1 First Meeting

AMIN

"Is that...him?"

Mrs. Kim nods, and I watch the little boy, his hair hanging over his eyes. He's arranging flowers on the grass.

"You'll only have to babysit him for three hours— just on weekends." She smiles, clasping her hands together.

"He might not take you that well in the beginning— but I know he'll warm up to you eventually. Baekhan hasn't been around people in ages."

I blink. "Why?"

"He doesn't want to." Then she taps at her lips. "Also his asthma. The last time I tried sending him to school, he was made fun of."

My mother frowns behind me.

"Kids these days. They always want something to tease."

Mrs. Kim slips something into my palm. It's a chocolate, wrapped in shiny silver.

"Just a little something." She says, smiling again. "It might help you get to know him a bit better. He loves sweets."

Then I'm left alone, as Mrs. Kim drives off to work and my mother too. She gives me an encouraging look before calling through the window.

"I'll be back in three hours!"

And I open my palm again, looking down at the piece of chocolate.

________________________

"Hey."

The boy's head snaps up. He instantly stumbles away, messing up the flowers he'd so neatly fixed.

"W-Who...Mom!"

"She's gone for work." I say, shrugging my shoulders. "I'll be with you for three hours."

"I don't want to be with you!"

He jumps up to his feet, starting to run when he suddenly slows down— like he'd remembered something.

I peek over.

"It's your asthma. You shouldn't run."

Looking defeated, he slows down to a walk. Then he glares back at me, and I laugh softly at the childishness.

"How old are you?"

"I'm not telling you."

I open up my palm. His eyes dart to the chocolate in the center, and I laugh again when his mouth drops open.

"I might give this to you if you tell me."

"Seven!" He exclaims, and I let him snatch the candy off of my hand. He starts unwrapping the piece.

"I'm seven."

"So we're four years apart." I say thoughtfully, and he frowns.

"Then you're weird. My eleven-year old cousin acts nothing like you— he got his head stuck in a bush."

He shifts away from me when I move closer, still shooting glances in my direction.

People really did mistake my age a lot— because I acted so much mature. I didn't act like a normal eleven-year old.

"Well, are you going to keep avoiding me?"

He frowns.

"Yeah. I don't like you."

"And why not?" I say, bending down to lift up one of the flowers. "This is pretty, Baekhan."

"Do you have another one?"

He sticks out his hand in front of my face. The chocolate wrapper is empty, and I shake my head.

"Not now. But I might bring you another one if you tell me what these flowers are."

He pushes his lips together in disappointment.

"Really?"

"I promise."

And for the next three hours, I distract him until Mrs. Kim pulls back into the driveway.

"Mom!"

He runs into her arms, and I offer her a smile as she scolds her son on running.

"Have you been good, Baekhan? How was he?" She asks, and I get to my feet.

"He was—"

"She messed up my flowers!" He says, sticking out his tongue behind his mother. "And she only had one chocolate."

I force a laugh.

This kid.

"Well, you better get along with her because she's coming tomorrow." Mrs. Kim says, clicking her tongue at Baekhan.

"What? No!"

"Too bad."

And before I get into my mom's car, I look back to see him staring daggers at me behind Mrs. Kim.

I raise an eyebrow.

I'd thought we'd had a pretty nice first day.

So when he makes a face at me, I can't help but make a face back.

"Mom!" He yelps, tugging at her sleeve. "She just teased me! Did you see that?"

I smile.

_________________________

"Baekhan, you're reading?"

"Yes." He says, tone already on edge. "Don't talk to me. You're messing up my concentration."

"Alright."

So I just choose a book, and sit down with it on the opposite couch. And then I fall quiet.

He keeps looking up at me from the other side.

Five minutes pass.

"You're really not going to talk to me?"

"I thought you didn't want me to." I say, flipping the page. He clenches his fist, before throwing his book to the side.

"You're a boring babysitter. I'm gonna tell mom for a new one."

"Really."

I set my book down. He's crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at his lap.

"Baekhan, I brought you something."

"What." He mumbles, but his face brightens when he recognizes what I hand to him.

He was so easy to distract.

"Chocolate!" He exclaims, shuffling off the couch and taking the piece. "You really brought me another one!"

"Of course."

I'm watching him nibble at it when my eyes roam to the book he'd abandoned. It's barely read— he was on the first page all this time.

I burst into laughter.

"Baekhan, do you want me to read to you?"

He hesitates. Then he nods, and I take the book and motion at him to come sit besides me.

He follows along well— for a minute.

After a minute, he starts complaining he can't see any of the words.

"Do you want me to hold it up?" I say, but then he shakes his head.

"Then I gotta crane my neck and that's uncomfortable!"

"So like this." I suggest, placing the book flat down on my lap. But he pushes out his bottom lip, shaking his head again.

"I still need to crane my neck."

"It's because you're so short." I say, cutting him off before he can yell at me about that.

"Sit in my lap then."

"What? No!"

"Then I guess we're not reading." I say, and he looks up with wide eyes when I start to close the book.

"I wanna— I wanna read."

"But you won't let me even hold the book." I say, and he falls silent.

Baekhan squirms a bit.

"I— I'll sit in your lap."

"Okay."

And I struggle not to smile at him as he sits down on my lap. He's so light— and short that he fits perfectly.

I open the book again, and start reading when he interrupts me.

"J-Just saying, I might be short right now but I'm gonna grow much taller."

He pushes his head down when I blink at him, voice tinier.

"I'm just... just telling you, in case you don't know."

This boy.

He really is adorable.

And he just confirms it for me later on, when I find him dozing off with his head resting against my chest.

_________________________

"I heard you asked for me, Han."

"No I didn't." He says, making me laugh. Mrs. Kim had asked me to come over for extra hours, because he apparently wanted to see me so much.

"Really? You really didn't want to see me?"

"Why would I wanna see you?" He says, making a face at me. But I don't miss the way he still comes padding over, a book in his little hands.

"But now that you're here, you have to read to me."

He climbs into my lap.

"Start." Baekhan demands, while struggling to get comfortable. And it's so cute— like seeing a baby penguin.

"If you say so."

And I read to him, until he cuts me off with a voice that's starting to get drowsy.

"Noona, why won't you come on weekdays?"

"You want me to?"

He hesitates, before nodding sleepily. Then he jerks a bit, and I smile seeing him blush.

"Of course it's not because I wanna see you. It's because mom can't read to me 'cause she's always so busy."

"Whatever you say."

"It's the truth!"

"Alright, alright." I coax, before he starts throwing a tantrum. And Baekhan huffs, settling back down on my lap.

"I'll come tomorrow, then."

"And the days after that?" He presses, and I touch the top of his head.

"Those days too."