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The loud banging from outside of the home had woken up the little four-year-old girl under the roof of the Kang family.
Thunderstorms weren’t something she was estranged to, however, they never got any easier, no matter how many times her mothers tried to prepare her and comfort her before bed.
Another loud bang strikes at roughly 11pm.
It jolts the little girl, causing her to whimper in fear.
“Pop-pop said it’s just the sky being angry… it’s not angry at me… have to stay calm…” Mi-jin mumbles softly to herself, cowering under the covers.
Her little arms cling to her stuffed bear, Chingu, like both of their lives depended on it.
Another loud bang. Bang. bang. Bang. A flash out the window soon follows, resulting in the little girl crying into her teddy bear.
. . .
Meanwhile, her two mothers were laying in their own bed, with the cats loafed at the foot of the bed.
JI-yeong was seemingly lost in thought, her limbs tangled into Sae-byeok’s, and her head deep in Sae-byeok’s chest.
Of course, when this happens, it never takes long for Sae-byeok to pick up on.
“Let me guess, you’re worried about how she’s dealing with the storm?” they wonder.
“Of course I am… even now, they still freak me out. I can’t imagine what I was like at her age, let alone how she is right now. She’s got rough anxiety with loud noises as is…” Ji-yeong sighs, swallowing her dread.
“She’ll call for us if she needs us, Ji, you know this. She always does.”
“I know, I just…” Ji-yeong hesitates, trying to find a way to word what she has to say. “Gi-hun says we helicopter parent her too much, is that true…?”
“Nah, he’s just not as strict as his damn husband. God, I know I sound like a hypocrite, but Sang-woo sucks as a babysitter. He’s always up her ass about how much tv ‘rots the brain’, not letting her have dessert when she wants, all of that stuff. I know we don’t necessarily spoil her rotten to the fullest, but we at least give her a bit of grace.”
“I suppoooose that’s true…” Ji-yeong trails off, chuckling softly at the memories. “At least we can applaud Gi-hun for sneaking her the little snacks she wants when Sang-woo’s distracted. She definitely gets a kick out of being a sneaky, too, I'm sure.”
Before the conversation could continue, another loud bang strikes near the house, being the final nail in the coffin for their daughter.
“Mooooooooommmyyyyyyyyy! Maaaamaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Mi-jin cries out as she rushes over to her parents’ room, teddy bear still in hand.
Both mothers frown, their hearts sinking straight down to their stomachs, absolutely gutted by the sound of their little girl so distressed.
“Come in, muffin,” Ji-yeong softly says, permitting Mi-jin inside.
And so, the little girl cooperates without hesitation, albeit struggling with the doorknob slightly (she was still getting used to doing it with one hand).
Struggling, however, was considered a bit of an understatement.
All that could be heard on the other side of the door was the rustling of the doorknob and frustrated little grunts from the toddler – who knew such a tiny body could have so much frustration piled up in it?
“She needs help, I think,” Sae-byeok sighs, looking over at their girlfriend.
“I got it, just stay here…” their girlfriend responds, getting out of bed with a yawn and opening the door – much more effortlessly than the child.
Mi-jin huffs in frustration, almost forgetting what she was upset about in the first place.
“Why is the door always mean to me, mommy?”
“I think it’s because you’re getting upset, baby, and it’s making you sweat. C’mere, lie with us,” Ji-yeong responds, stretching out her arms for her baby to climb in.
The little girl happily obliges, jumping into her mother’s arms with a small smile, in spite of the scary situation outside.
Ji-yeong then carries the little girl over to the bed, laying Mi-jin down next to Sae-byeok.
“Hi, mama~”
“Hi, muffin,” Sae-byeok gives their daughter a warm smile. “Hard time sleeping?”
“Yes, mama. The sky is angry. I don’t like it when the sky is angry.”
“The sky…?” Ji-yeong wondered curiously, tilting her head.
“Ah… sorry, babe. It’s Gi-hun’s logic for Mims about rain and storms – if it’s raining, then the sky is sad, and it’s crying. If the sky is thundering, then it’s angry and upset.”
“Huh… okay, interesting; that’s kinda a cute way to put it.”
“Mommy, why is the sky so angry? It’s scary,” Mi-jiin asks with a concerned frown.
“I’m not sure, Mimsie… but just like you, mama, and me, it won’t stay mad forever. It’ll go away soon. I know it’s scary, muffin, and I'm sorry that we can’t do anything more to control the weather, but we love you, okay? Do you wanna sleep in our bed tonight, sweetpea?”
“That’s unfortunate. There goes my plans for the night–”
“Sae-byeok!” Ji-yeong playfully hisses at her partner, elbowing them softly.
“Ow – rude! I was just saying because…” they pause, remembering their daughter was intently listening in on them. “...never mind. But anyways, I was so obviously joking! I’d never say no to a night with my little sunshine.”
Mi-jin let out another evil little snicker upon listening to her mothers’ playful banter.
“Mama’s being a stink~”
“Oh, she’s being a stink, alright…” Ji-yeong teases softly, shaking her head. “But even if Mama’s being a stink, it’s important that we still love her no matter what, right?”
“Yes, mommy! Mama’s super stinky, but we love them~”
Sae-byeok shoots yet another glare at their girlfriend, unamused by the example she was setting for the impressionable young girl.
Ji-yeong could only giggle in response before another bang of thunder struck outside their house, causing the little girl to yelp again, clinging to her. The thunder had even gotten the cats to jump, making their way over to Mi-jin – almost like they knew she needed them.
“Hehehe, mommy, mama, look! The kitties love me still~”
“Of course they do, muffin. They’ve always loved you since the day you came home with us,” Ji-yeong answered her daughter with a soft smile.
“Really?” Mi-jin asks, tilting her little head.
It was the exact same head tilt that her mother did. The one Sae-byeok was absolutely enamored by. Of course that was passed down to their child, too.
“Yeah, sunshine, it’s true,” Sae-byeok responds. “When you were first born, we had to stay in the hospital for a few days to make sure you and mommy were okay. Thank god you were both eventually fine… gave my anxiety a run for its money. Anyways, once that was over, we were able to take you home. Both Ji-ho and Eun-u, the moment they saw you, came up to smell and rub their little heads against you. They knew they were meant to protect you, ever since the minute you became a part of the picture.”
The little girl looks down at the cats with her little smile, petting both of their heads with each of her hands.
“I love my kitties! If I can't have any more siblings, can we have more kitties? Pleeeaasseee?” she begs the question, accessorized with a pout on her face, alongside a sparkle in her eyes.
“Well, muffin, the baby thing is a lot more complicated… but I think two cats are enough for now, yeah? We only have so much money and attention to give to so many pets.” Sae-byeok answers.
“Okaaayyy…” Mi-jin sighs, getting up off the bed, motioning for her parents to follow her when she approaches the door.
The two mothers exchange a quick glance with each other before questioning their little girl’s intentions.
“What, baby? What are you looking to do right now?” Ji-yeong asks the question at hand.
“Wanna go play music in the living room! We can dance too, so maybe the sky will cheer up~”
Sae-byeok looks down at the weather widget on their phone, noticing the thunder was to stop within the hour.
“I think if we can distract her for this long, she’ll be able to sleep in a little bit, and then we won’t have to worry about her being up all night,” they point out.
“That’s smart…” their girlfriend muttered under her breath, then turned her attention to Mi-jin. “Okay, baby, let’s go dance.”
“Yay!” the little girl giggled, now having both hands to open the doorknob that she previously struggled with. She then ran out into the hall, then the living room, both the black cat and the white cat following suit.
Sae-byeok then groaned upon realizing that meant they, too, had to get up now.
“Oh, don’t be a bigger baby than our four-year-old is. Get up, lazy. You can sacrifice your comfy time in bed for her. Wasn’t this your idea in the first place?” Ji-yeong nudges her partner multiple times, as a way of getting them to get up.
“Ugh… can’t she have her little dance party with you and you alone?” Sae-byeok yawns, rubbing their glazed eyes.
“She wants both of us, babe. This isn’t just a matter of one parent taking care of a simple task.” Ji-yeing lightly informs her lover.
“Fine, fine… I just hope I don't flop over from fatigue.”
“Oh, my poor baby. You must have such a hard life, trying to please your toddler.” Ji-yeong teased, rolling her eyes. “Up, now.”
Sae-byeok sighed, rubbing their eyes before taking the hand that was offered to them.
“Put some pants on, too, please. Your kid doesn’t need to see you in boxers.”
“No one except for you does, to be frank. I know you’d lose your shit if that sight wasn’t reserved for you.”
Ji-yeong’s face had flushed red at the suggestive comment, swatting at her partner.
“Fuck off! That’s irrelevant to the conversation.”
. . .
One fully dressed Sae-byeok later, they finally entered their living room. It had already been filled with Mi-jin’s favorite songs – even a bit of Ji-yeong’s blackpink mix, finding it to be a thing she, too, enjoys.
“There you are, mommy and mama! I thought you fell asleep, or something.” Mi-jin scolds the two, pouting as she places her hands on her hips.
“Mama was being a stink again, Mims,” Ji-yeong explained with a smug grin.
“...no comment. Our daughter does not need to see us banter anymore.” Sae-byeok sharply inhales, trying to remain as calm as they can.
Mi-jin simply snickers in response, grabbing their hand and dragging them further into the room.
And so, they danced the night away, together, as a family.
The two mothers took turns picking up their daughter and spinning her around, even dragging the cats into it once in a while.
When Mi-jin would get dizzy from all the spinning, she demanded her parents dance together on their own as well, clapping and cheering the two on with a smile.
“When I fall in love someday, will someone dance with me like this?”
“I’m certain of it, Mimsie,” Ji-yeong confirms with a soft smile. “Though, I could never, in my life, get mama to dance like this with me, prior to you demanding it out of her.”
Sae-byeok scoffs, unamused by what they were hearing. “Only because I’m not good at dancing.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m having fun with you, and that’s the important part~”
“You’re such a thorn in my side sometimes.”
“Close… I’m the petals on the top of the rose.”
“I’ll give you credit where it’s due… you’re always going to be the most stunning woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” Sae-byeok softly exhales, pulling her into a quick kiss.
Mi-jin could only watch her parents with a twinkle in her eyes and a cheeky smile on her face, subconsciously kicking her legs as she adored the way that her parents’ love was so raw and so real. It made her incredibly excited to grow up someday and find someone to love her the way her mama loved her mommy.
. . .
As the night came to a halt, and the two mothers no longer had it in them to keep swaying to the music, they soon discovered that their little girl was asleep on the couch, cuddling the cats. Ji-yeong couldn’t help but coo at the scene, her heart completely full by the sight.
“...my baby fever’s coming back,” she announces with a pout.
“Ohhhhhh, no. Do you remember what the hell you and your body went through when you were pregnant with her? We’re not doing that again. It’s adoption or nothing,” Sae-byeok gently scolded their girlfriend.
“Ugghhh…” Ji-yeong groaned. “Okay, fine. We’ll circle back to that later. Should we… put her in bed? Or just let her stay on the couch? You know she’s a light sleeper, I’d hate to wake her up.”
“We can leave her here. Actually… let’s all sleep down here tonight, how about that?”
“Do you expect us to sleep on the floor or something? What are we, a bunch of animals now?”
“...no, Ji. i’m saying we can get the spare mattress from upstairs and just use that for the night. Or, if you wanna all squeeze on the couch, that’s your call,” Sae-byeok sighs, a rather unamused look with their matching monotone voice.
“I – fine, whatever, mattress it is.”