“Bang Yongguk!” the short, stout lady looked up from the piece of paper she was holding and glanced around the room. “Is there a Bang Yongguk here?”

            You pushed your husband to the front and he raised a hand sheepishly. She nodded at him and her assistant walked over to snap a number 1 on him.

“Please step on line. Choi Minho? Please step in after this gentleman,” she continued with her role call.

            You stood with the other expectant mothers and smirked to yourself as your husband stood up to start his test. You had signed the two of you for a parenting class once you found out you were three months pregnant. It had been a painful five months, having to endure the various lessons and trying to work your schedule around these classes. But the end is worth it.

            Mrs. Shin, the teacher, had announced last week that the final part of the course would be a test for all the fathers. It was an obstacle course where the fathers had to deal with life and take care of a baby. The goal was to be the fastest one to reach the end, and be reunited with his wife. Needless to say, Yongguk was not amused.

            “Aish, all this work for a baby,” he was complaining on the car.

            You gave him a pointed look. “You sure as heck weren’t complaining when we were making the baby.”

            He glanced over at you before turning his attention back to the road. “Honey, neither were you.”

            But despite his protests, you could still hear him muttering the lessons under his breath. “To burp the baby, place him over your shoulder and push upwards. To change the diaper, make sure to wipe and use powder. How do you determine the temperature of the bottle again? Damn. Help me?” He had a panicked look on his face and you tiptoed to kiss him.

            “Don’t fret about it. Just go in, and use your instincts. That’s what fatherhood is about anyway. That’s what my daddy told me.”

            All the husbands were lined up and the assistant escorted the group of you towards the end of the obstacle course. The event was held in a mall and camera crews were walking everywhere. Everyone had a different course but the same destination.

            One of your friends from the class waddled over to you and smirked. “I swear, I have never seen my husband this nervous before. This would be a lot of fun.”

            You winked back at her. “I’ll be imagining this day one month from now. If we have to suffer, they better make sure they’re ready for the responsibility too.”

            The assistant handed out a small monitor for you to track your husbands’ movements. You watched Yongguk as he shifted nervously around. You giggled. Mrs. Shin started to speak.

            “Gentlemen, fathers to be, today is the ultimate test to make sure you are ready to tackle parenthood. Remember, you have no time limit, but the first to reach his wife will be rewarded with a lot of baby supplies as well as the honor of being the ‘Daddy as the Century.’ Your wives are monitoring your every move, so keep that in mind. One false step and they may regret marrying you.” She winked. “There will be someone accompanying you to help guide you. You are only allowed three hints throughout the entire course. I will be going with Mr. Bang. Good luck to all of you.”

            The whistle started and Yongguk glanced down at his paper. He had to first pick up his baby from the babysitter’s house. Mrs. Shin led him to a store that served as the house. “Go in and remember what I’ve taught you.”

            Yongguk walked in and saw the lady holding a plastic baby in her arms. “Aigoo, look, baby, daddy’s here,” she cooed and Yongguk bowed to her.

            “Thank you, ahjumma, for taking care of Yongwon.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Mrs. Shin nod in approval and ticked something off on her clipboard. Picking a name in advance for the baby had earned him points. “I can take him from here. But first, let me pay you for your troubles.”

            He knew that to handle the baby and to take out his wallet at the same time may cost him points. He was still a bit unskilled at holding a baby properly. After the payment was done. Yongguk took the doll away from her and looked down at his list. Visit the local baby supply store.

            Mrs. Shin stopped him. “You now have three choices for holding the baby. You can either take a stroller, a carry on or a portable car seat. Which would you prefer?”

            He hated strollers. With a passion. Yongguk knew that if he took the stroller, he would be forever clumsily maneuvering his way around. The portable car seat would mean one extra thing to hold. “Carry on.”

            She nodded and the camera crew handed one to her. “Front or back?”

            “Front.”

            “Why?”

            “To both ensure the baby’s safety and to keep the baby warm.” He had just memorized this on the car and it made sense to him. Mrs. Shin nodded, a hint of a smile on her face.

            Yongguk walked to the baby supply shop and was encountered with diapers, formulas, rattles and shelf after shelf of powders. His eyes swam as he walked over to get the brands you had requested. After paying, he remembered that all supplies must be carried in a large bag and ran to the back of the store to buy one.

            The next set of instructions led him on a path down to another floor of the mall. From across the hallway, he saw another father with a stroller, sweating as he tried to get past his exam. “Mr. Bang!” a teacher-like woman appeared before him.

            She smiled and he bowed his greeting, making sure to place a hand behind the baby’s head as to not let it flop around. This tiny gesture earned him another scribble on Mrs. Shin’s clipboard.

            “Your baby is currently crying. What can you do to make him stop? Nothing practical, this is purely your instincts. So answers such as changing the diaper will not work.”

            Yongguk’s mouth dropped. He had never actually thought about dealing with a crying baby. “Er, I can make faces at it? Try to make it feel better, make the environment more comfortable? I will learn aegyo for my child!” He was at a loss. What he badly wanted to say was that he would hand the baby to his wife but he knew that answer would cost him the points he had worked hard to gain.

            The lady nodded. “Very good ideas. Now, your baby is refusing to eat. What would you do to make him start?”
            “I can check the temperature of the food, maybe mush it a bit and try to find out the baby’s tastes?”

            Once more she nodded. “Move on.”

            Yongguk wiped the sweat off his brow and set forward. He plowed through crowds of people who suddenly appeared, and placed an arm protectively in front of his baby. He looked around and tried to find easy paths to walk through.

            He was met at a dead end. The road ahead was blocked and he saw another father approach him. Mrs. Shin walked ahead and crossed under the roadblock. “Yongguk, Minho, the two of you will be battling. You are the fastest fathers so far, and congratulations. The two of you have the same amount of points. You just have to answer these questions and you can go to the finish end. Yongguk craned his neck and saw the crowd of mothers waiting.

            You saw on your monitor that Yongguk was quickly approaching and stepped to the front. Your friend gasped and walked next to you. Both your husbands were now in view. Minho had a stroller and you giggled. Yongguk looked adorable with the baby strapped to his chest.

            You heard the first question. “List three reasons why the baby may be crying. The most important three reasons.”

            Both of them shouted, “Hungry and diapers full” at the same time but Minho hesitated and Yongguk’s mouth stammered as he shouted, “Burp! You need to burp him!”

            “How would you burp the baby? Please show correct methods.”

            Minho fumbled to unstrap his baby and Yongguk clumsily picked the baby up and placed him over his shoulder, pushing up his back and the lady nodded.

            “Hold your baby and feed him.” Both fathers mirrored each other’s movements.

            “Place your babies back. You’re in a rush. You have somewhere to go. We will remove the roadblock and you will race to reach your wife. Remember the safety of the baby and good luck.”

            The obstacle was removed and you wrung your hands together. You wanted to see him win. Yongguk needed the confidence. He wrapped both arms around the baby and held his head steady. He ran, making sure the baby didn’t bounce around. Halfway, Minho gave up, stopped and picked the baby in his arms, completely just dragging the stroller. They turned the corner and you shouted when Yongguk reached you, picking you up and twirling you around.

            The watching women clapped and you kissed him. “That wasn’t so bad was it?”

            He looked at the baby strapped to him and then at your protruding stomach and started laughing. “I can’t believe I was so nervous. We’re going to be great parents.” 

Daddy Yonggukie request

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The Daddy Chronicles by iiBingeul 

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