Chapter 26: An Eomma’s Treasured Touch – August 8, 2025
Myeong was sitting at his desk muttering to himself. He was working on his poem for Eunho. Who was already a day late. Bada was growing impatient. She was ready to have this baby already. But Myeong was hoping for more time to finish his rhymes.
Suddenly, he heard an exclamation from the other room.
“Eomma! Bada said her water just broke!” Dahui’s voice was raised in excitement.
Myeong jumped out of his chair, grabbed his phone and pocketed it, and headed for the living room. “Does this mean it’s time to go to the hospital?”
Dahui beamed at him. “Yes, Appa!”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Did you eat breakfast yet?”
She nodded.
“I didn’t,” he grumbled as he headed to the kitchen to help himself to some food.
A moment later, Haewon came out of Bada’s bedroom carrying a bag. Bada followed her. Myeong glanced up at them.
“Do we need to leave?” he asked before shoveling some food into his mouth.
“Not yet. Bada’s contractions aren’t very close together. I told her to come lie on the couch and watch some television to distract herself. When her contractions become more intense and a lot closer together, then we’ll need to leave.”
Dahui sighed in disappointment. She had thought the baby’s arrival was imminent. She plopped herself down on the sofa across from the couch. She and Bada were soon immersed in a drama. Haewon wandered into the kitchen.
“Grabbing a bite to eat before we dash off to the hospital?” she murmured.
He nodded.
“I think it’s going to be a while. You can slow down and take the time to taste what you’re currently inhaling,” she informed him in an amused voice.
He swallowed. “I thought we had to bolt out the door.”
“First babies usually take their time, darling.”
He sat down in a chair and decided to enjoy his breakfast. Eight hours later, the four of them were headed to the hospital. Everyone had eaten both breakfast and lunch. Bada was eating a snack in the car. Dahui’s excitement was palpable. Myeong grinned at her in his rearview mirror as he watched her bouncing up and down on the seat.
Three hours after they arrived at the hospital, Haewon and Bada welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world. A little while later, Myeong and Dahui joined them in their hospital room. The first thing Myeong noticed was the look on Haewon’s face as she gazed down at their tiny son. She was holding their baby in her arms. And tears were streaming down her face. She glanced up at him.
“I never thought this day would come,” she whispered as he slid his arm around her and drew her into his side. She was in awe. “Isn’t he beautiful?”
“He’s just perfect,” he breathed as he gazed down at the precious, little boy being cradled by his eomma’s loving arms.
Eunho’s eyes were wide open, and he was gazing up at them.
“Isn’t he just?” she agreed as she reached up with one tender finger and slid it across their infant’s downy cheek. “He’s so soft.” She bent over him and whispered, “Welcome to our family, Eunho.”
Dahui watched him in wonder for a while before asking, “Can I hold him?”
Haewon glanced up at Myeong. He hadn’t even had a chance to hold his son yet. Myeong’s face broke into a wide grin. He spoke to their daughter.
“Go ahead. I can wait. I know how long you’ve been waiting to hold this little guy.”
Carefully, Haewon transferred Eunho into Dahui’s arms. The girl was giddy with excitement.
“Eunho! You’re finally here! I’ve been waiting so long to meet you,” she began to chatter away at the tiny baby.
Haewon watched as her daughter adored her baby brother, Eunho. For just a moment, an old echo surfaced. A pang of grief for another Eunho. One who had not been beloved. A little boy who had, in fact, been the elder child in his family. Briefly, Haewon wondered if his entire life would have been different if he had been graced with an adoring, older sister like this sweet girl here.
Haewon blinked away the remembered sorrow and focused on her happy children.
Baby Eunho was staring up at his big sister out of wide eyes as she continued to prattle on in her cheerful tone. Suddenly, his lips curved into a wide smile.
Haewon gasped. “Did you see that? He smiled at Dahui.”
Myeong’s grin grew even wider. “Of course, he did. He recognizes adoration when he sees it.”
Dahui looked up to meet Bada’s eye. “He’s so cute, Bada. I think he looks like you.”
The older girl wiped a tear off her cheek. “You think so?”
Haewon could hear the grief in her voice. She realized that today must be bittersweet for the young woman. Eunho was her birthchild, but he now belonged to Haewon and Myeong. Haewon crossed the distance between her and Bada’s hospital bed.
“Bada. We meant it. You will always have a home with us. Eunho is our child, but he’s also yours. I know he will always have a special place in your heart. As you will in his.”
Bada nodded. “I just…I won’t have much time to spend with him once school starts.” Her voice broke. “But I want to nurse him. I can nurse him for the next three weeks. And if we bought a pump, I could nurse him once school starts. In the morning and at night. And I could pump during the day…at school.” Her voice trailed off.
Haewon smiled. “If you want to, then we will buy a pump. Why don’t you nurse him for the next two weeks and see if you still feel that way? It’s a lot of work to pump during the day. You’d have to spend your break times and lunch hour hiding in the bathroom at school. Are you sure you want to do that?”
Bada looked up at her. “I’ll think about it.”
“Okay,” Haewon nodded. “Sounds good. Bada, you’ll get to spend a lot of time with him. I think we’ve found the best of both worlds. You get to stay with your baby, and Myeong and I got the son we desired. Now we have you, Dahui, and Eunho. I’m so thankful for you. Thank you for giving us your son, Bada. There isn’t any greater love than that.”
