“But we were the ones who messed up, Dad.” Apparently, Yerin still wasn’t finished opening her heart.
Her father nodded. “Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.”
Yuna looked up. “Have you ever?”
Yoonho raised an eyebrow. “Of course.”
“What was it, Dad?” they asked in unison, their eyes widening.
Their father’s lips pressed together for a moment as memories came rushing through his mind. Somehow, people from long ago suddenly resurfaced. But for now, he simply closed his eyes.
“Too many to count.”
“Then you must have apologized a lot, right? Like when you apologized to Mom.” Once again, Yoonho’s cheeks tingled. Kids were so good at turning the things they were taught right back around on you. He felt like telling Jihye that their children had grown as wise as their father. Yoonho shook his head with a smile.
One more sip, and his latte was gone. “If you ever meet someone who thinks apologizing is a weakness, maybe they need to learn again. I think admitting our mistakes and apologizing shows that we’re strong and brave enough to take responsibility for what we’ve done. And, of course, we should try to be more careful next time. But when we’re right, we should try to stand by it. Still, sometimes we just have to listen.”
His twin daughters hardly blinked, their mouths even hanging half open. Yoonho smiled faintly. Whether they understood him or not, at least his words had made it into their heads. He rubbed both their cheeks. Yuna and Yerin grinned.
They left the café with both daughters burping. The little family chuckled together.
They walked side by side, Yerin holding her father’s right hand and Yuna his left. The girls took it upon themselves to buy a book for Mom. They went into the bookstore near the café they had just visited.
“Let’s buy some dish soap too, Dad.”
“Dish soap?” Their father turned to Yuna. The girl nodded.
“We brought our savings … We looked it up online earlier. We brought enough to buy the size Mom usually gets.” Yerin pulled several bills from the pocket of her pants, which had clearly been bulging all along. Yoonho nearly gaped.
He shook his head. “You don’t have to, sweetheart. It’s okay. I still have money, so don’t worry.”
“But we’re the ones who spilled it.” The two girls piped up again, their lips pushed into little pouts.
Yoonho smiled faintly, then knelt until he was eye level with them. “Thank you for taking responsibility, okay?” He pulled both his daughters into an embrace, ignoring the looks from the people around them.
They continued strolling along the bookshelves, their hearts feeling wonderfully light. Even their debate over which book cover was best turned into a full-blown argument. Yoonho nodded to himself. These were his twin daughters.
“But, Dad, you’re paying for the book, right?” Yerin looked at him, tilting her head in an imploring gesture.
Yoonho chuckled. “Don’t worry.”
They were back in the car with a bottle of dish soap, books, and some snacks for Mom and Yoojung, their little sibling.
While he was focused on driving, both his daughters’ heads suddenly appeared near the seatbacks. He opened his eyes wide and scolded them.
“We can go on another date later, right, Dad?” Yuna’s voice was so close to his ear.
“Yeah, sweetheart. Now sit properly. Watch your heads so you don’t bump them.” He glanced back quickly with a grimace, while they burst into laughter in the back seat.
Yoonho let out a quiet sigh. The mirror was now filled with reflections of their laughter. Yet beneath the smile tugging at his lips, warmth spread through his eyes. They had grown so much more than he had realized.