157. The Beginning of Parenting (9)

Yesterday, I prepared to go out at a similar time. I finished getting ready quickly, but I couldn't leave yet because Shi-u's diaper needed changing. It seemed like I could just take the diaper with me, but changing it outside felt awkward. Plus, disposing of the dirty diaper was a hassle. Even though it was almost time for the appointment, Shi-u didn't poop or pee. I texted Seo-hyun that I might be a little late. Seo-hyun replied that it was okay, but I felt bad. In the end, I left 20 minutes after the scheduled time. Even though I was late, I couldn't rush because of Shi-u. I pushed the stroller out of the apartment. Shi-u seemed a little interested because it was a scene he hadn't seen before. The meeting place was a cafe near the apartment. It was a cafe near the apartment, but not many people used it. Was it because of the early hour? Or was it because there was a cafe inside the apartment complex? Since there weren't many people, I quickly found Seo-hyun and U-jin. Seo-hyun must have seen me too, because she got up and waved her hand enthusiastically. How cute was that action... That was a guy? I can't believe it. Though, who am I to talk, having already given birth? I waved back lightly and headed towards them with the stroller. "Long time no see." "It's been a while, Unni! Wow, a baby." Seo-hyun immediately showed interest in Shi-u in the stroller. In the meantime, I took a look at the two of them. They seemed to have changed a lot up close. Seo-hyun used to look so young, but now she seemed a bit more mature, and U-jin's gloomy and depressing atmosphere had disappeared, giving him a refreshing feeling. It seems he has accepted his situation now. "How have you been?" "Yes!" "Seo-hyun-ah, Shi-u will get startled if you shout like that..." "Ah, sorry..." "U-jin, you seem to be doing well too." "Yes." "Did you do well on your GED?" "Yes, I passed." "Congratulations." I asked them about their recent activities, and it seems Seo-hyun has been through a lot while working as a Hunter. "I think I know why Unni told me not to do it." "Really?" "It's hard to make money, it's dangerous... and the guys you meet in random matching keep hitting on you." Seo-hyun sighed deeply. U-jin looked a little angry at Seo-hyun's story. "By the way, U-jin, what are you planning to do now?" "Me? I'm going to become a Hunter too." "Oh, really?" Well, U-jin has high stats, so there was little to worry about. "Are you going to work with Seo-hyun?" "Yes." Something about the way U-jin looked at Seo-hyun felt familiar. A look I've seen often... Seo-hyun was more interested in the baby than in me and U-jin. "You said the baby's name is Shi-u, right?" "Yeah." "Cute." Shi-u didn't pay any attention to Seo-hyun at all. "Ah, can I hold him?" Uh, um... I wonder if Shi-u will cry? "Go ahead." Seo-hyun held Shi-u in a slightly uneasy posture. Shi-u frowned as if he was uncomfortable, and Seo-hyun started to panic when she saw his face. "Oh, what do I do?" "Give him to me." I took Shi-u from Seo-hyun and held him. Only then did Shi-u's expression relax as if he was comfortable. "Aww, cute." Seo-hyun is so feminine... Maybe even more girly than me? We were talking happily when suddenly the ground seemed to shake. Seeing the water in the cup shaking, I realized this was real. "What's going on?" I became a little uneasy about this phenomenon that I was experiencing for the first time. "It's happening again." It was U-jin who answered. "Again?" "Yes, it's been happening frequently lately." He said the intensity was about 2, a slight tremor. "Why didn't I know?" Was it because I was just at home? Or was it because the house was so well earthquake-proofed that I couldn't feel it? I don't know. But if something like this happened, Shi-hyun would have told me, right? Was it too trivial to mention? "It hasn't been long. About a week?" "Is it frequent?" "I think it's been about once a day?" "Isn't something big about to happen?" Seo-hyun, not U-jin, answered my worried words. "Come on, would the country stay still if that were the case?" Well... they would be analyzing it and figuring out what's going on. The fact that it's still quiet means there's a chance it's nothing. "Is that so?" Shi-u was peacefully sucking on his pacifier, not feeling the vibration. "I heard it's because of the construction over there." "Construction?" U-jin seemed to know something. "Yes, they're building some kind of complex? They're saying it's coming from the construction of a large building there." "Really? What kind of construction would cause that?" "They're digging up the ground, and there's talk that it's because of that." It seems U-jin doesn't know exactly either. "Well, it's nothing to do with us." Seo-hyun said nonchalantly. But that was right. It has nothing to do with us. I put Shi-u, who I was holding, back in the stroller. "Unni, aren't you going to have anything?" "I can't have caffeine." The same went for carbonated drinks. "Don't worry about me, order more of what you want to eat." Seo-hyun smiled and ordered more snacks. "U-jin, have you made up with your parents?" U-jin's expression soured at the mention of that topic. "Honestly, I haven't. The reason I'm trying to become a Hunter is to become independent quickly..." "I see. It's your choice, so I'll respect it." All I could say was not to overdo it. Catching up with the two of them after a long time, two hours passed in no time. Shi-u was tired of playing alone and was sleeping in the stroller. "Nuna, shouldn't you be heading back soon?" "That's right, Shi-u is asleep, so I should head back soon." Seo-hyun looked sad at my words. "I'm thinking of going back now, what about you guys?" "We're going to look at equipment with U-jin." "A date?" U-jin's face turned red at my words, but Seo-hyun remained calm. "Come on, it's not a date." U-jin, who was behind Seo-hyun, looked dejected at those words. I get it now! U-jin has a crush on Seo-hyun? I don't know when that happened, but I hope they work out. But I won't get involved. But if they do date later, I'm going to tease them! Seo-hyun followed me to the apartment entrance, looking sad. "Get to know each other well and date." "Yes, Unni, go in." "Sorry for bothering you today." "No, it was nice to see your faces after a long time." I was originally planning to come out for a walk, and it was fun. After parting with the two of them, I returned home. I first laid the sleeping Shi-u down on the bumper bed in the living room and then checked his diaper. "He hasn't pooped yet." Should I change it when he cries? With time to spare, I looked up information about the earthquake. I searched the internet and found various articles. "Excessive construction is the cause?" There were such articles, but there were also opposing articles. "There's no way an earthquake would occur just because they dug that deep?" I don't know which one is right. The construction site was about 30 minutes away from where I live. Are they building a residential and commercial complex? Are they demolishing all the old apartments that were there and rebuilding them? I don't know exactly, but I knew they were doing some major construction. "Does it have anything to do with me?" I spent another lonely night without Shi-hyun. * The next day, Shi-hyun returned home in the morning. I thought he would come in the evening, but he came back a little earlier. "You worked hard!" I greeted Shi-hyun with a happy heart. "How have you been?" "Yeah, I met Seo-hyun and U-jin yesterday too." Shi-hyun was smiling as he watched me talk happily. I felt a little embarrassed. "Really? It seems like you had a good time." "I'm thinking of taking Shi-u for a walk today too, do you want to come?" I wonder if he's too tired to go out? "Ah, are you too tired?" "It's okay, let's go together." Although it was a little later than yesterday, the family went out together. It was just a park in the apartment complex, but it still felt new somehow. It seemed that the fact that we were a family was important. "The weather is nice." "It really is." Well, Shi-hyun would know since he came from outside. "What is Shi-u doing?" Shi-hyun bent down to check on Shi-u in the stroller. Shi-u was playing alone with his favorite toy. "Stop playing with toys and look outside." Shi-hyun tried to take Shi-u's toy away. "Don't take it." "Why?" "He's just getting some fresh air, what would a baby know?" "I guess..." Shi-hyun pushed the stroller, and I walked comfortably beside him. And we arrived at a place where we could rest, and there were those people I saw last time. "Oh? The younger one is here?" "Ah, yes." Why are they talking to me when we're not even close? The leader of the group, a woman, left her child and approached. "Is this your husband?" Shi-hyun smiled and answered. "Yes, do you know my wife?" "I just saw her once before." I wanted to leave this place. She looked at Shi-hyun with strange eyes. What is she thinking, looking at someone else's husband...? But there's no way Shi-hyun would have other feelings for someone else, right? I don't need to worry. "Is that so?" The other women also showed interest in Shi-hyun. Being too handsome is also a problem? I just left all the annoying women to Shi-hyun, snatched the stroller, and went somewhere else. Shi-hyun looked at me pitifully for a moment, but I just pretended not to see it. You deal with it! I'm annoyed too. "Shi-u, shall we go see the flowers over there?" Shi-u reacted to my words. He seemed happy, making noises. Kkyakya. I left the spot after seeing Shi-u's reaction. Like last time, I picked a leaf and gave it to Shi-u, and he looked at it curiously before putting it in his mouth. "Ah! Shi-u, tsk! You can't eat that." Shi-u ignored my restraint and tried to bring it to his mouth again. I grabbed his hand to stop him, and Shi-u started to tear up. I quickly gave Shi-u the pacifier I had brought. Shi-u, with the pacifier in his mouth, stopped bringing the leaf to his mouth. Then he started shaking the leaf. He seemed really happy, even moving his feet. He was so cute, shaking the leaf in one hand and the toy in the other. I immediately took out my camera and took a picture. I should put this picture in today's growth journal. Shi-hyun approached as I was playing with Shi-u. He looked very tired. "You're here?" "Yeah..." "Was it annoying?" Shi-hyun nodded. I ran away because I thought it would be annoying too. "What did you talk about?" "I don't know, it's not like I'm a pervert, why are they touching other people's arms?" I was a little angry when I heard that, but I couldn't say anything because I wasn't there. Last time, they ignored me because I was a Hunter, but now that they saw Shi-hyun's appearance, they were doing such things, it was unsightly. "Shi-u is playing well." "Yeah, well." Shi-hyun took Shi-u out of the stroller and started walking around. Shi-u was diligently sucking on his pacifier and looking around. He didn't show much interest, but he quietly looked around. I was glad that he was doing well in Shi-hyun's arms without crying. I took a picture of that scene. A father and son playing together, that's nice! I should put this in too! Then I felt a vibration. It wasn't a big vibration that shook my body. It was definitely a slight vibration, but I could clearly feel the subtle shaking. "Another earthquake, huh?" "Again?" "Yeah, they say there's an earthquake where they're doing construction?" I briefly told Shi-hyun the information I had found out. "Is that possible?" "I don't know." Shi-hyun expressed doubt, but I really don't know. Shi-hyun would know better? I don't know about scientific principles... I was just goofing off in class. "Should I look into it?" "Are you worried?" "What if it's a sign that a big earthquake is about to happen?" "Come on, no way..." Leaving behind Shi-hyun's excessive worries, I enjoyed the outing. After returning home, Shi-hyun started contacting various places with a serious expression to find out about the earthquake. He worries a lot.