A Day with the Angels

It was better to push away problems that wouldn’t be solved by mere worry. For the sake of my mental health, I reached an optimistic conclusion and stopped thinking about the shoot. The topic only resurfaced after I’d completed several days of scheduled practice, when I saw the three boys packing their bags for their departure.

Lee Seon packed three bottles of insect repellent into his bag.

‘Just how much was he planning to slather on? More importantly, would that even solve anything?’ There was no need to sow panic, so I refrained from pointing it out.

After seeing the boys off in the early dawn, I fell back asleep for a while. When I awoke, it was finally time for us to prepare. Compared to the others, who would endure a long journey on their very first day, our morning was starting far too smoothly.

It felt a little ridiculous to get “full glam” just to look after kids, but such was the nature of broadcast television.

The designated filming location was Suwon. The weather was bright and clear. Yoon Jihyuk, wearing a generously fitting cardigan that made him seem more approachable than usual, hummed a tune while gazing out the car window. It was as if he was greatly anticipating today’s shoot.

His carefree demeanor even helped me shed a bit of my own tension, prompting me to ask casually,

“You seem quite confident?”

“…Hm?”

He seemed to realize late that the question was directed at him, responding with a delayed, quizzical tone.

“About looking after the kids. You look like you’ll do well.”

He widened his eyes, then blinked rapidly. It was as if he’d been struck by an unexpected blow.

A bad omen.

“Oh, well. Not really? I don’t have any experience.”

Upon reflection, he was right.

As popular idols, or rather, as any group with a certain level of recognition, HEX members’ family relations were meticulously detailed on information sites. Kwon Yohan was an exception, with little revealed about his background, but Yoon Jihyuk’s information was certainly there.

Indeed. It was clearly written. A short entry that ended abruptly after “Mother” and “Father.”

“…”

This guy, uncharacteristically, was an only child.

Furthermore, my own situation wasn’t much different. While I did have a younger sister, the age gap wasn’t significant enough for me to have had to ‘look after’ her extensively. Moreover, we were raised in an environment that encouraged independence from a young age, so we rarely interfered in each other’s lives.

She was less a ‘younger sibling’ and more an equal entity living under the same roof. We existed within the framework of family, yet maintained a polite indifference toward each other.

Yoon Jihyuk, seemingly oblivious to the gravity of the situation, merely beamed.

“Yohan isn’t confident either, huh?”

“I, on the other hand, was the cherished youngest, doted on by everyone.”

I offered a noncommittal reply, trying to find some silver lining in the situation.

‘Right, I’d probably do a better job looking after them than Kwon Yohan. And anyway… this is just how the script is laid out. It’s not like the kids and the two of us will truly be left alone in that space.’ If some major, unforeseen situation were to arise, there would surely be a few adults positioned nearby to intervene. That’s what the staff was there for, after all.

“Still, I suppose it’ll work out somehow.”

I clenched my fists, a surge of resolve passing through me. ‘The kids are… five years old, right? How small is five years old, exactly?’

****

We arrived at an apartment spacious enough for a couple and their three young children. The young couple, dressed in outfits that conveyed a clear intention to savor their rare holiday, greeted us with immense warmth.

“The kids are so lucky,” the wife remarked, “getting to see such handsome faces all day.”

Her husband seemed to cast a fleeting, sideways glance at her for that comment, but I decided to let it pass.

Only one child was visible in the living room, yet the sounds of running echoed from all directions. Thankfully, the apartment was on the first floor, alleviating concerns about noise complaints. Still, I already felt dizzy. Since inhabiting this body, it was rare for my mind to feel disoriented before my physical self. Today, I was experiencing that precious sensation.

“Our angels! Come out to the living room!”

The children’s father called out, raising his voice. Yoon Jihyuk murmured with an intrigued expression,

“So they call them ‘angels’.”

The mother, having overheard, subtly approached and whispered,

“It’s brainwashing. We tell them they’re angels so they’ll please, *please* not cause trouble.”

“Ah, I see…”

‘This family certainly has a unique approach to parenting.’

In any case, the two unseen children also gathered in the living room, promptly taking their seats on the four-seater sofa.

The children’s faces were so alike they seemed stamped from a mold, making them difficult to distinguish. Their hair, fine and soft like peach fuzz, was cut identically short, and they wore matching outfits that were typical of kindergarten uniforms.

The only noticeable difference was the color of their clothes.

“Pink is Uju, yellow is Suho, and sky blue is Heemang. Only Heemang is a girl.”

A chuckle escaped me at their adorable names. The father explained to the children that we would be their older brothers for the day and had them greet us.

Two of the children energetically performed a polite bow, exclaiming, “Hello!” Remembering they were only five, their clear pronunciation was quite surprising.

Only the child in yellow nervously darted their eyes around. Unlike the other two, this situation seemed unwelcome to them. It was as if they wished they could follow their parents out the door.

“Well then, we’ll trust you with them and head out?”

Nevertheless, they didn’t actually follow their parents out. They put on a rather dignified pretense of being fine, though it seemed their pride wouldn’t allow them to throw a tantrum alone.

After the couple exited through the front door, a note was immediately handed over by the production staff.

[Today’s Mission]

[1. Today’s lunch menu is inari sushi! Finely chop vegetables and add them so the children will eat them.]

[2. Set up a tent for Suho. The tent is on the veranda.]

[3. After playing sufficiently with the children, have them take a nap!]

[4. Every Saturday is cooking day with the children. Feel free to use ingredients from the refrigerator and pantry.]

While the contents themselves suited a peaceful weekend, the phrase ‘with the children’ dramatically escalated the difficulty. ‘Would these tiny little crumbs really be able to follow instructions properly?’

First, I checked the time.

The wall clock in the living room indicated 10:20 AM. It felt a bit early to start making lunch, which wouldn’t take too long. ‘There’s probably no strict need to follow the order… so, should we set up the tent first?’

As I made my way to the veranda, I noticed Yoon Jihyuk was already incredibly popular.

“Hyung! What’s your name, Hyung?”

“I can read this! Look!”

Uju clung tightly to his side, launching a barrage of questions, while Heemang brought over an English picture book, opening it to draw attention. Yoon Jihyuk was smiling. He was, indeed, smiling.

Yet, a subtle shift was discernible, one only someone who knew him well could detect. To my eyes, he seemed to be radiating an overwhelming sense of exasperation with his entire being.

‘If I left him like that for just ten more minutes, he’d probably break out in a cold sweat.’

“Uh-huh, Hyung’s name is Jihyuk.”

“Jihyeok-ie Hyung!”

“…Yeah.”

He gave up on correcting them immediately. Unable to watch any longer, I subtly stepped forward and corrected her.

“It’s Jihyuk. Jihyuk Hyung.”

Once I clarified, Uju mimicked the pronunciation quite convincingly. In the meantime, Heemang, feeling neglected, pouted and started to pick a fight.

“Uju, you’re a dummy! Can’t even do that!”

“I’m not a dummy! You sea lion!”

‘Did he perhaps mean sea squirt?’

I intervened just before the children’s quarrel could escalate beyond mediation.

“But aren’t you going to ask my name? If you’re not curious, I won’t tell you.”

Fortunately, it seemed to be an intriguing topic. The children immediately forgot their recent squabble and blurted out the prompted question.

“What is it? What is it?”

After a brief pause to build anticipation, I told them. The children excitedly called out Kwon Yohan’s name repeatedly. There were no difficult pronunciations, so they didn’t mispronounce it once.

Yoon Jihyuk watched this entire process with a look of wonder.

“Why are you just standing there blankly? Let’s move that together.”

“Oh, right. We should.”

He followed me to the veranda, refusing my help and claiming he could carry it alone. The long box was easily tucked under his arm. I, in turn, took on the role of watching over the curious children who had gathered, ensuring they didn’t bump into the box.

While he seemed utterly clumsy when dealing with children, his movements became quite precise when faced with a different task. Watching him expertly assemble the tent by following the instructions was rather impressive.

“You seem to have done this kind of thing before? You’re good at it.”

“It’s much easier than a real tent, and it comes with instructions.”

“…You’ve had to pitch a real tent?”

“Hmm? Well, I did back in school, right?”

‘He must have had an incredibly fulfilling school life.’

The tunnel-shaped tent, large enough for the children to walk inside, now had its framework complete. ‘Did the couple truly realize this would take up half of their living room when they bought it? Watching TV would be difficult with this here.’

Regardless, the children seemed to love it, making all the effort worthwhile. Suho, who had been cautiously observing from a distance, had also drawn closer, his eyes now sparkling with excitement.

“There are two types of outer fabric. It says we can choose which one to use.”

Yoon Jihyuk murmured this as he tore open the plastic bag containing the fabric. And just like that, the spark of conflict reignited among the children.

“Let’s use this one!”

“No, this one…”

One was a glossy, deep blue fabric, while the other was a sheer material adorned with sparkling decorations. The children’s tiny hands clutched their desired pieces tightly, their faces etched with stubborn determination.

Uju wanted the blue fabric, while Suho was passively voicing his opposition. The child, who had been quiet all this time, wore an expression of genuine injustice.

“Th-this… this is Suho’s… why are you choosing it without asking?”

If I were to poke his puffed-out cheeks, it felt like he might burst into tears.

“It’s not Suho’s! Mom said toys are for sharing!”

“It’s not a toy… it’s a tent!”

It was difficult to side with either of them. I hastily exchanged a silent conversation with Yoon Jihyuk, communicating solely through glances and gestures.

Soon, we took both pieces of fabric from the children’s hands and draped them over the tent’s frame, layering the sparkling material over the blue one as a decoration. This was the greatest compromise we could offer at the moment. Fortunately, it seemed the design had accounted for such a combination, as it created a rather plausible appearance.

“How about this?”

The children seemed to accept it, nodding their heads.

“The blue one is covered up, though…”

A slight hint of dissatisfaction seemed to linger.

Nevertheless, they seemed pleased that a makeshift secret base had been created. The children each brought various items to place inside. I watched them busily attach miscellaneous decorations to the exterior until… I suddenly snapped back to reality and checked the clock.

It was twelve o’clock. ‘Time to start making lunch.’

As I headed towards the kitchen, Yoon Jihyuk followed close behind, chuckling.

“You said you weren’t confident. Was that a lie?”

“I’m still not confident. Don’t follow me; keep an eye on the kids. They might start fighting again.”

Though it wasn’t a harsh remark, he quickly looked dejected, responding lukewarmly,

“Yes.”

My gaze lingered for a moment on his subtly forlorn back.