Before Yerim was born, Irene and Seulgi had come to an agreement that they would try their best to give their daughter a childhood that was not dependent on technology as most children’s were. It was the age of technology and it was a common sight to see children glued to a tablet or a smartphone’s screen. TV was slowly being replaced by these smaller devices and while Irene and Seulgi themselves were quite dependent on those devices, they wanted their child to experience what it was like to be let out and to run free.

Which was why when Yerim was about two years old and already running around the house in glee, laughter bubbling free when she realised neither Irene nor Seulgi could catch her, her parents thought it was a good time to introduce her to the great outdoors, namely, the park.

The first time they were out, Yerim was almost afraid to explore, clutching tightly to her mothers’ hands as she walked cautiously between them. Everything was new to her - the surroundings, the sounds, the smells. Irene and Seulgi moved slowly, allowing their child to take the lead, never dragging Yerim along as they walked.

The visit was cut short when a curious, stray puppy came prancing by, wanting to sniff the little girl and Yerim started to cry. Irene quickly picked her daughter up and cooed while bouncing the child slightly. Seulgi was chuckling by their side, about to tease Irene that Yerim was afraid of animals just like she was when Irene shot her a look, effectively silencing her.

It took a while before they managed to coaxed Yerim into going back to the park.

It was better the second time round, the puppy was not around that day and Yerim had fun running around the park as fast as her little legs could carry her. She gave her parents quite the workout as they followed her every step, afraid that she might fall with how fast she was going. For someone so small, Yerim was moving with quite a velocity.

Visits to the park became a norm for them as they started going every weekend. Not only did it give Yerim a chance to play, it also gave Irene and Seulgi some time to exercise and to freshen their minds from being cooped up in the office most of the time on weekdays. A little time in the sun was good for all of them.

“Is it okay if I jogged for a bit?” Seulgi asked when they reached the park. Irene nodded and the three of them made their way down to the path.

Seulgi walked with them for a while, Yerim between them as usual, before she let go of Yerim’s hand and slowly jogged away. Irene was about to fish her phone out to take a photo of Yerim when she felt her daughter tugging on her arm, about to make a run for it. She panicked slightly when Yerim started to cry and stomped her tiny feet when she couldn’t catch up with Seulgi.

“M-mommmyyyyyy!!”

Irene almost wanted to laugh at how precious Yerim was being. She knelt down to Yerim’s eye level and brought out a hanky to wipe away the snot and tears.

“My poor baby..are you sad because Seulgi is running away?” Yerim pouted and her bottom lip started trembling, ready to cry again. Irene shook her head at how attached her daughter was to her wife. “Come, let us go find her.” Picking up her daughter, Irene kissed her cheek and went in the opposite direction from Seulgi.

Yerim started trashing in her mother’s arms when she realised that they were not going the way her Seulgi mommy went. “M-mommmyyy!!” Yerim frantically pointed behind them, trying to tell Irene that that was where they needed to go because that was where Seulgi went.

“Yerim-ah, we can find mommy easier if we go this way.” Irene reasoned and it made no sense to the toddler who really just wanted to go the other way. “We’ll see mommy soon, don’t worry Yerim-ah.”

Irene set Yerim down after a while when she had calmed down and seemingly understood that they would soon meet up with Seulgi if they continued going the way that they were. The path circled the park and they would meet sooner or later, depending on how fast both parties were going.

Yerim walked calmly until she saw a familiar figure running towards them and cried in delight. It was Seulgi! Irene felt Yerim tugged on her arm again as the toddler started to run towards her wife who had already stopped a few metres away and was waiting for their child with open arms. Irene let go of the child and Yerim ran as fast as she could and crashed into Seulgi’s arms, nearly knocked her over with the force.

“What has gotten into you?” Seulgi picked her up and Yerim nuzzled into her mother’s embrace, not before protesting when Seulgi leaned away because she was sweaty from the jog. “What’s up with her?” She asked when Irene caught up with them.

“She started crying the moment you left because she thought you were going away..again.”

“Aaaaaaw!!!” Seulgi kissed Yerim’s cheek and the toddler wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, clearly not letting go anytime soon. What if her mother went away again?! A terrifying thought for a two-year old.

“She really is your daughter, Hyun.” Seulgi teased - Irene had the habit of doing the same thing sometimes.

Irene rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s go home. It’s almost time for dinner.”

“Yes, dear.”

END