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The playroom was the size of four of Jiyu's rooms combined. It had everything: monkey bars and slides that made it feel like a playground, swings, and even a zip line. There was nothing missing.
But it wasn't those things that captured Jiyu's attention.
Surrounding the windows on the opposite side were massive bookshelves stretching from floor to ceiling, packed with books. Just like the libraries in movies, a wheeled ladder was leaned against them so that books from the very top could be retrieved.
[Wow.]
A small gasp of admiration escaped Jiyu's lips.
In front of the bookshelves sat a round bean bag chair, large enough for three adults to lie on.
For the first time since starting her playdate with Hunter, Jiyu let out a small smile.
Hunter leaped onto a round chair hanging from the zip line and zoomed across the room at high speed. Avoiding him, Jiyu pressed herself flat against the wall and crept slowly toward the window.
While Hunter bounced around the play equipment like a flying squirrel, Jiyu buried herself in the bean bag chair and plunged her nose into a book.
Though they were in the same space, peace settled in her heart as they played separately. She even forgot that this was Hunter's playroom and became completely absorbed in the book.
How much time had passed?
[Do you know how to talk?]
Startled by the sudden voice, Jiyu jerked her head up. The moment she met those bright blue eyes, she hurriedly looked down and nodded.
[…Yes.]
That was the end of the conversation.
As if he had lost interest in her again, Hunter dashed off toward the monkey bars. Jiyu breathed a sigh of relief and returned to tracing the letters with her eyes. She only looked up again when she heard a dull thud followed by a groan.
Hunter was sprawled out beneath the monkey bars. It looked quite high; it seemed he had fallen from there.
While Jiyu watched with wide eyes, he sprang back up. Then, he climbed back up the monkey bars.
The handles on the long bar were spaced at varying intervals. In the center, there was even a rotating handle, making it look quite challenging.
With his long arms, Hunter moved decisively toward the rotating handle and clung to it. As he swung his legs together back and forth, the handle creaked and rotated half a turn.
He extended one arm that had been gripping the handle. The next grip was at least five inches away from his fingertips. He swung his body back and forth again while hanging from the handle with both hands, then leaped boldly.
Watching him, Jiyu let out a small, involuntary gasp.
Sure enough, his fingertips barely grazed the handle before he tumbled to the floor with a dull thud.
[Ugh.]
After a short groan, a heavy silence filled the playroom.
Lying spread-eagle, Hunter punched the floor, which was covered in a thick mat. Then, gritting his teeth, he bolted upright.
The moment Jiyu made eye contact with Hunter, she immediately lowered her head. Peeking through the corner of her eye, she saw him brush off his clothes and climb back up the monkey bars.
Crash. Muttering. Thump. Groaning. Thud thud. Muttering.
As the similar sounds repeated, Jiyu couldn't resist her curiosity and looked up again.
Doesn't it hurt?
She wondered when Hunter would give up.
Realizing she was watching, he shouted in frustration.
[I can do it!]
Startled, she nodded and mimicked his words like a parrot.
[Yes. You can do it.]
Only then did Hunter, standing up somewhat shakily, climb the monkey bars again. Then, he commanded Jiyu.
[You. Watch me closely. Stop looking at the book.]
[…Okay.]
She answered in a tiny, shrinking voice.
Under Jiyu's gaze, Hunter reached the handle again. Gripping the handle, he gathered his legs and swung back and forth like a swing, making a whoosh-whoosh sound as he cut through the air. Then, he stretched out his arm and leaped.
Clang. With the sound of a palm hitting metal, Hunter barely managed to grab the handle. Then, he roared like an animal.
[Yes!]
[Wow.]
A pure exclamation of admiration escaped Jiyu's lips as she watched.
From there, it was a piece of cake. Hunter crossed his arms rapidly and reached the end of the monkey bars in an instant. Letting go with both hands, he landed on the floor with a tap, then tilted his chin up and grinned with a triumphant face.
Confirming that Jiyu had witnessed his success, he commanded her again.
[I did it! Clap.]
Following his orders, Jiyu clapped her small hands—clap, clap, clap.
Hunter was scarier than a midnight ghost or a horned monster, but his smiling face was somehow dazzling, almost like an angel.
Seeing him saunter toward the library area, Jiyu quickly lowered her head and lifted the book in front of her nose as if for defense.
Jiyu peeked over the book as Hunter stood before the bookshelves, sliding his hand across the spines of the books as he moved back and forth.
He stopped halfway through the shelf and pulled out a chapter book. Then, he came and stood in front of Jiyu. He nudged the bean bag with the tip of his foot.
[You. Can you actually read chapter books?]
[…Yes.]
When Jiyu answered hesitantly, Hunter abruptly thrust the book in his hand toward her.
[Then read this. Out loud.]
The book he handed her was Magic Tree House. It was a book she had started reading a few pages of at the library but had closed because it was too scary. However, compared to Hunter, the book was far less frightening.
Taking the book, Jiyu slowly began to read.
Hunter, who had been standing in front of her listening for a while, leaped up onto the wide, cushioned windowsill and swung his legs while looking out the window.
It was a book that had been scary when she read it alone, but strangely, it wasn't scary today. As Jiyu became more and more absorbed in the adventure unfolding in the book, the dangling legs beneath the windowsill stopped moving.
Having sat quietly listening to the voice reading the book, Hunter suddenly flopped down onto the bean bag.
[Ah!]
As the spot where Hunter jumped sank in, Jiyu, who had been sitting quietly, fell backward while still holding the book. Fortunately, this time she was on the plush bean bag chair.
Hunter snatched the book from her hand and lay face down on the bean bag.
[Where were you?]
Barely managing to push herself up from the sinking chair, Jiyu pointed to the middle of the page with her finger.
[Here.]
[I'm going to read too.]
Hunter read a few words aloud sporadically. Then, he reached out and pulled her, who was sitting awkwardly, toward him.
[Now you read again.]
[…….]
Jiyu hesitantly lay down next to Hunter.
[Hurry up.]
[Okay.]
She took the letters back into her eyes and began to read aloud softly and calmly. Hunter's head leaned close to the book.
Lauren and Ae-jeong had come down to the playroom to check if the children were playing well without any trouble, only to be surprised by an unexpected sight.
The two children were lying face down on the bean bag, heads pressed together, reading a book.
Rosa, who had been dozing off in a chair by the door, started to wake up at the presence of others, but Lauren placed a finger over her lips and signaled him to stay seated.
Lauren, who had worried that the willful Hunter might be mischievous and make the gentle, quiet child cry, shook her head in disbelief at the sight of her son staring into a book.
Hunter had no interest in books. Although he had learned the alphabet and phonics in preschool, he was still at a level where he read haltingly.
Moreover, he was a child with far too much energy to sit calmly in one place and concentrate. Even when she or the Nanny read to him, he quickly lost interest. Yet here was Hunter, staring into a book, unaware that anyone had entered the playroom.
Lauren gave a quiet signal with her eyes to Ae-jeong, suggesting they step back outside. Stepping out of the playroom stealthily so as not to disturb them, Lauren led Ae-jeong into the hallway and asked.
"Ae-jeong, does Olivia speak Korean well too?"
"Oh, of course! She understands everything and speaks well. I only speak Korean to her, and the Nanny is Korean too."
Ae-jeong answered with a sweet, melodic laugh.
Strictly speaking, the woman was a babysitter called twice a week, but Ae-jeong called her 'Nanny.' It sounded more sophisticated.
"Sigh. I should have done the same, but since English is more comfortable for me, it's not easy to speak Korean to the child."
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