Why am I the Princess?

I, Kang Han-seong, surrender to capital.

Dad stood there, carefully holding two Norwegian Forest kittens in his arms as if he were afraid they might shatter if he held them too tightly. His movements were delicate as he gently stroked one kitten’s tiny head with his index finger.

“The spotted one is the little sister, Beta, and the white one is the little brother, Alpha.”
“Who’s older?”

“They say Alpha was born first.”

At a glance, they looked far too luxurious to be ordinary cats. I stared intently at Alpha and Beta, studying them.

“How much did they cost?”
“Huh? Oh, I got them from Aunt Ji-eun.”

I shot Dad a skeptical look. He wasn’t the type to spend money just to keep a couple of pretty cats.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Just then, I noticed Alpha sucking on my small finger, mistaking it for milk.

“Cute.”

Dad’s expression melted into a puddle as he watched Alpha sucking on my finger.

“Wow… as cute as Si-yoon…”

He quickly whipped out his phone and started snapping pictures.

“As cute as me?”
“Yeah!”

Watching Dad fawn over the kittens, I couldn’t help but tease him.

“Eh, not quite.”
“…Is that so? Haha…”

When I saw Dad’s reaction and made to stand up, he panicked and hugged me tightly.

“To me, of course, our Si-yoon is the prettiest!”

I squinted at him, still held in his arms.

“…?”
“…Sorry.”

I watched Dad, who was more nervous than I’d ever seen him. His leg was bouncing restlessly—a first. He stared intently at a watermelon-colored chart on his phone, refreshing YouTube over and over. His expression, though tense, looked like it could explode with happiness at any moment.

“Dad.”
“Yeah!?”

His flushed face turned toward me, his eyes still darting between me and the phone.

“You look like a pervert.”
“…What?”

Dad’s face twisted in shock. His voice trembled as he stammered a response.

“D-Do I… look like a pervert?”
“Not now, but just a second ago, you looked like someone peeking under a skirt.”
“…..”

Realizing the gravity of my words, he scrambled to grab a mirror and inspect his face.

“Just kidding.”
“…You’re really kidding, right?”
“Yeah.”

By then, it seemed like Dad’s new song had gone live. He hurriedly turned back to his phone. His earlier “perverted” expression returned, his face lighting up with excitement.

On YouTube’s real-time premiere, Dad’s song hit a jaw-dropping 30 million concurrent viewers. The music video featured Dad dressed in a tracksuit, walking alone along a dark, desolate path while singing.

A moment later, he spotted me. He knelt down as he approached, gently wrapping me in his arms. Holding me close, he continued to walk through the darkness, his gaze fixed ahead as the surroundings began to brighten.

The screen shifted from black-and-white to vibrant color, and Dad’s outfit transformed. The scene around him filled with various instruments and photos of us together.

Dad’s expression was resolute, as though clutching onto a lifeline, as he carried me in his arms and began to walk forward. The path he walked was filled with hope.

There weren’t any standout highlights in the song, but the audience’s response was explosive. The music video concluded with a shot of me sneaking a glance at the camera.

“—Is she Jiho’s daughter?”
“—Whoa, is that baby’s beauty even real?”
“—Is it okay to call a baby beautiful?”
“—Wow… with parents who are both stunning, she got the best of both worlds.”
“—Unbelievable…”
“—The contrast between the baby’s voice and Jiho’s husky voice is amazing. It’s perfect.”
“—Jiho’s voice sounds so much huskier now.”

As I scrolled through the comments, I rested my chin in my hand and smugly declared,
“I’m so pretty~ Beauty is my weapon~”

“…Where did you hear that song?” Dad asked.

“I dunno.”

Dad, who always dominated the Watermelon charts, wore a proud smile as his song once again shot up the rankings. Meanwhile, I kept scrolling through the comments on the chart page.

“Wow, Dad’s a genius.”
“Not compared to my Si-yoon~”
“You’ve got a point there.”

His briefly inflated ego deflated with my remark, returning him to reality.

“…..”

Sliding off his lap, I stretched and announced, “Time for bed.”

“Huh? It’s only 6 p.m.,” he said, glancing at the clock.

“Beauties need plenty of sleep.”

“…Alright, let’s go to bed.”

Dad lifted me onto his bed and wrapped his arms around me. This routine, now four years old, felt oddly comforting—whether out of habit or a subconscious craving for the warmth of family, I couldn’t tell.

Some time later, the doorbell rang, waking Dad from his sleep. Groggily, he answered his phone.

“Hello,” he murmured, his voice thick with sleep.

A woman’s voice replied on the other end.

“—Oh, were you sleeping? This is Dayeon’s mom~”
“Ah… yes, ma’am. What’s the matter?”
“—Dayeon wanted to see Si-yoon. I called earlier this morning but couldn’t reach you…”
“What time is it…?”
“—It’s 10 a.m.”

Checking his phone, Dad realized we had slept for about 15 hours and froze in shock.

“Oh… uh, you’re outside? Just a moment.”

He hung up, turned to me, and gently shook me awake.

“Si-yoon, wake up. Dayeon’s here.”

Still in my pajamas and wrapped in the warmth of my blanket, I groaned at the sudden chill in the air and burrowed deeper. Watching me, Dad got up and started moving.

“Where are you going?” I mumbled sleepily.

“Dayeon’s here,” he said simply.
“Hah… That mother-daughter duo is such a bother~”
“Hey, you can’t say things like that.”

“Okay.”

Dad unlocked the door remotely with his phone, splashed water on his face, and quickly dried his hair before throwing on some fresh clothes.

“Si-yoon, you need to change too,” he called over his shoulder.

Rolling over on the bed, I grumbled,
“Too much work.”
“Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Less embarrassed than when I wear the stuff you buy.”

“…..”

I was wearing my bear-themed pajamas, a floppy, loose-fitting outfit that sagged like a flying squirrel. Though I’d disliked it initially, it had grown on me for its comfort. As the door opened, Kim Sun-hwa walked in, her arms loaded with clothes for me.

“Si-yoon!!!”

Dayeon called for me the moment she entered. Still wrapped in my blanket, I shuffled out to greet her. Dad greeted Kim Sun-hwa, hugged Dayeon, and then noticed me dragging my blanket along.

“Si-yoon, leave the blanket behind.”

“Okay…”

Reluctantly, I abandoned my blanket, rubbed my eyes, and shuffled out in my fluttering pajamas. Bowing to greet Dayeon’s mom, the hood of my pajamas fell over my head.