NIKOLAI remembered that he raised Neoma and Nero with freedom before his accident. And he never asked his children to live a suffocating life just to protect their family name.
[I just asked them to live a decent life and not to hurt other people.]
"Jeungjobo taught me those wise words, Appa."
Hmm?
Jeungjobo meant 'great-grandpa,' so Neoma was talking about Yule– Nikolai's grandfather.
"My grandpa taught you that?" Nikolai asked, half-amazed and half-confused. "Have you been secretly meeting your great-grandpa while I was 'sick?'"
Neoma nodded. "Great-grandpa always sends me gifts and pocket money. We also have a lunch date with my great-grandma once a month."
He raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "Is that how you meet Nero for the past few years?"
"My lips are sealed, Appa."
Aw.
So the twins were really keeping a secret from them.
[Well, as long as they don't fight, all's well.]
"I suppose I owe my grandfather and grandmother a huge debt for taking care of you and Nero in my place."
Neoma nodded in agreement. "Appa, are you sure your father is really my great-grandpa's son?"
"Huh?"
"No offense, but your father is a scumbag so I can't believe that he's my great-grandpa's son, Appa," Neoma said, covering her mouth with her hands when she realized that she just cursed her very own grandfather. "Oops. Sorry. Please don't Eomma that I said a bad word, Appa."
Neoma was only apologetic that she cursed…
… and not because she cursed at her own grandfather?
Nikolai blinked, stunned– then he laughed out loud while clutching his stomach. "Oh, Neoma. You really are my daughter."
***
[TSK.]
Nikolai didn't appreciate the fact that people kept approaching Neoma while handing his daughter some stupid business cards.
After having her dessert, Neoma said she wanted to buy an album.
Hence, they went to a mall where the store his daughter wanted to visit was located.
And with every step Neoma took, she turned heads.
Aigoo.
[This is the curse of having a beautiful daughter.]
"Appa, can you hold these for me?"
Before Nikolai could even respond, Neoma already handed him a stack of at least ten albums. "Are you buying all of these to sell, Neoma?"
"Why would I sell them, Appa?" Neoma asked in disbelief. "They're all for me."
"But it's just the same album? Why do you need a lot of them?"
"I want to complete the photocards for this album, Appa," his daughter explained while getting more albums. "And I want to win a ticket to attend my unnies' online fan signing event."
He wasn't surprised that Neoma was a fan of idols.
[After all, she became one in the future I came from.]
Nikolai read the name of the group written on the album cover.
'Wisteria.'
There were four young women dressed in pastel-colored suits on the cover, too.
[I don't know any of them. Are they famous?]
"This is Sera unnie, my ultimate bias, Appa," Neoma said while pointing at the young woman with blue hair. "She's my role model."
Now that Nikolai was looking closer…
"She looks a little familiar."
"Of course, Appa," Neoma said, laughing as if she found his reaction funny. "Sera unnie is the model of Moonasterion Electronics' newly launched phone. You must have seen Sera unnie during the launch, Appa."
Oh?
"How did you know I was there, Neoma?"
His daughter's face turned red. "I just happened to see your picture when I was browsing through Sera unnie's photos during the event, Appa."
"Really?" Nikolai teased his daughter. "I thought you were monitoring me."
Neoma pouted as she blushed and avoided his gaze. "Why would I monitor you, Appa? I like Sera unnie more than you."
After that, his daughter quickly turned around to get more albums.
Nikolai could tell that Neoma was starting to warm up to him, but his daughter seemed to be too shy to have a heart-to-heart conversation with him yet.
[It's okay, Neoma– I'm willing to wait until you feel comfortable with me again.]
***
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