The first couple of days passed without incident. Jiyong took two days off of work to stay with his nephew, taking him out on trips to the park and to the aquarium, leaving Seunghyun to rest from his week shift at the hospital.

But on the third day, Seunghyun awoke with a peck on the lips from Jiyong, telling him he had to go to work and that if he needed anything he should call him.

Seunghyun nodded sleepily, burying his head in the pillow. As he heard the front door closing behind Jiyong, he settled in more comfortably, wrapping the covers around him more tightly.

A few minutes later the sound of the TV blaring reminded him that he wasn’t alone in the apartment. Sleepily, he flung the covers off of him, got up and headed to the bathroom to freshen up quickly.

“Good morning, Jinho,” Seunghyun croaked as he stepped into the living room. The young boy was watching cartoons with a bowl of cereal in his hands. He mumbled a greeting around a mouth full of Lucky Charms (Seunghyun’s personal favorite) but kept his eyes glued on the TV. Seunghyun walked into the kitchen and came back after filling a bowl of the same cereal and settling down next to Jiyong’s nephew.

They ate in silence, completely engrossed in the cartoon they were watching, that hearing Seunghyun’s phone ring gave them both a start.

“Hello,” Seunghyun answered. He didn’t even bother looking at who the caller was. He knew from the ringtone.

“Did you just wake up?” a cheerful voice asked.

“Yes.” Seunghyun still didn’t have the energy to form full sentences.

“Oh…uh…well…I know it’s your week off, but…uh…”

“Just spit it out Daesung.”

Kang Daesung was a doctor in his unit and his best friend. They became close since day one of their internship, and even now, half way through their first year of residency, they were still close.

 “Can you come and cover for me for a couple of hours? I’m supposed to meet my girlfriend’s mother for lunch but I can’t find anyone to cover for me. Please?”

Seunghyun sighed. “I can’t right now, Daesung. Jiyong’s nephew is staying with us for a week and I have to babysit him.”

But Daesung wasn’t giving up that easily. “We have a play area here Seunghyun. You can have one of the interns watch him for you, or one of the nurses. I’m pretty sure they won’t have a problem with that.”

“Daesung—”

“Seunghyun, PLEASE! Just do this one thing for me and I…I’ll cover your shift next week.”

Seunghyun perked up at this. “The entire week?”

“Yes, Seunghyun. The entire week.”

The wheels in Seunghyun’s brain began to turn. He could definitely use another week off. He remembered the text Jiyong sent him last Sunday. Yes, he could definitely use that extra week.

“You must really like her, Daesung,” Seunghyun commented. Daesung just laughed but said nothing, waiting for Seunghyun to give him an answer. “Okay,” Seunghyun said after a few beats. “Give me half an hour.”

He hung up before Daesung can start gushing. He walked back towards Jinho. “Hey buddy. Do you want to see where Uncle Seunghyun works?”

Daesung was right. Everyone was willing to help him look after Jinho. He made Daesung promise to come back as quickly as possible and went about showing Jinho what being a doctor was all about. He liked the kid, but he was awkward with children in general. He never knew what to do with them.

As he worked, Jinho wandered off with one of the nurses, who promised Seunghyun that she wouldn’t let him get into any trouble.

By the end of the day, Seunghyun had to basically drag Jinho away from the female nurses and interns. He found out that they indulged him with chocolates and sweets from the vending even though they should’ve known better. And he told them so, to which they replied “But he’s just so cute! How can you say no to that face?” and continued pinching his cheeks and showering him with kisses.

They made it home with enough time for them to shower, change, and eat dinner (which consisted of the only thing Seunghyun knew how to make without burning it—ramen). Jinho slurped his portion in silence, watching Seunghyun inhale the contents of his bowl.

“When is Uncle Ji going to come home?” the boy as