SAFE HAVEN I

CHAPTER 33: MESS

“I love you not only for what you are but for what I am when I am with you.” – Roy Croft

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"Eomma, can we buy that toy?" Baekhyun pursed his lips while pointing at the small toy behind the huge glass window of a particular shop. They were just walking home hand on hand from when Mrs.Byun works and they passed by it. It was already afternoon and the crispy sound of leaves being crushed in the street was heard. The streets were always been busy yet it was kind of silent and gloomy.

Mrs.Byun who was holding Baek's small hand and a basket look at the glass window that the little kid was pointing at, and squinted her eyes to see the price tag clearer.

It was so expensive.

Baekhyun looked up to his eomma and flashed his pouting lips and his puppy eyes.

Mrs.Byun sighed and inwardly felt bad because she knows that she couldn't buy that expensive toy for his son. Well, it's not really expensive, Mrs.Byun couldn't just really afford it right now and she feels sad for his little one.

"Baekkie? Eomma wants to buy that toy," Mrs.Byun paused as she looked at his son who had shiny hoping eyes. "But eomma couldn't buy it right now because we still need to pay the bills at home, and you know that we still need to buy milk for Taehyungie right?" Mrs.Byun tried to smoothen her sad voice. She was always telling this to his son, yet not even once, she did buy any branded toys for him. And it made her guilty because she felt like she was not good enough to become a mother for a good son like Baekhyun.

Baekhyun nonetheless eye smiled, and grip his mother's hand.

"Mm. Eomma, I understand. I forgot about that hehe. Let's just buy milk for Taetae then, eomma." Although he was only 5 years old, he was not a bratty kid like the other kids. He held his mother's hand tight, smiling brightly, and began walking, his thick worn slippers clicking on the cemented sidewalk, pulling his mother away from the said shop.

Mrs.Byun smiled yet she stayed quiet as his little son led him on the straight pavement on the corner of the street.

When they got to the grocery store, Mrs.Byun bought the smallest pack of milk for her four-year-old son, Taehyung. When Mrs.Byun turn around, he saw Baekhyun holding an ice cream in his hands.

Baekhyun smiled sheepishly as he walked past his mother through the counter. He was small enough to barely be noticed from the cashier's view, so he spoke.

"Ma'am? Umm... Ma'am?" Baekhyun said while looking up at the table without any sight from the person behind.

"Yes? Can I help you, little one?" The cashier reached out, smiling as he rested her hands on the counter.

"How much is this ice cream?" He spoke, waving the piece of treat and the cashier lady smiled at how cute was the little creature in front of her right now.

"It's 2 dollars, do you want to buy it?" The cashier lady said, oblivious that the woman behind the cute little kid was his mother.

Mrs.Byun smiled a bit and he fished his old purse,

"Ma'am, can I buy it with only this? Please? I will sing! I will sing for you." Baekhyun shoved his small hand in his pocket and grabbed all the coins he had and handed it to the counter. The coins just got halfway through two dollars as he displayed it on the varnished wooden table.