~ Thirty-Two ~

"Yeonseok, have you taken a bath already?" my voice echoed as I spoke from the kitchen. I was in the middle of preparing breakfast whilst the little ones were preparing for the day.

"Ahra is still giving Yeonghee a bath," Yeonseok replied from the stairs.

"Kindly tell her to hurry up. You might miss the bus," I said as I put the final pancake on the plate.

Usually, it was Mama who made breakfast for the children. But for some reason, she didn't arrive home early today. Most of the time, once I woke up, she was already making breakfast. And if she would be a bit late, she would give me a call. However, she didn't do even that. I had to do everything quick so the kids could go to school early and for me to be ready before my shuttle arrives.

I was preparing the table when the backyard gate opened. I turned to the window and saw my sisters arrive. I sighed as I returned to what I was doing. I had a feeling that they would say something because of last night. Frankly, I didn't have the time and energy to talk to them. But I guess I had no choice.

As I put the utensils on each child's plate, my sisters entered the back door.

Right away, Jaeyun said sarcastically, "It looks like someone's in a good mood to prepare breakfast. Are you happy because we were sent to prison?"

I sighed before I called out to the children, "Yeonseok! Ahra! Chiwon! Sunmi! Yeonghee! Come downstairs, your breakfast is ready!"

"Wow, what a busy bee this morning," Narae added as they sat down by the table. "You must be in a really good mood," she snarled.

Finally, I turned to them and replied, "I'm not in any special mood today. I'm only taking care of the children because Mama isn't here to do it. And this meal," I gestured towards the table, "Is only for the kids. So, if you would be so kind as to get out of those chairs, that would be nice," I rolled my eyes as I headed to the sink.

"Mama isn't home because she paid for our bail," Jaeyun answered as the chairs moved. "Because of you and your meddling, she had to work overtime to make up the money she paid for us."

"You wouldn't be sent to prison if you didn't make stupid decisions last night," I remarked as I washed the dishes. I continued, "If you were detained, that wasn't my fault. It just so happens that someone called the police on you and punished you for doing the wrong thing."

"You're getting bolder with your words, Mingyu. Just because you work in an office, that doesn't mean you're better than us," Narae remarked.

I turned off the tap as I finished the last plate. I turned around whilst I wiped my hands onto my apron. "If I'm acting like I'm better than you, it's because I have to. You intentionally endangered the children. Didn't you even think of them for even just a minute?" I scolded.

"The children were the reason why I brought them home. Those men were an opportunity and you ruined it," Jaeyun snarled.

"I understand that you want to earn money for the little ones. But what you did was not logical," I continued. "And that money opportunity that you mentioned will still bring harm into this family if you went down that path. You weren't doing it for the children. You were doing it for yourselves."

"How dare you judge us! You act as if you've never done anything wrong in life! You act as if you were born a saint!" Narae screamed. "You act as if you're all-important within this house. Well, you have to remember that you're an unwanted member of this family and the only reason why you're here is because Mama took pity on you."

I clenched my jaw as Narae's words fueled my  anger even more. I wanted so badly to throw something at her. To stab a fork or a knife on our wooden table, just to let out my fury towards the two of them. But I knew that there was no use if I did that. They wouldn't listen to me, anyway.

I swallowed the pain and embarrassment that her words gave and took a deep breath. In a calmer tone, I replied, "I may be unwanted here but I'm the most useful. I may be unwanted but I was never a burden to Mama. I may be unwanted but I contribute to this house. And that's something you two never do."

"Why, you little–"

I interrupted Narae, "If you pursue this conversation, I will only have harsher things to say to you. And between the three of us, only the two of you have the time and energy for nonsense. As for me, I have children to prepare and I have work to go to. So, I suggest that you keep your words to yourselves and leave me alone."

Right after I said that, the children's footsteps ran down the staircase. When they arrived at the door, they stopped for a moment as they saw their mothers. They then looked at me as they hesitated.

With a smile, I turned to the children and said, "Come now, little ones. You need to eat breakfast before you miss the bus."

The children walked into the kitchen right away and took their seats. I grabbed the syrup from the cabinets and began to pour it on top of their pancakes.

Jaeyun and Narae scoffed before they left the room.

I sighed out of relief as they disappeared from my sight. 'What a splendid way to spend my morning. Just the kind of booster that I needed,' I thought to myself.

"Aunt Mingyu?" Sunmi looked up to me as I poured syrup on her pancakes. "Won't they be joining us for breakfast?"

I collected my strength and faked a jolly tone. I replied, "Your parents just came home from a very busy night. They will be resting for the entire day."

"What about Grandma? Why isn't she still here?" Chiwon asked.

"Grandma had to work overtime for today. But don't worry, you'll see her once you get back from school," I said as I poured syrup on his stack of pancakes. I asked playfully, "Why? You don't want Aunt Mingyu to prepare breakfast for you?"

They all shook their heads.

Yeonghee remarked, "I love seeing you up and early, Aunt Mingyu. Most of the time, you're still asleep when we prepare for school. But today, you prepared us for school and you made delicious pancakes." She took a bite and added, "I can get used to this."

With a smile, I walked back to Yeonghee and planted a soft kiss on her head.

In a world where I was brought nothing but problems, the children were my only source of comfort and joy