“Hi, this is Cho Kyuhyun. I can’t pick up the call most probably because I’m busy right now. And, well, you know what to do when this call beeps.”

A sigh escape my lips as I press my phone to my ear. This is the fifth time of the day I hear his answering machine. I’ve been leaving him text messages but none of them has been replied. Kyuhyun is avoiding me, I figure. But playing hide and seek won’t do us any good.

In our discussion a few days ago, Jinhee told me Kyuhyun just needed time before he can sort out things. What things, I don’t know. Jinhee said probably it’s about a male’s ego or something. I don’t really know how to think about that, but I suggested to her that maybe it’s because I’ve been depending on him for the years Hyukjae Oppa wasn’t there for me. Now that Hyukjae Oppa is here again, Kyuhyun is probably not used to me depending on someone else. Jinhee said it could be that, since she claimed she knew that generally guys are a little territorial and possessive. I don’t know how to think about that one, too.

Kyuhyun knows about my past. He knows about how shaken up I was when Hyukjae Oppa left. Kyuhyun is a protective guy, but sometimes I think he can be a little blinded over that. Jinhee said maybe Kyuhyun had mistaken a protective sense for a best friend and a lover. I really hope so. I really hope Kyuhyun can get it over with. After all, he doesn’t know yet the complete story of why Hyukjae Oppa had left. He doesn’t know how much Hyukjae Oppa had actually sacrificed for me.

But then Kyuhyun had always been there for me, too. He was there when I was in my breakdown and even helped me up and through everything.

Gee. What is it with me hurting good guys?

I start speaking to the receiver when I realize seconds have ticked by and the voice message recorder has started.

“Kyu,” I say hesitantly, “This is Nana. I’m in Seoul now. I arrived here yesterday.” I take a deep breath and try to loosen up a little. “Kyu, you know what? Jeju is really beautiful... I love the beaches, I love the sunset, I love the fresh air. You really have to go there. You’ll love it. Maybe you’d fall asleep at the beach because it’s so peaceful there. You need to rest from work some time, you know... Oh, and I didn’t eat too much seafood. I didn’t eat anything too spicy or too sour and I didn’t skip a meal. You know, I can be obedient too if I want,” I clench the phone in my hand tightly and bite my lip. My hand trembles a little. “Kyu, why haven’t you called? Are you alright? Did you receive my messages? Why aren’t you replying? I... We need to talk, Kyu. It’s important. Please. Call me, okay? Or text me. Whatever. Just talk to me. If you don’t... if you don’t I’ll...” I make a stern voice, “I’ll change doctors. I’ll go to another hospital if my allergies act out. I’m serious, Kyu! I’ll change you if you don’t talk to me. I’m always true to my words. You know that. Do you understand? Alright, you understand. I’m hanging up.”

I disconnect the call and put it back into my purse.

A few hours later a white Audi pulls up in front of my house. Hyukjae Oppa honks, leaning over the passenger seat and rolling down the window so I can see him. He’s wearing a simple white t—shirt that fits his sculpted body nicely and a pair of dark blue jeans. The smile on his lips makes me forget about my problems momentarily and all I can do is reflect his grin as I slip into the car.

“I like it when you get into my car. The whole car smells like lavender now.” Hyukjae Oppa says, leaning in to kiss my cheek and buckling my seatbelt.

“I’m not a five year old.” I tell him with a gigantic grin.

“No, but we’re going to babysit one.” He winks. He pulls out of the driveway of my house to the road.

So this is the day. One of the most exciting Saturdays in my life. We’re going to babysit his niece. I feel happy but anxious at the same time. We’re going to stay in Sora Eonni’s apartment for the rest of the weekend. It feels like we’re going to demonstrate how to be a married couple.

Hyukjae Oppa told me that Chaeri is a bubbly little girl and has so many similarities with me. He said she likes Barbies so much, but she loves dressing up even more. So I bought some dresses and dolls for the little girl. I bought some Barbie clothes, too. And I made sure the stuffs I bought for her were pink, since about ninety percent of little girls I’ve ever met were, in fact, infatuated with the color.

The ride to Sora Eonni’s apartment is short, it’s about fifteen minutes from my house. Hyukjae Oppa parks the car in the basement, and when he’s done, we walk to the lift with a bunch of shopping bag in his hands.

“You shouldn’t have bothered buying things for Chaeri,” Hyukjae Oppa says once we’re in the elevator, looking down at my shopping bags in his right hand. His other hand is preoccupied with his own gifts for her. Even though he said that, I can tell he’s pleased with me.

The words roll off my tongue before I can stop them, “She’d be my niece too once we’re married. I want to get closer to her, you know. I want us to get along. So I think maybe I can start with approaching her and her hobbies.”

Hyukjae Oppa stares at me, seeming amazed, as what I just said suddenly registers in my head.

Once we’re married. Oh God. Did I just say that? I blink several times trying to recover from the embarrassment, tentatively casting an upward glance at Hyukjae Oppa’s face. He’s smiling in contentment.

“You’re so considerate. Thank you, Nana-yah,” Hyukjae Oppa slips an arm around me and pulls me flush against him.

I have to hide the stupid grin on my face until the lift stops at Sora Eonni’s floor. We walk down the hallway before Hyukjae Oppa stops in front of one of the mahogany doors, pressing the door bell beside an intercom. Hyukjae Oppa stands in front of the door, his thumb covering what seems to be a camera.

“Hellooo~” sings a little girl’s voice. Hyukjae Oppa starts grinning.

“Guess, who is this,” he says deepening his voice.

“Who’s there?”

“Guess.”

“Hmm,” the little girl makes a thinking sound. “Appa?”

“Who’s your Appa?”

“My Appa? Kim Hyunsoo.”

“What’s he like?”

“Oh! My Appa is tall and big. He has black hair and his eyebrows are thick and look a little like angry bird. But he’s actually not angry. He just looks like that. My Appa is actually very kind to people. He likes to buy me toys, but Eomma would scold him whenever he does. He can fly planes and jets. You know jets? They’re actually planes but they’re smaller. I want to have one but Eomma says it’s very expensive. My Appa can fly them because he is a pilot. Do you want to be a pilot?”

The little girl finally stops talking. Hyukjae Oppa chuckles and glances at me, mouthing, “Welcome to my life,”

 I giggle.

“Ahjussi, why do you sound like a girl?”

“That’s because I’m with a girl.”

“You’re with a girl? Is it your wife? What’s her name? Wait. I don’t know your name. What’s your name? Would you like to come in? Why can’t I see you? The camera looks blank. Maybe it’s broken. I’ll tell Appa later. Are you Appa’s friend?” I feel my head spinning from her questions. Hyukjae Oppa laughs, patiently answering her questions one by one.

“Yes, I’m with a girl. She’s my girlfriend. Her name is Kang Nayoung. My name? You have to guess my name. And yes, I’d like to come in there. No Chaeri, I’m more like your Appa’s family.”

“My Appa’s family? Oh, I know! You must be Jaegil Ahjussi. Appa only has one brother. He has two other siblings but they’re sisters. I call them Yerim Ahjumma and Soorim Ahjumma. They’re twins, but they don’t resemble each other. Yerim Ahjumma only answers me with yes or no while Soorim Ahjumma talks sooo many things about puppies. She loves puppies. She has four of them in her house. She told me to have one too but Eomma says I can’t have a pet until I’m seven. I’ll be seven in two years. It’s in September. I want my birthday party-”

“Chaeri,” Hyukjae Oppa finally decides to cut in. He removes his thumb from the camera, stands in front of it and waves to the camera.

There is a momentary pause. A few seconds pass that I frown a little and lean closer to the intercom, listening carefully, before a really loud scream pierces through it.

“OPPAAAAAA!!” Hyukjae Oppa and I leap back in unison, fear for our lives, as the door clicks open and a small body throws itself toward Hyukjae Oppa. “Hyukjae Oppaaaaa!!”

I blink several times, turning my head to the right and left, afraid she might have broken some glasses or disturb the other residents.

Hyukjae Oppa scoops her up into her arms and quickly brings her inside the apartment, probably thinking the same thing with me.

I clearly remember Hyukjae Oppa telling me that she’s a little loud. Now after hearing her squeals and screams, I’m not really sure it’s just a little loud.

Hyukjae Oppa puts down the shopping bags on the table in the living room as I close the door behind me, looking around the plush apartment. The living room is enormous with a gigantic TV, dark brown couch, glass coffee table and a matching brown carpet. Hyukjae Oppa sits on the L shaped couch with a squealing Chaeri on his lap. Her eyes are big and shiny when she looks up at him.

“Oppa, I miss, miss, miss you soo much! Where have you been? Eomma says you’re out of town this week. Did you go to Seattle?”

“I missed you, too. No, I was in Jeju. Seattle is out of country.”

“I know. But out of country can be out of town, too. Out of town can’t be out of country. Because if you’re out of country that means you’re not in the country. While out of town you’re still in the country but out of the town... um...” she looks confused with her own concept. “Anyways! I heard a girl’s voice earlier. Did you fake them? That sounded so real. My friend Junki can imitate animal very well. He can imitate a whale’s voice... Um, sound. Uh... voice...?” she gives up again and asks, “Oppa, is it sound or voice for whales?”

“It’s sound, Chaeri. And I’m really with a girl,” Hyukjae Oppa turns her little body in his lap so they’re both facing me now.

I blink, and Chaeri blinks. For the first time she notices my presence after getting so engrossed with Hyukjae Oppa. She looks at me, her eyes wide and her lips parted a little. I don’t know why but I suddenly feel nervous. Me. Nervous because of a little girl assessing me.

“Who are you?” she asks.

“Oh, uhm, hello. My name is Kang Nayoung,” I tell her slowly. She doesn’t say anything. “You can call me Nana.”

“I’m Chaeri. Kim Chaeri. Are you here with my Oppa?” she asks again, emphasizing the word ‘my’. Her eyes narrowing into slits and her little hands clutching Hyukjae Oppa’s bigger ones.

It doesn’t take me a minute to translate her gesture. It’s kind of like; ‘What are you doing here? Why are you with my Oppa? I don’t even know you. I’m his little girl and I don’t like you.’

I smell the thick air of competition here. And suddenly, I don’t think possessiveness is just about a male’s ego. Right. So much for a peaceful babysitting.

Yay Chaeri is here! Huh, the kid is a little possessive (Well, who wouldn't if the guy is Hyukjae, right? Hihihi)

Well anyway. This chapter might be random but I like writing about little kids hehe. I'll write some fluff. Comment!