"Eomma." I felt a light tap on my shoulder. "Eomma!" Joon's voice wailed. I heard Qi Tai groan from behind me, and he released his hold slightly from my waist.
"Joon." I mumbled and eased my face off my pillow. I reached for my phone on the nightstand and looked at the time. It was 2AM.
"I had a bad dream." He pouted and climbed onto our bed before I could say anything else. He crawled in between Qi Tai and I. Then after a few more moments, I heard Jiyun stroll in as well. She climbed onto the bed and in between Joon and her father.
"I guess I'm sleeping on the couch." Qi Tai grumbled and rolled off the bed. I laughed as the two kids cuddled closer to me as he left.
~
"Did you brush your teeth?" I asked Joon as he put on his uniform. Qi Tai and he were rushing because we had all woken up late from the night before. Joon nodded.
"Yeah." He muttered and began putting on his shoes.
"Do you have everything in your bag?" I asked both Qi Tai and Joon, knowing the two were always forgetful. I was asking because I didn't feel like traveling a long distance to the school or the company.
"Yeah." Both Qi Tai and Joon said in sync.
"Are you sure?" I huffed and tossed Joon his notebook, and Qi Tai a document he needed for a meeting. Qi Tai chuckled and pulled me in for a kiss.
"What would I do without you?" He smiled. Joon rolled his eyes and scrunched his nose up in disgust. "Put your jacket on." He told Joon and slipped on his loafers.
Joon nodded and slid on his jacket before they both headed out. "Have a good day!" I called out to them before they closed the door. I turned my heel and whipped my head in Jiyun's direction. She looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
"Now, what am I gonna do with you today." I placed my hands on my hips and tilted my head, racking my brain for any ideas.
~
"Jiyun!" I snapped and chased after her. She ran around the living room, hopping from one seat to the next. She sang a song in Korean before hopping to the next surface before I could catch her.
She didn't want to take a nap. I'm really starting to think all this stubbornness came from her father. I was nowhere near like this when I was a kid.
"Seong Jiyun! You come back right now!" I called her full name in a fit of anger.
"I want Appa." She jumped up and down on the couch. "No sleep!" She grabbed a pillow and threw it at me. It was definitely behavior she got from Qi Tai. I caught the pillow and placed on on the other chair, and grabbed her by the hand.
"Appa is working. Come down."
"Noo!" She whined as I yoinked her into my arms and dragged her down. She squirmed a lot and I struggled to hold her to my chest with all her moving.
"Fine!" I seethed and placed her down. "Let's go see Appa." I decided to take that long stroll to the company. She'd fall asleep eventually. I took her hands and grabbed all my things before putting on my shoes and hers, before heading outside.
On the way there, I decided to call my mom.
"Hello?" I heard her voice ring on the other line.
"Hi Mom!" I cheered and pulled Jiyun closer as we approached a crosswalk.
"Charlotte!" She called, "How are my grandbabies?"
I snorted at her reply as we crossed the street. Every time I called her these days, she'd always check on the kids first. "Gee Mom, I'm doing well! Thanks for asking."
"Oh please. I know you're having quite some fun since Levi is keeping you busy." I felt my cheeks heat up as she implied suggestively. "I'm surprised baby number 3 isn't here yet."
"Mom!" I coughed, "Don't think of me like that." I didn't have plans on having any more kids. I was exhausted enough. I'm sure Qi Tai felt the same. "Joon is in school, and Jiyun and I are walking to the company."
"I don't know why you don't enroll Jiyun in daycare already." She hummed on the other line. "I enrolled you when you were 2."
"That's because you had a job and had to leave me somewhere after Dad passed away." I rolled my eyes.
Jiyun tugged my hand and pointed with her hand in the direction of a convenience store that had a large ice cream freezer out front. "Eomma. I want ice cream." She whimpered.
"We'll get some when we come back home." I lowered my phone and said to her. She frowned and dragged behind. "Let's go see Appa okay?"
"Mmm.." Jiyun grumbled as we approached the company. I ended my phone call with my mother, once we neared. We walked through the glass doors and some of the employees bowed as we passed them. I returned it out of respect and continued towards security. They let us through and we sauntered over the elevators.
We took the ride up, all the way to the top floor. As soon as the door opened, Rose, Qi Tai's secretary jogged over. "Charlie!" She engulfed me in a big hug.
"Hey, Rose." I patted her on the back gently.
"What brings you here?" She smiled and pulled away, then glanced at Jiyun. "Oh my gosh! Is this the baby?" She kneeled down to Jiyun's height. "She's so big now! And cute!"
I squeezed Jiyun's hand and she looked up at me. "You know what to do, say hello."
Jiyun released my hand and bowed. "Ann-yeong-ha-se-yo." She muttered softly. Rose returned the action with a wide grin.
"She's so manner-able!" Rose giggled and pulled Jiyun closer to her. "Do you want some choco-pies sweetie?"
"Oh, Rose no." I stopped her. "She hasn't had lunch yet."
"Ohh." She stood up, "Is that why you're here? You want to eat lunch with Mr. Seong?"
"Actually, I just came here to stop by. Jiyun wanted to see her father." I leaned in close to her ear. "She had a tantrum."
"Ohh gotcha." She raised her thumbs up at me. "Mr. Seong is in a meeting right now but he'll be out soon. Just take a seat over here. I'll let him know that you're here."
I nodded and took Jiyun's hand in mine before strolling inside the lobby and sitting down. It was still decorated the same as 4 years ago. This place really did need an upgrade.
"Eomma.." Jiyun climbed onto the couch and sat next to me. "Where's Appa?"
"Appa is in a meeting." I took out my phone and replied nonchalantly. "He'll be out soon so let's wait for him." I handed the device to her and let her watch Pororo on YouTube.
30 minutes went by, and I noticed that Jiyun's hand with the phone was on her lap facing upwards. Her body leaned against mine. She was asleep. I knew she'd fall asleep eventually. I took my phone away from her and laid her tiny head onto my lap, making it more comfortable for her.
Then I heard Qi Tai's office door open and several white men along with Qi Tai himself walked out. He sent them off with a respectful greeting and flickered his eyes to me before sauntering over.
"Yeobo," He smiled and leaned in forward to place a kiss on my cheek. Then he noticed Jiyun on my lap, sleeping soundly. "What happened?"
"I tried putting her down for a nap." I chuckled. "She refused and said she wanted to see you."
"Bad girl." He stroked her forehead and clicked his tongue. "Did you eat yet?" He raised his head up towards me again and straightened himself out.
"Not yet."
"Do you want some pizza? Or chicken?" He hummed and straightened his tie. "Let's go eat something."
"It's okay." I shook my head. "You'll probably be busy. I only stopped here for her to see you."
"You don't have a choice." He smirked and narrowed his eyes. "I'm hungry now and want to eat with my family." He reached for Jiyun and nudged her shoulder gently. She stirred in my lap for a moment and opened her eyes slowly.
When she realized who was in front of her, she gasped and bolted towards him for a hug. "Appa!"
YOU ARE READING
Palace to Plunder (AMBW)
Short Story"Aye, I've never seen o' woman like 'er neither." The pirate replied. "Why is 'er skin so brown? I wasn't taught about women who look like this before." I spat at him. He threw his face back in disgust and released his hold on my wrist to wipe his...
