Chapter 7: Fox and Dog Friends

However, the two parents remained cautious. After exchanging a suspicious glance, they stepped sideways to stand in front of the three children.
“Um, may I ask what this is about?”

Lee Soo-man’s smile didn’t waver, as if he hadn’t noticed the wary look in the parents’ eyes. He said, “Both kids are very talented. Do you plan for them to enter the entertainment industry in the future?”

Han Lanjie and Lee Jin’s expressions relaxed a little, but entertainers?

Even Han Lanjie, who secretly considered this possibility, wasn’t ready to decide her children’s futures at such a young age. And Lee Jin, who only wished her child a healthy and happy life, was even less inclined.

“Let’s wait until the kids are a little older and see what they want themselves.” With a smile, Han Lanjie accepted Lee Soo-man’s business card though her tone clearly conveyed polite refusal.

Lee Soo-man wasn’t disappointed by their refusal. Since deciding to start his entertainment company, he had resolved to learn from the Japanese idol group model. He needed not only mature performers ready to debut in the next couple of years but also many young children with sustainable potential for the future. That’s why, for the past six months, he’d been like a peculiar uncle, watching these kids every day.

In these six months, it wasn’t the first time he had been refused by the parents of talented kids. He understood that leaving an early impression of S/M on these talented children was beneficial.

“Cast a wide net, catch more fish” you can’t go wrong with that.

Meanwhile, Eun and Gwon Jiyong had no idea what their moms and the man were discussing and honestly, they didn’t care about grown-up conversations.

Once home, Eun immediately “directed” her mom to place the big red fox doll among her many toys.
“Here, here! Mom, put it here!”

She squatted beside her bed, and the small group of toys was soon surrounded by the new addition.
“Put Foxie on the doggy side so they can play together!”

The red fox’s two small legs were hooked by the tails of two little dog dolls, and its dangling arms seemed to hug the two dogs.

Tilting her head, Eun posed the toys and finally nodded in satisfaction.
“Foxie and doggy have to get along well, okay?”

Lee Jin shook her head helplessly and couldn’t help but joke,
“Is this what they call ‘fox friends and dog friends’?”

Eun looked at Lee Jin, puzzled, blinking in confusion. Fox? Friend? Dog? Friend?

“Fox friends and dog friends?” Eun turned to the toys and imitated Lee Jin, saying,
“You guys are the best fox friends and dog friends!”

Lee Jin shook her head again, but a smile crept into her eyes. This kid was smart from the start.

Whatever adults said, she remembered quickly. She wondered if it was inherited from her dad…

Thinking of this, her smile suddenly faded. She shook her head to get that “dog thing” out of her mind.

“Eun, play here by yourself. Mom is going to cook some food for you.”

Eun nodded and chatted with her little fox and dog dolls as if playing house,
“Yes! Red fox, black doggy, you’re fox… fox-dog friends!”

Just as Lee Jin was leaving, she shook her head again: smart, but forgetful.

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, this idiom came out of Gwon Jiyong’s mouth. He was holding a soft, sticky rice cake, his mouth messy with cake, making “awoo awoo” sounds while circling Aunt Lee Jin, who was placing flowers on every table.

“Auntie… what does ‘fox-dog friends’ mean?” He swallowed the rice cake in his mouth and looked curiously at the gentle auntie with long hair draped over her shoulders. “Eun just said that she and I are fox-dog friends.”

Lee Jin stopped arranging the flowers. The little boy in front of her had his hair styled into a spiky tuft stuck up with gel because of today’s kindergarten performance. His pure eyes were as clear as a puppy’s.

“Ah… Eun said you’re ‘fox-fox dog friends’?” Lee Jin felt a bit guilty. Daughter, what on earth are you talking about!?

Hearing her name, Eun finally pulled her head out from the osmanthus cake, blinking her big watery eyes confidently and seriously nodding, “Jiyong, you’re silly. I told you we’re friends like a fox and a puppy  kiyo friends!”

She sighed. Jiyong really was clueless despite being older than her.

Looking at Lee Jin’s serious expression, Jiyong nodded thoughtfully and asked, “Is ‘fox-dog friends’ a Chinese idiom?”

“Yes, yes. But it’s fox friends and dog friends, not ‘fox-dog friends’…” Lee Jin awkwardly rubbed her nose and explained the meaning of fox peng gou you to Jiyong, worried that with his sensitive mind, he might think Eun was mocking him again.

She couldn’t help but glare at Eun, who was completely oblivious. This kid was smart from the start, too smart!

Better to just let it slide; the kids would probably forget in a couple of days. It’s okay, it’s okay!

“Thank you, Auntie, I get it now! Eun and I will always be fox friends and dog friends!” Jiyong’s eyes lit up as if absorbing knowledge, silently repeating the idiom twice in his mind. This was the first Chinese idiom he’d ever learned.

He was proud! He had to brag to his kindergarten friends! At such a young age, he’d already learned a Chinese four-character idiom that even his mom didn’t know. Awesome!

Lee Jin waved her hands anxiously, “Ah… ahaha, no need, no need.”

A few days later, Lee Jin numbingly listened as kids coming into the store occasionally said “fox friends and dog friends.” Her once gentle smile finally broke.

A few days later, when kindergarten ended, a child held a parent’s hand and clearly said the phrase “preference for boys over girls.” Then, asking her in Korean, “In China, do boys really do the hard work while girls do the easy jobs?” she couldn’t help but pull the innocent-looking Eun into the kitchen and asked, “Eun! What idiom did you tell Jiyong this time?”

Eun was lifted by the scruff of her neck like a little kitten, blinking in confusion. Her two little pigtails swung twice as she confidently and proudly said, “Mom, I’m a good kid, I’m very considerate. That day Jiyong said his mom was very tired, and I told him, don’t worry, until death do us part.”

“It’s ‘considerate’ not ‘consider’… And Eun, what does ‘until death do us part’ mean?” Lee Jin put Eun down on her lap with a gentle smack, her hand unconsciously resting on Eun’s bottom.

Eun was oblivious and thought Mom was testing her again. Her little tummy pressed against Mom’s thigh, she turned her head with proud eyes, “When you die, then you get to rest!”

Lee Jin wanted to cry but had no tears. She shouldn’t have been afraid Eun would forget her Chinese after coming to Korea, so she let her watch those movies and TV dramas she had bought. After watching once, Eun learned to use the CD player to play TV by herself!

Now, fine, her Chinese hasn’t slipped, but it isn’t good either!

“Looks like Eun really needs to get a kindergarten diploma first.” Lee Jin lifted her hand and finally moved it from Eun’s perky little bottom up to her two little flower-shaped buns on her head, tied like Nezha’s. “Eun, if you see words you don’t understand, come ask Mom, don’t guess by yourself!”

Otherwise, if Eun uses her natural confidence to teach Jiyong Chinese, and Jiyong, who likes to say everything he hears, spreads it around, a confident little illiterate combined with a boastful chatterbox would be enough to contaminate the minds of all the kids in Itaewon who should be filled with knowledge.

If this continues, Eun wouldn’t just be the culprit distorting Chinese culture abroad but also a stumbling block for Korean kids’ learning.

The kindergarten plan, which hadn’t seemed urgent, was suddenly put on the agenda. Lee Jin solemnly looked at three kindergarten enrollment brochures laid out before her.

Itaewon is one of Korea’s more prosperous areas; there are several kindergartens nearby. Compared to others, these three are the best.

One is a kindergarten for overseas Chinese, run by Taiwanese compatriots, moderately priced. The teachers mainly communicate in Chinese and teach some simple Chinese writing, though in traditional characters.

Another is a private international kindergarten in Korea, bilingual in English and Korean, with good meals, lots of activities, and much to learn. The only downside is it’s expensive too expensive. Thinking about the money she currently had, if she enrolled Eun here and paid for ballet lessons, she’d probably have to tighten her belt.

The third was the kindergarten both children from the Kwon family had attended. It had good facilities and teachers, and the price was cheap; Koreans could even get tuition waived. But since she wasn’t a Korean citizen, she couldn’t enjoy this benefit. The best part: Jiyong still had half a year left there, so Eun would have a companion.

Lee Jin agonized over the decision each kindergarten had its merits, and she just couldn’t decide. Eun sighed, watching Mom flip through the three brochures for a long time. Bored, she made a walking motion with her hands, “da da da,” from the side of the table to the top. “Mom, pay attention to me?”

“Eun, Mom’s busy right now. Can you go play by yourself?” She patted Eun’s head. “Or maybe help Mom arrange the little stools?”

Eun immediately sat up straight, raised her hand to her forehead as if swearing an oath, “Okay!”

The little girl carried stools about her size, placing them neatly one by one. Occasionally, she stood aside to inspect her “work,” nodding with satisfaction like an experienced worker. “Mm, Eun did a really good job, even neater than Mom’s!”

Her self-entertaining manner made Lee Jin feel both comforted and a bit tearful. At just three years old, suddenly thrown into a completely unfamiliar environment, aside from crying and fussing for Dad and friends when leaving China, and after Mom also cried but comforted her, Eun hadn’t complained again.

After looking through the kindergarten brochures once more, Lee Jin finally rested her hand on the last one.

Chinese and English can be learned when she’s older. At this age, the most important thing is for her to happily play and make friends.