oo1 || hello baby
the pursuit of happiness
01
hello baby
Jaehyun stretched his back as his car entered Lucas' house. He had some errands to do here in Qingdao and the younger boy had offered him to use his small home while he himself stayed in his parents' residency.
He had planned to extend his stay for a few more days before he had to go back to Seoul to make sure that the company's branch in Qingdao is already transitioning well. He cracked his sore neck as it is already nearing midnight and he desperately wants to go to sleep already.
He closed the door before slumping down on the couch, taking off his sweater. The rain is pouring wildly outside, and the pitter patter noises against the window were oddly giving him a calming and lulling ambience. He was almost asleep when he heard the front door being knocked.
Did he forget to shut the fence again this time? God, he's going to get robbed one of these days.
He waited until there's a second knock before he dragged his tired into the door. He opened the door and he nearly screamed in shock when he saw a small boy, barefoot, and soaked from head to toe. He was holding a baby near to his chest. He was crying but the baby was silent and seemingly asleep.
He had planned to extend his stay for a few more days before he had to go back to Seoul to make sure that the company's branch in Qingdao is already transitioning well. He cracked his sore neck as it is already nearing midnight and he desperately wants to go to sleep already.
He closed the door before slumping down on the couch, taking off his sweater. The rain is pouring wildly outside, and the pitter patter noises against the window were oddly giving him a calming and lulling ambience. He was almost asleep when he heard the front door being knocked.
Did he forget to shut the fence again this time? God, he's going to get robbed one of these days.
He waited until there's a second knock before he dragged his tired into the door. He opened the door and he nearly screamed in shock when he saw a small boy, barefoot, and soaked from head to toe. He was holding a baby near to his chest. He was crying but the baby was silent and seemingly asleep.
"Help…"
Jaehyun recognized the language as Korean, not Chinese.
"Kid! Oh my god!" He ushered them inside and the boy nearly trip from shaking too much.
He took the baby from the boy and saw the baby's lips turning bluish.
"Samchon… please help my brother…" he cried.
Jaehyun's eyes widened immediately. He laid the baby on the couch, wrapping him with his abandoned sweater before running back to his room, fetching the thickest woolen sweater he owned.
"Kid, what's your name?"
"J-Jeno."
"Okay, Jeno. You should take off your clothes and change into this so you won't get sick okay? After this we'll go to the hospital so you can get checked."
Jeno, the little boy, eyed the man in front of him. He had a gentle smile and a gentle voice as he helped Jeno changed.
Jeno sighed after feeling the warm material of the sweater that was way too big for him.
"Can you hold your brother as I drive?" Jaehyun asked again as he led them to his car.
Jeno nodded. He was strapped down on the car seat and soon was given his brother who was wrapped in a thick clothing.
Jaehyun entered the driver's seat and the heater.
He tried to drive as fast as he could without passing the speed limit until he arrived at the emergency ward.
He opened the car door and stepped out quickly before helping the kid out.
Panting, he tried to carry both kids as he hurried inside, being greeted by a nurse.
"Kid! Oh my god!" He ushered them inside and the boy nearly trip from shaking too much.
He took the baby from the boy and saw the baby's lips turning bluish.
"Samchon… please help my brother…" he cried.
Jaehyun's eyes widened immediately. He laid the baby on the couch, wrapping him with his abandoned sweater before running back to his room, fetching the thickest woolen sweater he owned.
"Kid, what's your name?"
"J-Jeno."
"Okay, Jeno. You should take off your clothes and change into this so you won't get sick okay? After this we'll go to the hospital so you can get checked."
Jeno, the little boy, eyed the man in front of him. He had a gentle smile and a gentle voice as he helped Jeno changed.
Jeno sighed after feeling the warm material of the sweater that was way too big for him.
"Can you hold your brother as I drive?" Jaehyun asked again as he led them to his car.
Jeno nodded. He was strapped down on the car seat and soon was given his brother who was wrapped in a thick clothing.
Jaehyun entered the driver's seat and the heater.
He tried to drive as fast as he could without passing the speed limit until he arrived at the emergency ward.
He opened the car door and stepped out quickly before helping the kid out.
Panting, he tried to carry both kids as he hurried inside, being greeted by a nurse.
"Sir, how may we help you?"
Jaehyun settled the boy down on the vacant bed and picked the baby up, showing him to the nurse.
"I found these two kids on my doorstep, soaked and…. In this concerning condition. The baby looked critical," he said worriedly, stumbling over his Chinese. The nurse took the baby and settled him down on an infant warmer as some doctors began to come.
"Jeno, these doctors will take care of you okay? Samchon had to go to the front for a minute," he explained to the boy who looked panicked.
Jaehyun stepped outside to fill in their data, feeling confused since he didn't know anything about them. He literally filled in the forms with just the name Jeno and the other one Baby Boy.
"I found them literally on my doorstep," he said slowly in Chinese at the reception desk when the nurse read the forms in bewilderment.
"Really? I thought they were your kids. You are a kind soul then," the guy smiled.
"I can't just stay put. The baby needs care immediately."
The reception guy nodded.
"We might have to call the police to confirm the identity. This kind of thing rarely happens, so we might need the authorities' opinion. Who knows, they might be a case of missing children."
Jaehyun settled the boy down on the vacant bed and picked the baby up, showing him to the nurse.
"I found these two kids on my doorstep, soaked and…. In this concerning condition. The baby looked critical," he said worriedly, stumbling over his Chinese. The nurse took the baby and settled him down on an infant warmer as some doctors began to come.
"Jeno, these doctors will take care of you okay? Samchon had to go to the front for a minute," he explained to the boy who looked panicked.
Jaehyun stepped outside to fill in their data, feeling confused since he didn't know anything about them. He literally filled in the forms with just the name Jeno and the other one Baby Boy.
"I found them literally on my doorstep," he said slowly in Chinese at the reception desk when the nurse read the forms in bewilderment.
"Really? I thought they were your kids. You are a kind soul then," the guy smiled.
"I can't just stay put. The baby needs care immediately."
The reception guy nodded.
"We might have to call the police to confirm the identity. This kind of thing rarely happens, so we might need the authorities' opinion. Who knows, they might be a case of missing children."
Jaehyun nodded as he sat down waiting for the guy to finish typing. His eyes wandered to the TV which was airing a breaking news in 11 pm.
"The Qingdao Coastal Police Force managed to stop an illegal human trafficking this night. A boat bringing approximately 75 people consisting of women and children was stopped. It was sailing all the way from a border island in South Korea and it was suspected that the victims inside the boat will be sold for ion and child labor. Police are still counting the exact number of victims. Please stay tune for further news."
He looked at the reception guy who looked back at him in sheer bafflement.
"Okay, we do need to call the police," the guy nodded with finality, already punching the number on the office phone.
"Okay, we do need to call the police," the guy nodded with finality, already punching the number on the office phone.
Jaehyun entered the ward again, finding the thin boy already in a hospital gown. His body which was once wet and dirty was already cleaned. The doctor had already tended his bruises and cleaned his cuts too. He was wrapped with blankets and he looked like he's about to pass out soon.
The baby was inside an incubator.
"Sir, are these your sons?" The doctor asked.
"Oh, no. I found them. They looked like they needed help. I think… they might be victims of human trafficking who ran away from the port earlier this night," Jaehyun answered. The doctor looked at him incredulously.
"The reception guy already called the police. Anyways, are they okay?"
"The baby had mild hypothermia. We have put him on drips for nourishment and also place him in an incubator to restore his body temperature. The older one has several injuries that we had taken care of. We also put him on drips for nourishment. After a day of two they may go home… or being handed to social service, who knows. They seemed not to understand Chinese. Well, I have to go tend other patients. If you have any questions or something concerning happened, you can contact the nurses at the nurse station."
Jaehyun nodded, bowing politely at the attending physician.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and the kid sat up immediately.
"You're okay and warm, right?"
"Yes... thank you so much, samchon. M-my brother?"
"They are warming him up. Jeno, can I ask you something? What is your full name?"
"Uh… I’m Jeno."
"Just Jeno? Your parents’ name?"
"I…. Don't have parents."
Jaehyun gaped, "Oh, sorry to hear that! How about your baby brother?"
"Sungchan."
"Okay. Jeno and Sungchan. You are such a good brother to him. I am Jaehyun. Jung Jaehyun. You can call me samchon," Jaehyun explained softly and the boy nodded.
"Jeno, after this there will be police officers coming here to ask questions. They are kind people. They just want to know where you came from," Jaehyun said as he the boy's hair. He looked genuinely scared.
"They... are they going to sell me?"
Sell him? Jaehyun's suspicion at the boy being one of the human trafficking victims rises exponentially.
"No, Jeno. They just want to catch the bad guys that took you and Sungchan."
Jeno nodded as Jaehyun patted his back.
Not long after that, a police officer came with a man wearing a brown coat who smiled warmly at Jeno who was shivering in fear. Jaehyun scooted closer and pulled the poor boy into his embrace, and the boy seemed to calm down a bit.
"I am Detective Han Geng, and this is Officer Liu Hen. We were called that there are possibilities that the two kids that entered the ER tonight are part of the human trafficking issue we faced this night. May I know who I'm speaking with?" The detective asked as he took a seat next to Jeno's bed. The poor little boy snuggled closer to Jaehyun, feeling scared.
"I'm Jung Jaehyun. I was the one who encountered these boys. They came to my doorstep earlier this evening."
"And where's your home, Mr. Jung?"
"Oh, just around this area. Only a ten minutes’ drive from here," Jaehyun explained.
The detective raised his brows.
"The boat raid took place in a small shady illegal port, located at least 25 km from this part of the town. It’s weird how they managed to reach your place. Can we interview the kids?"
"Oh, you can with this one, his name is Jeno. But he only speaks Korean. The other one, the baby, Jeno claimed he was his brother. But the baby looked like he was only five or six months old?"
The detective nodded.
"Alright. To make him more comfortable, can you translate for me?"
Jaehyun nodded before turning his attention back to the boy who's gripping his shirt tightly.
"Jeno, this is samchon's friend. He is very nice police. His name is Detective Han. He wants to ask some questions, okay?" Jaehyun asked gently and Jeno looked up to him expectantly.
"And yes, samchon will stay here with you."
Jeno then nodded.
"Okay, can you ask him his name?” Detective Han asked softly.
“Jeno, can you tell Mister Police your name?”
Jeno stared at the foreign man before answering softly, "Jeno."
"Jeno? A very beautiful name. And how old are you Jeno?"
“How old are you, Jeno?” Jaehyun translated.
Jeno pulled one of his hands from Jaehyun's embrace before counting his fingers.
"Uhm… five!"
Jaehyun smiled at the kid's cuteness and he could see the detective and the police officer also smiling at Jeno's innocence.
“Can you ask him where he came from?”
"Jeno, where do you come from?"
Jeno furrowed his brows. Where did he come from?
"Korea."
The detective nodded. This kid didn't know where he lived.
"And where do you live in Korea?"
Jeno looked like he was trying to remember the name before answering, "An or.. or.. orphanage? I think that is the name."
“He said an orphanage. I think he doesn’t know where,” Jaehyun said.
The detective nodded again, seemingly satisfied.
“Can you ask him what he remembered about the situation? How did he get here?” Detective Han asked.
Jaehyun nodded.
"Jeno, can you tell me and Mister Police what happened? Did you go far from the orphanage?"
"Yes. We… me and all the hyung were told to leave. We ride this big, big, truck but it was dark it was scary!"
Jaehyun patted his hair, encouraging him to continue.
"And then I fall asleep. When I woke up, we move to… a boat! Yes, a boat! And in the boat, there are a lot of imo and hyung and noona. One of the imo had baby. Small baby. Sungchan," Jeno pointed at the baby in the incubator.
Jaehyun looked genuinely surprised. So Jeno just rescued a baby he barely knew from the boat?
The baby was inside an incubator.
"Sir, are these your sons?" The doctor asked.
"Oh, no. I found them. They looked like they needed help. I think… they might be victims of human trafficking who ran away from the port earlier this night," Jaehyun answered. The doctor looked at him incredulously.
"The reception guy already called the police. Anyways, are they okay?"
"The baby had mild hypothermia. We have put him on drips for nourishment and also place him in an incubator to restore his body temperature. The older one has several injuries that we had taken care of. We also put him on drips for nourishment. After a day of two they may go home… or being handed to social service, who knows. They seemed not to understand Chinese. Well, I have to go tend other patients. If you have any questions or something concerning happened, you can contact the nurses at the nurse station."
Jaehyun nodded, bowing politely at the attending physician.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and the kid sat up immediately.
"You're okay and warm, right?"
"Yes... thank you so much, samchon. M-my brother?"
"They are warming him up. Jeno, can I ask you something? What is your full name?"
"Uh… I’m Jeno."
"Just Jeno? Your parents’ name?"
"I…. Don't have parents."
Jaehyun gaped, "Oh, sorry to hear that! How about your baby brother?"
"Sungchan."
"Okay. Jeno and Sungchan. You are such a good brother to him. I am Jaehyun. Jung Jaehyun. You can call me samchon," Jaehyun explained softly and the boy nodded.
"Jeno, after this there will be police officers coming here to ask questions. They are kind people. They just want to know where you came from," Jaehyun said as he the boy's hair. He looked genuinely scared.
"They... are they going to sell me?"
Sell him? Jaehyun's suspicion at the boy being one of the human trafficking victims rises exponentially.
"No, Jeno. They just want to catch the bad guys that took you and Sungchan."
Jeno nodded as Jaehyun patted his back.
Not long after that, a police officer came with a man wearing a brown coat who smiled warmly at Jeno who was shivering in fear. Jaehyun scooted closer and pulled the poor boy into his embrace, and the boy seemed to calm down a bit.
"I am Detective Han Geng, and this is Officer Liu Hen. We were called that there are possibilities that the two kids that entered the ER tonight are part of the human trafficking issue we faced this night. May I know who I'm speaking with?" The detective asked as he took a seat next to Jeno's bed. The poor little boy snuggled closer to Jaehyun, feeling scared.
"I'm Jung Jaehyun. I was the one who encountered these boys. They came to my doorstep earlier this evening."
"And where's your home, Mr. Jung?"
"Oh, just around this area. Only a ten minutes’ drive from here," Jaehyun explained.
The detective raised his brows.
"The boat raid took place in a small shady illegal port, located at least 25 km from this part of the town. It’s weird how they managed to reach your place. Can we interview the kids?"
"Oh, you can with this one, his name is Jeno. But he only speaks Korean. The other one, the baby, Jeno claimed he was his brother. But the baby looked like he was only five or six months old?"
The detective nodded.
"Alright. To make him more comfortable, can you translate for me?"
Jaehyun nodded before turning his attention back to the boy who's gripping his shirt tightly.
"Jeno, this is samchon's friend. He is very nice police. His name is Detective Han. He wants to ask some questions, okay?" Jaehyun asked gently and Jeno looked up to him expectantly.
"And yes, samchon will stay here with you."
Jeno then nodded.
"Okay, can you ask him his name?” Detective Han asked softly.
“Jeno, can you tell Mister Police your name?”
Jeno stared at the foreign man before answering softly, "Jeno."
"Jeno? A very beautiful name. And how old are you Jeno?"
“How old are you, Jeno?” Jaehyun translated.
Jeno pulled one of his hands from Jaehyun's embrace before counting his fingers.
"Uhm… five!"
Jaehyun smiled at the kid's cuteness and he could see the detective and the police officer also smiling at Jeno's innocence.
“Can you ask him where he came from?”
"Jeno, where do you come from?"
Jeno furrowed his brows. Where did he come from?
"Korea."
The detective nodded. This kid didn't know where he lived.
"And where do you live in Korea?"
Jeno looked like he was trying to remember the name before answering, "An or.. or.. orphanage? I think that is the name."
“He said an orphanage. I think he doesn’t know where,” Jaehyun said.
The detective nodded again, seemingly satisfied.
“Can you ask him what he remembered about the situation? How did he get here?” Detective Han asked.
Jaehyun nodded.
"Jeno, can you tell me and Mister Police what happened? Did you go far from the orphanage?"
"Yes. We… me and all the hyung were told to leave. We ride this big, big, truck but it was dark it was scary!"
Jaehyun patted his hair, encouraging him to continue.
"And then I fall asleep. When I woke up, we move to… a boat! Yes, a boat! And in the boat, there are a lot of imo and hyung and noona. One of the imo had baby. Small baby. Sungchan," Jeno pointed at the baby in the incubator.
Jaehyun looked genuinely surprised. So Jeno just rescued a baby he barely knew from the boat?
"Why did you take him? Sungchan?"
"Baby was crying. Baby was scared like Jeno. Jeno sad too. So Jeno take him," Jeno answered in quivering voice.
"So now Sungchan is your dongsaeng?"
"Yes. Sungchan is Jeno's dongsaeng."
"Okay. And then after the boat arrived, what did you do? Was it noisy?"
"Yes. It was noisy and scary. Sungchan's eomma was pulled by scary man. The imo said I should run with Sungchan. So, I run far and I go to a truck."
"A truck? What truck?"
"I don't know. Just… a truck. The truck goes somewhere. After that the samchon that drives it got mad because Jeno is there. So, he told me to go out. After that Jeno run and go to Jaehyun samchon's house because the door is open. And Jeno’s cold. And baby is sick. Jeno is sorry…."
The kid sniffled and Jaehyun hugged him tight.
"It's okay Jeno… it's okay…"
Jaehyun patted Jeno’s back as he translated his conversation to the detective.
The detective nodded.
"It is quite clear that he is part of the victims and his testimony aligned well with some that we've taken. The kid should stay in this hospital until he recovered, right?"
Jaehyun nodded, "How about the other victims?"
"They will be deported back to Korea’s mainland as soon as possible, and will be distributed by the social service to several orphanages so they can be put up for adoption. These poor kids definitely had to wait until they're stronger first. Thank you so much, Mr. Jung. We'll put their names under the police's guardianship."
Jaehyun's brain turned because he couldn't imagine these two poor kids having to go to another orphanage again.
"Sir, detective Han! I'm… i'm completely fine being their temporary guardian. The kid seemed to trust me. And uh, they only understood Korean."
Detective Han raised a brow but followed along.
"We'll put the police office alongside your name as the guardians, then. Are there any more questions, Mr. Jung?"
"No, no, sir. Thank you very much," Jaehyun bowed his head. The detective bowed back before leaving.
Jaehyun sighed as he continued to the boy's hair.
"Samchon, is Jeno sleeping here?"
"Yes, baby. Jeno is sick so Jeno had to sleep here tonight with Sungchan too. If Jeno is healthy then Jeno can go home."
"Home? To the orphanage?" Jeno pulled back with a terrified expression.
"Uhm, why?"
"Can Jeno stay with samchon? Jeno is scared in orphanage."
Jaehyun winced at the boy's genuine expression. Okay, he might have to make an impulsive decision soon.
"Baby was crying. Baby was scared like Jeno. Jeno sad too. So Jeno take him," Jeno answered in quivering voice.
"So now Sungchan is your dongsaeng?"
"Yes. Sungchan is Jeno's dongsaeng."
"Okay. And then after the boat arrived, what did you do? Was it noisy?"
"Yes. It was noisy and scary. Sungchan's eomma was pulled by scary man. The imo said I should run with Sungchan. So, I run far and I go to a truck."
"A truck? What truck?"
"I don't know. Just… a truck. The truck goes somewhere. After that the samchon that drives it got mad because Jeno is there. So, he told me to go out. After that Jeno run and go to Jaehyun samchon's house because the door is open. And Jeno’s cold. And baby is sick. Jeno is sorry…."
The kid sniffled and Jaehyun hugged him tight.
"It's okay Jeno… it's okay…"
Jaehyun patted Jeno’s back as he translated his conversation to the detective.
The detective nodded.
"It is quite clear that he is part of the victims and his testimony aligned well with some that we've taken. The kid should stay in this hospital until he recovered, right?"
Jaehyun nodded, "How about the other victims?"
"They will be deported back to Korea’s mainland as soon as possible, and will be distributed by the social service to several orphanages so they can be put up for adoption. These poor kids definitely had to wait until they're stronger first. Thank you so much, Mr. Jung. We'll put their names under the police's guardianship."
Jaehyun's brain turned because he couldn't imagine these two poor kids having to go to another orphanage again.
"Sir, detective Han! I'm… i'm completely fine being their temporary guardian. The kid seemed to trust me. And uh, they only understood Korean."
Detective Han raised a brow but followed along.
"We'll put the police office alongside your name as the guardians, then. Are there any more questions, Mr. Jung?"
"No, no, sir. Thank you very much," Jaehyun bowed his head. The detective bowed back before leaving.
Jaehyun sighed as he continued to the boy's hair.
"Samchon, is Jeno sleeping here?"
"Yes, baby. Jeno is sick so Jeno had to sleep here tonight with Sungchan too. If Jeno is healthy then Jeno can go home."
"Home? To the orphanage?" Jeno pulled back with a terrified expression.
"Uhm, why?"
"Can Jeno stay with samchon? Jeno is scared in orphanage."
Jaehyun winced at the boy's genuine expression. Okay, he might have to make an impulsive decision soon.
A/N
Hello! The first chapter is here! So Jaehyun had met Jeno and Sungchan. Hopefully everyone can get a glimpse of Jeno and Sungchan. We'll learn more about Jaehyun in the following chapters. And Yerim? Please wait for her appearance ;)
Love, btfg <3
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