Episode 3
982 Words
Outside the elevator
The elevator door closed as Shree bowed slightly to Choi Joon as a way of saying thank you.
She and her daughter walked toward their apartment.
Nila looked up at her mother and said, “Mom, that uncle is really good-looking, isn’t he?”
Shree smiled and replied, “Yes, baby, he is. I never thought I would meet a celebrity this close. We should have asked him for an autograph, right? But it’s okay, we’ll get it some other day.”
Nila thought for a moment and asked, “Can I go play with his puppy Yuki whenever I want?”
Shree shook her head gently. “No, you can’t. It’s not good manners to disturb your neighbors.”
Nila immediately asked another question. “Okay… then can we get a puppy?”
Shree laughed softly. “That’s a no as well. We’ll get a puppy when you grow up a little more.”
With that, they entered their apartment.
Inside the elevator
Choi Joon bowed back politely to the mother and daughter. Once the elevator doors closed, he leaned back slightly and sighed.
“What a cute kid,” he murmured to himself.
Then he looked down at Yuki.
“But is all of this just a coincidence? Hey Yuki, how did you end up being found by that woman… and now she also lives in the same apartment?”
He frowned slightly, thinking.
“This is really strange. Foreigners in this neighborhood are already rare… and living in this apartment too.”
After a moment he shrugged.
“I guess her husband must be working in some big company or something. Normal salaried people probably can’t afford a place like this.”
Then he suddenly smacked his own head lightly.
“Hey Choi Joon, who are you to judge others?”
Days went by. Both Shree and Choi Joon were busy with their own lives, and after that day, neither of them ran into each other again.
One afternoon, Choi Joon was walking past the park near the apartment when he saw a familiar little girl.
It was Nila.
She was playing happily with a few other children.
Choi Joon smiled and started walking toward her to say hello, but then he noticed something. Shree was standing nearby talking to a man who was clearly Korean.
Choi Joon paused.
“Oh… that must be Nila’s father,” he thought. “Looks like they’re having family time. I shouldn’t disturb them.”
So he quietly turned around and started walking away.
Just then he heard a small voice behind him.
“Ajusshi! Wait a minute!”
Choi Joon turned around.
It was Nila, running toward him.
She stopped in front of him and bowed slightly. “Ajusshi, annyeonghaseyo!”
Seeing her greet him so cutely in Korean made him smile.
“Annyeong,” he replied warmly. “Hey Nila, you’re getting good at Korean.”
Nila proudly nodded. “Yes, Ajusshi! I’m learning it at daycare.”
“Ah, good girl,” Choi Joon said.
Then he sighed dramatically. “But hearing you call me Ajusshi hurts my heart a little.”
He laughed. “But it’s okay. I guess I really am an Ajusshi to you.”
He looked toward the park again.
“But what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your mom and dad over there?”
Nila looked confused.
“Dad? No… that’s my friend’s dad. My mom and him are talking about some grown-up things.”
“Oh…” Choi Joon said awkwardly.
Then he asked carefully, “So… where is your dad? Is he at work?”
Nila replied innocently, “No. Only my mom goes to work.”
Choi Joon was about to ask another question when suddenly a voice interrupted them.
“Nila, what are you doing here?”
It was Shree.
She walked over and noticed Nila talking with Choi Joon.
She greeted him politely. “Hello.”
Then she turned to Nila. “Baby, can we go home now?”
Nila nodded. “Yes. But before that…”
She turned to Choi Joon and said, “Ajusshi, my mom needs something from you.”
Shree looked shocked. “Nila! What are you saying?”
Nila continued innocently.
“Mom, remember that day you said he was very handsome and that you should have gotten his autograph?”
Nila looked at Choi Joon with bright eyes.
“Ajusshi, can you give my mom an autograph?”
Shree felt her face heat up in embarrassment.
“Nila, we don’t even have paper or a pen. We’ll get it some other time, baby.”
She quickly tried to end the situation.
“Come on, let’s go home.”
But Nila had already grabbed Choi Joon’s hand.
“Come Ajusshi!”
Before Shree could stop her, Nila dragged him toward their apartment.
She opened the door and happily welcomed him inside.
“Ajusshi, this is our home. Pretty, right?”
Choi Joon nodded slightly, still a little surprised by the sudden situation.
“Sit here!” Nila said excitedly. “I’ll go bring paper and a pen.”
She ran inside.
Shree looked at Choi Joon apologetically.
“I’m really sorry, Mr. Choi Joon. Sometimes she’s very stubborn… just like her father.”
Choi Joon smiled softly.
“No, it’s okay. I really like her. She’s adorable.”
While waiting, his eyes wandered around the living room.
On the wall were two large framed photographs.
One was a candid photo of Shree and Nila smiling together.
The other looked like a family photo.
An elderly woman was sitting in the center, with a man and a woman beside her. Shree was sitting near the elderly woman.
Choi Joon was about to ask Shree about the picture—
when Nila suddenly returned.
“I brought the paper and pen!”
- Writer
