He thought he might have bought too many snacks, but anyway, since it was a baby his younger sister was watching… An uncle visiting could do this much. While carrying the snacks and diapers piled up, the baby drink with a goggle-wearing penguin drawn on it caught his eye, so he bought three rows of those too. Eventually, seeing the shopping basket piled up next to him, he picked it up with a welcoming heart. When he dumped the items in his hands into the basket, the shopping basket filled up.
After finishing payment and coming out, Wookyung went to Yongsushi next to the mart as his sister instructed. Yoonkyung had especially liked salmon sushi from before. He ordered two special-sized sushi sets and additionally ordered one more plate of salmon sushi. After buying tempura and udon, that was also a load.
He still had to buy coffee, but his hands were already full of bags. Still, Wookyung entered the cafe and ordered two iced americanos. Trying to come out carrying even the carrier with two cups of coffee, even Wookyung’s pot-lid-like big hands weren’t enough. People glanced at Wookyung walking down the street with bags full in his hands like a tale of eccentrics. If he had been a small-framed woman or an elderly person instead of a large-built man, surely someone would have come forward to help.
Wookyung, who barely made it back to the car, let out a sigh of relief and put down the shopping bundles in the back seat. He should have stopped by the parking lot to leave the baby items, but because stopping by the parking lot was bothersome, he just carried them and this happened. Anyway, he was fortunate to arrive at the car safely without spilling anything.
After driving for about 30 minutes, he arrived at Yoonkyung’s house. Thinking it had really been a long time since he came here too, Wookyung pressed the bell at the first-floor common entrance and was briefly immersed in sentiment.
The comfortably arranged apartment complex gave a warm feeling whenever he came. It was a place with really many trees. Now the branches were bare and exposed, but when the weather warmed up, the scent of lilacs vibrated throughout the apartment complex. At such times, he could frequently encounter elderly people walking their dogs or young couples pushing strollers.
It was an apartment with an excessively domestic atmosphere for Yoonkyung, who firmly stated she had no plans to marry yet, but Yoonkyung liked this neighborhood. It was good for commuting, and above all, the security was good.
When he pressed the bell, Yoonkyung immediately answered the intercom.
-Come in quickly. I’m hungry.
“Yeah.”
It was already a slightly tired voice. Laughing off Yoonkyung’s whining, complaining that she couldn’t wait, Wookyung entered through the common entrance that opened smoothly. He took the elevator and pressed 10.
As soon as he got off the elevator, the sound of a baby whimpering flowed out the door. It seemed like the baby hadn’t been crying until he just pressed the intercom. With a heart that became urgent in response, Wookyung carefully pressed the bell. The door opened without delay.
“Welcome. Wow, looks delicious.”
“Are you welcoming me or welcoming the sushi?”
“Both. No, did you invite guests or something? You bought a lot.”
As soon as she opened the door, Yoonkyung snatched away the plastic bags Wookyung was holding and placed what Wookyung had bought on the armrest next to the sofa with sparkling eyes.
“I’m starving to death. From watching the kid.”
“Where’s the baby?”
“Over there. Until now, he ate well and played well with me, but now he seems to want to eat snacks or something. He was whimpering, so I put on a show for babies.”
The baby’s back could be seen sitting round in front of the television.
A jet-black back of the head with thin hair strands hanging in rows. A neck buried between the head and shoulders because it was short. Shoulders endlessly small like a doll and a back stretched straight as if asserting that he was fully a person nevertheless.
Somehow, he couldn’t take his eyes off that figure.
Wookyung stopped abruptly in place. It was the first time seeing such a small baby in real life. He had prepared snacks and diapers piled up to give to the baby, but now that he was facing the baby, he didn’t know how to deal with him.
While still watching the baby’s back absorbed in the children’s song flowing from the television, Wookyung hurriedly headed to the bathroom.
“I’ll wash my hands first and come back.”
“Oh, good attitude. Since there’s a baby.”
He turned on the light and lathered soap on his big, rough hands to wash them. After washing his hands more thoroughly than usual, Wookyung came out of the bathroom with a somehow nervous heart. Somehow, the meeting with the baby felt more nerve-wracking than business meetings.
“Dokyung, uncle… no, samchon is here! Say hello!”
In the meantime, Yoonkyung, who had approached holding the baby, pointed at Wookyung. Wookyung, coming out of the bathroom, unexpectedly encountered the baby.
A clear, pure gaze looked up at Wookyung intently. At that moment, for some reason Wookyung felt like a part of his heart fell away. A pulse from an unknown origin pounded at the bottom of his heart.
“Appa.”
The baby innocently opened his mouth and babbled. He stretched out his short arms straight toward Wookyung, whom he was seeing for the first time, as if asking to be held. Yoonkyung laughed loudly with a surprised expression.
“Oh my, look at this kid. That’s not daddy, Dokyung. Say samchon. Sam-chon.”
“Appa. Appa.”
“He says he’s not your daddy. Your daddy isn’t such a burly person. He’s handsome and pretty.”
“…What do you mean handsome and pretty person?”
To Wookyung laughing as if absurd, Yoonkyung also showed a playful smile.
“Their daddy is incredibly handsome and pretty-looking, you know. Because he’s an omega.”
“…Ah.”
“He’s really kind too. That’s why our Dokyung is also pretty and kind like daddy, right? Right?”
“Appa. Appappa.”
“You miss daddy? Yes, yes, daddy will come soon. Right now he’s a little ow-ow, so he’s resting just a little. So let’s play with this uncle, no, samchon and auntie, okay?”
Yoonkyung’s usually rough voice had its tone raised considerably. Wookyung looked at Yoonkyung, who seemed to have become accustomed to dealing with children, feeling both unfamiliar and admiring simultaneously.
“Appa. Appappa.”
The baby kept extending his arms toward Wookyung with sparkling eyes. While handing the baby to Wookyung, who was leaning his body toward Wookyung as if begging to be held, Yoonkyung nagged.
“Try holding him. He says he wants to go to oppa. That’s right. Support his butt well.”
“…Wait a minute. I don’t know how to hold a baby.”
“He’s not even a newborn. Why did you come if you can’t even hold a baby?”
Letting Yoonkyung’s harsh words flow past him, Wookyung inadvertently received and held the baby.
The baby was quite heavy compared to how he looked. He was like a doll when sitting still, but the feeling of filling his arms completely, the body heat touching him warmly, and the wriggling, moving feeling made Wookyung realize that this baby was also a proper person.
“Tta. Tta.”
Along with words of unknown meaning, the baby innocently touched Wookyung’s face with his palm. Seeing the gaze holding a smile staring intently at him, Wookyung felt his chest flutter a little.
“…What’s he saying?”
“He says oppa is ugly.”
“Does that make sense?”
“Why do you think it doesn’t make sense?”
While having a meaningless argument, Wookyung put strength into the arm holding the baby. At the same time, he relaxed his hands in case the baby would be in pain. Watching that, Yoonkyung burst into laughter.
“Relax your shoulders a bit. You’re about to soar into the sky.”
It had been a long time since he was pointed out so much by someone. Wookyung relaxed his shoulders with an embarrassed feeling. As Yoonkyung said, his shoulders were full of tension, perhaps because he was nervous.
“I’m afraid of dropping the baby.”
“Then sit down. You’re anxious because you’re standing.”
Wookyung carefully sat down in front of the television while holding the baby. The baby, naturally sitting on Wookyung’s lap, swayed his body left and right to the children’s song flowing out.
Watching that, Wookyung unknowingly chuckled.
“Does he usually get held by anyone easily like this?”
“I wonder? No one has come to my house except the baby’s daddy. Oh, but the daycare also said he’s active and not shy with strangers. His personality is originally quite good.”
Yoonkyung got up from her seat and took out the contents from the bags one by one.
“Let’s see… Oh, sushi. No, why did you buy so much? Who’s going to eat all this?”
“It’s been a while since we met. So you can eat a lot.”
“Geez… Tempura and salmon, and, oh my, who’s going to eat all this… We could have a neighborhood feast.”
“Be quiet. Stop nagging.”
“Come quickly. Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”
Wookyung tried to stand up, but looking at the baby on his lap who occasionally stretched out his short arms and even clapped, absorbed in the children’s song, he couldn’t bring himself to stand up and awkwardly looked up at Yoonkyung.
“I can’t stand up. The baby likes it too much.”
“The baby just ate, so give him snacks and come. We have to eat too if we’re going to watch the kid.”
“Okay. Then give me those snacks.”
Yoonkyung, who had finished setting up the sushi and tempura on the table, took out the contents placed on the sofa one by one and exclaimed once again.
