It was a calm neighborhood. Cookie cutter houses made for large families that surrounded a pristine park with a jungle gym and sets of swings. There were five houses that directly overlooked the park. The two at the end were still unoccupied and on sale. In one of the occupied houses lived a large family that was the life of every neighborhood gathering. On the other one lived a couple who had been trying to conceive a child for years, and had finally managed to give birth to a baby boy only a week ago. The mother sat on the porch, rocking her baby to sleep while she stared at the new spring blooms of the big oak tree firmly cemented on her front yard.  And lastly, on the house next door, three pairs of curious eyes continued to peer out the living room window.

The five year old Lee triplets, SunMin, EunMin, and HeoMin, stood on their couch, anxiously leaning forward to get a better view of the road in front of their house. They were waiting for their father to come back home with their mother and the baby. They were especially excited to see the baby. They had been waiting for what seemed like a lifetime, but had really been a mere nine months.

They were ready for their baby sister.

They knew it had to be a girl, because they didn’t want a baby brother, a girl would be much better.

SunMin wanted to show her how to ride a bike, something she’d just learnt and was extremely proud of that fact. EunMin had the longest hair of the three, so her mother had taught her how to braid it to perfection; she planned to teach her baby sister as well. HeoMin, on the other hand, had always been a big fan of old stories and folk tales, the ones where the men were always brave and honorable and the girls were regal and had the best manners; she wanted her baby sister to be just like an old time princess.

Finally, the triplets caught the sight of their father’s tan car pull up to their driveway. The image of his frantic father quickly got out of the driver’s seat to help his wife out of the back. The woman descended slowly, having given birth only a day ago. Yet she seemed to have gotten more radiant than ever before, and the three girls shared the wish of one day looking like their beautiful mother.

Lastly, their small brown eyes fell upon the bundle of blankets perched on their mother’s arms. Excitement showed in faces, for they were sure that was their baby sister.

Their parents seemed to take ages to finally enter the house. Once they had, the father helped his wife ease unto the couch parallel to the one the triplets sat at.

Before their father had left to pick their mother up, he had made them promise not to overwhelm their mother or the baby with questions, for she would be very tired upon her return. But that must’ve been at least three hours ago and with the short attention span of the girls, if they’d had any recollection of the promise when their parents had arrived, it was gone now; replaced by the excitement of seeing their new dongsaeng.

“Is she pretty?”

“Is she smart?”

“Does she look like us?”

The triplets bombarded their parents with those silly questions, but received no answer. The father seemed too tired to even comprehend what they were saying at such speed and unison, so he just fell on the couch next to his wife.

Conversely, their mother didn’t seem the least bit tired. No, her face was glowing like the sun’s as she looked down at her newborn and smiled. Her smile was brighter and happier than any of the ones the girls had ever seen before. It was so full of love and bliss, it seemed like something only a few mothers got to taste.

“Girls,” Their mother began, her chiming voice calling their attention as she cradled the baby closer, “I want you to welcome the new member of our family.” She looked up towards the girls and gestured for them to lean in.

The girls stepped closer to take a closer look at the face of the baby. It was beautifully pale, with skin that was probably softer than it looked, and its eyes (though currently closed) were long and framed with the cutest little eyelashes they had ever seen. Its nose was so small, but perfectly straight and round at the tip. The most adorable and noticeable feature in the baby’s face was its lips. Its lips were full and pink and shaped like lips should be shaped, even at such a young age it was something you could tell clearly.

The five-year olds were in awe.

“What’s her name, umma?” HeoMin ventured to ask quietly, not wanting to disrupt the little angel’s sleep.

“Not her, but him.” Their mother clarified, and the triplets looked up at her face in confusion. “Say hello to your baby brother, Taemin.”

“Appa, can’t we change him?” SunMin asked sleepily as her dad tucked her into bed next to her other two sisters who were already fast asleep.

“No sweetheart, it doesn’t work like that.” Her father chuckled, amused by his daughter’s discontent with the baby’s gender.

“But we wanted a-” She yawned, “-little sister.” SunMin sighed, already half-asleep.

“You’ll love your brother soon enough.” He smiled, bending down to kiss her forehead, before turning off the lights of the room and leaving the girls to sleep.

As he walked back to his own room, massaging the tight stress-knots that had formed on his shoulders throughout the day, his ears perked up at the sound of singing.

It was a clear lullaby, meant to coo young infants to sleep. He had heard the song before, but it had been such a long time, he had almost forgotten about it completely. Yet the singer’s voice rang a clear bell in his mind, the tone so familiar it could never be forgotten.

When he opened the bedroom door, he was enveloped by his wife’s melodic voice, accompanied by the image of her fair face singing her newborn baby to sleep. It was a beautiful image, for his wife’s smile had finally returned, along with her singing.

It had always bothered him that his wife had quit her dream of becoming a renowned singer for the triplet’s sake, even when he had urged her to continue. But they both knew that he could have never raised them by himself, and she’d rather be a good mother than a famous performer.

The day she quit her job, she quit singing.

She had always loved the triplets, but there was just something missing, and because of that, she couldn’t bring herself to sing anymore.

Her husband had spent the last five years watching her become sadder and sadder, and being able to do nothing to help her. He’d tried vacations, gifts, and even pushing her towards music again, but she still refused to sing.

The only thing that had brought a spark back into her eyes was the news of a new baby. She was instantly excited, but quickly refused to know the gender. He husband hadn’t questioned her decision, but now he understood why she’d been so adamant about it.

It was slipped his mind, a small detail mentioned only once very early in their relationship, that his wife had come from a family of all girls. She was used to girls, their likes and dislikes, their attitudes and how they coped with things. But a baby boy, the idea had always intrigued her. Raising a son would be the only adventure she would quit her dream for. That was years ago, of course.

But now, as he saw the joy in his wife’s face as she looked down into baby Taemin’s face, he was glad she’d finally gotten her baby boy.

He slipped into bed next to her, trying his best not to interrupt her gleeful singing, a treat he had been starving for. He slung his arm around her slim frame carefully, and pulled them both near.

After a few minutes of watching Taemin breathe slowly, his wife sang the final note of the lullaby. She turned to her husband and smiled, tears forming in her eyes. Her husband knew the look in her eyes; she was thankful.

He wiped the overflowing tears away, and kissed her cheek softly. She slowly brought her baby up to their eye level, and kissed the tip of his nose with affection.

“Taemin-ah,” She whispered, voice cracking, but still full of elation, “I want you to know that umma and appa love you so, so, so much; and they will make sure you don’t have a single unhappy day in your life. I promise.”

The couple smiled at each other, and at their baby boy. He had been just what the family needed.

Little Taemin was a blessing.

A/N: YAAAAY! First chapter!! It's so cheesy and weird but, I hope everyone liked it!! Feedback is LOVED. And can anyone guess who the baby next door is? ;3

Love you all for reading this, please sub and comment,

~Alys~

ps. Thank you to all the subs I got before even posting the first chapter!!