“Soojin, breakfast is ready!” I heard mom calling me from downstairs.

Ooh, breakfast sounds good. I wasted no time stepping down the stairs and went straight to the kitchen. Mom smiled her usual “morning, honey!” smile and I smiled back. Taking a seat on my usual place on my dining chair, I noticed dad came down from his room and went straight to the kitchen to see mom. He smiled like an idiot when he saw mom.  Tch, typical dad.

I tried to ignore them being all lovey dovey with each other as I usually do but sometimes they’re too much. I’m only 8 for goodness’ sake. Mom placed the plate of pancakes in front of me and I quickly gorge down the food. What can I say, pancakes are my most favourite breakfast meal ever. I love mom for making this. Sometimes when she’s not looking, I add a little bit more maple syrup than she lets us have. Maple syrup goes so well with pancakes.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see mom frantically trying to pack our lunch while dad leans against the counter. It seems like they’re having a conversation. I could make out a few things but that was because I had years of practice.

“Jongin, don’t forget to repair the sink in Soojin’s room. It leaks every time you use it and I don’t want her slipping on the floor.”

“Sure.”

“And In Soo has to get his shots tomorrow so be sure to arrive at the clinic early or the place will be packed and you’ll be late for work.”

“Alright.”

“And-“

“Soojung, relax. I have it all under control.”

I saw mom took a deep breath and dad brought her in for a hug and kisses her again. Blerghh. I looked at In Soo who was happily playing with his food on his special chair, the one that I used to sit on.

“Ugh, you’re so lucky to not be able to understand this.”

He ignored me and went straight back to his food. His pancakes were a mess. It is such a waste to let him eat pancakes. His pancakes should be given to me. My stomach will take great care of it. I looked at my plate and realize that my plate is clean. Guess, I have to get up and take a refill.

I walked to the kitchen, holding my plate hoping mom would take pity on me and let me have some more. But then I walked in and saw them still kissing and they still didn’t notice me who was standing right in front of them. I was getting annoyed and my stomach was screaming for more so I tugged mom’s shirt with my free hand, hoping they would stop eating each other’s face and put their attention on me.

“Mom!”

They stopped abruptly and finally turned their heads to me, their cheeks tinted pink. Yeah, they should be embarrassed for doing that in front of me.  But instead of coming to my aid, mom yelled In Soo’s name and went to him. I grunted and dad chuckled.

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“Can I have more pancakes, daddy?” I asked with my special sweet voice that dad will never say no to. He smiled and quickly took some of the stacks of pancake and put it on my plate.

“Thank you!” I ran back to my seat and gorged down on the pancakes. Man, they taste so heavenly. Mom’s pancakes are the best! I felt someone ruffling my hair and saw it was mom. She smiled and kissed my head then In Soo’s. Then I heard the sound of honking. Mom quickly rushed to get her bags and dad went to her aid. I picked up In Soo and followed them.

She was all ready in her winter coat and her scarf and she kissed all of us (she kissed dad the longest) and was ready to leave when I called her.

“Mom!” She turned back to me.

“What is it, honey?”

“You’ll be back for New Year’s Eve, right?”

She smiled and kissed me on the forehead.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

With a last wave, she disappeared into the taxi. Dad ushered us in saying it was cold outside and we’d get sick but I know it was hard on him to see mom leave.

~**~**~**~**~**~

“Hey Soojin!”

I saw Sehun waved at me and I waved back. When we were younger, mom always told me how I was the one who was so excited when I see him. Now, the tables have turned. It’s his turn to feel excited when he sees me because that’s just the way it is and everyone is always excited to see me.

“Is your mom working again?” he asked as soon as I got to his side.

“Yeah, this time she has to stay there.”

“Stay at work?”

“Yes.”

“Like at the office?”

“I don’t know, maybe.”

He shuddered. I looked at him weirdly.

“I feel bad for your mom.”

“Why?”

“Imagine if we have to sleep at school.”

I shuddered too at the image of that. I love school and all but I prefer to be in my bed with dad reading me a bedtime story than sleeping at school.

“Are you mad at her?”

“I was but she made pancakes so I can’t be mad at her. Plus she said she’d be back in time for New Year’s Eve so I don’t think I should.”

He shrugged and asked me about the homework the teacher gave us the other day. Typical Sehun, always forgetting homeworks until the last minute.

It hadn’t been long since mom started working again. She stopped when she had me but then a year after In Soo was born, she said she wants to go to work again. Dad always said that she didn’t need to work and his job has it covered for all of us but mom insisted. I didn’t really think about it much at the time because I was young (6 year olds are still babies), but when mom starts going out more often, I felt a bit lonely.

Mom wasn’t there to pick me up anymore. She rarely packs my lunch the way she used to; with everything scrambled into words or cute sentences. Now, my food is just, well, a pile of food. No more of those cute animal shaped or heart shaped food.  I miss mom but she looks so happy when she came home so I don’t want to ruin that.

As long as mom is happy, right?

~**~**~**~**~**~

It was late at night when dad came home.

Aunt Sulli and Sehun went home a long time ago. I pretended to sleep so that Aunt Sulli won’t bother waiting anymore. I may have dozed off a few times but I was still awake by the time dad came home. Every time mom has to work overnight, dad would be all depressed and keeps on drinking those dark red drinks that they told me not to have until I was older.

He would sit on his chair and stared at the papers on his desk and sometimes, he would cry. On nights when I feel a little bit too charged like this, I like to watch my dad and hopes he noticed me watching him. Because when he does, he would stop moping and always tell me to come into his arms, which I always do because dad’s hugs are so warm unlike mom’s. When she hugs me, it always felt like a skeleton was trying to strangle me. Mom was too thin for her own good and she doesn’t even try.

That night, my dad was talking to his phone. He was all smiles and his eyes didn’t look sad at all. I figured he was talking to mom. I prepared my ear to eavesdrop on their conversation. It took me years of training to get my ears to be this keen. I had to do this because if I don’t, nobody would tell me anything. I like to think of it as my own special power. But it has a down side too because some nights, I always hear someone screaming very quietly from my parent’s bedroom. I wasn’t able to sleep when I hear that because I thought aliens were trying to take over my parents and kill us all. But the next day, they were all smiles and being more lovey dovey with each other and I figured I was just being silly.

Anyways, I tried my best to listen to what dad was saying to mom.

“How was New York?”

“….”

“It’s great to hear you’re having fun.”

“….”

“What’s bothering you, Soojung?”

“….”

“You can’t be home on New Year’s Eve?”

“….”

The rest was a blur when I heard my dad said mom won’t be home tomorrow. I couldn’t think of anything else as I ran down the stairs and snatched the phone from my dad’s hands.

“But mom you promised!” I wailed.

“Soojin-“

“You said you were going to be here on New Year’s Eve!”

“I do want to be with you but-“

“You always promise but you don’t do it.”

“Soojin, I-“

“Forget it mom. I hate you!”

I dropped the phone and ran back to my room. I cried and screamed to my pillow. I hate mom for making her job more important than me! I thought she loved me! Why would she break her promise? Is being at her office better than being with me? I screamed those words until I could no longer cry. I didn’t know when I fell asleep but I could feel dad tucked me in and kissed me goodnight.

~**~**~**~**~**~

It was snowing outside.

I kept peeking through the window to see if mom would be home. It was finally New Year’s Eve and my anger towards mom has cooled down. I didn’t talk to her every time she calls just to prove my point. If she loves work so much then she should just stay there and never comes home.

“Nana! Nana!” I turned around to see In Soo walking towards me. “Play! Play!”

“No, In Soo. I don’t want to play right now.” But the little monster was not taking no for an answer. He kept pulling at my shirt until I hear a ripping sound. “PLAY!!”

Grunting in defeat, I picked him up and started twirling around the room. When he was all smiles and laughter, I shooed him away so that I can sulk more.

“Go to daddy, In Soo.”

He giggled and started walking away. “Daddy!”

I went into my room and sat near the window again, continuing my sulking session. I don’t understand why mom loves her work so much. Why is work more important than our annual watch-the-fireworks-from-the-window-with-hot-cocoa tradition?

Before I knew it, night time was already here and I was still sulking on my bed and not talking to anyone. Dad was busy preparing the hot cocoas and moving the couch so we can see the fireworks better. Sometimes, In Soo would come again and asked, no more like ordered me to play with him because dad was too busy with his work. And I would have to comply with the little devil’s orders because he can be such a trouble when he doesn’t get what he wants. But as of now, I’m completely alone.

I sighed. I wish mom would quit her work and be with us more.

Then I hear knocking on my door and I turned to see my dad leaning against the door’s frame. He was smiling.

“Come down Soojin. There’s hot cocoa and I put in more marshmallows in your cup.”

I was a bit tempted when I hear the word marshmallow but nothing will change my mind. If mom won’t be able to join us, then I won’t join too.

“No. Not even marshmallows will bring me down.”

“How about me?”

I heard a voice that could only belong to my mother and I snapped my head back.

“Mom? Mom!”

I ran into my mother’s arms and hugged her as tight as possible. I don’t care if it felt like a skeleton was strangling me. I’m just happy my mom is here.

“Yes sweetheart, it’s me.”

So, the annual watch-the-fireworks-from-the-window-with-hot-cocoa tradition was still preserved. I hope I used that word right. Preserve. It means to keep right? See dad, I am doing what you told me.

Dad was happy again now that mom was here and I learn to never take mom for granted ever again. Plus, I heard mom talking to dad about working part time instead of full time so that she gets to be a mom more.

You don’t know how glad I was to hear that.

Author's Notes:

This is a somewhat sequel to this fic. The author's notes below is taken from chapter 6 of the story because I'm too lazy to write a new one :p

I know this fic was marked as complete but this idea suddenly came to me when I watched a movie called I Don't Know How She Does It and it got me to writing this. I was supposed to write the story for my sister (click here if you want to read!) but then this took most of my time :p This is more fluffy and a lot less angsty than the others but I thought you should read this anyway because I'm in love with the idea of them married and having kids and isn't Soojin so adorable? This is unbeta-ed and I wrote it in 3 hours so there might be mistakes. Hehe I hope you enjoy and please do check out my SeSul story!