“Mama”

“Haneulie? Why are you still awake at this hour baby?”

“Mama~~~”

The previous tears had not been dried yet when new ones started to flow in an unbroken stream. Yongsun then resumed her task.

Yongsun was proud to say that she had become much better at childcare. She could change Haneul’s clothes. She could brush Haneul’s teeth. She could give Haneul a bath. She could feed Haneul. In the last few weeks, she could play with Haneul more than eight hours a day when her wife was at work. Yongsun had thought she was gonna master this field soon, until she had to face one of the biggest challenges in 38 years of living.

“I cannot put her to sleep.” She confessed helplessly while rocking the fussy toddler in her arms back and forth.  

“Have you read her a bedtime story?”

“I read two.”

“A lullaby?”

“For fifteen minutes.”

“Did you give her sweets after dinner?”

“No. I didn’t give her any sweets after 5 p.m.”

Yongsun looked down to check on their daughter.

Haneul was sobbing restlessly no matter how hard she had tried to coo and soothe. The little one was too sleepy, could barely keep her eyes open but still refused to sleep. “I’ve tried everything. Wheein and Hyejin tried too but it didn’t work-”

“She just wants you.”

A soft sigh could be heard from the other side. They had expected it though. Since the day Haneul was born, Byulyi had always been the one who put their daughter to sleep.

Haneul was an outgoing kid – the toddler could talk to anyone she met, even a passer. In the daytime, Haneul played well with everyone, not caring whether her two moms were there or not. Her aunties could take her anywhere and she would not ask for her moms once.

But as the night came, the little one turned into an ultimate mama’s girl. She would follow her mama everywhere, even the bathroom then waiting at the door like a kitten, and would only fall asleep in her mama’s embrace. They had used to find it not a big matter until Byulyi got a recording session at late-night.

“How long has she been like this?” Her wife asked. Her voice and expression were nothing but worries.

“She started whining once we got in bed.” She saw Byulyi’s eyebrows knit tighter at that. “Sorry, I didn’t want to disturb your work, but she kept crying and searching for you.”

“How about putting her to sleep on our bed? Give her my pillow or something.”

Yongsun got up with Haneul on her arms and walked to their room. She laid the little one down on their bed gently and gave Byulyi’s pillow to her. Haneul immediately snuggled into it, her sob then became smaller and smaller.

“It works.” Yongsun mumbled in surprise. It was less than a minute and their cranky daughter had already got calm.

“Let me talk to her while you make some milk for her. She must be thirsty after crying that long.”

She nodded and passed her phone to the little one.

The moment Yongsun came back to their room with a bottle of milk and a warm towel in her hands, the toddler was giggling happily.

“Here you are baby. Mommy will hold the phone for you.”

Haneul received the bottle with both hands and began hungrily. Her eyes were still not leaving her mama’s figure on the screen.

“Slow down Haneul-ah. Aigoo my poor baby.” Yongsun cooed while wiping the little one’s face with a warm towel as gently as she could. The last time she saw their daughter cry that hard was on injec