The bus was slightly crowded, and all the seats were taken, so Kai and I went to the back and stood beside an ajumma, her two kids and her baby. The baby looked only about an year old, while the kids looked like kindergartners. We bowed to her as respect and held on tight to the poles above and beside, so we wouldn't fall the moment the bus started moving. Then, when the bus driver finally started up the bus, the baby started wailing out loud. The ajumma panicked and picked up the baby from his stroller and started rocking the baby in her arms. The baby's cry faded almost immediately after his mother took him, but wouldn't stop sniffling. She seemed to have understood what the baby wanted and turned around the stroller and started looking frantically through the mass amount things in the little basket-like thing attached under the stroller. A while passed and she was still having difficulty trying to find whatever she was looking for, because of the baby in her hand. Then baby started crying again, so I offered to hold him until the mother could find whatever she was looking for. I carefully took the baby and put its head at my right shoulder, resting his on my left hand while putting the other hand on his back. The baby silenced slightly, as he inspected me for a few seconds. Then he started bawling even louder then before, but this time right in my ear. Honestly , I had only held a baby once before, my baby cousin, who came over to the estate when I was 10. One thing I remember very clearly was that she hated me. Guess this guy does too.

      I stood there awkwardly, as I bounced around a little to try and comfort the baby, but it was no use. He just kept crying. At this point, all eyes on the bus were on me. Annoyed faces, angry faces and faces full of pity looked at me, as I struggled with the baby of a strangers. I was also extremely worried since my balance wasn't the best after today, and I was still kind of dizzy which didn't go well at all with the bus bumping around freely like it was. It was also really hot and stuffy in the bus, with all the people and the shut windows. But despite all the terrible circumstances, I stood as stable as I could, only thinking about the baby's safety. At least ten minutes passed, and my arms started getting sore, and there was still no progress from ajumma.

      Suddenly, the weight on my arms lightened drastically. Kai was standing in front of me, taking the baby from my grasp. He bounced around, smiled at the baby and started talking gibberish. Just like that, the baby stopped crying, and started laughing instead. A wave of relief came from the other passengers, finally hearing the end of the annoying cries. Some of the passengers compared Kai to me, saying I wasn't very useful and using the fact that I wasn't Korean as a reason while praising Kai for his efforts. They were whispering to their acquaintances beside them, but I could still hear the comments. Then, out of nowhere, some headphones appeared around my neck. I turned around, and watched Kai with confusion while he slowly started adjusting them to cover my ears. He then smiled, and went back to quietly playing with the baby. I leaned against the pole and listened to Kai's music, which was a soft acoustic love song. At that moment, I felt quite disappointed because I felt that I could never do anything by myself. Always needing help, and getting help without asking for it. Without any help, I was just as they said, useless.

       Finally, The ajumma found what she was looking for, baby food, but right after she found it she stuck it in her purse and put it around her arm. She then got up to take the baby from Kai's arms and thanked him sincerely. She then put the baby back in the stroller and told her other two kids to stand up. The bus stopped and she and her kids started filing out the door. There were stairs, so I helped her carry the stroller down to the ground outside. The ajumma thanked me and waved good bye as the bus doors closed and the bus started moving again.  I was expecting empty seats when I came back to the spot where Kai and I were standing, but instead I found my self staring ones that were occupied. Two were taken by passengers that were standing before, but Kai was able to get a ahold of one seat for himself. I stood in front of him and he looked up at me.

      "I never knew you were so bad with babies" he mocked.

      "Oh hush" I snapped, a little embarrassed, and afraid to see how long he'll use this against me. I tried not to get too anxious, concentrating on the music to calm myself down. Then I remembered it was his head phones I was listening to. I lifted it off my ears and returned it to him. "Why did you give me this to me anyway?"

      "I...uh.... didn't want you listening to those half-hearted, false opinions from the other passengers. I know you were trying really hard to help, but you were in no state to do so, from what you've been through today. It was all over you're face. You were very tipsy, and it was making me nervous so I took the baby from you."

     "I-I-I'm not tipsy," I argued, flustered by what he said. Just then, I took a step to the side to let a passenger by, but tripped on my shoe laces. I was about to hit the floor , but I was caught. Kai hopped up and stepped in front of me. He wrapped his