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Song Sol sighed, taking a break from scrubbing at the crayon covered walls.
Being a single mother had it's pros, of course. Bo-Bae was the light of her life. She was funny and adorable, and occasionally she would listen to Sol. Sol adored her. But there were also cons. For example, Bo-Bae waking up earlier than Sol, and turning the walls of their two bedroom apartment into a coloring book. There was also that patronizing look that she got when people found out she was the mother of a five year old at the ripe age of twenty two. That was particularly annoying.
But the worst part was probably how Bo-Bae blatantly loved her father more than she loved Sol. The five year old told Sol how much better her father was daily, and Sol always acted like it didn't hurt her. Little did Bo-Bae know, it felt like salt in an open wound, stinging and burning. Of course Bo-Bae would like Hanjin better. Everyone seemed to like Hanjin better, including Sol's ex-best friend, Sora. Sol vividly remembered bringing a six month old Bo-Bae home from a doctor's appointment to see Hanjin and Sora's clothes scattered around the apartment. She didn't have to be a genius to know her best friend was screwing her baby daddy a room away.
Hanjin had a way with people, so it seemed. He was so strong, so vivacious and adamant to be noticed. His loud personality commanded the attention of a room. He was always the loudest at any party, the most drunk by the end of it, too. No matter what Hanjin seemed to do, he was the star. That's why Sol had fallen for him, she supposed. She knew it was why Sora had, too. And she was fairly certain it was why Bo-Bae seemed to worship the very ground he walked on.
"Eomma! Eomma, look!" Bo-Bae called from the living room. Sol blew the loose hair out of her face and went to see what Bo-Bae was so excited about. When she entered the room, Bo-Bae was so close to the TV her nose was practically pressed against the screen. "It's TaeTae!" She squealed. Sol raised her eyebrows and took a closer look.
Surely enough, there was the infamous TaeTae. He was dancing on screen, wearing a lavish suit with a bunch of other guys. Sol couldn't help but think he was attractive as he continued to dance and sing to a familiar tune. He was smiling adorably, his brown bangs plastered to his forehead with sweat, before aggressively snapping his head to the side and flinging the round glasses he was wearing off his face. He replaced the spectacles with an expression that made Sol's ovaries explode a little.
Bo-Bae was ecstatic, the most excited Sol had seen her in a long time. Sol could have sworn that TaeTae was Bo-Bae's first crush. She talked about him constantly, almost as much as she talked about Hanjin. For a solid week after they came home from the airport, it was "TaeTae this" and "TaeTae that." It had been a few months since then, but Bo-Bae still brought him up everytime she got ice cream or rode on Hanjin's shoulders.
"He said he was a singer, but I didn't think he was famous!" Bo-Bae giggled. TaeTae proceeded to thrust his hips in time with the music. Sol practically sprinted over and brought Bo-Bae away from the TV. The last thing she needed was Bo-Bae's childish infatuation escalating. Knowing Bo-Bae, she would probably go to school and start attempting the suggestive dance move.
"Eomma, what the fuck?" Bo-Bae whined. Sol grimaced. Another way Hanjin was better than Sol, in Bo-Bae's eyes: he swore like a sailor. Bo-Bae thought it was awesome. Sol wanted to crawl into a hole everytime the five year old cursed out one of her friends at the playground. Of course, Hanjin praised her for it, resulting in Bo-Bae's ultimate love and affection. She'd given up on telling Bo-Bae to stop, knowing she wouldn't unless Hanjin told her to.
"That's inappropriate, sweetie." Sol said, grabbing the remote and switching the channel to cartoons, even though she was enjoying the, um, performance. Bo-Bae pouted, and her little eyes filled up with tears. Oh, no. Not again.
Bo-Bae let out an exaggerated sob, throwing herself onto the floor. Now, Bo-Bae threw tantrums all the time. She would scream and cry and whine, and Sol had become an expert with these particular episodes over time. But this wasn't just your ordinary tantrum. No, this was the super-mega-extra-giganta-tantrum. These were few and far in between, but to call them a hassle would be an understatement. The only person that could ever calm Bo-Bae down was Hanjin. Except Hanjin was on his honeymoon in Greece with his new forty year old cougar wife, Eunbin. As far as Sol knew, his phone was still in his empty house here in Korea. Sol was absolutely, positively screwed.
"Daddy would let me watch it! Daddy actually loves me! I hate you! I just wanna see TaeTae!" Bo-Bae cried, hitting the floor. Sol groaned, conflicted to the maximum capacity. "I miss TaeTae! And Daddy! I even miss Eunbin!" Bo-Bae said. Sol ran her hands through her long black hair. There was no way Sol would allow her child to miss Eunbin. She was her mother, damn it!
"Listen here, Song Bo-Bae, you're going to calm down this instant!" Sol said, trying to channel Hanjin's firm and authoritative voice. It didn't work. Bo-Bae was still wailing.
"I miss TaeTae. I want TaeTae." She sobbed. Sol dragged her hands over her face. Bo-Bae's screaming was giving her a headache. She looked up at the ceiling in desperation, seeing crayon there, too. How the hell did this child manage to color on the ceiling? Sol's headache intensified. She did not have the patience for this. "TaeTae said you're mean because you love me, but if you really love me you'll let me see TaeTae."
This was new to Sol. She pictured the kind man in the black mask, who was apparently a famous idol of some sort. Maybe it really wouldn't be so bad to find a way for Bo-Bae to see him again. As soon as the thought popped into her head, she decided to do it. Sol couldn't deal with Bo-Bae's super-mega-extra-giganta-tantrum for another two months until Hanjin and the cougar returned.
"If I try to find a way to let you see TaeTae, will you promise to be good?" Sol breathed out, feeling defeated and exhausted from this whole situation. As if on command, Bo-Bae's crying ceased, and her wailing came to an end. She wiped her chubby little cheeks of excess tears and looked up at Sol with pleading eyes.
"Yes, Mommy, I promise! I promise so good!" She begged. The look melted Sol's heart. No matter how much of a brat Bo-Bae could be, Sol always fell for her puppy-dog eyes.
"Fine." Sol said. Bo-Bae let out another scream, this one elated rather than devastated. She ran to Sol and wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging her tightly. This caught Sol off guard, because Bo-Bae made it a habit to avoid Sol like the plague. As if she wasn't already in shock, Bo-Bae let out a quiet: "TaeTae's right. I love you, Mommy."
Sol vowed then and there: if seeing Taehyung meant getting love from Bo-Bae, she would do whatever it took.
