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duckie knew she was in trouble the moment she heard mama’s voice echoing through the house. not “duckie” or “baby” — but her full name.
“jeong haneul.”
it wasn’t loud or sharp. mingi didn’t need to yell. his voice was calm, steady, and that was what made it worse. whenever mingi used her full name, it meant she’d done something, and not something small either.
duckie’s eyes widened in alarm as she realized mama was looking for her, calling out in that voice that sent a shiver down her spine. her little feet scrambled as she ducked behind the couch, clutching her bunny plushie tight to her chest.
“haneul,” mingi called again, a bit closer now. “come out, baby.”
duckie didn’t make a sound, pressing herself tighter against the back of the couch as if that would make her disappear. maybe if she stayed really still, mama wouldn’t find her. maybe he’d forget about whatever she did, and everything would be fine.
she peeked out from behind the couch, spotting mingi’s shadow moving through the hallway. her heart raced. she hadn’t meant to get into trouble. it was just that the flour in the kitchen looked so fun to play with, and she thought it would make a good cloud for her dolls. but now, there was a big mess everywhere, and duckie knew it wasn’t the kind of mess mama would find funny.
the footsteps stopped, and duckie held her breath, pressing herself even further into her hiding spot. for a moment, it was quiet, and she thought maybe, just maybe, mama had moved on.
“haneul,” mingi’s voice came again, softer this time, but closer. “you can’t hide forever, baby. i know where you are.”
duckie bit her lip, her eyes darting around as she tried to figure out what to do. but just as she was about to make a break for it, mingi’s face appeared over the back of the couch, his eyes soft but expectant.
“there you are,” mingi said calmly, though there was that unmistakable tone that let duckie know she was in trouble. “come on out.”
duckie’s heart sank, her little shoulders slumping in defeat. she hesitated for a moment before crawling out from behind the couch, clutching her stuffed animal tighter than ever. “mama… i didn’t mean to…” she mumbled, her eyes wide and guilty as she looked up at mingi.
mingi crouched down to her level, his expression calm but firm. “haneul, what did i say about making messes in the kitchen?”
duckie squirmed, her feet fidgeting against the floor. “not to do it…”
“and what did you do?” mingi asked, his tone still steady, but with that unmistakable ‘mama knows you’re guilty’ edge.
duckie’s lip trembled as she looked up at him. “i made a mess…”
mingi sighed softly, reaching out to brush her hair away from her face. “baby, i know you were just trying to have fun, but when we make messes, we have to clean them up. you can’t leave flour all over the kitchen.”
duckie’s little face crumpled, tears welling up in her eyes. “i’m sorry, mama,” she whispered, her voice small and wobbly.
mingi’s expression softened, and he pulled her into a gentle hug, rubbing her back soothingly. “i know you’re sorry, baby. but next time, you have to listen when we tell you not to do something, okay?”
duckie nodded into his shoulder, sniffling as she clutched her plushie tighter. “okay…”
mingi pulled back slightly, wiping a tear from her cheek. “now, let’s go clean up together, alright? and next time you want to play in the kitchen, you have to ask first.”
duckie sniffled again, her guilt still heavy in her chest, but she nodded. “okay, mama.”
mingi smiled gently, kissing her forehead before standing up and holding out his hand. “come on, let’s take care of that cloud you made.”
duckie hesitated for just a moment before taking his hand, her little fingers gripping his tightly as they walked back toward the kitchen together. she glanced up at him every so often, her heart still pounding from the close call, but there was also a sense of relief in knowing mama wasn’t mad — or was he..?
duckie moved slower than usual, still feeling a little heavy with the guilt of making such a mess. she glanced up at her mama every now and then, watching him work, still expecting him to scold her again. but mingi was calm, focused on wiping down the counters, occasionally glancing over to check on her as she swept up the flour with her little dustpan.
“mama?” duckie’s small voice broke the silence, her eyes big as she looked up at him.
“yes, baby?” mingi replied, his voice gentle but not letting up on the lesson that needed to be learned.
“are you… mad at me?” duckie’s voice wobbled a little, and she stopped sweeping for a moment, clutching the handle of the dustpan tightly.
mingi sighed softly, setting down the rag he was using to clean the counter and crouching down to her level once again. he reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as he met her eyes. “no, baby. i’m not mad. i’m just a little disappointed because we’ve talked about making messes before, remember?”
duckie nodded, her eyes welling up again. “but i just wanted to play…”
mingi gave her a soft smile, understanding where she was coming from. “i know, duckie. but there are ways to play without making a big mess. and next time, you need to ask for permission first, okay?”
duckie sniffled, nodding quickly. “okay, mama. i’ll ask next time.”
mingi smiled wider, reaching out to cup her cheek. “that’s my good girl. i know you’re always trying to have fun, and i love that about you. but we also have to make sure we’re being careful, okay?”
duckie blinked up at him, her guilt slowly easing as she felt the warmth of mama’s forgiveness. “okay, i’ll be careful,” she promised, her voice steadier this time.
mingi kissed her forehead, then stood up, guiding her back to her task. “now, let’s finish up so we can have a little snack, alright? you’ve been working really hard.”
duckie’s face lit up at the mention of a snack, her earlier distress melting away as she eagerly returned to sweeping the last of the flour into the dustpan. “what kind of snack, mama?”
“well, i was thinking we could have some fruit. maybe with yogurt. how does that sound?” mingi asked, smiling as he wiped down the last of the counter.
duckie nodded enthusiastically. “yes, yes! i like fruit!” she said excitedly, her spirits fully lifted now.
as they finished cleaning, mingi couldn’t help but smile at his little girl. despite the earlier mess and the small panic of hearing him call her by her full name, duckie always bounced back. she was resilient, even in the face of gentle discipline, and that was something mingi admired about her.
once the kitchen was back to normal, mingi opened the fridge and began pulling out some strawberries and yogurt, setting them on the counter. “you did such a great job cleaning up, duckie,” he praised, handing her a small bowl.
duckie grinned, holding the bowl carefully as she stood on her tiptoes, peeking up at the counter. even with the stool she was on, she could barely see. “i help you, mama?”
“of course, baby. here, you can put the strawberries in the bowl while i get the yogurt,” mingi said, handing her the sliced fruit.
duckie carefully placed the strawberries into the bowl, humming a little tune to herself as she worked. the earlier incident was all but forgotten as she focused on helping her mama prepare their snack.
mingi smiled to himself as he watched her, feeling a sense of pride at how well duckie had handled the situation after all. sure, she had hidden when she heard her name in that calm, ‘mama’s serious’ voice, but she had faced her mistake, learned from it, and moved on — just like mingi had hoped.
when they finally sat down at the table to enjoy their snack, duckie was all smiles, happily munching on her fruit and yogurt as if nothing had ever happened.
“mama?” she said suddenly, looking up at him with her big, curious eyes.
“yes, baby?”
“i love you,” duckie said simply, her voice filled with warmth and sincerity.
mingi’s heart melted at her words, and he leaned over to kiss the top of her head. “i love you too, duckie. always.”
and with that, all was forgiven, and the flour cloud became nothing more than a memory — a small bump in an otherwise perfect day.
(duckie even made a silent promise to herself: the next time she heard mama call her “haneul,” she wouldn’t hide — at least, not for long.)