I nuzzled closely on his soft, black hair that were as fluffy as the pillow underneath my head. A calming scent lingered on him as I held on him tighter. I loved those soft lips that tasted like the finest dessert, and those daring eyes that showed a slight bit of mystery. I loved that so much. I pulled myself more to him and felt his hands go on my face. 

"Hurts." I heard him say.

Yes babe, my heart hurts because I love you too much. I mean where can I get another handsome husband that can handle this. I'm a catch but Jiyong, oh boy, that man.... He's like one of those rare giant squids in the deepest parts of the ocean. People know about it and are amazed by it but they'll never get a chance to see it in. They can only rely on the news or pictures for information about it. Only a few people can have the honor of diving deep into the abyss and looking at it straight in it's gigantic eye. I am one of those people. I'm one of those people that went deep in the abyss of friendship and feelings and found my Jiyong. I found him and mentally told him, 'caught you ' and I never left my side. Jiyong is my rare giant squid. 

"...Ma... uuunngghhh....." 

Oh so early in the morning, Jiyong-ah! I hugged him tighter and put my leg over his but had a hard time finding it. I felt for it on the bed and worked my feet up but still no legs. I opened one eye and saw Mino looking pained while I continue to grip on him. I quickly removed myself and sat up on the bed as he tried to catch his breathing. I carefully caught him in a soft, motherly and oxygen-friendly embrace while I rubbed his back for comfort. I kissed the top of his head and sighed. 

"Sorry, Mino-yah." I looked at him apologetically. "Just whack omma in the head really hard if I do it again. I promise I won't get mad." I stuck my pinky out for him and he hesitantly locked it with his own. I grinned at him and ruffled his hair while he looked at our interlocked pinkies silently. 

Our Kwon Mino was a quiet boy. We didn't know when and why is happened but at a certain point of his infant stage, he just suddenly got quiet. I mean he was still full of his baby cuteness and chubby cheeks and all but the usual perkiness left. I'm thinking it was because of Jiyong. He really bonded with him before he left and I guess it hit him harder than we thought. He doesn't seem sad though. I had yet to see him cry again after we said our goodbyes to Jiyong on the airport. 

Donghae, Bom, and Seunghyun just left the house and now it was only me and Mino here. I can't believe how quiet it had become without Jiyong around. I was sitting on the couch while Mino sat on my lap. I was caressing his hair while looking at him longingly. He was just quietly playing with my other hand, his face already dry from his tears from earlier. I leaned my head back on the couch and looked at the ceiling in front of me. I closed my eyes and felt some tears flowing on the side of my face. I didn't know that my son's face would be a curse to me. He looks so much like him, so much so that every time I look at Mino, I remember him and the longing settles in. 

I felt his small hands messily wipe my tears away, making me chuckle. I opened my eyes and found him looking at me with a small hint of a smile. I cupped his cheeks and gave him an audible smooch on his temple. He suddenly hugged me on the neck, slightly catching me off guard but it made my heart warm. I hugged his small body as he held on me tighter. I let my tears fall on his back while his hand patted mine. 

"Aigoo, Mino. You're such a strong man now." I hiccuped. "You're good at comforting your omma." 

He just hummed in response and continued comforting me with his tiny self. I laughed weakly in his arms and pulled back to scrutinize this small, big man. He had a slight pout while his brows were scrunched up a little. I shook my head at his cuteness and massaged his brows. In all honesty, I was shocked. He was definitely handling this way better than I was since I cried for like a day or so before he left and when he was still here as a matter of fact. 

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand but he stopped me. He took the hem of my shirt and pulled it up so that he could wipe my face dry. I would've pulled it back down and hide my now bare stomach but his determined face ultimately won over my tinge of embarrassment. There was no one here anyway so might as well let him be. When he was done, he brushed my hair and nodded when he was content. I laughed again and turned him around to sit back on my lap.

"Why are you so good to omma today, baby boy?" 

He glanced up at me for a second then look back down and played with my hands again. "Abba twold me to bwe a tough man so that omma won't cry. Abba made a pwomise." 

I turned him to his side and looked at him questioningly. "What promise?" 

He pouted his lips and stayed silent. I waited for a second... then a minute.... then a few more minutes, but still I was left with his silent stare. I groaned in defeat and pinched his cheek while jokingly scowling at him. He didn't slap of my hand like he usually did and just let me to do my whims. I rocked him with my legs and I heard him chuckle, and that's when I grabbed the opportunity to tick him. He squirmed and tried to push my hands away but I was too ninja quick for him of course. When his laughter was slowly turning into irritated whines, I stopped and gave him another peck on the cheek. We settled ourselves on the couch while evening out our breathing. I grabbed the remote and changed it to the kid's channel but he snatched the remote from me and flipped through other channels. 

"What dwo you want to watch, omma?" he mumbled, concentrating at the remote and not looking at the television. I smiled at him. I knew what he was trying to do. My little man was still trying to make me feel better. I don't know what him and Jiyong talked about but I'm positive that it had to deal with me hence why he's acting that way. Omo... where can I get a son like this again?

"It's alright, baby. Omma doesn't watch TV anyway. I'll like whatever you watch." I grinned as his face lit up. He looked hesitant at first but I changed the channel during his period of methodical thinking and hid the remote inside my shirt. He frowned at me but when he turned his head to the screen to witness some cheesy cartoon action, his eyes immediately glued on to it. I scooted him closer to me and watch it with him. Truthfully, I would rather watch those American shows that show a woman kissing a theme park ride. Yeah, that really happened. Talking about getting down and dirty. Literally. After she was done kissing it, there were grease stains on her face. I respect her... odd 'obsession' but man, that was weird... weirdly entertaining, but still really, really weird. 

Anyways... 

Mino just sat there watching his daily dose of cartoons while I petted his hair. Looks like the father and son are the same. They always make me feel better when I'm down. 

My little gentleman. 

It's been over a year now ever since Jiyong went for New York. I admit that the first few weeks... no, that, the first few months were like hell. We still talked via calls or video but it's just not the same. I can't feel his kisses, his hugs, and his warmth. Whenever I see him through the computer screen, I feel like were so close but still so far apart, this screen that always made me realize that I was thousands of miles away from him.

But then there was Mino.

He never once made me feel like I was alone. He had his one room because he was a 'big boy' now but he still insists on sleeping next to me. I would accidentally hug him a little too tight most of the time and told him to just hit me to make me stop but he never did. Man, having a kid like him makes me feel like I'm not his mother. Did I really give birth to this angel? Us Parks would always grab the opportunity to hit our parents or older relatives with reason, alright? We're not a bunch of savages who hit people just because. We have basic human decency. I guess Mino really got the full Kwon package. He's kind, sweet, and good-looki--- oh scratch that, I know what he got from me. He got my looks. He may have gotten almost the entirety of Jiyong's face but being effortlessly good-looking, that's my thing. They don't call me 'butterfly' for nothing. 

"Do you know what's happening next week, Mino-yah?" I hovered a spoon full of food on his mouth. He was quietly looking at it and I could see a bit of hesitation in his eyes. I shook the spoon a little and he glanced at me. My smile got wider when he slowly opened his mouth and ate the food that I cooked. Jun Pyo, Teddy, and Mrs. omma Kwon has been giving me cooking lessons seeing that the only thing that I was good at making were smoothies. And let me just say this, I finally got a hang of this cooking thing. I got to say, it took me almost a year to not mix something up in a bowl and to have it spontaneously combust. I'm kidding... Yeah... Spontaneous combustion isn't real. Pffft... Yeah. 

He looked at me with his insanely adorable, naturally glaring eyes, confusion evident on his face. I started humming a very popular tune and his cute little mouth formed an 'o' in realization. Omo, he really looks like Jiyong. "My birthday?" he questioned, slightly tilting his head. 

"Yup, my boy's turning 4 soon!" I clapped excitedly. "What do you want for your birthday? Want me to make a cake? I just learned how to!" 

He gave me an awkward smile and silently shook his head. I jokingly scoffed and messed his hair. His choice of me baking a cake was very, very understandable. I guess I'll just force Teddy to make one again. "So what do you want, honey? You better tell appa too. I'm sure he's gonna get you a lot of gifts like last time." 

He went quiet all of the sudden and clung on the hem of my shirt. His face was blank as I noticed him biting his lips, seemingly stopping himself from something. I leaned down to meet his gaze and cupped his face. He tiredly rested his head on mine and hugged me by the neck. "I want your cake." he muffled against my hair. 

I grinned and hoisted us up and spun us around. "And cake you shall have, my good sir. I promise it's gonna taste good!" I heard him let out a soft giggle and it just made my day brighter. 

__________________________________

"You better not do any stupid to him, alright?" Dara squinted his eyes accusingly at Seunghyun while covering Mino's ears. 

Seunghyun rolled his eyes in response and took Mino inside the class. He came back to meet Dara at the door while crossing his arms at her. "Babe, please." 

"Euulgghh, gross. Don't call me 'babe'." 

"Babe." He repeated just to spite her. She held his hand lovingly and smiled at him... then he pushed his fingers back and he shrieked in pain, getting the kids' attention. Seunghyun snatched his hand back and bowed at the kids and the teacher, Taeyeon, apologetically. He looked back at her when she punched him in the arm. "Damn, you are just like your son. So violent and aggressive." He murmured. 

She raised a brow at him. "What?" 

Seunghyun rolled his eyes and asked for a couple of minutes from Taeyeon and she gladly agreed. He dragged Dara off by the shoulders and sat both of them down on a bench overlooking the multitudes of children who are just arriving the school. He put his elbow on the backrest and faced her. "Tell me, sweetheart, what's Mino like at home? C'mon and tell uncle Seunghyun." 

Dara punched him on the chest and he winced in pain. "Don't put 'uncle' and 'Seunghyun' in the same sentence, it makes you sound like a ert."

"Oh so that's why Mino never calls me uncle." He laughed. 

"He doesn't call you uncle?"

"Honey," he said pitifully earning him another punch in the chest. "you may think that Mino's a carbon copy of your husband but truthfully, Mino's the exact same copy of you. Internally." He whispered the last one. She scrunched her forehead in confusion and eyed him weirdly. "Do you want me to explain myself?" He asked unto which she nodded reluctantly. 

"Well, my little lotus flower, Mino has the same personality as you." Dara looked shocked at his statement. He chuckled and closed for her. "He has a very sharp tongue for a three year old. Sometimes he hits me like you do but it looks cuter when he does it so I just let him be." 

She looked at her lap in thought. "But... why isn't he like that to me?" 

"You want him to call a three year old that you're a moron too?" 

"Not that, you ing idiot." She whacked his head and Seunghyun pointed at her accusingly when a bunch of teachers happened to walk by. She gave them an apologetic smile and instantly smiled back when they saw how serene her face looked. Seunghyun cursed at her, saying that she was unfair and she just stuck her tongue out at him. She went back to being serious and the air around them suddenly became thicker. "I mean... Is he not comfortable with me that he can't show it?" 

"Oh c'mon, the kid's just 3. No need to get ahead of ourselves. Maybe he just doesn't want to get his omma disappointed." 

"Yah, are you indirectly calling me a disappointment?" She asked with a lace of threat.

"Hey, you're words not mine." He put his arm over her shoulder and she scooted closer to him. "He's very much like Jiyong in terms of wanting to take care of you. I know because I see that when we visit your house. Mino looks like a little angel beside you."

She sighed. "I know but it kinda seems unnatural, like it's forced or something. Have you ever seen a 3 year old act more mature than you'll ever be? I feel like he's forcing himself to grow up because Jiyong's not there." 

"There you go again with your negative thinking. Get away from me before I co