My little Youngjae

Covers

Mrs. Jung softly knocked on her son's bedroom door before she opened it slightly and with the tiniest voice she could mutter, she called

"Daehyunnie... I brought cheesecake, your favorite..."

She bit her lip at how Daehyun's lunch was left untouched again, scrutinizing the tray with whatever ounce of empathy she had and how Daehyun's room looked like a hurricane had stepped in and turned the place upside down.

On the bed layed her soulless child beneath dozens of layers of thick blankets, drowning still in his own tears.

A week.

A week had passed since Youngjae's disappearance and not anything had change. Daehyun was still a mess, Youngjae's parents were still messes and the neighborhood was still crawling with search parties. Basically, everything was a mess.

She looked at the cheesecake on hand and quite quietly did she sat on the bed right before she took all the covers off to reveal her son curled up against himself still oozing with unbearable pain , sadness and longing.

"Daehyun, please... this has to stop.. you can't live like this forever."

Daehyun didn't budge a bit. He never did. Sunhwa at this point was getting more and more agitated. What kind of mother can't even get her own son to eat properly? Daehyun, for all she knew had the biggest possible appetite a eight year old could have. Given that, she found it really stressing that her son couldn't even find it in himself to accept his most favorite and beloved cake. It was a cake. What child would resist that? Certainly not Daehyun in a normal day.

Ever since she found her son sleeping in the back of their house with his dried tears still in tact, after a whole night of unbearable worry and stress from looking all over for him, she'd vowed to bring only the things she thought might perk up Daehyun's happiness once more.
His favorite toys, favorite food, candy, clothes, movies, name it and she's done it all, twice even.

But not a single smile did she get. Usually kids would be bouncing up and down in joy after seeing all their favorite things gathered for them, but not Daehyun.

Not her son.

The boy was stubborn as a rock, impossible to persuade.. she knew it all.

and she knew it on the back of her mind, nothing would ever bring her son any sort of happiness again than for one specific person and that person so just happened to be missing.

"Please Daehyun, I'm begging you now... eat the cake. You haven't eaten for the whole day.. you at least have to get something in your stomach... even if it is just cake."

Usually, she didn't approve of feeding her son sweets without a proper meal served before hand, but today was an exception. If she can't make him eat rice and steaks, then she'd better off just try feeding him cake instead. Just so his stomach wouldn't eat itself.

Seeing no movement of any kind from her son, she heavily sighed in clear exasperation before placing the cake on the bedside table by the dimly glowing lamp.

With careful hands, she lifted Daehyun by his waist, making him lazily sit up with inaudible words.

She stared at his tired eyes and just prayed to the heavens to bring their light back for how she missed them gleaming in all their glory. Gingerly picking up the fork with a tad bit of cake, she prodded it softly on his small thick lips. However, he did not spare her a movement.

"Here comes the choo choo train!!" She loudly forced up a weird train impersonation, gliding the silverware high in the air before prodding it on to Daehyun's still adamant closed mouth.

Not wanting to give up, she made weird faces accompanied by really awful sound effects, but of course she didn't win him over with that.
Twitching her nose in exhaustion, she but alas tried her secret weapon.

She never thought she'd be doing this again, not in this day and age. Well if she could get Daehyun to at least open his mouth for the cake, then it was worth the try.

Standing up, she started to hum Daehyun's favorite 'modified' nursery rhyme before she moved her body to the dance moves in the silliest way possible.

" Daehyun, Daehyun,"

She sing-songed and Daehyun gave her a queer look.

"Yes umma" She piped in her squeaky voice to answer her call on her own and grinned at how Daehyun's attention was finally on her now.

"Eating cake?"

Daehyun softly shook his head and Sunhwa couldn't be anymore happier.

"No, Umma" She squeaked again.

"Telling lies?" She crossed her arms and nudged Daehyun playfully this time.

"No, Umma"
Daehyun finally answered himself.

"Open your mouth" and Daehyun did, completely caught off guard when Sunhwa had successfully shoved a spoonful of cake into his opened mouth.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha." Sunhwa sang in victory before she carried Daehyun from his bed and hugged him so tight she swore he'd spit the cake out if she'd do it even more tightly.
And she kissed his forehead.

"Umma!! That's not fair!"

She all but laughed at Daehyun's pissed off grumpy face before sitting him back on the bed again.

"But you liked the cake anyway, didn't you?"

Before Daehyun could finish shaking his head in disapprovement,
His stomach had grumbled out a response for him, igniting an embarrassed shade of red on his cheeks before bringing his head down for a shy nod.

"There's my baby boy"
She smiled watery and proceeded to feed him his favorite dessert.