Why love isn't always easy? ♥️ SUNGJOY

20 - A dream? pt. 2

Joy opened her eyes to the sound of laughter echoing through the house. She stretched lazily, feeling the warmth of the sun filtering through the curtains. The house was unusually quiet for a Saturday morning, which immediately set off a tiny alarm bell in her head. Where were Sungjae and Yejin?

She sat up and listened more closely. The laughter wasn't far off—it was coming from the kitchen. Joy groaned and got out of bed, already having an inkling of what she might find. As she walked down the hallway, the smell of something distinctly burnt reached her nose, confirming her suspicions.

Stepping into the kitchen, she was greeted by the sight of absolute chaos. Flour covered nearly every surface, including the floor, where it had mixed with some kind of sticky substance. A trail of syrup led from the counter to the table, where Yejin sat in a high chair, gleefully smashing a pancake into her face. Sungjae was nearby, wielding a spatula like a weapon, trying to scrape something that vaguely resembled scrambled eggs off the stove.

"Sungjae, what on earth are you doing?" Joy exclaimed, staring at the mess in disbelief.

Sungjae turned to her with an innocent grin, holding up the spatula as if it explained everything. "Good morning, Sooyoung! Yejin and I were just making breakfast. We thought we'd surprise you!"

"Surprise?" Joy repeated, eyeing the state of the kitchen. "Well, you definitely succeeded in surprising me. What happened here?"

Yejin, her cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk with the remnants of pancake, chimed in, "Mommy! Daddy and I are making pwancakes! Look!"

Joy couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's enthusiasm, even as she surveyed the mess. She sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't know whether to be impressed or horrified."

Sungjae flashed her a sheepish smile. "It's a work in progress, babe. We might have gotten a little carried away."

"A little?" Joy raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "I can see that. You two are definitely partners in crime."

Sungjae shrugged, not even attempting to hide his pride. "What can I say? We make a great team."

Joy shook her head, trying to suppress a smile. "Alright, you two, clean this up while I get Yejin out of this pancake disaster."

As she moved to pick up Yejin, the little girl squirmed in her chair, giggling. "Noooo, Mommy! I wanna help Daddy!"

"Trust me, sweetie, you've helped enough," Joy said, lifting her out of the chair and carrying her to the sink. Yejin continued to giggle as Joy attempted to wash the sticky syrup from her hands and face.

Meanwhile, Sungjae half-heartedly began cleaning up the mess, occasionally sneaking Yejin amused glances, making faces that only encouraged her to giggle more.

"Oppa, you're not helping," Joy called over her shoulder, catching him in the act. "The sooner you clean up, the sooner we can all have breakfast."

Sungjae sighed dramatically, rolling up his sleeves as if he were about to embark on some grand adventure. "Alright, alright, I'm on it."

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the kitchen was somewhat back to normal. They all sat down to eat the remains of their "breakfast," though Joy had to admit that despite the mess, it wasn't half bad. Yejin was all smiles, clearly pleased with herself, and Sungjae couldn't have looked more proud.

As they finished eating, Sungjae reached across the table, taking Joy's hand in his. "Thanks for putting up with our little chaos, Sooyoung. We just wanted to do something nice for you."