A Jung Hana Series - Being A Noona

Munching on her sweet potatoes quietly, she continued to observe the two adults in front of her. They had been whispering to each other since forever and as usual they never included her in any of their conversations. She pouted and decided to purposely drop her sweet potato, the same one she was eating, towards the floor. The soft thud was heard and finally she gained the adults’ attention. She heard one of them sighed and she waited for that scolding to come. Surprisingly, there was no scolding at all. What was going on here? Hello? She messed up the floor for goodness sake!

“Are you full dear?” She heard her father asking and she just stared at him with her rounded eyes and he just chuckled.

“Yeobo, please clean the floor.” She heard her mother said before wobbling out of the kitchen with her huge tummy. Yes, there was something weird growing in her mother’s stomach and she was not sure what it was.

“Ahrasso. You go and rest and I’ll take care of everything here.” Her father said with a cheerful tone. That made her wondered what was making her father felt so happy suddenly.

“Hm, wait for a moment Hana-yah, appa’s going to clean the floor first.” Her father told her and she sat quietly on her chair while he went towards the sink to fetch a damp cloth. He skillfully cleaned up the mess and then he walked over to her to lift her off the chair before walking over towards the living room.

“Umma!” Hana called out as she struggled out of her father’s arms and ran towards her mother who was sitting down on the sofa.

“Come here darling.” Her mother opened up her arms and caught her in a warm embrace. Hana grinned as she buried herself into her mother’s chest.

Yes, her mother was the most beautiful and the most loving mother in the world and Hana was proud to have her as her mother. Her name was Seo Joohyun and Hana swore that her mother was pretty famous. Whenever they went out together, to the park, or to the shopping centres or even to her pre-school, people around would come and greet her mother. Strangers would also come and talk to her. And the best thing was, they even knew who Hana was and that made Hana grinned proudly. Of course there were moments when she felt shy, but those people were friendly and would always be giving her small gifts.

And surprisingly enough they also knew who her father was. Her father was indeed a handsome man. He was caring and just as loving as her mother. His name was Jung Yonghwa. He had a great voice as well and would always be the one to be singing lullabies to her before her bedtime.

Hana smiled as she continued to cuddle herself into her mother’s embrace. But suddenly she felt her father pulling her onto his lap and that made her frown. She tilted her head towards Yonghwa questioningly.

“Sorry princess, umma’s tired. And you need to be less clingy to umma from now on.” Yonghwa said as he stroked Hana’s hair out of her face.

“Wae?” Hana asked in her tiny voice. She turned to look at her mother who was leaning back against the sofa with her eyes closed.

“Yeobo, should we explain it to her now?” Yonghwa asked as he too looked over at Seohyun.

“I guess we should. She’s going to find out sooner or later.” Seohyun nodded her head before smiling at her daughter.

Hana continued to observe both of her parents. They seemed secretive and she did not like it one bit. So she folded her arms and pouted which made both Yonghwa and Seohyun laughed.

“Aigoo! My daughter is so cute!” Yonghwa pinched Hana’s cheeks causing the girl to scowl in response.

“Hana-yah, do you know what a baby is?” Seohyun asked, grasping Hana’s small hands tenderly.

“Baby? Baby is that thing that cries!” Hana answered her mother with a grin. Of course she knew what a baby was! There were lots of babies in her pre-school. Her teacher would always say, ‘Only babies cry!’, and that was how she understand that term.

“Good girl!” Seohyun praised Hana. “Yes, babies do cry. But do you know why they cry for?”

Hana nodded. “Because they don’t want to come to school, that’s why they cry.” Hana answered confidently.

Suddenly both Seohyun and Yonghwa exchanged glances and laughed. Hana frowned. She wondered if she had answered wrongly.

“Aigoo! So cute!” Yonghwa said again, but this time he pulled Hana’s face towards him and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

“Okay darling, let me explain to you.” Seohyun said as she adjusted her seat. “Babies are actually very very small children, even smaller than you. Before you were this big,” Seohyun gestured to Hana, “you were once very small like this.” Seohyun showed Hana the size of her arm. “And that’s what you were before, a baby. And yes dear, babies do cry but not because they do not want to come to school but because they are hungry, or sleepy or when they needed a diaper change or even when they are sick.”

“But isn’t it better to talk than cry? Isn’t it noisy if they cry?” Hana asked again, curiosity filling her mind.

“Ne, you’re right. Crying is noisy.” Seohyun nodded her head in agreement. “But babies are small children who are not able to talk yet. So they try to communicate with us by crying.”

“Oh.” Hana nodded in understanding. “Then those children in my school are not babies. They can talk. They only cry when they arrive to school but they stopped crying and talked when we start playing toys.”

“Yes! My daughter is a very smart girl!” Yonghwa hugged Hana tight and she beamed in response.

“That’s true darling. Those children at school are big kids just like you and not a baby.” Seohyun smiled, and then she bit her lips. “Hana-yah, do you want to have a baby in the house?”

Hana stared at her mother. “Wae omma? Isn’t it going to be noisy with babies around?”

“We’ll just have one baby. So it won’t be that noisy.” Yonghwa added.

“Hm, then where can we get the baby?” Hana pouted, as she thought hard where her mother and father got her from when she was a baby herself before.

“You see this?” Yonghwa asked as he pointed to Seohyun’s tummy and Hana nodded. “There is a baby growing inside umma’s tummy.”

“Ah?” Hana widened her eyes, hardly believing what her father had just told her.

“Sinchia-yo! There is a baby inside umma’s tummy!” Yonghwa said again, nodding his head at the same time. He chuckled when he saw Hana’s surprised expression.

“But how did the baby get in there?” Hana asked with a slight frown. “Was I growing inside umma’s tummy first before I came here?”

“Ne darling. You were once growing inside my tummy.” Seohyun answered. “But you came out once you are fully grown inside.”

“Wah! It’s like playing hide and seek!” Hana squealed.

Yonghwa and Seohyun laughed again. “So, is it okay if we have a baby?” Yonghwa asked again as he looked at Hana expectantly.

“Can I get to play with the baby once the baby comes out?” Hana questioned her parents.

“Of course darling! You are going to be the noona to the baby!” Seohyun told her daughter.

“Noona?”

“Being a noona is a big responsibility you know. To be a noona, you need to help umma and I take care of the baby. You need to give lots of love to the baby. You need to sing lots of songs to the baby. You must never let other kids make the baby cry. You need to protect the baby from harm.” Yonghwa explained before frowning. “And I’m not sure if you are ready for the job yet…”

“Appa! I am ready! I am ready to be a noona! I love the baby already! See?” Hana suddenly spoke up and went over to her mother and gave her mother’s tummy a hug before placing a tender kiss on it. She wanted to prove her father wrong.

“Aigoo! Yeobo-yah, I think Hana’s definitely ready! I can feel the baby agreeing to her words.” Seohyun grinned while Yonghwa chuckled quietly.

“Ne? The baby understands me?” Hana gaped.

“Yes dear. Come and feel this.” Seohyun held Hana’s small hands towards the right side of her tummy and pressed her hand there. “Can you feel it?”

Hana frowned. She did feel something moving beneath her hand. “What is that?”

“That’s the baby responding to your voice dear. He loves you already!” Seohyun smiled.

“Wah! I can’t wait for the baby to come!” Hana clapped her hands. “Is the baby coming today? Or tomorrow?”

“Hm, not that soon dear. It may take a few more weeks.” Yonghwa said as he hugged his daughter tightly.

“Appa! I can’t breathe!” Hana struggled out of his arms.

“Hana-yah, would you like to take a look at your baby photos?” Yonghwa suddenly asked and that attracted Hana’s attention. Soon she was back into her father’s arms and was pleading for her father to show her the photos.

Soon the small family of three were soon seated in Hana’s playroom as they browsed through their family album together, starting with Hana’s baby album.

***

Two months later, Hana found herself standing in Jungshin’s arms. And together, they were standing beside the baby cot watching her new baby brother sleeping. Hana grinned proudly as she kept telling Jungshin and Minhyuk that she was a noona now and the two men just nodded in understanding, encouraging Hana to talk even more much to her pleasure.

“And I even helped umma to throw Hyungki’s diapers!” Hana boasted with a proud smile plastered across her lips which caused Jungshin and Minhyuk to laugh out loud.

“Aigoo! You’re too cute Hana-yah!” Minhyuk pinched both her cheeks gently causing the girl to giggle endlessly.

“You’re going to be the cutest noona in the world!” Jungshin added.

“Of course! Because I am Jung Hyungki’s noona!” Hana squealed and the three of them laughed yet again.