This World is too Cruel to Men

“Um… have you ever played with clay?”

Fortunately, it seemed she had.

Perhaps at the kindergarten she attended before moving in next door to us.

Anyway, since she had experience with clay, explaining would be easy.

“Think of it as basically the same thing.”

With that said, I started to demonstrate to Yun-Seo, who looked bewildered, unsure of what was the same.

“First, like this…”

I took a bite-sized portion of rice and squeezed it in my hand, making sure the grains stuck together.

“Then, roll it round and round like this…”

A rice ball was complete.

“See? It’s not that difficult, is it?”

It would have been nice to have some soup to go with it, but… I couldn’t use the stove, so it couldn’t be helped.

We had to be satisfied with this.

Anyway, she seemed fascinated by the rice ball that materialized in the blink of an eye.

Her eyes were sparkling.

Well, even if she acted cold and aloof, she was at an age where she was naturally curious.

She might have seen her parents cook, but this was probably the first time she’d seen the process up close.

“Um… do you want to try one?”

She’d been acting cold and indifferent, but since she seemed so fascinated, I casually asked. It seemed to snap her out of her trance.

Her small shoulders, tiny compared to an adult’s, twitched cutely, and her eyes, which had seemed rather fierce, regained their intensity.

Meanwhile, her throat bobbed up and down with a gulp, swallowing her saliva.

Was she caught between her pride and her instincts?

But in the end, a child is a child.

She couldn’t hold out for long and eventually nodded.

‘She’s kind of cute…’

Is this why everyone becomes a daughter fool?

Thinking that to myself, I carefully offered the rice ball I had just made to Yun-Seo, who was slightly bowing her head as if embarrassed, gently shaking it.

“Here.”

So, what happened?

What happened, indeed.

Needless to say, it was a success.

‘It’s a combination that can’t possibly taste bad.’

Just the Stir-fried Anchovies and Seasoned Daikon Radish alone would have been decent, but with the Furikake and Dried Seaweed Flakes, the game was already over.

Those two were literally cheat codes.

Maybe that’s why it suited my taste quite well too.

;Hmm…’

Since things had turned out this way, should I let Mom, who must be working hard right now, have a taste too?

I briefly hesitated, thinking I might get scolded, but my deliberation didn’t last long.

So, I immediately brought a plate and started piling the round rice balls onto it.

Yun-Seo, who had been popping the rice balls into her mouth as soon as they were made, suddenly stopped.

Perhaps she noticed that I was piling them up on a plate instead of eating them.

“…Aren’t you going to eat?”

She asked, glancing at me.

“Huh? Oh… I’m going to take some to Mom.”

I replied casually.

As if she didn’t want to be outdone, she suddenly declared that she wanted to give some to her mom and dad too.

Did she want to proudly present the rice balls she made to her parents and receive praise for how much she had grown?

“Alright, then.”

With Yun-Seo joining in, the round objects began to pile up on the plate.

And there was someone secretly watching the two of them with an incredibly heartwarming expression—

‘Oh my, oh my…’

It was none other than Dokgun’s mother, Yoon-jeong.

She thought it best for the adults to stay out of it, so she had excused herself.

However, since there had been a bit of an incident between the two children yesterday, she was worried they might start fighting again if left alone.

So, she’d put her work aside for a moment and was secretly watching them.

Who would have thought she’d witness such a scene?

Honestly, when Dokgun first headed to the kitchen, she was more worried than anything.

The kitchen was a dangerous place.

Especially considering Dokgun was only seven years old.

She was ready to rush out and stop him if he tried to do anything dangerous or touch the knives or stove, but… as if reading her mind, Dokgun didn’t even glance in that direction.

And from then on, it was a series of surprises.

He managed to make a pretty decent-looking dish with his small body.

Thinking back to when she was seven, the result was even more astonishing.

Back then, she only ate what was given to her; she never once thought of making anything herself.

‘Could my son… be a genius?’

She even had that thought.

Though she quickly felt a pang of bitterness, remembering how harsh society could be towards men.

Regardless, Yoon-jeong felt incredibly proud of Dokgun.

Not only was he managing things on his own, but the fact that he was doing it for his friend Yun-Seo, and not for himself, was particularly touching.

‘My son has grown up so much…’

It seemed like only yesterday he was a tiny baby, unable to open his eyes properly, just crying. When did he grow up so much?

Was this how he gradually became an adult?

‘By the way… do they teach these things in kindergarten these days…?’

Well, she had heard that these days, even places like taekwondo dojos taught not only taekwondo but also English, math, and all sorts of things.

For a moment, she marveled at how skillfully her son was making rice balls, as if it wasn’t his first time, and felt how much the world had changed since she was young.

Then, Yoon-jeong, who had been hiding behind the wall, carefully stepped forward.

It seemed like they were almost done, and she was worried they might trip and fall while carrying the plate.

“What are you two doing?”

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‘Oh, jeez… I was startled.’

I was surprised by Mom’s sudden appearance, but that was all.

I got a light scolding about the potential dangers, but that was it.

And then… Mom quickly whipped up some Japanese miso soup to go with the wonderful rice balls, and we had an early dinner.

“Oh my! What am I going to do? The rice balls Dokgun made are so delicious!”

“Well, it’s not that big of a deal…”

“I’m going to have to ask Dokgun to make me rice balls whenever I’m hungry at work.”

She must have been joking, but… why didn’t it sound like a joke?

Anyway, as I was having this comedic exchange with Mom, an envious gaze landed on me from beside me.

‘Honestly…’

A child is a child.

Looking at Mom and me, Yun-Seo must have been thinking of her own parents.

It seemed Yun-Seo’s parents weren’t saints either, because soon the doorbell rang, echoing into the kitchen where we were sitting.

“Oh? Yun-Seo’s dad must be here.”

I thought I had taken good care of her, but for kids this age, nothing beats mom and dad, I guess.

As soon as those words left Mom’s mouth, the little girl’s somewhat gloomy face brightened up.

She started fidgeting, as if ready to run to the front door, and finally, unable to contain herself, she trotted after Mom, who had gotten up.

‘Anyone would think I was bullying her.’

I felt a little hurt that she ran off without looking back as soon as her dad arrived, even though I’d worked my arms off making food for her… but well, that’s how kids are.

And look at her now.

She hadn’t even forgotten to grab the container with the precious rice balls.

Sigh…

So, I grabbed it and headed towards the front door.

I saw Yun-Seo burying her face in her dad’s shoulder, expressing her frustration at him being late.

“Oh, Dokgun’s here too? That’s perfect timing. Dokgun, Yun-Seo’s going home now. Let’s say goodbye.”

Goodbyes were fine, but I had something to deliver.

It seemed the owner was too busy burying her face in her dad’s shoulder to care, so I nudged Mom’s leg.

“Ah.”

Mom’s face lit up as she finally noticed what I was holding.

“Um, Yun-Seo’s dad? Would you like to take this?”

“Yes? This is…”

“It’s the rice balls Yun-Seo made.”

“Our Yun-Seo?”

He looked surprised, his eyes wide.

Then, Yun-Seo’s dad quickly took the lunchbox.

He seemed to want to ask what had happened, turning his head towards his daughter nestled in his arms… but unfortunately, his daughter didn’t seem willing to answer.

Judging by her reddened ears peeking through her slightly messy hair, was she embarrassed?

Or maybe it was just because Mom and I were watching.

“Ah, anyway… Thank you so much for today. And thank you again.”

“Oh, no problem. Our Dokgun was so excited to have a friend over…”

“Ahaha…”

The adult talk continued briefly, then Yun-Seo’s dad started to look a little rushed, as if it was really time to go.

“Now, you have to say goodbye to your friend.”

“…See you tomorrow.”

“Yun-Seo, you have to say goodbye to Dokgun too.”

Only after her dad said that did Yun-Seo slowly lift her head from his shoulder. But that was all.

She glanced at me, but quickly turned her head away again.

“Hahaha…”

Yun-Seo’s dad was left in an awkward position.

“Ah, anyway, I’ll be going now.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

As Dokgun and Yoon-jeong turned back to the kitchen to clean up after seeing Yun-Seo’s family off, Gyeong-wan, who had just left their house, felt an indescribable, strange emotion.

Of course, it was because of the palm-sized plastic container in his hand.

Rice balls made by his daughter, Yun-Seo, no less.

What had happened while he was away, forced to leave due to an urgent matter?

What had happened to make his daughter’s arms, clinging to his neck, so tense?

“Yun-Seo. Did you really make these rice balls yourself?”

He asked his daughter, whose head was buried in his shoulder.

Her small head, with its adorably fluffy hair, slowly bobbed up and down.

“Really? Did Dokgun’s mother help you?”

He asked, certain that was the case… but the response he received was quite different from before.

She shook her head, indicating she hadn’t received help.

“Then?”

“…Him.”

“Him? Oh, Dokgun? So you made these with Dokgun?”

“Yeah…”

As his daughter slowly nodded in response, Gyeong-wan felt relieved.

Both in appearance and personality, his daughter took after his beloved wife, often coming across as cold to others.

Because of this, she had trouble making friends with children her age.

And when his wife was suddenly transferred here, Yun-Seo had to say goodbye to her few friends, sulking ever since moving day.

But seeing her answer so readily now, it was clear that she had not only stopped sulking but had also made a new friend.

Of course, the fact that this friend happened to be a boy bothered him slightly—

‘They’re just kids…’

It would be alright.

Since things had turned out this way, he decided to seize the opportunity to completely lift her spirits.

Gyeong-wan diligently asked his daughter about her new friend, Dokgun.

As a result, he naturally came to realize something.

This boy, Dokgun, who had become friends with his daughter today, was quite mature and kind for a seven-year-old.

‘Come to think of it, it’s quite strange…’

The first friend his daughter made after moving here was someone she met on a casual stroll around the neighborhood yesterday, and this same boy lived right next door.

Was this fate?

If so, he hoped the two would become close.

“It seems Dokgun wants to be friends with Yun-Seo.”

Gyeong-wan didn’t know.

He didn’t know what kind of misunderstanding his words, spoken with good intentions, would create in his daughter’s mind.