The sunlight crawled slowly upon Jae-Yoon’s sleeping face. The drool dripped from the corner of his grinning lips, running down his neck and wetting his pillow. He his side and happily mumbled in his sleep as the puddle became bigger underneath his face.

“Hwasa mama, you’re a meanie! You shot my !”

“I didn’t cheat--”

“Solar mama!” he started laughing uncontrollably, “don’t! It tickles!”

“No not there!”

“Whee-In mama, here, I’ll feed you.”

“You like it?”

“Moonbyul mama, lift me higher! Higher!”

“I can fly!”

He giggled as he rubbed the drool from his face and wiped it onto his shirt. A slight quake rocked him back and forth. The gentle force gripped his arm lightly as if to reassure him that he would be safe. He slowly opened his eyes and as the haze began to fade he smiled at the welcoming sight of his mother.

“Jae-Yoon ah. Wake up, Jae-Yoon ah.”

“Good morning Solar mama,” he rubbed his eyes.

“It’s almost time for breakfast.”

“Okay~” he yawned.

“Come.”

Solar reached out her hand and he grabbed onto it as he followed her into the restroom. The bathroom was warm and slightly filled with steam emitting from the bathtub, which was filled with water and bubble. She rolled up her sleeves and got him undressed before helping him into the tub, making sure he wouldn’t slip. She knelt down beside him and began scrubbing him.

“There’s still some paint on you. Did it hurt?”

“No~,” he replied with a big grin.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yes! I had a lot of fun! Can we do it again?”

“I’ll think about it. Here, lift your arm.”

He complied without a second thought, “Solar mama,” he began shyly, “can I go play with Im-Hee later?”

“Of course. You must like her a lot. Turn your back over here.”

“Yeah~,” he giggled, “she’s really cute,” he mumbled as he blushed.

Solar smiled and shook her head slightly. She finished washing Jae-Yoon and helped him dry off.

“Here let me help you,” she picked up his clothes to help him get dressed.

“I can do it Solar mama.”

“Are you sure?” She raised her brow.

“Yes!” He insisted.

“Alright, here you go.”

“Thank you!” He grinned happily.

Solar dried off her arms and left the steamy room. Once she was outside she noticed her eyes stung slightly as the sweat rolled pass her eyebrow and touched the corner of her eyes, before dripping down her already lightly dampened shirt. She pinched the collar of her shirt and fanned herself in order to cool down, before proceeding downstairs to check on breakfast.

Moonbyul and Hwasa were busy preparing pancakes. They had made four different kinds of batter: chocolate chip, peach, strawberry-banana, and blueberry. They had finished cooking the chocolate chip, the blueberry, the strawberry-banana pancakes and were in the midst of making the peach pancakes. The finished pancakes were cooked to perfection and lay beautifully on several plates. The steam ever so slightly radiated from their golden bodies, filling the room with a delectable smell. It wafted through the air and tickled Solar’s appetite. Her belly grumbled as it beat softly against her body. Hmm~ that does smell really good. She her lips slightly before looking over in Whee-In’s direction.

Whee-In had already filled a plate with a variety of fruits; it included strawberries, peaches, grapes, and oranges. She was, however, diligently chopping up some more strawberries and peaches as she eyed the blender. She carefully slid the cutting board, which was now piled with the cut fruits, over to the blender and proceeded to drop them in. Finally she added in some bananas before filling it with milk. The blender roared as it instantly fused the fruits into a mouth watering drink. She poured the contents into five cups and set them on the table.

Solar walked toward the kitchen and Moonbyul came up to her. She took out a hand towel and gently wiped off the sweat from Solar’s face and neck, before giving Solar a kiss.

“Where’s Jae-Yoon?” Moonbyul questioned as she looked up the stairs.

“He’s getting dressed. He’ll be down in a minute.”

Moonbyul took Solar’s hand and led her to the table. “Sit here and rest.”

“I can help.”

Solar tried to stand up but Moonbyul placed her hands on Solar’s shoulders and gently pushed her back down.

“We’re almost done. You just wait here.”

“Yeah unnie,” Hwasa commented, “you helped Jae-Yoon so relax a bit.”

“I concur,” Whee-In chimed in as she placed the fruits plate on the table before sitting down herself. She took a slice of strawberry and began devouring it, “have some fruits unnie,” she signaled toward the plate.

“If you insist.”

Moonbyul headed back to the kitchen where Hwasa was glaring down at the timer. She was waiting in anticipation for that last second to hit zero in order to flip the pancake, which she was more than ready to do. The moment it beeped she quickly slid her spatula underneath of it and gracefully tossed it over. She stood proudly over the pancake and smiled at her success.

Jae-Yoon ran down the stairs and gave each of them a hug before climbing onto his tall chair at the table. It was taller than the other chairs since he couldn’t properly eat his food otherwise. He didn’t want his moms to help him now that he was a bit older. They, however, didn’t want the chair to topple and hurt him, so they held it down for him. He was wearing a red shirt with a group of comic characters on the front with its large title sprawled across the back. His beige cargo shorts dangled past his knees almost as if he was wearing pants.

Whee-In picked up a slice of peach and fed it to him before he took a sip of the smoothie she’d prepared. The beverage stained the sides of his lips, carving a pale pink smile onto his face. He tried to it off but wasn’t very successful at it. Solar grabbed a tissue and helped him wipe off the rest.

“Thank you Solar mama.”

“Is it good?” Whee-In laughed as she questioned him.

“Yes! It’s very good Whee-In mama!” He smiled widely. “You make the best smoothie!”

“Hey now,” Hwasa protested as she and Moonbyul placed the pancakes and a few savory dishes down onto the table, “that’s what you told me the other day,” she teased.

“You’re in trouble,” Moonbyul laughed as she chime in.

“No I’m not,” he pouted before turning toward Hwasa, “you make the best smoothie too Hwasa mama.”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Moonbyul took her seat next to Solar and sliced off a piece of chocolate-chip pancake with her fork. “Here, have some.” She fed it to Solar. “Is it good?”

Solar nodded as she chewed. “You have some too. Here.” She proceeded to feed Moonbyul as well.

“There can only be one best,” Hwasa raised her brow as she stood over Jae-Yoon with one hand on her hip, and the other on the table. “Whose smoothie is the best?”

“Whee-In mama,” he replied without missing a beat.

“Why!?” Hwasa pouted and the others laughed.

“You said it yesterday.”

“No I didn’t.”

“Yes you did!”

“No.”

“You tell me then. Is your smoothie better than Whee-In mama’s?”

“Yes Hwasa, do tell,” Whee-In raised her brow, “whose smoothie is better?”

Hwasa turned over and gave Whee-In a kiss, “of course yours darling,” she turned back toward Jae-Yoon and lightly pinched his cheeks before she ruffled his hair. “You rascal.”

He stuck out his tongue and pouted and everyone laughed. Hwasa sat down next to Whee-In, who fed her a forkful of pancake. They enjoyed their breakfast which was filled with laughter echoing throughout the house. Whee-In laughed so hard she slightly choked on her food which caused the others to worry at first but then broke out in laughter afterward. Hwasa, against her better judgment, wanted to start a food fight with Jae-Yoon. She wanted to throw the pancakes she’d painstakingly made at him. She imagined it hurtling through the air and landing on the target she had aimed for. Her culinary art would then become a deadly weapon. She grabbed it in her hand and was ready to go; Jae-Yoon was also prepared for battle. However, the intense glare from Solar and Whee-In made them stop in their tracks and they peacefully exchanged the pancakes by hand instead, as though that was their intention from the start.

“You two can duke it out in your fighting game after breakfast,” Solar sighed.

“I challenge you!” Hwasa chuckled devilishly.

“You’re on Hwasa mama!” He stood up on his seat.

“Hey, sit down before you fall,” Solar scolded.

“You two are hopeless,” Moonbyul shook her head.

“I think it’s rather cute,” Whee-In smiled happily.

“Of course you would,” Solar and Moonbyul spoke in unison.

“I think you’re cute too,” Hwasa pecked her on the cheek.

“I think you’re cute too Whee-In mama!” Jae-Yoon tried to imitate Hwasa. He beckoned Whee-In to come closer; she complied before he had the chance to fall off his chair.

After breakfast was over, Hwasa and Jae-Yoon rushed over to the living room where their game resided and quickly turned it on. They sat on the floor, hunched over, gripping tightly on their controllers, as they waited for the game to load. Hwasa always let Jae-Yoon chose first to see if he wanted to be player 1 or player 2, while she was content with whichever role he didn’t want. She’d also let him decide which character she could play as, giving him the upper hand. Whee-In followed slowly behind them and sat down on the couch waiting for their battle to begin while she slurped on her smoothie.

Jae-Yoon scrolled through the selection and debated for a while before he chose for himself a slender female fighter, known for her quick moves, which Hwasa had informed him; meanwhile, with the help of Whee-In, he chose a weak, chubby-looking man as Hwasa’s fighter.

“Hey! Whose side are you on?” Hwasa turned around and pouted at Whee-In.

Whee-In chuckled and gave her innocent little shrugged as she replied, “I don’t know.”

“Whee-In mama is on my side!” Jae-Yoon proclaimed, “isn’t that right Whee-In mama?”

“Of course,” Whee-In petted his head and winked at Hwasa.

“Alright! Let’s do this!”

“YEAH!” He let out his battle cry.

They locked into their fighters, it was time for their death match.

“ROUND 1! FIGHT!” the game announced the beginning of their battle in an epic voice.

The rapid smash of buttons could immediately be heard before the announcer voice even disappeared. The two of them rushed at one another, trading blow for blow, chipping away at each other’s health, until finally Jae-Yoon’s character triumphed.

“YAY! I WON!” he put down his controller and raised his arms in celebration.

“Good job,” Whee-In clapped.

“It’s not over yet,” Hwasa proclaimed.

“I’ll win again!” he picked up his controller and readied for the next round.

“ROUND 2! FIGHT!”

Again they quickly came at each other without a second thought, kicking and punching air as they hopped around the screen. This time Hwasa landed the final blow, giving them a score of one-to-one.

“YEEEAAAHHH!” Hwasa let out her victory cry.

“Hmph,” Jae-Yoon pouted.

“It’s all right, you’ll win the next one,” Whee-In cheered him up.

“Yeah! I’m gonna win!”

“We’ll see about that.”

“FINAL ROUND! FIGHT!”

This time instead of rushing head on, they began jumping around the screen, as though in a kangaroo hopping simulator. Hwasa’s character connected the first blow, an uppercut beneath the chin, sending Jae-Yoon’s character flying to the other side. He recovered and sent out a flurry of kicks as revenge. Hwasa guarded through the attack and counter with a heavy palm to the enemy abdomen, causing Jae-Yoon’s character to collapse onto the ground. But before he could recover this time, she grabbed onto his character’s ankle and spun it around before throwing it.

Jae-Yoon was below a quarter of his health while Hwasa’s HP was almost full. They had a momentary stand-off as they tried to anticipate each other next move. Jae-Yoon went for a low attack, sliding toward Hwasa and kicking her character’s knees before his character did a hand stand. She wrapped her legs around her enemy’s neck, and threw him down onto the ground. Then she leapt into the air, bent her knees, and sent them straight down onto the enemy’s spine, she got a few punches in before he could recover.

There was only a quarter of health remaining for each character; the battle was intensifying. They each only needed a hit or two to fill up their special attack gauge. Whoever unleashed it first would be the guaranteed winner. As though they were the characters themselves, their heart rates increased ever so slightly. Hwasa and Jae-Yoon glanced over at each other before smashing the buttons again. It was back to the kangaroo hopping simulator, as they tried to find out who would be the luckier of the two and land the first blow. Jae-Yoon got the blessing of lady luck and managed to land his attack first.

His special attack gauge was now full and so without a second delay he unleashed his ultimate attack. He put down his controller and watched as his character unleashed an unblock-able barrage of blows, which quickly blew through Hwasa’s remaining HP. The game went into slow motion as Hwasa’s character tumbled backward and bounced up and down on the ground.

“PLAYER 1 WINS!”

The huge words flashed in the middle of the screen to announce the victory. Jae-Yoon’s character went into her victory pose as the background audience cheered for her.

“YEEEEAAAAAHHHHH! I WON!!! He got on his feet and jumped up and down excitedly as he celebrated his victory.

“Yeah,” Whee-In gave him a double high fives to congratulate him.

“I lost,” Hwasa pouted.

“It’s okay Hwasa mama,” he wrapped his arm around her neck, kissed her cheek and hugged her, “you’ll win next time.”

“You did good! Good game.”

Hwasa hugged him tightly, his feet dangling left and right in the air. They then proceeded to roll around on the floor and tickle one another. Whee-In was pulled into the madness.

As the others went over to the living room, Solar and Moonbyul sat at the table for a little longer to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee. Moonbyul wrapped her hands around her own warm coffee mug to dissipate the remaining coldness from her fingers. She then took Solar’s hands in her own and gently rubbed them to warm them up.

Solar was watching the living room at first, intrigued by the hectic battle that was going down; however, once Moonbyul grabbed her hands, her attention was completely captured by Moonbyul. She turned toward Moonbyul who was rubbing her hands and breathing warm air into them.

“Is it warm?” Moonbyul glanced up and questioned softly.

“Yes, it is,” Solar smiled sweetly and gave Moonbyul a kiss on the lips.

“I WON!” they both turned turned toward the screaming Jae-Yoon.

“They’re quite lively,” Moonbyul commented.

Solar giggled. “That they are.”

“Hwasa is letting him win again.”

“Of course. You would too,” Solar fed Moonbyul a slice of orange.

“Oh,” Moonbyul spoke, filled with oranges, as though she’d almost forgotten about it, “I got something for you,” she said happily.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of candy. The wrapper was greenish and silver, she carefully unwrapped it and fed it to Solar. Once Solar bit into it, the chocolate and mint filling came oozing into . She had eaten this mint-chocolate almost everyday for the longest time and yet not once had she felt tired of eating it.

“Is it good?”

“You ask me that every time.”

“Cause I like to hear your answer.”

Solar smiled. “Your mint-chocolate is the best.”

“I’m glad.” Moonbyul started to fold the wrapper neatly into a square. “I need to buy more.”

“Speaking of shopping.”

“What is it?” She looked over at Solar.

“I want to get some new clothes for Jae-Yoon.”

“Should we go later?”

“Yes, let’s head out after we clean up.”

“Alright.”

“Solar mama! Moonbyul mama!”

Jae-Yoon’s scream caught their attention. They looked over to their side and found an out of breath Jae-Yoon standing next to them. He was huffing and puffing as though he’d been running around nonstop. He looked up at them as he tried to catch his breath.

“Breathe, dear.”

“Breathe, you rascal,” Moonbyul ruffled his hair.

He placed his tiny hands on his head to protect his hair and pouted before he fixed it. He took a few deep breaths as was suggested before he spoke.

“I won again! I beat Hwasa mama!” He was practically dancing in place.

“Good job, dear.”

“You’re the man! Give me five.”

They each raised their right hand and he gave them a really hard high-five as he screamed, “YEAH!”

He was about to run off when Solar stopped him, “do you want to go shopping with Solar-mama?”

“YES!” he rapidly nodded.

“Okay, go finish your game. We’ll go in a bit.”

“Okay~” he ran off for a few steps before he turned around.

“What’s wrong?” Moonbyul raised her brow.

“Will I have time to go play with Im-Hee later?” he questioned sadly.

“Of course, darling,” Solar reassured him, “we’ll be home before you know it.”

“Okay~” he smiled happily.

“You got a date?” Moonbyul teased.

“No!”

“Sounds like it to me.”

“It’s not!” Jae-Yoon pouted, “you got a date with Solar mama!” he stuck his tongue out at her.

“This rascal,” Moonbyul tried to grab him but he ran off before she could.

“Don’t ,” Solar scolded.

“I’m just having a little fun.”

She sighed. “Let’s clean up.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Let’s just clean up.”

“Come on, tell me,” Moonbyul begged.

As they cleaned up the table Hwasa and Whee-In came over to help. Jae-Yoon also followed behind them. They gave him the forks and spoons to put into the dishwasher. He also wanted to help manually wash some dishes, which Solar was in the midst of doing. She gave him a stool to stand on and his little rubber gloves before guiding his hands. He was intrigued by the process and wanted to do more; Solar was happy to teach him.

Moonbyul told Hwasa and Whee-In about the shopping trip that she and Solar had planned for afterward, and they were more than happy to tag along. Hwasa drove them to the mall, which was about fifteen minutes away. The traffic wasn’t too bad since it was still early in the day. They got there around ten, but it took them a while to find parking, so Solar, Moonbyul, and Jae-Yoon headed in first. They made arrangements to meet up at the food court around noon, and then they parted ways.

The mall was as busy as usual, filled with people gossiping, rowdy children playing, and couples enjoying each other’s company. The shopping center itself had six floors filled with stores. The clothing store Solar had in mind was on the third floor; it was a children’s clothing store, which she shopped at regularly. They used the elevator and headed to the boys’ section once they got there.

“We got some clothes. Is there anything else he needed?”

“Let’s see,” Solar searched through the items in the cart, “shirts, socks, pants, underwear—” she mumbled.

“Can I get new shoes?” He tugged Solar’s shirt.

“Of course,” she smiled happily.

He dashed over to the shoes section and they followed behind him. He excitedly waited as Solar and Moonbyul picked out some sneakers for him. The first pair had a crimson body. The laces were a mixture of black and red, with a black midsole. The second pair was candy apple in color; instead of laces, it had Velcro with white lining. The final pair also had Velcro and was burgundy in color.

He put on the first pair, “can I run around in it?”

“Yes, but watch where you’re running.”

“Okay~”

There were other children running around in their newfound shoes, as though they had been fed nothing but sugar at breakfast; they made unusual noises as they dashed throughout the store. There were also children crying or throwing tantrums, wanting one thing or another. Jae-Yoon felt as if he’d acquired a new source of energy. He glanced about, making mental notes of the obstacles in his path as he planned his course of action.

He got into his running position and off he went. As he dashed forward, his first obstacle appeared. It was a little boy, who suddenly sat down in the middle of the section and bawled his eyes out. His mother came over soon after to console him without much success. Jae-Yoon didn’t want to decrease his speed, so he stepped onto the nearby chair and, without missing a beat, did a side flip over them. The boy stopped crying as he stared in awe at Jae-Yoon rolling over his head. Jae-Yoon gracefully landed on his feet and continued forward without glancing back.

His second obstacle came at him as soon as he turned the corner. As though she was a car, a girl sped through the intersection, almost running him over. However, with his quick reflexes, he jumped to the side with ease. They quickly turned toward each other and gave a nod of approval as though they were acknowledging each other’s skills. They both smirked and took off in their respective directions.

His third obstacle was a pair of siblings, arguing whose shoes were superior. They screamed loudly enough that it could be heard from the other side of the store. Their father sat quietly on the side, scrolling through his phone as he yawned, ignoring their rambunctiousness. He glanced over once in a while to make sure they hadn’t killed each other before returning to his activity. Jae-Yoon tapped their heads as he passed by in between them, which caused them to unite and chase after him.

Jae-Yoon grinned when he noticed they’d split up to corner him. The boy got in front of Jae-Yoon, stretching out his arms and blocking the path. However, that didn’t stop Jae-Yoon from going forward. He was ready to ram the boy out of his way. It was now a test of courage to see if they would both stand their ground or if one of them would give up before they slammed into each other, and Jae-Yoon didn’t plan on losing. As Jae-Yoon got closer, the boy became more anxious until eventually he jumped out of the way before he could get hurt. The siblings continued to pursue him and he outran them with ease. Eventually they got tired and gave up. As they went back to their father, so too did Jae-Yoon return to his mothers’ side.

He was more than satisfied with his first test run. The shoes were better than he’d anticipated. He smiled happily as he thought about the first successful adventure with his new shoes. He got into his victory pose with his hands on his hips to celebrate.

“Jae-Yoon?” Solar called out to him, “why are you just standing there?”

“Not testing your shoes?” Moonbyul raised her brow.

“It’s time for take-off~” he slowly jogged back and forth down the shoes section as they watched him.

“How do they feel?” Moonbyul questioned.

“They’re good~” he smiled happily.

“Try on the others,” Solar spoke softly.

“Okay~”

As Jae-Yoon tested the other two pairs of shoes, Moonbyul’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and checked the caller ID.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Whee-In,” she glanced around, “it’s loud in here. I’ll take this outside.”

“Alright.”

She headed out the store and leaned her back against the railing before she picked up.

“Hey.”

“We’re at the food court. Where are you guys?”

“Jae-Yoon is picking out some shoes. We’ll be there soon.”

“What did he get?”

“He’s still trying them on.”

“Okay, I’ll ask him when he gets here. Come soon, alright?”

“Alright.”

“See you in a bit!” Whee-In spoke excitedly.

“See ya.”

Moonbyul tucked her phone away and stared at the storefront. She sighed and turned away. She rested her arms on the railing, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths. She wanted to have a few moments to herself before she headed back into the store filled with children constantly screaming. She scanned her surroundings and watched some passersby before looking at the floors above and below her.

She couldn’t see much from the floor above her besides the people walking near the railings. The first floor was just the lobby so not much to see beside people exiting and entering. She rested her chin on her hand and lazily surveyed the second floor. Almost immediately something caught her attention. Is that--? Impossible.

A woman was staring right at her; the moment Moonbyul noticed her, the woman’s smile became wider and wider. She parted her lips and moved them as though she had whispered, “I’m back.”