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Jinu had just dropped off his eldest daughter to school but knew his duties as a dad are far from over. He remembers his youngest, Yerin craving chicken nuggets since this morning so he swings by the groceries before coming home.
He felt a sense of pride imagining the excitement in his daughter's face once she sees his surprise. Jinu did not expect that he'd be the one taken by surprise when he sees his daughter in the living room playing house with an angry looking little boy around her age.
"Want more tea?" Yerin smiles at her playmate sweetly.
This is ridiculous- his youngest daughter rarely ever smiles at anyone. She's branded as the more serious looking one of the two siblings
"Yes please" the nameless little boy replies holding out his toy teacup while Yerin pours the imaginary tea. It was only during that moment that she notices him all glued to the doorway watching the scene unfold.
"Appa's home!" The little girl exclaims "Does appa want tea too?"
Jinu did not know how to respond given the situation at hand. It didn't look like his daughter was in any sort of trouble or forced to partake in their playtime. In fact, she looked like she was having the most fun she's ever had- and as the dad of course, he had to take offense
I thought I was her favorite playmate
"Where is your mother?" He immediately asks for his wife because Jinu's default setting everytime something goes wrong in his life is to look for Rumi.
She either has the solution to the problem or the one who caused the whole thing
"In the kitchen!" Rumi happily answers him, not realising she's within an earshot. He sees his wife drinking coffee on the kitchen table with her pink haired friend.
Oh would you look at that. My third favorite Huntrix girl
Jinu thinks to himself
"What is a boy doing in my living room?" He immediately goes for the kill, sounding so irritated which didn't surprise the two women at all.
"Still hating on three year old boys Jinu?" Mira teases as she knew of his overprotective tendencies towards his firstborn and Zoey's kid- this one won't be any different.
"That's Kai, he's Mira's baby so I'm expecting you to be nice to him" Rumi warns, almost demanding while her husband just looks at her like she had completely lost her mind.
Doesn't his wife realise that it was easier for him to feed Gwi-ma a million souls than be nice to the little boys that are trying to steal his daughters?
"Since when is Mira ever pregnant?" He blurted out knowing that this girl visited their family at least every month and none of those times did he ever see her with child.
"Since her family made it a trend to disown children they find troublesome" Mira was the one who answers him this time, the displeasure evident in her tone.
Mira explained how her mother had raided her apartment this morning, introduced the little boy as one of her older brother's biological children and just left him at her care.
She described Kai as a little troublemaker- always found breaking expensive trinkets, vandalising walls and staining carpeted floors at Mira's family home. Apparently the chaos he left sparked 'Mira Rebellious Days' flashbacks inside her mother's head and that judgemental woman thought that the best babysitter for the job would be someone just like him.
"And you agreed? I thought you hated children" Rumi asks jokingly but softly as she possibly could, sensing how her friend had been on a verge of a meltdown since she came here asking for her help.
"I do hate children- I only like your kids and Zoey's" she sighs deeply as she turns to look at the unfortunate little boy who's now being fed toy cookies by Rumi's daughter. Somehow, a timid child like Yerin had managed to start a conversation with him.
Mira is at a loss on what to do at this point. She loved being an aunt. She took pride in being the 'best auntie' there is but working on a kid full time is bound to be different.
"Did she say how long?" Rumi asks again
"Nope consider this kid disowned. Her next stop if I didn't agree would probably be the orphanage" Mira says jokingly but not really far from the truth. From what she knows, this child isn't even her brother's wife's- maybe that's why the kid looked like he's so full of hate.
Because he's never loved. Just like she was before
"But why did it have to be a boy?" Jinu didn't want to sound petty with his problems considering how Mira is in need of serious help but he just couldn't help it. His world revolved around his family and he's constantly worried that someone- anyone would take them away from him.
"Calm down love, she's just borrowing an extra car seat, they're not staying here forever" Rumi laughs, assuring him and looks for said car seat so that this whole fiasco would finally end.
Mira on the other hand still sat there, smirking at his direction while sipping her tea "Although I might just stay here to annoy you a little since you're so opposed to the idea"
"Don't you dare" Jinu frowns and the pink haired girl finally raised both her hands in defeat.
Thankfully Rumi found what they needed quickly and she had to stop her husband from physically pushing both the visitors out of their home in excitement.
"Alright kid, get up" Mira tells the three year old boy to which he just responds by giving her a withering scowl.
"No I want to stay with her!" Kai whines, referring to the quiet little girl that sat across from him.
She had no care for whiny children and didn't know how to handle such types - so she resorts to threats.
"You're getting up or I'm leaving your ass in their driveway"
"Mira! That's not how you do it" Rumi shrieks, horrified at her words all the while Jinu couldn't help but note all the little similarities the little boy has to their friend.
That scowl is the same scowl Mira always makes in her baby pictures. The boy kinds looks her child now
"Isn't this how you discipline children?"
"You're a mom now, you have to be gentle at least" Rumi sighs, crouching down at the little boy's direction and smiles at him softly "How about this- you go with Mira now and I promise I'll arrange another playdate with you and Yerin soon"
Jinu's upset expression turns into a complete shock at his wife's words. It felt like as if another century was taken off his lifespan everytime she promises their daughters off to little boys
"Oh no not a chance" he tries to butt in but the two girls had already tuned him out.
"So you bribe them to do what you want?" Mira questioningly looks at her friend since her words seemed to help ease the tension a bit.
"Exactly! see you get it"
Mira then looks over at Kai who didn't seem all that convinced "Promise we'll come back here?" He asks meekly, sounding a little hopeful.
"Sure" she simply says as she picks him up and takes him into her arms.
"Bye bye Yerin" he mutters opening and closing his small hands as some sort of wave. She felt a little relieved that he made friends with Rumi's daughter- and here she thought this little boy she's stuck with is just a package full of hatred.
"Bye bye" Yerin waves back and Rumi just gave the two a small smile before they were finally out the door.
"Are you happy with what you've done woman?" Jinu croaks at his wife in defeat as soon as the guests left. As if it wasn't bad enough that he had to deal with Zoey's child now Mira's as well.
"Very" Rumi chuckles giving him a small peck on the cheeks before turning all her attention to her youngest daughter.
.....
Mira had a photoshoot with the boys that day and as designated visuals of their respective groups, they are often taken as brand ambassadors of huge companies. Which meant she had to work and her life couldn't just stop just because she's taking care of a child full time now.
"Mira!" Bobby greeted, sounding so relief that she had shown up despite being hours late already and then turns to the scowling little boy in her arms "Wait is this your child? Who's the dad? It's one of you two right?" He asks Abby and Romance who'd been trailing behind him this whole time
"No Bobby, this is Kai and I'm just babysitting" She proceeds to explain the situation to all three of them and how it affected her being late today.
Bobby tells her it's okay and asks her to get to 'hair and makeup' as soon as possible while Abby and Romance were more than happy to offer and watch the little boy in her stead. The two didn't want to admit it but they surely felt a little left out when Jinu and Mystery had kids of their own.
They wanted kids too
Mira knew of this, feeling a little guilty at how happy they both looked coddling the small child as she knew neither of them would force her into something she didn't want to have.
"We have a baby now?" Romance looked the happiest, giving the already frowning child a piggyback ride.
"Tell me you didn't kidnap a kid because Ro has been asking for one all this time" Abby had the calmer reaction of the two but his voice couldn't hide the excitement at all and Mira just glares at him.
"Why the hell would I do that-"
"Don't you worry your pretty little head- we'll take care of him. Just go do the shoot" Abby cuts her off, words meant to be comforting but it didn't sound reassuring at all.
"-you can call me appa- Ro appa" Romance was already ignoring the two in favor of Kai and of course, Abby didn't want to be left out in all the action
"Abby appa" he tries to introduce himself and then points to Mira afterwards "-that pretty girl is your eomma-"
"Hey! Don't give him any ideas" Mira warns the two of them "And I want you all where I can see you or else I'm not doing this shoot at all"
Of course, Abby and Romance are more than happy to comply to her demands, babysitting the little boy in her dressing room where she can see him while the staff do her hair. Only six hours in to her babysitting job and already she's acting like a nervous freak mother.
The two newly self proclaimed dads sensed it too but didn't dare tease her about it, as she's already having a hard enough time as it is. Mira laughs a little seeing the two of them teaching Kai the choreography to Soda Pop to which he just either ignores or calls stupid from time to time.
"Mira my dancing ability didn't translate to our offspring" Abby whines and Romance had to constantly remind him that the child didn't actually come from any of them.
....
"You stole clothes for him?!" Mira had a migraine during their drive home when she finds out that the two idiots had committed a felony.
"Mira they had baby clothes!" The two argued, as apparently the brand they've been working with that day had a clothing line for toddlers too
Did she have to constantly remind them that they're idols? They can afford to buy truckloads of clothes without having to go bankrupt.
"Unbelievable!" She groans, tempted to just swerve and crash the car she's driving into a post if it werent for the little kid sitting with Abby on the backseat.
"What do you guys want for dinner?" Romance asks nervously, changing the topic into something lighter before their girl loses it and decides to abandon all three of them on the side of the road.
The whole car was silent for a good minute before the child finally speaks up, asking a question directed at her "-eomma can we get chicken nuggies?"
Mira stepped on the breaks, stopping the car entirely as hearing what Kai had just called her almost gives her a heart attack. She immediately glares at the man sitting beside the child-
"What have you been teaching him again Abby?"
"It wasn't me- it was Ro's idea!"
"Yeah Mira it's not like Abby has enough brain cells to come up of ideas by himself" Romance from the passenger seat says defensively, while the little boy decided to just join in with all the shouting
"I want nuggies!"
"All three of you the shut up! And let me think for a minute!"
They all fell silent as Mira's yelling is always efficient in stopping all the chaos, scared at what they know she's capable of doing when she's angry.
She takes a deep breath to calm herself down before asking "What's the food situation in our apartment?"
"Leftovers and a bunch of cup ramen" Romance answers for everyone and she just groans in defeat. They are so not ready for a kid- their food choices alone didn't satisfy the nutritional requirement a child must have.
"Fine" she gives in, starting the car again and driving to the direction of the nearest grocery store. Abby and Kai cheered from the backseat, chanting 'Nuggies nuggies nuggies!' non stop.
"Hey you okay?" Romance from beside her asks worriedly as she had gotten quiet all of a sudden.
"He called me his mom" Mira relishes sadly, looking over the rearview mirror where Abby and Kai shared a moment of silly banters.
"You don't want that?"
"I don't know" she sighs, her chest tightening at one thought she had kept telling herself the entire time "-we can't get too attached. What if they take him away again?"
They looked like a family- something she had wanted all her life. She has a family- Rumi and Zoey are her family. And when those two went on to have families of their own, Abby and Romance entered the picture. They also became her family.
They never knew that they needed a child to complete their little circle- but heavens they did. Kai was able to adapt to their chaotic lifestyle so fast that she can't help but think that the child was meant to be theirs. To think that anyone from the family that abandoned her can come anytime to take the little boy away felt agonisingly painful and unjust.
"We'll be alright Mira- we'll get through this one day at a time!" Romance was too optimistic with the whole ordeal. Although he'd always been a great mediator in every single one of their arguments and she had yet to thank him for it.
Now that she's outnumbered by boys, she didn't have a choice when Soda Pop got voted as their number one driving song for the night. She's exhausted but strangely still felt happy at the group of people she'd somehow manage to gather.
A very stressed mother, one very concerned father, one very annoying dad and one very annoyed kid. It's kind of messy, but it's hers. All hers
Maybe she deserves to have a family after all.