Joohyun hurriedly taps on Seulgi’s name on her phone, worry increasing with every passing second.

          She takes the stairs two at a time since the elevator is out of order, all the while startling an elderly woman who is hobbling along silently. Inwardly she curses her short stature for having such short strides.

          Please pick up, please pick up. She mutters this as a mantra.

          Joohyun doesn’t give herself a moment to breathe when she reaches the floor where Seulgi’s apartment is. She continues her insistent pace until she reaches the said girl’s front door. Joohyun repeatedly rings the doorbell.

          Her heart lurches when her phone stops ringing, and when no one answers the door.

          “If this is another one of her pranks, I’m so going to kill her,” Joohyun attempts to reassure herself through gritted teeth, whilst wiping her clammy hands against her jeans. She tries to catch her breath, but finds that she can’t when she tries the doorknob and realizes that it is unlocked.

          Oh God. Oh God.

          Joohyun gulps. One of her hands reach down to her purse, eager to find something that can pass off as a weapon. The door opens with an ominous creak, and she finds a ballpoint pen. She grips it tightly. Joohyun’s wide eyes dart back and forth in the threshold, apprehensive, as if daring someone to come out.

          She ventures out into the Kang’s living area. “Seulgi?” Joohyun calls out timidly. Her eyes scan the area, realizing that no one is there (that definitely didn’t help ease her nerves). Somewhere nearby, she hears water running. From the bathroom?

          Ah, well.

          Joohyun takes in a shuddery breath. It would do no good if she is too jittery. She has to have her wits about her if something unfortunate, like say, a possible murderer was around. Calm down. Calm—

          Someone shrieks. And Joohyun nearly jumps out of her skin. She covers when she realizes that she let out an involuntary squeal.

          She swivels around.

          Joohyun’s brows furrow in confusion when she sees nothing. Her eyes scan the surroundings, wondering where the sound came from.

          Her eyes drop to the floor.

          And then she sees it.

          She sees a baby.

A very , soap-sudded toddler, standing in the middle of the living room. Staring up at her as water dripped down from its body and onto the carpet.

          Joohyun draws a blank.

          “A… baby?” Her hand goes slack, and she brings it out of her purse. She wipes the sweat that has gathered above her brow, and allows herself a moment to breath. She immediately wonders if she is in the wrong apartment, but her eyes wander to the mantle and she sees the familiar picture of Seulgi when she graduated from middle school, along with a few others of her family and her brother.

          The baby gurgles.

          Joohyun looks at it.

          It stares back, curiously.

          The sound of water stops, as if someone has turned off the faucet. Joohyun braces herself.

          That is when Seulgi chooses to make her appearance.

          “Minarin! Where’d you run off to, now?”

          What.

          She rounds the corner and halts when she sees the scene before her. Seulgi’s eyes crinkle when she sees the baby, and even more so, when she sees Joohyun.

          “Baechu-unnie!”

--

Joohyun’s mind goes on overdrive.

          She wants to berate Seulgi for making her worry; for making her think that something even happened to her! But she can’t think straight.

          Joohyun doesn’t know what’s going on, but she is certain that if anything, ogling Seulgi does not help matters.

          She knows the younger is no stickler for appearance (to the point of fault, occasionally), but she is certain that wearing that outfit may be a bit too much. Joohyun’s eyes dart away from Seulgi’s toned stomach, exposed by tying the end of her shirt in a knot around her midriff. It doesn’t help that Joohyun can see her extremely long, smooth, legs that go on for—

          Joohyun eases her collar.

          Seulgi picks up the baby. “Aigoo. You should go back in Mina! You’re making the floor wet.”

          Mina—Joohyun assumes that is her name— squirms around. She giggles when she rains droplets on Seulgi, and Joohyun tries very, very hard not to stare at the wet patches on Seulgi’s shirt.

          “Don’t … wanna bath!”

          Seulgi looks apologetically at Joohyun, then turns back to the child. “You have to! Or else,” she grins and gnashes her teeth in an attempt—an adorable one at that— to amuse, “I won’t play with you anymore!”

          Mina laughs and claps her hands. Seulgi takes that chance to whisk her away to the bathroom.  

          They’re gone in a flurry of laughter and Joohyun is left abruptly alone.

           Joohyun lets out an exhale. Her legs start to ache, and she allows herself to collapse on the couch. She breathes in shaky breaths.

          What the actual hell Kang Seulgi.

          Joohyun does not understand what is going on, so she rubs her temples in an attempt to ease the ache brewing behind it. A lot of things have been happening and she definitely does not need anything else added to her long list of ever-growing problems.        Stress is taking its toll on her, she finds.

          When Seulgi reappears, Joohyun wastes no time in confronting her. She marches straight up to the girl, and pokes a finger into her collar.

          “What the—Yah! Kang Seulgi! You had me worried you idiot!”

          Joohyun finds it a little hard to breathe again when Seulgi fixes her eyes on hers, nevertheless she continues. She fishes for her phone—that she has dropped sometime during her panic—somewhere in the purse that is still slung around her shoulders. Seulgi watches her apprehensively.

          “Um, yeah. I can explain—“

          “This?” Joohyun glares at the girl as she shows the younger her phone. On it was Seulgi’s last message to Joohyun, sent this morning. The symbols glaring out accusingly at the sender from the screen.

          ‘Help!’

          “—that.” Seulgi finishes. She grins nervously, though that quickly disappears when Joohyun pinches her side. “Ow!”

          “I thought something happened to you! You weren’t picking up your phone, or replying to any of my messages. What was I supposed to think? I thought you died or something.” Given that the lack of emoticons conveyed the seriousness.

          Seulgi pouts. “You didn’t have to take it so seriously then,” she mumbles.

          Joohyun’s eyebrow twitches.

          “Then what is this about? A prank?” She lets out a quick snort. Seulgi is still pouting at her, as if willing her to calm down—which Joohyun doubts will be anytime soon. “Because if it is, I’m seriously going to—“

          “But it’s true! I needed help!”

          Seulgi’s lower lip juts out as she tries to justify her side to the situation.

          “With what?” Joohyun stares at her in askance.

          “With,” Seulgi gestures helplessly to the side, “with Mina.”

          “Mwo?” Joohyun crosses her arms across her body. She leans forward as if she could not just believe what Seulgi had said. Seulgi straightens up at that, and she hurriedly begins explaining how she came to be stuck babysitting her niece (her cousin’s daughter who lives a floor above, and just had to choose Seulgi to be the designated babysitter. Joohyun wonders if he is right in the head).

          “She wasn’t listening to anything I was telling her so I decided to ask for,” Seulgi’s voice trails off when she sees the look of murderous irritation in Joohyun’s eyes. “Help.”

          She huffs.

          “I, no, nevermind.” Joohyun shakes her head in finality. Seulgi opens to speak but Joohyun raises a hand. Normally, she’d do anything for Seulgi, but tests are coming up and Joohyun knows she should know better than to indulge in other long-term distractions.

          “I’m going home.”

          “What? But you just got here!” Seulgi whines, she jumps in front of Joohyun and grabs her arms to hold her in place.

          Immediately Joohyun colors up.

          To be this close to Seulgi, to have these kind of strange thoughts running rampant around her head, no, it isn’t good for her. She has to focus. She has to know her goal. Besides, Seulgi would probably not appreciate it if she finds out her best friend has been having inappropriate— no, it should not even be mentioned.

          “What are you doing? I have to go!”

          “But, but, I’m sorry okay? But—“ Seulgi leans in closer, and Joohyun knows that the cause of her red face definitely isn’t from the seven flights of stairs she ran through.

          She can’t take it.

          Joohyun steps back. “Seulgi. I have to study. It’s important.” She tries to shake off her irritation when she realizes that he had used up most of her energy in a day for this loathsome adventure.

          Joohyun is already by the foyer.

“Wait. You were studying?” Seulgi follows her.

          “Yes, I was. Unlike certain people.” Seulgi ignores that jibe, and Joohyun tries to concentrate on the task at hand—which is getting out.

          “So, you weren’t with Bogum?”

          “What? No. Why would I be with him?” Joohyun murmurs incredulously as she straightens out her appearance in front of a mirror on the wall.

          “I thought you guys were dating.”

          “I don’t spend my weekends with him if that’s what dating is to you.”

          “So, so you weren’t with anyone?” Seulgi bounces up and says it so cheerfully that Joohyun has to snap her gaze off her reflection.

          “Yes. I was at home. In my room. Studying. Alone.” She gives the girl a strange look, her cheerful demeanor disgruntling her. “What’s it to you?”

          “Nothing.” Yet Seulgi sticks her tongue out playfully.

          Joohyun frowns, for the umpteenth time that day, and despite her annoyance, she approaches Seulgi. The younger girl blinks down at her, standing on the wooden ledge that separates the front step from the rest of the house.

          She flicks Seulgi’s forehead.

          “Don’t do that again. Got it?”

          Seulgi meekly nods.

          Joohyun looks down to find what is bothering her, and she lets out an irritated hiss. She pulls the knot around Seulgi’s midriff, slightly propelling the younger towards her. She quickly undoes it.

          Her shirt’s hem falls around the waistband of her shorts, and Joohyun lets out a mental sigh. She likes to think it is more of relief, rather than disappointment when she catches one last glimpse of Seulgi’s stomach, before disappearing behind cloth.

          “And don’t go around walking in that outfit.” Joohyun warns. She hints, with a note of satisfaction, the chastised expression on Seulgi’s face. “You’ll never know what will happen,” she continues on in a milder tone.

          “But, it’s my house?”

          Seulgi tilts her head and looks down, as if wondering what was so wrong with it.

          Joohyun just shakes her head.

          “Which you left unlocked, by the way.”

          “I was busy giving Mina a bath! Hence, the outfit.”

          Joohyun thinks that if it were possible, Seulgi could spontaneously combust on her own. 

          A splashing sound interrupts them, along with a baby’s laughter echoing out and into the halls. Joohyun pushes Seulgi slightly away. “I’ll be going. And for the love of—“Joohyun looks like she wants to say something, but she chooses to withhold it.

          “Just make sure the baby doesn’t drown.”

          “Hey!”

           Joohyun closes the front door in the middle of Seulgi’s protests.

          She steps outside.

          She marvels at the things she would do for that girl.

--

          “Mina!”

          Seulgi pouts in front of her, catching the tot’s attention. Seulgi grins, and Mina grins back, eyes disappearing into chubby cheeks. Seulgi takes her chubby hands into hers, taking her attention off the stuffed animal she’s been playing with.

          “Wanna go get ice-cream?”

          Mina squeals in delight and repeats those words (‘ice-cweam, ice-cweam!’). Seulgi laughs, but she leans down and places a finger over her lips. “But don’t tell your mommy or your daddy, okay?”

          The baby quiets down at the serious tone, and nods obediently.

          Seulgi smiles, and picks her up. “Let’s have you changed, shall we?” She moves out of the bedroom and into the living room, where she remembers placing the bag of necessities for the child. With one arm, she rests Mina on her hip, and rummages for a change of clothes in the bag.

          Seulgi hums while she is at it, and Mina starts rambling her baby gibberish. The older girl nods all the while, pretending to understand.

          “Do you know why we’re going out today, Minarin?” Seulgi interrupts the baby’s harmless speech.

          Mina stares at her. She lets out a burp, then she giggles.

          Seulgi sets her down on the couch, and proceeds to take off the baby’s jammies. She plays with her cute feet for a while before, continuing.

          “It’s because I’m happy.”

          Mina laughs. She claps her hands together, then repeatedly asks for ice-cream, once again.

          “It’s a secret, though. Like the ice-cream.”