Upper tummy= chest

“Hyung!” Donghae squeals as he notices a third person tagging along his mom and Aunt Sandara. He runs towards Donghwa, literally throwing himself at his older brother, embracing his thighs, smiling so wide with his mouth open, and then breaking into a peal of laughter when he gets picked up.

“Hey, menace, how was school?”

Donghae circles his arms around Donghwa’s neck. He knocks their heads together, but that only makes him happier. He peels himself off the other. Not his arms, no. Those remain glued to either side of his brother’s neck.

The distance between their faces is minimal, so small that when Donghae starts talking Donghwa can feel Donghae’s breath on his skin.

“We played, eat fruit, and they play again, and I did some drawing, and then I played tag with Hyukkie and Sungmin and Donghee and Sooyoung and it was really fun!”

Donghwa can see that in Donghae’s red face, especially from the way Donghae’s hair are stuck to the kid’s forehead because of too much sweat.

“You ate and you played! Wow! That’s awesome!” He says to match the level of enthusiasm. With the palm of his hand he moves Donghae’s wet strands away, and just then, from his peripheral vision, he notices the big darker patch on the back of Donghae’s uniform. “You sure you didn’t take a swim, bro? Because damn.”

That doesn’t earn him any answer as Donghae catches another boy with his father talk to Hyukjae and Sandara and demands to be put down. What stops him from running away to his best friend is Bom’s iron grip on the hem of his uniform.

“Not so fast, Speedy Gonzales,” Bom says with a small towel ready in her hand. “Come here.”

Donghae lets out a whine. “Hyukkie and Donghee— ”

“Towel first,” Bom cuts him off. “Or you’ll catch a cold, Speedy.”

“I’m not Speedy,” Donghae replies, letting out a little giggle. He obeys, but not without pointing out every other second that his mom needs to dry him off quicker because they need to know what Hyukjae, Aunt Sandara, Donghee and Donghee’s daddy are talking about.

By the time they’re done, Hyukjae’s already walking towards them to greet Donghwa.

Since Sandara can’t at the moment, Bom’s the one to take care of the other kid, pulling out another towel from the extra bag she instructed Donghwa to bring with him when he left home. She hands each of them a water bottle and gives a small thankful smile to Donghwa when he takes the bag back from her.

“Hyukjae went to kindergarten for only a year,” Sandara’s saying when Bom arrives with the children. She immediately notices the piece of cloth peeking from under her son’s uniform. “Thanks. He was so sweaty. Donghee here was telling me that they got to play after drawing.”

Said kid is too absorbed munching on baby carrots he’s taking from a lunchbox his dad is holding out for him. Inside it there are also half a sandwich, cherry tomatoes and what looks like a single mini pack of cheese.

Bom and Donghee’s father’s gazes meet. “Nice to meet you. I’m Donghae’s mom, Park Bom.” She offers a handshake that gets returned.

“Shin Donghee Sr.” He says, cupping the back of Donghee’s head with his free hand.

Bom smiles. “Donghae told me he had fun playing tag with Hyukjae and Donghee.” And another kid, but she cannot remember his name so she omits mentioning him.

“Hyukjae was asking me before if Donghee could come over to play this weekend.” Sandara tells her. She looks for her son who’s talking with Donghae and Donghwa. She asks, loud. “Right, Hyukjae?” As she gains the kid’s attention, she says again, “you asked me if Donghee can come over this weekend to play.”

Hyukjae nods at that. His eyes shine. “Can he?”

Bom watches her own son, Donghae, turn to look up at Sandara then at this left to Hyukjae and she predicts a small tantrum that she would be calming with Donghwa’s help, but Donghae starts vibrating on his spot before looking at her.

“Can I come to play with Hyukkie and Donghee, mommy?”

She’s extremely and happily surprised by this turn of event, but she doesn’t let it show. Bom glances at Sandara and Mister Shim. “If it’s not a problem—”

Sandara waves her off. “Don’t be silly. Of course it’s not.”

“Uhm,” Mister Shim utters. Scratching his chin, he confesses, “actually Junior can’t this weekend. I don’t know where I can drive him somewhere that’s not the hospital because his mom’s about to give birth and—”

“Oh.” The two moms say in unison.

“Oh, my gosh!” Sandara exclaims. “Congratulations. When’s the due date?”

“This weekend—this Saturday,” Mister Shim stutters. Donghee has finished eating the vegetables and is about to proceed opening the single pack of cheese, but Mister Shim interjects with a box of orange juice that he fishes out from the child’s backpack.

“Oh, congratulations!” Bom says, reaching out to touch Mister Shim’s forearm. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“We don’t know,” Mister Shim answers. He fails putting the plastic straw. Donghee takes it from him and succeeds on the first try. “We wanted it to be a surprise.”

The moms nod in understanding.

“After the baby’s born, if Donghee still wants and your wife agrees, he can come with me after school. To have lunch, do homework if they have any, and play,” Sandara suggests.

Bom likes the idea. “And my older son or I can drive him back home.”

“Oh, that’s too—”

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Bom immediately says. She lowers her voice, “my little one is usually very jealous when Hyukjae plays with someone else. Sometimes he gets even sad that my other son, his hyung, or Hyukjae’s older sister, play with Hyukjae. They’re best of friends.” She explains. “This is the first time he looks happy playing with another kid.”
“And Hyukjae will sulk if Donghee doesn’t come over at least once,” Sandara adds, “you’re doing us—me—a favor. Believe me.”

Mister Shim smiles at them, thankful. “I’ll tell my wife and let you know then.”

The words have just been said when they hear loud cheering.

“That means you’ll come play Donghee!” Hyukjae shouts, pointing a finger to said classmate. He hasn’t understood everything the adults were talking about, but he got the most important part and that’s enough.

Donghae is turning his head quickly left and right, shaking little fists in excitement. “Me too! Me too! I’ll play too with Donghee!”

“Yes, you too! We three!” Hyukjae confirms moving his finger to Donghae who bursts in a “yay!”

The imaginary prize for the cutest reaction goes to Donghee, though, who upon comprehending what’s happening, raises an eaten sandwich in the air before high-fiving his two new friends with his box of orange juice.

°°°°°

“What’s this thing I heard, Lee Donghae,” Bom drawls her son’s full name. She rarely does that and the only occasions are when he did something really naughty, and judging from Donghae’s round frightened and guilty eyes, he’s well aware of his wrong-doing.

Donghae quickly grabs a hand of Hyukjae’s shirt and tries his best to hide himself with it. Although completely unsuccessful, it’s adorable enough to make Aunt Sandara chuckle, but when he peeks, he finds his mom still giving him a stern look from the rear view mirror.

“Oh, let it go,” Sandara tells her friend, “teacher Vic said that they made up and the mother said not to worry.”

“No,” Bom refuses, “what if he does that again?”

Donghae winces.

On his right, he hears Donghwa chuckle so he makes grabby motions with his other hand until he feels his brother holding it tight. He buries his face behind Hyukjae—who is currently snoring, energy drained from his first day of school—‘s shoulder and the fabric of the car’s seat.

“Teacher Vic said that you were mean to your classmate Sungmin and you made him cry,” he hears his mom say.

Donghae closes his eyes tight. Maybe if he does that, mom won’t be able to see him. The other times he tried, it didn’t work, though.

It’s true that he was a meanie. But that was before. He said he was sorry when Sungmin started to sob. He said sorry to Mister Bunny too for being a meanie.

“Lee Donghae-ah, I’m talking to you.”

He knows he shouldn’t have done that, but he doesn’t know why he did. There was this—this feelin’ in his—his upper tummy and before he knew he punched Mister Bunny and Mister Bunny came flying in the air and fell to Yesung who then threw it on the floor.

Yesung threw it on the floor.

Timidly, he points it out. “Y-yesung threw it on the floor.”

It comes out muffled because he’s hiding his face and his dwasmom can’t hear him properly.

In fact, she asks, “what?”

Donghae waits some time, then he moves so his mouth is free. “Yesung threw it on the floor,” he repeats, hoping that knowing that mom would stop giving being angry with him. It’s not like he meant doing that.

Bom isn’t mollified by the information. She cannot take her gaze off the road, but she makes sure her son understands that she’s not affected by keeping her tone of voice stern. “You’ll never to make another kid cry, okay Donghae? And you absolutely don’t raise your hands ever on another person. Ever.”

She’s perfectly aware that he didn’t hit anyone, but she has to teach him immediately. Better safe than sorry.

If her husband were here she knows that he would have tried to placate her and while she wouldn’t say that he would have sided with Donghae, she can imagine him acting exactly like Sandara since he just cannot stand tears. Especially not his family’s.

He would have continued raising Donghwa like a terrible prince and back then, she had let him because it was their first son and she didn’t quite know how to be listened to her kid without being hated.

Luckily, she learned quickly.

You don’t have to be a tyrant. Obviously, she rewards her children, give them unplanned gifts. She literally surprised Donghwa with one of those electric bikes just because she could and it would make him extremely happy. Spoil your kids a little.

But you have to know that there are moments when you cannot let some of their actions be unnoticed, without consequences. Otherwise they’ll think they can get away doing everything, even mean things.

It’s to no surprise that her authoritative replies are met with sniffs, and Bom can say she didn’t expect Donghae starting to bawl for the whole trip to Sandara and Hyukjae’s house, with Donghwa rubbing circles on Donghae’s back soothingly, telling his younger brother to take a few breaths.

“I don’t know how you do that,” Sandara tells her as she unbuckles her seat belt. Bom does too. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Indeed, it is. Donghae’s started hiccuping.

Bom gets off the car and opens the passengers door. She doesn’t regret lecturing her son, but she cups the kid’s head with her hand, starting to caress him.

From her peripheral vision she sees Sandara carefully trying to lift up Hyukjae without waking him up, and Bom throws her a look, silently asking if her friend needs help. The latter shoots her an I-got-this thumb up before telling them goodbye.

“See you tomorrow, HaeHae!” Sandara says, but not before giving Bom a look of her own. This time she’s the one inquiring if the other needs a hand.

Bom waves her off with a little smile. “See you tomorrow.” She watches her friend with Hyukjae in her arms go back home.

Then, she lets out a soft sigh. “Donghae,” she calls, petting the kid’s head. He’s had his face buried in his brother’s chest for a while now.

At his name being called by her mom, he shifts. Still crying desperately. They’ve been in a situation like this before, so Bom knows that although the rivers are falling out of Donghae’s eyes, his ears are listening.

She asks Donghwa to hand her Donghae and he complies. For his part, Donghae doesn’t resist when taken off from his brother’s arms and in his mom’s.

He actually proceeds to shove his wet red face on his mommy’s shoulder, and lets himself be held and cuddled.

“Do you understand what you did wrong?” Bom asks.

Donghae is crying. His eyes produce a lot of water when he’s upset. Hyukjae had said that if he doesn't change that, he won’t have tears left anymore. But when he hears what his mommy says, it’s like more liquid start rushing down his cheeks because he really really did not want to punch Mister Bunny. He was shocked too and he feels sorry now because he found out that Sungmin is actually a nice kid and, while he still doesn’t like the idea of him playing with Hyukjae because Hyukjae is his best friend, Donghae is a good kid. He didn’t want to make Sungmin sad and hurt Mister Bunny.

So, he nods.

He won’t do that ever again. When he has that unpleasant feeling in his upper tummy, he’ll just sulk or cry, but never punch again.

“Good boy,” mom tells him. She kisses his forehead and rocks him like she does when he cannot fall asleep at night.

When they come back to their house, Donghae’s relaxed a litte. Tears aren’t there anymore, but he still hic-hics every now and then.

Seunghyun is already in the kitchen, making dinner, and when he sees his younger son, he’s worried.

Mommy is telling about the incident, and Donghae trembles because if papa gets mad too he doesn’t know anymore what he’ll do, but fortunately, he doesn’t.

His papa spreads his arms and he runs to him, feeling great when he gets enveloped in a tight hug. Donghae gets told not to do it ever again and he promises with his little pinky to everyone.