Chapter 91

“Are you sure you want to go there instead?”

“Neh, eomeonim. Don’t worry too much and take a rest. It pains Jonghyun to see you like that.”

Madam Kim laughed. “Aish, my son. Tell him not to make a fuss about this; it’s nothing but a common fever.”

“I’ll take him there with me so he won’t stress you out.” Jessica smiled. “My co-members are coming as well. They find so much joy in doing charity work.”

“That’s good to know.” The elegant lady nodded. “I hope they learn something from it.”

-----

Yoona was ecstatic upon their arrival. “I can’t wait to go inside!”

They went to a crib center sponsored by Hanwon Group’s Foundation. The place was clean and well-maintained. The head volunteer received them at the entrance.

“Annyeonghaseyo! Jisu imnida. Thanks for coming all the way here.”

He led them to a locker room and told them the basic rules. They were encouraged to wear special aprons before entering the rooms.

“These aprons are cute. Can we take it home?” Taeyeon said.

The crib center serves as a home for babies up to a year old. Some were orphans, some were abandoned, and some were victims of abuse.

“I know you’ll bring so much joy to these babies. Come and see them.”  The man showed them to the main hallway.

-----

Jonghyun went with Jessica, Yuri, and Yoona to the room of the one-year olds. There were six babies staying on separate cribs.

“Oh, look at this little one. He looks cute while sleeping.” Yuri caressed the baby boy’s forehead.

The baby cried when he felt her presence. “Waaaaahhh!”

Jonghyun immediately carried the baby. “Mianhae… mianhae… go back to sleep now.” He hummed a lullaby and the baby calmed down.

“Wow! You’re good at babies, eh?” Yoona complimented. “I think you’re ready to have your own, too.”

Yuri nodded. “Right! It’s about time for you to have a baby.”

Jessica chided. “We’re not on a rush. It will come on its’ perfect time. Having a baby is not as easy as you think.”

“Ssshhh! Please be quiet, ladies. This little guy is trying to get some sleep.” Jonghyun gently whispered.

Jessica spat a glare on her husband and decided to play with a baby girl on a nearby crib. “Hello there sweetie!”

The baby smiled innocently. She kicked her tiny feet and let out a hearty laugh.

“Aww… she’s so cute!” Yoona gently pinched the baby’s plump cheeks. “Her laugh is addictive, hahaha…”

Another baby cried all of a sudden.

“Got it.” Jonghyun checked the baby and quickly picked it up. “Her diapers are wet.” He brought the child to the changing table and did the diaper duty while singing the chorus part of Hello.

Hello, hello, ibeonen nareul da geolgeyo

Hello, hello, oh yeah, baby, baby, baby girl

Hello, hello, jigeumeun eotteolji mollado

Who knows? eojjeom urin…

[ENGLISH]

 Hello, hello, I’ll bet my all this time

Hello, hello, oh yeah, baby baby baby girl

Hello, hello, I don’t know how you feel right now

 Who knows? We might…

“Looks like he’s already an expert. I feel so stupid now.” Yuri felt insecure of Jonghyun’s skill in baby stuff. “That’s fine, anyway. Jessica is the worst mom, and Jonghyun can fill up for her.” She laughed.

-----

“Aigoo, this kid is daebak.” Hyoyeon was surprised when she saw the feeding bottle emptied in a minute. “Sooyoung, you must be like this baby back then.”

“I guess so.” The tall girl was busy preparing milk for the babies. “Umma said I was a milk sucker.” She tried a bit of the babies’ milk. “Wow! This infant formula is yummy! No wonder they like it.”

Sunny was having fun while making the babies burp. “Burp… burp… burp…” she gently tapped the child’s back. “Very good! Very good!”

“Stop using your aegyo voice. It’s annoying.” Hyoyeon snapped. “The babies can’t punch you, but I can.”

Sooyoung rolled her eyes. “Babies like my aegyo voice more!” she boasted. “Right, babiessss?” Her voice sounded so small and high-pitched.

Hyoyeon slapped the tall girl’s butt. “Shut up! You sound like a dying parrot!”

“And I sound like a cute puppy.” Sunny teased. She cutely sang the Three Bears’ Song.

The dancing queen was left with no choice and helplessly held her nape. “Patience, Kim Hyoyeon. Patience.”

-----

“How could anyone abandon such angels?” Tiffany looked at the sleeping infant on her arms. “I feel sad for them.”

Taeyeon sighed. “At least they’re on good hands now.” The kid leader chose to talk about the brighter side. “Here they have a nice place to grow. They won’t go hungry and no one’s going to hurt them.”

“Too bad, this baby’s parents didn’t notice how beautiful she is.” Tiffany marvelled on the infant. “Her lips and cheeks are pink. Just perfect.”

The kid leader beamed. “You really want all things pink, eh?”

Seohyun chose not to join her unnies’ ‘baby talk’. She was silently watching over a newborn. It was peacefully sleeping in the crib. “It’s scary.”

“Mwo?!” The older girls were confused. “Scary?”

“What I mean is… Isn’t it scary? This newborn here, he was found alone near a trash bin. He was wrapped in a scarf and left out in the cold.” Maknae explained.

“You’re right, it’s really scary.” Taeyeon carried the frail baby boy. “His mother must be nuts. Everybody was born to be loved.”

Tiffany’s eyes were full of tears. “I know how it feels to live without a mother. I hope he finds a happy family someday.” The infant tightly held her finger. “Ah, yes… you’re a strong boy.”

“Unnie, can I carry him?” Seohyun asked.

“Sure! Be careful…” Taeyeon carefully transferred the child to the young girl’s arms.

The maknae just looked close at the baby. Its skin is so soft; she could feel its breath, and its chest was beating rapidly.

“Waaahh!” The infant cried out of the blue.

Seohyun quickly returned the baby to Taeyeon and ran out of the room. Tiffany followed after her.

“It’s my fault. The baby cried because of me.” The young girl had tears running all over her cheeks. “Mianhae, unnie.” She bitterly sobbed.

Tiffany hugged her. “Ssshh… Calm down. Babies naturally cry when they need something so it’s not your fault. Arasso? Let’s go back.”

-----

“Thank you very much for coming here. I hope you’ll keep on supporting us.” Jisu shook hands with everyone. “Please tell Madam Kim to get well soon.”

“Cheonmaneyo.” Jessica warmly smiled.”I’m sure she’ll visit here next time.We hope our donations go a long way.”

They left thirty boxes full of infant formulas, vitamins, diapers, and baby clothes before riding their own mini bus.

“So how’s the experience, Young Master?” Mr. Go asked Jonghyun.

“It’s fun and very fulfilling.” He replied. “Right, ladies?”

“Neh.” Everybody responded except Jessica and Seohyun.

The ice princess was sleeping soundly with her head laid on her husband’s shoulder, and the maknae was also doing the same thing. She fell asleep while her head rested on Tiffany’s lap.

“Seohyun was scared when the baby she was holding suddenly cried and she blamed herself big time. She cried a lot while saying sorry to us.”

Yuri shook her head. “Poor maknae. She’s pure as ever. Just let her sleep; she might be stressed of what happened.”