24.

I purse my lips together, holding in the laugh upon the look on Joonie’s and Jooie’s face who are directing their gazes at Baekhyun meanwhile the man scratches his head, wondering for what he should do now. Then I see his lips curls downward before he slowly turns to me, asking for my help. And so I shrug, not showing a bit of my sympathy for the man. “You were the one who brought us to the wrong way just now. ‘Why would we get anyone’s help? I’m already a genius at directions!’, or so you told us. But look! Here we are, running late for the parade.”

“Will we ever get to see the penguins?” Hyun Joo sighs, expressing her disappointment after walking around the zoo with her dad’s guidance, only to find out that they are probably will missing out the penguin’s march.

Baekhyun widen his eyes at me, giving a ‘what are you doing, I thought you’d back me up?’ expression but I nonchalantly ignore his pleading eyes and look down at the twins.

“Now, my dear. Come take Mommy’s hand, you guys can’t give up so easily like this. Let’s ask around, should we?” Without much question, Joonie and Jooie moves towards me, grab my reaching hands before we walk away to ask the locals around there – leaving Baekhyun behind, confused and probably…hurt.

It doesn’t even took a minute for us to approach someone for some help and according to the young couple that we asked earlier, they said the place that we are at now is just a few meters away from the parade’s pathway and thankfully the penguin’s march which would take about 30-60 minutes haven’t walk passed us yet.

“Wow, Mommy…You can talk in Japanese?”

Hyun Joo expresses her amazement as she stares up at me, her eyes are sparkling as she compliments my foreign language skill after seeing me talk to the locals just now. A smile twitches on my lips as my hand reaches to pat on her head then gives a nod. “I’m good at it, didn’t I? Do you want to learn it?”

“I do!”

“I want too! Mommy can you teach us?”

I squat down, pulling the twins closer to me then declines, “You shouldn’t learn from me. Mommy’s teacher is already here, he can teach you well.” I pucker my lips towards the man on the other side, making him tilt his head, puzzled and wonder what I was talking about to the kids. My smile stays there as I remembered the past, of how Baekhyun taught me several languages just because I need to help him practice. “Let’s ask your dad to come over here, we should go.”

“Dad! Here, here! We found the way!” Hyun Joon waves at his father who is still at the same spot since earlier and slowly, the man steps forward upon his kids excitedly calling him over. Baekhyun steals a glance at me and so I squints, jokingly. Just to make him flinch and pout again.

“Wow, you’re surely someone who holds long grudges…” he utters, deadpanned. “I said sorry but when will you stop picking on me, honestly?”

“Until I stop enjoying it?”

“Don’t stop, then,” he scrunches his nose, giving off his pretentious sulking face then voices out again, “What were you saying to the kids earlier?”

“What?”

“Just now, when you squat down and whispered to them something.”

I shrug uninterestedly then leans down to reach for Hyun Joon who had his arms up, asking me to carry him up. “Just badmouthing you. Right, Joonie?”

The man gasps, covering his mouth up then keeps on fussing over me doesn’t stop teasing him around. But I already not paying attention to what he was blabbering when Baekhyun spontaneously picks his daughter up and places her on his shoulder. Instead, my head tilts up – following Hyun Joo’s movement before chuckles escaping my mouth as I watch Hyun Joo screams out of excitement after being held up in the air by her father.

Hyun Joon’s and Hyun Joo’s chortle fills up the air, drowning me in happiness and delight – until I noticed Baekhyun’s voice wasn’t heard anymore. He had stopped talking, making me wonder why isn’t he laughing altogether with us. And so my gaze travels downwards again, meeting his gaze that was directed right on my face. There’s twinkle in Baekhyun’s eyes, his lips in a smile, a very genuine one. And it took me a while to realize that he was staring since a while ago before I turn my head to the other side as for I could feel my face getting hot over it.

“Should we head there faster?”

I suddenly stride in a quicker pace than before, just to run away from the situation. Baekhyun has really caught me off guard this time. It’s been a while since he steals gaze, Baekhyun makes me feel like we are 17 again. As if we are a new young couple, and that flutters my heart.

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