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"Oh my god, are they really Dokja-ssi and Joonghyuk-ssi?"
"They are so cute, can I squeeze their cheeks?"
"Little ones, come here, noona has candies for you."
[Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire is having a nosebleed from the cute sight being displayed.]
[Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband is swooning over his adorable maknae.]
[Constellation Secretive Plotter agrees that Constellation Demon King of Salvation is the cutest of the two.]
[Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon thinks that cute things are boring and he would prefer someone cool much better.]
Han Sooyoung looked at the mess in front of her with an exasperated sigh. She had no idea how it turned to this, since all she knew was that the two idiots of their company charged into a sub-scenario all by themselves, leaving the rest, including her, unaware of what was going on. By the time they noticed something was wrong, things had already happened. It was a miracle that the idiots managed to return to the Industrial Complex all by themselves in this state.
In front of her were two little boys, both of the same age, probably around 4-6 years old. They were wearing the same clothes as the two idiots with their features being basically the same too, albeit not so much due to the age difference. Just one glance and anyone could tell them that one was their stupid squid and the other was the sunfish bastard.
When the duo first entered the Industrial Complex, everyone was startled by their appearances, not knowing what had caused them to be like that. But after making sure that the two were indeed their idiots, just losing a bit of their memories, they immediately swooned over the two children, nearly going crazy over their... cuteness. Not Han Sooyoung though.
"Master, would you like some snacks?"
Lee Jihye cooed while grabbing a piece of candy out of her pocket. "Master?"
Small Yoo Joonghyuk looked back at her with curious eyes, not understanding what the big sister was saying. His innocent expression was so precious that one couldn't believe he was the same crazy bastard who mercilessly kicked others off a bridge.
"Ah, I mean you, Joonghyuk-ah. Noona here has some snacks, would you like to eat them?"
"Thank you very much, J...Jihye-noona."
"Aaaaaa you got my name right, so another piece of candy for you."
Lee Jihye beamed, putting another piece of candy into little Yoo Joonghyuk's hands. The boy then politely bowed to her, which earned him another squeal from the girl.
Since the two of them basically lost all of their memories up until their current age, it was inevitable that they also forgot about the members of Kimcom. Even so, their subconsciousness must be telling them that they could trust these people, seeing how they easily opened up to everyone. Or it could just be them being kids. You know, all innocent and unaware of the world around them? Anyway, it's good that they could be on friendly terms with the children, or else things could turn real messy. In her experience, nothing could be more annoying than dealing with whining kids. Others might be able to put up with them but definitely not her.
"Dokja-ssi, would you like some candies too?"
It was Yoo Sangah's turn to approach the two. The woman had a (annoyingly) kind smile, so small children were naturally drawn to her. Han Sooyoung had seen her fooling around with the kids in the Industrial Complex many times before, something that she herself considered to be a waste of time.
"Uhm..."
However, unlike little Yoo Joonghyuk who was all smile and a bit mischievous, it wasn't easy to get close to little Kim Dokja. The boy was especially shy, unlike his usual flippant attitude. From the moment they arrived here, all he did was hide behind little Yoo Joonghyuk's back, one hand clutching the other's coat while the other fumbling with the hem of his own coat.
For some reason, the mini versions of the idiots were quite close to each other with both of them not being apart even just for one step. Their adult self would be gagging right now if they managed to see the way small Kim Dokja sticking to the back of the other boy.
"What's wrong, Dokja-ssi? Ah, do you perhaps dislike candy? Then would you like to have strawberry cake? We still have some left in the kitchen."
Yoo Sangah coaxed again, her voice gentler than the last time. Little Kim Dokja, under everyone's attention, started to grow restless. The boy hid his face completely behind Yoo Joonghyuk's back, his little hands visibly shaky from sheer nervousness. He tightened his clutch on the other's coat while speaking to him in a small voice:
"Joonghyuk-hyung... I-I'm scared."
Seeing how stressed he was just from a little interaction with Yoo Sangah, the friendliest one out of them, little Kim Dokja must have been very bad with strangers. At the very beginning, the one who did the talking was mostly small Yoo Joonghyuk, from answering the Kimcom members' questions to getting familiar with them. The boy exuded a confident attitude while still having that innocence in him. He also seemed to be a quite perceptive kid, as he quickly took in the current situation that was explained to him. If Han Sooyoung were to say, his characteristics were similar to those of Yoo Mia. Maybe that's the reason why they were siblings.
However, on the other hand, all little Kim Dokja did was stay behind the other boy, his big starry eyes staring at everyone with wariness. Anyone who approached him would fail miserably since his only reaction was inching closer to Yoo Joonghyuk while eyeing them wordlessly. Unsurprisingly, the only one who could get him to talk was none other than small Yoo Joonghyuk.
"Dokja-ya, hyung is here. You don't have to be scared."
Small Yoo Joonghyuk turned to Kim Dokja's side, giving the other's the best assuring smile he had.
"B-but what if they a-are bad people?"
Kim Dokja shuttered, not forgetting to look at all the other adults in the room with suspicion in his eyes. The only strangers that he seemed to be least wary of were the kids: Shin Yoosung, Lee Gilyoung and Yoo Mia as his eyes seemed to relax upon scanning their places.
"Do you trust hyung, Dokja-ya? If anything happens, hyung will protect you."
A self-assured look could be seen on little Yoo Joonghyuk's face as he clumsily grabbed small Kim Dokja's hands before giving them a light squeeze. After a while, the latter finally relaxed his expression, the wariness in his irises slowly dissipated.
"Hyung, pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise."
Small Yoo Joonghyuk took the initiative to intertwine their fingers, the same blinding smile was still on his face as he saw little Kim Dokja letting out a tiny smile. The boy's face didn't change much, but one could tell how much the promise had convinced his guarded heart.
Then, with a tiny voice, little Kim Dokja said:
"Sangah-ahjumma, I-I like strawberry cake."
"Ah, is that so? Please wait here, I would get some for you right away."
Yoo Sangah left the room and soon returned with a slice of strawberry cake in tow. With a smile, she handed it to little Kim Dokja, who received with a bow and a small "thank you".
"Dokja-ya, why don't you eat your cake?"
Small Yoo Joonghyuk asked, his voice curious as to why the other hadn't touched his cake. Ever since he received the slice of cake, Kim Dokja just stared at it without doing anything in particular.
"B-but... I'm the only one who has it... And Joonghyuk-hyung doesn't have one."
"T-The cake is very pretty too... The strawberry is b-big... So I don't w-want to eat it."
The boy hesitated, not being aware of the fact that his response shot an arrow straight into everyone's heart in the room, including the constellation.
[Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire promises that she would buy them a strawberry cake with even bigger strawberries.]
[Constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband asks if fellow constellations know where he could get the best strawberry cake for his maknae.]
[Constellation Secretive Plotter says that Incarnation Kim Dokja doesn't need to care about Incarnation Yoo Joonghyuk and that he knows someone who makes the best strawberry cake so Incarnation Kim Dokja should follow him to his place.]
Judging by the expression on their face, the other members of Kimcom was also half-tempted to gather every single strawberry cake in the world just for this little guy.
"Dokja-ya, hyung has candies so hyung doesn't need cake. Just eat your cake, ok?"
Amidst the chaos caused by the idiotic adults, little Yoo Joonghyuk tried to coax small Kim Dokja to eat his cake, but it seemed to be no avail since the boy didn't touch the fork.
"B-but I want hyung to eat too..."
"Hmmm, then we could share the slice, is that okay with you?"
"Uhm."
And with that, small Yoo Joonghyuk started to feed the other boy cake, a big smile on his face as he watched him eating deliciously. If one were to pay attention, they might notice that although the boys were "sharing" the cake, it was mostly Kim Dokja who ate it since Yoo Joonghyuk was the one to feed him more. The older boy only occasionally took a bite so that the other wouldn't start to suspect him.
The cake must have been good for the closed-off little Kim Dokja to have a small smile on his face as he savored the taste. Whenever he got to the part that had more strawberries than usual, his face brightened up, clearly expressing his love for the fruit. Did that mean adult Kim Dokja also loved strawberries? Han Sooyoung gotta tease him about it once the man returned.
Soon, all that was left of the cake was the big strawberry that decorated the top of it. Seemed like the kids decided to save it for the last, probably because it was the biggest strawberry out of the slice. But before little Yoo Joonghyuk could feed the strawberry to Kim Dokja, the other boy had already brought it to his mouth.
"Hyung, s-say ahh."
"It's yours, Dokja-ya. Didn't you say you like this strawberry the best?"
"N-no. But I want hyung to have it. I already ate most of the cake."
Small Kim Dokja huffed, his stubborn face saying that he wouldn't listen to anything otherwise. It looked like little Yoo Joonghyuk's trick had already been found out by the other.
"But..."
"No but, hyung."
Unlike his usual shy expression, little Kim Dokja now was seen to be very determined. This level of stubbornness, only that stupid squid could have it. If Han Sooyoung was in doubt because of the vast difference between their characteristics and usual behaviors, she was now convinced that the boy indeed was that ugly ass man.
"Ok then."
Little Yoo Joonghyuk resigned, letting the other feed him the last strawberry. Small Kim Dokja's expression lightened up, looking as if he was the one who ate it not the other way around.
"Hyung, how is it?"
He eagerly asked, probably the most enthusiastic ever since they entered the room.
"Ish gud."
"I know right?"
Small Kim Dokja beamed at the other boy's nod, his bright smile rendering everyone in the room speechless. The room soon fell into silence, with all the eyes focusing on the pair of children.
"Ah, hyung, you have some cream on your face."
The boy pointed it out matter-of-factly. Then, before anyone could react, he licked the cream on little Yoo Joonghyuk's face, his expression brightened up once again at the sweet aftertaste of the cream.
"There, it's gone, hyung."
He smiled sweetly.
[Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire is having a nosebleed.]
[You have been sponsored 5000 coins.]
Heh, seemed like their nebula wouldn't have to worry about coins for a while. And Han Sooyoung wouldn't run out of her teasing materials in the near future, either.
-
After some discussion, it was decided that Yoo Sangah would be the one to take care of little Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja together with the kids while the others resumed their ongoing work. While there were indeed objections (which mostly came from Lee Jihye and Jang Hayoung), most of them agreed that no one suited the task more than Yoo Sangah herself.
While this wasn't something to brag about, Yoo Sangah was confident in her ability to take care of little children. Ever since she was small, kids of smaller ages would always gather around her and asked her to play with them. She could say that she'd never met a kid who disliked her. It wasn't much but that fact alone was something which Yoo Sangah held the most pride over.
That's why when she saw how much little Kim Dokja distanced himself from her, Yoo Sangah was a little sad. Well, not really a little. (It's a lot.)
"Dokja-ya, what are you reading?"
She asked, trying to appear as harmless as possible. Right now, they were sitting inside her room together with the other kids, namely little Yoo Joonghyuk, Yoo Mia, Lee Gilyoung, and Shin Yoosung. While Yoo Joonghyuk had no problem getting along with the older sisters and brothers, it was Kim Dokja that separated himself from the rest. No matter how much they tried to coax him, the boy would only sit by himself in a corner, reading a book all by himself. Even little Yoo Joonghyuk's words did nothing to move him.
Upon hearing Yoo Sangah's questions, small Kim Dokja only gave her an uninterested look before diving back into his own world. Judging from the look of it, the boy must have been able to read letters, meaning that he must be at least 5 years old and above. Yet, with how thin he appeared to be, it's hard to think that such a child was ready for elementary school.
"Oh, The Little Prince."
Yoo Sangah mused to herself. She knew the book was there in her room, but she didn't expect any small children to pick it up by themselves. Normally, they preferred to read fairy tales or other light-hearted picture books. The book, to many of them, was quite difficult to understand. Most of the time, they couldn't grasp why the little prince decided to do things like that.
"Why did he love the rose?"
"Why did the adults act like that?"
"Did the snake lie to him?"
And finally
"Is the prince dead or not?"
Even Yoo Sangah didn't know the exact answers to those questions. She did have her own speculations, but she was afraid they might not be correct. And she didn't want to ruin the kids' imagination with her over-realistic interpretation.
"You know, I also like that book."
She sat down by the boy, taking a look at the page to find that he was already at the end of the book. They just arrived at the room, how come he read it so fast?
"When I first read the book, I couldn't understand what it was about. Then I reread and reread it until I could figure out what they were talking about. I am silly, right?"
Many people found it boring to read a book they couldn't understand. The moment they encountered something that was a little bit challenging, they decided to drop it right away. For Yoo Sangah, she found joy in reading books that were beyond her current capability. If she didn't get it on the first try, she would try it again and again until she somehow got it right. Rereading was a tedious process, but it brought her a new perspective on things that she thought she understood before.
"Y-you aren't."
Littl Kim Dokja opened his mouth for the first time they entered the room. His voice was so small that Yoo Sangah might miss it if she didn't pay much attention to him.
"M-mama told me that if I didn't understand anything, I could read it again."
"She also said that each time I reread, I could see a different story."
There were sparkles in the boy's usual dim eyes, which reminded her of the moments when the adult Kim Dokja got excited. Among the features that remained the same, the eyes must have been the ones that stayed true the most. The constellations were still there, it's just that they weren't as many as adult Kim Dokja's. The usual mischievous glint was nowhere to be seen, instead, it was replaced with a hint of innocence mixed with wariness. What has happened for a child this young to become this alerted of the world above him? Yoo Sangah didn't think that she had the willpower to imagine such a thing.
"Is that so? Your mother is amazing, right?"
At the mention of his mother, the boy's eyes grew even brighter. A small smile bloomed on his face as he talked about the mother that he seemed to take a lot of pride in.
"M-my mama is really amazing! She reads me books and tells me stories. Her omurice is the best!"
And he went on and on talking about the woman who was supposedly Lee Sookyung. It was a stark difference from the lukewarm expression the adult him often wore around the woman, an expression so cold that one hardly thought of it as something between a son and a mother. While the adult Kim Dokja tried his best to avoid Lee Sookyung, the little him seemed to adore her to no extent. The sparkle in his eyes. The curve on his face. The little hands that waved excitedly as he retold a story. His gestures alone were enough to show how much love he held for his own mother.
"B-But I miss my mama..."
While he was telling her about the time his mother made him really delicious seaweed soup for his birthday, the boy suddenly sniffled, looking like he was on the verge of tears.
Were the boy to be someone else other than Kim Dokja, Yoo Sangah would surely know how to stop him from crying. But since the one in front of him was none other than her mysterious companion, she really didn't know how to console the boy. No matter what she thought of doing, it just didn't feel right.
While Yoo Sangah was panicking over what to do, little Yoo Joonghyuk had already run over from where he was playing with Yoo Mia, Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung to small Kim Dokja's position. Then, he pulled the other into a hug, one hand ruffling his hair while the other soothed his back.
"There... there... hyung is here."
"Hic... Mama..."
"Hyung will read the book for you, ok?"
"Really?"
At the mention of "book", little Kim Dokja stopped his sniffling and looked up at the other boy. His watery eyes glistened with his tiny nose slightly reddened from all the crying earlier on. Small Yoo Joonghyuk then repositioned both of them so that Kim Dokja's back lied on his chest, the latter's small figure slotted between his legs while the book was being held by him.
"Which part would you like me to read, Dokja-ya?"
Little Yoo Joonghyuk asked in a gentle voice. Instead of answering his answer, the other opened the book on his own and pointed to the part where the little prince finally departed from Earth with the help of the snake. It was the exact same page that the boy had been looking at for the past half an hour.
"Didn't you just read that, Dokja-ya?"
Yoo Sangah's curiosity got the better of her so she couldn't help but say her question out loud. She thought that they boy might want to move on to the next page when he had finished reading this one. After all, the story didn't end at that particular page.
"He still couldn't read. Don't you know that, Sangah-ahjumma?"
It was little Yoo Joonghyuk who answered her question. He even gave her an unimpressed look as if what she just said was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard in the world.
"I saw him holding the book this whole time so I thought he knew how to read..."
And the boy didn't ask for anyone for help. He just sat there, staring at the pages all by himself. Even when Yoo Sangah approached him, he didn't say a bit about needing help with reading. Yet he was quite eager when tiny Yoo Joonghyuk offered to read for him.
She tried to explain herself, but it was clear that the kids no longer paid attention to what she said. The two of them were now in a world of their own, with little Yoo Joonghyuk reading the book out loud while small Kim Dokja attentively listened to the other's voice.
The former's reading wasn't perfect, but one could tell that he was trying his best to convey the tone of the story. Whenever he encountered a word that he didn't recognize, he would ask for help from people around him, namely the kids and Yoo Sangah.
Before she knew it, all of them had gathered around little Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk, attentively listening to the other's reading voice while helping him with words that he found it hard to pronounce. Even Lee Gilyoung who didn't usually read books seem to be engrossed in the story, his eyes followed each and every sentence in the book that tiny Yoo Joonghyuk was about to read next.
Probably tired from fooling around with each other since morning, the kids fell asleep one by one. First, it was Lee Gilyoung, who was soon followed by Shin Yoosung. Then, Yoo Mia was the next one to yawn, and it didn't take long for little Kim Dokja to fall asleep with his head resting on Yoo Joonghyuk's chest. Finally, only Yoo Sangah was the only one who was awake since small Yoo Joonghyuk could be spotted with a big yawn on his face.
"If you are tired then you could lie down."
She told him while draping blankets over the other kids. They all seemed to be enjoying their sleep, small smile plastering on their face as each of them kept mumbling about something subconsciously. For Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung who were lying next to each other, it seemed like they were even arguing about something in their dreams. Yoo Mia was snuggling into the back of tiny Yoo Joonghyuk, her mouth mumbling something that resembled "cute" or "adorable". The same could be said for little Kim Dokja as he wrapped his hand around his hyung and subconsciously moved closer to the other's side, the distance between them so close that the tips of their nose seemed to be touching.
[Constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire is complaining about the fact that Star Stream doesn't let her take screenshots.]
[Constellation Scretive Plotter warns Incarnation Yoo Joonghyuk to stay away from Incarnation Kim Dokja.]
[Constellation Queen of the Darkest Spring is pleased that she seems to be arriving at the very right moment.]
[You have been sponsored 5000 coins.]
It was only then that Yoo Sangah registered the presence of the constellations that had been watching over them. They seemed to have been spamming the messages for a long time, but she was too absorbed with looking over the kids that she forgot to check the notifications.
She'd always thought that there was little common between humans and constellations, but at this very moment, they seemed to be sharing their affection for a certain pair of adorable children. Well, even she, who was more than familiar with children, found it hard to resist their sheer cuteness.
With that thought, Yoo Sangah pulled out her phone and secretly took a picture of the sleeping kids. She angled it so that everyone's face was included in the picture while little Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk were in the very middle. Well, Dokja-ssi wouldn't mind her doing that, right? If he wanted, she could send him the pictures later on~
-
Lee Sookyung had never been one to get surprised easily. Her life has been full of ups and downs, all of which she experienced with a calm and collected expression. Even in the face of an apocalypse, she still managed to collect herself, leading her fellow companions to pass the scenarios with as least casualties as possible. She'd always taken pride in herself for being able to make rational decisions, those that she knew would benefit everyone else but not necessarily herself.
Yet, when it came to her son, Lee Sookyung wasn't sure if she could keep that same attitude. Just like this very moment, when she was suddenly surrounded by the 5-year-old version of her already mature son.
"Mama."
Little Kim Dokja called out to her, his big starry eyes just the same as she remembered. Lee Sookyung didn't know how long had it been since the last time he called her with that much affection, an innocent feeling that she mercilessly trampled on many years ago.
That day, Lee Sookyung was out of the Industrial Complex for some business; hence, she was the last one to know of Kim Dokja's peculiar conditions. However, judging from the relaxed atmosphere and the nonchalant expressions on the boy's companions, it was evident that nothing serious had happened. In fact, everyone seemed to be in high spirits as if something fun was going on.
Knowing that her son wasn't in any sort of danger, Lee Sookyung decided that there was nothing for her to worry about. She trusted him and his companions (except for a certain person), so a check-up on him was totally unnecessary. Moreover, any excessive care from her might make the boy feel uncomfortable since their relationship was still somewhat strained. They might have reconciled, but that didn't mean all of those gaps between them could easily be shortened.
When Lee Sookyung was crossing over the outside yard of the Industrial Complex, she somehow came across a few kids playing by themselves happily. She paid them no mind since her mind was still busy thinking of ways to manage the new rationale they'd just procured. Yet, all of a sudden, something (?) bumped into her legs, and before she knew it, a cute voice had already called out to her:
"Mama!"
The moment Lee Sookyung looked down to see what was going on, she thought she was hallucinating in broad daylight. Never in her life had she thought of a day when she could see the 5-year-old version of her son again, an image so far gone that she had buried it in the depth of her mind.
Plump white cheeks. Big starry eyes. Black silky hair. Everything was the same as she remembered. Even that curious gaze too.
"Mama?"
He asked her again, the same bright smile was still on his face. Upon seeing that smile again, indescribable feelings start to arise in her chest once again.
"Dokja-ya, why are you suddenly running away? You make hyung worry!"
Before she could say anything, another boy had already run in their direction, a look of worry on his face as he reached out to her son.
"Hyung! My mama!"
Little Kim Dokja excitedly gestured his one hand, the remaining one tugging the shirt of the other boy. Lee Sookyung was surprised to see her normally reserved son act so open around another child of his age. Back when he was little, Kim Dokja would always be shy around strangers. Whenever they went outside, the boy would stick closely to her, looking at everyone that he didn't recognize with wariness in his eyes. The mature Kim Dokja might still be the same, it's just that he got better at concealing his emotions under that fake mask of his. The insecurity would always be there no matter how much time had passed.
"Oh, you found your Mama? That's good for you."
The boy ruffled little Kim Dokja's hair while giving him a really bright smile. For some reason, Lee Sookyung found him extremely familiar.
"Little boy, what's your name?"
She asked him with the gentlest smile she could put on. Kids their age easily got scared by others, so she shouldn't do something that could startle him.
"Ah, sorry for not greeting you later on. Hello, Dokja's mother, I'm Yoo Joonghyuk."
It was only then that small Yoo Joonghyuk turned to her side. He bowed to her apologetically, his manners considerably better than those of his adult self. No wonder she found him that familiar, turned out he was none other than the man that she still held some cautiousness upon among her son's companions.
His usual ill-mannered attitude was nowhere to be seen, which was replaced by the sunny smile that he wore all the time. The boy also seemed to be close to her son, seeing how they had been whispering with each other this whole time. At one point, little Kim Dokja even giggled and blushed a little bit, an expression so open that Lee Sookyung never thought her emotionally distant son would be capable of. After all, ever since he was young, Kim Dokja had refrained from showing too much emotion.
"Dokja's mother, you are really as pretty as Dokja described!"
"H-hyung, I thought you promise to not say it a-aloud!!!"
All of a sudden, little Yoo Joonghyuk exclaimed out loud, causing both her and Kim Dokja off-guard. A bright blush could now be seen on her son's mochi-like cheeks, a shade so adorable that she couldn't hold back her chuckle.
"Hmmm then did Dokja tell you anything more about me?"
Lee Sookyung crouched down to the kid's height, a habit that she formed from the day she still got the chance to take care of Kim Dokja. Every time they had a conversation, she would always lower her body so that her son could meet her eyes without having to look up.
"He did! Like how amazing you are, how you know a loooot of stories, how good your omurice is..."
Small Yoo Joonghyuk went off on his own, proudly reciting whatever little Kim Dokja had told him. Meanwhile, her son was growing redder and redder in seconds, to the point that his cheeks were no different than the tomatoes that he hated the most. When she tried to meet his eyes with a smile on her face, he would refuse and hide by her side.
"Grumble."
A small grumbling sound cut off little Yoo Joonghyuk's monologue. Lee Sookyung didn't know whose it was until she heard the boy nagging her own son.
"Dokja-ya, is that you?"
"..."
"I told you to eat more at lunch but you didn't listen to me, hmph."
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Aaaaa It's alright. Hyung is not mad at you so don't cry."
Little Yoo Joonghyuk frantically tried to explain himself as he saw small Kim Dokja begin to sniffle on his own. The boy pulled her son into an embrace while muttering "It's ok, Dokja-ya..."
Now Lee Sookyung knew why Kim Dokja's companions didn't seem to worry about his peculiar conditions. It seemed like he had somehow gained himself another guardian during his time staying in this kind of state. And this guardian was quite dedicated to his work too.
"Dokja-ya, would you like to eat Mama's omurice?"
Lee Sookyung slowly lifted little Kim Dokja up, one hand supporting him while the other wiping the tears away from his face. It had been a long time since she last held him, yet the moment felt so natural that Lee Sookyung thought it was only yesterday when they fell apart. They stayed in the same position for a while until the boy stopped his sniffling. Then, with a muffled voice, he answered:
"Yes, mama..."
The boy, probably feeling embarrassed, hid in the nook of her neck.
"Joonghyuk-ah, would you like to eat too?"
The woman didn't forget to ask her son's "friend" to join them. By the look of it, the children didn't seem to want to be separate from each other. And she didn't think that her son would be happy if he found out that little Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't be sitting at the same table with him. That boy, he could get really clingy when he wanted.
"I do! Thank you, ahjumma."
Little Yoo Joonghyuk beamed before bowing to her. His manner was quite good, making her wonder if he and his adult self were actually one. The way he treated her son preciously was quite out of character too. Whenever their older versions were together, she could only see him and her son arguing like cats and dogs. Therefore, it was refreshing to see the children being this affectionate around each other.
They walked to the kitchen in silence with little Kim Dokja falling asleep on her shoulders. The boy must
have been tired from all the fooling around with the other kids, seeing how he immediately went to sleep in her arms. It was something that he would do whenever she went to get him from kindergarten. Meanwhile, small Yoo Joonghyuk was walking by her side, trying his best to match her pace with his tiny legs.
"Joonghyuk-ah, do you like to be friends with Dokja?"
She was the first one to break the silence. It was something that she had always wanted to ask his adult self, but it wouldn't hurt to ask his current self, right?
"I do! I wanna be friends with him forever!"
"Why do you want to be friend with him?"
"Because he is very amazing. He's really fun too! And..."
"And?"
"H-he is pretty."
The boy blushed at the last sentence while trying to avoid her gaze. It was the first time that Lee Sookyung saw little Yoo Joonghyuk flustered ever since their earlier conversation. Fufu, seemed like her own son had more charm than he must have thought.
"Then, could you protect him in my stead?"
"Of course, because Dokja is very precious to me."
Little Yoo Joonghyuk's face was full of determination, his eyes shining as if he had faith in all he'd said. Having this kind of conversation with a kid was certainly weird, but Lee Sookyung had a feeling that it wasn't meaningless at all. From the back of her head, she wished that his adult self could keep the same promise too.
"I leave him in your care, Joonghyuk-ah."
-
"No, do it yourself."
Kim Dokja flatly refused. There's no way he could do such an absurd request for Han Sooyoung.
"Are you sure?"
There was a mysterious smile on the woman's face as she heard his answer. That look of hers was never good news to him.
"10000% sure."
He wouldn't be in his right mind if he agreed to do what she said. That was plain crazy.
"Is that so~ Well, then I guess I can send this video to Yoo Joonghyuk~"
"What?"
He was confused, not knowing what she was talking about. Video?
"This one~"
Han Sooyoung held out her phone, showing him a video of his younger self licking the cream from little Yoo Joonghyuk's face. It must have been from the time both he and Yoo Joonghyuk experienced the penalty from the sub-scenario they fought together. He had no memory of what happened during the penalty, so it was inevitable that he forgot about this too.
The more he watched this video, the more he grew terrified. How could the younger him do that without any shame? Just watching that was enough to make him feel flustered!
"..."
"Fine, but never show it to Yoo Joonghyuk, got it?"
"Of course, thank you, Dokja-ya!"
Han Sooyoung beamed. Kim Dokja suddenly had the urge to punch her in the face for that infuriating smile. Then, with the most threatening voice he could mutter, he said:
"And delete the video too."
"Depends on your performance~"
She said, the same annoying smile still on her face. From the back of her head, Han Sooyoung was calculating how much she could sell the video to a certain grumpy bastard. There's no way that he would refuse to buy such cute footage of the squid, right~