At the end of the year, as the year came to a close,
Mom was full-term.
Even though she was heavily pregnant, Mom had been cleaning when she suddenly clutched her stomach and groaned.
“Ugh...!”
Seeing the pained expression on Mom’s face, I grew worried.
“Mom, does it hurt a lot? Is it labor? Should I call Dad?”
“No, I’m okay. There are still six days until my due date.”
“But if your stomach hurts, doesn’t that mean it’s labor?”
“False labor usually happens several times as the due date approaches.”
“Oh... I see. But tell me if it hurts, okay?”
“Okay. Our princess doesn’t need to worry. Mom gave birth to Dohui safely too, didn’t she?”
“Yeah...”
But contrary to Mom’s expectation that it was only false labor, her contractions grew more intense as time passed.
While we were eating lunch, Mom let out an even louder groan than before.
“Ugh... Dohui, could you call Dad and tell him it seems like Mom’s having contractions?”
“Okay, I do it.”
.
.
.
“Dad, I think Mom’s in labor. Take the day off and come home quickly.”
—I understand. Dohui is taking good care of Mom, right? I’ll get there as soon as I can.
“Okay.”
Mom was still bent over, clutching her stomach as if it hurt.
“Mom, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay. It’s gotten a little better now. Finish your meal. Mom should eat quickly too. I need to eat and build up my strength to have the baby.”
“Okay. Make sure to tell me if it hurts.”
“I will, my princess.”
Dad arrived home.
“Honey, are you okay?”
“No... It hurts so much. Hng.”
When I had asked if she was okay, Mom had reassured me so I wouldn’t worry, but it seemed she really had been in pain after all.
“Let’s go to the hospital right away. I called a nearby obstetrics and gynecology clinic on my way here.”
“Mhm...”
Dad supported Mom into the car, and we headed to the obstetrics and gynecology clinic.
After entering the hospital, Dad hurriedly spoke to the nurse at the desk.
“I’m the husband of the expectant mother who called earlier.”
“Ah, yes. Please go inside.”
We followed the nurse’s directions into a hospital room.
“Could the expectant mother change into a hospital gown first?”
Following the nurse’s instructions, Mom changed into a hospital gown, lay down on the bed, and waited for the doctor to arrive.
A little while later, the doctor arrived.
“Doctor, this is my second child, but I can’t tell whether these are false contractions or the real thing. There are still six days until my due date.”
“I’ll check how far the cervix has dilated first, then I’ll let you know.”
After examining her, the doctor said,
“You’re four centimeters dilated. If things go well, you’ll give birth today. Otherwise, the baby will probably come in the early morning.”
After hearing the doctor, Dad asked,
“Doctor, would it be okay for her to get an epidural?”
“Yes. Since this is your second delivery, it would be better and less harmful not to get one.”
Mom’s face stiffened, seemingly worried about the pain that would come after hearing the doctor’s words.
But perhaps to reassure us, she said,
“It’s okay. I gave birth to Dohui safely, didn’t I? The second one will come out quickly.”
“Yeah... I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? This is our baby.”
“I love you, honey. I’ll go finish the admission procedures first.”
“Okay. Come back quickly.”
After Dad left, Mom continued to break out in cold sweat.
“Mom, does it hurt a lot?”
“No, you don’t need to worry.”
“Still, don’t let it hurt.”
“Okay, my pretty daughter. Dohui was born here too. Do you remember?”
“Yeah. I remember Mom’s face from back then so clearly.”
“Haha, what kind of memory could a one-year-old have?”
But I really did remember.
Perhaps true labor had begun, because Mom started complaining of even more severe pain than before.
Then, an hour later, there was a soft popping sound, and Mom’s water broke.
Dad pressed the call button for a nurse, and Mom hurried into the delivery room with the nurse who came after being summoned.
After Mom entered the delivery room, Dad held my hand and waited outside.
Dad must have been very worried too, because his hands kept sweating.
About an hour passed, and with the sound of a baby crying, a nurse came out of the delivery room.
“Family member, please come in for a moment and cut the umbilical cord.”
“Ah, yes. But I have a daughter with me... Could she come in too?”
“Ah, I’m sorry, but she can’t. I’ll stay with your daughter instead. Please go ahead.”
“Thank you. You can wait here by yourself for a little while, can’t you, sweetheart?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about me.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
Dad quickly put on his surgical gown and entered the delivery room.
After waiting outside with the nurse for a few minutes, Dad came out of the delivery room supporting Mom.
Beside them, the nurse was holding my newborn little sister.
Just like the day I first saw Mom, her face looked haggard, but it was lit by a radiant smile.
Mom looked at me and said,
“Dohui, isn’t your little sister cute?”
“Yeah. She’s kind of wrinkly and ugly, but now that I think of her as my little sister, she’s cute.”
“You were wrinkly too when you were born. Now that you’re a big sister, you have to take good care of your little sister, okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll raise her well.”
“Raising her is Mom and Dad’s job.”
As I looked at my little sister, I felt strangely warm and soft inside.
A little while later, the nurse took my sister to the newborn nursery.
We went into the hospital room and helped Mom lie down on the bed.
It was all over, but Mom was still sweating, perhaps because she was still in pain.
“Mom, does it still hurt?”
“I’m okay now. Afterbirth pains go away quickly.”
“Okay. Tell me if it hurts. I’ll call the doctor.”
“I think I’d get better if Dohui blew on it.”
“Okay, I’ll do it. Hoo~”
Normally, I wouldn’t have done something like that, but seeing Mom struggling made all such thoughts disappear.
“Haha, it doesn’t hurt anymore. Oh my, it’s almost been five years since I gave birth to my adorable little girl.”
“Yeah.”
“You know, Dohui? Mom is happy because she gave birth to you.”
“Yeah.”
It was a soft, dreamlike night.
The following afternoon,
we went to see my little sister in the newborn nursery.
Perhaps because most of the pain had faded, Mom was able to get up and walk on her own.
The nurse held my sister in her arms and brought her over to show us through the glass window.
I was too short to see properly, so I had no choice but to be held by Dad while looking at my sister through the glass.
“What do you think? Isn’t she prettier than yesterday?”
Dad asked.
“She looks better than yesterday.”
Mom spoke to my sister on the other side.
“Doa, it’s Mommy~”
Even though the glass window blocked her voice and Doa probably couldn’t hear Mom very well, she seemed to recognize her voice and gave a faint smile.
I couldn’t help but smile at the baby’s smile.
For no particular reason, I blurted out something I didn’t really mean.
“My little sister is ugly. But I guess if she helps torment Mom and Dad, I’ll make her pretty anyway.”
.
.
.
Gwon Ju-hui
December 30, 2012, 2:40 p.m.
Today is the day Dohui’s little sister, Doa, was born.
I think it hurt less because Dohui cheered me on from beside me~
Isn’t the way Dohui looks at the baby adorable?
To Mommy, Dohui is still a baby too~
(Photo of Dohui looking at her little sister while being held by Dad)
—Someone might think Dohui’s the mother~
—Dohui is cute even from behind, lol
—I want to have a baby too.
└ Then would you marry me?
└ Oh, are you a woman?
└ I’m a man.
└ F*** off.
└ Ooh.
—For advertising inquiries, please check your messages ㅠㅠ
.
.
.
I turned six.
Doa and Mom finished their postpartum care and came home.
Our household, which had been a family of three for four years, had now become a family of four.
I was looking at my little sister.
“Peekaboo~”
Doa broke into a bright smile.
What a cute little rascal.
—Click—
I looked toward the source of the sound and saw Mom taking a picture of me.
“Ah, don’t take pictures!”
“Hehe, is Dohui embarrassed?”
“That’s an infringement of my right to publicity!”
“A daughter’s right to publicity belongs to her mother~”
“I don’t mind you taking them, but you keep uploading them to the Internet.”
“Okay. I won’t upload this one~”
Considering how many times she had done it before, there was no way I could trust her.
When I looked back at Doa, she was smiling brightly.
Why was she so cute?
Could a baby’s features really be this beautiful after only about two months?
Her eyes were bright and clear, her eyelashes long, her nose already straight, and her lips like cherries.
—Poke—
Her cheek felt soft and springy when I poked it, which was pleasing.
Doa smiled as if she liked anything I did to her.
“Mom! Pick up Doa!”
“Huh? Why?”
“Carry her to my bed. I’m going to play the piano for her. What if I drop her while carrying her?”
“Okay~”
Once Mom laid Doa down on the bed in my room, I began playing the piano.
I played soothing songs that babies would like.
By the time I finished playing, Doa had fallen asleep.
It was a good thing I had learned to play the piano.
They say nothing is better than classical music for a baby’s emotional development.
Now that Doa was asleep, I had to finish the rest of today’s routine.
Ever since Doa was born, I had less time to carry out my daily routine.
That evening,
I checked Mom’s social media, wondering if she had uploaded the picture she took that morning again.
Gwon Ju-hui
February 21, 2013, 11:40 a.m.
Dohui adoring Doa, lol
A baby adoring another baby ♥
(Photo of me staring intently at Doa)
—Hahahaha, my heart is melting.
—I want to have a daughter like Dohui too.
└ I want to have a son who looks like you.
└ Why have you been doing this to me since last time?
└ Ooh.
—For advertising inquiries, please check your messages...
└ Sir, you should give up by now.
—Can I love Dohui too, unnie..?
Just as I thought.
She had uploaded someone else’s picture again.
The number of Mom’s followers kept growing day by day.
It was nothing but inconvenient to become famous at this age.
“Ah! Mom, you uploaded another one, didn’t you?”
“What are you talking about? What did I upload?”
Mom played completely innocent.
Agh.
“You posted something on the Internet again.”
“I didn’t.”
“I already checked your Facebook, you know?”
“...Doa uploaded it.”
“What are you talking about now?!”
“Doa uploaded it~ Mommy doesn’t know anything.”
At that moment, Doa, who had been sleeping in my room, began to cry.
Dad, who had been in the room watching Doa, came out while holding her and soothing her.
“Oppa, how could you make Doa cry?”
“Huh? What are you talking about? She woke up because you two were being so loud while arguing.”
“Dad, don’t blame someone else.”
“Huh...? But you two—”
“‘You two’ what?”
“Yeah... I’m sorry.”