TITLE: the baby in eomma’s tummy SUMMARY: In which Mi Young misunderstands what her parents told her about the baby in eomma’s tummy.  

 

Mi Young’s laughter fills the expanse of their home, a melodic sound that accompanies the bright Christmas morning.

 

“I caught you!” Jong Kook exclaims teasingly, having shot out an arm to catch his little girl who tried to run past him and towards his wife.   “Eomma! Save me!” Mi Young screams through her giggles. Jong Kook begins to mercilessly tickle her, dropping along raspberry kisses to her neck and face.   Ji Hyo, who is seated at the love seat that was in great view of her family playing on their large fuzzy carpet, smiles fondly at them. “You’re on your own, ddal-ah.”   “No! —“ Mi Young erupts in laughter as Jong Kook proceeds to throw her in the air and catch her multiple times.   The Kim family had just finished unwrapping their presents in that Christmas morning. Un/fortunately, Ji Hyo and Jong Kook had made the careless decision to feed Mi Young with sugary donuts and sweet hot chocolate so early in the morning, resulting in the little girl having an intense sugar rush; hence, all the energy and all the playing.   Their family of 3 was spoiled rotten, having gotten gifts that were prepared not only by Jong Kook and Ji Hyo themselves, but also by their extended families and the Running Man team — although, the latter did splurge understandably more for little Mi Young than for Ji Hyo and Jong Kook.   Mi Young had gotten every gift she wrote into her wishlist: a Barbie dream house, more dolls, a giant teddy bear half as big as Jong Kook, some new clothes and shoes, multiple Squishmallows — to name a few.   There is, however, still one gift that the parents are keeping from Mi Young.   Ji Hyo lets Jong Kook and Mi Young play on the carpet for a few minutes more before she puts a stop to them, so they can finally reveal the last and final gift.   “Alright, oppa. That’s enough,” Ji Hyo says gently with a smile. “It’s time for the last gift.”   At the sound of a last gift, Mi Young perks up in Jong Kook’s arms, despite being held upside down.   “Appa! Appa! Gift! Eomma!”   Jong Kook chuckles, “Arraseo, gongjunim. Gimme a second to put you down.”   Once Mi Young’s feet were planted on the ground, the little girl takes off and runs towards Ji Hyo. She scrambles up to plop herself in her mother’s lap with a soft “oof” from Ji Hyo. The woman’s arms immediately cage Mi Young safely, initiating a warm cuddle.   Jong Kook can’t help but smile as he watches Mi Young make herself comfortable in her mother’s embrace. He too makes his way to sit next to his family, settling an arm on the backrest of the loveseat and around Ji Hyo’s shoulders.   “Mi Young-ah, are you ready to know what your last gift is?”   Mi Young positively buzzes in her parents’ embrace. “Yes! Yes! I’m ready!”   “Okay, gongju. I need you to listen to eomma and appa, okay?”   “Arraseo, eomma! I’m a good listener! I will listen really well,” Mi Young affirms with a determined face, causing her parents to laugh.   “Yes, we know you will, Mi Young-ah.” Jong Kook shoots Ji Hyo a look who, in turn, gives him a nod to go ahead.   “Aegi-yah, do you remember when you asked eomma and appa for a dongsaeng?”   There was a blank look on Mi Young’s face as her little brain worked up a storm to remember that memory.  

 

They were on a picnic, their little family of three. It was a weekend tradition that Ji Hyo and Jong Kook began not so long ago, to make sure they were spending as much time with Mi Young as possible, despite their sometimes heavy schedules.   “Eomma?” Mi Young called from her place on the grass beside their blanket, a toy in each hand and a swipe of chocolate on her cheek.   “Yes, ddal-ah?”   It took a few more seconds before the little girl spoke again, “If I ask for something for my birthday, will you promise to give me it?”   Ji Hyo shot Jong Kook a look, slightly alarmed. It’s not everyday their 5-year-old would say something like that, sounding both grown-up and suspicious.   “Uh…” Jong Kook coughed. “It depends on what you ask for, gongjunim. But, eomma and I will try to get it for you if we can.”   Mi Young seemed to ponder on this for awhile before she nodded and smiled brightly.   “Okay, appa!” Mi Young crawled over to sit in her father’s lap. Once comfortable, she looked at both her parents and asked the million-dollar question,    “Can I get a sibling for my birthday?”   Ji Hyo, who was previously taking a sip of her Americano, spluttered and choked on the drink out of surprise. She coughed to catch her breath, Jong Kook reaching for a bottle of water quickly and handing it to her.   She took a big gulp, and once she regained her bearings, Ji Hyo spoke with careful hesitance. “Oh, well, it’s not that easy, Mi Young-ah.”   Upon hearing her mother’s response, Mi Young’s face fell and she bowed her head to avoid her parents’ gazes. “That’s okay, eomma. I just wanted to try and ask.”   Ji Hyo looked at Jong Kook, panicked.   “It’s not that we don’t want to give you a sibling, aegi-yah,” Jong Kook started damage control. “It’s just that — giving you a sibling will take a long time, and they might not arrive on time for your birthday next month.”   “But you’ll try, appa?”   Jong Kook looked at Ji Hyo and they communicated with their eyes, taking a few moments to themselves to deliberate on an appropriate response.   To be fair, Mi Young was already at the age when children most commonly ask for siblings, so it was only a matter of time before she would come to them and ask.   They also had previously spoken about the possibility of having another child. Both were fine with adding a new member to their little family — would welcome t