Help
In which JiWon has to bite the bullet.

December 3rd, 2015
09:15am

Running back and forth - across from the child seat which was now on the coffee table, to the kitchen, and then back again for the umpteenth time, JiWon was on the verge of losing his mind for real. The baby had been crying for over an hour, he was still half and sticky with booze from the night before, and HanBin was due back any time now.

He had searched through the bag which had been left behind - more like just tipped everything on the sofa in panic - but he still had no clue what to do. He was seriously debating biting the bullet and asking for help. Who the lucky winner would be was still a mystery. His younger friends would have as much knowledge as he did, which happened to be nil. He could see JinHwan wanting to keep it for himself, and any chance he had with KiSe would be flushed down the drain once she learnt of his predicament. The only people he could turn to right now were HanBin - Whom was hopefully still comatose, SeungYoon - But he was busy on Thursdays, or DaIn - Whom would most likely tear him a new one for being an idiot. But at least she was one of the more functioning ones of his alcoholic friends...

There was no way around it. Grabbing his phone from his room, JiWon threw himself down on the couch. Texting as he tried to amuse the child with his free hand, the brunet prayed for a hasty reply. Chucking his cell aside once completing the message, the homeowner pulled stupid faces and made as equally stupid noises to try to sooth the shrill shrieks.

Not even three minutes passed before the handle of the front door shaking threw the man into a spasm. Five quick thuds on the barrier proceeded, and then more shaking of the handle like it was a scene from a horror movie. “Kim JiWon.” A hushed whisper which came out more like a rage-hiss broke past the baby’s tantrum. “Open the in’ door.”

Jumping up at the sound of the female’s harsh order, the addressed did as he was told. Bolting up and unlocking the door, the barrier was rammed open from the outside and connected with his arm. “Noona, I nee-”

“Shut the door, already.” Not even looking back, the tall blonde strut inside until she was a pace away from the problem. Platinum locks scraped into some alien bun on top of her head and grey sweatpants barely hanging onto full hips, the female picked up a green hoodie which had been slung over the back of the PC chair beside the sofa and put it on. “I think you should explain.” Glancing back over her shoulder, glowering something wicked with remnants of last night’s eyeliner making her look like a KISS member, the older woman placed her hands on her hips.

Rushing closer to explain, JiWon threw his hands up above his head as he rambled. “It won’t stop crying. Over an hour it’s been like that; I can’t get it to stop!”

“For one, I didn’t mean that.” Fixing the hood of the jacket, the blonde rolled her eyes with a scoff. “I meant explain how you’ve become the carer. And secondly,” Turning around completely to face the homeowner, the blonde snarled. “how the could you be so stupid as to be so careless.” Without warning, she smacked him full force upside the head. Staggering back and hitting the floor, JiWon held the assaulted spot. Peering up in a daze, the devil glared down on him. “You’re not an idiot, so why would you allow this to happen?”

Horrified by the fierce attack, JiWon held the side of his head and hunched into himself as the woman’s tone grew sharper. “Hold on-” He held his free hand up to explain what he knew, only to shrink back when his guest threatened to whack him again.

“You will have broken her heart with this.” Finishing with the harsh snaps, the guest returned her line of sight to the baby trying to wriggle its way from its confines. Pressing the red button holding the straps closed, the blonde freed the prisoner. Tucking her hands under chubby arms, the female hoisted the child up and held it to her full bosom. Left forearm supporting its body and her hand cradling the head, she patted its bottom twice.

Staring intently, JiWon watched his friend kneel down in front of the sofa and shove all of the baby stuff aside. Carefully resting the fragile body down on the crease between two cushions, the woman plucked up a diaper and chucked it to her left before opening the pack of almost empty baby wipes.

JiWon wanted to ask so many things. Like why she was helping him even though she was clearly angry, and how she knew what to do, and most importantly, what she would tell KiSe - but all he could do was inspect the scene in silence as the child halted its death pitch and began to blow bubbles like an angel. Ryu DaIn was known as many things; the mothering type was not one of them.

Caught off guard as a bottle flew his way, JiWon yelped when it smacked him on the chin. “What do you want me to do with that?”

Finishing taking the baby-grow off the small body, DaIn plucked up the fleece blanket which had been slung over the arm of the sofa. “Microwave. Fifteen seconds.” With that, she picked up the bundle which weighed even more than it looked and covered ‘his’ back with the blanket.

Rushing over to the directed device, JiWon prodded the time in. Heaving a breath with a relieved expression, the home owner whom had almost forgotten what quiet sounded like slumped against the fridge.

Catching the lax expression, DaIn shuffled along the space as she rocked the restless baby against her chest. Getting within a distance where hearing a whisper was possible, the blonde sneered. “If I see that kind of dopey- expression on your face again whilst this child is within you’re care, I will knock your teeth out.”

Scandalized by the remark handed over in such a nonchalant tone, JiWon was pushed out of the way as his guest opened the microwave to retrieve the heated milk a second before the ping. Taking the bottle and shaking it before dripping a few drops on her inner arm to check the temperature, DaIn gauged that it was just right. Placing the rubber teat on the baby’s lower lip, she waited for him to begin feeding. Almost ling the bottle out of her loose grip, the blonde looked up with a glare. “No wonder he was screaming; he’s starving.”

Backing up just in case his ‘saviour’ wanted to hit him again, JiWon’s eyes almost shot from his head. “How am I supposed to know that?”

“You’d better start learning, and fast.” Lightly bouncing from one foot to the other and gliding across the hardwood floor in her monster-faced slippers, DaIn kept her eyes on the miracle of life. “If you think I’m doing this for you at 3am, you’re wrong.”

The male half of the pair spluttered. “Why would I need to do it at that time?!”

“Babies this age need feeding around every four hours.” Panda eyes glanced up to see a ‘What?’ expression, and sighed at the long road ahead. “Don’t tell me you don’t even know that?”

“I know nothing about babies!” The home owner’s voice cracked in strain as he threw his hands up madly. “Nothing.”

“Then I’d better put you on a crash course before everyone gets here at two.”

“What? Why?” Grip on reality slipping bit by bit, the brunet’s posture crumbled. “Why will everyone be here at that time?”

“Last night, you told everyone to call around.”

“I did?”

“You did. And if you think you can just stuff your son into a cupboard for a few hours, you’re very wrong.” Easing down onto the beige couch with care not to sit on any of the baby stuff, or to irritate the little boy beginning to nod off, the blonde wobbled her head. “I’d start thinking about your speech, if I were you.” Restin the empty bottle on the arm of the sofa, she went about absent mindedly rubbing between the child's shoulders.

Jumping out into the centre of the bare space, JiWon literally flapped his arms and flailed like a mad man trying to take flight. Eyes the widest she’d ever seen them and neck veins throbbing in a mix of anxiety and rage, the brunet spun into a tangent. “How am I supposed to do that when I don’t even know how this happened? There is a possibility that it isn’t even mine, right? I mean, it could be the guys doing a hidden camera, right? Aiiiish~ What am I going to do?”

“Do I look like your agony Aunt? Stop asking me twenty questions per second.” Rubbing her eye with the back of her wrist, and smearing her liner even more, DaIn wasn’t feeling too enthused by the situation either. “And maybe you should quit sticking you in strangers, then things like this wouldn’t happen.”

Halting his manic bodily movements, the brunet shot a brief glare ready to remark on her vulgar remark only to hold his hands up in apology when he received the same look exuding twice as much irritation. Easing his tone as to not annoy the woman with a short fuse any more than he had already, JiWon knelt on the floor just across from her. “Is there any need to be so crude?”

“Is that a joke? Are you starting out as a gagman? Is this just some little incident to you?” Teeth bared, she jumped up and debated drop-kicking the idiot square in the face when remembered the baby in her hold. Reigning in her temper, the blonde settled for a scowl. “You have created another life, Kim JiWon. Look at that child.” Now he knew he’d done it - He’d been addressed by his full name. “He is your son, and that fact - and your responsibility to him - won’t change until you die.”

“Do you think it’s possible...that it's mine?”

“We all know how you are.” She gave him a gentle shrug, as if his personal life was none of her business, and tucked her feet up under her rear so that she could prop herself against the arm of the sofa. “But messing around and being a father are two opposite ends of the scale. You may know how to play women, but now you have to learn the rules to a whole new game.”

“I can’t do this on my own.” He threw himself back, flat against the floor, and held his hands to his face. “I can’t look after a kid; I can barely keep myself alive. It wasn't even last week when I tried to ge a broken piece of bread out of the toaster with a fork and got a shock.”

Bearing the brunt of the responsibility distribution in that moment, DaIn itched her temple with her ring finger. She wasn’t good with children, or emotional people on the verge of a mental breakdown. In fact, she wasn’t all that great with any living things, period; she couldn’t even keep plants beside the single cactus which had survived several years of second-hand cigarette smoke, being dropped on the floor, and going four years without being given water beside that one time it fell into a scortching bath. It was a miracle that she had managed to even keep a dog for the past five years without it turning into something like one from I Am Legend.

She thought about it. About just about everything concerning family during those few moments before gently tilting her head again. Frustration melting from her frame as she tried to cut him some slack, the blonde tore her eyes from the baby and took a deep breath. “If you believe he isn’t yours, I will call my lawyer. If you have the slightest inkling that he is, I would think very carefully about what you could potentially be throwing away.” Twisting onto her back and stretching her legs out over the lumps and bumps, DaIn stared up at the cracked ceiling. Fragile head resting on the valley of her s as her left arm kept the body from rolling away, the woman felt strangely comfortable. “Whatever you plan to do, make sure it’s your choice. No matter what, I will help you; you should know that.”

Watching the woman behave out of character, JiWon eased up. Resting his elbows on the low table, he propped his chin atop of his palm. “Could anyone pass off such a responsibility?" Face contorted, the home owner grit his teeth at the thought. "How could she do that to her own child?”

The blonde took a deep breath. Looking at the cherub face a few inches from her own, DaIn shifted and rested her right forearm over eyes. “You’ll be surprised at how common it is.”

Brought back to the present by the nonchalant tone, the brunet hummed for attention. “Noona?”

“What?” She peeked out of her left eye from under the shade she had made for herself.

“Thank you.” JiWon threw his head forward. "I had no right to ask you for this." He shifted his legs underneath himself and put his head to the wooden floor. "Thank you for helping me-"

“-Go and take a shower.” Wafting her hand, the blonde turned her face away and closed her eyes again. “You smell like whiskey and piss.”

Coughing a chuckle at the remark, JiWon rubbed his face. Exhausted and confused, the younger man clambered to his feet. "I won't be long."

Updated: 9th July 2015 - 20:16

Updated: 24th March 2019 - 20:50