TL/Editor: looloo
Status: ongoing
Illustrations: posted in discord
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When Sarang entered elementary school, there were a few changes in her life.
First, Sarang's room.
Though Heeseong hyung had moved out and emptied his room a while ago, Sarang only started using it on her own around the time she entered school.
I thought it was good for kids to have their own space from this age onwards, if the family could afford it. Sarang also enjoyed decorating her room as she pleased.
Of course, she still often came into our room to sleep, but that was unavoidable since she was still young.
Plus, a child's body is incredibly warm, so it felt really nice to sleep while holding Sarang. Sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night to find Heena had stolen Sarang from my arms and was cuddling her instead."Mmm... so warm..."
"...Photo, photo."
Seeing Heena tightly hugging Sarang in her sleep was just unbearably cute. It was like cuteness multiplied by cuteness equaled not just --, but 200 billion. So I took photos a few times to preserve those moments.
Next was the school commute.
When Sarang was in daycare or kindergarten, either I or my mother-in-law always helped her get there. There was a shuttle service, but since it was close by anyway, we felt more at ease taking her ourselves.
But after entering elementary school, except for the first few times, we taught Sarang to go by herself. We were worried, of course, but we couldn't keep her under our wing forever.
The key points we emphasized in our teaching were: always stick to main roads, walk with friends when possible, how to use the safety alarm, and how to use a smartphone. Safety was the top priority.
Well, to be honest, my mother-in-law, father-in-law, and I took turns secretly following her a few times. But our clever Sarang never forgot or disobeyed when we gave her serious warnings or instructions.
"What do you do at a crosswalk?"
"Look for cars before crossing! Don't run! Raise my hand while crossing!"
"That's right~ Our Sarang is so smart~"
"Hehe!"
Thanks to that, we were all able to feel at ease pretty quickly.
Lastly, there was the matter of pocket money.
We started giving Sarang an allowance when she entered elementary school. Before that, if she wanted to eat or have something, any of us would just buy it for her.
Of course, we had been saving the money she received from our family members under her name until then. However, money from relatives other than our immediate families... well, we put that to good use.
I don't mean we used it for ourselves, of course.
When I was young, I thought my parents took the money I got from relatives and used it for household expenses, but having a child of my own made me realize that wasn't the case.
The money Sarang received would be set aside, only to be given right back to our relatives' children. It was truly a cycle of money.
Although, since Sarang was so adorable, she often received more pocket money than other kids, so there was some left over. We definitely saved that under Sarang's name.
Anyway, this year Sarang's allowance was ten thousand won per week. Given every Monday. You might think that's too much for a first-grader, but that amount didn't go directly into Sarang's hands.
Heena gave her a bit more to instill the habit of saving. Basically, half was automatically saved, so her actual allowance was five thousand won.
This still seemed like quite a lot, but watching Sarang, it seemed okay for now. On Sunday evenings, Sarang would bring her remaining allowance to Heena.
"Mom! I want to save!"
"Oh? How much do you have left?"
"Three thousand won!"
"Great. Did you write everything down in your allowance journal?"
"Yep!"
"Well done~"
Apart from the initial five thousand won, we didn't force Sarang to save her remaining allowance. It's good to save, but it's also important to learn how to spend.
But Sarang wasn't the type to waste money on junk food. Although she loved snacks, she wouldn't buy them to eat alone.
She'd only say things like "Dad~ I want to eat this! Let's eat that!" when she was with me.
Looking at Sarang's allowance journal, most of her spending was on small purchases when playing with friends, aside from when she was with us.
During our almost weekly walks, she'd occasionally become fixated on street food and say, "I want to eat that! Sarang will buy it!" using her own pocket money.
And she wouldn't eat it alone - she always made sure to give Heena and me at least one bite each, such a good daughter. We were more than happy to let Sarang use her allowance this way.
How could we not be? She was just so thoughtful.
---Raei Translations---
As Sarang's daily life changed, we too had to adapt and participate as parents in new ways.
Our lives, which had revolved 100% around Sarang, began to give her more freedom as she grew, which in turn gave us a bit more flexibility in how we used our time.
One of the things I looked forward to most was participating in the Green Mother's Club activities. This might sound random, but it was quite a romantic notion for me.
It was an activity where I could deeply feel that I was a parent, and not just any parent. I was Sarang's dad. When the school asked for parent volunteers who could help, I jumped at the chance.
Heena had to be at work at set times, so it was difficult for her to participate, but I could adjust my work hours somewhat, so it wasn't a big problem. After all, this was just a brief morning activity.
A few days after applying, I received news that I'd been added to the traffic safety volunteer team. Well, to be honest, anyone who applies can participate.
After anxiously waiting and waiting, my turn finally came.
"Are you that excited?"
"Don't you think it'll be fun? Plus, when I was young, seeing my mom doing this at the crosswalk always made me feel good somehow."
"Hehe, well then, I'm counting on you to take care of Sarang~ Be careful on the road yourself."
"I'll protect the safety of the kids in front of Sarang's school...!"
"You've got this, honey!"
Early in the morning, I prepared to leave with Heena's encouragement. All in secret from Sarang. I hadn't told her, wanting to surprise her.
So while Sarang was in the bathroom, I quickly put on my shoes and headed out.
I walked briskly towards the school. The school was close enough for Sarang to commute alone safely, so I arrived in no time.
I went straight to the parents' room on the first floor, where a few mothers were already chatting inside.
I was a bit nervous being the only man, but honestly, I had expected this. Naturally, most husbands would be unable to attend due to work.
"Hello! I look forward to working with you all today!"
"Oh my, isn't this Sarang's dad?"
"Ah, yes! Um..."
"I'm Seyeon's mom~ I saw you at the entrance ceremony too, and now you're even volunteering for this."
"Ah~ Seyeon's mother! I hear Seyeon often plays with our Sarang..."
"Oh my~ It's Sarang who plays with her. When she comes home, all she talks about is Sarang~"
Fortunately, someone recognized me, so I didn't have to wait around awkwardly. Like in daycare, when parents gathered like this, quite a few people remembered Heena or me.
I suppose we stood out, being such a young couple.
As I chatted with Seyeon's mother, other parents gradually joined the conversation.
"My goodness. I thought we'd hired a part-timer, but you're actually a parent~"
"That's right. But why isn't the mother here..."
"Sarang's mother has to go to work. I can adjust my hours, so I volunteered. I've always wanted to try this."
"Oh my, what could be fun about this~"
The conversation continued for a while after that. During the chat, I learned that all the parents gathered were mothers of first-graders.
So, I naturally dropped hints about our educational background and jobs during the conversation.
"Both of you graduated from Seoyeon University?"
"Yes. We were very fortunate..."
"That's not just luck, is it? I guess you won't need to send her to academies~"
I didn't bring this up to brag, but because there might be some who viewed us negatively for being such a young couple.
I wouldn't mind if it was just directed at me, but it could potentially affect Sarang. People might go home and tell their children, "That child is such-and-such, so don't play with her~"
Even now, just mentioning that both Heena and I graduated from Seoyeon University noticeably changed their attitudes to a much more favorable one.
Well, I think it's an unavoidable aspect of society. You can't completely ignore social perceptions.
Anyway, now that I've dropped this information once, it will naturally spread among the parents. This happened in kindergarten and daycare too, so I was 100% certain. The information network among parents is no joke. There's even a separate group chat, though Heena was in that one.
As we were chatting, a teacher called us together, presumably because it was time to start.
"Parents, please gather over here!"
---Raei Translations---
We went outside after the teacher reconfirmed our positions, basic precautions, and schedule. I was wearing a vest and hat, holding a flag.
As I took my place at the crosswalk, I felt excited already, even though I hadn't done anything yet.
What should I do? I want to do this every day.
I had such idle thoughts for a moment, but kids started appearing one by one, so I blocked the crosswalk with my flag.
Then, when the light turned green, I raised the flag. When I saw a car that looked like it might suddenly accelerate, I stepped forward and gestured to stop it. I also stopped kids who tried to run across.
Though it wasn't much, it felt quite rewarding. Not only was I helping keep the kids safe, but they were all so adorable, being children and all.
Plus.
"Good morning!"
"Hi there~"
Some kids would bow slightly and greet me as they passed. It was mostly younger kids around Sarang's age who did this, and I made sure to respond as kindly as possible each time.
Ah, this is so much fun!
About 30 minutes into this healing pre-work volunteer activity, a familiar figure caught my eye in the distance.
It was our Sarang!
Next to her was Jooeun, holding her hand as they walked together. Living nearby and having similar departure times, they often commuted to school like this. There were also a couple other kids who seemed to be friends, greeting them.
We, Jooeun's mom, and probably other moms too, encouraged this kind of group commuting. It was more reassuring to know the kids were together.
Anyway, Sarang arrived at the opposite side of the crosswalk and waited behind the flag of the mother stationed there for the light to change.
Soon after, the light turned green and the flag went up, but Sarang didn't start right away. She stopped and looked both ways once.
Only after confirming that the cars had completely stopped did she raise one hand, hold Jueun's hand with the other, and slowly start crossing.
She was truly excellent, as expected of our daughter.
Barely holding back tears and the urge to applaud, I smiled warmly as I held up my flag.
But when Sarang was about halfway across, she suddenly stopped. She stared intently in my direction.
Hmm, did she notice? With the vest and hat pulled down, it shouldn't be easy to recognize me at a glance.
In this uncertain moment, Sarang started crossing again with quick steps.
As she got closer, I could clearly see her incredibly bright smile.
"Daddy!!!"
---
enjoy! :)
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