TL/Editor: looloo
Status: ongoing
Illustrations: posted in discord
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Sarang was born.
I felt joy, emotion, and a mix of various feelings, but as a father, there were many things I had to do immediately.
First and foremost was Heena's condition. Fortunately, she was not unwell, but we needed to be cautious, so she was admitted to a postpartum care center right away to receive various types of care.
Moreover, perhaps because the childbirth was over, most of Heena's anxiety symptoms disappeared. She no longer insisted on keeping me by her side like she did before Sarang was born.
Thanks to that, I initially went into the care center with her, but afterwards, I left Heena there and went around taking care of administrative matters.
Oh, and about Sarang's name.
"Can't we just call her Sarang?"
"Itâs stuck to our mouths, right?"
"Yeah. It doesnât sound strange, and itâs pretty to call."
"I searched, and it says thereâs no problem using the prenatal name as it is... Should we ask our parents too?"
After consulting here and there, it was unanimously decided to name her Sarang. Everyone, including us, liked it more than we thought.
Han Sarang.
It might be a name that could be teased a little, but the kids who would tease her would probably be boys trying to get her attention.
Itâs not that unusual of a name. All the family members liked it too.
Anyway, while going around like that, I registered her birth, applied for childcare allowances, maternity grants, and other benefits. We had already registered our marriage. I had briefly visited the district office with Heena early in her pregnancy.
I was very nervous at that time, but the application process took less than 30 minutes. I didnât know it could be that easy to register a marriage.
After finishing those tasks, I stayed by Heena's side. Although she didnât mind me doing my own things and going around, like before she got pregnant, I had no reason to leave her.
Moreover, Sarang was just too cute!
"Sarang! Here, look here! It's Daddy!"
"Oh dear, donât distract her while sheâs eating~"
"Sorry..."
No other family members could enter the postpartum care center. Since it was a place with babies and mothers, people coming and going would cause stress. I was allowed to stay because I applied as a husband when we first came in.
Thanks to that, I had the world's cutest Sarang all to myself.
Of course.
[ Heeseong Hyung: Hey, hey, hey, damn it, send me some videos!!! Photos are fine too!!!! After all the things I did for you! ]n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
[ Yoonjung Noona: Yeonho... Did I do something wrong? Please, just one photo of Sarang... ððð Iâm dying here... ]
[ Jungwoo Hyung: If you remember all the things Iâve bought you, send photos and videos. ]
[ Sunhoo Hyung: If you want a stroller, send a photo. ]
My hyungs and noonas were in chaos.
[ Mom: Son. Could you take a video of our granddaughter and send it to me? Grandma wants to see her too. ]
[ Mother-in-law: Heena isnât checking her phone~ Sarang's dad, could you send some photos and videos of Sarang? Heena's dad is pestering me~ ]
My parents were also causing a fuss.
They were pestering me every day as if they would come over if I didnât send photos and videos right away. I understood how they felt.
Itâs because...
"Choo... Chup..."
Seeing Sarang, nestled in Heena's arms and slowly moving her eyes while drinking her formula, was so adorable it felt like a heart attack.
I was already worried about what would happen if creepy guys with stubble started running after her. Should I set a curfew at 6 PM until she goes to college?
Drinking that imaginary bowl of kimchi soup, I recorded Sarang drinking her formula for about a minute and sent it to everyone.
In a few hours, I'd receive messages asking for new ones. Even Suhwang and Yoonsung had asked me to send one.
"Good girl, our Sarang is eating so well~ Good girl~"
"Should we put her to sleep after she eats?"
"Even if we donât, sheâll probably fall asleep soon."
"When Sarang falls asleep, itâs break time, right? Do you want to nap too? If Sarang wakes up, Iâll watch her or wake you up."
"No, itâs okay. Instead..."
Heena looked at me while feeding Sarang, then she smiled softly and said,
"Hug me."
"..."
It was a very bold statement. Although the room in this expensive postpartum care center was quite spacious and private, the idea of doing that was unthinkable. Not with Sarang sleeping right next to us! Besides, Heena's body wasn't back to normal yet.
"Just a hug?"
"Yes. I need to recharge my energy with my husband's hug! Hug me until Sarang wakes up."
I sighed in relief.
That, I could do.
Not long after finishing her meal, Sarang quickly fell asleep. I watched our angelic daughter sleeping peacefully on the small bed, smiling alongside Heena.
I held Sarang's mother, who was working hard every day, tightly.
"Feels good~ My arms are sore, you know? Sarang is healthy and a bit heavy."
"Iâll give you a massage later. This place is great for massages."
"Right? Itâs expensive for a reason... Ah, I feel so bad for our parents."
Heena buried her face in my chest, voicing her worries. She felt guilty because my parents had covered the costs of this postpartum care center, which was more expensive than we expected.
"Don't worry. You saw my message earlier, right? Just showing them Sarang's face is enough. Theyâre all anxious to see her."
"Phrr... By the way, where did I put my phone?"
"Itâs fine. Donât look at it. If anyone contacts you, Iâll handle it. Just focus on recovering and taking care of Sarang."
"Okay... Thank you."
Heena kissed my neck to show her gratitude, then looked up at me and said,
"I'm a little sweaty... Can you wash me?"
"...What if Sarang wakes up?"
"Weâre just washing, right~ Please?"
She rubbed against me and acted cute, leaving me with no choice. We went to the bathroom together, hurriedly took care of everything, and came out in less than 30 minutes, both a bit tired.
Thanks to a bit of mutual service.
After two weeks at the postpartum care center, we returned home, and our parents were there almost every day to take care of Sarang. The sighs they gave when we first told them about the pregnancy were long gone.
With Heena and I barely having time to look after Sarang, my mother-in-law and my mom took turns, leaving us wondering if we should be grateful or feel like Sarang was taken from us.
I was grateful, especially with my university entrance preparations. Heena, deciding to take care of me during this time, started giving me necessary items one by one.
"It's good to befriend the professors. It can be annoying, but it's helpful in the long run."
"I'm good at making friends, you know."
"If a younger female classmate approaches you, donât be too nice. Our profile picture is a family photo, right?"
"Yes, it's a picture of the three of us."
"If anyone asks about the photo, answer honestly. Tell them, 'It's my wife and daughter.'"
"I got it. Why would I hide that?"
"And you know about group dates and meetings, right?"
-Squeeze
"Ow! Yes, I know! I won't go! Heena, my hand hurts!"
"Good. Next... If a senior tells you to drink with them, donât follow. And alsoâ"
Most of it was about not getting involved with other women.
I doubted there would be anyone interested in a married man with a kid at twenty-one. They might be curious about me, but not romantically. Besides, many people already knew I was married.
I hadnât attended the orientation, so they hadnât seen my face, but I was already active in the department's KakaoTalk chat room. I was also part of a separate chat room with just the guys, where we chatted a lot.
In that chat room, I got a lot of questions about my profile pictureâwho was in it, was it my sister and niece? Considering Heena's beauty, if I had said she was my girlfriend, there might have been envy and jealousy.
But when I introduced her as my wife and our daughter, everyone suddenly became very kind, as if to cheer me on.
Those guys had no idea how cute Sarang was.
"Even though there aren't many girls in your department, you still shouldn't let your guard down. And donât smile too kindly!"
"But that's my trademark..."
"What if someone falls for you!"
"Come on, that wonât happen. And even if it did, I wouldnât care. I have you and Sarang. You know my heart, right?"
"Still..."
"Hey, donât you know my heart? Here, a kiss!"
-Smooch
"Mwah... Okay, I get it but..."
To calm Heena down, I hugged her and kissed her. We were in the living room, but everyone was so focused on Sarang that they didn't pay us any attention.
"Oh, our princess~ Did you eat well~? You're sleepy because you're full! Shall we go to bed?"
"Sarang really looks just like you and Yeonho. By the way, Yeonho's mom, when is that stroller Sunhoo ordered coming? In a month or two, it'll be fine to take her outside."
"It should be here soon. But isnât it hard to take care of her just here? She'll cry for food all the time... If it gets tough, we can take care of her for a few days."
"Sister! I raised Heeseong and Heena, so what's hard about this? You just want to take Sarang!"
Whether we were kissing or not, the competition for Sarang continued. Thankfully, our parents had kept my siblings from visiting, which was a relief.
Too much commotion could stress Sarang out.
Anyway, I continued being affectionate with Heena, reassuring her that other girls being interested in me was an unnecessary worry.
"Iâll just focus on keeping my grades up and come right back to take care of Sarang. I wonât have time for anything else. Donât worry."
"Okay... But donât overdo it. It's fine if you attend some social gatherings or drink with friends. Those things will help in the future too. Just make sure to let me know."
"I got it. If I have to go, I'll tell you."
Then, I kissed Heenaâs lips and cheeks repeatedly. Even though I said I wouldnât pay attention to other girls, I was looking forward to my university life. I was a year behind others, so I felt even more anticipation.
I had pride in being a Seoyeon University student, and honestly, I wanted to wear the department jacket.
Starting tomorrow, I would finally be a university student.
Though I was married with a child!
Author's Note:
Finally, Heena and Yeonhoâs illustrations are out! They look so beautiful and cool!
However, thereâs been a lot of slander about Yeonho... Heâs handsome by Heenaâs standards! Heena always says Yeonho is handsome~