major major tw for slurs!! please be mindful.

“Yerim! Come out and have your breakfast!” 

“I don’t wanna!” 

Jungeun groans under her breath; her daughter is definitely still pissed about not getting that kitchen toy set she wanted. She knows that some of the kids at the kindergarten have it way better than Yerim, and it’s affecting Yerim more than she lets on. Most of the children are brought up well with humility and sincere hearts, but they too are certainly not aware about how playing with their shiny, new toys could possibly affect another of their peers. It’s certainly not their fault that I can’t provide the same amount of luxury their parents do, Jungeun thinks. 

It is bound to happen at some point; kids will be kids. 

Resting her forehead against the door, Jungeun knocks a few times and receives a muffled response. “You can watch your cartoons while you eat… Mommy will be in the study.” Jungeun knows when to admit defeat and give the child some space; Yerim takes after her after all. 

Leaving the door to her study ajar, Jungeun inwardly smiles when she hears the bedroom door creak open followed by the pitter-patter of tiny feet towards the living room. She can afford the cold shoulder as long as Yerim eats well. 

Text message from Jinsoul 

good morning princess 😚

are we still on for lunch? 

Right… Jinsoul is on her way back from a training stint in Busan, one that will solidify her position in the kindergarten as a full-time teacher. She quit her office job and decided that working with young children to nurture them is her true calling after all. Jungeun, on the other hand, succeeded in finding an administrative job that allows her to work from home most of the week. There haven’t been much changes for Yerim, thankfully, except that she’s now best friends with Chaewon and Hyejoo – the latter has finally stopped referring to her as their pet. 

Maybe… just maybe, Jinsoul can solve this little hiccup with Yerim. 

Text message to Jinsoul

can we eat here instead?

yerim’s throwing a tantrum and idw to upset her more

Jinsoul frowns at Jungeun’s text message; she’s only been gone for three days and they were still busy laughing together while Jinsoul was on the verge of tears before she left. 

“Miss, your total is $85.50.”

“Card, please.” 

With two paper bags (one of them half her height, at least) in hand, Jinsoul strolls towards her car parked along the street. She looks at the owl and fruit bat ornaments hanging off the rearview mirror before chuckling; courtesy of her girls, of course. Not long after that day at the beach with Sooyoung, Jiwoo and the kids, Jinsoul decided to switch occupation with finality. Before her interview with the kindergarten’s principal, Jungeun gave her the ornament for good luck and a reminder that they’d be with her no matter what. It's safe to say that night, Jungeun and Jinsoul were celebrating in their own way with Yerim in the care of Jiwoo. 

Turning to check on her presents, Jinsoul recalls Yerim reminding her to strap the seatbelts in because 'presents will be sad when they get hurt!’. 

Always the quirky one, just like her mother.

Jinsoul rings the doorbell instead of using her own set of keys, hoping to surprise Yerim with a bang. She feels her heart ache when Yerim opens the door with a downcast expression, eyes filled with unshed tears.  

“Baby…” 

“Jindori!”

Within seconds of being in Jinsoul’s arms, Yerim is bawling her eyes out and the woman is at a loss. Sure, Jungeun did tell her about the young one throwing a tantrum but this is just painful to hear. 

“Tell your best friend all about it, darling…”

The moment Yerim starts the waterworks, Jungeun knows her girlfriend has come home. In a sense, her daughter mostly takes after her. She remembers when her parents didn’t buy her toys in the past, Jungeun threw even bigger fits as a form of rebellion. This is still bearable but she really needs to find a way around it. Sure, Yerim’s father still does his part but he too disagrees with pacifying the young one with toys. It’s strange to see Jinsoul and him interact like they’ve been friends since forever but if anything, it melts Jungeun’s heart – it reminds her that Jinsoul is truly the one that she wants to spend her life with. 

Jungeun’s so engrossed in her thoughts that she doesn't register the sound of the bedroom door opening, gasping when she feels herself being hugged from behind. 

“Hi, baby.”

“Jinsoul…” Jungeun whispers, turning around to bury her face into Jinsoul's neck. “You’re finally back.”

The couple stayed in that position for a couple of minutes, Jinsoul running her fingers through Jungeun’s freshly dyed chestnut-brown hair. She’s only been gone for three days but why does Jungeun feel so drained? It takes a good ten minutes to explain the entire situation to her girlfriend – Jungeun taking a bit longer because she simply has to kiss Jinsoul whenever the woman nods attentively – before Jinsoul decides she needs to admit something. 

“Um…” The nervous chuckle and neck rub is what alerts Jungeun, her eyes narrowed into slits. “I came home with gifts…” 

“Babe…”

Jinsoul pouts and throws herself into Jungeun’s arms, pressing a million kisses along the latter’s milky neck to appease her peeved girlfriend. “In my defence, I just wanted to surprise you two!” 

Jungeun wills herself to stop being so weak-hearted against Jinsoul but how can she when the older woman is all over like a koala? Everything she wants to say vanishes, disintegrates into empty space the moment Jinsoul begins to give her rapid pecks on the lips. This woman is so infuriating and I like her too much to say anything about it. Speaking of the latter part of the sentence, Jungeun hasn’t forgotten a vital fact of their relationship; they haven’t dropped the L-bomb yet. Considering what they’ve been through already, the confession doesn’t need to be rushed yet… right? 

The next thing Jungeun knows, she’s being dragged out of her bedroom and into the living room where the sight truly stuns her; Yerim is no longer giving her angry glares and stomping feet, those gestures replaced by her daughter holding onto a large scrapbook with stick figures – one notably bigger than the other – holding hands with a huge heart above them.

“I didn’t really know the context but Yerim admitted she yelled at you, so I said she needs to say sorry because it’s wrong and rude. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?” Jinsoul scoops the pouting six-year-old into her arms, patting her bum comfortingly. “Tell Mommy what I told you and don’t forget what you should say…” 

Yerim timidly lifts her head from the crook of Jinsoul’s neck, shyly reaching for her mother. She too has teary eyes that mirror Jungeun’s. “Sorry, Mommy. I love you.” 

The drawing already had Jungeun’s heart on a chokeho