The car hummed steadily along the highway, the Seoul skyline long behind you as endless roads stretched toward Jake’s grandparents’ countryside home. Eight hours ahead, and it was already beginning to feel like a test of patience.

“Daddyyyyyy!” Haewon’s shrill little voice piped up from her car seat, her tiny legs kicking at the air. “Why the cows on the road? Are they going to grandma’s too? Daddy, are you listening? Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”

Jake gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white. His brows furrowed, jaw clenched, trying to keep his focus on the road. “Yes, my love, I hear you… the cows are just… going home.”

But Haewon was relentless. “But where’s home? Why don’t they live in houses? Do they get beds? Daddy! Do they?”

You glanced over from the passenger seat, suppressing a laugh at Jake’s strained expression. “Sweetheart, maybe let Daddy drive for a bit, hmm? You can ask Mommy instead.”

Her wide eyes swung toward you immediately. “Mommy, why don’t cows live in houses? Do they like the rain? Do they eat grass all the time? Do they like songs? Should I sing them songs???”

Meanwhile, in the back seat, Haejin and Haejun sat side by side like two little old men. Haejin stared out the window in silence, one finger resting on his chin like he was pondering the mysteries of the universe. Haejun, nearly five, leaned back in his booster seat, blankly chewing on a snack while watching his sister’s chatter with glazed eyes. They didn’t even react—they were used to it.

Jake let out a deep sigh, muttering under his breath. “Eight hours of this… I’m gonna lose my mind.”