Half a year, a year, and two years passed, and the kids really grew up quickly.
Especially Joo-ha, after starting kindergarten, began making friends and grew so much that I could feel her weight when I picked her up.
Even in her younger days when she didn’t cause much trouble for Mom and Dad, it was almost funny to call her the “ugly five-year-old” because she turned out to be such a sweet and adorable child.
And the twins, Yoo-chan and Gyuri, started to show distinct features little by little, now resembling Mom and Dad so closely that they perfectly looked like a pair of matching fish-shaped pastries.
Whenever we went out with the kids in our arms, we always heard the same thing: the son looked just like Dad, and the daughter looked just like Mom.
This was quite different from Joo-ha who seemed to have a mix of both of us in her appearance.
“Mother, we’re here.”
“I’m sorry we haven’t greeted you in a long time, Mother-in-law.”
We visited my in-laws after quite some time, though for us it had only been about a month. Considering the distance between our houses, I felt a bit sorry for my father-in-law and mother-in-law for not visiting sooner.
“No, Mr. Kang. I appreciate you coming over despite being busy. Ah, the outside people are in the living room, so go greet them.”
“Yes, Mother-in-law.”
As we entered the house with the kids, Yoo-chan, who was in my arms, began squirming, seemingly wanting to be let down, and as soon as I set him down, he dashed straight into his grandmother’s arms.
While he wasn’t quite developed enough to run at full speed, it was really just shaky little steps.
“Grandma!”
“Yes, my grandchild. My, you’ve grown a lot in just a month! Your cheeks are getting so chubby.”
“Grandma, I missed you!”
“Really? Oh, this grandma missed you so much, too.”
Unlike me, who was not particularly affectionate with my parents, Yoo-chan had been quite the little charmer since he was young. I suspected he must have inherited that trait from my wife.
Though my wife insisted that she didn’t have that kind of personality and that it was more like me.
“Now, Gyuri, you have to greet Grandma too!”
“Ugh…”
In contrast to Yoo-chan, Gyuri was quite shy.
No, to be precise, she was more bashful than shy. The closer she was to someone she liked, the harder it was for her to approach them, and this trait was on full display today.
When my wife prompted her to say hello, Gyuri hesitated before shyly waving her hand while snuggling into her mother’s arms, making my mother-in-law smile as if unsure what to do with the cuteness.
“So, our Gyuri also came! You’ve become even prettier since I last saw you!”
“Uhe.”
With just one compliment, Gyuri’s shyness vanished, and her face lit up with a smile that was truly adorable—not just because she was my daughter.
I regretted not having captured that moment in a photo.
“Grandpa! Grandpa!”
“Oh, Joo-ha has arrived! Come here and let Grandpa hold you!”
“Okay!”
And then ignoring the group gathered at the entrance, Joo-ha made her way over to her grandfather, who was sitting in the living room.
Even though my father-in-law was known for being rather blunt, it seemed Joo-ha did not mind at all. After all, she was such an outgoing child.
“You’ve been busy, huh? How’s work going?”
“Yes, Father-in-law. Thanks to you, it’s smooth sailing.”
“That’s a relief. No news is good news, right?”
With a faint smile, my father-in-law lifted Joo-ha and started to give her a playful spin.
Now that I think about it, a few months ago when I went with my wife to her company, I had brought Joo-ha along, and that was really funny.
As my father-in-law had a serious expression next to the employees, as soon as Joo-ha jumped into his arms, he smiled warmly and lifted her high, pretending to fly her like an airplane.
The employees watched with expressions like they had just seen the world’s biggest plot twist, trying hard to stifle their laughter.
My wife once joked that she had never seen her father smile at work, and maybe that wasn’t an exaggeration after all.
“Oh, I hear you’ll finish your military service after going to training camp at the end of this year, right?”
“… Yes, that’s correct.”
While watching the warm moment, I felt a bit down when my father-in-law casually mentioned it. It wasn’t that I felt bad, but it was a rather sensitive topic, which naturally made my voice calm down.
That’s right. This year, as the head of a family with three kids, I had received a military exemption, finishing my service with just a short training camp at the end of the year.
I wondered if calling it military service for just a little over five weeks was even appropriate.
“I was worried about it, but it worked out well. No matter how much you’re exempt, you can’t just stay at home forever.”
“Honestly, I wanted to go on my own as much as possible…”
“You have a point there. People can be judgmental, right?”
“…Yes, a bit.”
As if he could see right through my thoughts, my father-in-law dropped that line casually, and I nodded.
In this country, nothing is more sensitive than issues related to military service, and as a streamer who is treated like a semi-public figure, I was worried in many ways.
I just didn’t want any misunderstandings cast toward my wife, children, or even my in-laws because of me.
So even after being granted exemption, I was resolved to go, but ironically, seeing my wife and kids made me reconsider.
Right now, I wanted to enjoy this moment with my family a little longer, and if that wasn’t wrong, then I wanted to prioritize my own desires this time.
“By the way, have you shared this news with anyone else?”
“Yes, just with relatives…”
“Not just them. I mean, the people who watch your broadcasts.”
“Oh, yes. I mentioned it.”
“I see. What was the reaction?”
“Well, that is…”
When my father-in-law asked that follow-up question, I felt a little embarrassed, and I hesitated to speak.
It was understandable since I had shared the news via my broadcast, and worryingly enough, there had been no misunderstandings or backlash. Instead, the atmosphere was closer to celebration.
“Everyone was genuinely happy like it was their own news. They also said they missed me.”
“Then there’s no need to feel embarrassed about it.”
“I suppose so.”
Forgetting that I was in front of my father-in-law, I awkwardly scratched my head while smiling momentarily. He regarded my response with an understanding smile and set Joo-ha down.
“Daddy!”
This time, Joo-ha dashed toward me and squeezed between my legs with a bright smile.
Just a short while ago, I would have thought she’d only reach my chest, but when did she grow so much?
As I patted my precious daughter’s head and embraced her from behind, my father-in-law, who was silently watching, nodded as if that was exactly it and added:
“Listen, what you need to focus on moving forward isn’t all this trivial stuff. A father is meant to live for his family. Got it?”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind, Father-in-law.”
I engraved those words in my heart and soon spent some warm time with my two kids sitting on either side.
*
That evening, a simple liquor table was laid out.
Since the kids had long fallen asleep, the remaining adults gathered in the living room after dinner to catch up and chat a bit.
“… So, I feel like the growth of my broadcasts and YouTube has slowed down a bit, and it makes me somewhat worried.”
“Hmm, I see. It’s the same with businesses. Once you reach a certain level of growth, it becomes difficult to keep progressing without some sort of trigger.”
As the drinks started to flow, my father-in-law asked if I had any concerns, and I openly shared my personal worries.
I wasn’t exactly looking for solutions; I just wanted to air out my thoughts. Just expressing them would make anyone feel lighter.
Of course, others might think it’s odd to be greedy for growth when my broadcasts are already big enough, but I firmly believed it was better to keep aiming high rather than stagnate.
“How about crafting some new content, honey?”
“Hmm, I’ve thought about it with the employees… but honestly, we just haven’t come up with anything concrete.”
My wife readily offered suggestions, trying to be supportive, but the problem was that we couldn’t figure out what specific new content to create.
Starting out with singing, problem-solving sessions, and gradually expanding into comprehensive gaming or family content had gotten us this far. I wondered if there was anything more we could develop.
“In that case, you need to first recognize what makes you special. To me, it looks like you have something like that.”
“Me?”
However, my father-in-law seemed to suggest that there was still something I hadn’t realized.
Just as I took a sip of the drink my wife poured, another message from my father-in-law came through.
“It’s your identity as the son-in-law of the Cheongseong Family. Don’t you think that’s a pretty special element?”
“…Huh?”
Caught off guard by his comment, I blinked in confusion.
Being the son-in-law of the Cheongseong Family was no ordinary status; it was something only one person could have in this country.
But how was I supposed to incorporate that into my broadcasts or YouTube?
“Exactly, honey! That’s the way!”
“Uh…? What way?”
As I stood there, stunned and without a clue, my wife suddenly jumped up from her seat, as if she’d had a breakthrough, and began excitedly tapping my shoulder.
“You can make content as a streamer who’s the son-in-law of a chaebol! That could be really good!”
“Is that even a thing?”
I was surprised that such an idea existed, but more than that, I felt hesitant about using my in-laws’ name.
Would it actually be good content?
“Yeah, so let’s go to Cheongseong Hotel together the day after tomorrow! That would be the place for it.”
“Cheongseong Hotel?”
Her sudden mention of that name made me doubt if I was hearing correctly.
Wasn’t the Cheongseong Hotel the only six-star hotel in the country owned by my brother-in-law, I mean my brother? What could we possibly do there?
I had many questions, but looking at my wife’s cheerful face, I decided to hold my tongue for now.
What kind of content did she plan to create?
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