It was a quiet weekend morning...
I was scrolling through my phone, checking out the latest news, while keeping an eye on my daughter as she studied. She didn't have any classes today, so she decided to find some random exercises online to work on.
On days like this, I usually ask her, "Since you're free, do you want to go out somewhere? Maybe visit a friend?" or "How about doing some sports to move your body a bit?"
And every time, she turns me down. I don't really mind though — we already work out together almost every morning anyway.
I mean, I'm "a Gen Z mom" after all:)). It makes sense that I get my kid.
While she was doing her work, she suddenly asked me,
"Dad once said you had a lot of dating experience, right? So… can you tell me about your most unforgettable high school love story?"
I wasn't all that surprised — just a little curious why Hana wanted to hear that story now. Then again, she's a smart girl, and she's at that age when the heart starts to flutter. I chuckled to myself.
I hesitated for a moment. Should I really tell her? What if she ends up focusing more on love than on school?
But I guess that's not such an unrealistic worry, right?
…After thinking it over for a minute or two, I decided to tell her. Maybe she could learn something from it — or maybe it'd give her a little inspiration to keep chasing her own dreams. So I began:
"Umm…" I hesitated.
"Honestly, my love life wasn't as exciting as you probably think. But there was one relationship that taught me quite a bit… how should I put this?"
I smiled softly, then continued:
"It didn't exactly end in tragedy. But it wasn't a happy ending either.
I mean, if it was a perfect ending, that person would be your dad now — wouldn't he?"
"It ended when both of us still had so many questions left unspoken. But our pride… our pride was too big to let us talk about them. And well, you can probably guess how it ended."
Hana stayed quiet, still listening intently.
"He was like a star in the sky," I continued. "Not that he's dead or anything — I mean it figuratively. He felt... unreachable, in a way. Not perfect, of course — everyone has their flaws.
I just hope you grow to be as amazing as he was… or even better. So I can finally say I've surpassed the sky myself."
I giggled after saying that.
But then… her face turned pitch black. She huffed:
"So I'm still not good enough for you, huh?"
Her tone was a little sharp, then faded as she turned away in mock sulk.
I chuckled awkwardly.
"You don't have to impress me, sweetie," I said gently. "All I want is for you to feel joy in chasing your goals.Like… imagine after you graduate, you have this epic CapCut video showing all your scholarships and awards — wouldn't that be badass and cool? That's honestly what keeps me going when I get tired."
After hearing that, Hana finally turned back to face me — though she was still pouting a little. I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye. She looked so cute in that sulky way I couldn't help but giggle quietly.
Then I added:
"Okay... let me try to remember those school years of mine…"