When I Was Presumed Dead, They Became Unhinged Unknowingly - Chapter 34

It’s been quite some time since I met Mika. Although I know it’s not ideal, the more I become friends with her, the more I realize she’s becoming dependent on me. To maintain a moderate distance, I’ve been subtly trying to find out about her relationship with her father, but every time, I’m met with laughter and evasion.

However, a few days ago, when she mumbled “Dad, Mom” in her sleep, I thought that she wanted to mend things with her father. Now that I’m convinced that I won’t be futilely trying to mediate between her and her father, I can finally start taking action.

She doesn’t invite me over when her father comes home. I used this to my advantage and waited in front of her house for her father to arrive. I had to wait until quite late, but around 11 PM, her father finally showed up.

Initially perplexed when he saw me, he responded openly when I explained that I was a friend of his daughter’s and wanted to talk. We moved to a nearby family restaurant, where I discussed Mika’s feelings and asked about his own.

“I also want to get along with my daughter. However, I don’t know how to approach her after leaving her alone for so long. I’ve been avoiding her because I ran away from her.”

He began to open up little by little as he spoke. It seems that when Mika was little, on her birthday, her mother passed away in a traffic accident. Both the father and Mika were immersed in deep sorrow, and that day was far from a celebration.

He left the housework to maids and drowned himself in work to mask the sadness of losing his wife. As the years passed, and the grief of losing his wife gradually faded, he no longer knew how to approach his daughter.

He carried a guilt of causing her loneliness, a sense of helplessness in not being able to do housework properly, and because of the lack of proper communication, he didn’t even know how to bridge the gap with his daughter. He was unaware of where Mika went every night, and while he knew, he tried to stop her, but at this point, he couldn’t suddenly play the role of a father.

Feeling that he had no choice but to wait for her to become an adult and leave the house, he was relieved that I took the initiative to approach him.

“If you hadn’t come to me like this, I might have regretted it for the rest of my life, unable to make up my mind. Thank you so much.”

“No, thank you for listening to the whims of a child like me. I just acted with a childish idea that it would be great if my friend and her dad could get along.”

“That’s not true. Your actions gave me courage, and I’m grateful.”

Certainly, my actions were driven by some self-interest, but I’m glad that her father has made up his mind.

“Well, I have something I need to talk to my daughter about, so I should head back soon.”

“Right. I hope I can hear from her that everything went well.”

“I’ll do my best.”

With that, he left the family restaurant after paying the bill.