Hyukjae sat with his chin on the table, drawing nonsense patterns in the foam of his cappuccino. Ryeowook sat on the other side of the table, quietly sipping his tea and watching as Yesung took the straw out of his own drink and stuck it into Hyukjae’s cup, draining it halfway.
  “It’s pretty good, Hyuk. You should try it,” he said happily, returning to his own drink.
  “Come on, Hyuk. Stop moping. I’m sure you’ll find another job,” Ryeowook said. “Hopefully one that doesn’t involve too much interaction with the elderly... and you being responsible for their medication.” 
  “You know, I never liked old people. They smell weird, are always leaking from somewhere and always talk about how messed up the youth of today is. You know, last time I checked, they were the ones who raised us, so how is that our fault?” Hyukjae ranted. “When I’m so old that I think my pants waistline belongs above my bellybutton and I won’t shut up about the various ways my body fails me, just pull the plug on me or hide my pills because I just can’t live like that.” 
  “Sure, Hyuk. Whatever you say,” Ryeowook agreed, taking another sip of his tea. 
  “You know, I think I can help you find another job,” Yesung said.
  Both Hyukjae and Ryeowook looked at Yesung, twin masks of horror on their faces as they both shook their heads and waved their hands.
  “Nononono. No, thank you hyung,” Hyukjae said. 
  “I really don’t think you should get involved, Sungie,” Ryeowook added. 
  “Why not? I know someone who needs help with-“ 
  “Hyung, the last time you recommended me to someone I spent the better half of my week in a hospital. So, no thank you.” 
  “But you dropped the charges and you’ve healed up quite nicely.” 
  “No, hyung,” Hyukjae insisted.
  “Come on. My co-worker said his neighbor is looking for some help,” Yesung insisted.
  “Help with what exactly?” Hyukjae asked, with narrowed eyes. 
  “I think he said something about needing a nanny.” 
  “A nanny? Do you really think he should be entrusted with more human lives?” Ryeowook asked. 
  “Yah! I am perfectly capable of taking care of another life,” Hyukjae said, folding his arms around his chest.
  “Are you forgetting what happened not even three days ago?”
  “Well, kids are different from old people. They don’t need pills to stay alive. Unless they’re sick kids. They’re not sick kids are they?” Hyukjae asked Yesung.
  “Not that I know of,” he shrugged, reaching to relieve Hyukjae of the rest of his cappuccino.
  “Well, I don’t see why I couldn’t at least look in to it. And I did used to teach a dance class for kids before I moved out here and we got along really well,” Hyukjae said, smacking Yesung’s hand away. He pulled it back pouting, and showed it to Ryeowook who placed a chaste kiss on the afflicted area. Yesung smiled and gave Ryeowook’s cheek the same treatment. 
  “Ok, hyung. Give me the number,” Hyukjae said with a determined glint in his eyes, only to be replaced with one of slight disgust when he saw Yesung and Ryeowook practically eating each other’s faces.
  “Oh God. Ew. Just, ew,” he said getting up from the table and trying to avoid the weird looks they were attracting.

---

  Hyukjae stood in the lobby of the luxurious apartment complex, mouth open and eyes wide. He looked back down at his light gray sweatshirt and jeans and winced. If he felt this underdressed in the lobby how bad would he feel when he actually reached the apartment? He sighed in frustration and mentally cursed Yesung for not mentioning he needed to wear a suit and tie for a babysitting job.

  He turned around and glumly walked to the golden couch-- that looked like it cost more than his whole apartment-- placed by the large window in front. He put his head in his hands and debated whether or not he should just leave. 
  He sighed and pulled out his cell phone, hoping to call and see if Ryeowook could turn back around and pick him up. He was just about to press the send button when he saw a small boy walk right in front of him. He walked up to the glass door and pressed a hand against it. 
  Hyukjae looked around to see if his parents or the person responsible for him was around somewhere but he didn’t see anyone. He watched the boy stand with his thumb in his mouth as his round eyes peered through the glass. Hyukjae looked at him for a few minutes before deciding maybe he should go and ask the boy his name. 
  He was about to get up when an older guy in a business suit hurriedly rushed through the door, knocking the little boy on the ground. He sat there for a few seconds blinking quickly before his face started to crumple up. His eyes started to water and his face turned red as he sniffed and hiccupped. Hyukjae didn’t think twice before he ran to the boy and picked him up.
  “Oh no, don’t cry. Ssh, it’s okay,” he cooed to the child, quickly throwing a glare at the rude guy who didn’t even look back at what he had done. He bounced him up and down as the tears refused to let up, yet the boy refused to pull his thumb from his mouth. 
  “Oh, please don’t cry.” It broke Hyukjae’s heart to see him crying. He walked back to his seat on the couch and placed the boy over his shoulder while he patted his back. He still heard him sniffling and the small sobs the escaped him. 
  “I know!” Hyukjae cried. He reached into the oversized pocket of his sweatshirt and pulled out a strawberry lollipop-- it was his favorite candy, and he always made sure he carried at least 2 around.
  “Look, I’ll give you this if you stop crying,” he said, pulling the weeping boy away from his shoulder to wave the candy in front of his face. 
  The small boy looked from the treat to Hyukjae’s smiling face and hesitantly reached for the candy with his tiny hand. His tears had stopped falling and he stared and the candy for a second before handing it back to Hyukjae.
  “What’s wrong? Don’t you like strawberry?” The boy nodded and held it out to Hyukjae and said something that came out a little mumbled because of the thumb in his mouth. 
  “Oh,” Hyukjae said in realization. He took the candy and carefully unwrapped the paper. He was about to hand it back to the boy but he still had his thumb in his mouth.
  “Don’t you want it?” he asked and the boy nodded. “You don’t?” Hyukjae teased, trying to make the boy speak.
  He nodded more furiously. “Oh well, I guess I’ll have to eat it myself,” Hyukjae shrugged and moved to put the candy to his lips.
  “No,” a tiny voice whined. Hyukjae smiled.
  “So you can talk. How about you tell me your name and I’ll give you this candy,” Hyukjae said, waving it in front of his face.
  “J-jino.”
  “Hi, Jino-ah,” Hyukjae said, smiling widely. “I’m Hyukjae hyung.”
  “Yuckjae hyung?” 
  “HYUK-jae hyung,” he stressed.
  “Hyuk-jae hyung,” Jino repeated slowly, his face twisting in concentration.
  “Good job,” he praised and ruffled the boy’s soft hair. He handed over the lollipop and Jino took it happily, smiling an adorable smile up at Hyukjae before he plunged it into his mouth. 
  “Aww, so cute,” he cried, pinching the other’s cheeks. The small boy smiled back at him, lips already beginning to discolor from the candy.
  “Jino!” another slightly older boy called. “Hae hyung, he’s over here!” Hyukjae looked up and saw a worried man run over with a curly haired boy.
  “Jino!” the man cried, picking the boy up from Hyukjae’s lap. “Where have you been?!?” he asked cradling the boy to his chest.
  “Where’s umma?” The man sighed and pulled Jino away from his chest and was about to say something but the small boy beside him spoke first.
  “Umma isn’t coming. She’s gone,” he said angrily.
  “Kyuhyun!” the man chided. “Don’t listen to Kyuhyun, okay? Umma loves you both very much, appa too. Don’t ever forget that,” he said to Jino. 
  Hyukjae took this as his cue to leave, and quietly got up.
  “Wait,” he heard the man call out. “Thank you, for watching him. I don’t know how he got down here by himself but thank you. I don’t know what I would’ve done if something happened to him,” the man said earnestly.
  “It’s no problem. I enjoyed his company,” Hyukjae smiled at the small boy.
  “Is there any way I can repay you?” 
  “Oh no, that’s not necessary. I’m just glad I could help. I have to get going now, so good-bye. Bye Jino-ah,” he smiled and waved to the boy.
  “Bye bye!” Jino called and waved happily. The man looked in shock from Hyukjae to Jino.
   “You actually got him to talk to you?” he asked incredulously.
  “Uh, yes?” 
  “He barely takes his thumb out of his mouth to talk to us, let alone strangers,” he said. “What’s your name?”
  “Lee Hyukjae.”
  “Hyukjae… that sounds familiar.” He stared at Hyukjae as if the answered was on his face and then his eyes lit up in realization. “Are you the one I spoke to one the phone? About the nanny position?”
  “You’re Donghae-sshi?” Hyukjae asked in disbelief. He barely looked older than Hyukjae. 
  “Sure am. Lee Donghae. Nice to meet you,” he smiled brightly at Hyukjae.
  “And these are your kids?”
  “Well, sorta. They’re my nephews. You already know Jino, and this is Kyuhyun,” he gestured to the smiling boy in his arms and the scowling one standing next to him. 
  “Nice to meet you Kyuhyun,” Hyukjae leaned down to greet Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun just looked at him with a frown on his face, not saying a word.
  “Kyuhyun,” Donghae’s stern voice came out.
  Kyuhyun sighed before saying a stilted, “Hello.” Donghae sighed.
  “I’m sorry about him. He was always been a little… difficult, but it’s just a bit worse ever since,” he placed a hand on Jino’s ear and pressed his head on his chest, ”their parents got into an accident,” he whispered. Hyukjae nodded in understanding and looked sadly to both of the small boys. He couldn’t imagine how hard it was for them to lose both their parents at such a young age. 
  “I’m very sorry to hear that, Donghae-sshi.”
  “Don’t worry about it.”
  “Uh, it was nice meeting you, but-“ 
  “You’re not leaving are you?” Donghae asked, before he could finish his sentence.
  “Uh, well-“
  “Do you want the job?”
  “Y-yes?”
  “Then it’s yours,” Donghae smiled widely. 
  “B-but you didn’t even interview me or anything.”
  “If you can get Jino to take his thumb out of his mouth, you don’t need an interview.”
  “B-but-“
  “Come on, I’ll show you the apartment,” Donghae said, smiling at Hyukjae before he turned around and started to walk up to the elevator, Kyuhyun quickly following behind him without another glance in Hyukjae’s direction. Hyukjae stood frozen in place for a moment, wondering if this really just happened. 
  As he watched Donghae walk away Jino looked back to Hyukjae with wide eyes and made a grabbing gesture with his tiny hand.
  “Yuckjae yung!” he called, the name coming out wrong again with the candy still in his mouth.
  ‘What am I getting myself into?’ Hyukjae asked himself as he followed behind the three.