HYUN [ JJK ]

15

Jaehwa did not expect to wake up to messages from Jeongguk telling—more like ordering—her to come over. She had promised Yerin that she would accompany her to the mall today, but looking at the number of exclamation marks in his message, Jaehwa knew she had no choice but to drag her feet to the apartment, could almost hear his stern voice ringing in her ears no matter how she tried to shrug it off. Their relationship is better now though she couldn't say that they were finally on good term, but Jaehwa noticed that they had stopped bickering about petty things but most of their bicker were due to Jeongguk being careless when it comes to parenting, as per usual.

Now Jaehwa had no idea how she was supposed to tell Yerin that she couldn't go with her today. Recalling how giddy Yerin was to know that Jaehwa agreed to tag along was enough to make her heart twist, didn't have the heart to tell her that she had to leave as soon as possible.

With heavy steps, Jaehwa exited her bedroom, only to see Yerin lying on the couch, so into the movie played on the television. The latter didn't bother to turn her head when Jaehwa plopped next to her, leaving almost no gap at all.

"What are you watching?" Jaehwa started, trying to act natural as much as possible. She did not want to jump straight into the topic, thought that it would be better to beat around the bush first.

Yerin tore her gaze from the screen and looked up at Jaehwa with judging eyes, a notable frown appeared on her forehead and for some reason, that frightened Jaehwa a bit. With lips agape, Jaehwa arched both of her eyebrows as a gesture to ask what was so weird about her question just now, sure that she didn't say anything wrong.

"Jae, you were the one who told me to watch this because you thought I would like it." Yerin sat up and fixed her hair, however her focus was no longer on the movie but Jaehwa who was dumbfounded. "You are the apple of my eye. Remember that you told me to try watching it few weeks ago?"

Jaehwa's mouth was hang open yet no words managed to come out, as if they died at the tip of her tongue. At last, she looked down at her lap, wishing that the existent courage was enough to fight the wave of guilt she was feeling at the moment. l

"Yerin, I'm sorry but I think I can't make it today." There, the words finally slipped past her lips, all muttered in one breath. "Jeongguk asked me to come over because he needs someone to make sure that he's doing everything right-" Realising Yerin's confused face, Jaehwa continued after contemplating if she should tell what she just made him do. "I mean, I bought him a parenting book. I just... want him to know what he's supposed to do as a father. He should know his son's development, right?"

"Why are you asking me though." Different from what Jaehwa had expected, Yerin seemed rather calm, as if it didn't bother her at all that they had to cancel their plans for today. "So you are going to his place after this?" Jaehwa nodded assuringly, but that only made Yerin break into a wide grin that Jaehwa couldn't decipher what was the meaning behind. "I see you two are getting along, huh? I don't hear you complaining about him now."

"Instead of getting along, I prefer calling it as adapting." Jaehwa leaned her back against the couch. At this rate, the movie was no longer being watched, its purpose had turned into breaking the short silence in between their conversation. "I can see that Jeongguk is trying his best to adapt, so I'll just keep my mouth shut until he asks me to help him. God, having him listening to me at least once is more than enough, Yerin."

"Yeah, whatever. Now go get ready! Or else he's gonna act up again." Pushing Jaehwa's shoulder playfully, Yerin shooed her from the living room.

______

Jeongguk had been reading the book for almost 1 hour now, but he only had covered 20 pages because first, he could barely understand what he read so he had to read the page all over again. Secondly, the information about baby's development left him in awe that he had to put the book down for a while to recall if Hyun had done any of the stated points. Hyun's development in motor skills was evident but Jeongguk just realised his development in communication was rather lacking in some aspects. According to the book, it was stated that a 6 month old baby should be smiling, laughing, and babbling away, and to know that the boy probably could start saying simple words anytime soon made Jeongguk feel giddy in certain ways. He had no idea why, but he was excited to teach him how to talk, was really looking forward to Hyun replying to what he said to him instead of blinking his eyes.

"Babies at this age are starting to recognize the people and things around them. Your baby will start to feel comfortable with the familiar-mommy, daddy, grandma, and grandpa, as well as a few of his favorite toys. You might see the first signs of fear when he is with strange people or in new situations." Jeongguk said under his breath. "Ah, that's why he cried when he saw Hoseok for the first time. And Pororo..." He paused for a split second, hissing while tilting his head. "I should buy him more Pororo stuff."

Jeongguk nodded in acknowledgement before flipping the page. Now, his eyes met a list of tips. If it was his reference book, Jeongguk was more than sure that he would skip the page but the eagerness to know what Hyun should be doing at his age took the best of him. Jeongguk took a sharp inhale, trying his best to take mental notes with hope it would help him whenever he was left alone with Hyun later.

"Tips for baby's six month. Play peek-a-boo and similar games with your baby. It will help teach the idea of object permanence -that objects still exist, even when they're out of sight. Number two, place toys just out of reach on the floor to encourage your baby to start crawling." Jeongguk stopped again, looking up at no specific direction. "But Hyun will cry when he fails- oh! It's here. It's written here." Jeongguk mumbled before he read the notes at the end of the page. "If your baby is frustrated by their lack of mobility or you'd like to help them along, more tummy time may do the trick. You can also help by putting them in a "four-point" stance-belly off the ground and ready to crawl-especially if you've put their favourite toy just out of reach. Rocking back and forth in this position is a sure sign that they're ready to launch. And then look out: They'll be up the stairs, out the door, into the fridge or in the litter box before you can say "Peekaboo!""

A fond smile tugged at Jeongguk's lips when he closed the book and put it aside. Watching the steady rise and fall of Hyun's chest, a chuckle accidentally left his mouth when Hyun puckered his lower lip in his sleep. Getting down from the couch, Jeongguk then laid on his side, just next to Hyun to study the boy's feature. Couldn't lie that he looked like Jimin in certain angles, but instead of hating, Jeongguk found himself smiling upon his view. It was satisfying to see Hyun sleeping soundly with his Pororo plushie remained in his left hand, the grasp did not even loosen though he had been sleeping for over one hour now.

"Wake up, Hyun. We need to learn a lot of things starting from today."

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a/n:
if you're wondering if there will be more moments of jeongguk playing with hyun; the answer is yes :)