6 years later,

“Mummy! Mummy!”

Bom opened her eyes to the most beautiful creature she has ever saw. He was jumping on her bed urging her to wake up and all she wanted to do was hug him to sleep.

“What do you want baby?” She kissed his temple. “It’s still early.”

Bom was exhausted from work, house shores, being a mother and all the drama in between. She needed any extra sleeping minute.

Seungri took her hand to make her get up, as if his little strength can do so. “Chaerin is crying mum.”

Bom jolted upright as if she’s been electroshocked. “Did you bully your sister, Seungri?”

“No, I swear!” He made that hand signal thing he always did when he wanted to swear.

Bom fastened her steps toward her daughter fearing she was sick. She just got out of a fever, she can’t possibly get ill this quickly, right?

Chaerin was curled in a ball at the corner, tears her little adorable cheeks. Bom’s heart squeezed at the sight –in a very bad way. She couldn’t bear seeing any of her children in such a state.

Bom crouched by her side, “What is it baby girl?”

“Seungri, you little tittle tat!” Chaerin screamed at her brother and he turned his head pretending like he wasn’t there.

“Didn’t we agree there are no secrets in our little circle?” Bom Chaerin’s cheeks making the tears go away. “Talk to mummy, baby.”

Chaerin looked at her with those sad eyes that made Bom’s heart flip outside of its place, “I don’t want to h-hart you mummy.”

“It’s ‘hurt’ not ‘hart’,” Bom corrected her daughter’s little girl’s speech. “And if you don’t tell me, I will be more hurt.”

Her daughter looked at the ground when she spoke, “Yesterday, Jiseok said that I and Seungri don’t have a daddy because mummy is a bad woman.”

“I will push Jiseok from the swing!” Seungri exclaimed coming near them.

“No,” Bom reprimanded him with a stern look. “No pushing other kids, do you understand?”

Seungri kept his eyes away defiantly trying to keep the decision in his little mind. Bom sat him on her lap. “Do you understand?” Bom repeated more firmly.

“But she was talking bad about you.” He pouted. “I want to protect mummy.”

Bom smiled at him. “You can’t protect me by being a bad boy. Let mummy take care of it, okay?”

Seungri was still unconvinced but he nodded.

Chaerin instinctively wanted to sit on the other side of Bom’s lap and Bom held her children in her embrace kissing each on the head.

“Can’t Uncle Vincent become our dad?” Chaerin asked.

“No, dummy, he’s mummy’s friend not our dad.” Seungri said.

“Shut up idiot!” Chaerin said going straight for his hair to pull it and Seungri swung his leg trying to kick her. Bom had to keep her hands between them to stop them from killing each other. Their everyday life was bickering and lots of bickering. There wasn’t a single day without fights.

“Chaerin apologise to your brother.” Bom scolded.

“I am sorry,” She said insincerely.

Bom nodded anyway and turned to Seungri, “Now, you apologise to your sister for calling her a dummy.”

“I am sorry.” Seungri murmured.

“Mummy, can’t Uncle Vincent become our daddy?” Charin insisted and Seungri gave her a glare but didn’t say anything. Probably because Bom shook her head at him.

“Seungri is right, he’s my dear friend. He can’t be your daddy.”

“But is daddy going to come?” Chaerin asked.

It was at times like these that Bom hated being a single mother. She didn’t want her children to be picked at in the kindergarten. She didn’t know how to answer their innocent curious questions. She wished she could erase the ‘daddy’ word from their heads. The mor