Every night when I come home from work, I have to say 다녀왔습니다 (danyowatsumnida, a polite way of saying "I'm home") twice. Once to my mom when she greets me at the door, and to my dad, who is glued to the TV. I've resented having to do that mainly because I felt like he was trying to assert his patriarchal power. He doesn't come to the door; I must come to him.
One may think that he doesn't hear me come in. That's impossible, I assure you. The door slams shut very loudly even if I try to be careful, and when I press the button to unlock the door it makes loud beeping noises. So there's virtually no chance that he can't hear me.
He does little at home... at least to my knowledge. Grant it he watches the stock market all day and we live off the profit he makes, but it's not like he's actually out there working. House chores are, of course, delegated to my mom. Ever since my father's mother came to live with us her workload seems to have doubled. Dad helps, I admit, but I doubt he does as much as my mom.
Last night I was feeling especially resentful and I ignored him.
I didn't really think of it much until my mom came to my room and asked me if I said hi to dad. I asked sarcastically, "oh was he home?"
When I came to the dinner table I had to say hi, and when I did, dad stared at me wordlessly. I asked if anything was wrong. After a long pause he said no.
For a person with balls, my dad can be a little bitch sometimes.
My dad asked me if I didn't see him. I lied and said that I didn't see him the first time. Appeased, he tried to be all friendly again. He talks a lot when he tries to uplift the mood. I didn't say much at the table, if not at all. I wanted to show him how much it sucks when he sits at the table all sulking, but I doubt that he saw my point.
It's so natural for me and my mom to try to please dad. He's been taking it for granted. And now that he's, let's face it, jobless, he feels like he needs to solidify his status in the family as the alpha male. The head of the family. This is what I hate.
I'm all for paying respects to my elders. One of the things I absolutely hated when my house was filled with homestay students was how disrespectful they were towards my parents.
But whenever my dad acts like a dick I just want to punch him in the face. I'm not joking. He once threatened me with a golf club. Why not I?
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