Why am I the Princess?

Dayeon ate surprisingly well. Despite being a little lady from a wealthy family, it seemed she couldn’t resist the allure of ham.

“Is it good?” I asked.
“Yes!” she replied with a bright smile.
“That’s good to hear~”

Dad, clearly delighted by Dayeon’s enthusiasm, doted on her endlessly. It was as if he was enjoying a sense of vicarious satisfaction through her, seeing behaviors he didn’t often see in me.

I picked up a small piece of ham with my chopsticks and ate quietly, watching the scene unfold. After dinner, Dayeon, now drowsy, fell asleep in Dad’s arms. He carried her home, delivering the giant rabbit plush as a gift to her family before returning.

“Si-yoon, time to wash up.”
“Okay.”

Dad helped me undress and began washing me.

“Ah… the water is perfect~”
“Is that so, Your Highness? Do you require anything else?”

Dad grinned playfully as he looked at me.

“Yes, yes, it seems my head feels itchy. Let’s use the royal shampoo.”
“As you wish, Your Majesty~”

I giggled, playing along with his banter as he finished my bath. Once clean, I dried myself, put on my pajamas, and climbed onto the bed.

Lying in the dark, I fiddled with my phone when Dad spoke up.

“Sweetheart, looking at your phone in the dark will ruin your eyes.”
“Take a look at this,” I replied, holding out the screen.

Dad climbed into bed, wrapping me in his arms and catching the scent of my freshly shampooed hair. He glanced at my phone, which was filled with comments on a picture I’d posted.

Is this Jiho’s daughter?!

No, I heard she’s a child actor.

Uh, Jiho and Si-yoon have been photographed together so many times. How do people not know by now?

Forget everything else—she’s just unbelievably adorable.

Given her parents, it totally makes sense.

Dad chuckled as he scrolled through the comments. I watched him, then said, “Tomorrow, let’s have jajangmyeon.”
“You want jajangmyeon?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve never had it before.”
“That’s why I want to try it.”

Dad quickly searched on his phone to see if it was okay for me to eat. After a moment of deliberation, he got up, checked the fridge, and returned.

“Should I make it for you?”
“That’s too much work. Let’s just order it.”

Dad laughed, climbing back into bed and hugging me tightly.

The next morning, Beta jumped onto the bed and started licking my face, waking me up.

“Yawn…”

My stretching prompted Dad to wake up too. He sat there for a moment, still half-asleep, staring blankly at Alpha.

“Si-yoon, do you want to try tangsuyuk and dumplings too?”
“Yeah.”

Scratching his stomach absentmindedly, Dad got up and used the intercom instead of his phone.

“…?”

Apparently, there was a Chinese restaurant in the building. Within minutes, the food arrived.

“I’ll pay with cash,” Dad said to the delivery person.

He then grabbed a pair of scissors, carefully cutting the jajangmyeon into quarters before mixing it thoroughly and serving it to me.

I had expected the usual taste of jajangmyeon, but this version was far richer, with a deeper, more complex flavor. Seeing my wide-eyed expression of surprise, Dad laughed.

“Is it good?”
“Yeah.”

I grabbed a piece of tangsuyuk larger than my hand, marveling at its size. Before I could take a bite, Dad swooped in with tongs and scissors, snatching it away.

He carefully cut the piece into smaller portions and handed it back to me. I picked up one of the smaller pieces and popped it into my mouth.

“Mmm!”
“What’s wrong?!”
“It’s so good!”
“Haha!”

The chewy texture was unlike any tangsuyuk I’d had before, bursting with rich juices. It was far more flavorful than I expected, perhaps because Dad’s cooking was usually less seasoned, making the natural taste of the ingredients stand out even more.

“After lunch, do you want to go swimming with Dayeon?” Dad asked.
“Does Dayeon want to swim?”
“Yeah, she said so.”
“Babies are such a hassle…”
“You know you’re a baby too, right, Si-yoon?”
“Waaa~” I mock-cried, feigning innocence.

Wearing a swimsuit, Lee Jin-seok leaned back in the pool, resting his chin on the edge as he admired the view outside.

“Wow… this view is incredible,” he muttered.

Hearing a familiar voice, he turned to see me mimicking his posture beside him, gazing out at the Han River. Startled, he glanced behind him, looking for his daughters. Sure enough, Dayeon and Jung-yeon were playing nearby with Dad, laughing and splashing around.

For a moment, the roles seemed reversed. My composed demeanor fit Jin-seok more, while Dayeon and Jung-yeon’s playful energy made them seem like Dad’s daughters.

“…..”

Jin-seok studied me for a moment.

“Lift me up. I can’t see below,” I said suddenly.
“…Huh? Oh, sure.”

After a brief pause, he picked me up, holding me high enough to see over the pool’s edge. I watched the cyclists riding along the Han River paths below.

“The world’s gotten pretty nice,” I mused.

Jin-seok froze, his expression suggesting he wasn’t sure if he’d heard me correctly.

“…?”

Without warning, I pushed off his arms and executed a backflip, diving gracefully into the water. Emerging underwater, I swam over to a high school girl I had seen before in the elevator.

“Hey~ Long time no see!” I greeted her in Japanese.

Startled, the girl removed her goggles and looked at me.

“Oh! Hi, you’re Si-yoon, right?”

She glanced around quickly, then spotted Dad. Her face flushed as she gasped.

“Wow… Jiho oppa is so handsome.”

“…?”

Dad, unaware of her gaze, was playing with Dayeon. Meanwhile, the girl quickly fixed her hair.

“Are you trying to make him your stepdad?” I asked bluntly.
“Ehh… if I could?!”
“…?”

As Dad began scanning the pool, likely looking for me, his eyes landed on my head peeking above the water. He sighed in relief, nodding politely when the girl shyly waved at him. Then, he walked over to Jin-seok, starting what looked like a serious conversation.

“See you later,” I said to the girl.
“Bye, Si-yoon!”

I dove back underwater, resurfacing between Dad and Jin-seok mid-conversation.

“Ah!” Dad flinched, clearly startled.