Son,

Before you wake up,
I dress for work
and put on a red apron.

When you, my two-year-old, wake and come out of your room,
you touch the apron and ask,

"What’s this?"
“It’s an apron,” I reply.

“Daddy’s skirt?”
“No, it’s an apron.”

“Daddy’s skirt?”
“No, it’s an apron.”

“Daddy’s skirt?”
...“Yes, it’s Daddy’s skirt.”

You smile bashfully.
I feel a dip in my testosterone levels,
an odd sensation.

After dropping you off at daycare,

I navigated the 4-4 car of a crowded 3-line subway
bound for Ogeum,
finally finding a seat among the throng.

At Shinyongsan Station,

I rush to tag in on time,
pushing the heavy company door open and racing to my desk
—no time to waste.

Once seated,
I must send a brand introduction
to a new client today.

I visit the company website for reference,
and the first thing I see on the homepage
is the phrase,

"We make a more beautiful world."

I've pondered
what beauty means,
but I’ve never questioned
what “world” means...

The world...
What is the world...

Yes,
I know the world
isn’t far away.

When you, my two-year-old,
fall asleep in my arms,
I know this.

I understand that the world
is slumbering within them.

When you, my two-year-old,
run into my arms,
I know this.

I realize the world
is nestled in my chest.

When you, my two-year-old,
jump around excitedly,
I know this.

I see the world growing...

and I brace myself
for a potential complaint from the downstairs neighbors.

The world isn't far away.

I realize that the world is everything
beside me right at this moment.

If I had held the heavy door
for the person behind me at Shinyongsan Station,
the world would have already been a more beautiful place.

If I offered my seat to the struggling person
in car 4-4 of the Ogeum-bound Line 3 subway,
the world would become more beautiful through that simple act.

The world is here,
right now,
in this crowded subway car 4-4.

The world is right now
in this Shinyongsan office
where my colleagues work alongside me.

The world is right now
in our cozy 24-pyeong home
where you and your mother are.

That world is the mission God has given me.

A world
he has allowed me
to beautify and enhance.

A better world
isn't made later
or somewhere distant.

It's made here and now,
in this moment and place.
It is only through having you that I came to understand this.

So, my son,

For my world,
I wear this apron with pride.

I am not
merely washing dishes or doing laundry.
I am making the world a better place.

With that in mind,

Daddy's skirt?
Daddy's apron.
Yes, Daddy's skirt.

I feel a surge of testosterone.

My son,
my world,

Even though it troubles me to leave my world
in someone else's hands as I head to work each day,
I ask her to take good care of my world.

And I pledge to treat
the worlds of others with care,
on my commute,
during my workday,
and on my way home.

At the same time,
I remind myself
that I am part of someone else’s world, too,
and vow to take good care of myself.

I hope you will do the same.

With love,
From Dad.