"Honey. You must be worn out."

"You've come home from work yourself, and you must be tired. You don't have to come out like this every time."

"That wouldn't do. If I greeted you from inside my room, what would the children learn?"

Gyeong-eun Lee had welcomed Seong-ho Kim home from work gladly. Their son had come out beside her, and she put a light hand on his head and said,

"Say hello to your father."

"Daddy. Welcome home."

Dong-min Kim, Seong-ho Kim's son, set one hand over the other at his waist and made Seong-ho Kim a demure little bow.

And from Gyeong-eun Lee's arms Seo-yeon Kim had been watching her mother and her brother, and she ducked her head too.

Seong-ho Kim looked at his son and his daughter with quiet pleasure and opened his arms to gather all three of them in.

"Daddy. You've come in from outside, so you have to wash your hands first."

"All right, all right. I'll go and wash them, and then you have to give Daddy a kiss."

"Mom."

Dong-min Kim's face crumpled, and he turned to Gyeong-eun Lee for help.

Gyeong-eun Lee stroked her son's head lightly and laughed.

"Your father's been out working hard. You should give him a kiss."

"Can't you do it twice, Mom? Mine as well as yours?"

"No, she can't. She can't. To cover Dong-min's share, Mom would have to give me ten kisses."

"What was that? You mean my kiss is worth less than Dong-min's?"

"Of course it is. How could yours compare with our son's? Our son's kiss is worth more, naturally."

"Hmph. Is that really how it is?"

Dong-min Kim had just been told his kiss counted for more than his mother's, and he looked from his mother to his father and back. Then he broke into a bright smile and said,

"All right. I'll do it, then. I'll give Daddy a kiss."

"Unnnh—"

Seo-yeon Kim had no words yet. She heard it all from her mother's arms and put a hand out toward Seong-ho Kim.

It was her way of saying…