Knowing he doesn’t sleep every day, for Minho to say such words to him—did it mean he really looked in bad condition? Thinking so, Wookyung rubbed his eyes with his palm from the back seat.
As it turned out, he realized that the difference between simply not being able to sleep while lying down comfortably and not being able to sleep while caring for a child was as great as heaven and earth. He newly found all the moms and dads in the world raising children to be amazing.
Fortunately, the child’s fever went down 30 minutes after taking the fever reducer. After that he slept soundly, but perhaps because his nose was stuffy and uncomfortable, he tossed and turned until dawn. Each time, Wookyung opened his eyes and carefully examined the child’s condition. Covering the child’s belly with the blanket he kept kicking off, carefully touching his forehead, and measuring the child’s temperature with the thermometer. Fortunately, the baby’s temperature went up and down between 36.8 and 37.3 degrees.
However, it was somewhat embarrassing to tell Minho “I was completely drained nursing someone else’s child all night.” Letting out a hollow laugh, Wookyung pointed to the café in front.
“Stop by there for a bit. I want to have a cup of coffee.”
“Ah! Yes, understood. Will you drink inside the café?”
“No. In the car.”
“Yes, then I’ll go buy it.”
Fortunately, there was a place to park the car in front of the café, so Minho parked on the roadside and went inside. Wookyung’s gaze, which had been blankly looking out the window from inside the car, stopped at the store next to the café.
‘…Haah.’
Wookyung rubbed his face with his dry palm. He couldn’t understand why he was being like this.
Days repeating a tasteless daily life. Seemingly endlessly solid and stable on the outside, yet he thought his life was like an empty shell. He’d been living such a life ever since that kid left. It would look very solid in others’ eyes, but in reality a fragile and precarious shell-like life that seemed like it would crumble with just a finger touch. In terms of color, it was gray. As bland and tasteless as his changed pheromone, such a color without any vitality or vigor.
However, recently he couldn’t deny that someone kept trying to invade that shell-like daily life anew.
The sight of small fern-like hands innocently scribbling on the sketchbook kept coming to mind. It was just like that sight. A small child entering without permission, painting all sorts of colorful colors messily on Wookyung’s heart that had been entirely gray.
It was strange. That child who had no relationship with him kept coming to mind.
A clear smile and innocent babbling, the touch that came into his arms without any hesitation when first seeing him. The plump hand extended asking to be held. And the round head that leaned deeply into his chest while listening to the special lullaby very satisfyingly and comfortably for Wookyung.
Yoonkyung’s voice that had teasingly said it was time to start a family came to mind. Also the voice that joked asking if the baby’s dad’s pheromone smell was good. Naturally the thought led to recalling that kid’s dad’s pheromone.
‘…Of all things….’
Of course, he had no intention of doing anything with the owner of that pheromone. No intention to search for them, no intention to meet them. However, somehow it kept bothering him. Of all things, that person from Yeodanhwa was Dokyung’s dad….
His feelings were needlessly complicated. Strictly speaking, they had nothing to do with him. However, even so, his eyes were still stuck on the store next to the café.
‘…I don’t know.’
Wookyung, who had been hesitating, finished deciding and got out of the car. He just thought, let’s do as my heart desires. It’s not like I’m doing something bad, so what does it matter?
It’s not out of sympathy for that omega whose face he doesn’t know and his child. Just because the baby his younger sister is taking care of is cute. It’s no different from when he bought snacks last time. He wanted to try dressing that child, who entered his heart without permission and scribbled cute doodles all over it, in cute little clothes he bought with his own hands. Thinking how cute he would be then.
“Welcome.”
The baby goods store owner greeted Wookyung with a bright smile. Wookyung, who opened the door and entered, greeted her awkwardly.
“I came to buy some baby clothes.”
“Oh my, the baby’s dad is so handsome! The baby must be pretty too.”
“…It’s not my baby though….”
Looking up at Wookyung’s face trailing off his words in a way that didn’t match his build, the store owner laughed, “Ah.”
“Ah, then it’s a gift. How old is the baby? Boy or girl?”
“A boy… um.”
He was at a loss for words. …How old was the baby?
“…I don’t know the details exactly… He was about this big.”
Fortunately, he remembered how tall he had been standing and awkwardly indicated with his hand about the height of his knee in the air. Then the quick-witted shop owner asked cheerfully.
“Then, what does he eat? Baby food? Formula? Or regular food? And what words can he say?”
“Uh… he eats regular food like adults, and speaking… just daddy, water, auntie, things like that.”
“Ah, I see. Then he must be about two or three years old? Around twenty-something months.”
An expert is indeed an expert. Come to think of it, he remembered Yoonkyung saying something about 22 months or 24 months. Wookyung smiled faintly and nodded.
“Yes, I think that was it.”
“Let’s see… then what do you need?”
“Uh…”
He was at a loss for words again. He hadn’t come in needing anything in particular. He just thought the shoes lined up cutely in front of the store were adorable, and wanted to buy the tiny T-shirts and knits that looked like they would be filled up tight if Wookyung’s palm went inside, because they looked pretty.
“…I’m just… thinking of buying various things as gifts.”
“Ah, I see. If you haven’t decided on anything in particular, how about this? Since it’s winter.”
Fortunately, the shop owner tactfully showed Wookyung various things. Wookyung bought a thick down padding jacket, cute gloves with strings, a hat with a bell, and fur boots as she recommended. While he was at it, he bought five sets of winter underwear, five knits for going out, and five pairs of lined pants. The shop owner, grateful to Wookyung who had spent 650,000 won in 15 minutes, gave him five pairs of socks and one set of underwear as a service.
“Thank you so much! The baby’s mom and dad will be so happy. I mean, why are you giving so many gifts? I’m the one who should be grateful for selling so much.”
It was just as he was leaving the store, seeing off the shop owner who couldn’t hide her beaming face. Minho, who had been holding coffee in the car, got out of the driver’s seat with a bewildered face.
“No, Executive Director… what are you… doing right now?”
“I bought a gift for a baby I know.”
Answering briefly, Wookyung got in the back seat. Even while hurriedly opening the door, Minho couldn’t hide his surprised look.
“But… your younger sister… isn’t she not married yet?”
“Yeah. It’s not her baby… it’s another person’s baby that she’s watching. Let’s go.”
“Ah! Yes.”
In the smoothly departing car, Minho still kept glancing at Wookyung’s face through the rearview mirror. Thinking it was truly an amazing thing that he walked in with his own feet and bought baby supplies. Regardless, Wookyung, who was throwing an indifferent gaze outside the window, was inwardly only thinking about wanting to hurry and meet Dokyung after work to try the clothes on him.
*
“Oppa came again?”
Though the content of the words was close to scolding, Yoonkyung couldn’t hide her grinning face. After work she didn’t have any particular plans anyway, and childcare becomes easier the more it’s shared. It was much better to be with Wookyung who brought dinner than watching the baby alone. Since they were siblings who got along so well, it was also fun to be together.
“…To give you this.”
Wookyung handed her a shopping bag full of baby clothes in one hand and packaged gamjatang in the other. Yoonkyung brightened and took the plastic bag with the gamjatang. Distracted by the gamjatang, she didn’t even notice the shopping bag in his other hand.
“Oh! Gamjatang! How thoughtful. I wanted to eat hot soup.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Wookyung, unable to hand over the shopping bag to Yoonkyung, roughly set it up next to the sofa and went into the bathroom to wash his hands as soon as he took off his coat. Then the baby, who had been sitting on the living room floor eating snacks, toddled out and tilted his head at the bathroom doorway.
“Appa. Appa!”
“I told you I’m not daddy. Dokyung-ah, have you been well?”
While saying with his mouth that he’s not daddy, Wookyung was unmistakably wearing a daddy smile. Whether he had become familiar with Wookyung, the baby smiled brightly at Wookyung coming out of the bathroom and spread his arms asking to be held. With a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest, Wookyung quickly picked up the child. Little rascal, it was worth singing lullabies to put you to sleep…
“Are you all better now, Dokyung-ah?”
“Ung.”
“Don’t get sick again. If you get sick again, uncle will scold you.”
“Ung.”
When he came out holding the baby in one arm while stroking Dokyung’s head as he answered innocently, Yoonkyung laughed incredulously.
“You’ve become a complete baby daddy, Choi Wookyung-ssi? Are you sleeping over again today?”
“No. I just stopped by briefly.”
“Why, sleep over?”
“It’s uncomfortable. I don’t have clothes. I can’t wear the same clothes three days in a row.”
“True.”
