“I’d like to have two servings of tteokbokki. Can you make it less spicy please?”

No sooner had she finished her words, her handbag began to vibrate again. She could not help but let out a small chuckle as she checked her phone. How could she forget when they kept reminding every five minutes?

“For your kid right?” The owner asked all of a sudden. She looked up at the old woman in surprise. “Your smile says it all. It’s a motherly smile.” The owner explained gently. 

Byulyi nodded shyly.

“How many kids do you have?”

“Two.” Byulyi replied without hesitation. “I have two kids.” She smiled proudly.  

Byulyi had two kids at home.

--------

Fighting and bickering were the common things that happened if there were two kids under one roof. Byulyi’s house was the same.

“Mama, say ‘ahhh’.”

“Byul-ah, have this. Say ‘ahhh’.”

Byulyi slightly leaned back to her seat as two forks kept approaching her face closer and closer. Her eyes shifted from one fork to the other, some sauces about to drip on the table. She sighed, here came this moment again. Whoever she chose, the other one would be sulky for the rest of the day – Byulyi knew it so well. Her eyes then shifted to two pairs of puppy eyes staring at her restlessly, before they stopped at her own plate. Byulyi picked up her fork, stabbed the prongs into one piece of the tteokbokki and brought it to under two pairs of disappointing eyes.

“I have mine. Eat yours.”

The two Kims took back their forks with sulky pouts, before shoving the tteokbokki into their mouths at the same time. The pouts on their lips soon disappeared, replaced with exciting grins as the taste of their favorite food exploded in their mouths. Byulyi was amazed, even their actions were in sync.

“I’ll help you wash the dishes.” Her wife announced once the last piece of tteokbokki disappeared into .

“No, Haneul will help mama.” The toddler stopped her plastic bowl like a kitten and looked at her, red sauces staining on her lips and chin. Byulyi chuckled at her daughter’s messy face. She grabbed a wet tissue and began wiping the sauces away gently, ending up with a quick peck on the little one’s chubby cheek.

“Me too.” Byulyi felt a hand tugging on her sleeve. She looked up to find Yongsun stand behind her, grinning widely with a little tteokbokki sauce at corner. The older woman protruded her lips slightly, to make the stain as obvious as possible for her to see.

That was weird, just a minute ago she saw her wife wiping clean. But Byulyi decided not to ask and used the remaining clean spot of the wet tissue in her hand to wipe the stain away. As she had done, Yongsun still refused to let go of her sleeve. She raised her eyebrow in curiosity, and what she got back was a silly smile from her wife. Byulyi stared at her wife for a while, before her lips curved up. So competitive. She leaned in and gave a small peck on her wife’s lips, which made Yongsun’s mouth corners grow to her ears.

 “Mommy will help mama wash the dishes then. You’re too small to do that. Wait until you grow bigger, baby~.” Yongsun ruffled her daughter’s hair playfully. The last word was emphasized in a teasing tone.

“Haneul can do it. Haneul know how to rinse the dishes.” The toddler said confidently. ”Right mama?”

Byulyi nodded without thinking twice. Haneul had already helped her a few times, and the little one was actually good at it. But she soon felt regret with her honesty as two pairs of puppy eyes were fixed on her again. Whoever she chose, the other one would be sulky all day – Byulyi had learned it by heart.

“Byul-ah”

“Mama”

Byulyi ignored the whining around her and inhaled the nice smell of her newly-made coffee relaxingly.

“Thanks for doing the dishes for me.” She smiled and walked out of the kitchen with her favorite cup of coffee in her hands, leaving the two Kims with dirty dishes behind.  

----

Byulyi jolted from her sleep when the weight pressing on her right arm had gone. A moment later, she felt her body floating in the air. Byulyi struggled to open her heavy eyelids. Thanks to the weak light from the night lamp, she managed to recognize her wife in the darkness.

“Yong?” She lifted her head a bit, to get a better look at her wife’s face.

“Sshh, be quiet. Don’t wake her up.” Yongsun whispered and tiptoed, as sneakily as a thief, carrying her out of their daughter’s room. She must have accidentally fallen asleep after reading a bedtime story for the little one.

So it was her, Byulyi thought as she rested her head back on Yongsun’s chest, arms circling on the older woman’s neck. There were a few times she had also fallen into sleep on Haneul’s bed, but for an unknown reason, she always ended up lying on their bed when she opened her eyes the next morning. Byulyi had used to think that she woke up sometime during the night and walked back to their room by herself. She was wrong then.

Yongsun laid her down on their b