Chapter 56  

Do you think there is a person that would not get sick of eating seaweed soup three meals a day, every day, for the last two weeks? Fifteen days after giving birth, the meal sitting on the dining table was again seaweed soup. I shook my head in dismay.

I’m sick of it. Of course, I’d be sick of it. I ate it nonstop. If I wasn’t sick of it, I wouldn’t be human. Even if it was the best tasting thing in the world, it would be perfectly normal to get sick of eating the same meal three times a day.

From anyone’s perspective, and as a logical progression, such a reaction was expected. I scooped up a spoonful and put it in my mouth. The soup slid down my throat. I smacked my lips.

But, why am I not sick of it?

Unlike the deep beef flavoring of the seaweed soup served the previous day, this soup refreshing and clean. How can it taste so good in a different way each day? And, for two weeks?

Fascinated, I swallowed another spoonful. JiHan looked at me with a pleased expression on his face.

“The seaweed soup was made with tilefish,” he said. “Don’t just drink the soup, eat it with the fish.”

“Tilefish seaweed soup? Oh, this is tilefish?” I scooped the white meat of the fish onto my spoon.

JiHan nodded. “I boiled the stock with wild tilefish and deboned the meat. Don’t worry about the bones. Just eat it comfortably.”

“I’ve never tried tilefish before!” I was so excited that I chewed the meat, savoring its flavor. Like snow melting on my tongue, the meat of the fish was soft. It dissolved over my tongue. “Wow! This! It tastes like December’s first snow! It melts in my mouth, absolutely melts!”

My eyes widened in surprise. I shoveled the soup and rice into my mouth. Finally coming back to my senses, I looked up at JiHan’s expression and found him smiling brightly.

“How is it possible to make a different type of seaweed soup for two weeks straight? And make it this delicious?” I asked.

Beef, chicken, abalone, oyster, sesame...There were so many different types, I couldn’t even memorize them all.

“With this skill, you could probably open a restaurant specializing in seaweed soup,” I said. “The fun is in choosing, Seaweed Soup Robbins 31. If you promote a franchise like this, you’ll hit the jackpot!”

“It might be difficult to come up with 31 flavors,” JiHan said while pouring me a glass of water. “It’s important for the mother to eat this for a month after giving birth, so I’m doing my best to create different menus so you won’t get sick of it.”

Feeling a bit guilty for making him go through the trouble, I shook my head in apology.

“You don’t have to go that far,” I said. “You’ve already made 15 varieties. If you just repeat through them another 15 times, it will fill up the rest of the month. You don’t have to go through any more trouble. Just remake the ones you’ve already made me.”

While pushing the glass of water toward me, JiHan replied, “You went through all the trouble of giving birth by yourself, so I’ll make sure you don’t through any more trouble while we are raising the baby. Not one bit, none.”

“Getting a little bit sick of eating seaweed soup is not that much trouble,” I said.

“And, you think cooking seaweed soup in different ways is that much trouble?” JiHan’s smile told me I was worrying over nothing.

“It looks to be a lot of trouble....”

Before I could finish my retort, the sound of a baby crying could be heard from the bedroom. Realizing JungHan was awake, I started to get up.

JiHan stood up faster and strongly said, “I will care for the baby. You concentrate on your meal.”

He shot me an expression that made it seem like I would get in trouble has he hurried over to the bedroom. With his long legs, he swiftly slipped into the bedroom and closed the door.

Is it really OK for me not to go? I stared at the closed door in worry, but the muffled sound of crying soon became silent. Oh, I was worried for nothing.

He had memorized every detail of every parenting book there was. He even went to get hands-on training from an expert. Who was I to worry about him?

Grinning, I continued to put the white fish, which was reminiscent of December snow, into my mouth. As the worry in my heart melted, the soft white flesh melted deliciously over my tongue.

***

From the moment I had given birth until the two weeks I spent in natal care, JiHan personally cooked every meal for me. His efforts extended to the two weeks afterward when we had returned home. Even though we were using a housekeeper, cooking and child care was strictly JiHan’s duty. He had been on paternal leave from his company for the six months.

A month after our Goldie’s birth, JiKyung finally came to visit. He had been unable to due to his many business trips. He must have come the moment he got off work because I could see the exhaustion on his face when he arrived.

Even though he looked like he should instantly lie down, JiKyung took off his shoes and immediately asked for his nephew. “Is JungHan sleeping?”

“No, he just woke up,” I said.

“Where? In the bedroom?” he asked.

“Yes.”

At my answer, JiKyung moved toward the bedroom.

“Wait, wait!” I grabbed JiKyung’s arm as he passed me.

JiKyung stopped and looked at me, asking me what was wrong with his eyes.

“You should wash your hands first,” I said.

“Oh, that’s right,” JiKyung said.

Understanding what I meant, he changed his direction to the bathroom. A few moments later after having washed his hands cleanly, he looked at me curiously.

“I never thought you cared so much for cleanliness,” he said. “Being a mother, sure makes you different.”

“Of course! I’m a mother now so a mother has to at least do this much!” I nodded confidently with my shoulders spread wide. I chicly added, “Forget the girl that squashed cockroaches with a knife.”

I led JiKyung to the bedroom. JiHan must have been coming out of the bedroom at the same time because we stopped face to face from each other.

JiHan had his arms crossed as he observed us diligently. “Did you wash your hands?”

“Of course! JiKyung almost forgot, but I reminded him,” I answered with pride.

JiHan looked over at JiKyung and asked, “Did she wash her hands?”

Huh? Me?

“Oh, right!”

I had come out to wash my hands when I had gotten distracted by the doorbell. Coming to the realization, I quickly headed to the bathroom.

***

Having only lived a mere month, our son was lying peacefully in his crib blinking at us. Surrounded by three people’s heads watching him could have been a scary sight for a baby, but JungHan didn’t seem to be frightened. He looked up at us serenely.

“He looks just like JiHan when he was a baby,” JiKyung said in a fascinated tone.

“But, his personality is the complete opposite,” I said. “He’s so docile. He doesn’t cry. He eats well, and he sleeps well. It’s such a relief that he only looks like his dad.”

JiKyung looked at me with a confused expression as I bragged about my son. He replied, “Hmm? Actually no? JiHan was docile as a baby too. Just like JungHan.”

“What?!” I was shocked.

“He didn’t cry, ate well, and slept well,” JiKyung said. “JiHan was just like that when he was a baby.”

“Really?” I still found it hard to believe.

“Really. He was so docile that both our mother and nanny had an easy time with him,” he said.

“So, why is his personality like this now...”

There was a time when Lee JiHan was docile. I looked at him unwilling to believe it. JiHan shrugged as I looked at him suspiciously. It was as if he understood why I wasn’t able to believe it.

Across from us, JiKyung said, “Maybe it’s a trait passed down in our family to grow up and have a completely different personality than when we were a baby. They told me that I was incredibly sensitive. They said they’ve never seen such a troublesome baby.”

“You?!” I stared at JiKyung in shock.

He smiled at me with a sparkle in his eyes. “I guarantee that JungHan will grow up to be exactly like his dad, sensitive and picky. The most troublesome little boy ever.”

I remembered back to the time when JiHan had not been in love with me. He had been incredibly sensitive and bothered me extensively. That nightmarish memory flashed before me. A chill ran up my spine.

“Hey, don’t try to scare me!” I got trying to shake off the fear. “Just because he looks like him, it doesn’t mean he will have the same personality. JungHan will have my personality.”

“I don’t know,” JiKyung said. “If he looks that much like his father, I really think his personality will be the same.”

“No way! He’s my son too,” I retorted “He must take after something of mine!”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll have one thing.” JiKyung nodded in agreement. “But, the one thing that he can take after you could be his height.”

His casual statement felt like being struck by lightning.

My height? My son will have my height?

I swayed as if I’d really been struck by lightning. JiHan grabbed my shoulder to steady me. I looked up at him with a sad face.

JiHan didn’t looked bothered at all and said to JiKyung, “What’s wrong with my AhJung’s height?”

“Huh?” I blinked, not knowing what he was talking about.

JiKyung immediately replied, “What’s wrong is that she’s short, small, petite.”

“That’s my AhJung’s charm. If my son takes after that, then he will be cute in his own way,” JiHan said without a hint that he was lying or being sarcastic.

His ability to make what I thought was a flaw into my charm made my heart melt. At one point, I decided to think of his stubbornness as a charm of his.... No, I still don’t want to experience that from my son! Nor do I want him to have my short height!

“No! My son can’t be like that!” I yelled in refusal as I squeezed JiHan’s arm. “He’ll be cute if he has my height? Don’t you dare say such a thing! What you say will come true!”

I looked him straight in the eyes. JiHan stared back as if he couldn’t see what the problem was.

“No way! He can’t! Never!” I shook him by the collar to engrave it in his head. “Our son can’t have my height!”