"See? I told you I could help."

"But isn't this your job? I can't take over..." Dalasini watched the Jung family scatter around the room, gathering the child's things before sending him off. After staring for a moment, she recognized Yoo-mi from the subway. The mother approached her, Yoogeun in her arms, and handed the child over.

"It's nice to see you again. I wasn't expecting to run into you so soon, Dalasini."

"Oh, nice to see you too. Are you sure it's okay for me to watch Yoogeun? You just met me a few hours ago..."

"No worries. No worries." Yoo-mi waved off her concerns, "I know Joshua very well and he seems to trust you enough to recommend you."

"But he just met me today too! You're all too trusting!"

"You're having a hard time starting out, right?" Joshua handed Yoogeun to Dalasini and accepted the child's belongings from his mother. The boy reached out and started wrapping his hand in her hair, like he did on the subway. There was really no point in arguing anymore so she bowed to the Jung family, leaving the building with Joshua and Yoogeun. As they stepped out into the rain, Joshua opened his umbrella and held it over them.

"Let me do you one last favor, I'll walk you two to your apartment."

"But Joshua..."

"It's not a problem for me. Besides, Yoogeun might catch a cold if he's out in the rain. If you don't want me to know your apartment, just take the umbrella with you."

She couldn't let him walk in the rain, so she agreed to let Joshua walk with her. It was for the best anyway, between Yoogeun and the well-stuffed baby bag there was no way she could carry an umbrella too. The walk was quiet, but not in an awkward way, she appreciated how easy it was to walk beside him. Dalasini had no idea why, but Joshua seemed intent on helping her. She decided he was just a kind person anyway and it had nothing to do with her in particular. They finally reached her new apartment, which was surprisingly much bigger than she expected.

"Thank you, Joshua. I couldn't have found a job to afford this apartment so soon without your help."

"Don't worry about it. I'm trusting you'll take good care of Yoogeun, won't you? If you need anything, his mother's number is in the bag...and so is mine."

And with that, Joshua turned and left. What was that he said? He spoke so fast that she wasn't sure if she heard right. She shrugged it off and sat Yoogeun down, expecting him to be still since this was somewhere he had never been. Wrong. The boy immediately took off and began making rounds through her apartment, luckily there was nothing for him to knock over or break because he surely would have hurt himself. Dalasini caught him cutting a corner and lifted the child.

"Yoogeun, what are you doing?"

"Mehrong~" He stuck his tongue out, playfully teasing her. She would have been irritated with him if he wasn't so cute. He was the adventurous type, so she would need to keep him occupied until she could start dinner...

"Yaah~ I forgot about food. I guess we're going to the market then. But I don't have an umbrella..."

The baby bag sat on the kitchen counter, slightly open with a folded piece of paper falling out. Please be Yoo-mi's number. Dalasini held Yoogeun in one arm and grabbed the slip of paper, which turned out to be a note, reading out loud. It was in English, so it definitely wasn't written by Yoo-mi or her husband.

If you need any help with Yoogeun, his mother's number is in the bag. He's very well-behaved, just a little energetic. Yoo-mi works a lot too, so if she's busy feel free to call me instead.

Joshua ~ 010-2797-5588

Dalasini almost dropped Yoogeun. Holding him in both arms now, she reread the note a few times. Why did Joshua leave her with his number? She thought it over for a minute, It would be easy to shop if someone helped me, since I have Yoogeun...NO. She was not about to call him as if they were close friends, it would be rude. Even if he gave her permission to call, it just wouldn't feel right without a good reason.

"Yoogeun is hungry!"

"What?"

"Yoogeun is hungry."

"You're not giving me much of a choice, eh? Alright, let's ask Joshua for help..."

The baby playfully yanked at her hair again, "Joshie! Joshie!" He was lucky he's cute.

***Gwanji Market, Gangnam-gu***

"Joshie! Joshie!" Yoogeun ran between the aisles of the market calling out to Joshua every time he peeked around a corner. Dalasini tossed a few things into her basket, checking the prices on every single item. It was a habit of hers anyway, but it was definitely helpful now. 

"Be careful, Yoogeun. And try not to be too noisy, okay?"

"Yoogeun's looking for Joshie!"

Wondering if it was common for Korean children to speak in third person, she glanced over at Joshua where he was hiding from the younger boy. It had been the most awkward phone call of her life, after a high-pitched hello she held the phone to Yoogeun's ear and told him to ask Joshua to come to the market with them. It had worked, but was still embarrasing. Yoo-mi offered to send money for the grocery bill, but Dalasini wouldn't allow that so they agreed to split it. She took Yoogeun by the hand again to avoid losing track of him when Joshua appeared beside her.

"You don't need me to carry anything for you? Here, let me take Yoogeun."

"Thank you, Joshua. You've been a lot of help today. I don't know how to thank you for everything."

"You could invite me over."

"Huh? Joshua what are you talking about?"

"I'll watch Yoogeun while you cook. Or I could cook while you take care of him. I don't think you have as much energy as you're pretending to, so let me help you."

"You've already done so much today...I can't really accept anymore help from you."

"What if I want to help? I know I'm being a little forward but..."

"No! No! That's not it! I don't want it to seem like I'm taking advantage of you!"

"Don't worry. Looking out for people is something I've always done."

Dalasini didn't like the idea of accepting more help from Joshua, or inviting someone she just met into her apartment. But if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have a job to afford the apartment or the groceries. She nodded, and couldn't help but smile back at him. His energy was infectious, by the time they left the market her face was starting to hurt from smiling so much. Joshua was a real moodmaker even though he was pretty soft-spoken, and obviously loved playing with Yoogeun. He held the boy during the entire walk back to her apartment, playfully turning him upside-down just to hear Yoogeun laugh. It was cute. Endearingly cute. Dalasini declined Joshua's offer to cook, preferring to do it herself. She had already accepted way too much from him, all in just one day. Instead, he spent the entire time playing with Yoogeun, which was impressive considering the boy probably ran off solar power or something. She didn't think the child could get tired, It's gonna be hell putting him to bed. 

"I forgot! The apartment only came with basic furniture, I don't have anywhere for Yoogeun to sleep..."

"You have a futon thingy in there, don't you?" Joshua asked this question from his position on the floor, Yoogeun sitting on his back.

"Yeah..."

"He can sleep beside you. Most mothers in Korea let their kids share the bed until they're like five years old."

"How old are you, Yoogeun?"

The smaller voice called out, "Yoogeun is almost three!"

"Alright, I don't really seem to have a choice. Dinner's almost ready."

Just after she said this, the doorbell rang. Twice. Three times. Repeatedly over and over. She leaned out of the kitchen and peeked over the counter, but heard Joshua's voice before she saw anything.

"How annoying..."

"What's wrong?" Dalasini couldn't see the doorway from the kitchen but still heard the doorbell.

"Don't worry. I'll see who it is."

He always says "don't worry" but I don't even know who could possibly be visiting...

Author's Note

Sorry if the next update takes a while, but I want this story to turn out well. And I hope you guys liked this chapter, I thought the idea of describing their actions in a family(-ish) kind of way would make the mood more enjoyable for readers.

And in case anyone is wondering what Yoogeun looks like...

~SHINee's Yoogeun from Hello Baby~