Chapter 11: Eating Snacks with Family

Shopping with the kids was more fun than I expected.

The kids were first shocked by the unfamiliar items, then by their size, and finally by the prices.

In many ways, the Canadian mart, so different from Korea, was an exciting experience for them.

“So… much.”

Hye-yeon couldn’t close her mouth, staring at the mountain of items in the cart.

I just picked up what seemed necessary, but because everything was so big, it added up to a lot.

On top of that, we needed a second cart because the first one wasn’t enough.

Good thing I brought the big car, right?

“Yes…”

“Come on, let’s load it into the car.”

After checking out, we carefully loaded the items into the car.

The trunk was huge, but as we piled things in, it quickly filled up.

Thankfully, it all fits.

Normally, I’d fill it halfway, but with the kids, I bought more, so I was a bit worried.

It was a close call, but thankfully, there was just enough space in the trunk.

“Now keep your promise to Jiyu! Jiyu wants snacks!”

“Of course.”

While we shopped and loaded the trunk, Jiyu was well-behaved.

She trusted my promise to buy her snacks and waited patiently.

“You didn’t have to…”

A promise is a promise. You guys eat too. It’s good.

“What is it?”

She acted indifferent, but Hye-yeon seemed secretly eager to try it.

Beaver Tail.

“…What?”

“Hahaha, come on.”

After closing the trunk, I led the kids to a spot near the mart’s entrance.

There was a small café with a pink sign featuring a beaver tail.

“Is it really a beaver’s tail?”

I just smiled at Yuri’s question.

They’d find out soon enough, so I didn’t feel the need to explain.

“Let’s go in.”

The kids followed me inside with skeptical looks.

“Oh…”

“It smells good…”

Once inside, the kids let out gasps, entranced by the rich, savory aroma.

“Wow! Yummy smell!”

“Right?”

Beaver Tail, a famous Canadian dessert.

I took the kids to where the menu was displayed.

“Oh… so that’s why it’s called Beaver Tail…”

Seeing the menu, they finally understood why it was called that.

The bread was flat and wide, like a beaver’s tail.

Jiyu likes chocolate, right?

“Huh! How’d you know? Jiyu loves chocolate so much!”

Her eyes locked onto chocolate every time we passed it in the mart—how could I not notice?

I looked at the kids and said,

Jiyu gets chocolate… what about you two?

“I’ll have the same…”

“Chocolate for me too, please.”

I wasn’t sure if they all had the same taste or if they just picked chocolate because they couldn’t read the menu.

Toppings?

“…Uncle, you choose.”

It was their first time trying it, so they didn’t know what to pick.

“Excuse me.”

“Have you decided on your order?”

“Yes. Three Beaver Tails, chocolate brownie flavor, with banana topping.”

“Got it. Drinks?”

“Iced Americano, please.”

The staff flinched at that.

“…Iced Americano, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Is that all for your order?”

I looked at the kids.

Want anything to drink?

“You pick, Uncle.”

“Same for me, Uncle.”

“Jiyu likes orange juice!”

I ordered three orange juices, and we sat at a corner table.

I thought about eating in the car, but I didn’t want the smell to linger, so we decided to eat in the warm café.

“Is Beaver Tail good?”

Tastes like a thin donut.

“Oh…”

I was excited the first time I tried it, but it’s basically a thin donut.

Still, it’s pretty tasty.

“Your food is here.”

After about five minutes, the staff brought the Beaver Tails and drinks.

Thin bread wrapped in paper, topped with Nutella and bananas, was enough to make your blood sugar tingle.

“Wow…”

Who cares if it’s just a donut?

The kids swallowed hard and looked at me.

Eat up.

“U-Uncle, you didn’t get one?”

Nah, I’m not big on sweets. I’m good.

That, and I need to start watching my health.

North American foods often spike your blood sugar, and it’s not easy to handle if you’re not young.

I took a sip of my coffee.

Nice.

The bitter taste slid down my throat, washing away some of the fatigue from driving.

I leisurely sipped my coffee and watched the kids.

“It really tastes like a donut with chocolate! This is good.”

“Unnie! Take a picture first! Oh, and Jiyu, only eat half. It’ll rot your teeth.”

“Jiyu can eat it all! Don’t take it!”

They seemed fascinated by their first Beaver Tail.

Meanwhile, Yuri was taking pictures of the food.

SNS?

“Yeah, obviously. Unnie’s probably the only one who doesn’t use SNS these days. It’s so easy to stay in touch with friends.”

Yuri seemed to keep in touch with friends through SNS even after leaving them.

“Uncle, you don’t use SNS?”

I do.

Advertising my books on SNS is important.

I didn’t want to, but the publisher pushed me to start.

Though I haven’t touched it in three years…

My last post was about taking a break, and I hadn’t logged in since.

“Then follow me!”

Oh, sure.

What was my ID again?

I opened the app and thought for a moment.

“Got it.”

“You logged in?”

“Yeah.”

After a few wrong attempts at my ID and password, I finally logged in.

“Tell me your ID.”

“Hang on.”

I gave her my ID, written in English.

Yuri put down her Beaver Tail and typed my ID into the search bar.

“…Huh?”

Her eyes shook as she looked at my SNS.

“U-Uncle.”

“Yeah? What?”

“Your followers… over 20 million?”

Yeah, so?

Yuri was floored by my casual response.

***

Ironically, I don’t really like SNS.

I don’t enjoy sharing my life with others, and I hate having to manage it constantly.

Plus, most of the hate comments about me come from SNS, so I avoid checking it.

“…Twenty million.”

On the way back from buying furniture at a nearby store, Yuri was still stuck on the 20 million followers, repeating it for hours.

Is it that shocking?

Scratch.

I scratched my head.

I knew 20 million followers was a lot, but I didn’t think it was that shocking.

“I didn’t know you were that famous.”

I’m not really famous.

“Twenty million is famous.”

Is it…?

Honestly, I was puzzled too.

I had a lot of fans who loved my work, but I didn’t expect 20 million people to follow me.

I only posted occasional photos of food, so there wasn’t much reason for the number to grow.

SNS, huh…

Suddenly, I remembered a note I’d forgotten about.

I hadn’t taken it out of my coat pocket, so it was still there.

Should I… contact her?

I hesitated.

It’s not like I’d never dated.

I’d been in a relationship with a woman I met at a part-time job.

But those relationships never lasted long.

Success as a writer was more important.

The women I dated got tired of me and left.

It felt less like love and more like dating because we saw each other often.

I hadn’t dated since.

“Hmm.”

“What? Something wrong?”

Nothing. By the way, they say the delivery’s delayed…

I wanted to bring the furniture we bought, but our car wasn’t enough.

The store didn’t have the stock anyway, so delivery would take about a week.

“It’s fine. We can sleep in the living room for a few days.”

Won’t it be cold?

“The sofa’s big and comfy. We didn’t even have beds before, so it’s fine.”

Living in a cramped house, they couldn’t sleep in beds.

Hye-yeon still vividly remembered when all five family members slept on blankets in the living room.

Still… want to sleep in my room? My bed’s huge.

“N-No, we’re really fine, so don’t worry.”

The first thing I bought when I started earning money was a bed.

I didn’t care about much else, but I wanted to sleep comfortably.

My bed was wide and big enough for three, but Hye-yeon declined.

She probably felt uneasy about using a man’s bed.

Beep-beep-beep!

As we drove home, my phone suddenly rang.

“Hang on, everyone be quiet.”

“Okay! Jiyu can be quiet!”

Jiyu, who’d finished her Beaver Tail, was beaming.

She clearly loved the snack.

“Hello?”

“Hello, it’s me, sir.”

“Rooney? What’s up?”

A call from my contact came out of nowhere.

Since it was in English, the kids couldn’t understand.

“Nothing major. I was just wondering if you’re attending the party in Vancouver.”

Oh, it’s that time already.

February 15th was Bear Books’ anniversary party.

They invite their exclusive authors to enjoy the event, where writers mingle and exchange ideas.

For some, it’s an opportunity; for others, it’s just an uncomfortable obligation.

It’s not mandatory…

Some authors attend for the sake of their reputation.

I was one of them.

“It’s a month away. I’m calling to reserve a spot if you’re planning to attend.”

“Hmm.”

I hesitated.

It’s just going to be uncomfortable.

Three years ago, I attended religiously.

I was a rookie back then and wanted advice from bestselling authors.

But once my slump hit, I started hesitating and stopped going.

I’ll… think about it.

“Alright. Please let me know within a week.”

The call ended, and I let out a quiet sigh from the frustration.

“Hoo…”

Hye-yeon cautiously spoke up at my sigh.

“Is… something wrong?”

No, just a call from work.

“…Oh.”

The kids suddenly looked anxious.

Why?

Let’s just get home.

Unsure of the source of their anxiety, I drove on toward home.