Accidentally become a father-Chapter 39: Diplomacy Successful
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The bench was hard and cold, facing the glass doors where the evening light was starting to fade. It was a pause in our mission, a stillness in the middle of a moving crowd where the only thing that mattered was catching our breath.
Near the exit, there was a long bench facing outside. I stopped there.
Yuna sat down slowly.
Her feet didn’t quite reach the floor.
She swung them a little.
Not on purpose.
A reflex.
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I stood for a moment.
Then I sat beside her.
I placed the shopping bags by my feet.
She stared straight ahead.
For a few seconds.
Then leaned back a little.
"Tired?" I asked.
"No."
Silence.
Then—
"A little."
"That means tired." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
"I am just not used to walking this long."
"You were the one who chose to look at every shelf."
"That was part of the process."
"You enjoyed the process."
She turned her head quickly.
"I didn’t say that."
"But you looked at the stationery shelves like you were sightseeing."
She fell silent.
For a few seconds.
"...The eraser is cute."
"Yes."
"We really bought two."
"Yes."
She looked down slightly, peering into the small bag in her hands.
She reached inside.
Pulled out one of the cat erasers.
She held it with both hands.
Observing its tiny details.
"We didn’t need to buy two," she said softly.
"We already did."
She pressed the eraser with her thumb.
The little piece of rubber bounced back to its original shape.
---
Suddenly, she smiled.
Not a polite smile.
Not a formal smile.
Wider.
"If I lose this one, I still have another."
"Yes."
"That’s a good strategy."
"You called it diplomacy."
"Diplomacy is also a strategy."
She let out a small laugh.
Not a suppressed sound.
Not a calculated one.
Light.
A few passersby glanced over briefly, then moved on.
Yuna stopped laughing.
Then she looked at me.
"Papa."
"Hm."
"You never look tired."
"I am tired."
"But your face is exactly the same."
"This is my default face."
She studied my face for a few seconds.
As if trying to spot a difference.
Then she said softly—
"If I look tired, does my face change?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Your steps slow down."
She fell silent.
Stared straight ahead again.
Then, in an even quieter tone—
"I didn’t realize."
"That’s because you’re nine years old."
She didn’t argue.
A few seconds of silence.
Then she stood up first.
"I’ve rested enough."
"It’s only been two minutes."
"It’s enough."
She gripped her small bag again.
But this time—
As we started walking out the automatic doors—
She walked a little closer to me.
Not touching.
Just closing the distance.
Her hand almost brushed the edge of my jacket.
Accidentally.
Or perhaps a little intentionally.
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"Papa."
"Hm."
"Shopping isn’t as simple as a list, it turns out."
"No."
"The list looked easier."
"All lists look easy."
She thought for a moment.
Then said softly—
"In that case... today was quite successful."
"We didn’t lose anything."
"Except energy."
"That can be recharged."
She nodded.
The automatic doors opened.
The late afternoon air greeted us.
She gripped her small bag tighter.
And without looking at me, said—
"Tomorrow, I want to organize the stationery myself."
"You were the one who picked them out."
"Yes."
Her steps did not lag behind anymore. The distance between us had closed, both physically and perhaps in a way neither of us could quite calculate yet.
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