Chapter 37
Around a little after 4 p.m.
Arin and Dad came home.
The living room became lively again.
The reporters angled their cameras so Arin and Dad's faces wouldn't show as much as possible.
When I asked why they couldn't just film normally and add mosaics later, they said that would feel unnatural.
They said it's easier for viewers to get immersed if they film from a natural angle where the faces don't show in the first place.
In any case, I thought protecting image rights was a lot of work.
“Heave-ho-.”
I brought out two scooters by the front door.
Cute pink kids' scooters.
One was a little bigger, and the other was much smaller.
They even had rainbow pinwheels attached to the back, giving them a modern feel.
I said while tying my sneaker laces.
“Unni! Are we going out?”
“Yeah! Let’s go together!”
Arin also trotted over to the shoe cabinet.
Arin was still clumsy at tying her shoelaces, so I tied them for her.
“Click-.”
I also put on her helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads.
“Are you heading out now?”
“Yes! Mr. Reporter, can you keep up?”
Michael answered while getting his camera ready.
“Where are you going?”
“Follow along and you’ll see!”
Mom put on her shoes and came out with us.
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When we stepped outside, the sun was already sinking low.
The sky was starting to turn golden.
That awkward time right before dinner.
I placed my foot on the tiny scooter.
“Heave-ho-.”
“Whoosh-.”
I pushed off with one foot planted and the other kicking the ground, moving forward.
My hair fluttered in the wind.
“Wheehee-.”
‘So this feeling of rushing along is what makes it so good...’
To think I'd already started blurting out an old-man remark. What's gotten into you, Yoo Ayeon!
...Of course, it was a children's scooter, so it was slow enough for an adult to keep up on foot.
“Whoosh-whoosh-.”
Arin followed on a small scooter too.
“Unni-! Let’s go together!”
“Plod-plod-.”
Mom followed behind us on foot.
The reporters followed behind with their cameras.
We wound through one alley after another.
A few minutes later.
We arrived at the neighborhood playground.
I glanced around.
There was no one there.
It was almost 5 p.m., time for the kids to head home.
The playground equipment stood completely empty.
I parked my scooter at the edge and went into the playground.
Arin got off her scooter too.
“Okay.”
“Sounds good!”
We ran toward the slide at the same time.
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“Heave-ho-.”
Yoo Ayeon climbed the slide steps.
The little sister followed behind.
The two children peered down the slide from the top for a moment.
And then.
“Sliiide-.”
They slid all the way down one after the other.
“Hehe-! That was fun, Unni!”
“Again!”
The two of them climbed up and slid down the slide again and again.
Lee Donghyun filmed them with the camera, from a natural angle that kept the little sister's face out of frame as much as possible.
The child who had been holding a notebook and explaining difficult math to Mom earlier was now happily riding the slide.
Lee Donghyun whispered to Michael behind the camera.
“It’s hard to believe that's the same kid as earlier.”
Michael nodded and lifted his camera.
Once they were done with the slide, it was the jungle gym's turn.
Yoo Ayeon ran to the jungle gym and started climbing. The little sister followed.
They even showed off an advanced move, climbing straight up and then flipping upside down to hang there.
The two of them climbed all the way to the top of the jungle gym.
“Whoosh-.”
A cool breeze blew.
The little sister spread her arms wide at the top.
Yoo Ayeon hung just below, feeling the wind.
And then, forgetting all about coming down, she looked at the sunset in the distance.
The sky was streaked with orange and pink.
Before long.
“Ready.”
The little sister shouted first.
“Land!”
The two of them jumped down to the ground at the same time.
The ground was made of soft urethane, so even if the kids fell from high up, they wouldn't get hurt.
“Pitter-patter-patter—!”
The moment they landed, they started running.
“Unni, catch me!”
The little sister ran ahead, and Yoo Ayeon chased after her.
“Got you!”
“Eek!”
Lee Donghyun filmed the two kids and edged closer to Mom.
“So Ayeon is playing at the playground with her little sister?”
Han Seol-ae answered, watching the two children.
“Yes. The kids kept wanting to stay home, so I made it a point to have them go outside and get some exercise at least once or twice a week.”
“But why did you come at such an odd time? If you'd come earlier, there would have been other kids here too.”
Han Seol-ae glanced at the two children for a moment.
“Our kids have a hard time socializing with children their own age, so we deliberately came at a time when there wouldn't be many people around.”
“What do you mean by hard?”
“We consulted with a psychologist, and they said that children with very advanced cognitive development have a hard time making friends with peers their own age. Just like how a full-grown adult would have trouble fitting in and playing among children.”
Lee Donghyun nodded.
“Aha, I see. That must be difficult.”
“Well, that's why they're just playing together like this for now.”
The camera turned back toward the two children.
A game of tag was in full swing.
This time, the roles had switched.
“Now I'm it!”
“Catch me!”
“Pitter-patter-patter—!”
Yoo Ayeon ran in the opposite direction, panting hard.
A smile lingered at the corners of her mouth.
Children naturally smile when they run.
Lee Donghyun quietly asked as he filmed the scene.
“Is your younger sibling also highly intelligent compared to other kids their age?”
Han Seol-ae cut him off firmly.
“Sorry. It's hard for me to answer that part.”
Lee Donghyun paused for a moment and bowed his head.
“Ah, I asked a question that violates the contract. Sorry.”
“It's okay.”
Han Seol-ae shook her head as if to say it was fine.
The camera turned back to the playground.
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Time passed.
The sky gradually darkened.
Just as the orange light was starting to turn into a dim navy blue.
Han Seol-ae called from near the playground entrance.
“My girls, let's go eat.”
Two voices rang out from the playground at once.
“Yep!”
“Yeees-!”
“Tap-tap-tap-tap-.”
The two children got down from the equipment and ran toward their scooters.
“Whoosh-.”
They each grabbed their scooters and set off.
Han Seol-ae followed behind them.
Lee Donghyun lowered the camera and said to Michael,
“Let's call it a day here.”
“More than enough.”
Michael nodded and replied.
“Then we'll be heading out now.”
“Goodbye.”
“Bye-bye, Mr. Reporter!”
“Ah, goodbye...”
“Bow-.”
The backs of the three of them disappeared into the alley.
“Rattle-rattle- rattle-rattle-.”
The sound of scooter wheels rolling echoed through the alley.
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The next morning.
“Sailor uniform, sailor uniform... Mom! Where's the one I wore yesterday?”
“It's in the laundry basket.”
“Rummage-rummage-.”
I rummaged through the laundry basket.
“Grubby~”
There was a dusty, crumpled sailor uniform in there...!
“Oh no... I’m in trouble.”
“Sniff sniff-.”
“Stinky~”
Maybe because I worked up so much sweat at the playground yesterday, it smelled strongly of sweat too.
The reporters will be coming again today...
“I can't show off maximum cuteness in clothes this grubby!”
“You can just wear another cute outfit.”
“Buuuut... the sailor uniform is the cutest...”
It could also, as a bonus, make me look cute and smart.
“Wouldn't it seem weird to wear a sailor uniform every day?”
“Hmm. Maybe so?”
Thinking it over, I felt that broadening the range of cuteness Yoo Ayeon could show was important too.
“Rustle-.”
Convinced, I took off my pajamas and changed into another set of regular clothes.
“Ding-dong-.”
“They're here-!”
“Pitter-patter-patter-.”
I opened the front door.
“Mr. Reporter! Hello again today-!”
“You're as energetic as ever today.”
“Hello, Ayeon.”
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Filming began.
“What are you planning to do today?”
“There's somewhere we're going today!”
“Where are you going?”
I looked at the reporters and said,
“Reporters... when you saw us playing at that empty playground yesterday, you thought, 'Ah, those kids don't have any friends,' didn't you!”
“Gasp-!”
Lee Donghyun's pupils widened slightly.
When I repeated the exact same thing in English, Michael's pupils widened too.
“W-what are you talking about? We never thought that.”
“Yes. Ayeon, I never thought that either.”
“Hmph. You can't fool my eyes! I'm not some pitiful kid, you know!”
It's not like only peers around the same age can count as friends, right?
In fact, Teacher Park Jisu also said that spending time with people of a similar intellectual level is better for social development.
“So today I'll show you how I interact with my close unni and oppa friends. Arin, let's go!”
“Yeah!”