“Becoming the most ordinary applicant is the only advice I can give you, Sojung-ssi.”

That advice from Mrs. Nam is keep on repeating on Sojung’s mind.

Oh… what should I do…?

Is the same question that also keep on following along everytime Sojung repeat Mrs. Nam’s advice in her mind. While absent mindedly keep on gently caressing Joonwoo’s head who taking a nap on her lap, Sojung is unconsciously drowning in her thought, she doesn’t aware that the girls are gathering around her. She kinda jolted when Yerin touch her arm while call her name. Successfully snapped her back into reality.

“Unnie, you wanna discuss it together? We are here with you, remember? We are here to support and help you. Don’t treat us like strangers or just temporarily guests who you won’t ever share your burden with. Then there’s no use we being here… So please, use us.” Yerin carefully asked.

Sojung sigh, but then there’s a slight smile appear in her face, “Ah.. right. You are here with me this time. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ignored you. It just a habbit of me.” She timidly grining.

“A habbit? To face your problems alone?” Yuju ensuring. Sojung nod.

“That’s bad habbit, you know? If it too hard then you should look for a help.” Yuju scolding.

Sojung chuckle, “I know. But I had been alone these years. I can’t burdening other people for my problems. That’s not right.”

“You also did that when you still with us.” Eunha also scolding.

“Because you were just kids and too young that time.” Sojung excused.

“We just a year a part, Unnie…” Yerin said while rolled her eyes, sneering.

Sojung chuckle again.

“Now at least we are older than years ago, so let we help you, Unnie.” Umji politely asked with a sweet smile.

Sojung nod, “Okay. Please help me. I have no idea what I should do.” She end her sentence with a grimace, as if in pain.

“Okay then. I just browsed on the internet about the ideal adopter applicants. I also called my Appa’s company lawyer to consult in terms of law. Then I got some conclusion.” Umji said, get their full attention on her.”I made a simple presentation. Let’s discuss this together…” then Umji shows the presentation slides using her cellphone.

Slides 1

Eligibility criteria for prospective adoptive parents :

The consent of both the spouses for the adoption shall be required, in case of a married couple or a single female can adopt a child of any gender

While a single male used to be/shall not be eligible to adopt a girl child.

Slide 2

Basic requirements of prospective adoptive parent:

· be at least 21 years of age

· financially stable

· responsible mature adults

· complete an application (share information regarding background and lifestyle, provide relative and non-relative references, show proof of marriage and/or divorce (if applicable), agree to a home study which includes visits with all household members, allow staff to complete a criminal history background check and an abuse/neglect check on all adults in the household, and attend free training to learn about issues of abused and neglected children, etc..)

Note:

have an extended family supporting you in addition to you being medically and mentally fit is good point

Slide 3

Responsibilities of Adoptive Parent:

• provide permanent homes and a lifelong commitment to children into adulthood;

• provide for the short-term and long-term needs of children;

• provide for children's emotional, mental, physical, social, educational, and cultural needs, according to each child's developmental age and growth;

• may become certified as a foster family and accept children who are not legally free for adoption, but whose permanency plan is adoption.

Umji get her phone down, to resting her sore arm that kept on holding the cellphone up for a while, “Until here, any question?” Umji asked. That Maknae looks so serious and professional. Her unnies secreatly feels so proud and admire her.

SinB rise her hand, Umji nod, give her a gesture sign permission to talk, “For that basic requirements and responsibilities already fulfilled by Sojung Unnie for more than 6 years, right? So my question is, actually how long does it take to adopt a child?”

“Yeah, that’s also one of my questions to my Appa’s company lawyers, he said the time frame, like the cost, varies with the type of child being adopted. With a completed homestudy in hand, the process to adopt a child with special needs can often proceed quickly and be completed within a few months. The wait is typically between two until seven years for a healthy infant.

Adoption by single parents becomes difficult as a process, as the due diligence becomes more stringent for single parents. But the good news is, as for adoption, law is equal for single or mom-dad families - though the process may take longer for single parents, due to additional due diligence required. There could be several social / ethical issues that you may come across. If you are clear in your mind, as to why you are doing this, and can comfort the child as it grows up, with same confidence and aplomb - there is no real reason to worry.” Umji long explaining.

“Uhmm… so that’s why lately rumours about Sojung Unnie that spreading in public, also Joonwoo’s problems at school are social issues that caused Sojung Unnie got the warning letters?” Yuju asked.

“Exactly. Social issues are really matters. Because we live at social community. It also the environment where the child live and grow up. We can’t be ignorant to social responses.” Umji wisely said.

They nod in understanding.

“My lawyer’s said by his experience, that Single Parent Adoption may call for sudden, unexpected or unprecedented attention, time, effort and resources. Make sure you have flanked all other open ends such as work pressure, family relationships, social commitments etc - so that you can whole heartedly give your 500% to the new relationship. Life will never be the same, until the child becomes self sufficient. until then, child should be your only focus and determinant of decisions in life. That made me now fully understand why Sojung Unnie decided to left our group and willingly went away this far to Jeju to taking care of Joonwoo.” Umji said while look at Sojung and beam a respectful smile to her.

Sojung smiles back a grateful smile to that Maknae.

Slide 4

The fastest option is Private Adoption.

In private adoptions, a pregnant woman typically choose the adoptive family for their baby.

“I browsed about this, I found that pregnant women are who have problems, such as: too young, have no husband, economically too poor, have too much children already, etc… The mechanism is pregnant woman usually are given a stack of profiles of available adoptive families and decide which one they feel will be best family for their unborn child. It is likely very rare, that given the choice between a married couple and a single woman, the single woman would be chosen. But it could happen.” Umji explaining.

“Hey, don’t you remember, there’s a letter from Joonwoo’s real Eomma about this, right? She choose Sojung Unnie. That could get considerated as Private Adoption, right?” Eunha reminding.

“Yeah, had you shows that letter to The Child Support Bureau, Unnie?” Yerin asked.

Sojung nod, “Yeah. But that letter considerated as ordinary letter without legal force. Since there’s no exact name of the sender, no date, no hand signature, no legally endorsed. It couldn’t be tracked it legality. It useless.”

The girls sigh to heard that.

“So, what you are doing now considerated as normal procedur of single woman adoption application, Unnie?” Umji questioning.

Sojung nod, “Yes.”

“No wonder, it takes so long and complicated.” Eunha sigh.

Umji lift her hand again, showing her phone screen to her Unnies, as she start again to says, “Attention please! This is the main point that we should remind for reference to make strategy to works things out.”

Slide 5

The Main Point:

Every child deserves a safe and stable home environment.

“As long as we fulfill this main point, then I believe there’s nothing can disrupting Sojung Unnie’s way to having Joonwoo legally.” Umji end her presentation, and save back her cellphone into her pocket. All her unnies are stares at her with proud smile.

Yuju reaching out her hand to dearly caress Umji’s head, “My smart maknae, you grown up very well. I’m so proud of you.”

“SinB-ah, you should learn from Umji, how to speak up your opinion in nice way.” Yerin scold that second Maknae, who pouting after heard that, but no protest came out from , since she admit it.

“Hey girls, wait a minute… Sojung Unnie already fulfilled all requirements, responsibilities, also about the main point for all these years. She undoubtedfully loves and always taking care of Joonwoo very well. But how come she still got the warning letters?” Eunha questioning, the she turn to look at Sojung, “You had doing very well all these years, is it just because recent problems, it gonna erase all your good mark, Unnie?”

Sojung weakly nod.

“That so not fair!” Eunha furiously protest.

Sojung forcing a weak smile, “Yeah… But it acceptable. I understand why The Child Support Bureau is very strict, it’s all for the children goodness sake.”

“Then what gonna happen?” Eunha asked.

Sojung take a deep breath before she answer, “They might take away Joonwoo from me.” She said in crack voice.

The girls gasped, “They can’t do that!” they protest.

“But the fact is, yes they can. Because I have no enough right.” Sojung weakly said.

“Yes, you have. You are Joonwoo’s Eomma.” Yuju said emotionally.

“Unnie, is Joonwoo know about this?” Yerin carefully asked.

Sojung shake her head, “No, he doesn’t know. I never tell him.” Sojung paused to chuckle, but somehow sounds very sad, “Actually… I don’t how I’m supposed to tell him. He’s my son. I never thought that would be changed by anything. I used to think that there’s no point to tell him other than that. He doesn’t has to know about the beginning. I used to put aside that fact from him. All these years, I used to think that I’m doing these this far, I’m gonna works this out, nothing could stop me, I’m definitely gonna have him legally. The only thing that he has to know is that no matter what happen, Kim Joonwoo is Kim Sojung’s son. He’s my son. That’s matter the most.” Sojung said while start to wiping her tears.

“We are here to help you to make that possible, Unnie.” Yerin said then give her a side hug, trying to not disturbing Joonwoo who is sleeping on Sojung’s lap.

SinB roughly exhales her breath, then wipe her own tears with the back of hand, “So then, let’s get start it! Let’s have a brainstorming to get a way to help Sojung Unnie.”

“Okay!” the girls cheerfully support.

Then they really having a brainstorming. Carefully re-reading Umji’s presentation slides file that had been shared on their group chat, trying to find a solution.

*****

At night, after Joonwoo went to sleep, the girls gather in the living room.

“So here’s the recap of our brainstorming: we found that the easiest, the fastest, and the most capable adopter who successful is actually a married couple who financially stable. This kind of applicant even able to complete the whole process in 6-18 months, of course still with terms and condition apply. More and less, they really kind of ideal applicant.” Umji read her conclusion notes.

Then Yerin continue, “So, from that fact and knowledge that we got, it actually more assuring us about one thing that we already mentioned before. We tried to arrange it more carefully and come back as an idea proposal to you. Do you willing to listen, Unnie?” she politely asked.

Sojung nod, “I’m desperate. I need ideas. Shoot!”

“For your information… we really had carefully and seriously thought about this. So we hope that you also seriously considerate this idea as our sincerity. It’s not like we fooling at you or taking a joke on you. We are very serious about this, Unnie.” Yerin nervously asked that.

Sojung nod, “Okay, I keep that in mind. What is it? You make me nervous and anticipated.” She does looks anxious.

Yerin glance to each of her members, make sure they ready, then she gesturing a sign for Yuju to continue.

Yuju nod, she take a deep breath before start to says, “Sojung Unnie, you know about the fact that Umji explained on our recap, right?” she carefully asked.

Sojung nod, “Yeah, I know about that. It’s general knowledge as adoption applicant.”

“Exactly. It’s general knowledge as adoption applicant. I repeat: GENERAL KNOWLEDGE. You know that very well, Unnie, but the question is: have you ever considerate to use that way? As the solution for your problem?” Yuju is as if a counselor.

Sojung a bit frowning her forehead, “What do you mean?”

“Uhmm… let me say it more bluntly then...” Yuju paused for a while, nervously gulped down her saliva, preparing herself to say her next sentence, “Have you ever considerating to be a married couple who financially stable?”

Sojung eyes get wider, she surprised by that question. While the girls are fidgeting. They actually worry that they might make Sojung offended.

“Is that your best idea?” Sojung weakly asked.

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter