My Daughter Has Become A Fool

Chapter 13

Episode 13. Yellow and Round

Being alone with Grandma at home made me uneasy, even for me.

I walked slowly along the path Grandma had shown me.

In step with Yeon-du.

“It’s better than I thought.”

Feeling the scent of the countryside as I walked, I felt refreshed.

Yeon-du seemed to be in a good mood too, hopping along.

As we walked, an older woman we met on the way spoke up.

“Oh my, what a lovely child. Is he your nephew?”

It was the most common question I’d been hearing lately.

So, I had thought about how to answer.

“She’s my daughter.”

From now on, I need to stand proudly as a father in front of Yeon-du.

The old woman clapped her hands and said, “Oh my, what a young father you are. How did you end up here?”

“You might not know, but I’m Grandma Min Hong-im’s grandson. I came to visit her.”

“Oh-ho, we’ve been neighbors for decades. How could I not know? I didn’t know Grandma Min had such a handsome grandson.”

“Thank you. Is the spring water this way?”

To confirm just in case, I asked for directions, and the old woman kindly and precisely showed me the way.

Yeon-du bowed her head politely in greeting.

“Oh my, she’s so pretty. I want to do something for her, but our houses are in opposite directions.”

“Haha, it’s okay.”

So, I parted ways with the old woman and walked on.

As I walked, I saw green rice paddies extending to the right.

“Yeon-du, want to take a picture here?”

“A picture...?”

“Yeah. It’s customary to take one as a souvenir when you come to a place like this. Stand over there.”

Yeon-du awkwardly took her place, apparently having never taken a picture before.

Well, I had been secretly taking pictures whenever I found her too cute.

“Yeon-du, want to smile while looking at the phone?”

“Yeah.”

Yeon-du smiled while looking at the phone, her hands awkwardly folded.

“On the count of three, I’ll take it. Ready? One, two, three!”

Click.

“Ahh!”

However, as I took the picture, Yeon-du screamed.

The sudden shock captured in the photo was palpable.

Yeon-du, startled, ran towards me.

Ribbit. Ribbit.

The culprit who had startled Yeon-du turned out to be a frog.

It had suddenly jumped in front of Yeon-du.

Well, it wasn’t unusual for frogs to appear near the water’s edge.

Moreover, they say spring is the season when frogs awaken.

Yeon-du hid behind me and opened her mouth.

“It’s, it’s a monster!”

“Giggle. Yeon-du, it’s not a monster, it’s a frog.”

“A frog...?”

“Yes, a frog, not a monster.”

At that moment, a boy of about Yeondu’s age suddenly appeared and caught the frog in an instant.

The boy came up to us with the frog in hand.

I took a step back in surprise.

I was scared too. Frogs coming too close were.

“Hey, wait, kid. Stop.”

It was a boy who looked like Yeondu’s age.

The boy smiled mischievously and spoke up.

“Mister, you’re a scaredy-cat.”

His unexpected jab caught me off guard, and I asked, “What?”

“A grown-up who’s scared of frogs, I’ve never seen that before.”

“Haha, kid. It’s not that I’m scared; I just don’t want to touch it.”

“Phew.”

This kid was the type I disliked.

“Hey! My dad’s not a scaredy-cat!”

“Stupid. You’re not scared, but can’t you even touch a frog?”

“Hey! My dad’s not a scaredy-cat! And Yeondu’s not stupid!”

Then, the boy approached Yeon-du and said to her, holding out the frog, “Touch it then.”

“.. Huh?”

“If you touch the frog, I’ll admit that Mister’s not a scaredy-cat. And that you’re not stupid.”

Wait, what kind of logic is that?

Even if he’s a kid, he’s going to get it from me.

But before I could say anything, Yeondu’s hand reached out first.

Pat.

Yeon-du touched the frog.

At the same time, the boy let go of the frog from his hand.

“Ahh! Eek!”

The frog jumped up and then leaped into the field.

“Hey, you! What are you doing...”

As he spoke, the boy swiftly ran off and disappeared.

Anger was rising within the situation.

“Are you okay, Yeondu?”

“Yes..”

Damn it. I thought the rural kid would be nice, but I was mistaken.

Playing such a nasty prank on my daughter Yeondu.

If I catch whoever did this, I’ll definitely give them a piece of my mind.

“Yeondu.”

“Yes.”

“If a situation like that happens again, you don’t have to touch the frog. Just because someone calls Dad a coward doesn’t mean he really is.”

“But.. you seemed angry..”

“Haha, I know, I know.”

I affectionately ruffled Yeondu’s hair with a relieved expression.

Fortunately, Yeondu seemed to have recovered from her surprise, regaining laughter in her expression.

“We’ve arrived.”

Before I knew it, we had arrived at the spring.

“Grandma was right.”

The spring looked clean at a glance.

There were no impurities visible, just a sense of pristine purity.

Well, they said they even did water quality tests, so there’s no need to doubt.

Before fetching water from the spring, I scooped some with my hand and took a sip.

“Ah!”

It was seriously refreshing.

I had tasted it first to make sure it was safe, and it seemed suitable to give to Yeondu.

“Are you thirsty, Yeondu?”

“Yes, Dad!”

“Okay, let Dad scoop some for you to drink.”

I filled both hands with water and offered it to Yeondu.

After gulping down a mouthful of water, Yeondu’s eyes widened and she exclaimed,

“Wow.. it’s cold!”

“Haha, that’s spring water for you.”

“Can Yeondu have some more from Dad?”

“Oh, Yeondu?”

“Yes.”

As we were enjoying our time at the spring,

“Hey.”

An uninvited guest arrived.

I turned back with a cold expression and said,

“You, kid.”

It was the little rascal from earlier.

As I was about to give him a piece of my mind, his expression seemed uneasy.

He held a bag in his hand, panting as if he had run here.

He walked towards Yeondu and said,

“I’m sorry.”

Then the boy took something out of the bag.

Something yellow and round.@@@@