The Playground Adventure

“We have rice, and…”

Though I had permission, rummaging through someone else’s kitchen made me a little nervous. It felt as if I were doing something I shouldn’t. I resolved to only find what I needed, without touching anything unnecessary.

From the refrigerator, I pulled out a bag containing fried tofu and flakes, then a container of leftover vegetables. There was no need to open anything new; I could make do with what was already here.

Just as I reached for a half-eaten carrot, a presence stirred from the nearby dining table. I glanced over to catch a fleeting glimpse of a small, round head. It couldn’t be a camera staff hiding like that. It must be one of the children.

They seemed to believe they were invisible from this angle. There was no reason to acknowledge them and ruin their fun.

I decided to focus on my task. The recipe called for finely diced vegetables, didn’t it? Perhaps it would be best to sauté them first.

No sooner had I grabbed the cutting board and knife than an urgent voice came from behind me.

“Are you… are you putting in carrots?”

The dark head peeked a little higher, revealing a pair of gentle, peering eyes. Though I couldn’t see their clothes, their tone alone told me it was Suho.

“Yes. Should I not?”

The child hesitated for a moment before nodding. Then, their forehead bumped against the table. It was due to their hiding position. Fortunately, they hadn’t hit it hard enough to hurt, as Suho merely rubbed their forehead once and said nothing more.

They’d sacrificed their forehead; I couldn’t let them be disappointed. Besides, carrots weren’t the only vegetable available. I put the offending carrot back into the container. Suho’s expression brightened slightly.

Even after their request was fulfilled, the child didn’t leave the kitchen area, continuing to watch me. While their gaze was fine, their awkward, half-hidden posture seemed uncomfortable, and it bothered me.

‘Are they very hungry?’ It was about that time, after all.

“It’ll be ready soon. Do you want to sit there and wait?”

As soon as I asked, the child swiftly claimed a chair, as if they had been waiting for that very invitation.

Sure enough, their yellow clothes were now fully visible. Suho carefully placed a book, which they had been clutching to their side, onto the table. It seemed rather thick for a five-year-old. A sticker was prominently affixed to the cover, which depicted a strange creature that could have been either a dragon or a snake.

‘Elementary Korean Language, 4th Grade textbook,’ it read.

‘…Are they even understanding what they’re reading?’

Perhaps the book was too difficult, or perhaps they were just keeping an eye on me to make sure I didn’t secretly put the carrots back in. Suho kept stealing glances my way. Their gaze didn’t waver until I mixed the rice with flakes and the sautéed vegetables, then brought them to the table.

I sat opposite the child and began the final preparations. The finished sushi filled the empty spaces on the plate. If they were hungry, they could have helped themselves, but the child didn’t make a move. Nor did they seem the type to.

Then, abruptly, they asked, “H-hyung, what grade are you in?”

‘…Huh?’

Caught off guard, my busy hands stilled. But I quickly understood. Kwon Yohan had a youthful face for his age, so it wasn’t strange for a child to mistake him for a student.

However, I did have a small question.

“What grade do I look like?”

Suho pondered for a moment before answering, “…Sixth grade?”

That was an unexpectedly fresh perspective. In any case, that wasn’t what I truly wanted to ask. I pointed to the tall man in the living room, who was being enthusiastically pulled around by two energetic children.

“Then what grade is *that* hyung in?”

Suho blinked rapidly, then opened their mouth with a puzzled expression. “That hyung is an adult, though…”

‘It’s truly impossible to understand children’s thoughts.’

“So, I’m not an adult?”

“You also use polite language…”

“Aha.”

‘So, they’re concluding that because I use polite language with Yoon Jihyuk, he’s an adult, and I’m not? Because you’re supposed to use polite language with adults?’

‘Just how far do their thoughts extend within that tiny head?’ A chuckle escaped me.

Considering this was for broadcast, it might have been better to assert my adulthood and grumble a bit, but I didn’t feel like reacting so childishly. Besides, the sushi was almost complete.

“Suho, could you go ask Jihyuk-hyung to bring the kids over?”

‘This topic can end here.’

Suho, delighted to be given a mission, brightly replied, “Yes!” and promptly climbed down from the chair. I wondered what to do with the book left on the table and eventually moved it to a spot where it wouldn’t interfere with their meal. ‘Hmm, judging by the title, the strange creature must have been an anchovy. An anchovy?’

In any case, after placing the tableware at each spot, Yoon Jihyuk and the children appeared.

Young Suho, having diligently completed his quest, wore a somewhat triumphant expression, while Yoon Jihyuk, the sole adult present, carried Uju and Heemang in his arms.

I had asked him to *bring* the children, not *transport* them. Interpreting my narrowed gaze, Yoon Jihyuk set the children down and explained, “The kids asked me to give them a ride.”

“A ride?”

“Yes, they said their father often plays with them like that.”

He had disappeared from the living room for a while, only to be found spinning the children around in the play room. Perhaps because of that, the children’s cheeks were flushed. Their excitement was palpable.

The most astonishing part was Yoon Jihyuk himself. He didn’t look tired at all, even after carrying two children, each weighing over 15kg, for so long. His hands, steady as ever, neatly held his chopsticks as he cleanly finished the plate before him.

“…Aren’t you tired?”

I asked inadvertently, and Yoon Jihyuk replied playfully, “I guess I won’t need to do any more strength training today.”

His answer sparked a phrase in my mind like a flash of lightning.

[Parenting is endurance!]

It seemed that even without any tricks, that one thing was enough to cover everything.

****

After finishing our meal in a bustling atmosphere, Yoon Jihyuk volunteered to do the dishes, claiming he’d take care of the cleanup since I had worked hard to prepare the food.

While his action was certainly born of goodwill, it ultimately presented me with a new challenge.

“What do we do now?”

“What do we do?”

Because Yoon Jihyuk had played with the children so well, using his whole body, their elevated expectations immediately turned to me. With tiny children, about waist-high, looking up at me with sparkling eyes, I was at a complete loss as to how to respond.

“Well, do you want to do something?”

My somewhat uncertain question was met with the very answer I had feared.

“A ride!”

‘That’s… something I can’t do.’

I couldn’t collapse from exhaustion while filming, could I? When I gently coaxed, “Not that,” the children looked a little disappointed. Soon after, they offered an alternative.

“Then let’s go to the playground!”

‘That’s not a bad idea.’

We had just finished eating, so running around outside would help with digestion. If they got suitably tired, the nap mission would also be easier to accomplish. Coincidentally, the production crew, whose eyes I met, seemed to have the same thought. After a brief discussion among themselves, they proposed,

“We’ll check if filming at the playground is possible.”

They had apparently already been eyeing the location as a backdrop, noting that the old equipment had recently been replaced. The staff member who hurried outside soon returned with a bright face.

“They said it’s fine.”

“But there are three kids. Is it okay to just let them loose at the playground?”

“Ah, it makes for better footage than just shooting inside, doesn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

Their discussion seemed to conclude quickly. Yoon Jihyuk, who had finished washing the dishes and was drying his hands with a towel as he entered the living room, nodded upon hearing the quickly decided plan.

As the weather was so pleasant, preparing to go out was simple.

“There are three pairs of identical shoes?”

“Ah! Give them here!”

Yoon Jihyuk was unnecessarily treated like an idiot by Heemang. Watching from the side without intervening, I noticed that their names were written inside each shoe for differentiation.

Yoon Jihyuk, smiling wryly but clearly a little shocked, followed the children, who creakily led the way.

The playground presented a slightly different scene than I had expected.

I had wondered why no one brought shovels; there was no sandpit, which I used to dig into to make ditches on rainy days. Instead, the ground was covered with a soft, shock-absorbing material.

‘Indeed, if there had been sand, that would have been another problem. It would have been difficult to clean up if they tracked sand all over the house.’

“Ah, there’s a gazebo over there too. We should have eaten lunch here.”

Yoon Jihyuk, having regained his composure, mumbled regretfully and trudged towards the swings. The colorful swings had no trace of any rough edges.

“Look at this. My feet touch the ground?”

He stretched his legs out and laughed foolishly. ‘Of course they do, it’s made for kids.’ His awkward posture was quite amusing.

“You’re subtly showing off your long legs, aren’t you?”

When I playfully chided him, he feigned surprise, “Did you catch me?” It seemed Yoon Jihyuk would have to fold his legs quite a bit to fit on that adorable swing. Watching him in that state wouldn’t have been so bad, but…

“Let’s play hide-and-seek! Last one here is IT!”

The children called to us from inside the tunnel.