had been thinking back then and how she had been living.

Most of all, since I had seen Yurina wandering down the wrong path right before I died, I couldn’t help but worry even more about her school life.

“Hmm… nothing difficult, but there is something fun.”

“What’s fun?”

“We’re drawing pictures at school these days. The art teacher praised me a lot and said I’m really good.”

“Our daughter draws too? You must take after your mom.”

Now that I thought about it, I remembered something.

Three years ago, I had received a call from Lee Chae-eun, Yurina’s third-grade homeroom teacher.

The sudden call worried me—I thought Yurina had gotten into trouble at school.

But fortunately, Teacher Chae-eun’s voice had sounded very cheerful.

The conversation was short and simple.

She said Yurina seemed to have talent for drawing.
Her drawings were very good.
Even the art teacher had been surprised.

Of course I felt happy hearing praise about my child.

But I didn’t think much of it.

I simply thought, My daughter is good at drawing.
She must take after her mother, who was a painter.

That was all.

“Oh my, Yurina’s father?!”

While Yurina and I were chatting and walking, a familiar voice suddenly called out.

Teacher Chae-eun, who had been on her way to work, saw us and hurried over.

“What brings you here?! You actually came to school!”

She greeted me brightly, clearly happy to see me.

Her reaction embarrassed me, but I understood it.

After Yurina turned ten, I had never once come to school.

I was that indifferent parent.

“Hello. We finally meet in person. Haha…”

I awkwardly smiled and bowed politely.

I had only heard her voice over the phone before, so seeing her in person felt unfamiliar.

“I know, right? Yurina talks about you so much that I really wanted to meet you someday.”

Just as I had heard from Mrs. Choi, Yurina’s grandmother who took care of her, Teacher Chae-eun had a bright and kind impression.

She looked to be in her late twenties, with long straight black hair that suited her well.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy with work and couldn’t attend the parent events…”

“These days, a lot of parents are working couples, so it’s very common. I’m just glad we could meet like this. If you have time, would you like to come inside together?”

“Inside the school?”

“Yes. We’re having a surprise presentation today.”

When Yurina heard the words “surprise presentation,” she flinched for a moment.

Then she grabbed my sleeve and bounced excitedly.

“Let’s go, let’s go! There’s something I want to show Dad!”

“Yes, that’s right. When you see what Yurina prepared, you’ll be very surprised, Father.”

Both of them suddenly looked at me with urging eyes.

I had no choice but to nod.

And before I knew it, I had ended up walking inside the school.

“Dad, see you later~!”

Yurina waved as she ran into Class 3-2.

I stood there blankly before following Teacher Chae-eun toward the teachers’ office.

“Could you wait in the counseling room for a moment? I’ll tidy up my desk and come right away.”

“Okay.”

I had only planned to walk Yurina to school…

But somehow I had ended up attending a parent consultation and observing a class.

I also need to go meet Director Hwang. This is troublesome…

My phone had been vibrating irritably for a while now.

It was Director Hwang In-wook calling.

When I texted him that I might come to the studio in the afternoon instead of the morning, he began calling repeatedly as if that was absolutely unacceptable.

Right… it was exactly that strict style of Director Hwang that made me give up parenting.

It wasn’t necessarily wrong.

But I couldn’t repeat the same mistake with Yurina again.

I squeezed my eyes shut, ignored Director Hwang’s calls, and turned off my phone.

“Would you like some coffee, sir?”

“Yes, thank you.”

I sat at a table in the counseling room inside the teachers’ office and talked with Teacher Chae-eun.

Seeing me sit there awkwardly, she broke the silence in a cheerful tone.

“I’m not going to scold you, you know?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m joking. You look like someone who committed a crime.”

With a small joke and a smile, she helped ease my tension.

“It’s nothing serious. I just wanted to talk with you. I was curious what kind of people Yurina’s parents are.”

“Ah… I see.”

She seemed exactly as dedicated to teaching as I had heard.

On the way to the teachers’ office earlier, I saw her greet every student she passed by name and ask how they were feeling that morning.

I’m glad Yurina has a good teacher.

“This might be a slightly sensitive topic, but I don’t think we can skip talking about Yurina’s mother. Girls without mothers sometimes miss learning certain things properly. If there’s anything I can help with or advise about, I’d like to do that…”

“That’s fine. Please speak comfortably.”

As we continued talking for quite a while, I realized something.

She knew more about Yurina than I did.

It was clear that she always paid attention to Yurina and listened to her.

As a parent, that was something I could only be grateful for.

“You’re going to stay and watch the surprise presentation, right? When I saw Yurina earlier, it looked like she’d get angry if you left without seeing it~”

“Yes, I’ll watch it. But what exactly is a surprise presentation?”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. Students share creative works or presentations they made during class this month.”

So… something like a mini talent show?

“Well, actually this is a secret.”

Suddenly, Teacher Chae-eun leaned close to my ear and whispered quietly.

“Yurina’s presentation is the highlight.”

“…?”

***

“Today, Yurina’s father has joined us for the presentation! Everyone, let’s give him a round of applause!”

Clap clap clap!

Receiving applause from a classroom full of third-grade elementary students, I stood awkwardly at the back of the room.

I felt embarrassed.

But Yurina looked happy, so I didn’t mind.

“Alright, shall we begin in order?”

“Yes—!!!”

With the students’ loud reply, the surprise presentation began.

Students came forward individually or in groups and showed their talents—jump rope tricks, dance performances, soccer ball tricks, and more.

They’re so cute. At this age they’re usually shy, but they’re all doing great without getting nervous. Kids these days really are different.

“Next is Yurina’s turn.”

Finally, Yurina’s name was called.

I clapped loudly to cheer her on.

Yurina froze for a moment, then walked forward while hugging a sketchbook to her chest.

Oh… I thought it was a talent show, but Yurina prepared a creative work.

I could guess what it was.

Probably a drawing.

Teacher Chae-eun had mentioned Yurina’s drawing ability earlier during our conversation.

She praised it so much that she even suggested considering an art academy.

Is she really that good?

After hearing so much praise, I couldn’t help but feel curious.

“I prepared a drawing I made during art class.”

Standing at the front of the classroom, Yurina spoke stiffly like a robot, probably because she was nervous.

Even that looked incredibly cute to me.

“This is the drawing I made.”

Yurina opened her sketchbook and showed it with a mixture of shyness and pride.

“…?!”

The drawing…

looked a little strange.

“Wow, that’s amazing! As expected of Yurina!”

“You’ve got golden hands, golden hands~!”

“Draw my face later too!!”

Her classmates praised her loudly.

Yurina smiled happily, her face turning red.

Then she slowly glanced toward me to see my reaction.

“…?”

Seeing my expression, Yurina tilted her head in confusion.

Of course she would.

Because my face looked absolutely terrible right now.

No way!! This is way too good?!

I twisted my face in shock.

Whether Yurina was confused or not, I couldn’t control my expression.

The drawing Yurina made showed me, Yurina, and her grandmother—the one who had been taking care of her recently—smiling happily together.

Just looking at the subject, it seemed like a simple and ordinary child’s drawing.

But Yurina’s drawing was different.

No—very different.

That’s not just a “good drawing” at all!!