“No… Are there plans to distribute to the daycare in bulk?! Why did you buy so many snacks?”
“He can eat them over time.”
“You’ve really become a big spender. Why didn’t you just buy the whole mart?”
“Should I have done that?”
“Sure.”
Wookyung replied indifferently and stretched out his hand. Yoonkyung clicked her tongue but smiled while taking out the snacks.
“Still, you bought well. I was worried you might buy something like potato chips that adults eat.”
“Even I’m not that clueless.”
Wookyung, who had been thinking exactly about potato chips earlier, deliberately answered more bluntly with a guilty heart. The moment Yoonkyung, holding the baby wafers, tried to reach out to the baby, Wookyung snatched the snack in the middle.
“Give it here. I’ll give it to him.”
“Are you showing off now because you bought it?”
“Yeah. Hey, but what’s his name?”
“Dokyung. Yoon Dokyung.”
“Uh-huh. Dokyung, eat this… Will you… eat?”
It was the first moment trying to speak to a baby. Though it was an awkwardly delivered first remark, the baby’s eyes sparkled looking at the snack in Wookyung’s hand.
“Kkakka! Kkakka.”
“That’s right. Dokyung, you have to say please.”
At Yoonkyung’s playful words, the baby looked up at Wookyung and spread his chubby palm wide, then gathered it neatly. Watching that, Wookyung felt somewhere in his heart ache dully. …It was fatally cute.
“Here.”
“Kkakka!”
“You have to say thank you.”
At Yoonkyung’s words, the baby even bowed his head politely. As Wookyung just stared at that sight with a dumbfounded expression, Yoonkyung, unable to watch anymore, took the baby down from Wookyung’s lap and sat him on the sofa.
“Let him eat the snack and come here.”
She separated the chopsticks and picked up a piece of sushi. Fortunately, thanks to hurrying, the sushi was still fresh. Even while putting the sushi in his mouth, Wookyung couldn’t take his eyes off the baby still swaying his body to the children’s song.
“…Oppa is really unexpected?”
Yoonkyung threw out a remark while putting salmon sushi in her mouth first.
“What is?”
“No, honestly when oppa… said he’d watch the kid, I didn’t think you’d come like this.”
“It’s an appointment we made after a long time, so I didn’t want to flake again.”
“That’s true. And… you like the baby more than I thought.”
Wookyung, who chewed and swallowed the sushi in his mouth, replied indifferently.
“He’s cute. He’s small.”
“Really… unexpected. Oppa and a baby… Even imagining it doesn’t suit you.”
“And you think it suits you?”
Yoonkyung didn’t deny it and laughed softly.
“Right. I didn’t know I could watch a baby either. And someone else’s baby at that.”
“Tell me in detail. Whose baby is it? Why are you watching him?”
At Wookyung’s interrogation, Yoonkyung tapped the bowl containing soy sauce with the tip of her chopsticks.
“…Well, it’s a bit complicated to say.”
“……”
“Well, the details are someone else’s personal information, so it’s a bit difficult to tell you. This kid’s daddy is actually… um… in a position where it’s a bit hard to receive legal protection. But one winter day… the baby’s daddy was standing in front of the center crying while holding the baby. Begging to please help this kid… saying there was nowhere to ask for help.”
Beyond Yoonkyung’s calmly lowered voice, the baby’s voice could still be heard innocently babbling along to the children’s song.
“He’s raising the baby alone, and this kid’s daddy can’t speak. And… I told you, he’s an omega who does night work. In many ways, it’s actually a situation where he should receive government subsidies, but due to circumstances, he’s currently in a position where he can’t receive any of those subsidies. The baby is also originally in a position where he can’t attend daycare.”
“…Why is that?”
“I can’t say the details. I promised that person. Not to tell anyone.”
Believing in this upright side of Yoonkyung, this child’s daddy must have entrusted the baby without hesitation. Even to her own older brother, not carelessly speaking of secrets she promised to keep. Wookyung also knew this stubborn side of Yoonkyung, so he didn’t pry further.
“Anyway, that’s why I personally asked a daycare director I know, and instead of officially registering, I just let him secretly attend. Anyway, that person also… has to live, but he needs to leave the baby during the day.”
“I see.”
“He can’t receive any vouchers or subsidies from the government, but well, anyway, he’s incredibly grateful just to be able to leave the child somewhere.”
Wookyung nodded heavily.
Just hearing about it was a frustrating situation. The situation the child’s daddy was in. An omega struggling to raise a child alone while selling his body. Though it wasn’t his own business, feeling his chest become stuffy for no reason, Wookyung took a sip of water.
“…The baby’s daddy lives hard.”
“Yeah. I like that about him. That’s why I want to help too.”
“He can’t speak?”
“Yeah. That’s part of it, and this is my thought, but it seems like he’s tied to some organization or something… like that. He didn’t seem very free. …And, since he’s an omega anyway, I guess it’s hard to do other things.”
“…That’s right.”
Because he hadn’t told her anything for fear Yoonkyung would worry about past events, she didn’t know anything about what Wookyung had experienced. She only knew that her older brother had entered an illegal organization because of the sponsorship he received during college, and had somehow been promoted to a high position in that organization.
Perhaps that’s why she could bring up the omega story so nonchalantly in front of him. Other people who knew about his work were careful even to bring up the word ‘omega’ in front of Wookyung.
“Anyway, it’s good that oppa came. It was a bit lonely trying to watch the baby by myself.”
“I’m glad too. Seeing your face after a long time,”
Wookyung’s gaze still remained on the baby sitting on the sofa.
“…And seeing a cute baby.”
“Yeah. Choi Wookyung-ssi, are you getting married soon? Seeing you think the baby is pretty.”
“That’s nonsense. I won’t do something like marriage.”
Seeing Wookyung speaking firmly while still wearing a smile on his lips, Yoonkyung tilted her head obliquely.
“What? Why do you keep saying you won’t marry? You’re really not going to meet anyone?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you even know how well you’d do in the marriage market right now? You’re a dominant alpha, your exterior is smooth, and you make good money.”
“Earlier you said I was ugly.”
“That was when I had sibling filters on my eyes. If anyone asks, I also say my oppa is handsome.”
Yoonkyung, who had finished eating, quickly cleared the table. Wookyung, who had put the eaten trash in the bag and tied it all together, came down from the sofa and naturally picked up the baby running toward him.
“Mu. Mu.”
“What’s he saying?”
“He’s asking for water.”
“Ah.”
A baby cup was also prepared next to the water purifier. Seeing Yoonkyung’s household, which had completely become a house raising a baby, Wookyung chuckled.
“Here, Dokyung. Drink water.”
Even at Wookyung’s awkward gesture of placing the cup to the baby’s mouth and tilting it, Dokyung drank well, gulping it down. Making a sound like “Kya,” like an old man, he smiled satisfactorily with his wet lips. Wookyung smiled together and wiped his mouth with his hand.
“Are you feeling good?”
“Ung.”
“Were the snacks delicious?”
“Ung.”
“Then give me a kiss. Come on, samchon kiss.”
“Ppoppo.”
Expecting cute skinship, he offered his cheek, but the baby just innocently repeated “Ppoppo. Ppoppo.” and didn’t really bring his lips close. Yoonkyung, who was clearing the remaining table nearby, sneered.
“Dream big. He doesn’t really give kisses to anyone except his daddy, you know?”
“…I’ll definitely get one kiss before I go home.”
“You think babies work according to adults’ whims?”
Just then, Yoonkyung’s cell phone on the table flashed and vibrated. Yoonkyung, checking the screen, made a sound of surprise.
“I got a message from Lee Jeong-ssi.”
