Calm Down, Mommy!

"Calm down, mommy! Let me explain..."

"Then enlighten me, Choi Taeyoung!" Aeri exclaimed clearly mad.

He always got chills when his mother was like this, he loved her cute side, but her angry and pissed-off self wasn't something he was fond of. He prayed for his aunt because she was deep in shit, if his mother doesn't understand what he would tell her. "So, I don't know the details, but when I found aunt Jiah, she was with dr. Jihye and she said you had just left there. But right when I came in asking for you, she acted as if she was my mom, and I just acted with it."

[Does this doctor knows Seojin? Did she do that to protect my secret for a little longer? So, does that means that Tae-tae and Seojin didn't meet yet?]

To his surprise, she looked strangely calm, but knowing her the way he did, he could almost see the gears working on his mom's head over and over, as if she were analyzing the situation and trying to deduce the reason why his aunt lied. "Okay, I'll talk with her about it, after I get a little better."

He nodded and then he looked at Dr. Minjee, who was dumbfounded after seeing their little discussion, and how Tae-tae could handle his mom's fierce temper. "So, dr. Minjee, could you help us with that?"

"Mm-hm, I can help you, don't worry. But can I call you Tae-tae?"

[If that's what you want to help me and aunt Jiah out, then okay.] "Yes, of course, you can!"

She nodded with a smile. "Then count me on, Tae-tae." [Could it be that Aeri had sex with Seojin at some point, she got pregnant, he didn't want the baby and that's why she hates him so much now? Well, that would explain Tae-tae's resemblance to Seojin. Because now I'm betting all my cards that he's Seojin's son. It's too much of a coincidence, to be a coincidence. And it can't be the pot, cuz I only smoked a little amount of it.]

"Anyway, is mommy okay?" Dr. Minjee nodded and Tae-tae let out a breath of relief.

"Yeah, your mom is okay, Tae-tae, don't worry. But don't let her stay too many hours without eating, or she'll have to come here again. And Aeri," the doctor turned to her. "Eat! You have to eat, so your body can become stronger. You acted reckless today, don't do that again. I know you're in a hard position and worried about your family's well-being, but you need to start caring about your own well-being. Otherwise, you will become sick and leave little Taeyoung without a mother, and we don't want that, do we?"

Both Aeri and Tae-tae sighed. "No, we don't," they said together.

"Then you must start taking care of yourself, girl. And don't you even think about overdoing yourself while working, and don't forget to have, at least, three good meals per day." Aeri nodded, like an obedient kid and Dr. Minjee smiled at her, then she turned to Tae-tae. "Please, can you remember your mom to eat and not overwork?"

"Count on me. I won't let mommy forget. I don't want to see her in this place again."

"Then I trust you. Anyway, I must get going now. And Aeri, you're free to go."

A second after that, she was out of the room. "Damn, thank goodness," Aeri exclaimed and her son laughed, hugging her. "I hate hospitals!"

"I was worried when I heard you had fainted, mommy. Don't make me worried like that. The doctor's right, you have to take care of your health too, mommy. I don't want to see you in a hospital like this again. Neither do I ever want to lose you!"

She hugged her son back, kissing his forehead. "Sorry for making you worry, baby. Mommy will take care of herself now, be at ease. You won't find me here again."

To that, he nodded, still hugging her.

···

Aeri went to her brother's room with Tae-tae, where she found Jiah speaking with dr. Park and that was when she felt like something was going on between the two of them. [Is Jiah into him? Or is he into Jiah?] She looked at Tae-tae, who was smiling like he knew exactly what was happening between them, which made her feel left out.

"Oh, Aeri, are you okay? Jiah said you had fainted."

"I'm okay. Don't worry about me. But dr. Park, do you perhaps know what Tae-tae is my?" Aeri asked, trying to know if she could scold her sister now or if she would have to wait.

"I know, he told me before. He's your son, right?"

"Exactly. Now," she turned to her son, "close your ears!" He did what she order and she turned to her sister, furious. "Choi Jiah," she yelled, "what's up with you? Are you insane? Do you want to die?"

Her sister bit her bottom lip, anxiously, before speaking anything. "Sorry, sis. I know you must be pissed off. Let me explain..."

"Then explain!" Aeri yelled staring at her with a deadly gaze.

[Damn, I thought she was a cool girl, but she's looking very fierce, almost scary. Seojin would absolutely like her.]

"First of all, it was for the best, believe me."

"The best?" She scoffed. "Jiah, for fuck's sake, you know that I'm not trying to hide from anyone that I have a son, right? He's everything to me, my joy and pride. I don't have any reasons to hide him. Of course, there are some people who I don't want to know about him just yet, but it's just because I don't want to deal with the headache they would cause, right now. Then tell me, why did you do that? Why the fuck did lie to that doctor?"

Tae-tae sighed and held his mom's hand, catching her attention, and calming her down at the same minute. "Mommy, you're stressed again. Stress is also bad for your health. Didn't the doctor say you must take of yourself? Didn't you promise me to do so? Then why are you trying to find reasons to be stressed?" [Sorry for being dramatic, mommy. I can't let you scold aunt right now.]

"I told you to close your ears, Choi Taeyoung!" But when she looked at him, her heart ached and she sighed, petting his hair. "Sorry for yelling at you. But baby, I'm not trying to find reasons to be more stressed, don't worry. Mommy promised you and mommy never breaks her promises. It's just that you're my baby, I don't want to hide from anyone that you're my son. And your aunt is reckless and keeps making problems for me to deal with!"

"Not even from my dad?"

Aeri clenched her teeth and her eyes became shadowy, surprising both the doctor and Tae-tae. "Taeyoung, don't speak of that man," she sighed, trying to control her anger. "I don't want to hide you from him, but I don't want that son of a bitch close to you either. A trashy man like him doesn't deserve you, you're a precious kid. My precious kid! But no, I don't want to hide you, not even from that scumbag. And don't ask about him again, understood?"

[Who is his father? And what did he do for her to hate him like this?]

Tae-tae's legs became a little weak and he swallowed. It's been a long time since he mentioned his dad like this, and she still acts the same way. That scares him, but also makes him mad, because he could see how hurt his mom was, just by looking at her eyes. "Sorry, mommy. And I don't want to meet him either. I don't want to be close to someone who hurt you as he did. He's the one at loss. I won't mention him again, it was just a stupid thought of mine. Do you forgive me, mommy?"

Aeri inhaled deeply, telling herself not to be so harsh to Tae-tae because he isn't at fault. "Of course, I do, baby. Just don't speak about him again."

He opened his arms, asking for a hug and she gave him a mommy-bear one. [I must contact this cousin of dr. Park Sunghae, mommy must find a good guy who can make her heal from my scumbag father. And I can only hope that this guy can be the right one. Of course, I also want to have a father, but mommy's situation is more important right now. Maybe he could also help her relieve all the stress.]

"You guys are cute." Dr. Park spoke, breaking the cute moment, and Aeri stared at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Thank you?" She turned her gaze to her sister, who was still biting her lip anxiously. "I'll let you off this time, Jiah. Thank your nephew for that. And because he asked me to, I'll help you acting as if my son was yours in front of that damn doctor. But don't do this ever again, Choi Jiah, do you understand? Otherwise, I'll retaliate and won't ever let you put your eyes on my son again!"

Jiah nodded fastly, scared, and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sis."

"Don't call me 'sis', I'm pissed at you. And do not thank me, thank Tae-tae," she exclaimed glaring at her sister.

[Why does she seems to be the older child? Damn. She is scarier than my mom, and my mom is the scariest person I've ever met.]

She kneeled in front of her nephew and kissed his forehead. "Thank you, Goldie."

"Come on, aunt, don't call me Goldie. You know I don't like that."

His aunt laughed, messing with his hair. "But you have golden eyes. Want me to call you Reddie, then? Because you also have red hair."

Tae-tae sighed and rolled his eyes. "Just Tae-tae, aunt Jiah, we talked about this a thousand times."

[Indeed, he has golden eyes. And looking at him now, why do I feel such a sense of familiarity? And how didn't I realize that before? I just can't put the pieces in front of me together.]

"Okay, okay, you won, Tae-tae!"

He gave her a knowing smile and turned to his mom. "Let's go home, mommy. Aunt will take of things here. You need to rest."

"But she can't do all of this alone..." His mom began.

"She won't be alone, mommy, she'll be with dr. Park Sunghae. Right?" Tae-tae turned his gaze to his aunt and the doctor, who nodded at the same instant.

"Of course!" They exclaimed together.

"Go home, Aeri. Tae-tae's right, you need to rest."

Aeri sighed and when she was going to say something, the door opened, and dr. Jihye entered, catching them by surprise. Which annoyed Aeri to the core. She was beginning to hate that doctor.