POHANG

Jin Young paces around her own room while biting her nail. A bad habit she sometimes does when she's too nervous. Jong Kook isn’t back yet and she knows that he’s meeting Ji Hyo. What’s happening between them?

Ha Neul knocks on her door that's slightly open. “Imo, where is Appa?” Her question brings Jin Young out of her own thoughts.

“He’s gone meeting someone.” Jin Young answers, before resuming to pack her suitcase. She folds her t-shirt and her PJs and puts them in the suitcase.

Ha Neul is watching her with curious eyes. “When will he be back?” Ha Neul asks, sipping an orange juice she’s found in the fridge.

“I have no idea.” Jin Young goes back and forth from her suitcase to the closet in her room.

Ha Neul notices what the older woman is doing and frowns. “Why are you packing? Are we going back to Seoul already?”

Jin Young thinks for a second. Earlier Jong Kook told her that there might be a possibility that he has to go back to Seoul tonight to sign a contract about a show and they can travel back together. If both Jong Kook and Jin Young are going back to Seoul tonight, it’s obvious that Ha Neul is coming back with them. That's why she settles with the answer, “Yes, your Appa has an important work to do tomorrow.”

Jin Young can see the disappointment in Ha Neul’s face. She too frowns at the way the little girl’s receiving the news. She has been looking forward to making the most of the one-week trip and it's only been three days.

“But, he promised…” Ha Neul mumbles. Her eyes start tearing up.

“Ha Neul-ah,” Jin Young drops the shirt she’s folding. “We can always come back.” She tries soothing her but Ha Neul is already running to her room.

Jin Young follows her into her room where Ha Neul curls herself into a ball on her bed. She even murmurs how no one loves her and all. Jin Young really wants to cheer her up, but she doesn’t know what to say. So, she just rubs her back up and down.

“Eomma… Eom- Eomma…” I Seul wails.

“Gwaenchana, I Seul-ah.” Hye Min coos, trying to calm him down by shaking him lightly in her arms. “Uljima.” Hye Min tries to sway him from right to left.

“I want Eom- Eomma!” I Seul hiccups. “Eomma…”

“Please stop crying, I Seul-ah.” Hye Min begs. “Noona will blow it, okay? So it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

I Seul is playing with his blocks at the play corner as usual when he suddenly slips down and scrapes his knee. The sudden unexpected event reminds him of his Eomma that’s nowhere to be found.

“Aniya, aniya.” I Seul keeps wailing and keeps crying. “Eomma…”

Hye Min is too scared to see him like this. When he’s throwing a tantrum, Ji Hyo is always there to calm him down, but now that she’s not here, Hye Min is having a hard time to calm him down. She, herself, doesn't have any kids and she doesn't really know the best method to calm down a tantrum. She has tried her best but nothing works. She has tried convincing him that it doesn’t hurt but to no avail. She has cleaned it and put on some antiseptic, but the sting makes him cry louder. She has even asked him to choose between the colorful plasters, so his mind would be somewhere else, but he still keeps crying.

Giving up, Hye Min pulls her phone to call Ji Hyo. She puts I Seul down on the ground beside the counter and I Seul immediately plops down on the ground, still crying his heart out.

“Yeoboseyo, Hye Min-ah.” Ji Hyo answers from the other side. “Is everything okay?”

“Eonnie…” Hye Min sighs.

Ji Hyo hears a loud wail in the background.

“Is that I Seul crying?” She wonders with furrowed brows.

“Eomma!” I Seul realizes that Hye Min is calling Ji Hyo and reaches for her phone with his chubby hand.

“Jamkkanman, I Seul-ah.” Hye Min patiently avoids his reach. “He scraped his knee while playing and hasn’t stopped crying.”

Ji Hyo frowns. Crying I Seul surely can become bothersome. “Sorry you have to experience that. I’m going back now. Hang in there, Hye Min-ah.”

“Eonnie, but first can you tell I Seul that you’re on your way? He’s still crying and begging for you.” Hye Min quickly calls her.

“Sure, put him on the phone.” Ji Hyo answers, hinting with her hand to Jong Kook that she has to go back. “I Seul-ah, uljima, I’ll see you soon, okay.”

“Eomma!” I Seul shouts with excitement and stops crying all at once. Hye Min wonders how that magic can happen. His little face is now flushed with only a little reminiscent of tears left. She sighs in relief.

“See? Eomma’s going back here.” Hye Min reminds him, taking her phone back.

I Seul nods, but too scared of going back to his play corner because he doesn’t want to fall again and hurts his knee further.

“Pick me up, Noona.” He lifts his hands up.

“I have to be at the counter.” Hye Min answers, motioning at the counter beside him.

“Noona…” I Seul pouts. He is ready to cry again.

“Arasseo. Come here.” Hye Min quickly lifts him up and sits him on top of the counter. "Stop squirming or you'll fall again."

“What happened?” Jong Kook asks when he sees her done calling. He can see the tired expression on her face.

“I have to go now.” Ji Hyo goes to the cashier to pay, but Jong Kook stops her and pays with his money instead.

“Is everything alright?” Jong Kook asks again after receiving his change.

“It’s I Seul.”

“What? What happened?” He asks with wide eyes.

Ji Hyo just looks at him for some time before answering, “He scraped his knee and is asking for me.”

Jong Kook sighs in relief. He’s scared if something bad happened.

“Let’s go then.” Jong Kook hints Ji Hyo to lead the way. “Can I go to the shop to see him?”

“It’s nothing bad, I promise.” Ji Hyo prompts. “It happens sometimes.”

“Yeah?”

Ji Hyo doesn’t know where this comes from, but she just wants to tell the father of her son things he doesn’t know about. “I Seul can be difficult sometimes. He’s an active child that can be naughty if he wants to, and this kind of thing happens from time to time. Thankf