𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆 | 𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒚𝒑𝒆𝒏 (𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨)

24

We're on our skateboards
Stamping our feet like we're dancing
We cut between the winds
Here and there, far away, far, far away

Weeekly - After School

______________________________________

Chaerin examined him and Nara, and she could see a couple of features of resemblance. She coughed slightly, covering her gaped mouth as she turned away to let the heat from embarrassment leave her face. "I see, Mingyu-ssi. You are welco-"

The girl was interrupted from talking as Mingyu-ssi pointed to her backstage pass in her bag. He winked at her as her mouth pursued into an o-shape. Chaerin nodded and bowed before offering her album to the next person. The man had brown hair with attractive facial features adorned with dainty silver-rimmed glasses.

"Hello," he said. Chaerin greeted him back as they both looked at each other in silence. How embarrassing, she thought. Her brain reminded her to initiate a conversation, but her shyness overtook her. "Umm, album?"

"Ah, yes," he said as he signed it with care as she looked at him. Both must be introverts, she thought. Chaerin let her phone out as she coughed to get Wonwoo-ssi's attention. It worked as he stopped whatever he was doing and paid heed to her.

"Can we please have a photo?" She requested to him, hands clasped as she bowed to him. It was completely different from her usual character, but she could not help to ask for one. Wonwoo-ssi nodded and went nearer to her as they both posed with a smile.

She bowed to him one last time before giving her album to the next person. Chaerin was immediately greeted with a smile as her heart softened. The boy in front of her smiled at her. It reminded her of a gentle and optimistic aura that could capture anyone's heart.

It immediately placed him in the top place in her heart with the one level below her children. Everyone she held close to her heart knew that there was a ranking in her heart. The highest to her children until it gradually descended to the cutest materials.

"You're like a sun," she blurted out, but she did not mind since she stated the truth itself. Dokyeom-ssi got embarrassed as he raised his hands to conceal his face. Chaerin-ssi laughed as she gave him the album, watching him discreetly as he signed it with the utmost respect.

"Thank you," she mumbled, but happiness seeped into her heart as Dokyeom-ssi smiled at her with reassurance. She made her way out of the podium, feet light as her beating heart did not calm down after seeing thirteen gorgeous boys.

A shake of her shoulders made her look up at the grinning face of Nara. She smiled at her and embraced her. This caused Nara to panic and squirm out of her grip, "Unnie!" She exclaimed as Chaerin laughed before linking her arms to her.

"Let's look around before they call us backstage," she said as Nara whined at her. "Unnie, I want to see them once again."

An irk mark appeared on her forehead as she slowly formed her cold hands into a fist. She bit her lips but stopped midway from flicking the forehead of the whining teen in front of her.

Suddenly, a memory flashed back into her mind. "Eomma!" Sunghoon exclaimed as he cried into her legs. Her hands massaged down the crinkles in the orange shirt he was wearing. She hummed in response as the small body of Jay crashed to her body, as well, crying his heart out.

"What happened?" She asked as the sniffling of Jay stopped, and he looked down at his feet to avoid her gaze. Her confusion grew as Jay started mumbling at a rapid pace. She sighed and scooped both into her arms.

"I accidentally bumped into his body," he mumbled as he rubbed his fingers while glancing down the floor. This caused Chaerin to smile and peck their foreheads to calm them down. "Heeseungie!"

She called out to Heeseung as he stumbled while listening to them with his ears stuck on the door. Heeseung sheepishly smiled and strode towards them, and his fingers fiddled as he sported a nervous expression.

"Get me the get-along shirt," she said as the children in her lap cried again as they both reached their arms to each other. She massaged her forehead because of an incoming headache, making her sigh frustratedly.

Chaerin set down the children who raised their arms for her, but she ignored them and grasped the shirt from the extended arms of her eldest. She slipped the shirt into one of their arms, and it caused them to huddle with each other.

Sunghoon and Jay looked away from each other as they sat down on the floor. The shirt stretched out as Jay leaned to the left, causing Sunghoon to bump into him. "Eomma, he is bumping me," Jay complained, but Chaerin ignored it.

"You know," Chaerin snapped out of her daydream as Nara stopped sneaking away from her. She raised her hand to cover her mouth and narrowed her eyes to the nervous teen. "I think the get-along shirt is waiting for you at home," she said.

Chaerin left Nara, that kept rambling about her reasons which sounded like a whine that she often heard from her children. She rolled her eyes and sat in the waiting area backstage, waiting for the overly dramatic Nara to sit beside her.

Ring! Her phone lit up and showed the lock screen wallpaper of her family in a picnic. She answered the phone as she raised it to her ear. "Eomma!" The loud volume caused her to wince as she greeted back in a whisper.

"Eomma! Guess what?" Sunghoon and Jake responded, and Chaerin was surprised. Her baby, Jake, communicated with her in Korean. She should buy them a cake to celebrate, she thought. "We delivered pizza!"

"Really? Congratulations!" She said with a warm smile as the seat beside her squeaked, and Nara leaned to her. Nara squirmed and grabbed her wallet, "Unnie, what snacks do you want?" Chaerin rolled her eyes to her and answered, "fries."

The call lasted for minutes as Chaerin enjoyed hearing the exciting stories her children experienced. Also, she gets to hear Minho-oppa whine throughout, and it was hilarious. Chaerin grabbed a bite from Nara's burger as she scrolled down her phone.

She ignored Nara sneakily grabbed a couple of her fries, but she took another bite of the burger. "Unnie, you know you could have told me you want a burger," Nara said as Chaerin stuck her tongue at her. "Honestly, you're supposed to be the mature one," Nara muttered.

"Ms. Lee Chaerin and Ms. Kim Nara. It is your turn now."