𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆 | 𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒚𝒑𝒆𝒏 (𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨)

16

Tell me, my girl

Answer me, is my heart right for you?

Seventeen - Hello

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Minho and the others are walking to the pharmacy. "Uncle Minho, are we there yet?" Heeseung asked as Minho sighed in annoyance. Heeseung has been asking him the same question as they left the door. Nara laughed for the nth time. She has been watching Minho get frustrated since they left.

Minho is known for his patience in their friend group. Only Nara and Chaerin have been able to test his patience. He always had a gentleman vibe that charms most women in their neighborhood. His smile would cost them to be flooded on the streets with people cowering him.

4 years of knowing him, they have been immune to his charms. All of his efforts of trying to make them flustered failed. Nara enjoyed watching him get discouraged most of the time. She would never tell him that she enjoys watching him suffer.

"Nara? KIM NARA!" Nara got startled and slapped the loud creature with her hand. She snapped out of her fantasy and looked around. The children stared at her weirdly and pointed at Minho.

"Ouch! Why did you slap me?" Minho asked as he held his cheeks with his hand. While they were walking, Nara kept staring at him. He was flustered and kept asking her if there was a problem.

But then, Nara grinned at her with a weird gaze. He shivered as he led the children away from her. Minho waved his hands in her face, but she did not respond. They stopped for a while in the streets, Minho led them away from the road. The children sat on the side road with their shoes as their chairs.

When he saw Nara snap out of her delusions, Minho was soon slapped in the cheeks. He cannot believe years of friendship can cause him to be a punching bag of women. Minho missed the old days when Nara was an innocent girl.

"I'm so sorry. Let's continue, everyone!" Nara ushered the kids to stand up. However, Minho stayed in the road with his hand on his cheek. "How about Uncle Minho?" Jake asked as he saw Aunt Nara stand up. "He okay. We go medicine." Nara replied in broken English.

They went to the pharmacy with Minho shouting at them. Nara kept laughing along the way while the children talked with their imagination. "Hello miss, do you have any medicine for fever?" The polite lady nodded and went to get back store.

"Aunt Nara? Will Eomm-Noona get better?" Sunghoon asked in a low voice. Nara looked at Sunghoon, whose eyes were wet from tears. "Chaerin will get better. She is one of the strongest people I know." Nara answered with a smile. The lady gave her the medicine, and Nara gave her the pay.

"You took so long to buy the medicine," Minho asked as he held Jake in his arms better. Heeseung nodded as he looked at Nara. Nara grumbled as she handed over Sunghoon to Minho. "Heeseungie, let's leave all of them."

Nara scooped Heeseung in her arms and left the three of her companions in the streets. "Heeseungie, are you okay sharing your mom with them? Just curious." She asked as they walked in the pathway of Chaerin's home.

"Of course! Heeseungie loves his new brothers!" Heeseung yelled as he waved his arms. "Really? You are so admirable." Nara smiled at Heeseung and opened the door of the house. As she stepped a foot on the house, Jongseong hugged her legs.

"Me too!" The other children hugged her, too. Minho laughed at the sight of Nara struggling to stand. Cute. He took a picture of her and realized what he had done.

"Looks like all of you are having fun," Chaerin said as she sat on the bottom of the stairs. The children rushed in to hug her, but Chaerin stopped them. "I'm sick. All of you are gonna get sick if you go near me."

Nara stood beside her and touched her forehead. "Unnie! You're still sick. Go upstairs. I will get you water and pills. Honestly, you're supposed to be the mature one in the house." Chaerin laughed as she went upstairs.

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"Who wants to help me deliver the medicine to your Eomma?" All the children raised their hands, making Minho laugh. "Okay, play rock-paper-scissors. The winner will help me."

"Rock-paper-scissors... Shoot!" All of them showed rock, making them sigh in disappointment. "One more time. Go!" This time, Jake won. "Yay! I win!" He raised his arms to Nara to carry him. Nara took him to the kitchen and poured water in a glass.

"Careful," Nara said as they walked into the hallway of their house. Currently, Jake held the glass of water in his hands as he opened the door to Chaerin's room. "Hello, Jake." Chaerin greeted him with a smile.

Jake carefully brought the glass of water to the bedside table of Chaerin. Although Chaerin's body is warm, he hugs her at the waist. His heartfelt warmth for the first time. He remembered a time he was embraced like this. "Can I call you Eomma? Please?"

"You can. I love you, son." Chaerin snuggled to the crying Jake in her lap. They spent the whole afternoon hugging each other. Until the door opened, all the other children rushed to the bed. They hugged Chaerin, and she laughed.

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Her home was lonely until Heeyoung came. She brought laughter and joy to Chaerin's life. Until Heeyoung left her.

Devastated, she never thought that Heeyoung gave her a blessing. Lee Heeseung. He was the light of her life. Everything was difficult at first. She has to leave her naive thinking and work hard for their future.

Then the triplets came. Jongseong, Jake, and Sunghoon were hard kids to take care of. They were wary. The new environment and strangers they met. At first, they would jerk whenever Chaerin went near them. But gradually, they relaxed and became nicer to them. They were clingy to Heeseung and Chaerin.

Chaerin hoped there would be a day when they all become a family. She also hoped that they would at least call her eomma.