The En- Hearthrob😏 Toddlers👶

~8~

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It was one of those rare moments when everything seemed calm in the dorm. Heeseung had finally managed to gather all six toddlers into one room and felt relieved that they seemed to be entertaining themselves. For a few precious minutes, there wasn’t a single cry, crash, or mess.

Jay, Sunghoon, Jungwon, Jake, Ni-ki, and Sunoo all seemed occupied. Jay, surprisingly, had found the coffee table to be a perfect napping spot and was curled up on it, completely knocked out. Sunoo was quietly playing with a stuffed toy, far away from any potential chaos. Heeseung felt a glimmer of hope—maybe he’d finally get a small break.

But things never stay calm for long.

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Jake and Ni-ki, being the most mischievous, had gotten bored of staying in one place and decided to explore. The kitchen, with its gleaming countertops, shiny utensils, and intriguing cabinets, looked like a new land to conquer.

“Uppy! Uppy!” Jake babbled as he tugged at Ni-ki’s arm, pointing at the kitchen worktop.

Ni-ki, who was always eager to take on a challenge, nodded excitedly. “Yesh!” he agreed, with his limited toddler vocabulary.

Together, they dragged over one of the kitchen chairs, clumsily climbing up onto the counter. It was like they were on top of the world. Jake started inspecting a jar of cookies that Heeseung had stashed away, while Ni-ki played with the utensils, clinking them together like a drum set.

In their curiosity, they didn’t notice the jar wobbling dangerously on the edge of the counter. Jake reached for another cookie and—crash!

The jar shattered on the floor, scattering glass shards everywhere. But Jake, ever the troublemaker, barely seemed to notice. Ni-ki, on the other hand, looked down in shock. The loud noise startled him, and when he tried to jump off the counter to get away, disaster struck.

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As Ni-ki wriggled to climb down, his foot slipped, and he tumbled off the counter—landing directly on the shattered glass. He let out a loud wail as he felt the sharp sting of the broken pieces cutting into his skin. His little hand had a small cut, and seeing the blood for the first time made his face go pale.

Ni-ki stared at his bleeding hand in horror, and then the panic set in. He burst into uncontrollable sobs, louder than Heeseung had ever heard.

“Aaaaahhh! Bwooood!” Ni-ki screamed, his tiny voice trembling as he pointed at the blood on his hand.

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Jake, who had witnessed the whole thing, felt a surge of panic too. He knew they were in trouble, but how could he explain that to Heeseung? He sprinted out of the kitchen in search of their big brother, his tiny feet pattering on the floor as he babbled something that made absolutely no sense.

“Eeeuung! Heeseung hyung! Ni-kieee bwokeyyy!” Jake cried, pulling at Heeseung’s shirt.

Heeseung, who had been enjoying the peace from his spot on the couch, looked down at Jake in confusion.

“What, Jake? What are you saying?” Heeseung asked, trying to understand the jumbled mess of words coming out of Jake’s mouth.

Jake, frustrated that Heeseung wasn’t understanding, grabbed his own hand and imitated crying to signal that something was wrong with Ni-ki. Still, it wasn’t quite clicking for Heeseung.

That’s when Ni-ki’s loud, agonizing wail echoed from the kitchen.

Heeseung’s heart dropped. Without another word, he dashed to the kitchen and found Ni-ki sitting on the floor, clutching his bleeding hand and surrounded by shards of glass.