The little kid pulled out something yellow and round and offered it to Yeondu.
I was cautious, thinking he might pull out another frog or play a prank, but fortunately, that wasn t the case.
What he pulled out was nothing other than a potato.
Um, um, our mom says spring potatoes are delicious!
I feel like I ve heard this line somewhere before.
Unlike earlier, there was no mischievousness in the kid s expression.
His cheeks, now flushed, were filled with shyness.
Wait, he came to apologize, so why is he blushing?
It seemed like upon seeing Yeondu, this kid had fallen for her at first sight.
Thinking that way, it made sense why he startled Yeondu with the frog incident. Perhaps he initially wanted to show bravery by catching the frog, and then it just spiraled into a prank.
Most likely, his actions weren t intentional. If they were, he wouldn t have come to apologize like this.
There s always at least one of these guys around.
When I was young, whether boy or girl, there was always one in the class.
The type of fool who expresses affection by teasing.
In the end, such people end up crossing an irreversible river.
And sadly, I was that type.
Gosh.
My embarrassing past came flooding back.
I shook off the thoughts and chuckled, then said to the kid, Hey, kiddo.
Yes?
So, you ve fallen for Yeondu?
Teasing was always part of being comrades.
The kid s face turned as red as a beet.
W-what are you talking about!
As the boy got flustered, Yeondu turned to me with a puzzled expression.
Dad, what does it mean to fall for someone?
Ah, Yeondu doesn t know what it means to fall for someone.
One of the things I ve learned during the week we ve spent together is that Yeondu doesn t know many words.
It was natural for her understanding of words to be lacking, given her sheltered upbringing.
So whenever Yeondu asked about words, I immediately explained them to her.
So, falling for someone means…
Ahh! Mister!!
But this time, the little troublemaker interrupted me with a loud protest.
What s wrong, kiddo?
Please don t say it.
This kid, seriously. He knows he s fallen for her, right?
Doesn t he want his affection to be known?
Well, I ll let it slide as a comrade for now.
I can explain to Yeondu what it means to fall for someone later.
Meanwhile, Yeondu spoke as she looked at the untouched potato, Is this for me?
Yeah, our mom says spring potatoes are delicious… Oh, I mentioned that earlier.
Thank you!
With a bright smile, Yeondu accepted the potato and immediately offered it to me.
Here, try it, Dad!
Huh? I appreciate it, but this isn t right.
The kid looked shocked. Understandable.
It s like giving the chocolate you got on Valentine s Day to a friend.
Why is the metaphor so specific? I ll refrain from elaborating.
Yeondu.
Yes, Dad?
Since this is a gift for Yeondu, you should eat it first. If there s any left, you can give it to someone else.
Me first?
Yeah. Is this your first time trying boiled potatoes? Give it a taste.
Yeondu nodded and took a bite of the potato.
Ah, it was warm when I checked the temperature earlier. No need to worry about it being too hot.
Yum…
Oh? I thought she d just politely say it s delicious, but it actually is tasty?
Must be because it s seasoned just right. It s good enough to eat without salt or sugar.
I thought he might have brought raw potatoes, but this kid has more sense than I thought.
Alright, I ll go.
Oh, wait a minute, kiddo. What s your name?
I m Oh Seondong. And I m not a kid…
He s quite assertive.
With a slightly mischievous smile, I asked, Seondong, have you tried getting water from the spring?
Yes, I have.
Can you get some water for me? It s my first time doing this kind of thing.
I don t want to. You can do it yourself…
Yeondu, falling for someone means…
I ll do it! I ll do it!
I took Yeondu s hand, and we started walking comfortably.
Jingle-jangle.
Seondong followed behind me, holding the water jug.
After parting with Sun-dong, I returned home with a full water bottle.
I m back.
Hand me the water bottle.
Yes.
Grandma took the water bottle and immediately put it in the refrigerator.
I thought she wouldn t like cold water, but apparently, I was wrong.
Do you have anything else to do, Grandma?
Do whatever you want, or just go to sleep.
Oh, I actually intended to go back to Seoul.
The train I booked is scheduled for tomorrow, so I can t go back now.
Well, I might as well follow Grandma s advice and take a good rest.
Then I ll really go to bed?
Sure.
Grandma, do you know a boy named Seondong? Oh Seondong.
That brat? What about him?
Seems like she knows him because it s a small neighborhood.
I joked with a smile.
Yeondu is like a mouse and Sun-dong is like a bat?
That little rascal, why do you ask?
As expected, it turned out that Yeondu was a word my grandmother came up with herself.
It s a terrible hybrid word made by combining bat and mouse.
In short, it means a bat-like kid.
Understanding the meaning made me even more bewildered.
No, Grandma. What does Sun-dong mean to a grandson?
Fit perfectly.
Well… Back when he was a newborn, you used to boast about how cute he was to the whole neighborhood.
Don t you close your mouth!
I shut my mouth, fearing I d get another earful if I said more.
The day went by quickly.
Even though I lay down, I couldn t fall asleep, perhaps because I had slept deeply yesterday.
Yeondu was the same as me. So, Yeondu and I took a walk around the house.
It was beautiful wherever we went, perhaps because it was spring.
The fields had their own charm, and there were also places with vibrant flowers in full bloom.
Like this?
Yeah, Yeondu. Just a little more to the left.
To the left…?
Yeah, towards Dad s finger.
Yes, Dad!
Now, Yeondu. Pose with the flowers.
I used to have a hobby of taking pictures.
It wasn t like taking selfies; it was capturing landscapes and various objects.
So, while I wasn t a professional, I knew how to take more expressive photos than the average person.
I lost interest for a while.