“Sorry, I’m late…”

 

Yeri pulled away just in time, and if Seulgi did ever see something indecent, she didn’t say anything about it. Yeri and her girlfriend are already doing her a huge favor for watching Jennie tonight. Seulgi usually uses Wendy's as a last resort on school days, knowing that there's no chance Jennie and Jisoo are going to sleep around each other.

 

“No, you’re good, unnie. I thought you’re going to get back later?”

 

“No. After the curtain call, I was ready to go home.”

 

The cast and crew of the show all aired out their disappointment when Seulgi declined to go to the after party. It was barely midnight they say, but for Seulgi that’s too long to be apart from her daughter. It’s been like hell for the past few weeks leading up to the show. She was lucky if she even sees Jennie awake when she comes home at night. And for her, this is the best after party snuggled in bed with her baby.

 

“How are you, Saeron?”

 

“Oh! I’m doing good, unnie.”

 

Saeron had met Seulgi a couple of times more after the soccer game. In Family parties and picnics but until now Saeron is still blown away by how gorgeous she is. Yeri said tonight was their showcase and Seulgi, who’s usually dressed casually looked unbelievable, with her hair cascading in soft waves, her dangling earrings and make up that just brought out her beauty to Ethereal levels. Right now, she makes something as mundane as taking off her coat look like a scene from a commercial.

 

“Did Jennie give you any trouble?” Seulgi asked while she hangs her coat behind the closet door.

 

“Wait… Jennie?” Yeri tilts her head to the side, looking quite confused. “Jennie is here?”

 

“Wait? What?!” The calm in Seulgi’s voice disappeared in a snap and Saeron almost back away from the look of terror in Seulgi’s face. She looks terrified, but she still looked every bit as inviting. “What do you mean if Jennie is here?”

 

Her immature girlfriend just burst out in a cackle before waving Seulgi off, “JK. JK. Unnie. Last time I check she was asleep. Or I think that was her.”

 

“Hey…” Saeron gives her girlfriend a good jab in the ribs. “Cut that out. She’s asleep unnie.”

 

Seulgi just took a sigh in relief, not even bothering to argue with Yeri. If Yeri tried something like that with her Irene unnie, she doubts she could walk away from it alive.

 

Saeron just realized how much of a kid the girl she’s dating with until now. Yeri wasn’t going to let anyone win, not even a four-year-old. They were drilling Jennie with her spelling words, and Jennie barely glances at the words as she spells it out, looking like it bored her. So, Yeri decided that it would be fun to piss off Jennie and suddenly started giving Jennie words meant for high schoolers. Jennie wasn’t having any of it.

 

“She’s so cute, unnie.” Saeron gushed. “She’s like a little adult. She told Yeri to stay away from the kitchen and that we should just order for dinner.”

 

Seulgi chuckled before walking over to the kitchen to fix herself a cup of orange juice. She opened the fridge, and a smile instantly curled in her lips as she saw the Chinese takeout box with Jennie’s handwriting scribbled on top of it “For Mommy.”

 

“Yeah, she ordered you one too.”

 

Seulgi pulled out the Styrofoam box and placed it inside the microwave.

 

“She did her math drills and her 30 minutes reading?”

 

“I gave her multiplication table. She kinda had a hard time.” Yeri added.

 

Seulgi whined in defense of her daughter, “She’s still a baby.” Although sometimes, Jennie acts like she’s sixteen. “Of course, she doesn’t know that yet. Did she get to finish her food?”

 

“She did. I’m not saying it’s healthy, but she did.”

 

Seulgi just answered them with a smile.

 

“We better go and let you rest, unnie.”

 

“You guys want some drinks along the way? I got some soda if you like?” Seulgi offered her hand halfway through the coke cans in the fridge.

 

“No, we’re good. Thanks though.”

 

“No. here take this.” Seulgi two soda cans in Yeri’s hands. “Thank you again.”

 

“Anytime unnie,” Yeri popped the soda can open for her and her girl, before letting it trickle down .

 

*

 

“So, unnie doesn’t have anybody right now?”

 

Yeri popped a brow, wondering what her girlfriend is trying to insinuate.

 

“Why? Do you want to file for an application?”

 

Saeron answered her back with an eye roll, “I just think unnie is beautiful and sweet. She won’t have a problem finding someone.”

 

“Finding someone is easy, finding the right one, now that’s the tricky part. They want to date unnie, but they don’t want to deal with Jennie.”

 

“But she’s so adorbs though.”

 

Saeron gushed. The truth was, she loves all of Yeri’s nieces even the next door neighbor Lisa who talks like she’s maiming on energy drinks all the time. She loves babysitting them, Jisoo is still five but is savage enough to shut off Yeri, Chaeyoung is just like a sweet teddy bear, and then there’s Jennie, the girl who is more mature than half of the adults that Saeron know.

 

She knew Jennie would be an instant favorite when the first thing she asked her was, “Why did you pick aunt Yeri?” That plus that look of disappointment in her life choices and she had Saeron burst out laughing.

 

“Well, not everyone wants kids or a relationship. Are you willing to go through math drills and 30-minute reading and making sure they ate?”

 

Saeron pouts thoughtfully before turning to her girlfriend with a mischievous smirk. “Maybe. Are you?”

 

And this was the rare times that Yeri is quiet.

 

“Well… ummm…”

 

“I’m kidding…” Saeron nudges her, enjoying the fact that she made Yeri tongue tied for once.

 

“YAH!”

 

The night air is filled with their laughter before Saeron pulled closer.

 

“Seulgi unnie gave up all that for 30-minute reading and math drills.”

 

” Yeri waved her girlfriend off, before wrapping her arm around her shoulder, “I think unnie will be alright. She is happiest with Jennie… Someday, she’ll meet someone who wouldn’t mind having 30-minute reading and doing math drills.”

 

“They’re going to be quite lucky.”

 

Yeri couldn’t agree more.

 

*

 

Jennie bounced off the bed as soon as she felt someone messing around with her toes. She was ready to launch her baby seal like a missile on someone’s face (Her Aunt Yeri), but when she saw the silhouette of the person she loves the most, she quickly dropped her guard and fell back on her bed.

 

Finally, she could sleep in peace.

 

That’s the thing with having her Aunt Yeri babysit her, Jennie needs to keep one eye open just in case she tries anything. One time during one of their family vacations, Jisoo woke up with a full on beard and mustache. Jisoo thought it's funny and walk around the breakfast buffet looking like Captain Hook. Her auntie Wendy almost had a heart attack, her aunt Irene said some things that her mommy told her never to say.

 

And who’s to blame for it? Her auntie Yeri.

 

Jennie will be damned if anybody messes with her face.

 

She felt her sleepiness slowly taking over while her mommy puts her fluffy socks on her feet that she probably wiggled out again.

 

“Did you have fun with your auntie Yeri?”

 

“No,” Jennie answered without missing a single beat. Her mom just chuckled before kissing her in her hair. “She’s mean!”

 

“She is?”

 

Jennie frowned once again at what she had to deal with tonight. “She keeps calling me Jennifer, and I told her my name is not Jennifer it’s Jennie. She said she’ll call me furry now or furfur.”

 

“What? Silly Auntie Yeri…” Another kiss again and another caress on her hair and Jennie knows she is seconds away from falling asleep.

 

“She’s just playing with you. But I’ll talk to her, okay?”

 

Jennie just hums sleepily, “I’ll just watch myself, no more Aunt Yeri.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Her mommy pulled her in her arms. “I’m here now. No one is going to mess with my baby.”

 

Her mommy’s soft kiss lingered on the top of her head before Jennie hears a gentle hum that carries her softly to her slumber. She let out a yawn before curling in her mommy’s embrace. The sound of her mommy’s heartbeat was all she needs, the sweetest lullaby she’ll ever hear.

 

*

 

“Jennie, slow down…”

 

It was the first time that Ms. Jo Eunae have ever seen Jennie run.

 

And the little girl is quite the little Flash too. One month of being her Kindergarten teacher and she had never seen Jennie run. She doesn’t run when she’s playing during recess with her friends, even when her PE teacher is telling her too, and she still doesn’t run when her aunts come and pick her up.

 

But right now, Jennie just zoom past everyone in the playground. Those little feet blurred almost to the point of flying over to the woman coming into the school.

 

She hadn’t had a chance to meet Jennie’s mom yet, but she’s already notorious around the teacher’s lounge. Everyone thirsting (Eunae couldn’t find a more fitting term) over the hot, single mom. And now she could figure out why… Even from a distance, it was obvious that she’s a beauty.

 

She isn’t dressed like these West Chester moms in their Vuittons and Guccis and Chanels. Instead, she walked in, in black jeans and black top, with an ed striped polo shirt softening up her look. She was dressed so casually yet still manage to steal everyone’s attention. But it doesn’t even matter who was watching her, her devotion was all about her baby girl as she cooed and kissed Jennie’s band aid finger. And for Eunae, it wasn’t her looks that made her gushed; it was how sweet of a mom she is.

 

Jennie’s mom took her daughter’s hand as she walked over to where she is. And as soon as Eunae finally got a good look at her, she felt her breath hitched.

 

It’s a small world after all.

 

And from the surprised look on Jennie’s mom’s face, she could tell that she probably remembered who she is.

 

It really is quite a small world…

 

“Hi.”

 

“Hi.”

 

“Hi.”

 

Jennie looks back and forth between her mommy and her teacher, wondering why they can’t even say more than one word.

 

“Mommy!” Jennie pats her mommy’s stomach, waking Seulgi back to reality. “My Field Trip money?”

 

“Oh yes.” Seulgi shook her head, embarrassed how her daughter had to get her back to her senses. She pulled out her wallet from her brown bag while trying to muster a decent introduction. “I’m Kang Seulgi, Jennie’s mom.”

 

“I’m Jo Eunae, Jennie’s teacher. It’s good to finally meet you.”

 

What is supposed to be just a polite handshake took a bit longer than usual as their hands lingered in their hold.

 

“Mommy…” Jennie whined, making both adults jumped back away.

 

“Baby, can you go play for a little bit? I have to talk to your teacher, okay?”

 

Jennie narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her mom, before turning over warningly at her teacher. Giving her teacher a “better-not-say-anything-you-will-regret look” before shrugging it off and walking over to the group of giggly Kindergarten girls over by the swing set.

 

“I don’t know if you could remember,” Seulgi murmured as if she’s embarrassed that she remembers such an insignificant meeting. “But we met before.”

 

How could Eunae even forget someone like Seulgi?

 

“Yeah of course I do. Jennie is the lucky little girl who gets the baby seal.”

 

Eunae’s affirmation gave Seulgi that giddy butterflies in the stomach effect.

 

“Thank you for switching with me. She loves it so much. She still sleeps with it at night.”

 

“I’m glad to hear that. The Leopard is happy in his new home too.”

 

The two exchanged shy gazes before Seulgi finally spoke up.

 

“I’m so sorry that it took me this long to finally meet with you.”

 

The way Jennie’s teacher shook her head made her look like someone out of a movie scene, but the way her smile felt so warm and gentle instantly drew Seulgi back in.

 

“No. you’re here now.”

 

“So, how’s my Jennie doing?”

 

As a teacher, Ms. Jo met different kinds of parents, there are some meetings when she could barely manage a word out, and the parent would brush her away and be off with a cellphone glued to their ear. And then there are some parents who she would meet for almost two hours talking to her how incapable she is of teaching their child. There are also some who are clueless about having a child.

 

But Ms. Kang is on another level of her own.

 

She initially thought that Ms. Kang is the type who put work over her child, seeing how they could barely schedule a meeting. But everyone in the faculty begged to differ, saying that Ms. Kang loves her daughter more than anything in this world.

 

And now she could see why. There is a certain glow in those crescent eyes and warmth in her tone even at just the mention of Jennie’s name.

 

“She’s doing very well. She’s one of my brightest academically. Especially with her reading. Right now, she’s in the Shared Reading level, that’s where most of her friends are. But she’s doing really good, so I’m thinking of moving her to a higher level.”

 

Seulgi turned to her daughter, her girl looking like a little boss as she commands the little girls to form a line, and they followed her without any slight resistance.

 

“It’s going to be a bit challenging at first. Some words might be tough for her. And Jennie tends to get frustrated when she can’t get it right, right away. But it’s not a one day process, not even a week, we just have to be patient with her, and it’ll pay off.”

 

“I’m glad she likes to read.” Seulgi said but her eyes still on her little girl who boosted a girl who’s just around the same size as her up the swings. “I’m not really the type who was good at school. So, I’m so proud of her that she gets to be smarter than me. But I notice she has a hard time with her numbers. And like you said, she gets frustrated easily. I just don’t know what I could do to help.”

 

The gentle smile was back again in Ms. Jo’s lips again this time making Seulgi’s inside flutter.

 

“At her age, it’s more effective to have something concrete than abstract. I mean… Like seeing it right in front of her rather than a worksheet makes it more effective. Like if you eat chicken nuggets, you can count that and then at the same time you can add or subtract from it.”

 

“Oh, that makes sense…” Seulgi frowns thoughtfully, cataloging that inside her mind. “I downloaded her some math app, but she doesn’t even pay attention to it. Thank you so much for working hard with her. She talks about you at home.”

 

“Well, she talks a lot about you too. She loves you so much.”

 

Seulgi let out a soft sigh. Jennie is simply her everything but there are just some days when the ugly thoughts would rear inside her head. She often wondered if Jennie, as smart as she is, ever felt that there must be a better mom out there. Motherhood was a challenge that Seulgi wasn’t ready for, but she took it straight on. Every cent she made goes to Jennie. She sends her to a private school she could barely afford, get her the nicest clothes and best books and toys and above all, she showered her with as much love and care that she could.

 

She does what she can to fill up that void, and her friends are more than terrific in helping her take care of Jennie. But with how intuitive Jennie is, Seulgi always worries if her little girl ever thought that she wasn’t enough.

 

“She hates getting in trouble because she knows you’ll be sad.” Ms. Jo added. “She makes cards and draws pictures of you and her.”

 

“Oh yeah, she brings those home. I bring it with me to work.”

 

“They draw a picture this week of what they want to be when they grow up,” Eunae softly chuckled as she recalls it. “Jisoo wants to be a chicken farmer.”

 

“I'm not even surprised…”

 

“And Jennie… she wants to own a dance school.”

 

Seulgi felt someone just tugged on her heartstrings.

 

“A dance school?”

 

“Yeah. Because Jennie said, she wants to be with her mommy all the time.”

 

Jennie’s teacher’s encouraging words and gentle smile have chipped away her insecurities bit by bit.

 

“I mean look at her,” Ms. Jo continued. “She’s smart, she’s well dressed and so pretty, and all the kids just adore her.” The gentle smile quirked into a playful one that Seulgi felt that she had to cup her cheeks just in case her blush betrays her. “And that’s saying something when all the four-year-olds just respect you. Sometimes I think they listen to her more than me.”

 

“Wait… she’s not giving you any trouble, is she?”

 

“What?” Ms. Jo looked at her in surprise. “No… of course not. She’s like the little leader in our class.”

 

“Leader? She’s not bullying those other kids, right?” Seulgi tried to clarify it.

 

“What? No… no… Not at all. All the other kids just want to play with her. She does tend to be very… Vocal about her feelings.”

 

Ms. Jo sees Ms. Kang closing her eyes before letting out a sigh like it’s leaning towards frustration.

 

“You mean she’s threatening the other kids?”

 

“Well, I wouldn’t use the word threat, more of she talks to them sternly,” Ms. Jo admitted with an awkward smile. “But only when they bother her.”

 

“I talked to her about this all the time but she has a mind of her own. Irene unnie, I mean Jisoo’s mom suggest maybe I should spank her, but I couldn’t…” Seulgi turned to look at Jennie who had now move over to the slides, with four little girls trailing behind her. “I thought about it, but it hurts me already when I see her get cut and bruise, what more if I spank her? I just don’t think I could. I mean… I’m not saying it’s wrong, it’s just something that I find so hard to do.”

 

“You don’t have too. There are other ways to send your points across.”

 

“She is so hardheaded though,” Seulgi whined. “But I’ll talk to her. Jennie?”

 

Jennie turned as soon as she heard her mommy calling her.

 

“Come here please…”

 

Jennie as smart as she is could already tell from her mother’s tone that this isn’t going to be good. But she knows it will only be worse if she doesn’t comply, so she walked over even if warning signs are flashing everywhere.

 

“Ms. Jo told me you are doing very well in school, but you aren’t talking nicely to your friends.”

 

Seulgi could already tell that her daughter is guilty because she instantly grabbed on her leg, burying her face to the side. She got down on one knee, looking at her daughter eye to eye.

 

“Jennie look at me, remember what we always talk about. That the most important thing is being nice to our friends.”

 

“I know…” Jennie’s admission is muffled on her mom’s shirt.

 

So, tell me what happened?”

 

“It was Sana’s fault!” Jennie said in her defense. A scowl crossing her face as the memories start coming back.

 

“Sana? Why? What did Sana do?”

 

“She was going to kiss me!” Jennie whined in defeat. “And I don’t like it!”

 

Seulgi pursed her lips trying hard not to remain an adult. But it was hard when she finds her daughter’s frustration too darn adorable.

 

“Well, maybe she just likes you.”

 

Jennie refused to say another word.

 

“Now tell me what happened.”

 

Jennie crossed her arms and turned away. Seulgi coaxed her little girl to break character and say a word.

 

“Jennie?”

 

Seulgi tilted Jennie’s chin to look over to her but breaking Jennie has never been simple. Now Jennie learned a new strategy that if she closed her eyes, she could avoid her mommy’s gaze. So, she put her plan to work, shutting her pretty eyes when her mom is trying to get her to talk.

 

“Open your eyes.”

 

Jennie did the exact opposite.

 

“Open those pretty eyes,” Seulgi asked, trying to tickle her way to get to Jennie. But her little girl was a tough case to crack. “Open it.”

 

Seulgi continued to tickle her way in, but Jennie was too tough, swallowing her lips and gluing her eyes tighter.

 

Knowing that this is going to be a losing battle, Seulgi reached out to her daughter and pulled her into an embrace. She runs her fingers through Jennie’s hair, and when she felt Jennie’s stance finally slacked off, she kissed her in the hair and whispered.

 

“Remember, I’m always going to be on your side.” Seulgi coos softly on Jennie’s ear. “But if you get in trouble and you don’t tell me what happened, I won’t be able to help you.” Seulgi pulled away from the hug and pressed her forehead against her daughter, Jennie’s eyes fluttering open finally meeting her mom’s gaze. “I need to hear it from you. I need to hear what happened from Jennie.”

 

“I told her I'd punch her lips and she can never kiss anyone again,” Jennie grumbled before wrapping her arms around her mommy’s shoulders, her own little version of I’m sorry.

 

Seulgi tried to maintain a strong front and stop herself from smiling. She looked over at the teacher who has the same expression as her too.

 

“Her friend Sana has a kissing habit.” Ms. Jo added.

 

“Did you tell her no?”

 

“I told her no, and she said no means yes. I told Aunt Joy, and she laughed and said you do you, Jennie. So, I did me. You always say to use my words, and I did.”

 

Seulgi wished she knew the right thing to say at this time. It was a good thing, Ms. Jo swooped in and saved the day.

 

“Jennie,” Eunae kneeled to be on Jennie’s eye level. “It’s not right when our friends want us to do something we’re not comfortable in. But telling them were going to hurt them isn’t going to make things better either.”

 

Seulgi looked over at Jennie’s teacher, quite impressed that she could keep Jennie’s attention.

 

“So, Next time when your friends bother you like this. Just tell me, and I’ll talk to them, okay?”

 

“Ms. Jo is talking to you, Jennie.”

 

“Okay…” Jennie grumbled. “I won’t do it again.”

 

To ordinary bystanders, the three of them looked like a picture of a perfect family. Two mothers who are truly devoted to their little girl, unfortunately, someone wasn’t going to have it.

 

“Ms. Kang? Is that you?”

 

Jennie throws her head back in frustration and if that wasn’t obvious, she let out a loud groan at the sight of the woman who popped up on their side. If Jennie would have been around 16, she’ll probably cuss her out and say, “Oh God, not this thirsty hoe again.” Seulgi finds her daughter’s reaction amusing, and hope to make her behave with tickles.

 

“Ms. Kim, hello.”

 

“What have I been telling you? Ah Young, just call me Ah young, Ms. Kang.” She patted or more like Seulgi’s arms. Seulgi looked at Jennie’s teacher, who turned away to hide her amused smile.

 

“I think Ms. Kim is much better.” Seulgi politely declined.

 

“You know, Jessie’s class-”

 

“Jessie?”

 

“Her?” Ms. Kim pointed to the little girl holding on to Seulgi.

 

“You mean Jennie?”

 

“Oh, Jennie… yes. I was kind of close.” The Guidance counselor tried to laugh it off. “It’s just that my job as a guidance counselor I have to know all the students in our school. I’m only human after all.”

 

She turned over to Eunae with a questioning look.

 

“Don’t you have to be in class, Ms. Jo?”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” Eunae bowed politely before turning to Seulgi. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Kang. C’mon Jennie, let’s play for a little bit with your friends while your mommy talks to Ms. Kim.” She took Jennie by the hand, and Jennie kept glancing at her mom, wondering who’s going to protect her mommy from that lady if she’s not around.

 

Seulgi just looked at them until she heard someone clearing .

 

“So, by the way, Ms. Kang, Jennie… I got that right, Jennie is going to have a field trip to the Museum next week. I was wondering if…” She took a step closer closing in any personal space between her and Seulgi. “You would like to come and chaperone?”

 

“Chaperone?” Seulgi’s eyes glowed with excitement. She hadn’t had time with Jennie that much last week, so this would be perfect. “Oh! I would love to do that.”

 

“Oh my gosh! Really? That is going to be such a big help.” Ms. Kim pats Seulgi’s arm thankfully, lingering for a couple of seconds before Seulgi politely bowed down. “I know I could always count on you.”

 

“Ahhh yes, it’s going be a great time to spend with Jennie.”

 

“Oh yes. Her.”

 

“Thank you so much for asking me to come along.” Seulgi tilts her head, figuring out a way to leave without looking rude.

 

“Definitely,” Ms. Kim’s smile is making it harder for Seulgi to just step away without feeling guilty. “You know I saw your performance, Seulgi… can I call you Seulgi?”

 

“I ummm… sure?”

 

“And wow, I just wanna say, just wow…”

 

“Thank you for watching us.” Seulgi tried to draw a line, but Ms. Kim doesn’t seem to have any problem blurring it.

 

“You must be tired, so if you want to go out for drinks-“

 

“You know I’m a single mom, Ms. Kim.”

 

“Oh, I do. I do. It must have been so hard for you, to you know, to date and had time for yourself.”

 

Seulgi just answered with a gentle smile. “No. not at all. I love being with Jennie.”

 

Ms. Kim looked at her surprisingly. In her work as a guidance counselor, she met lots of single parents who were too exhausted and too selfish to care. But not Kang Seulgi, she’s one of a kind.

 

“Really?”

 

“I don’t know how else I could explain it. But she’s like my proudest achievement. Like that little girl, she’s mine. She’s already up to my stomach when I feel like just a few months ago, she could barely make up to my hips.”

 

Ms. Kim saw the look of tenderness in Seulgi’s eyes and at the same time a tinge of sadness.

 

She’s growing up so fast and if I feel like if I blink, I’m going to miss out on something. I would never trade those moments just because I want to go out on a date.”

 

If it didn’t sink in in Ms. Kim’s mind earlier, it was definitely sinking in now. Kang Seulgi was dumping her in a sweetest and most gentle way possible. She ought to be mad, but it’s quite hard to be mad at somebody like Kang Seulgi.

 

“I can’t be with someone who’s going to take that time away from Jennie. I want to be with someone who’s going to make Jennie a part of their life because they want to, not someone who would treat Jennie like someone they have to deal with because they’re with me. It’s not fair to them and it’s not fair to Jennie.”

 

Ms. Kim just sighed but ended up smiling in a gracious defeat.

 

“I don’t know if anyone out there is willing to go through that.”

 

Seulgi looked up and felt her heart fluttered as Jennie sat on her teacher’s lap while she’s trying to fix her hair, laughing along with the other kids.

 

“That’s okay. I’m willing to wait.”

 

Seulgi went over to her daughter, Ms. Jo turning over to her direction, their gazes instantly meet, both unwilling to look away.

 

“I’m going to take Jennie if that’s okay.”

 

“Oh yeah. Of course.” Ms. Jo stood up and dust herself and her pride off. “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Ms. Kang.”

 

Seulgi bowed, but her feet are ready to bolt out of there. Ms. Kim just sighs heavily, oh well… She better try harder next time.

 

*

 

“CHAR! CHAR! CHAR! CHAR! CHAR! CHAR!”

 

Irene glanced in the rearview mirror and immediately groaned as she saw her eldest harassing her youngest with an orange T-REX stuffie. The seatbelts don’t even do anything as Jisoo leaned as close as she could, hitting Chaeyoung with the toy.

 

She couldn’t tell from Chaeyoung’s whimpers if she was crying or laughing.

 

“Jisoo! I’m going to count to five, and you better stop hitting your sister with that Trex.”

 

“Charmander.”

 

“What?”

 

“It’s Charmander, not Trex. Charmander was not hitting baby Chaeng, he burning her.”

 

That’s not any better.

 

“I’m counting 1, 2- 5!”

 

Jisoo was caught off guard by her mommy’s counting as Irene reached to the back and yanked Charmander off her little hands before throwing it on the front seat. This was a superpower Irene developed over the years of motherhood, one hand on the wheel and one trying to pry at whatever Jisoo has.

 

“Mama, you count wrong.”

 

“I will count how I want to count. We talk about this, Jisoo. You only have one baby sister, so you have to take care and be gentle with Chaeyoung. So, say sorry to her.”

 

Jisoo faced her little sister and apologized, “Chichoo unnie sorry.”

 

Chaeyoung blinked away her tears, “It’s okay.”

 

“Chichoo will give baby Chaeyoung Columbiana.”

 

Jisoo looked like she moved on from hurting Chaeyoung as she showed off her sippy cup. Irene almost rammed over the bumper in front of her from her daughter’s loopiness. Last week her daughter is obsessed with a sparkling water commercial, now everytime she sees the Columbiana CF she sits in front of the TV and watches it like she’s hypnotize.

 

“Chichoo wants to drink Columbiana… Columbiana… Columbiana… Mama can Chichoo get Columbiana?”

 

Her daughter is already hyped without the coffee, and Irene isn’t that crazy.

 

Not yet anyway…

 

*

 

“Thank God…”

 

Irene thanked whoever up above was listening as she finally gets off her feet after a long, grueling day. She’s not even thirty yet, but sometimes she feels like she’s ready to retire.

 

But it’s not like motherhood is something you could retire from.

 

Today she had to get off work around one to take Chaeyoung to her dentist appointment at two.

 

And her baby and the dentist… Now that was a ton of fun.

 

Her youngest like everything else in her life got scared and started crying for her when the dentist comes in with the shawp thingies (as Chaeyoung calls it). She was next to Chaeyoung, cooing and patting her chubby hand but her baby is inconsolable. She and the dentist decided that she must sit in the dentist chair and hold on to Chaeyoung as she gets her check up.

 

The problem is, Irene is petrified of the dentist too.

 

But being a mom means it up, and she braves her way as she sat in the dentist chair with Chaeyoung on her lap. Irene loves her parents dearly, but she and Yeri were raised on tough love and strict rules. They didn’t grow up being pampered, and baby talked, and she never thought she’ll be this kind of mom.

 

She expected herself to be a little harder on her kids. Like if she cries on the dentist chair then, too bad, my child, it up because this is part of our insurance plan.

 

But like they all say, it’s different when you have your own.

 

And look at her now…

 

It’s okay my baby, look, mommy is here… Mommy is here… Wow… My baby is so brave…

 

And for one hour straight she had to coo, pat Chaeyoung’s tummy, coo and pat and coo and pat some more until the dentist was done and she whispered louder than she anticipated.

 

Thank God.

 

She expected the dentist to be pissed at the whole ordeal. But it must be the cute Chaeyoung effect because even the dentist went gogogaga over her youngest, offering her stickers for a job well done.

 

That was a job well done? Irene would have hated to see a terrible job done.

 

She thanked the dentist for working miracles, and before she knows it, it was now 3:00.

 

It’s time to pick up Jisoo from school and bring her to her swimming lessons.

 

Well, that’s a ton of fun too.

 

But before they move on to that, she always had to take a deep breath, calm herself down before looking at Jisoo’s daily behavior chart.

 

She gave the Lord another shoutout when instead of the usual red mark angry face, it’s a blue happy face. She hugged her daughter, telling Jisoo what an awesome job she did. But Jisoo just replied with a naughty cackle as if she’s signaling her mom that she’s saving her energy for home.

 

And Jisoo in swimming class… Another long sigh…

 

Sometimes she wonders if her daughter does these things to piss people off, because she’s doing EXACTLY the OPPOSITE of what the swim teacher tells her to do. Her daughter would be busy balancing the kickboard and the noodle than pay attention.

 

And then when it’s time to swim, when the coach is eagerly waiting for Jisoo to sink and start flailing around, her daughter just Michael Phelps out of everyone in that pool.

 

After the lessons, Irene would have kneeled in forgiveness if she had too.

 

*

 

“SAY YOU LIKE TREES! SAY IT! SAY IT!!!”

 

“OWIE! OWIE! OWIE!”

 

Irene let out a groan, before burying herself deeper into the couch wishing for it to swallow her whole. She shut her eyes, ignoring the tiny human beings running around the living room.

 

Being married to Son Wendy, you bet that every corner of their home is childproofed. Every table has acorner guard, every cabinet has a child lock that Jisoo was intent on breaking a few days ago, electric plug covered, it’s so safe, that the pope can chill in there anytime.

 

But their childproofed home is no match for their kids. After two minutes she jumped out of the couch when she heard a little body crashing into something that sounded very painful and two little girls screaming their hearts out.

 

“MAMA!” Jisoo was the one who run over to her, her little hands on her head and face full of shock. “CHAEYOUNGIE!”

 

“MAMAAAA!” Her three-year-old baby was wobbling behind her unnie, letting out a blood-curdling scream from her bloody mouth.

 

“OH MY GOD!”

 

Irene’s adrenaline kicked into high gear as she saw the fate of her baby. Her fears of blood quickly forgotten as she scooped her sobbing youngest in her arms.

 

“It’s okay. It’s okay, mama’s here.”

 

“I… going to heaven,” Chaeyoung cries out, fearing for her life.

 

“ACCCCCCKKKKK!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!” Jisoo screams while clutching to her little’s sister’s leg. “Chichoo don’t want baby Chaeyoungie to die!”

 

Irene didn’t even made it to the paper towels, when the kitchen door opens. Before she could come up with an explanation, her wife had already walked in their home.

 

“Hi, my beautiful babies!”

 

1..2…3

 

A loud gasp echoed around their home before Wendy yells out,

 

“Oh my God! My baby!”

 

“Mommy… Blood!” Chaeyoung cries as reaches out for her mommy.

 

“Call 119, Irene.” Wendy screams in panic as she tries to cradle the crying Chaeyoung in her arms. “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay…”

 

Like mother, like daughter and Irene couldn’t tell who was panicking worse, her, her wife or her baby.

 

“What happened?!”

 

Irene turned to her only available witness.

 

“Jisoo what happened?”

 

“What? You didn’t know what happened?!” Wendy looked at Irene like made Irene feel like she’s getting the award for worse mom of the year. If Irene wasn’t freaking out this bad, she would probably be so riled up right now.

 

“Does that matter right now, Wen?” Irene walks closer and lifts the cup of water to Chaeyoung’s mouth. “Just calm down!”

 

“I’m calm down!”

 

“No, you’re not!”

 

Chaeyoung cried more as her ears are hurting from her parents screeching.

 

“Okay Chaeyoung, you have to wash your mouth like you did the dentist.”

 

“Don’t drink the water, okay baby?”

 

Chaeyoung could barely hold her gargle before she spits it out on the sink. Irene and Wendy both let out a groan as they saw the little glimmer of white among the blood.

 

“Can I see your mouth, Chaeyoung?”

 

Chaeyoung force a big grin. Their daughter’s cute smile now just looks infinitely cuter with her front tooth missing.

 

Great… Another trip to the dentist then.

 

*

 

“Hey… go shower.” Irene coaxed her wife, who was still in her business clothes refusing to let Chaeyoung go the entire night. Not even to go shower.

 

To say that it was a chaotic night was nothing short of an understatement. They manage to calm down each other and Chaeyoung before they could call 119. It almost started a fight when Wendy asked what did she cook for dinner. But before she got a chance to explode, Wendy already surrendered by ordering out some Pizza for dinner.

 

And that’s saying something, Wendy is so against pizza for their kids, it would probably offend the entire nation of Italy. Pizza is supposed to be for special occasion so tonight just meant that Wendy is too stressed, that even she was asking for that greasy goodness.

 

While she and Jisoo already had their second slices, Wendy is too busy cutting the pizza into bite size pieces like Chaeyoung knocked all her teeth out than just her front tooth.

 

“No, I’m good.” Wendy answered, refusing to let go of their youngest.

 

“Here,” Irene pulls away the sleeping Chaeyoung and placed her in between them. Their little cherub looks so peaceful as she sleeps. Her tiny brows were knotted, an expression that always warms her heart everytime. Chaeyoung is really a little Wendy, with those chipmunk cheeks and fluffiness and even her expressions.

 

And out of habit, Irene reached out thumbing away Chaeyoung’s worried brows.

 

“Poor baby…” Wendy said before pressing a kiss on Chaeyoung’s hair. She looks up at her wife from across the bed, her smile looks like the world just made her, her , but for Irene, Wendy still looks just as lovely.

 

“So, how are you?” Wendy asked, the kind smile was still there.

 

“Other than Chaeyoung losing her tooth? I’m… I’m tired.”

 

“That’s okay… I’ll take care of you.”

 

“It’s such a long day, Wen.” Irene whined just relishing her wife pampering every inch of her. “And on Thursday, we have to go on the field trip.”

 

The kisses and the smile stop.

 

“Oh yeah… about that-“

 

Irene didn’t have to look at her wife’s expression to feel her wife’s guilt.

 

“I won’t be able to go.”

 

“What?!”

 

Wendy’s brows bobbed nervously at Irene’s outburst. It was taking all of Irene’s effort not to smile on how cute it looked.

 

“They reschedule the meeting with our client from Florida on that day. So, I pretty much have to play translator for the meeting. I think it’s good that you get to go. You can bond with Jisoo.”

 

“I bond with Jisoo.” Irene defended herself. The chance of having any rest on this night is down to the negatives.

 

“No babe, you take them to dentist appointments and swimming lessons but that’s not really bonding.”

 

“Good night, Wen.”

 

“N-n-n-no… listen.” Wendy placed her hand on her wife’s shoulders. “You’re a great mom and everything, but we never get a chance to bond with the girls one on one.”

 

“So, that’s how you feel like I don’t bond enough with our girls?” Irene asked, her tone was stern, but all Wendy could hear was the hurt.

 

“N-n-n-no… I do.”

 

They hear Chaeyoung whined in her sleep and they immediately froze, not wanting to wake their girl up.

 

“I didn’t grow up like that. I didn’t grow up like you.” Irene reasoned out. “Me and Yeri, our parents work and we stay home and watch TV. We eat dinner with them that’s our bonding. But we don’t do the things that you do with your parents. We didn’t go to the park, we don’t go to the Museums every Friday and Saturday mornings or we don’t have movie nights. They were good parents but we were raised differently. But… I mean I turned out right, right?”

 

“You’re perfect, babe.”

 

Irene expected a look of pity from her wife, but instead Wendy’s eyes just shines with love. Just like how they first met, just like when they started dating, just like their first time and just like now. And Irene took comfort in that as she traced her fingertip on Wendy’s face. Their roles as wives might have change but their love, it’s there growing in leaps and bounds, unstoppable and incurable.

 

“You’re perfect and there is no one else that I would want to raise my babies with than you.” Wendy reassured her, before wrapping her arms around her wife’s waist. “My parents raised me the best way they could, but there are things I wish they did differently, that’s why I try to be better.”

 

Irene waited as Wendy pondered more.

 

“We had Chaeyoung when Jisoo is barely two years old. We never get a chance to baby her.”

 

“She’s Jisoo. She doesn’t want to be babied.”

 

“Everyone wants to be babied, babe.” Wendy said, her voice mischievous. “And I think Jisoo would feel special if you get to spend some time alone with her.”

 

Irene exhaled sharply, clearly defeated at this point.

“And besides, she listens to you more than me.”

 

Irene’s lip quirked as she heard the faint hurt in Wendy’s voice.

 

“You jealous?”

 

“What? No. I mean why should I? I’m the cool parent.”

 

“You’re cool?” Irene raised a suspicious brow.

 

“I’m cool.” Wendy says it coolly, like she just drop the mic at Irene.

 

“Babe, I love you… but nope. You’re not cool.”

 

Wendy is not going to allow anyone even her darling wife to question her parenting.

 

“I’m super cool, Irene. I know all the latest things and games. I keep up with the trends. I know what happened on the latest episode of Little Einsteins.”

 

Sometimes it boggles Irene’s mind at how her wife thinks. She just turns to her wife, shaking her head.

 

“What? What?” Wendy said, refusing to lose. “I was watching it with the girls and it’s not just a show for kids, they actually use musical terms and all. It’s… it’s… Are you laughing?

 

It came to a point where Irene couldn’t contain it anymore as she burst out laughing, filling their bedroom with her laughter and squeals as she swats away Wendy’s tickles.

 

When their gazes are locked on each other, Wendy’s mischievous look softened.

 

“I’m… I’m just scared you know.” Wendy’s voice quivered as she confesses.

 

“Of what?”

 

“You know how we almost lo-“

 

“No-no…” Irene cuts her off, refusing to listen to one more of it. She knows what Wendy’s biggest fear is, because that’s her biggest fear until now. Chaeyoung’s birthday was both the hardest and at the same time, most beautiful moment in Irene’s life.

 

When the doctor said that night that there is a chance she could lose her baby or her wife or both, Irene almost collapsed to the floor if Joy, Seulgi and Yeri wasn’t there. If push comes to shove, and she needed to make a choice the doctor wants to know which one she would choose, and Irene could barely utter a word, shaking her head, refusing to make a decision. Joy answered by screaming at the doctor to shut the up and save both.

 

But it’s as if the heavens above already had other plans as their baby didn’t make it. And before the sadness consumed her, Irene’s anger surface first, questioning what did they ever do wrong to deserve such pain. But her wife, always the kindest person on Earth, already forgave who needed to be forgiven by smiling at their beautiful baby in her arms. Wendy has a smile on her face as she gently trace their daughter’s face, but Irene had never seen Wendy so heartbroken as tears just pours out of her.

 

But instead of questioning why them, why their baby, all Wendy kept saying is how they have an angel now…

 

The heavens must have felt their agony as the baby started to whimper soft, little sounds. It was barely audible, but it was booming inside that delivery room and their hearts.

 

Irene had never prayed the hardest until that night, begging to whoever is listening if they could be selfish just this once and keep this Angel on this Earth longer?

 

A life without her is beyond imaginable now.

 

And she refuses… completely refuses to hear it out loud other than inside her thoughts. “Look at how healthy she is now.”

 

Irene gently caresses those cherubim cheeks.

 

“I think she’s even heavier than Jisoo at this point.”

 

“From just her cheeks alone.” Wendy jokes weakly, but at least the smile returned.

 

“Yeah. She’s here now. Our two babies are with us now.”

 

Irene took Wendy’s hand and pressed a kiss on it.

 

“They’re here now.”

 

With her wife’s smile and that gentle gaze, Irene’s fears subsided to the deep recesses of her mind again. It won’t be the last time that it would surface, but as long as her wife is there, as long as Irene’s girls are there, she’ll be alright.

 

And Irene realized she's willing to go to all the dentist appointments in this world, all the swimming lessons and all those car rides just to be around their girls. 

 

*

 

The pitter patter of little feet took Seulgi’s attention away from the TV screen and turned to the little girl who appeared out of their bedroom, rubbing her sleepiness away.

 

“Mommy?”

 

“Sorry baby,” Seulgi placed her takeout dinner down on the coffee table. “Did I wake you up?”

 

Jennie shook her head, before climbing on the couch and instantly resting her sleepy head on her mommy’s lap.

 

“What are you watching?” Jennie asked.

 

“Just some TV shows.” Seulgi leaned over to kiss Jennie’s hair, before tenderly running her fingers through her daughter’s hair. She saw her daughter is holding a little tiger instead of her baby seal. “Where’s your baby seal?”

 

“She’s with her friends.” Jennie said. “They take turns sleeping with me.”

 

Seulgi couldn’t keep her chuckle at her daughter’s plans before she sighs dreamily and said.

 

“So, Your teacher is pretty cool.”

 

“I like Ms. Jo a lot.”

 

Seulgi didn’t realize how much she’s smiling after hearing that. It was Joy who told her before that Jennie already has a bull detector at four, like she could really tell who is after her mommy for other things. And other than Wendy, Irene, Joy, Yeri and now Saeron, Jennie finds it incredibly hard to be trusting with adults. That’s why it warms Seulgi’s heart to hear Jennie finally letting another person inside her heart.

 

“Well, you should tell her that. I’m sure she’ll be super happy to hear that.”

 

“I told her.”

 

“You told her you like her?”

 

“Hmmm.” Jennie shook her head and Seulgi smiled before kissing Jennie’s hand. But Jennie wasn’t done yet.

 

“I told her she should marry you.”

 

Jennie’s answer instantly drove Seulgi’s heart racing. But it wasn’t just her heart that is running out of whack, is also messing up, as she stayed tongue tied.

 

“J-J-J you shouldn’t have said that.” Seulgi stammered embarrassingly, sounding more like a lovesick teenager than a grown adult.

 

“It’s okay, she wasn’t mad.”

 

Seulgi promised herself she wouldn’t push the subject but here she is asking.

 

“What did she say?”

 

“Ms. Jo said…”

 

Her daughter just answered her with a nonchalant shrug before drifting off to sleep with her baby Tiger and her mommy. Though Seulgi was dying to know what her teacher said, Seulgi wouldn’t interrupt her daughter’s dreams for her own.

 

She leans over to kiss Jennie’s cheek goodnight, when she hears Jennie whisper.

 

“Your mommy is too perfect for me.”

 

TBC

 

Hey guys! Hope you enjoy the chapter... sorry it took forever. Next one is the field trip.

 

So many slayage this week. Sonamoo is coming tomorrow, so please check them out and watch their music video. and RV's concert is this week too... and BP slayed in Party People. So effortlessly.

 

Thank you for each and everyone who subscribe, and upvote and of course to everyone who put out their comments. I loooveee reading and hearing your thoughts. hehe. 

 

Until next update! Thank you once again!