𝑩𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒆

[54]

Namra sighed as she leaned against the counter, phone pressed to her ear while her free hand expertly mixed the cake batter. On the other end of the line, Onjo's laughter rang out so loudly that Namra had to pull the phone away for a second.

"I swear, I don't know how you live with them," Onjo said, still breathless from laughing. "How did they even think they could bake?"

Namra smirked, glancing at the two guilty figures standing near the fridge-Sooheon and their daughter, both looking like students who had been caught cheating on a test. Their matching expressions of guilt and embarrassment made her want to scold them, but she was too amused to do so.

"I have no idea," Namra admitted, her voice laced with exasperation and fondness. "I leave for a few hours and come back to a kitchen that smells like a crime scene."

Sooheon crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a dramatic pout. "In our defense, Cheongsan said he knew how to bake!"

"And you believed him?" Namra raised an eyebrow, still stirring the batter.

"He sounded confident!" Sooheon insisted, then threw his arms up. "And technically, we didn't burn the entire kitchen. Just... a small portion of it."

Namra shot him a look, then turned back to Onjo. "I have to clean up after these two fools and still bake my own birthday cake. How's that for irony?"

Onjo giggled. "You should have seen Cheongsan panicking when you called me. He thought you'd find out he was a fraud."

"Oh, I found out, alright." Namra shook her head with a smirk. "It took them an hour to move past the first step, and then they somehow ended up making pancake batter instead of cake."

Sooheon huffed. "I told you, it's all the same!"

Namra turned to face him, giving him a pointed look. "Sweetheart, a pancake and a birthday cake are not the same."

Their daughter tugged at Sooheon's sleeve. "Daddy, did we fail?" she asked, her voice small and hesitant.

Sooheon bent down to her level, patting her head. "Not at all, princess. We just... took a detour."

Namra rolled her eyes. "A detour straight into a disaster."

Onjo cackled again. "I wish I was there to see this. Are you at least getting some help now?"

Namra sighed dramatically. "Nope. I'm handling it all by myself while the culprits are standing there like they're in detention."

"I'm pretty sure they deserve it," Onjo teased.

"Absolutely." Namra smirked, then glanced back at Sooheon. "By the way, did you even get me a gift, or was my ruined kitchen supposed to be the surprise?"

Sooheon straightened, placing a hand over his heart. "I am deeply wounded by your lack of faith in me."

"That's not an answer."

Sooheon cleared his throat. "Just finish your cake, and you'll see."

Namra narrowed her eyes but let it slide. "Fine. But if it's anything like your baking, I'm returning it."

As Onjo continued laughing over the phone, Namra shook her head with a small smile. Maybe her husband and daughter weren't the best bakers, but they sure made life interesting.

A/N
This is short, so I'll upload another part today!