Chapter 6 - Chapter 4: Episode 3 - Realization
Startled by her mother's sharp voice, Yu-rin scrambled away from Seon-ah.
"Park Yu-rin! What the hell do you think you're doing? Is this how you treat a friend who said no?"
Knowing she'd been caught red-handed, Yu-rin hung her head, her face pale with the fear of an impending scolding.
"I'm sorry, Mother. I won't do it again."
"The daycare director told me all about your behavior. Your friends aren't your toys. I guess that last lecture didn't sink in, did it?"
Yu-ra's tone made it clear this wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation.
In truth, Yu-rin had a habit of treating the other children at the daycare like her personal playthings.
As an only child living in a secluded, detached home, she rarely had the chance to socialize with peers outside of school. She didn't even have neighbors.
If she'd had a friend next door to visit, she might have learned the basics of boundaries and empathy.
Yu-ra had watched her husband try to discipline the girl, but Yu-rin was stubborn; there was no way she was going to listen to the soft, gentle voice typical of a man.
At her age, words weren't enough. She needed real interaction and social consequences to understand.
That was why Yu-ra had enrolled her in daycare, but even there, the teachers struggled to keep her in check.
Yu-ra was a high-ranking executive and a public figure often featured in the media. The daycare staff were naturally intimidated by the daughter of such a powerful woman.
They lived in fear of being nitpicked over the smallest mistake.
If Yu-ra ever took offense, they—as socially vulnerable employees—would be powerless to handle the fallout.
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Because of that, they never scolded Yu-rin directly.
Instead, they would send vague texts or call Yu-ra and her husband, indirectly asking the parents to handle the discipline themselves.
They were terrified of the sparks flying their way if they overstepped.
Yu-ra felt the weight of responsibility. She'd been so busy with work that she'd neglected her daughter's upbringing, and now the consequences were staring her in the face.
"I knew it. Spare the rod, spoil the girl."
Corporal punishment was frowned upon in this day and age, but Yu-ra had grown up in a different era.
Back then, it was believed that women needed to be raised with a firm hand to survive the cutthroat reality of society.
Yu-ra had promised herself she wouldn't be like her own mother, but seeing this, she realized she had no other choice.
She scanned the room for something suitable to use as a switch and gripped it firmly.
Facing a beating for the first time in her life, Yu-rin burst into tears, her hands clasped together in desperate prayer.
"Mother, I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I promise! Please, please!"
Just as the atmosphere reached its breaking point, a small voice cut through the tension.
"Um... Executive Director? Is it okay if I call you that? That's what my mom calls you."
It was Seon-ah.
"You can just call me Auntie, dear."
Yu-ra softened her voice, trying to reassure the boy while hiding her frustration.
"I understand. But Auntie, it's not what you think."
He spoke with a level of composure that was hard to believe, especially for a child who'd just been pinned down and forcibly kissed.
"Seon-ah, I am so sorry. I've failed to raise her properly. But this is a lesson a parent must give. You might be too young to understand, but if I let this slide, Yu-rin will keep doing these things to her friends, not just you. I have to correct this now."
Normally, Yu-ra would have sent Seon-ah out of the room to handle this privately. But she also realized that if Seon-ah told his parents what happened, Min-ah and Hyeon-tae wouldn't be able to stay angry if they knew Yu-rin had been punished this severely in front of them.
"Yu-rin and I were just playing house. We got a little too carried away with the acting. See? I'm fine. We were just playing pretend, like in a drama."
Yu-rin looked at Seon-ah in shock.
She clearly hadn't expected him to defend her after she'd forced herself on him.
Yu-ra considered his words. While Yu-rin was a bully at daycare, she'd never done anything sexual before.
It was highly likely that this really was just a game that went too far.
The urge to use the rod vanished, but she still had to set them straight.
"A girl shouldn't just force a kiss on a boy like that. And Seon-ah, you shouldn't just let her.
You're both still young, so you don't know any better, but that's something you only do with someone you truly like when you're much older."
After a somewhat old-fashioned lecture, Yu-ra led the two children out to the garden.
She chose to believe Seon-ah, but she wasn't about to leave them alone in that room again.
Yu-ra had wanted to spend the whole evening with Min-ah's family, but the domestic issues she'd ignored for so long were weighing on her.
To avoid any awkwardness, she claimed an urgent matter had come up. She apologized for cutting the visit short, handed over several expensive gift sets, and saw Min-ah's family off with a polite smile.
Min-ah headed home, feeling nothing but relief that the uncomfortable gathering had ended early.
.
.
.
I only defended Yu-rin to put her in my debt. Since my mom works for Executive Director Park, our paths are bound to cross again.
It would have been a disaster if my relationship with the Director's family soured because of me. Besides, I actually found Yu-rin quite cute.
Looking at her mother, who was basically a top-tier celebrity in terms of looks, I knew Yu-rin would grow up to be a real head-turner. I definitely wanted to stay on her good side.
The physical gap is even wider than I imagined.
When she grabbed my wrists and forced her lips onto mine, I didn't feel anything sexual. I just wanted to laugh bitterly. It really hit home: in this world, men are the weaker sex.
I'd assumed that at this age, boys and girls would have similar strength. I was dead wrong.
It was funny to remember her clumsy attempts at kissing, but more importantly, I realized just how much my perspective was being warped by the way Yu-ra looked at me—like I was some fragile victim.
I have the memories and values of a man in his late twenties. But if I keep being raised like a 'woman' from my old world, my mind and body are going to change. I'll lose myself.
I refuse to let that happen.
The mere thought of myself acting all cutesy and submissive like a girl made my skin crawl.
On top of that, the women in this world lacked even a shred of sex appeal.
No matter how pretty they were, they sat with their legs spread wide, talked like grizzled old men, belched after meals, and wiped their faces with damp towels like salarymen.
Their behavior was a total turn-off.
Even if I were into that kind of thing, this crossed a line.
At this rate, dating was going to be an absolute nightmare.
But if I looked at it from the opposite perspective...
The opposite perspective?
A brilliant idea popped into my head.
I'll just have to raise a girl to fit my tastes.
In other words, I'll treat her like a 'woman' from my previous life.
No matter how reversed this world is, I don't have to conform to it.
I remembered hearing that if you treat a man like a woman long enough, he eventually starts acting like one.
If that's true, then 'correcting' a girl's behavior should be just as easy.
If I treat her like a woman from my old world, I can preserve my own masculinity.
It was a two-birds-one-stone situation: I'd keep my identity and get a woman who actually fit my preferences.
I started listing the criteria for my target.
Someone my age, likely to grow up beautiful, socially advantageous, and eager to be with me.
Isn't Yu-rin perfect?
The advantages were endless.
Getting close to her mother, Yu-ra, would be a massive help to my own mom, and I could mold Yu-rin to fit my tastes perfectly.
If we grew up together and eventually married, I could live a comfortable life without a care in the world. My path was clear.
Since my looks were already a hit with the women here, the 'childhood friend' route was the most straightforward way to go.
I started planning how to make that happen.
.
.
.
Out of sight, out of mind. But keep them close, and the heart follows.
It's the most basic truth about human relationships I learned in my past life.
What if we spend the next fourteen years together? Two years of daycare, six years of elementary, and six more through middle and high school?
If we're together that long, it's impossible not to be close.
Of course, staying 'just friends' for that long can actually be a hurdle for romance.
So, I need to make physical touch a regular thing between us.
I have to make her crave me so much she can't stand it.
A little 're-education' mixed with some strategic skinship... it's the perfect plan.
To execute this, I need to be where she is.
Step one: change daycares.
From our conversation earlier, I figured out which daycare she attends. It's only ten minutes away from mine by car.
I don't have anything against my current teachers or friends, but those connections are fleeting.
A long-term 'partner' I can rely on is far more important.
I told my parents I wanted to go to the same daycare as Yu-rin.