1

This Kid

           Sweet. Cute. Adorable. That’s the first impression people had when they saw baby Sungmin. He was easily attached to strangers that’s why he’s mentally developed more than any toddlers at his age. No one could resist his doe eyes whenever he asked something. By the time being, he learned how to manipulate people with his crying. Even his mother couldn’t believe this baby was able to fake his crying before she noticed how the baby only cried when he couldn’t get anything he wanted. While if he got hurt, whether it’s because he stumbled something and fell or his head got hit by other babies, he could stand still like a rock without crying.

          Sungmin’s mother didn’t have any idea by whom her baby got influenced like this. At first she thought it’s adorable how picky the baby was whenever some people asked to carry him. For her surprise, the baby would choose to be carried by a good looking people only and showed his aegyo more. At that time she thought “He’s indeed like me when I was younger”. But the thought soon changed when she found the baby like to upset her purposely whenever she scolded him. He only cried when his father around and while it’s not, he just pouted at her and circled his finger on the floor which made her feeling guilty. This condition had triggered a number of husband and wife’s quarrels.

          “This kid is smart” she commented not in fascinated way as she realized that her baby was not someone whom anyone could easily to deal with. At that time, she didn’t worry how Sungmin’s future could become but more about pitying people’s fortune who might meet her son in the future.

2

Mirror

         At first, baby Sungmin thought the mirror was his number one enemy. He saw a baby with the same age and height as him. He’s good looking and it made him hating the other baby even more. He started by glaring at him, and the latter was glaring back. He squinted his eyes, gritted his milk teeth with full effort to scare the baby out but it's failed because the baby also did the same as him.

           Sungmin raised his hand, the baby raised his too. Sungmin was spinning his body around and so did the latter. Baby Sungmin then shouted at him and unexpectedly the other baby did the same again but none of the other voice came out except Sungmin's. At that time, baby Sungmin thought this baby was making a fun of him.

         Then the competition started by showing aegyo include his curvy pout, killer beams, teasing winks, pure smiles, cute poses, and flying kiss but nevertheless his new enemy could do the same and even better. “You’re really a tough one huh” baby sungmin breathlessly said with his baby language which if people saw, it’s much like a toddler mumbling incoherent words toward a deadly mirror.

          The competition was continued everyday and always ended by baby Sungmin sprawled on the floor because of exhaustion and so did the baby in the mirror. The toughest game he ever did in his life. But the positive things from the competition, baby Sungmin’s popularity was growing high not only between adults but also between toddlers around his age. Not even a single day baby sungmin didn’t bring cookies or new toy from his groupmate to his home.  Either it’s given voluntarily or Sungmin took it by force, everything was forgiven for him.

       So Sungmin sat again in front of his enemy to discuss a possibility to join in force to get more cookies. But his enemy didn’t change at all as he kept mumbling the same words at him.

“Stop making fun of me!!!!” Sungmin shouted but the latter shouted back with no voice again.

Soon angers were building inside him made the baby hit the glass in front of him repeatly. He really wanted to pull his enemy out from the glass to choke him out.

          Then his mother came from the doorway behind his enemy. Sungmin felt shock as his mother smiled at his enemy and called “Sungminnie” too. Tears slowly grew in his eyes, the feeling of getting his mother taken by another baby broke him into pieces. He cried in sorrow but what confused him was the baby behind the glass was crying too. He also couldn’t believe how his mother became two person as they carried both of them to her arms.

           “Sungmin-ah, it’s just a mirror. Don’t be afraid with your reflection” she said. But Sungmin had another thought. As they stopped crying, sungmin stared at his enemy’s eyes and found some determinations. He hated him but because of the latter, his cuteness grew high and it’s a good thing. Baby Sungmin decided maybe it’s the time to not being selfish and humbly accepted his enemy as his friend with all his good and bad.

           It took months for Sungmin to realize that his first friend was never exist and it made him cried a river for a whole night. Years later, the teen Sungmin wrote in his bio whom his first teacher was. Mirror.