Genre: Fluffy, Crack

Words: 14,078

Wendy and Irene, Seungwan and Juhyun

“Irene, I’m sorry to trouble you.”

“It’s alright! I’m used to taking care of Juhyun during the day. I suppose it wouldn’t be much of a difference to continue doing so at night. Anyways, how can I say no to spending more time with my beloved niece?”

“We’ll make it up to you when we’re back!”

“It’s really nothing. Have fun on your trip!”

Irene’s younger sister crouched down to Juhyun’s level and patted the child’s head.

“Be good to auntie Irene okay?”

Both parents planted a kiss on Juhyun’s forehead before grabbing their luggage reluctantly.

“She’ll be in good care, I promise.”

“We know, that’s why we chose you, Unnie.”

Irene hugged her sister before bidding them goodbye. Looking down at the five-year-old girl standing beside her, Irene smiled before carrying the girl into her arms.

“What do you want to do today Hyun-ah?”

“Lawndreee.”

“Laundry? Okay, let’s go do laundry.”

It never fails to amaze Irene how her younger niece shared the same interests as her. Her sister was initially apprehensive about it, but she soon came to terms with it. Juhyun doing laundry was one of the cutest things anyone has ever seen.

~~~

“Wendy, please? It’s only for a week. Seungwan is a good kid. She won’t cause much trouble!”

“It’s not that, Oppa. I have work to do! I can only take a few days off before I have to send her to a childcare centre while I go to work.”

“It’s fine with us. We really need to go on this business trip. As long as Seungwan is in good hands, we’re okay with any arrangement.”

Wendy ruffled her hair in frustration. She loved her niece, she really did, but she knew that Seungwan has a short attention span. She needed someone to entertain her constantly, and Wendy doesn’t have the time to do so. Sending her to the childcare may not be the best option as well.

“Wendy?”

Blame Wendy’s inability to say no to anyone because she has such a kind heart. Wendy found herself nodding slowly, her hands reaching out to carry the sleeping girl into her arms. Wendy sighed internally, wishing that her brother had told her this a few days ago rather than ambush her with such a request on the day of his flight. Waving goodbye to her brother, Wendy looked down at the girl in her arms, a small smile appearing on her face. Seungwan was too cute to resist. Maybe it’s a good thing after all. She could spend more time with her niece that she rarely got a chance to see.

~~~

“Seungwan, please stop running around!”

Little Seungwan couldn’t be bothered by Wendy’s pleas. Being the hyper active girl she was, she enjoyed running about freely, touching every single thing that meets her eyes and talking to every single human being she bumped into. Seungwan turned back and stuck her tongue out at Wendy, failing to see the other little girl right in front of her.

Wendy’s eyes widened as she watched both Seungwan and the other little girl fell to the ground. She was about to rush over when she saw a beautiful lady ran over to both kids. The lady was not only beautiful. She was ethereal. Despite the fact that Seungwan was the one at fault, the lady was also tending to the little girl as well.

“I’m so sorry for Seungwan’s mistake!”

The lady finally looked up. When her eyes met Wendy’s, Wendy’s breath got caught in .

God damn it, she’s gorgeous.

“I’m sawrry.”

Seungwan’s cute voice successfully reminded Wendy of their current situation. Kneeling down to inspect Seungwan’s wounds, Wendy was relieved to see that it was just a few superficial cuts though she couldn’t say the same about the other young girl. The damage inflicted on the other girl was definitely more serious. What shocked Wendy was how calm the other young girl was. In most cases, young kids would end up crying by now, but the young girl was sitting on the floor in a ninety-degree position with no traces of watery eyes at all.

“Hyun-ah, are you okay?”

Even her voice is so melodic. God help my raging heart.

“Pain.”

Wendy cooed at the sight in front of her. The young girl was definitely as adorable as Seungwan. Speaking of Seungwan, Wendy noticed that her niece was staring at the other girl with wide eyes. To say Wendy was shocked is an understatement. Wendy has never seen Seungwan behaved in that manner before. She was never able to sit still even for a minute but here she was, openly staring at the other girl.

“Seungwan?”

“Me Seungwan, you?”

Seungwan had her small hand stuck out, hoping that the other girl would take it. Unfortunately for her, Juhyun was a very shy girl.

“Sungwen?”

“Nooooo, Seungwan.”

“Sungwan.”

“Seunggggggwannnn.”

“Wannie.”

“Seung-Wannie?”

“Wannie.”

“Awww, aren’t they cute?”

“They are…”

Wendy looked at the lady in front of her again, taking her time to admire the cute button nose that was currently scrunched up in an adorable manner because of the wide smile plastered on her face.

“I’m Wendy.”

“Irene. It’s nice to meet you Wendy but I need to bring her back to my childcare centre. Her wounds have to be tended before they get infected.”

“I could give you a ride?”

“It’s alright, it’s only a ten-minute walk.”

“Treat it as my apology for Seungwan’s actions? Besides you did say that you needed to tend to Hyun’s wounds before they get infected.”

Please say yes, Please say yes.

“Alright. Hyun-ah, let’s go.”

~~~

“So, you run a childcare centre?”

“Yup! I have always loved kids so why not?”

“How old is she?”

“Juhyun? She’s five.”

“Wow, so you married young?”

Wendy stopped the car at a red light and turned to look at Irene who was currently muffling her laughter with her hand.

“What?”

“Do you see any ring Wendy?”

“N-No but…”

“I’m not married, Wendy. Heck, I’m not even attached. Juhyun is my sister’s child. She went on a trip with her husband, leaving Juhyun in my care.”

“How can you not be attached? I mean…Wow…You look beyond beautiful. You probably have a lot of suitors.”

“I do, but I have no interest in them. It’s my turn to ask questions now, Wendy. How old is Seungwan?”

“She’s five as well. Coincidentally, my brother left for a trip with his wife. That’s why I’m taking care of Seungwan now.”

“Is that your way of telling me you’re single?”

“Depends on whether you’ll say yes.”

Irene only smiled before stepping out of the car.

“I’ll consider it if you stop by again sometime.”

After carrying Juhyun into her arms, Irene leaned down and planted a kiss on Seungwan’s cheeks.

“See you next time, Seungwan-ah!”

“Bye Bye Juhyun.”

“Hyun-ah, say bye to Seungwan.”

As usual, the reserved girl just waved without uttering a single word. In retrospect, Irene realised that her niece was very much like her. Introverted.

“Sorry about that. She’s just shy.”

“It’s alright. You better go in now. It looks like it’s about to rain.”

“Getting rid of me now huh?”

“W-What? No...I was just...”

“Ms Bae!”

Wendy silently cursed at the interruption. She wanted to talk to Irene for a little longer. Soon enough, Wendy watched as a bunch of kids ran over to where Irene was standing, tackling the girl down onto the floor. Wendy’s heart melted as she watched how Irene doubled into laughter instead of reprimanding the kids for making her fall. What caught Wendy’s eyes the most was how Juhyun remained unfazed in Irene’s other arm. She was just staring into blank space. As much as Wendy taught Juhyun was cute, her behaviour was borderline creepy. A cute kind of creepy.

“I’ll see you girls next time!”

Irene managed to catch a glimpse of Wendy breaking out into a small grin before the car sped off.

“Irene Unnie! I’m sorry I couldn’t contain the kids! They were excited to see you again.”

“It’s alright. I love these kids as much as they exhaust me.”

“Ouwieee.”

Looking down at the small girl in her arms, Irene mentally smacked her forehead for forgetting that her niece required immediate medical attention. Gently pushing the other kids into the child care centre with the help of Seulgi, Irene placed Juhyun onto the coach in her office. Irene was impressed with the lack of crying from her niece. She was really an odd one.

“Does it hurt?”

“Liwwle.”

“Little? You’re a brave girl.”

Kissing the crown on Juhyun’s head, Irene patted the bandaged wound on Juhyun’s leg gently before leading her niece out of her office.

“Go play with your friends.”

As usual, Juhyun only responded with a small nod, her small fingers clutching onto the purple bunny soft toy she had with her since young. At times Irene felt that Juhyun was her kid with the amount of similarities they had.

Irene plopped herself down on the chair at the back of the classroom, silently observing the kids. It was their playtime which meant that kids were running around, chasing each other while the quieter ones were huddled in a corner doing various things.

Seeing the little kids reminded Irene of her encounter with Wendy earlier on. Sure, Wendy was a little quirky and shy but that was what made her endearing in Irene’s eyes. Hardly anyone would catch Irene’s eye, but Irene was definitely intrigued by Wendy. Perhaps the little girl who goes by the name Seungwan had a part to play in this.

Juhyun rarely made friends due to her personality. She never complained about feeling lonely, nor did she start a tantrum because the other kids wanted to play with the same toys she wanted. Although she was still young, Irene felt that Juhyun was way too mature for her age. It worried Irene immensely. As Juhyun’s aunt, she wanted to see Juhyun interacting with more kids her age. Juhyun only played with one other kid in class, Kim Yerim.

Both girls were polar opposites which ironically explained their ability to get along well. Juhyun left all the ‘talking’, if you consider incoherent words as talking anyways, to Yerim. On the other hand, Yerim left all the ‘mature’ work to Juhyun. Whenever Yerim get too excited, she would often put herself into dangerous situations. In response, Juhyun would often drag Yerim away by her sleeves. Because of that, Irene often left the two alone. She trusted the both of them enough.

“Ms Bae, there’s a request for the enrolment of a new kid for a couple of days.”

“Print out the details and pass me the file. I’ll take a look at it later. Oh, and how many times have I told you to call me Unnie. Ms Bae sounds so old.”

“But you are old.”

“Park Sooyoung!”

There are a few things you should never talk about in front of Bae Irene. Her age is one of them. Irene’s glare and hard smack was enough to shut Sooyoung’s mouth. Despite her petite size, Irene’s smacks can hurt a lot and due to Sooyoung’s savage nature, she would always end up being the target.

Despite the sore arms and tired eyes after a long day of managing not only the kids but also the kid trapped in an adult body(a.k.a Park Sooyoung), Irene never regretted starting up a childcare centre. Irene loved kids that much.

~~~

The next day Irene stepped into the childcare centre, a file was handed to her immediately.

“The new kid is coming in today and will be staying until Friday.”

“Alright, thanks Sooyoung.”

Opening the file, Irene was greeted by a very familiar and cute face.

Name: Son Seungwan

Age: Five

Hobbies: ‘Baking’, ‘Singing’, ‘Talking’

Special Requirements: Seungwan gets hurt easily so please look out for her

“Seungwan eh?”

Right on cue, the girl that intrigued Irene was right in front of her again.

“H-Hi again.”

“I see you brought Seungwan here. Trying to find means to talk to me again?”

“W-What? It’s not that…I…”

“I’m just joking, Wendy. Lighten up. I’m glad little Seungwan is here. She’s such a cutie and Juhyun seriously needs a new playmate.”

Wendy smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of her neck as she struggled to maintain eye-contact with Irene. Who could blame her? Irene’s gaze was so piercing and intense. Wendy was afraid that she would fall into oblivion if she continued staring into those gorgeous orbs.

“I need to work so I can’t take care of Seungwan in the daytime. Please take good care of her.”

“Of course, I will.”

“I know the centre only opens in an hour’s time but Sooyoung said it was alright to bring Seungwan in earlier to let her get used to the environment.”

“Juhyun is already in the classroom. Want to meet her again?”

“If that’s not too inconvenient? My workplace is near here so I can leave later.”

“Didn’t know that you were that persistent in spending time with me, Wendy.”

“Who wouldn’t?”

Wendy’s reply caught Irene off-guard which resulted in a pink hue appearing all the way until Irene’s ears. She was used to teasing others, not the other way around.

“Didn’t know you were a flirt.”

“I learned from the best.”

Irene almost tripped over while walking towards the classroom after witnessing Wendy’s confident wink. In return, she grazed Wendy’s arm lightly as she walked into the classroom where Juhyun was at, causing Wendy to be paralysed on the spot.

Two can play this game Wendy ah

“Teacher Irin, where Juhyun?”

Crouching down to Seungwan’s level, Irene pointed at a small figure at the same corner of the room. As soon as little Seungwan saw Juhyun, she ran over immediately, her laughter breaking the silence in the classroom. Irene cooed at the sight of Seungwan engulfing Juhyun in a tight hug while repeatedly saying ‘Hyun’.

“She’s such a cutie.”

“Trust me, I have never seen Seungwan that interested in anything much less anyone before.”

With the same ninety-degree pose, Juhyun paused to look at Seungwan without returning the hug. The only difference this time was a slight tilt of the head as though she was curious about something.

“Wannie.”

That one word alone made little Seungwan excited again. She hastily grabbed Juhyun’s tiny hand and jumped up and down on the spot causing much laughter among the two adults watching them from afar.

“Wannie and Hyun!!!”

Irene couldn’t help but break out in her infamous laugh, the one with wide open, unlike the usual image she projects in front of others. Despite the unlady-like laughter, Wendy could only stare in adoration.

Irene’s laughter is so precious

“Seungwan is always this hyper huh?”

“I never get a break with her. At this rate, I think Juhyun would end up sleeping earlier since Seungwan is going to tire her out with this amount of energy.”

“It’s alright. Juhyun really needs to have more friends.”

The two continued staring at the weird but adorable interactions between the two young kids before Wendy turned to face Irene again.

“Say, would you be free for dinner on Friday?”

“You strike fast, Wendy.”

“I thought you would have preferred a more confident suitor?”

Irene gave a smirk as she traced Wendy’s jawline gently before stepping out of the classroom.

“I like people who act like themselves. You don’t need to change for me, Wendy. Regarding dinner, if you don’t mind babysitting another kid along with Seungwan then my answer is yes.”

It took a full minute for the words to be processed in Wendy’s brain. As soon as she realised what Irene just said, she popped her head out of the classroom and was relieved to see Irene’s back view walking towards the receptionist area.

“I’ll call you!”
 

Staring at Irene’s back view, Wendy could only sigh lovingly.

How can someone be so beautiful and perfect?

“Auntie Wendy, look Seungwan and Juhyun!”
 

The two little girls ran over with their fingers laced with each other. Despite the big smile on Seungwan’s face, Juhyun still had that stoned expression. Wendy wasn’t entirely sure if Juhyun appreciated the enthusiasm from Wendy but she just shrugged it off. Irene did say that Juhyun should interact with more kids.

“I have to leave now. Seungwan, take care of Juhyun okay?”

“Wannie. Hyun.”

Juhyun had a rather stern look on her face. The hand that was previously laced with Seungwan’s had left and joined its partner to form a cross in front of Juhyun’s small body. With her lips jutted out ever so slightly, Wendy struggled to maintain a straight face. She knew that the little girl would be even angrier if she started laughing. It was hard though. Juhyun’s behaviour was extremely adorable.

She looks like an angry bunny

“Pardon?”

“Wannie. Hyun.”

For a while, Wendy couldn’t understand Juhyun at all. She felt like the little girl was speaking a foreign language. It wasn’t until Seungwan pointed to herself and Juhyun that sparked a lightbulb in Wendy’s head.

“Wannie and Hyun?”

Both girls nodded their head vigorously and laced their fingers back together.

“Alright, alright. Wannie, take care of Hyun okay?”

Using her free hand, Seungwan proudly showed a thumbs up before dragging the other, quieter girl back into the same corner.

God, those two are adorable

Wendy bid goodbye to Seulgi and Sooyoung on her way out. Although she was a little bummed out that she didn’t manage to see Irene again, Seulgi’s comments made her look forward to her dinner date with Irene even more.

“She’s in the lady’s room. Don’t worry about Friday night. Irene Unnie is a simple girl and I can tell, Seungwan has already won her over for you.”

~~~

Irene has spent the last hour or so staring at the two little kids huddle together in another corner of the classroom. Although Juhyun remained expressionless most of the time, a small, shy smile would break out from time to time due to Seungwan’s antics. Yerim, Juhyun’s only other playmate, would often play with other kids as well leaving Juhyun alone for prolonged periods.

“I’m glad Juhyun is starting to open up to someone else.”

“They are very cute together but wouldn’t Juhyun throw a fit once Seungwan leaves? Wendy did mention that her parents would be back this weekend.”

“Yeah…I don’t want to take away this little happiness she has right now. If she gets too attached, I’ll probably try to explain things.”

“She’s a five-year-old kid. What does she know?”

“Oh, you’ll be surprised.”

“Like how she does laundry with you?”

“I didn’t teach her that, Seulgi! She watched her mom do laundry and she got interested. Can’t blame the girl. Doing laundry is the best feeling ever!”
 

“Better than ?”
 

“Yeah, wait what? You should cleanse your mouth Park Sooyoung! And to answer your question, I don’t know. I never had it.”

“The kids won’t know what is, Irene Unnie. But are you serious right now? You’re still a ?”

“One more word and I’ll personally haul you out of the centre!”

Park Sooyoung enjoys seeing Irene flustered over the slightest things. To be fair, she really didn’t know about Irene’s non-existent life. She would have thought Irene had gotten some before, seeing that the girl was already twenty-seven.

“For the record, I’m still shocked.”

“Shut up. I don’t do flings.”

“So you never had a relationship before?”

“Can we just drop the topic?”

“Last one, I promise.”

Irene sighed. Combing her hair back, she tried to prevent a blush from creeping up but seeing that her entire face was already red, she had obviously failed.

“I never had the urge to with my exes. I only dated two people before. None of them made me crave for anything. Can we just drop this now?”

“Alright, alright. Hey, look at Juhyun and Seungwan.”

-In a corner of the classroom-

“Me bake cawot cake for Hyun.”

“Hyun do lawndreee for Wannie.”

As little Seungwan fumbled with the artificial food items to ‘bake’ a carrot cake for her friend, Juhyun was standing in front of the miniature washing machine playset. During playtime, Juhyun would always head to that playset since no other kids would fight with her over it. Oh, and because she loves doing laundry.

A minute later, Seungwan placed a toy donut onto a plastic plate and placed it on the playset’s countertop. Sure, it didn’t look like a carrot cake but a kid got to make do with the toys available. Poking Juhyun’s shoulder lightly, proud little Seungwan smiled widely, revealing her white teeth and pointed to the toy donut on the table.

“Cawot Cake.”

For the first time, Seungwan noticed how pretty Juhyun looked as a shy grin appeared on the little girl’s face. As Seungwan was still in a trance, Juhyun stepped forward and brought Seungwan closer to her, her little arms wrapped around Seungwan’s tiny frame.

“Thawnk you, Wannie. I lobe cawot cake.”

A loud squeal was heard in the classroom, catching both Irene and Juhyun off guard. Irene composed herself a while later, but Juhyun, out of reflex, shoved Seungwan onto the floor. In the process of doing so, she tripped over Seungwan’s foot, causing her to fall on top of Seungwan’s tiny frame.

“Oh my god! Hyun, Seungwan, are you okay?”

Irene was beyond worried seeing that Seungwan was as tiny, or maybe even tinier than Juhyun. She wouldn’t be able to support the other girl’s weight. What surprised her was the loud giggle emitting from Juhyun. Little Seungwan had closed her eyes upon hitting the ground, but one eye peeked open when Juhyun began poking Seungwan’s face experimentally.

“Wannie is cute.”

Irene didn’t think that young kids would be able to get embarrassed until she saw a pink hue appearing on Seungwan’s pale face. Gently prying Juhyun’s body off Seungwan, Irene checked for any injuries and was relieved to see none on the two young girls.

“H-Hyun cuter!”

To say Irene was amused would be an understatement. She decided to let the two girls be and watch the other kids instead.

“Wannie squishy.”

“Squishy.”

Seungwan looked to where Juhyun was pointing, only to realise that Juhyun was referring to her . Seungwan’s natural instinct kicked in and her small hands immediately went to cover her backside much to Juhyun’s disappointment.

“Waaeeeeeee!”

Seeing Juhyun’s upset frown, Seungwan reached forward to push Juhyun’s cheeks up, forcing a smile to form on Juhyun’s face.

“Wannie is Hyun’s.”

Seulgi, who was attending to another kid cracked up and fell onto the ground, creating an invitation for the other kids to run over and tackle her like they did with Irene before. In fact, all of the kids ran over to Seulgi’s side inciting much laughter from Irene and Sooyoung. Well, all but little Juhyun and Seungwan who were in their own world.

Little Seungwan was running around with Juhyun chasing her from behind. Apparently, Juhyun developed a fixation on Seungwan’s and wanted to ‘touch’ it more.

A childcare centre could be messy indeed.

~~~

“It’s time for naptime! Grab your favourite toys and lie on your mattress!”

Seungwan, who was new, couldn’t understand what Irene meant. Pulling onto the ends of Irene’s sweatshirt lightly, Seungwan raised an eyebrow in confusion. Before Irene could even respond, Juhyun had already walked over with one hand holding onto her favourite purple bunny.

“Wannie and Hyun.”

Irene glanced at the mattress that Juhyun usually slept in and realised that both sides were occupied already. That means that Seungwan couldn’t sleep next to Juhyun.

“I’m sorry Hyun-ah. There’s no more space next to you for Seungwan to sleep in.”

Puffing up cheeks in frustration, it was evident that Juhyun wasn’t happy.

“Me want Wannie!”

Scratching her head lightly, Irene kneeled down to Juhyun’s level.

“Just for today. I’ll make sure you’ll sleep next to Seungwan tomorrow.”

“Hmph!”

None of the teachers expected Juhyun to behave in that manner seeing ha the girl was always well-behaved. As if little Seungwan could sense their distress, Seungwan gently took Juhyun’s unoccupied hand into hers.

“Wannie sleep with Hyun tomorrow.”

“Prowmise?”

“Prowmise.”

As they linked pinkies, Juhyun shocked the teachers even further when she pecked Seungwan’s cheeks lightly. After which, just like an adorable bunny, Juhyun skipped to where her mattress was and laid down. The teachers were a little sceptical that Juhyun gave in easily but they reckoned it was due to Seungwan.

“Come on, let’s bring you to your mattress for today.”

After ensuring that every kid was tucked securely, Irene blew a kiss to the kids and switched off the lights. It was stone quiet for a short while until a small voice broke the silence.

“Wannie?”

Because Juhyun’s eyes have not adjusted to the darkness, she almost tripped over the kid sleeping next to her. Little Juhyun was whispering ‘Wannie’ while crossing over the sleeping bodies. She was definitely as stubborn as her aunt.

Soon enough, Juhyun heard a familiar voice whispering back to her.

“Hyun?”

As soon as Seungwan heard Juhyun’s voice, she sat up immediately so that Juhyun could find her easily.

“Wannie!”
 

Déjà vu. Seungwan fell back onto the mattress with Juhyun on top of her again. The two were behaving as though they were Romeo and Juliet. Sneaking around after not seeing each other ‘for a long time’. It has only been ten minutes since they were separated.

Pressing a finger onto Juhyun’s lips, Seungwan adjusted her body so that Juhyun could slip next to her. Thank god they were both tiny enough to fit in the mattress. Not wanting to wake the other kids up, Seungwan pulled Juhyun even closer to her.

“Swleep.”

~~~

An hour later, Irene switched on the lights causing many whines and groans from the kids. Irene could only chuckle in amusement. Kids were the cutest whenever they just woke up. With messy bed-hair and little fingers rubbing their eyes, Irene relished in this adorable moment everyday. Looking at the spot where her niece was supposed to be, Irene’s eyes widened in panic.

“Where’s Hyun?”

“Shhh.”

Seulgi pointed to two small figures snuggled closely together, their hands wrapping around each other. It was as though their lives depended on each other. As much as Irene was a little mad that Juhyun did not listen to her(I mean the girl could have gotten herself and others hurt in the process of finding Seungwan in the darkness), her heart melted at the adorable moment in front of her.

How often would you see two kids huddled up together like that?

Sighing softly, Irene could only shake her head. Despite that, Seulgi could see how happy Irene was. Irene always had a soft spot for kids. She would make a good mother.

“Hyun, Seungwan, wake up.”

Irene shook their bodies lightly. Soon enough, two pairs of big, round eyes stared back at her. Seeing the ‘stern’ look in Irene’s eyes, Juhyun cowered back even closer to Seungwan’s tiny body.

“Hyun sworry. Hyun want Wannie.”

“Sigh, what do I do with you two cuties.”

Pinching their cheeks in adoration, Irene patted their butts and sent them off to the bathroom to freshen up with the other kids. Irene’s motherly smile appeared once again as she watched the two little girls skipped towards the bathroom.

“I’m glad Hyun is happier with Seungwan around.”

“I am too. But Seulgi, she would be heartbroken once Seungwan leaves.”

“She still has a few days. Let her be happy. She’s finally acting her age for once.”

~~~

“Was she good?”

“She was very well-behaved and Juhyun really opened up to her today. Thanks for bringing Seungwan here. I haven’t seen Juhyun that happy before.”

“What do you mean?”

“I guess it’s because my sister and her husband would spend more time with their work than with Juhyun that caused Juhyun to become more independent. They would always drop Juhyun off here before going to work everyday except for the weekends. They try to make it up to Juhyun during the weekends but it seems that Juhyun already grew accustomed to their absence. Juhyun is really different from kids her age. For the most part, she appears to be mature but thanks to Seungwan, I get to see her childish side more often.”

“I’m just glad that Seungwan didn’t scare Juhyun off. Seungwan can be a handful at times. She’s way too hyper.”

“On the contrary, Juhyun is quiet. She would never have taken the first step to get to know someone.”

“That’s Seungwan for you. By the way, where is she?”

“Wanna take a guess?”

Irene teasingly bit her lip and looked at Wendy to gauge her reaction. As she expected, Wendy’s eyes widened immediately to the point that her eyebrows were covered behind her bangs. At that sight, Irene laughed out loud, her hand covering her stomach. Wendy was too fun to play with.

“She’s in my office with Juhyun. Every other kid went home with their parents already.”

“Was I late? Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I remembered it as 6pm. Was I wrong? I’m sorry. God it’s only the first day and I managed to make myself look like a fool in front of my future girlfriend.”

Wendy was speaking so fast, Irene could barely comprehend her. But she did catch the last few words.

“You should be a rapper judging by how fast you can speak. You aren’t late. The rest were early. Also, since when did I agree to be your ‘future girlfriend’?”

With her head hung down low, Wendy’s feet shifted left and right. Her face was already beat-red and her heart was hammering against her chest in nervousness.

God kill me now. Why did I let that slip out? I mean it isn’t wrong. I really want Irene to be my future girlfriend but why did I have to say that in front of her? Stupid Wendy!

“You’re as cute as your niece. Come on, I’ll bring you to her.”

Seeing that Wendy was still feeling embarrassed by her confession, Irene turned back to face Wendy.

“Wendy, if you haven’t already guessed, I like teasing you. I am intrigued by you. I like you enough to have a dinner date with you this Friday so stop worrying, alright? It’s too fast to predict what would happen but I would very much like it if things work out for us.”

Irene’s assurance gave Wendy that little bit of confidence to look up again. As soon as she did, Irene gasped silently at how beautifully expressive Wendy’s eyes were. It was Irene’s turn to freeze on the spot.

“You…really mean that?”

“I’m pretty upfront about my feelings, Wendy. If I’m not the least bit interested in you, I would have rejected you on the spot, but I didn’t. Just be yourself. Don’t worry too much.”

“But you’re…you and I’m…me.”

The sad tone at the end of Wendy’s sentence caught Irene’s attention immediately.

“You’re right. I’m me, and you’re you. I’m just another ordinary girl, Wendy. I don’t know you well enough to shower you with compliments, but what I know is how caring and loving with your niece. That alone is enough for me.”

Irene proceeded to lead Wendy to her office. After taking only a few steps, Wendy halted her footsteps for a brief moment. Her voice was soft, but Irene could hear every word. It felt so sincere and genuine.

“Thank you.”

~~~

“Seungwan, let’s go home!”

“Noooooo! Hyun!!!!”

Seungwan was struggling in Wendy’s arms, desperate to get back to her playmate. On the other hand, Juhyun was pulling onto Wendy’s legs as hard her little arms could.

“Have they been like this the entire day? I didn’t think they would be so attached in one day.”

“Pretty much.”

“Seungwan, we’ll see Hyun tomorrow okay?”

“Nooooooooooo!!”

“Stap taking Wannie away!!!”

Seeing that Wendy had no idea what to do, Irene picked Juhyun up and placed the little girl back onto the coach. Irene motioned for Wendy to do the same while mouthing, ‘Trust me’. Placing Seungwan back onto the coach, the two little girls went back to hugging each other. As much as Wendy adored the sight in front of her, she had to bring Seungwan back home. Wendy had to report to work tomorrow and if she wanted to get enough sleep, she had to tuck Seungwan into bed soon.

“I promise, we’ll see Hyun tomorrow okay?”

Seungwan ignored Wendy’s words, her little legs swinging back and forth as her arms tightened even further around her new playmate’s small body.

“I’ll not let you bake if we don’t get home soon. Hyun needs to rest too.”

“Wannie lobe Hyun more than baking!”

Smacking her face at her failed attempt to win Seungwan over, Wendy glanced over at Irene, hoping the girl had a solution. After all, Irene had been dealing with kids for a much longer time than Wendy.

“Hyun, Wannie needs to go home. Be a good girl. If you’re a good girl, I’ll let Wannie have a sleepover on Friday so you can see her the entire day.”

“Rwally?”

“Really.”

At the thought of being able to spend the entire day with Seungwan, Juhyun removed her arms from Seungwan’s body. By this time, neither Irene nor Wendy could comprehend what the two were saying. It was as though they had a secret langu