MOTHER HEN

[LUNCH BOX, rubbing alcohol, face masks, change of clothes.]

Eclaire, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the car, checked her bag for the nth time to make sure she had everything she needed.

[It looks like I didn't forget anything.]

"Ahjussi, let's go," Eclaire said to their family driver politely. "To the amusement park, please."

The family driver, who already started the engine earlier, nodded politely and began driving the car. "As you wish, Young Miss."

She smiled at the funny way the driver talked.

Then she turned to the rearview mirror to check on the kids sitting in the backseat.

Yeri was seated between Jaehyun (on her sister's right side), and Graham (on her sister's left side).

Huh?

[Are Yeri and Jaehyun wearing matching clothes?]

Yeri and Jaehyun both wore sky-blue pullover sweaters. Her sister paired her top with denim shorts, while the boy paired it with denim pants. The two also wore the same brand of white sneakers.

[Yep, that's totally a couple look.]

Graham, on the other hand, looked casual yet cool in his gray hoodie, black cap, black pants, and black sneakers. Well, to be honest, everything would look good on a handsome and tall boy like him.

[Why are kids these days so pretty already?]

"What's wrong, noona?" Graham asked curiously, tilting his head to one side while looking at her curiously. "Do you have something to say?"

She was too embarrassed to say that she stared at him because of his face.

[And I ogled a younger man, at that.]

Graham was only a year younger than her, but she still felt like she was way older than him because of his soft personality.

"I'm sorry for staring," Eclaire said as calmly as she could. "Did you put on sunscreen?"

Graham shook his head, his face full of innocence and curiosity. "What is that?"

She was about to explain, but her sister beat her to it.

"It's a product used to protect your skin," Yeri said cheerfully while pulling out a bottle of sunscreen from her sling bag. "Do you want me to put some on you, oppa?"

Graham opened his mouth to speak, but Jaehyun beat him to talking first.

"Why would you do that? Is he a child?" Jaehyun complained, then he snatched the sunscreen bottle from Yeri's hand and handed it to Graham who just accepted it innocently. "Hyung, you can do it yourself, right?"

Yeri, for some reason, just blushed right there and didn't react.

[Aigoo, look at this girl…]

"I don't know how to do it, but it's okay," Graham said, then he turned to Eclaire. "I can just ask noona to teach me later."

Of course, she already expected that it would turn out that way.

Eclaire just nodded, then she faced ahead and sat properly while wondering to herself: [Am I getting too used to taking care of Graham?]

Now she knew why Yeri would often call her a 'mother hen.'

***

ECLAIRE was amazed while rubbing sunscreen on Graham's face.

They just got into the amusement park.

She remembered that Graham hadn't put on sunscreen yet, so she pulled him aside.

Yeri and Jaehyun, on the other hand, were already taking pictures of each other nearby.

"Graham-ah, your skin is so soft and smooth," Eclaire said, amazed. "How do you take care of your skin in your world?"

Graham looked confused by her question, but he still responded. "I wash my face and take a bath regularly?"

"That's a given," she said. "But I want to know what you use to wash your face."

"Soap?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Just soap?"

"Yes."

Argh.

She suddenly felt envious of Graham.

[I spend a fortune on my skin care products. And yet, Graham who only uses soap has better skin than me…]

"Graham-ah, it's your genes," she said. "You should be grateful to your parents for that…"

She trailed off when she realized she shouldn't have mentioned his parents.

"I'm sorry," she said. "That was shallow of me."

"It's alright, noona," he said in a voice that was obviously trying to cheer her up.

"Thank you for your understanding," she said, then she handed the sunscreen bottle to him. "Here. Put some on your neck, arms, and hands."

He nodded. "Thanks, noona."

After saying that, Graham removed his black cap and put it on her head. He even adjusted the visor to make sure that it covered her face properly. "Noona, you should protect your skin from the sun, too," he said. "I can't let noona's pretty face get burned by the sun."

Oh?

Eclaire couldn't help but smile at Graham's small yet thoughtful gesture.

[It doesn't feel bad to be the taken care of.]

***

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