Soft pealing laughter echoed inside the spacious living room. It had been half an hour since Lisa arrived at Young Bae’s house and she had spent the past few minutes playing with his nine-month-old daughter, Eun Min. The baby was incredibly adorable with her tuft of black hair, round cheeks, and a face that mostly resembled her father. Lisa felt so lighthearted as she tried her hardest to make the baby girl smile and laugh. And the reward of her effort was Eun Min squinting her eyes as she laughed and kicked her little chubby legs in the air.

“Ah! You’re so cute!” Lisa squealed and she gently ran a hand on the baby’s head.

“How many times have you said that since you came here?” Young Bae chuckled as he walked over to the kitchen beside the living room.

“Your Mini-Me is the most adorable little creature in the whole world.”

He laughed. “Creature?”

“The most precious one!” Lisa scrunched her nose as she turned her attention back to his daughter.

A few minutes passed by before Young Bae came to stand in front of her—a piece of paper in his hand. Lisa already knew what it was about and rolled her eyes.

“You and unnie already told me everything earlier.”

“It’s better if you have a guide so you can follow everything smoothly.” He shrugged and then walked back to the kitchen. “I’ll put this on the fridge and just look at it later, understand?”

“Yes, oppa.”

It had been a while since she visited Young Bae’s family. Her schedule these past few months wouldn’t allow her to make time. It was a good thing that her endorsements for the season were finished and she was then focusing on her own business and preparing for her first ever movie role. She just agreed to do it earlier that day. She had never thought about pursuing acting seriously. Jisoo was already the actor in the group but Lisa was approached for a particular role she couldn’t just pass on. Before becoming busy again, she decided that there was no better way to spend her Friday evening other than visiting the cutest baby in the world.

“Eun Min-ah, you’ll probably be able to watch the YG Family Concert in a few months, right?” Lisa spoke—her aegyo voice she hadn’t used in a long time always came out naturally in front of the baby. “Are you excited to see your appa’s body rolls?”

“She might disapprove of her appa’s body rolls.”

Hyo Rin’s distinct voice got her attention and she was walking towards them. She looked even more beautiful dressed up and Lisa couldn’t help but envy the glorious curves of her body.

“Whoa, unnie! Give me some of those, please.” She teased—staring unabashedly at Hyo Rin’s round s accentuated by the tight-fitting beige dress.

The older woman laughed as she pointed at her chest. “It’s not always fun to have these.”

“Stop being a ert, Lisa.” Young Bae appeared again with his phone in hand. He had already worn his suit jacket and Lisa rarely saw him all dressed-up. She couldn’t help but wolf-whistle.

“You don’t look so bad yourself, oppa.” She grinned. “Can’t I admire my own kin?”

That earned her a light flick on the forehead from her senior.

“I’m the only one allowed to admire my wife’s body.”

“You sound like a crazy husband.” She shook her head in feigned disappointment as she gazed at the woman watching them with a fond smile on her face. “Unnie, you know you can call me if you don’t like him anymore, okay?”

Young Bae’s eyes disappeared into slits as he laughed loudly.

“Sure. Yah… you two always bicker.” Hyo Rin shook her head in amusement as she walked over to her husband to fix his crooked tie.

The couple stared at each other sweetly that Lisa could feel the sugar bursting from them. It was amazing to say the least… to see how much two people could love each other. For some reason, it made her a little sad—realizing that she had never really experienced such kind of relationship before. Her brief time with Jin Hyuk didn’t feel genuine after everything that had happened. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to really love someone and be loved in return.

“There will be another baby in nine months if you don’t stop being too sweet.”

“I don’t mind.” Young Bae replied which earned him a slap on the arm as Hyo Rin laughingly went to the fridge with the babysitter's to-do list her husband made. Lisa could see she was still feeling worrisome to leave her daughter to an inexperienced babysitter. But Lisa always found it easy to follow instructions and she had been assuring the two that everything would be fine. They would be gone for a few hours to have their much-needed date and Lisa volunteered so quickly when she found that out earlier.

“You will have to give her a bath and change her diaper. Do you think you can do that?” She asked warily and Lisa nodded.

“There’s no need to worry.”

“Okay, I trust you. Just follow the list and you’ll be set. Call us immediately if anything happens, okay?” Lisa nodded once more and that made Hyo Rin breathe out a sigh of relief.

Just then, the intercom buzzed and Young Bae hurried to check who it was. Lisa felt confused for a moment since she knew they weren’t expecting any guests. After a few moments, the sound of feet shuffling could be heard from the entryway.

“Thanks for this, hyung.” Young Bae said and then Lisa saw someone she hadn’t seen in almost a month. Her heart started pounding so hard against her chest and her breath got caught in .

Seung Hyun stood at the hallway as Young Bae took a small crate of wine from him and placed this on the kitchen counter. His hair was not styled and he was wearing dark jeans and a grey hoodie. His gaze met hers and the way his eyes slightly widened before smiling softly made Lisa blush. She nodded politely before burying her face on the baby’s tummy.

“Lisa’s babysitting Eun Min tonight.” Young Bae explained as Seung Hyun turned his attention back to his brother. “Hyo Rin and I are about to leave and you must be busy…”

“She’s going to babysit alone?” Lisa heard him ask and she tried so hard not to look at them—fearing that they would see how red her face was.

“Well… yeah.”

“I’ll help her.” The response was so immediate and Lisa’s head snapped up to see the two of them looking at her—one was serious and the other looked strangely satisfied.

“You’ll do that, Seung Hyun-ah?” Hyo Rin’s shocked voice brought Lisa back to reality. “I know Lisa can manage by herself but I’ll feel more at ease if you can stay.”

“Sure. I’m free tonight.” Seung Hyun suddenly looked a bit flustered as the realization of his thoughtless action dawned on him. “Besides… I haven’t been a very good uncle to Eun Min.”

“Thank you, hyung.” Young Bae patted the older man’s arm as Hyo Rin gave Seung Hyun a brief hug. “We’ll be leaving then. Call us if anything happens.”

Seung Hyun only nodded and the two said goodbye to their daughter before they went off. He was standing there awkwardly and Lisa felt that he really didn’t know what he was doing at that moment. Thinking it would be better to break the tension, Lisa stood up with the baby in her arms and walked over to him.

“You’ve never seen Eun Min before?”

“Only in pictures and videos.” His gaze softened at the sight of the baby girl who was staring at him curiously. “Ah… she really does look like Young Bae.”

“Would you like to hold her?” He gave a tentative nod and Lisa was about to hand him the baby when she remembered something.

Without saying anything, she leaned towards him and he visibly stiffened—her face close to his and then she… sniffed.

“What are you doing?” He asked in a strangled voice but did not move away. His warm breath fanned her nose and she retreated with a confused look on her face.

“You smell… clean.” She appraised and Seung Hyun’s brows furrowed for a moment before understanding what she was implying.

“I haven’t smoked a cigarette in years.”

It was all he said before he actively reached his arms for the baby.

Seung Hyun was a pro at handling the baby—knowing that he had already been an uncle for a long time. He lightly bounced Eun Min in his arms as the two went into a stare-off battle. The baby was still curious about the stranger who was holding her but it was a good thing that she wasn’t crying about it. Most babies would probably be crying hysterically by then.

“She already had her dinner earlier. I’ll go prepare her bath.” Seung Hyun only nodded and Lisa went straight to the bathroom to fill quarter of the tub with water. She made sure that it won’t be too warm for the baby. After a few minutes, she went back to the living room and was astounded at the sight of Eun Min laughing loudly on Seung Hyun’s lap. He was making funny faces and sounds. Delight was clearly evident on his face and the sound of his laughter.

“You like samchon, huh?” He cooed as the baby finally stopped laughing—her eyes fixed on the man holding her. She started babbling as if responding to his question.

“What do you mean you like Daesung-samchon better?” He gasped theatrically and the baby went on to say gibberish again.

“But I’m much more handsome than him!” That made Lisa chuckle and Seung Hyun looked at her with a huge smile on his face. When he turned to look back at the baby, his voice lowered as if gossiping. “Do you think Lisa-imo sniffs people all the time?”

“I don’t!” Lisa laughed as Eun Min babbled again. “See? She knows you’re the first one I did that to.”

Seung Hyun grinned as he stood up. The baby was suddenly at ease with him as she leaned her small head on the crook of his neck. They went to the bathroom and Lisa was the one who took the baby’s clothes and diaper off and placed her in the tub. Eun Min kept on moving and Lisa feared she might slip though there was already a small mat on the tub.

“It’s better to keep her distracted.” He placed a few toys on the water and Eun Min started playing with a strange-looking unicorn rubber duck.

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