Even before he comes barging at my doorstep, the baby's wails can be heard. It's a horrifying sound, like nails on a chalkboard, only non-stop. It cries and cries, not giving a second thought to those around it. With an attempt to drone out the sound, I grab a nearby pillow and hug it securely around my head. It's as if the angels are crying, something inevitable that you can't escape from.

When the doorbell buzzes, I have no choice but to answer it. Grandpa's still not back yet, so I'm on my own for a while. The screeching is louder than ever, as if the baby is waiting right on my doorstep. I fling the door open, and it's as loud as living in a concert arena. "Kim Myungsoo?!" I shriek, lowering the pillow from my head. I look at the baby in his arms. He looks like a mess. "Are you good with babies?" he mumbles desperately. Shoving it into my arms, the baby is instantly quiet. I give a sigh of relief.

He takes his shoes off, and follows me into the house. "Who's this?" I say, lightly rocking the baby.

"Minkyung," he says, sighing. "My cousin. His parents abonded him at my house because they're going on some romantic cruise for their anniversary." Suddenly his eyes go extremely wide, and he runs back outside. After a few minutes, Minkyung is resting safely in my arms, his head on my shoulder. He smells delicious, though I can feel his dribble dripping down my back.

When L returns, he's not alone. Holding onto his hand, is a very dirty looking boy. There's chocolate smeared across his lips, on his green shirt and even a bit in his hair. He also looks extremely familiar. "His brother." He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. "Who I sort of forgot about and left at my house?"

"Y-you!" I shriek, startling the baby in my arms. I shush him quietly.

"Noona!" the boy exclaims, the same strange look on his face. Myungsoo looks from me to the small boy. "You two know each other?"

"Yes," I admit. "Well, sort of." It strikes me that the boy who I confessed to about my 'love' for L is actually his cousin. Please God don't let him talk that much. I tell L about our little encounter when I left the Bear Cafe, meeting a thin, young boy catching snowflakes on his tongue.

"What's your name?" I say, peering down at him.

"Hoon."

I blink twice. "As in our fat kitten...?" I look over at Myungsoo, with a quizzical look on my face, eyebrows raised. He simply shrugs. "It didn't occur to me then. And plus, you chose the name."

I tell the young boy to come in, taking a final look at his face. No wonder he looked so much like Myungsoo. Are all the guys in his family good-looking? Minkyung is finally asleep in my arms, snoring softly. I his thin hair softly, as if I've known him for years. He looks a few months old, maybe over a year.

I lay him gently onto the couch, grabbing another blanket to put over him. Myungsoo sits on the armrest, peering down at Minkyung as if it were a martian. "I'm sorry," he mumbles. "I just can't handle babies. And he seems to like you."

His eyes seem sincere, so I let it slide. "It's okay. Babies are nice. And it was good to see Hoon too," I say, smiling fondly at him holding two pieces of oranges in both hands, standing perfectly still. "He's got a few screws missing, that kid," Myungsoo mumbles in a distant voice.

We sit on either side of the couch, thinking of things to say. "When are his parents due back?"

"Tomorrow evening," he replies, sighing. "I'm really sorry to have bothered you. Is there anything I can do to pay you back?"

A light bulb pops up above my head, as a small smile creeps onto my face.

"You had such a devilish grin on your face earlier, I swore you were going to make me do something more sinister," L grumbles, hoisting the four large shopping bags onto the table. I can only smile, happily. We left at late noon, and now the sun is almost setting, a dark auburn colour in the sky. Two and a half an hours later of Hoon throwing random objects into the cart, Minkyung waking up and crying tons, my weekly groceries and we are finally back home. Myungsoo is wearing the slippers that we bought while shopping. They're blue with a cat's face on it. If I could find Hoon, I'd give him his pair, which are of a monkey.

"Were they heavy?" I mumble lightly, sitting on the stool next to Minkyung. He giggles hysterically as I poke his chubby belly.

"Don't worry, they were only 5 or so kilos," he says in a sarcastic tone. "Did you buy weights, or something?"

I look back at him with my innocent eyes, though I know they won't work with him. "Hoon wanted them."

"I'm sorry," I tell him sincerely. "If they were really heavy, I could've at least carried a few."

He shrugs. "It's fine, it's my payment for you letting me stay over."

I stop tickling Minkyung, and stare back at him, my eyes wide. "Sorry, what?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention, can we stay over?" he says, giving a hopeful grin. I lower my eyes, feeling slightly annoyed. He can't just barge into my house. He can't just barge into my life, stealing my heart. But the look on his face is one of trust. One of hope. I mean, friends help other friends out, right? And it's not like Grandpa's coming home anytime soon... I give a delfated sigh of defeat. "Fine. But we're not sleeping in the same room."

I'm too frightened to even go into my grandfather's study, so I set up a bed for Myungsoo in the living room. After piling a mattress and a quilt over the tiled floor, I throw him two of my pillows. "Hoon can sleep with you, Minkyung can go in my room."

Myungsoo is laying on the bed, his stomach on the matress, and his face in my pillow. Minkyung is next to him, and Hoon somewhere off in a world of mayhem in Narnia. I watch Minkyung roll over cutely, smiling like a mother. "This is going to sound really creepy..." Myungsoo mumbles, his voice muffled by the fluffy pillow. I can barely make out his head. "But this really smells like you."

I blink a few times, stunned. Thankfully, Minkyung saves me from the awkwardness my respone would bring, as a sort of smell fills the air. I sniff. "Minkyung-ah..." I say, my voice wavering. "Did you...?" L must've smelled it too by now, his head in the air. A strange expression crosses his face, before he curls into a human ball on the mattress. "I can't do this," he wails.

I push Minkyung gently over, so he's laying back. With careful hands, I pull his shirt up so I can see his nappy clearer. There's a large bulk that goes almost to his knees, and I try not to be sick. My hands are shaking, as I pull the sticky bits on either end slowly. When it finally opens, I hold my breath.

Before I can even register the horrible scene in my mind, I can feels hands covering my eyes. For a minute I think it's Hoon playing a trick, but then the smooth voice talks gently. "Don't look at his private part," he says gently. "I'll change his diaper. Just don't look."

I give him a nod of assurance, and he releases me. I keep my eyes closed, occasionally bumping into objects that I believe are the couch and kitchen counter. I finally hit a wall, and stay there, like 'it' when playing hide and seek. I can hear the sound of L holding his breathe, Minkyung's baby-ish giggles, the diaper being put on. Even when I try to block out the smell, it's stuck in the atmostphere like smoke. "You can open your eyes now," Myungsoo says. When I turn around, Minkyung's on the bed, and a white nappy with the hint of brown is hanging by L's finger. He goes outside to dispose of it in the other bins, maybe keeping it out will stop the smell.

I breathe a sigh of relief. It's only me and the small baby left in the room, and I look over at him with a frown. "What have your parents been feeding you?" I say, pouting.

When L comes back, he immediately plops down onto the small mattress and presses my pink pillow onto his face, falling onto the mattress with a thud. As I walk away from the living room, I can see a hint of where Hoon's 'weirdness' came from. I go around looking for the strange boy, peeking through my bedroom and in the hallways.

I eventually find him in the toilet, the door wide open as he stares at the tap dripping. "Hey, Hoon," I say, smiling.

"Noona, is Myungsoo Hyung the guy you liked?"

His bluntess shocks me, and for a few seconds, I'm rendered speechless. "Um...no."

"Who was it then?" he whispers.

He turns the tap off, and comes up to the threshold where I'm standing. The look of innocence in his shrill hazel eyes are electrifying. I crouch down to reach his eye-level. "You're very mature for your age," I tell him.

"I'm already six. How old are you?"

"Almost eighteen. You still remember me even though I'm not wearing my bear costume?"

"I liked it better than what you're wearing now." I instinctively look down at what I'm wearing. It's a plain grey, striped long-sleeve that I got two years ago, along with pink sweats and my bunny slippers. "Do you miss your mummy, Hoon?" I mumur.

"Not really. You're very nice too."

I laugh, patting his head. When I rise, I feel much taller. "You're a gentleman," I say, with a glint in my eyes. "Your Hyung will look after you tonight."

I hold onto the back of his head, as we walk back into the living room, where Myungsoo is staring at Minkyung, who has tears in his eyes. "You left me with him," he wails, pouting.

"You need to hold him," I say, rolling my eyes. I pick him up off the bed gently, swaying a little to calm him down. I kiss his forehead, and soon, he's snoring softly.

"Can all girls do that?" he says.

"Do what?"

"Calm babies," he says, sounding like a little kid. I turn around, but Hoon's already disappeared. I frown. He can't have gone far, my house isn't large enough to get lost in.

"Do all boys stare at babies like they're aliens?" I say with a smirk. He blushes, and I savour the moment.


After the sun has set, the sky is a deep shade. My eyes droop lazily, and I suddenly feel very tired. It's difficult looking after children, especially two of them. I'm still holding Minkyung in my arms, when images float by my mind. I close my eyelids slowly, breathing in and out. In and out. Light falls through the windows, onto a daisy. Bare legs in the warmth of the sun. There is no remainder of snow, there is only heat. My body feels warm and tingly and nice. The stars seem to twinkle brightly, but all I see is the blinding light.

Suddenly I feel a rustle, and I'm snapped out of my dream. I don't open my eyes, but someone is taking Minkyung out of my arms. Someone is draping a blanket over my frail arms, tucking me in. The warmth is brighter than ever now, but it's a good thing. I go so blind with the brightness that it turns dark, but it's okay. It's okay because it means someone cares. It's a strange thought, but I have a feeling that that someone is him.

so this was boring...
and I got sponsored by avance yay! but this korean training camp thing is in a different country and I probably won't go so no yay
and i almost forgot

YAY FOR AYSHIENJULIE

to make up for her embarrassment here is another shoutout.