21 : The Two Monsters

"Mommy wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Little Jung Hyun climbed on top of his mother's bed and began to jump like crazy.

Eun Young squinted at the early morning racket. She was too exhausted to get up since she only fell asleep a few minutes before dawn. Today was her only day off. And the first thing on the list of chores to do that she made up just now was to sleep 'til noon.

Hopefully, she succeeds...

Eun Young was about to pull the duvet over her head to seclude herself from all the clamor when suddenly, a pair of small hands began to violenty shake her awake.

"Mommyyyy!" Jung Hyun cried. He was frustrated because his mother won't wake up. There's still so much to do!

"Alright, I'm up!" Eun Young groggily announced as she sat upright. Her eyelids were heavy and droopy. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was like a bird's nest!

Jung Hyun stared at his mother. Tilting his head sidewards, he wondered. Is this really mommy? Why does she look so... scary?

Little Hye Soo, who was seated on the floor because she couldn't climb up the bed, began to wail as she saw the image of the newly awoken Eun Young. Big droplets of tears came running down her chubby cheeks. Soon, her face started to turn red from crying.

Eun Young immediately snapped out of it upon hearing her youngest toddler cry. Despite the little one's protests, she carried her and coaxed her to calm down. "Shhh... don't cry baby. Mommy's here, don't be afraid." She cooed as she wiped off the tears from Hye Soo's flustered cheeks.

Little Hye Soo eventually stopped crying. However, she was still frowning at the woman holding her. She feels like mommy but she doesn't look like mommy! Waaah!

Just then, Eun Young caught a glimpse of herself on the mirror. She was shocked with what she saw too! No wonder the kids were really scared! They must've thought their mother just came back from the dead! She grunted in disgust.

Eun Young urged the kids to get ready for breakfast as she freshens up. She cleaned her face well before applying light make up. Making sure she had completely concealed the dark circles under her eyes, she glanced one last time at the mirror before going downstairs.

Upon entering the dining area, Eun Young saw Mrs. Bong placing a pot of hot tea on the table. There seemed to be a banquet with all the mouthwatering food. She figured it would be too much but her grumbling stomach suggested otherwise.

"Good Morning, Mrs. Lee." Mrs. Bong politely bowed and warmly greeted her with a smile. Mrs. Bong is already on her late fifties. She had been serving the family for the past 6 years and not only was she a big help in maintaining the house, she also took a big part in raising the kids whilst their parents were away. They truly treated her like she was family. Because for Eun Young, Mrs. Bong had always portrayed the figure of a kind mother to her and to the children, even though she didn't have a child of her own.

"You look refreshed! Did you sleep well?" Mrs. Bong buoyantly asked.

Eun Young was taken aback by her question. She must've done her make up very well that Mrs. Bong saw no signs of her haggard appearance earlier. Eun Young chuckled at her inside joke. "I have. Thank you for asking, Mrs. Bong." She replied instead.

Eun Young helped little Hye Soo to seat on her high chair before pulling a seat for herself. Just then, Mrs. Bong approached her side to pour her cup with hot tea. "Mrs. Lee, I almost forgot to mention." She said after amply filling the porcelain cup.

"Secretary Yoo arrived early this morning to fetch Mr. Lee. He tasked me to inform you that the young master flew to Los Angeles for a business trip and that he won't be back for a few days." She briefly reported.

"Oh." Eun Young blinked as she muttered. "Okay, thank you for telling me, Mrs. Bong." She simply replied.

Eun Young couldn't help but recall the events of the previous night. It all seemed so surreal. After hearing this, she was partly relieved that he would be away for a few days. At least his absence would give her the time to think things through. She doesn't even know how she will react if she saw him today.

The three of them sat at the dining table for a sumptuous morning meal. The kitchen chefs are really top notch! She was thankful that even though she doesn't always prepare the dishes, she can depend on the cooks to deliver them deliciously nutricious food.

"Mommy! You didn't forget, did you?" Jung Hyun suddenly asked. He just finished gulping down the remaining of his milk that there were even remnants left on the corners of his mouth, making him look like he had a mustache.

Eun Young fed little Hye Soo first before turning to adress her son. "I'm sorry dear, what was it again?" She handed him a napkin to clean up.

Jung Hyun frowned. "It's 'Bring Your Parents to School' day tomorrow and you promised that we'll go shopping today."

Eun Young mentally scolded herself for forgetting. Jung Hyun had constantly reminded her last week about the event. However, with all the drama happening, it completely slipped her mind. "Of course! I'm free today, aren't I? Go take a bath after you finish your meal. We'll head out after school to buy ourselves a cute outfit and after that, we can bake cupcakes for the other kids too! What do you say?" She bargained.

Jung Hyun's brown eyes glowed with excitement. Cupcakes! Not just ordinary cupcakes but mommy's cupcakes! He nodded vigorously.

"But wait!" Jung Hyun exclaimed. "We have to make another batch too--for me and little Hye Soo of course!" He conditioned.

How could he ever forget the little cupcake monster? Well... make that two little cupcake monsters.