52. Team Umma

After talking to her, Yonghwa threw a load of Euna’s laundry in the machine and went straight to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and chuckled seeing the packed foods with labels on them for lunch, dinner, tomorrow’s breakfast and even small containers with assortment of fruits inside— for snack, the labels said. Yonghwa opted for ramyeon instead since he suddenly missed those times he was alone in this house with no food.

Shaking his head, he corrected his thoughts— he only missed the ramyeon.

Yonghwa carried his bowl after it was done in his home office and checked the baby sleeping in her playpen in the middle of the room. He opened the TV but kept the volume low as he ate. It would be better since Euna was right under his nose just in case she suddenly wakes up. Luckily for him, he managed to finish his measly ramyeon and even did the remaining dishes in the kitchen. After a while, he decided to lie down beside his baby since there was still a few minutes left for the laundry to be done.

A few minutes later though, Euna stirred and he watched until she opened her eyes. The moment she caught sight of her appa, her sleepy smile blossomed on her face that he couldn’t resist kissing her chubby cheek. “Hi, sweetheart…” Yonghwa greeted and his little one smiled a little wider then brushed her fist on her face.

He laid still just satisfied in watching Euna stretch and yawn. After a while, she flipped on her belly and he pushed her pacifier close that she eagerly reached out for and put straight into . Moving her body, she turned to him and started cooing. “Really? That’s a pretty cool dream, Euna,” he replied when she paused.

Euna giggled seemingly happy that her appa understood her and was responding to her so she went on babbling with her pacifier in . Yonghwa always loved watching Euna especially when she would respond to him.

It was a good idea to do this.

He realized that without her umma, Euna only needed him. “Are you hungry?” He asked the moment her attention was focused on the television in front of them. Yonghwa stood and played Euna’s nursery rhyme video collection that was already set by Seohyun before she left. He chuckled when Euna squealed once the song started playing.

After preparing her milk, Yonghwa put her on her swing. “Euna-yang, will you please try to hold your bottle? I need to check the laundry.”

Euna stared at him then spit out her pacifier making him laugh then her arms stretched towards him so he took her hand and wrapped her fingers on the bottle. However, once it made contact with her palm, she cringed and her face contorted ready to cry. Yonghwa laughed then kissed her cheek, “Arasso, Euna-yang is more important than the laundry, is that right sweetheart?”

She only turned her attention back on the screen as he held the bottle for her and he shook his hair with a chuckle. When she finished her bottle, she started her distinctive whimper that Yonghwa grabbed the basket where her diapers would be. The rest of the early afternoon went on pretty much ordinary and he smugly thought that he was going to win the bet.

However, he started to realize the little girl’s mood as time passed them by.

Euna was beginning to get broody, she even stopped babbling which she usually does whenever she would be watching her nursery videos. Yonghwa dropped on his knees in front of her and smiled but she only looked at him for a second then her head shifted towards the door. Her arms stretched and looked at him then her eyes opened wide and started babbling.

He rubbed his thumb on her cheek and smiled, “Are you looking for Umma?”

Hearing that word, she clamped her hands together and giggled. He sighed and kissed her temple, “I think it’s time for us to do the next mission.”

Just as he was thinking that this was a good idea, regret flooded his thoughts. He assumed that she’s too young to look for her umma. Probably Euna wasn’t really looking for her but he couldn’t shake the thought off. He drove to the nearest mart with the grocery list Seohyun left hoping to entertain his broody one.

When they got there, Yonghwa was glad that her curiosity won over that gloom. Her eyes wandered everywhere and she was even cooing softly. But when the woman working at the mart cooed at her, she only stared at her blankly that she laughed. “I’m sorry. She’s not really friendly right now,” Yonghwa smiled apologetically.

“It’s alright,” the woman replied, “Where’s your wife? Why are you doing the grocery shopping?”

Yonghwa found himself smiling and didn’t have any thought of correcting the woman, “I gave her a short break.”

“Oh, that’s a sweet thing to do,” she looked back on the little girl and cooed, “Are you having fun with your Appa?”

Euna put her finger in and made a sound. The adults looked at each other and laughed when the baby squealed and kicked her legs.

“For a moment, I thought you aren’t,” the woman cooed with a laugh, “See that? I think you’re doing a good job.”

Yonghwa chuckled, “I really hope that I am.”

She nodded, “Anyway, I won’t keep you anymore.”

Yonghwa nodded and shifted Euna in his arms, “So what do we need, sweetheart?”

~~~~

When he got to the house, Euna remained asleep in the car seat but despite the care he took to extract her, she started whimpering when her sleep was interrupted. Yonghwa kissed her as he cradled her, “I’m sorry, Euna. It’s okay, we’re home. You can sleep as long as you want inside, okay, sweetheart?”

But Euna only cried a little harder and it broke his heart once more. This time, as he made his way inside the house, he tried so hard to distract her by pointing at the flowers, the bushes, the lake, and everything else that would usually make her laugh for some reasons unknown to him. And when they reached the bridge leading home, Euna’s attention snapped forward and she stopped crying immediately. Her eyes b with tears were focused in the house and she looked up at him and babbled.

His exhale was slow and his smile was sad when he kissed the top of her head. Euna must have been asking him if umma would be there waiting for them. The moment he stepped inside the house, she squealed and shifted excitedly in his arms, Yonghwa laughed, “Woah, Euna.”

He laughed but his heart was breaking for this little one. It amazed him somehow that Euna could be this perceptive at this age but it was probably because she would always be drawn to her umma. Yonghwa placed her on her swing and played her nursery rhymes to keep her company since he needed to get the groceries from the car. When he returned, he caught sight of her expression through the mirrored wall in front of her. Euna’s lips were turned down and quivering and the moment he moved through her periphery, she looked up and stared at him as if disappointed not to see the one she was expecting.

Yonghwa knelt in front of her and soothed her forehead. “I’m probably wrong. I thought you are Team Appa.”

The little girl moved her body forward and whimpered, a sign that she wanted to be picked up.

Taking her back in his arms, Yonghwa carried her and swayed her slowly. To his surprise, Euna dropped her face on his chest and her tiny arms draped on him. He kissed her temple and smiled, “I love you so much. I cannot even start thinking of the day you I won’t get to see you every day.”

He swallowed hard and sniffed. He couldn’t even remember if anybody ever made him cry in his adult years. But this little girl— this tiny person, “You are mine, you will always be mine.”

Euna whimpered and she cried but unexpectedly, she barely made a sound— more like a sad sobbing.

“I’m so sorry, I was selfish,” he said again then sauntered in the room to get his phone.

~~~~

They ended up not leaving at all because Yuri decided that she wouldn’t really be able to enjoy herself especially knowing that Seohyun would only annoy her. And so they ended up doing a drama marathon. Yuri’s thoughts were proven correct when she noticed that the younger woman never let her phone off her sight and she would constantly check it even if there was no notification.

“I think he’s going to win,” Yuri finally spoke and giggled when she turned to her with a glower, “Look, it’s almost four.”

She took a deep breath. Seohyun was still torn if she wanted to win or she wanted him to win. Despite the consequences of the bet that they agreed on, she really wanted him and Euna to have this day for themselves.

She just