Byulyi was startled awake by a scream and continuous cry on the baby monitor. Still quite out of it, she rubbed her eyes as she tiptoed to her daughter's bedroom, only to find out she must have fallen from the bed during her sleep and was shrieking in pain. Absolutely horrified, Byulyi held her and tried to soothe her while calling her best friend and her mom. To her dismay, no one picked up, probably because it was way past midnight.

The young mother panicked even more when noticing some dark stains on the floor. Trying hard not to go insane, she hastily put on a jacket and her baby carrier, then rushed out of the apartment and drove like a madwoman to the nearest children's clinic. The little girl had stopped crying and the frightened mother only had the mind to check her breath, dreading to inspect whether she cried too much to the point she passed out from exhaustion or if she was more dangerously unconscious.

The receptionists, seeing how disheveled the woman was and the reddish little spots on the child's onesie, quickly led them to the emergency room where a doctor soon came to check on the tiny patient.

She was instructed to stay outside to wait and proceed with payment and paperwork for the medical examinations. Byulyi stared into the void as she waited and prayed for her baby's safety and waited. It was just about 30 minutes, but to her it stretched out like an eternity.

Her thoughts suddenly drifted to a certain person. Kim Yongsun, who had finished a first-aid course and never missed any prenatal classes. She surely would know what to do in this situation. How to take care of her daughter. 

Their daughter. 

She was about to either throw up in nervousness or rip her hair off in frustration (or both) when a nurse came to her and announced that she could go inside with her baby. Byulyi tried to make herself a little more presentable and headed inside the clinic room. 

- Is she okay? Is there anything wrong?

- Luckily there's nothing serious, beside a mild concussion that will most likely not affect the child's mentality. - The doctor smiled gently at the unsettled mother. - I suggest that you keep the head bandage on for another day and don't let her be too active till the end of this week, then she could resume her normal activities.

- Thank you so much, doctor. - Byulyi was this close to getting down on her knees and bowing to the pediatrician. She delicately held her child like she was the most precious thing in her world - and she was - and went home. 

For now, her main focus should be her baby. Anything else could wait. 

Including those thoughts about that one couple sitting across the room from her, holding each other tightly, as they too waited for the result of the wife's diagnosis.

About how badly she had wanted to also be held and comforted like that. 

***

- Haengie, are you ready? - Byulyi called while cleaning up the dining table. 

- Just a minute, eomma!

A little girl ran down the stairs, wearing a yellow dress, duck-printed socks and a yellow bucket hat with a lemon-themed backpack. Yes, you guessed it: yellow is her favorite color. The mother chuckled; her daughter looked like a ball of sunshine. And a miniature of her w-

- Are you looking forward to your first day in school?

- Yes, eomma! - The girl squealed in excitement, jumping up and down as her mom took her hand and led them to the parking lot.

The heat died down a little, though, when the duo stood in front of the class door. Haeyoung didn't go to preschool beforehand, so realizing that she wasn't going to see her mom for a whole 8 hours for the first time wasn't exactly enticing. 

- Do you really have to go? Can't you stay with me in class? - She pouted at Byulyi, who squatted down at her eye level.

- I can't, puppy. - Byulyi slightly smiled as she wiped the lone tear coming out of her daughter's eyes. - But I promise that you'll see me very soon, even more quickly than you might think.

- We are going to have lots of exciting activities with your new friends too. - Mrs. Son, the teacher standing patiently beside them also spoke up gently. - So what do you say, would you go with me and have fun while your mom goes to work?

The little girl timidly nodded and accepted her teacher's hand. Although not before she ran into her mother and gave her a hug as tightly as a child could give.

- Goodbye, eomma. I will miss you lots.

- I will miss you very much too, Haeyoung. Listen to your teacher and have fun, okay? See you later, baby. - The mother smiled and waved at her daughter as she went into class and chose a seat next to a boy.

Byulyi took some photos and quickly left with her mask on. She would prefer it if no one saw her tears streaming down her face due to mixed emotions swirling inside her.

***

After tucking Haeyoung in bed nicely and kissing her good night, Byulyi left her room wondering how she should spend such a rare occasion when her daughter was tired enough to go to bed early. She went to the living room and idly scrolled some channels on the TV, when she came across a live performance, seemingly for an artists' award. 

Byulyi covered in shock, the loud gasp still managing to escape.

A duo was doing a cover of her song. The one she wrote for and sang with her beloved significant other of all songs under her credits. 

For a moment, she wondered if it was legal that her songs were publicly performed by others without her consent. But then she also realized anyone could cover any song as long as they didn't monetize on such performances, and these types of live performances weren't counted. She slumped back into the couch, suddenly feeling like someone all of the energy out of her body. 

The woman immediately turned off the TV, but the melody continued to run in her head like a broken cassette. Byulyi stumbled on her feet as she ran to the wine closet. She blindly reached out to a random bottle of cabernet, opened it in record time and gulped, wanting to drown the memories out. Then she exhaled, realising her mission had failed miserably.

Of course she had to pick her wife's favorite type of wine. 

It took a while for her to calm down and went to look for a proper wine glass. She might not notice the whole time drinking, but every now and then the taste of the red wine got a bit salty. 

Byulyi decided that today was not a good day to sleep alone. And so as softly as possible, she staggered back to her daughter's room and snuck in the blanket beside her. She hugged Haeyoung by the waist, hoping that her child wouldn't scold her for her "full of alcohol" morning breath tomorrow. Her breathing soon evened out, and she scooted in closer to the little girl, wanting to bask more in the sense of safety she couldn't feel that often.

***

Byulyi was not having a good day, that's for sure. Her daughter should clearly notice the deep frown on her face and the way she showed no mercy to her shoes as she threw them somewhere behind her in the hall.

- Oh, you're home early! Eomma, I finished a picture today. It's- - Haeyoung beamed and ran towards her with a piece of paper.

- Haeyoung, eomma isn't feeling well today. I can't pay attention to you for a while so will you play by yourself? - The woman asked her child with a very strained smile. 

- O-okay. - She timidly nodded. - But the picture-

- Go to your room,