Chapter 9

Looking at the paper on her hand silently. Sighing. Nicole took her violin case and walked in the park with her heavy step.

'You need to pay for it!' She looked at her re-take test schedule for the second time. Nicole was feeling like smacking Jaejoong head right now for being her indirect reason to re-take her performance test. If it was not because of his ridiculous request to take her here and there lately, she wouldn't exhausted and drained her energy. And if she wasn't tired, she wouldn't mix up her music sheet this morning when she was getting late for overslept.

"Alright, it's not good to blame anyone for your failure." She told herself. "It's your own mistake, Jung Nicole."

Heave a sigh.

The only thing she need to do now was practice more and remember the notes perfectly in case the same thing would be repeated in the future. But before it, she really needed some fresh air to take, cooling her mind. And walking on the park might help her to do clear all the gloomy cloud on her mind. Autumn was her favourite season, and wandering alone with the company of summer breeze had been her favourite things to do since ever.

Far from her spot, Nicole heard the voice of crying baby. Looking surround, she finally found a little boy around 2 years old was crying alone near water pond, and her motherly instinct just brought her feet to step closer to the poor boy, leveled herself on his height.

"Oh my poor baby, why are you crying?" She rubbed her thumbs on his face, swapping his tears away. "You're alone?"

They boys kept crying instead of answering her. His tears fell harder, thus Nicole's hand moved on their own and hugged this kid on her embrace.

"It's OK, nuna is here." he started to get calm as Nicole carried him, patting his back slowly. "Good boy."

She brought him with her to the nearest seat to calm him down. Nicole put her violin beside her, then put the boy on her lap. He was still sulking, but much better than before Nicole carried him in her arms. She looked around to see if there's anyone who looking for him, but she found no one.

"You're here alone, my son?" she asked with her tender voice, but the boys only shake his head instead of answering her. "So where's your omma?"

The calm boy started to cry again with her words. "Ah, Mianhe..." Nicole tried to calm him down by hugging and patting his back. It was worked.

'What should I do?' She just couldn't let this baby to cry a lot. Her heart was hurt everytime she heard a baby cried sadly, her heart always told her to try her best to calm him down. She looked at her watch. It was 4 in the afternoon, and Nicole had an appointment with Boa tonight at 6 o'clock. She didn't know how long it would take for the parents of this kid to find him, so she decided to take him to the police station for help.

Nicole had been walking for ten minutes to find the nearest police station with the little boy in her arm. Carrying both of her violin case and this kid was hard enough to consume the rest of energy she had today. But she just couldn't let him walk on his own as every time she tried, he would cry much harder.

"Excuse me, sir." Nicole greeted the officer as she entered the station. "I found this kid alone in the park just a while."

She explained everything to the officer, asking him for help. The little boy's eyes just got swollen for too much crying. They needed to find his family soon, it neared the night and she just couldn't find his parent by herself alone. Nicole was so thankful as she met the nice officer.

"Thank you very much sir." She bowed to him as he finished with her reporting file. She was about to hand the boy to him, but unexpectedly he refused.

"Hey, this police-ahjussi will help you to find your omma, he won't hurt you." the officer asked his female colleague to help. "Be a good boy, OK?"

The little boy was clinging his arm on Nicole's neck when she was about to hand him to the female officer. Nicole exchanged her glance with them, didn't know what to do. Both of them looked at Nicole then at the little boy in her embrace.

"OK kid, let's nuna go. We'll help you to find your parents." the male officer tried to pull him by force, but it only lead to the boy screaming and crying so hard. He stopped when he let go his hand. Next, the female officer tried to do the same but the same result came which made them lost their way to deal with this kid.

"Be a good boy, OK?" Nicole looked at him and patted his head. "Nuna need to go now."

"Andwae!" he hold Nicole. It was the first time she heard him talked.

"So what should we do now, miss?" asked the officer.

Heaved a sigh. "I'll stay until his parents come." She smiled helplessly at the little boy on her arm, patted his head.

***

"Ah, mianhe unnie~" Nicole pleaded to Boa through the phone. "I'll come as soon as his parents come, OK?"

"Do you know when will they come?"

Nicole lost her words when Boa asked her this question. She herself also concerned about the same thing she did. She looked at the kid who was resting his head on her shoulder.

"I'm not sure.." she paused. "Mianhe-yo, unnie."

She heard Boa's chuckles through the phone. "Kwenchana-yo."

"Really?"

"We could plan our trip tomorrow, OK?"

Beep.. beep.. Her phone told her that it was out of battery. She need to end it fast.

"See you soon then, unnie."

"Bye."

Nicole put her phone on her bag. She got her attention back to the kids on her arms, smile formed on her lips when she saw his calm exspression while playing with toy given by the officer.

"You like it?" he looked at Nicole with his beautiful eyes. He nodded his head eagerly.

Smiled formed on her lips as he smiled to her. She'd always been so attached to children, they always had their way to win her heart with a small gesture. 

"Would you tell me what's your name?" Nicole rubbed his chubby face. "My name is Yongjoo."

"Yongjoo?" He tried to impersonate. Nicole chuckled as his cute talking tone. it seems that he still couldn't speak a proper word.

A babytalk.

"Nae... Yongjoo. What's your name?" He didn't even bother Nicole to rest her palm on his head.

"Chung-ie." he paused. "Chung-ie want some candy."

"You want some candy?" He nodded. NIcole opened her bag to find the milk candy she bought that day.

She swing it in front of him as she found it, but she didn't give it when he was about to take it.

"Please say, juseyo." it's the basic manner she always taught Haeyoung.

He looked at her with confused expression. "If you say juseyo, I'll give you some." Nicole also taught him to make the hand sign.

"Juseyo." motherly smiled plastered on her lips as she saw his cute expression.

"Aigoo~ good boy." Nicole help him to open it and patted his head lightly.

The little boy seems to like the candy very much. And with one candy, he got closer to Nicole as he kept playing with her happily until he got sleepy caused by tiredness. She took off her skarf and put it on his body to cover it from the cold breeze as he started to fall asleep. Naturally, Nicole lulled him a song to let him sleep better. And in a second, he slept soundly.

Nicole didn't know of it was because of the kid had been influencing her or it was because her own fatigue, she felt her body so tired and sleepy. The next moment she knew, she herself started wandering into the dream land.

***

"Excuse me, miss." 

Nicole could feel a soft pat on her shoulder. The image of the same female officer she saw before as she opened her sleepy eyes. 

"Ah, I'm sorry." She bowed. "I felt very sleepy just now."

The female officer gestured the two woman behind her to take a look, one old lady with white hair and the other one was the pretty middle age woman. "These two ladies reported to us that their baby was missing."

Nicole looked at them carefully. Both of them looked at nicole and the kid on her arm confused. 

"Maybe you could see if the kid is yours." Instructed the officer. Nicole removed her skarf from him. 

"Omo! Chung-ie ah~" the old lady looked extremely happy as she saw his sleeping face. "Thank you, young lady for take care of our baby."

Finally, she thought. The younger one tried to carry him without waking him up, but she was held when he started to rant and crying while holding on Nicole's neck. Those two ladies looked at each other then to nicole with amused expression. 

"Chung-ie ah, wake up." Said nicole with her tender voice. "Your grandma come to take you home."

The said boy opened his eyes slowly with her soft pat on his back. Nicole helped to turn him around to see his family. He rubbed his sleepy eyes then looked at those two ladies in front of them. 

"Halmoni!" He looked so happy and stretch his arm, asking to be held by them. 

The younger carried him in a second, brought him into her embrace. Sincere smile plastered on Nicole's lips when she saw the reunited family. The old lady walked to Nicole while the younger one talked to the baby. 

"Thank you very much, my young lady. I don't know what would happened if you didn't take care of our Chung-ie." she held Nicole's hand firmly. She could tell that her words were full of sincere. 

"I just doing what I think I should do, halmoni. You don't need to thank me." Her hand was so warm, it reminded nicole of her grandma in state.

Nicole walked to the kid and and patted his head softly. "Chung-ie ah~ It's good to be your family again right?" she rubbed his hand softly. Even though it was just a short encounter between him and her, Nicole unexpectedly felt sad when she need to be separated from him.

"It's time for me to go. You too, be a good boy and go home, arachi?" He started to frown his eyebrow when Nicole was about let his hand go.

"Andwae..."

"Chung-ie yah~" his mom tried to persuade her son. "Nuna, need to go home too. Be a good boy, OK?"

"Andwae!"

"Chung-ie ah~ Let's make a promise." Nicole showed him her small finger. "If you be a good boy and listen to halmoni, we will meet again someday.."

"Really?" Nicole nodded her head. He linked his small finger to her, establish their promise. Smile on his lips. Their family also looked at her with a relief expression.

"OK, now we will go home." his mom carried him to leave the police station, not forget to wave her hand on Nicole. They got into the black car that parked outside. Nicole felt a bit guilty for promising him a promise that they would meet again someday, but it was the only way to let him go home.

She looked at her watch, it's