## Chapter 1363 – ##17_Daughter-Lings
##113
1.
Having completed another day of thrifty investments, Sharon returned home and immediately looked for her daughter.
“Seo-yeon, Mommy’s home.”
-Thump, thump, thump-
A moment later, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed through the house, and Shin Seo-yeon, the second daughter of the Siwoo family, came bursting out as if she had rolled down the stairs.
“Welcome home, Mommy.”
Seo-yeon, who inherited Sharon’s sociability and was full of affection for her mother, wouldn’t normally rush out barefoot just because Sharon came home. Unless there was a special gift, that is.
“Seo-yeon, don’t you have anything to say to Mommy?”
“Ummm…. Thank you for working hard and earning money, Mommy! Cheer up! I love you always!”
“You little rascal!”
“Eeeek!”
Sharon pretended to pounce, and Seo-yeon, all of six years old, scurried away, hiding behind the sofa. Who knew a daughter born from her own pain could be so cute and lovable? But not today.
Cuteness won’t work today!
“Are you going to tell me straight? What did you do wrong, Seo-yeon!”
“Seo-yeon… doesn’t think she did anything wrong.”
“Then what’s this?”
Sharon approached Seo-yeon, who was pretending not to hear, and held a piece of paper right in front of her face. Seo-yeon squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away.
“Why did you hide your report card from Mommy?”
“I showed it to Daddy though….”
“You showed it to Daddy in the meantime? What did Daddy say?”
“He said I did well.”
“Sigh.”
The paper was none other than the crumpled-up report card from Trinity Academy’s Seedling Class, which had been thrown into the trash this morning. The report card included the overall evaluation for the semester, along with academic achievement and teacher assessments.
Since Seo-yeon had been at the academy, Sharon couldn’t question her right away, so she came looking for her as soon as she got off work.
“I’m sorry I didn’t do well on the test….”
Seo-yeon’s first-semester grades were the worst in her class. She was even lower than Sasha, who was almost a year younger.
Considering that a year’s difference at this age is not negligible, it was a truly shocking result.
“No! Mommy’s not angry because of the test!”
Even though a witch’s duty is magical achievement, Sharon is still Sharon. She had no intention of nagging her beloved daughter over test scores like the overzealous parents she had seen in Korea.
What does it matter if she’s not good at studying? It’s enough if Seo-yeon finds what she wants to do and enjoys it.
“But how could you not do even half of your homework for the entire semester!”
But homework is different! Homework is in the realm of diligence!
Not doing even half of the homework for a semester meant she had been slacking off and loafing around a lot.
Seo-yeon, who had been rolling her eyes, suddenly smiled brightly.
“Hehehe.”
“Hehehe? Is that funny?”
“But homework is boring. Especially this semester, it was mostly about elemental lectures.”
“Oh my…. Seo-yeon, what do you think Mommy is?”
“The most, most beautiful witch in the world.”
“That’s not wrong, but I’m asking about my title right now.”
Sharon, trying to suppress the corners of her mouth from twitching upwards at her daughter’s constant barrage of cuteness (which she admits is truly innate), continued to question Seo-yeon.
She felt a sense of urgency that if she kept indulging her like this, Seo-yeon might go down the wrong path, which led to her firmness.
“The Witch of Call Options.”
“Not that one.”
“The Witch of Uranium?”
“No.”
“The Witch of Acorns?”
“Are you doing this on purpose?”
“The Witch of Five Elements.”
“Yes.”
There was some confusion since her title had changed so often, but Sharon finally succeeded in getting the answer she wanted from Seo-yeon.
“Mommy is the Witch of Five Elements. So how do you think Mommy feels when our Seo-yeon says elemental magic is boring and doesn’t do any homework?”
“But you said elemental magic has poor cost-effectiveness and only increases debt….”
“What?! Who said that!”
“Little Auntie L’Riel.”
“…….”
Sharon paused, taken aback by the unexpected appearance of a hidden enemy. Honestly, Sharon had thought that way in the past, so it was sad that she couldn’t deny it firmly.
“Our daughter, elemental magic is very powerful magic. You can overcome hierarchy with the quality of the sacrifice, and above all, it’s very old and traditional magic.”
“But Malika unnie is the strongest in the Seedling Class.”
“That’s because Malika unnie is ten years old! Shin Seo-yeon! You’re trying to change the subject again, aren’t you.”
“…No.”
Seo-yeon, who was clearly caught trying to change the subject, pursed her lips.
“No snacks today. Go inside and do your homework. If I see something like this on your report card again, Mommy will be really angry.”
“Okay…. I’ll do better next time, really.”
“Okay….”
Seo-yeon drooped her shoulders and went back to her room.
“Sigh, I’m so upset….”
Sharon sighed, feeling dejected.
Sharon’s dejection wasn’t just because of Seo-yeon’s grades and homework.
What hurt Sharon the most was the teacher’s comment: [Seo-yeon tends to lack concentration, and above all, she finds the classes very boring.]
If it hadn’t been for the praise, [She gets along really well with the other children and creates a gentle atmosphere. Her sociability is amazing], she might have secretly cried her eyes out.
Was this what her teacher felt?
She wanted Seo-yeon, who she wouldn’t trade for the world, to be recognized by others as well.
Not just out of vicarious satisfaction or the expectations that come from seeing her daughter as a possession, but she wanted her to become a diligent person who is loved everywhere.
That’s why she knew she had to scold her like this sometimes. She knew that being too lenient was not the way to be a good mother.
But seeing Seo-yeon’s dejected back as she returned to her room, tears welled up in her eyes for no reason.
2.
“…Ugh.”
Seo-yeon groaned in front of her homework, having been denied snacks.
It was the first time she had seen her mother angry and upset, so she had made up her mind and sat down at her desk, but all that came out when she looked at the problems were groans.
“It’s boring.”
Why should she work hard at such boring things? It’s much more fun to play with Malika unnie, Hina, Lapi, and Sasha.
In fact, at this very moment, she wanted to flop onto her bed and read a book or just laze around. Or go salmon fishing with her dad, or coax Little Auntie Odile Odette into going horseback riding, or play witch board with Malika unnie.
“But still….”
Still, she didn’t want to see her mother upset. She probably tried not to show it, but Seo-yeon could tell that her mother was dejected after seeing the report card.
As she struggled with the homework that wouldn’t solve itself, that’s when it happened.
-Prick-
Seo-yeon’s ears perked up. Because she heard the sound of her dad coming in!
“Daddy!!!”
“My daughter!!!!”
Seo-yeon, who had been running so fast that skid marks were left behind every time she turned a corner, accelerated when she saw the large bags in her dad’s hands.
“Wow! Waaaaaah!!!”
Because those bags were the plastic bags that were widely used in the modern world. She knew that when her dad brought bags like that, it meant he had brought her favorite food, king crab and snow crab, from the modern world.
“Before that.”
Siwoo, who had been hiding the bags behind his back despite Seo-yeon’s enthusiastic cheers, asked meaningfully.
“Were you studying hard? Were you listening to Mommy?”
“Ah….”
“Why?”
“I didn’t study well…. I tried, but it didn’t work. But I was trying hard….”
Seo-yeon, remembering how sad her mother had been, fidgeted, looking around nervously.
“That’s enough! My daughter is the best!”
“Then can I eat king crab?”
“Of course.”
“Yay!”
Seo-yeon, who had been jumping up and down at her dad’s ready approval, flinched again when she saw her mother suddenly appear.
No way.
No way, no way, no way, but what if….
What if her mother told her she couldn’t eat king crab until she finished her homework?
“Don’t worry, my daughter. Mommy told me to buy this for you.”
“Really? Really?”
“Oh, geez, I told you not to say that.”
“Hey, you have to say things like this.”
Sharon hugged her daughter tightly, who was staring with wide eyes, not knowing what was going on.
“I’m sorry for getting angry, Seo-yeon. I did it because I want you to do well.”
“Okay, I know. Hehehehe.”
Seeing Seo-yeon rubbing her cheek against her mother’s chest, as if she was just happy, Sharon’s eyes welled up with tears again for no reason.
Maybe she had been expecting too much because Seo-yeon was so smart and bright. From a witch’s perspective, she was an apprentice witch about to enter formal succession lessons, but in the modern world, Seo-yeon was still a young child who would only enter elementary school next year.
“But I’ll try hard not to skip homework from now on. I can promise you.”
“Seo-yeon, is it not because of the crab?”
“No! I promise Daddy too!”
“You don’t have to. Mommy just wants you to grow up strong and bold.”
After the touching episode, a chaotic feast followed.
Sharon and Seo-yeon, who had learned the know-how from her mother, were skillfully picking apart the snow crab and king crab that were laid out on the table, and Sharon was teaching her how to pick out the soft crab meat with her tiny hands.
“Seo-yeon, you pull out the leg meat like this and dip it in the innards. You know?”
“Mommy, I know that too.”
“Dip it like this and put it in Daddy’s mouth, ah~”
“Daddy, say ah~”
Siwoo looked at the mother and daughter with a happy expression, then took a big bite of the crab legs that were coming from both sides.
“Daddy, how is it? Is the crab that Seo-yeon gave you more delicious?”
“Siwoo? You better answer well. You know I hold grudges, right?”
“I think I need to think about this a little more?”
“What! Is it me or Seo-yeon!”
“What! Is it me or Mommy!”
After the meal, which was filled with the savory aroma of crustaceans, it was always karaoke time, according to the family rules.
Sharon sang a ballad that had the vibe of her long life in Korea as a duet with Siwoo, and Seo-yeon sang a witch idol song that had once caused a storm of a sensation.
After playing and having fun to their hearts’ content, it was already close to midnight, so Seo-yeon must have been tired. Seo-yeon had collapsed on the sofa and passed out, and Siwoo wrapped her in a blanket and took her to the bedroom.
Sharon had neatly cleaned up the table, which had been almost a mess, and was half-lying on the sofa, waiting for Siwoo.
“Is Seo-yeon still sleeping?”
“She never knows when she falls asleep. Just like you.”
Siwoo gestured with his eyes. Meaning, why aren’t you going in when Seo-yeon is sleeping?
“I wanted to watch a movie with you today. Like the old days.”
“Should I get some beer?”
“Yeah, and squid and popcorn too.”
As they created a full-fledged home theater atmosphere, old memories came flooding back. They used to sit on the sofa like this whenever they had time, eating snacks and watching movies.
And when the mood was right, it would go like this.
“Are you going to kiss me?”
Sharon would act cute. Unlike back then when it was just the two of them, now Seo-yeon was sleeping on the second floor….
Well, it’s the story of how they didn’t end up watching the movie all the way through tonight either.
