Wait a minute, what am I doing right now?
For a moment, Yujin had lost his composure at the sight of the child’s cuteness, but he quickly pulled himself together. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of such a large man crouched down playing pretend house, but now was not the time for that. Worried and curious about Angela’s reaction, he hurriedly composed his expression and glanced inside the room again.
The child’s face was clearly showing embarrassment. What on earth was this man doing? The honest feelings written on her face made Yujin immediately try to enter the room.
“Hmm, it seems the tea leaves are old, Sebastian.”
Yujin froze for a moment. Angela seemed to have decided to continue this pretend play. Maybe she thought it was the only way. It was hard to tell what was genuine, and on the other hand, he was curious about Winston’s reaction, so he decided to watch a little longer. He switched his phone camera to video mode, making sure to capture everything.
“I see. Looks like it was stored improperly. My apologies.”
Seeing Winston politely apologize, Yujin was stunned. Angela had the same reaction. Yujin caught a glimpse of her wide-open eyes, mouth agape. Angela spotted Yujin partly hiding behind the door and froze. Yujin was momentarily embarrassed but then silently mouthed,
‘Should I go in?’
He let the child know silently that he could end this whenever she wished. Angela seemed to hesitate briefly but then looked Winston in the eyes and said,
“Then bring another tea. Really, Sebastian, you never do anything right.”
Yujin covered his mouth without realizing it. Angela’s words were exactly the line a noble lady from her favorite historical drama would use when scolding servants. Remembering Sebastian was also the butler’s name in that show, Yujin finally relaxed. It seemed okay to watch a bit longer.
What would Winston say now?
He listened carefully for Winston’s reply, which came soon after.
“My apologies, Princess. Shall I spend the night under the castle walls again like last «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» time?”
Yujin barely restrained the urge to slap his own cheek. He couldn’t believe this was really happening.
Winston was even caught up in the roleplay?
Yujin blinked repeatedly with a bewildered expression. He wished he could see Winston’s face but was disappointed since Winston had his back turned.
Thanks to that, he could spy on them like this.
As he comforted himself, continuing to watch, Angela suddenly spoke as if deep in thought.
“I’ll forgive you today, Sebastian. But instead, go to the kitchen and bring ten cheese rolls with hot chocolate.”
Winston froze. It was unclear if Angela really wanted that or if it was part of the act. Angela pointed deliberately at the door with a finger.
“Hurry up, quickly. I’m hungry. If you’re late, I’ll punish you again.”
“Um... understood. I’ll be quick.”
Winston made a sound as if thinking for a moment, then got up. Surprised, Yujin glanced around and quickly slipped into the next room to hide. By a hair’s breadth, Winston left Angela’s room and his footsteps passing the door where Yujin was hiding soon faded away into the distance.
After confirming the hallway was quiet, Yujin cautiously opened the door and looked outside. As expected, the wide, long corridor was empty. He quickly dashed back into Angela’s room, where the child was sitting on a chair catching her breath and brightened at the sight of Yujin, running toward him.
“Daddy!”
“Angie, my daughter.”
He wanted to hug her right away but couldn’t because his injury still ached. Instead, he knelt down and opened his arms to match her height, then held his daughter tightly with all his strength.
“What happened? Pretending house with Winston? Daddy was so surprised.”
Smiling, he asked, and Angela pulled away and spoke honestly.
“Well, actually, I was playing alone when he suddenly came and said I’d be bored playing alone. So I told him if Georgina was here, we’d play pretend house together, and he asked how to play that, so I taught him.”
“So you did whatever the butler told you?”
At Yujin’s question, Angela nodded.
“He even tied my hair like this.”
Proudly, she turned once in his arms and looked at Yujin again. Dazed, Yujin examined his daughter’s hair. Was it really Winston who had braided her hair perfectly like that?
“Someone else didn’t do it? Winston did?”
Yujin asked again in disbelief. His daughter straightened her face and answered.
“Mr. Campbell did it. Isn’t it pretty? Don’t I look just like a princess?”
Angela’s cheeks were flushed as she spun around once more. She moved slowly on tiptoe like a ballerina. Yujin examined the raised hair more closely this time. The hair was fixed with a tiara-shaped hairpin adorned with many jewels and large pearls around it that made the hairstyle even more splendid. Yujin decided not to wonder whether that dazzling pin was made of real diamonds. What mattered was that the child liked it and it suited her perfectly.
“It’s beautiful, Angie. It suits you well.”
Yujin smiled and said this, then gently stroked her flushed cheek.
“Are you sure you don’t need Daddy watching over you?”
“I’m fine.”
Angela answered spiritedly.
“Don’t worry, Daddy. I’m a grown-up now. I can do fine on my own.”
Hearing a mere four-year-old say that with pride made Yujin’s heart tremble strangely. Silently hugging her tightly, he added gently,
“Alright, then. I’ll be next door. If you feel even a little tired, come straight to Daddy’s room.”
“Okay. Don’t worry, Daddy.”
Angela pulled away first. As Yujin was about to get up and leave, the child suddenly called him back.
“Oh, and.”
Yujin stopped and looked back. Angela continued.
“It’s okay if a baby comes now. I’m not sad.”
Surprised, he stared at her, and Angela went on.
“The baby’s trying hard to meet me now, right? So I’ll love the baby when it comes. It’s my little sibling.”
Wondering if his comfort had eased her heart, Yujin forced a smile.
“Thank you, Angie. The baby will be happy too.”
The last words barely came out. Feeling his tongue heavy, Yujin hurried out of Angela’s room.
The lies are growing bigger and bigger.
Alone, anxiety and guilt came over him. He was deceiving even Angela now, and his heart hurt uncontrollably.
Christmas is soon.
Yujin checked the date and bit his nails. It was the season when the streets were most crowded all year. He couldn’t miss this chance.
I’ll bring up the topic again today.
If it still doesn’t work, I’ll have no choice but to try something else. His heart was pounding wildly as he looked at the calendar and set a D-day.
When Winston returned carrying a tray with cheese rolls and hot chocolate, Angela was dressing her beloved doll. She placed the doll on top of a huge toy castle nearly as tall as herself, then earnestly praised the butler who had done his job.
“Well done, Sebastian. This mission was a success.”
Taking a bite of a cheese roll, Angela nodded as if she liked the taste. Seeing the child’s good mood, Winston smiled and replied.
“Thank you for the praise, Princess.”
What on earth was this spectacle?
Complex feelings swirled in Winston’s mind. He had canceled all his afternoon plans to come home and was now playing pretend house.
But what troubled him most was that he didn’t dislike this play. Rather, seeing Angela enjoy herself made him feel relieved and even more determined to play along. Watching her eat a snack, Winston spoke.
“Princess, what will you do this Christmas? Have you decided on the gift you want?”
