Week passed after the first day of Hajun at Little Mozart International Kindergarten.
The daily routine of morning drop offs and evening pickups had turned Jin Woo and Eun Soo into familiar acquaintances.
Friday early morning.
Eun Soo, who was waiting at the gate, saw Jin Woo and Hajun coming toward her and waved at them.
Jin Woo, seeing Eun Soo waving, also smiled at her. After coming closer, he handed Hajun over to her.
"Miss Eun Soo, you really don't need to wait for me at the gate. I can drop Hajun in the class."
Eun Soo smiled and replied, "It's alright. I don't like to be in class alone. Welcoming students at the gate is also one of my hobbies."
"Then thank you for your efforts."
Hajun, who was following his uncle, also said, "Good morning, teacher."
Eun Soo looked at the cute little boy, gently rubbed his head, and said, "Good morning, Hajun. How are you today?"
Hajun nodded his head and answered, "Good."
Jin Woo, after seeing this, looked back at Eun Soo and said, "Okay then, I'm leaving. Please take care of him. I will try to arrive early today."
Eun Soo shook her head and said, "No need to be so polite. I am his teacher, so it is my responsibility to take care of him."
Jin Woo then looked toward Hajun and said, "Okay, Hajun. Behave properly at kindergarten and listen to Teacher Eun Soo."
Hajun, seeing his uncle's serious face, nodded before going inside the kindergarten with her.
Jin Woo watched them go inside and sighed.
Because of his demanding role as a CEO, Jin Woo was almost always the last parent to arrive at the school gates.
"I don't want to be late, but there's really a lot of work at the office. I can't find time even to play with Hajun these days," he muttered.
Jin Woo then turned around and went to his car to head to the office.
The whole day, Jin Woo was busy editing code for his systems. As evening arrived, he checked his watch and realized he was running late once again.
"Haa, I'm late again," he sighed to himself, feeling a sting of guilt for making Teacher Eun Soo wait.
"I'm really causing a lot of inconvenience to Teacher Eun Soo. I should apologize to her properly."
He wanted to offer a sincere apology but didn't know what to do. Then he suddenly recalled something.
"Uncle, you don't know Teacher has a sweet tooth. She likes sweets a lot."
As soon as he remembered this, Jin Woo decided to buy a cake or pastry for both the teacher and Hajun.
Jin Woo left his office. The staff working along the way greeted him as he went down from the 50th floor to the ground floor and picked up his car from the parking area.
"Good evening, Boss."
"Bye, Boss."
"Boss is leaving early today."
Seeing him leave a little earlier than usual, everyone was surprised. But Jin Woo did not reply. He simply nodded to those who greeted him.
On his way to the kindergarten, he stopped at a high end bakery.
After entering, the staff welcomed him.
"Good evening, sir. What would you like?"
Jin Woo looked at everything on display. Knowing that Hajun loved cheesecake too, he decided to buy two, one for the teacher and one for his nephew.
"Please pack two cheesecakes for me," Jin Woo said.
"Okay sir, just wait a moment."
After the staff packed the cakes and Jin Woo paid for them, he was even later than usual.
"I made them wait even more. I hope these cheesecakes can help them feel better."
When he finally reached the kindergarten, the halls were quiet and most of the lights were already dimmed. Remembering that Eun Soo had previously told him to look for them in the garden, he walked slowly in that direction.
He stopped when he heard the sound of soft, bright laughter.
From a distance, Jin Woo saw Eun Soo gently pushing Hajun on the swing under the glow of the evening lights. Hajun looked truly happy, his small face lit up with a rare, genuine smile as he felt the wind in his hair.
"Do you like to swing, Hajun?" Eun Soo asked, her voice full of warmth and playfulness.
Hajun nodded his head vigorously, his eyes sparkling in a way Jin Woo hadn't seen in months.
"If you like it this much, you should try playing more with the other kids too," she encouraged him gently.
"Yes, I will," Hajun replied, his voice small but certain.
Jin Woo watched them for a quiet moment before stepping forward into the light of the garden.
Seeing him, Eun Soo's laughter softened into a polite smile as she stood up straight.
"Hello, Mr. Jin Woo," she said. "You are quite late again today."
Her tone was playful. It was obvious that she was not angry.
"I'm very sorry," Jin Woo replied, stepping closer and holding out a beautifully wrapped box.
Seeing the sudden box in Jin Woo's hand, Eun Soo looked surprised and asked, "What is this?"
"It's a cheesecake," Jin Woo explained. "Hajun mentioned you like sweets, and I wanted to apologize for making you stay late every day. So, I thought of bringing something for you."
Eun Soo tried to wave it away. "Oh, there is really no need for that. I enjoy the time with Hajun."
"Please, I insist," Jin Woo said firmly but kindly.
Eun Soo was speechless for a moment, but finally, seeing the hopeful look in Jin Woo's eyes, she accepted the cake.
"I hope you like it," Jin Woo said with a smile.
"Thank you," Eun Soo said softly.
Then she remembered something and added, "Don't forget, the kindergarten is closed for the weekend, so I won't see you until Monday."
Jin Woo nodded. "Thank you for reminding me. I will remember it."
Eun Soo nodded and then looked at Hajun, who was still swinging, and said, "Hajun, come here. It's time to go home."
Hajun jumped down from the swing and ran to his uncle. Jin Woo noticed Hajun staring at the cake in Eun Soo's hand with a face that clearly wanted to try it but didn't want to ask.
Jin Woo chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I have one for you too in the car. We will eat it after going home."
Hajun's eyes lit up and he ran toward the car even before Jin Woo. Seeing this, both Jin Woo and Eun Soo smiled at each other.
"Then I'll also get going. Thank you, Teacher Eun Soo," Jin Woo said.
Eun Soo nodded and replied, "Bye, Mr. Jin Woo."
Jin Woo returned to his car and entered the driver's seat. Hajun was already in the passenger seat with the cake on his lap.
Jin Woo shook his head at his antics and drove the car toward home.
After some time, Gleam Tower came into view. Jin Woo felt a sense of peace, knowing Hajun was finally starting to feel at home.