172 - Winter Getaway (6)

    TL/Editor: looloo

    Status: ongoing

    Illustrations: posted in discord

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    The next day.

    Though I''d been captive to mother and daughter until just before sleep, things hadn''t changed much when I opened my eyes.

    Heena on my right, Sarang on my left.

    They slept, occupying both arms. Of course, this mirrored how we''d fallen asleep, so the unchanged position made sense.

    Still, Heena not being up yet was rare. Unable to check the time with immobilized arms, I knew she normally rose before me ninety-nine times out of a hundred.

    Usually, Heena woke me with a kiss as part of our routine, but today - whether due to vacation or yesterday''s excitement - she showed no signs of stirring.

    She seemed deep in sleep, and I was reluctant to wake her. But oversleeping meant missing the hotel breakfast. So I gently moved the arm Heena held.

    She reacted almost instantly.

    "Mmm... What time is it...?"

    "Don''t know. Can you release my arm for a sec? I''ll check."

    "I''ll look..."

    "That works too."

    She seemed unwilling to let go of my arm, insisting on checking herself. I tried freeing my arm from Sarang''s side, but she was practically lying on top of it.

    The bed''s width had allowed us to place Sarang on the side rather than between us. Luckily, she hadn''t rolled off in the other direction. She wasn''t prone to moving much in her sleep anyway.

    "8 o''clock... We overslept..."

    "Already 8? Didn''t we turn in before midnight?"

    "Yeah... We should get up soon and wash... We need to eat."

    "Then we should wake Sarang too."

    Heena finally sat up and stretched, apparently not wanting to miss breakfast. As she headed to the bathroom to wash up first, I gently nudged our daughter, who slept soundly, drooling slightly.

    "Sweetie, time to wake up, okay?"

    ---Raei Translations---

    Despite rising later than planned, we managed to head out for breakfast around 9. Like yesterday, it was a buffet with plenty of breakfast-friendly options.

    Despite being breakfast, the variety was impressive. We indulged in a hearty morning meal, piling our plates with treats we rarely had at home - croissants with eggs and bacon, accompanied by soup.

    Of course, that led to...

    "Salad."

    "Yes..."

    "Yees..."

    Getting scolded by Heena first thing in the morning.

    After our meal, we headed straight for the hotel''s jjimjilbang. Though early for the sauna, I figured this would be the best time to avoid evening crowds.

    As expected, the baths and jjimjilbang were nearly empty, allowing us to sit comfortably in casual attire.

    "It''s too hot for Sarang here!"

    "Too hot? Should we go somewhere else?"

    "Yeah... Sarang keeps saying it''s hot..."

    "If the floor''s too hot, want to sit on Daddy''s lap?"

    "That''s okay!"

    No sooner had I finished speaking than Sarang practically threw herself onto my legs.

    The jjimjilbang hadn''t changed our dynamic from the hotel room. Yesterday, Sarang clung to me in the room; now she clung to me in the jjimjilbang.

    Beside us, Heena sat holding my hand, her expression blissful.

    "It''s so warm~"

    "You like it?"

    "Yeah~ It''s been ages since I''ve been to a jjimjilbang~"

    "True. First time since we went with my brothers?"

    "Probably?"

    That must have been quite a while ago, before Sarang''s birth. It was fun going together back then. Afterwards, between studying, Heena''s pregnancy, and everything else, we never considered going again.

    Thanks to Heena sitting right next to me and Sarang on my lap, I was getting double the jjimjilbang effect.

    As sweat began dripping down my forehead from the intense heat, I suddenly remembered something I''d always wanted to try in a jjimjilbang.

    I quickly searched on my phone, then started folding the few towels I''d brought along.

    It wasn''t difficult, so I finished quickly and placed it on Sarang''s head.

    "What''s thiiis?"

    I''d completed the jjimjilbang staple - towel rabbit ears - on Sarang''s head as she tilted it quizzically.

    "Rabbit ears, done."

    "So cute! Honey, do mine too!"

    Even at home, we often covered up with a towel if things seemed risky.

    "Shame we have to go back tomorrow..."

    "Should we stay one more day?"

    "Hehe, if we do that, the whole family might come looking for us. They''re already fussing about what time we''ll be back tomorrow."

    "Come on, it''s only been a few days since they last saw Sarang..."

    I was somewhat aroused, but didn''t particularly want to do that during a family bath. Heena seemed to feel the same; even though she must have felt my excitement, she didn''t make any special moves.

    She just held Sarang, who was busy playing with the bubbles, tightly in her arms.

    "Our Sarang has grown so much already... Time really flies..."

    "It really does."

    "She''ll be starting elementary school before we know it, right?"

    "With only 3 years left, it''ll be here in no time."

    Once she becomes an elementary student, middle school will follow quickly. Feeling wistful about time''s rapid passage, that''s why I''d impulsively planned this trip.

    Honestly, I didn''t think our angel would give me the cold shoulder in puberty, but it would still be less than now. That saddened me deeply.

    I''d never once found it annoying that Sarang sought me out daily. Even if I thought it frequent, I was always delighted when our daughter called for me with a bright smile.

    I wished she''d call me "Daddyy~" like that forever.

    I stretched my arms forward and caressed Sarang''s cheeks. The soft, mochi-like feeling mirrored Heena''s exactly.

    "Mommyy~ Daddy''s patting Sarang''s cheeks~"

    "I''m jealous~ I wish Daddy would touch me too."

    At those words, I used my other hand to stroke Heena''s cheek. Receiving my touch, Heena turned her head slightly.

    -Smooch!

    I immediately gave Heena a kiss. I''m sure that''s why she''d turned her head.

    After receiving my kiss, Heena leaned her head against my chest and spoke.

    "Thank you, honey."

    "For what?"

    "For thinking of this trip."

    "It''s nothing. You ended up planning most of it anyway."

    "Still. I''ve been so busy lately, I couldn''t even think about taking a trip."

    "You have been pretty swamped with the year-end coming up."

    It was only because of the trend of using up all vacation days that we could take this trip. Without that, we wouldn''t have dreamed of a vacation until around February next year. Heena had been that busy.

    "Next time... Where should we go next?"

    "How about a sledding hill? We''ve never gone with Sarang. Don''t you think she''d be old enough to ride a sled at 4?"

    "That sounds great~ It''ll be fine if we ride together!"

    I couldn''t see Heena''s face, but I could feel her grinning from ear to ear.

    I wasn''t sure exactly how Heena''s work schedule or company situation would evolve, but if using vacation days proved too difficult, we could always go on a weekend, even if crowded.

    "We talked about this before, remember? Let''s go everywhere we want to go. The sledding hill, the amusement park. Heck, even overseas trips."

    "Yeah..."

    "We have all the time in the world."

    "You''re right... We do."

    That''s right. This time, I''d gotten oddly impatient and come on this sudden hotel vacation, but we had plenty of time.

    We had all the time in the world to make memories as a family like this.

    And well, even though we''d come on impulse, it hadn''t turned out badly. The hotel vacation had been extremely satisfying, and we were still enjoying ourselves now.

    -Splash! Splash!

    "Daddyy... No more bubbles..."

    "Oh my, they''ve disappeared already. Should we make more?"

    "Yeees! Make lots of bubbles pleaaase!"

    "Mommy will make lots of bubbles for you~"

    This overnight, 3-day family trip was already nearing its end, but...

    We could always go again next time.

    Anywhere.

    Anytime.

    Author''s Note:

    The hotel vacation part, which was longer than expected, has come to an end.

    I didn''t have time to write it, so I just played out the 19+ scene in my head.

    It''s a shame I can''t show it to you...!

    ---