Special Story 10

It was a night of brilliant moonlight. Lee-Jae sat alone on the bed, staring at the door.

‘Is he late again today?’

Roderick had been acting strangely recently. The gloomy look that had lingered around him for a while was completely gone, but he was still clearly hiding something from her. And he was doing it with Leo.

A while ago, Lee-Jae had waited for Roderick to return to their chambers and, thinking he was too late, went to the study. There, she found Leo, who had been lying in the Prince’s bed only an hour before.

“Leo, why are you here?”

When the child mumbled, Lee-Jae shifted her attention and scolded the adult.

“Roderick, it’s late. You should be soothing the child to sleep, not playing with him…”

“It’s fine. It’s just for one day.”

Roderick replied naturally, but Leo couldn’t lie. From the way the boy’s wide eyes rolled nervously, Lee-Jae knew this was not “just one day.”

It wasn’t something she couldn’t understand. Children have nights when they can’t sleep. In fact, they have many such nights. As long as it didn’t become a habit, a late night spent playing with his father would be a good memory for the child.

But why he was hiding it from only her and trying to brush it off remained a complete mystery. It was like he was deliberately excluding her.

Lost in thought, Lee-Jae got out of bed. She planned to go and check if the father and son were having fun without her again. Just then, the door to the chambers burst open without any prior announcement.

“I’m a bit late, aren’t I? Sorry.”

“…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What were you doing?”

“Me? Working.”

Roderick shrugged and replied casually, but Lee-Jae didn’t let go of her suspicion and pressed him.

“You weren’t with Leo again, were you?”

“…”

“Please don’t keep him up too late, though. He needs to sleep well to grow tall.”

“Yeah, I know.”

At the easy answer that flowed out, Lee-Jae glared at him. Since he didn’t deny it, it seemed he really was coming from spending time with Leo.

Roderick chuckled, took Lee-Jae’s hand, and led her out.

“Let’s go for a walk. I’m done playing with my son, so now I should play with my wife.”

“No, I need to sleep too…”

“You’re past your growth spurt, so you’re fine.”

‘My forever little bean. Leo will grow tall, but you’ll be a little bean today and tomorrow.’

Lee-Jae pouted but let Roderick drag her out, pretending to be reluctant. His late returns over the past few days meant they hadn’t had much time to talk. She was secretly happy about the long-awaited walk.

The two walked hand-in-hand toward the lakeside. As the vast body of water came into view, Lee-Jae stopped abruptly, unable to approach the edge.

A small rowboat was floating on the water, shimmering in the moonlight. Could it carry three, maybe even four people? The boat was small, but its pointed bow was elegant and graceful. The hull, shrouded in mist, was atmospheric and even mystical.

“Wow…”

After that single gasp, Lee-Jae said nothing. But that one gasp was enough.

Roderick was moved that he had finally found a gift that would satisfy both of them. Just then, Lee-Jae, who had been speechless for a while, asked curiously.

“But this wasn’t here this morning?”

“No. I just had it brought over. Everyone struggled to do this behind your back.”

“…Why do it secretly?”

“That’s how birthday presents are usually done, right? Keep it a secret until you give it.”

A birthday? Whose birthday? They just finished Leo’s birthday party, so what was he talking about now? Lee-Jae couldn’t grasp it right away and just tilted her head, then, with a look of disbelief, pointed to herself.

“…Are you perhaps talking about me right now?”

“Yes. I thought I’d change the date while I was at it.”

“…”

“You haven’t spent your birthday like a proper birthday. And honestly, it’s not even your real birthday, so I don’t think it has to be on that specific day.”

“No, even if that’s the case, without even consulting me…”

Lee-Jae mumbled in exasperation, but Roderick just snorted. He had consulted her many times before. It was just that she had never taken any of his suggestions seriously.

Instead of wasting time bickering, Roderick immediately proceeded with the next phase of his plan. He glanced at the bushes around the lake. Receiving his signal, his hidden son jumped up from his hiding spot.

“Mama!”

“…Leo?”

As Lee-Jae’s eyes widened, the child, thinking his surprise operation had succeeded, was overjoyed. Leo ran powerfully toward her and held out a wooden figurine.

At first, Lee-Jae thought he was just holding the Yama statue as usual. But she soon realized it was something else. In the child’s hands was something just as extraordinary as the Yama statue.

“Take this! It’s my present!”

“A present?”

“Yes! Papa said he changed Mama’s birthday to today! I actually want to change mine too!”

Lee-Jae flinched, feeling she had just heard something she couldn’t ignore. The future where Leo, thinking of this as a fun game, would whimsically change his birthday every day was painted in her mind. The child smiled sweetly and continued.

“But I decided not to change mine. Papa said he likes my original birthday.”

“…He did? That’s a huge relief. Mom likes that day very much, too.”

Feeling that a great disaster had narrowly been averted, Lee-Jae looked intently at Roderick. Her eyes were demanding to know what he had told the child. However, the filial child didn’t allow his parents a moment to argue.

“Mama, look at this! I worked hard to make it…”

“Oh, I see, I see it now.”

The child waited for his mother’s praise with eyes full of expectation. However, Lee-Jae encountered an unexpected challenge and was confused.

“It’s a very cute… hmm, a cute…”

‘What on earth is this?’ Looking at the lines carved on its back, it seemed like a squirrel. But its round shape made it look like a baby wild boar, too…

Fearing that she might hurt the child’s pure heart by guessing wrong, Lee-Jae mouthed the question to Roderick first.

What is it?

…

Tell me quickly!

A squirrel…

Roderick scratched the tip of his eyebrow and mouthed the answer back. He looked somewhat awkward, but Lee-Jae, in a hurry, didn’t notice and quickly praised the child.

“It’s a very cute squirrel. You’re so wonderful, Leo.”

“Yes! It’s a squirrel!”

“But did you really do all of this yourself?”

Lee-Jae, having carved for a long time, knew that this was not an easy task for a young child. In fact, it was close to impossible. Putting aside technical issues and hand strength, children simply can’t sit in one spot for such a long time; they get restless.

Lee-Jae easily figured out that an adult’s strong help and supervision must have been involved and thought, ‘The attendants must have suffered quite a bit this time.‘ Still, worrying that the child might have gotten a scratch, she began to meticulously check his hands.

Meanwhile, Roderick, who was listening to their conversation, widened his eyes and stared at his son. It was a signal not to reveal the identity of the assistant, but Leo didn’t understand this unarranged sign. Instead, he chattered away, unable to contain his pride.

“I did it with Papa!”

“…You did it with whom?”

“Papa! I did the eyes and the mouth and… oh, I did this part too!”

That meant Roderick had done everything except the eyes, mouth, and one toe.

Lee-Jae stroked the child’s head and then looked at her husband with a strange expression. The fact that he had personally carved something was surprising, and she found it hard to believe.

Meanwhile, Roderick, whose cover had been completely blown, looked bitter. He was sincerely repenting for his past when he had called Lee-Jae’s statues ‘monstrosities.’

Lee-Jae, at least, had intended to make hers look menacing from the start. He, on the other hand, had created and released a similar monstrosity into the world without any intention of doing so.

Fortunately, perhaps because the gift was so unconventional, Lee-Jae seemed to be accepting the birthday date change without much fuss. Roderick, relieved by this fact, opened his mouth again, thinking he should drive the point home. This was also to give the protagonist of the event more accurate information.

“Lee-Jae. Leo got one thing wrong earlier.”

“What was it?”

“Your birthday isn’t today; it’s the day after tomorrow. This is the eve.”

“…The eve?”

“Yes.”

‘This whole commotion isn’t ending in a day?’ Lee-Jae was bewildered, then realized something didn’t add up and tilted her head.

“But why the day after tomorrow? What’s tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is the opening ceremony. The day after tomorrow is the main event.”

And the day after that would be the closing ceremony.

Lee-Jae felt a sudden pounding in her head and held her forehead. Roderick chuckled, gently pulled her hand down, and met her gaze. And unlike his consistently joking tone, he spoke with sincerity.

“You’ve never had a birthday party since you came here. …And you probably never had a proper one before, either.”

“…”

“That thought doesn’t sit well with me.”

“…”

“So, just close your eyes and grant me this one wish.”

Perhaps this was his selfishness. She might feel that her day is complete just by honoring the dead and taking time for self-reflection. It might even align more with her nature.

However, Roderick desperately wanted his wife to experience something that most people in the world shared at least once: the ordinary, universal experience of being surrounded by people and celebrated all day long, simply for having been born.

Roderick turned away from Lee-Jae and pulled the rope, bringing the boat, which had been bobbing on the water, to the shore. Inside the small boat were a pair of oars, colorful fruits, and a large bouquet of flowers. While Lee-Jae was captivated by the colorful display, Roderick winked at Leo.

Receiving the signal, Leo, carrying a bouquet as big as himself, rushed into Lee-Jae’s arms.

“Mama! Happy birthday! A lot, a lot of happy birthdays!”

Kang Lee-Jae’s life shines bright and brilliant even today, every single day since the moment she was born. Roderick looked intently at Lee-Jae, who was swaying under the weight of the grand bouquet and the child, and offered the blessing she should have received from everyone long ago.

“Lee-Jae. You heard that, right? Leo says happy birthday.”

“…”

“Me too. …I’m happy you were born.”

Roderick smiled self-consciously and climbed into the boat. After placing the child inside, he reached out his hand to her.

Standing rooted to the spot, Lee-Jae looked at the bouquet, the clumsy wooden figurine, and the elegant rowboat in turn. The feeling of receiving a carving from someone else for the first time after a lifetime of carving statues for others was indescribably strange and warm.

She soon smiled clearly, took his hand, and stepped onto the boat. As Roderick rowed, the small boat, carrying the family, sailed smoothly, cutting through the glittering water.