Chapter Twenty-Eight

The kids looked at one another before Ahra replied, “Mama went out with Aunt Jaeyun this morning. And when they returned in the afternoon, they suddenly became strict with us. They gave us baths, gave us food and told us to stay in this room.”

“When they gave us baths, they were too cruel, Aunt Mingyu,” Chiwon entered the conversation. “Most of the time, we complained that the water was either too hot or too cold. But they never listened to us.”

Sunmi added, “They called us brats and even told their friends that we were hard-headed kids and that we deserved to be disciplined all the time.”

My blood boiled as their eyes slowly watered. I pulled them into my arms and held them as tightly as I could. I didn’t know what happened and how they were treated. But they were clearly hurt and horrified because of that.

“There’s no need to worry now, guys. Aunt Mingyu is here. I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you,” I said as I comforted them. They slowly pulled away from me and I continued, “Tomorrow, you must tell your grandma about this, okay?”

They shook their heads right away. Ahra replied, “Mama said that if we told anybody, especially Grandma, they will lock us in the attic for a week. And they will tell Grandma that we did something wrong and we’re being punished.”

I closed my eyes and took deep breaths as I tried to keep my emotions on hold. I shouldn’t lose control in front of the children. But the way they were treated wasn’t excusable. Why should they be treated like a nuisance when they did nothing wrong?

Sunmi then said, “When we were told to stay in our room, we locked the door and waited for you to come home. We didn’t open for anybody, even for Mama or Aunt Jaeyun.”

“Did your mothers even feed you enough while I was still out?” I asked.

Yeonseok answered, “They only fed us one bowl each. They said they needed to feed their friends so ours were measured into bowls.”

I held my breath harder than before. My heart raced faster as my blood boiled. The thought that these kids were mistreated by their own mothers was disgusting. If these kids didn’t hold any sort of importance in their mothers’ lives, they were very important to me. They might not be my own children but I could never treat them without any sense of care.

I stood and was about to leave when they held on tight to me. I turned around and my heart broke as their eyes widened in terror.

“Please, don’t go, Aunt Mingyu!”

“Please, don’t leave us!”

“Stay with us!”

Yeonghee’s grip on my pants was tighter than anybody else’s. She didn’t say much but her silent cries were enough for me to calm down. I knelt back down and held them tightly once more. If their mothers couldn’t be their fortress of safety, then I would be more than happy to do it for them.

Slowly, I pushed them off of me and smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you guys. Are you all still hungry? I can order food for you,” I said.

“We don’t want food, Aunt Mingyu. We just want you to stay here,” Chiwon replied.

“Okay, okay,” I nodded. “Well, I need to take a quick bath. Then, I’ll get some of my things and sleep in your room tonight. How does that sound?” I asked.

Yeonghee grabbed onto me again and asked, “Are you sure you won’t leave us again?”

I cupped Yeonghee’s cheek and replied, “Aunt Mingyu won’t leave.” I turned to all of them and continued, “I’m going to take a quick shower. Remember to keep this door locked. Don’t open it for anybody unless it’s me, okay?”

They all nodded.

“Very good. Now, go ahead and stay on the bed. I’ll be right back,” I smiled as I stood up.

They nodded once again and rushed to their bunk beds. Yeonseok and Ahra grabbed the youngest in between them. Chiwon and Sunmi sat behind them.

I carefully opened the door. I stepped outside and locked the other side of the knob. I smiled at them before I fully walked out of the room. I stood before the door for a few seconds before I headed to mine. I didn’t want to leave them alone. But I really needed a shower and I would also need my things. Since I would be staying with them for the night, I would be doing everything in their room. And I didn’t want to leave them on their own if I forgot something.

I needed to do everything quickly. With the current situation in this house, the kids wouldn’t be safe on their own.

---*---*---*---

I wiped my hands clean as I looked at myself in the mirror. I had a quick shower and just finished my skin care routine for the night. I also changed into my pajamas so it would be easier for me to simply grab my things and return to the children. ‘Good thing I prepared everything before I took a shower.’

As I dried my hair with my towel, my phone vibrated. I looked over to it and saw Mr. Nam’s called ID. I picked it up and answered immediately. It might be important. “Hello, Mr. Nam? Is there anything wrong?” I asked.

“Good evening, Miss Ryuk. Everything’s fine. Nothing to worry about. I just wanted to see if you returned home safely,” he replied.

I sighed out of relief. “Yes, sir. I arrived home around about thirty minutes ago,” I said as I collected my towel and my skin care products. “Are you there’s nothing wrong?”

He chuckled before he answered, “Calm yourself, Miss Ryuk. Everything’s fine.” He asked whilst I twisted the knob of my bathroom door, “How about you, Miss Ryuk? How’s everything there in your house?”

“Well, every—what the hell are you doing in my room?” I growled as I stepped out of my bathroom.