Moon's Labyrinths

Chapter 94

Chapter 94

“What if she keeps a spending diary?”

This information had been buried in the corner of her mind . Jimin remembered hearing about it from some parenting show .

“It’ll be possible if she knows basic addition and subtraction . ”

“Shinhae still hasn’t learned all her hangul . Her knowledge of numbers is a bit limited too . ”

Jimin’s idea was ruthlessly sunk by rebuttals from Chelsea and Sungyoon . It was to be expected . Shinhae had just turned six years old .

“As expected, someone should manage the money for her . ”

Jimin placed a hand on her cheek as she fell deep in thought . Sungyoon crossed his arms . Both of them didn’t want to take back the money, but from an educational point of view, it would be very bad to give so much money to a child . It seemed they both agreed on those points .

“I’m sorry to ask this of you, but can you manage Shinhae’s money?”

Sungyoon was careful as he spoke to Jimin . Due to his work, he barely stayed at home, so he couldn’t afford to give monetary lessons to Shinhae .

“It can’t be helped . We can’t just let Shinhae go at it alone . ”

Jimin didn’t hesitate as she nodded .

“I’ll ask in a roundabout way a little bit later . She is too happy right now, and if we take the money right now, it might backfire . ”

The two of them started to brainstorm ideas on how they could avoid hurting Shinhae . Chelsea watched all of this, and she had this thought .

‘They are completely acting like a married couple . ’

They looked like parents discussing the future of their child .

Shinhae returned after hiding her money in what she considered to be a great hiding spot . Sungyoon immediately grabbed her into his arms, sat down on the bed, and placed her on his knee . Then, he looked towards Jimin and Chelsea .

“What brings you here today?”

He had been caught up in the heat of the moment on who received a sebae or not . This was why he hadn’t heard why the two of them had come for a visit .

“Let’s go ring the bell . ”

Chelsea always spoke nonsense . Jimin, who stood next to her, pressed her hand on her forehead . She was dealing with a significant amount of stress these days because her friend did whatever she wanted to do . Of course, Sungyoon was also baffled by the suggestion .

“I have no idea what you are talking about . ”

“Today is New Year’s Day . Isn’t it called the Bosingak? They hold a bell-tolling ceremony every year . I want to strike an Asian bell . ”

It seemed Chelsea wanted to travel and experience everything Korean culture had to offer . It had been a long time since she had received a vacation, and she wanted to take advantage of this overseas trip .

“I can strike a bell?”

“Yes, yes! You can hit it!”

Shinhae also showed a reaction to Chelsea’s words . Chelsea knew this was it . She started hyping up the bell-tolling ceremony in front of the little girl . It didn’t matter how much she begged, threatened, or bargained . She knew that a single word from Shinhae was more effective than anything she could do .

She was correct . Her prediction became reality .

“Dad!”

A twinkle appeared in Shinhae’s eyes as she pulled at Sungyoon’s sleeve . Sungyoon immediately stood up . When his daughter said that she wanted to go to the bell-tolling ceremony, all the annoyance within him disappeared in an instant .

“Yes! Let’s go!”

Sungyoon fell for it . Chelsea made a little fist, and then, she observed Jimin’s reaction .

Jimin saw through her friend’s little plan . She glared at Chelsea with narrowed eyes, but she also couldn’t ignore Shinhae’s opinion .

“I’ll drive . ”

In the end, she was swept up in the little plan too . Chelsea was letting out a silent cheer when Jimin gave a hard slap to her arm .

* * *

Hanging by sturdy chains, a large and thick wooden pole was swinging back and forth . Sungyoon’s party stood next to the wooden pole and swung it backward . They used the massive weight and the momentum created as a weapon to strike the bell .

Daeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeng~!

A very low and resonant sound ran out . It felt as if the soundwaves were hitting their skin, and they got a little bit of goosebump .

“Ah-ha-ha-haht!”

However, it didn’t faze Shinhae at all . She burst out laughing . A piece of metal much bigger than her had collided with a wooden pole, and an odd sound rang out as a result . The little girl found all of this fascinating . She placed her hand on the wooden pole, watching the still vibrating bell .

“Dad!”

She pointed at the bell as she spoke .

“The bell rang!”

“Yes, the bell rang . ”

Sungyoon smiled . Shinhae rang the bell once again, and then, she looked towards him .

“I rang it!”

She stamped her feet in joy as she laughed out loud . It was a laugh capable of purifying even the darkest of emotions .

“What do you think? I think we did well by coming here . ”

Chelsea had helped ring the bell . She nudged Sungyoon with her elbow as she crowed . Sungyoon had to nod . He almost hadn’t moved as he thought the trip would be tiresome . But if he had done so, Shinhae would have missed out on this fun experience . He wouldn’t have been able to see his daughter’s amazing smile .

“Thank you for recommending it . ”

“Hmmph!”

Her nose went high into the sky, and she turned to look at Jimin . Jimin had scolded Chelsea to cut back on her annoying behavior, so she sent the same gaze of smugness towards Jimin .

However, Jimin was different from Sungyoon .

“How much money do you owe me from the food I bought you on the Moon?”

“...”

Chelsea lowered her eyes in a coquettish manner .

Shinhae wanted to continue to ring the bell, but other people were waiting for their turn . She had to retreat . There was a look of loss in her eyes as she continued to look at the bell .

“... I want a bell . ”

It was something a normal child might say . She was sad, but she didn’t fall to the floor and cry like other children . However, Chelsea couldn’t breathe easily . The adults were more of a problem than the child .

Chelsea had to stop the silly father that was searching ‘How to make a bell’ on his smartphone . Chelsea had to stop her best friend, who was acting like a silly mother . Jimin was looking for ways to acquire the raw materials needed to cast a bell . She felt like the aunt trying to stop the foolish parents . What made it scarier was that Sunggyoon and Jimin had the means to purchase a bell .

Shinhae had been vivacious as she played, but it seemed she was thirsty . She started looking for a drink, so Sungyoon went to search for a nearby convenience store . Chelsea was participating in the commemorative rites for the ancestors that came along with the bell tolling ritual . Naturally, Jimin was left behind with Shinhae .

“Unni . ”

Shinhae pulled at Jimin’s clothes .

“What’s wrong?”

“I want to buy a present with the money I got today . ”

“Present?”

Did she already want to spend her money? They had decided to set up a plan to confiscate the money from Shinhae later on, so Jimin felt a bit uncomfortable hearing these words . However, the next words from Shinhae’s mouth wiped away any worries she had .

“Yes . I want to buy a present for dad . ”

Shinhae raised her head . She watched Sungyoon’s back as he entered the distant convenience store . There was a faraway look in Shinhae’s eyes . There was a look in her eyes that shouldn’t be present in a child her age .

Jimin gulped . The little girl’s expression, attitude, and eyes... Everything reminded Jimin of her younger self . In fact, whenever she received her allowance, Jimin had always bought a present for her father first .

“Dad went through a lot for me . ”

Until a moment ago, her smile had rivaled the sun . However, it was gone . Gloomy dark clouds appeared on the child’s face .

“Mom, grandpa, and grandma said I didn’t matter . They said they don’t need me because dad’s company went bankrupt . He didn’t have any money . They said...I’m a burden . ”

Ooh-doo-doohk!

Jimin became surprised . Her jaw hurt . She had subconsciously gritted her teeth way too hard . Jimin was that mad .

‘Those sons of bitches!’

She knew Shinhae’s mother was trash, but she never expected the grandparents to be trash too . It seemed the whole family was trash .

‘I guess it is to be expected . The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree . ’

As she had this thought, Jimin knew it had been a hundred times better for Shinhae that her bitch of a mother had let go of her .

“But dad didn’t throw me away . He continued to raise me . He kept giving me love . He didn’t have money, but he lived with me . That is why I want to buy dad a present with the money . ”

Shinhae looked up towards Jimin .

“Do I have a lot of money? Will I be able to buy dad a present?”

Jimin felt so much anger towards Shinhae’s maternal side of the family, and she felt such poignant feelings when she witnessed Shinhae’s angel-like heart . Jimin hugged the child .

“Of course, you can buy it . You can buy a really good present . ”

“That’s good!”

Jimin quickly wiped away the small tear she shed . She faced Shinhae .

“Shinhae is amazing . I can’t believe you came up with such an idea . ”

“Yes! Ah! You have to keep it a secret from dad!”

“Of course!”

The two of them let out a bright smile as they looked at each other .

“I’m going to ask dad to put the rest in the bank . I’m going to show it off to the other kids . ”

“Yes, yes!”

As expected, Shinhae was a bit different from the other children . She didn’t know when it would happen, but if she decided to have a child in the future, she wanted a daughter like Shinhae .

It didn’t take too long for Sungyoon to return with the beverages he bought . Chelsea had also experienced the ritual, so she looked satisfied . The two of them headed towards Jimin and Shinhae .

“Huh? Did something happen?”

It was obvious to Chelsea that both of them were in a very good mood . Jimin and Shinhae looked at each other once again .

“It’s a secret!”

“Yes! Secret!”

They placed their fingers on their lips, making a zipping motion . The two laughed when Sungyoon and Chelsea looked at them with confusion in their eyes .

* * *

The New Year’s event was enjoyable . Chelsea had proposed a plan, and Shinhae had readily agreed to it . Sungyoon and Jimin were skeptical in the beginning, but in their own way, they had fun .

However, Chelsea’s visits to Sungyoon’s house hadn’t come to an end . They were swept-up in Chelsea’s tour of Korea once again . Chelsea carefully coaxed Sungyoon and Jimin to go on various trips for Shinhae’s enjoyment . After playing to their heart’s content, the car containing Sungyoon’s party slowly entered into the apartment complex .

Evening had arrived, and the sun was starting to set . Unlike the other trips, they were coming home pretty early . Still, Shinhae was soundly asleep . It seemed she was tired . Sungyoon put her in his arms, and he exited the car . Chelsea had bought a lot of toys for Shinhae this trip, so he wouldn’t be able to take everything up in one go . If there were a couple of heavy items, he would have managed it somehow . However, there were too many items this time . Even if he had become much stronger, he only had two hands .

They got on the elevator . The party entered the familiar corridor leading to Sungyoon’s house .

But Sungyoon came to a stop as he was about to head towards his home .

“You are Mr . Woo Sungyoon?”

The man had slicked-back hair, and it revealed his handsome forehead . He had also worn horn-rimmed glasses . At a glance, he looked like a typical businessman . The man was standing in front of Sungyoon’s house .

It was clear that he had been waiting for Sungyoon, but this was Sungyoon’s first time seeing this man .

“Who are you?”

“Ah . Please wait a moment . ”

He excused himself as he took out a business card from his wallet .

“This is who I am . ”

Sungyoon was very careful to not awaken Shinhae from her sleep . He took the offered business card . Sungyoon’s eyebrows twitched when he saw the business card . Jimin and Chelsea, who were witnessing everything from the side, hardened their expression .

It was the name of a famous moonstone gathering company .

The inside of Jimin’s head turned white .

He was a scout .