05

Sungmin was bored. Very bored. Neither at home nor in his playgroup could make him any better. He had been sulking since yesterday and having a mini cold war with his mother. He felt betrayal. Fraud. How could his mother schemed a silly trick like that. You don’t know how hurt he felt when caught his mother applying an amount of menthol balm around her so Sungmin could stop it. He didn’t care if his mother’s intention was good to make him stopped milking her neither he cared of the fact that it’s the time for a toodler like him to stop.

“Sungminniiieee, at least you still can touch and squeeze it for free….Hmmm?” His mother tried to reconcile. But Sungmin just scoffed then continued his sulking.

Then his grandma who just came to take a visit was trying to help “Sungmin-ah, if you love that much. You can mine” she said while opened her own cloth and revealed her .

Sungmin glanced at her then suffered a terrible shock for an instant. It’s the worst s he had ever seen. It’s like a wrinkled balloon. Worse than Siwon’s big belly button.

His grandma spread her arms then came to him “Come here….. Chuuuu”

Baby Sungmin had to rescue himself from danger “Kyaaaa !!!! Omma…” He run to his mother. The latter welcomed him happily and let him buried his face between her s. Sungmin stayed still for 10 minutes, closing his eyes and trying hard to forget His grandma’s withered s.

Sungmin breathed in, inhaled his mom’s s scent. Okay. He finally understood now. In this life, to cherish what you have is important more than anything. He finally decided to stop his mother’s with a humble heart. At least, he still had her s to squeeze anyway…

06

Kyuhyun

“Sungminniee…., come here! Appa want to cuddle nyuwwww….” Sungmin’s father was chasing his only baby toddler around the house but never he succeed as Sungmin kept playing hard to get. It’s not like he’s running for fun nor playing hide and seek. It’s just simply he avoided skinship with his father.

Sungmin had his own rules. He loved to do skinship to anyone but it didn’t mean he liked to be touched by anyone too. No exception. Even his parent were included especially his father.

His father was a touchy feely person. Loved to hug or to rub his greasy face to Sungmin’s which he disliked so much especially when his father hadn’t shaped his beard yet “Euuuuwww…..” (just imagining it got Sungmin goosebumps).

“Sungmin-ah, do you not love me? I am sad…” His father pouted while kneeling behind his son who’s busy playing with his bunny doll. Sungmin turned a bit to face his father, squinted his eyes inspecting the new growing hair on his father’s chin. He quickly turned his back toward his father “Huh!!! NNooo”.

Then the game ‘Catch me if you can’ was continued….

It’s the day when Sungmin’s mother had her friend visited their house. She came with her son, one year old baby named Kyuhyun.  Both women then asked Sungmin’s father to take care their son while they went to shopping.

“Don’t worry. Kyuhyunie is not a cry baby and he can adjust with people easily” Kyuhyun’s mom said. Sungmin’s father agreed.

“Aiguu, isn’t he a cutie like you Sungmin-ah?” Sungmin’s father swayed baby Kyu up to the air with his arms. Sungmin who sat on the floor just scoffed. He disliked the baby. He had no expression. Even when Sungmin tried to smile at him earlier, he just facepalmed him.

It’s a lunch time. Sungmin’s father sat baby Kyu on his lap while Sungmin sat by himself on the other side of Japanese style dining table.

“Now, Kyu. Aaaam…” His father said as he feed the baby. Sungmin felt something sting in his chest while seeing the view of his father feeding another baby. Sungmin then leaned his head and opened his mouth, hoping the older man to feed him too.

He had waited for along time with mouth hanged open until it felt stiff but his father didn’t get the signal “Sungmin-ah, what are you doing? Eat your meal. Here take your spoon”

Sungmin felt hurt No. 1

“Did you just poop, Kyu? Okay, Uncle will give you a new diaper” Sungmin’s father said gently. While replacing Kyu’s diaper, Sungmin sat behind feeling left. So he threw his bunny doll toward his father. His father looked at him “I am busy, Sungmin-ah. We can play later, Okay?”

Sungmin felt hurt No. 2

“Nnuh!!” Baby Kyu pointed at his milk bottle. “Ah, you’re thirsty?” Sungmin’s father asked. He laid Kyuhyun on his lap then milked him. Sungmin then came giving his own bottle to his father and opened his mouth.

“Sungmin-ah, you can do it alone, right?”

Sungmin felt hurt No. 3

Soon jealousy in his heart grew to be anger in seconds. Sungmin couldn’t take it anymore so he came to baby Kyu and hit him on the head.

Sungmin’s father got shocked with Sungmin’s action “Sungmin!!!  What are you doing!!!!” he shouted at him for the first time in his life.

Instead of Kyuhyun who still expressionless, the one who’s crying now was Sungmin himself “Huaaaannnnnng ….. huhuuuuuuu”

Sungmin grabbed his bunny doll then run to a corner of the room to continue his sobbing. He sat facing the wall. His heart had broken in pieces now. That baby had stolen his father.

His father came to approach him from behind and patted his shoulder “Sungmin-ah, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. Appa love you so much. You’re the best”

Sungmin then turned around. His face was wet with tears “hiks….hiks…. huwww Appa!!” Sungmin came to hug his father.

“Now, be nice to baby Kyu, okay? He’s younger than you” Sungmin’s father lifted him up then brought him toward Kyu. His father asked him to take Kyu’s hand to apologize. The younger kid was still expressionless. Sungmin offered his hand with a heavy heart.

It’s 2 p.m. Time for the babies to sleep. Sungmin and baby Kyu were sleeping side by side in peace. An hour passed, Sungmin was awake as he heard a sound “Uuuuh…”.

 It’s appeared that a strong wind came from windows. Baby Kyu’s blanket moved aside and made the little kid shivering. Sungmin stared at the baby. He looked so cute when sleeping. Angers in his heart were slowly fading out. So he fixed the blanket to cover baby Kyu then patted his chest “Sleep…sleep….”.

When Sungmin and Kyuhyun’s mothers came back home, they saw their toddlers were hugging each other while sleeping.

“Awwww they are so cute. Sungmin’s Appa!!! Where’s our camera? Take a photo! Take a photo!” The mothers squealed.

After Kyuhyun’s father arrived to pick up his wife and son, the family then bid  a goodbye to Sungmin’s family “Now Kyu, time to go home. Shake hand with Sungmin hyung!!” Kyuhyun’s mother said as she held Kyuhyun in front of Sungmin.

Sungmin took his tiny hand “Bye…bye… Kyu” Sungmin smiled.

Kyuhyun’s mother then pulled Kyuhyun but the latter didn’t release his hand from Sungmin’s. “Time to go, Kyu….Kyu?”

Sungmin stared at him. He saw Kyuhyun’s lip curled then crying sound was soon to be heard through the house “Huaaaaaaaang!!!!”. Everybody frowned -especially Sungmin’s parent- and tried to close their ears because Kyuhyun’s crying was so loud and shrilly. His parent also felt surprised because that was the first time Kyuhyun cried since birth.  It’s taking a long hour to make him letting go of Sungmin’s hand. Sungmin didn’t have any idea that the kid actually liked him.

Sungmin sighed. ‘Can’t help it. Everyone likes me’

Later, days in Lee’s family was going normal as usual. Sungmin still disliked people to do skinship toward him without his permission. He still hated his father rubbing his face to his cheek either. But this time, Sungmin’s father knew how to break Sungmin’s defense. Whenever Sungmin run from him, he would tell his son that baby Kyu would come to visit. Just hearing that name, had made Sungmin changed 180^o as he turned to his father and clinged onto him like a super glue.