The night air felt heavier by the time Ah-rin reached the apartment building.
Her steps slowed in the quiet corridor, the echo of her shoes against the tiled floor sounding louder than it should have. The conversation at the park replayed in her head—every word, every pause, every look she had deliberately avoided holding for too long.
Home.
She clenched her jaw and slid the key into the lock, turning it as quietly as she could.
The door opened with a soft click.
Warm yellow light spilled into the darkness, and with it came a sudden sense of exhaustion that sank straight into her bones. The smell of familiar detergent, the faint sound of the air conditioner humming—it was all so normal. Too normal.
Her eyes drifted instinctively toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
They were home.
Her babies were safe.
That was the only thought keeping her upright.
Ah-rin exhaled slowly, slipping out of her shoes and stepping inside, unaware that she wasn't as alone as she thought.
Ah-rin quietly entered the flat only to find Maggie sitting on the couch in the living room with a worried face. As soon as she noticed Ah-rin's presence, she rushed toward her, panic evident in her eyes. She checked whether Ah-rin was alright or not. Maggie sighed in relief once she was sure that Ah-rin didn't have any further injury and had already changed her dressing from the hospital.
Ah-rin chuckled at her cuteness and concerned state. Maggie glared at her, making Ah-rin act like a scared kitten. She showed her puppy eyes to Maggie, making her look at her suspiciously.
"Rinrin.... Did you went to drink??" Maggie asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"Ah-rin don't drink. Riniee good girl," Ah-rin said, stumbling a little, but Maggie caught her lying.
"Yaah you stupid girl!! You just came back to this country today after five fu©king long years and you already got drunk, that too in this condition!! With this injury!! What if something bad happened to you, huh!!! You are already a mother of two little kids and still acting like a child only. I am so frustrated with your dumba$$. Even your twins act more mature than you!" Maggie ranted in one breath before stopping to catch her breath.
"Baby!!! My babies… Madie, I lost my babies. I can't find them. Bring them to me… Aaaaaaa…." Suddenly, Ah-rin cried out for her babies, remembering how her twins were lost at the airport.
She started crying loudly like a child. Maggie sighed, seeing like mother, like daughter.
Maggie quickly crouched down beside her and put her hands over her mouth to suppress her loud crying sounds.
"Stop it, bish!! Your children are sleeping peacefully in their room. It took me hours to calm them down and make them sleep. My mental peace got destroyed by their continuous crying noises. Now you also don't start again!!" Maggie whisper-shouted into Ah-rin's ear.
"Why did you make them cry then??" Ah-rin asked innocently.
"It was you who made them cry," Maggie replied, completely done with her drunk antics.
"Why did I make them cry!! Madie, I am a bad mommy… aaaaaaa…." Ah-rin mumbled before starting to cry again.
"Stop calling me Madie, it's Maggie!!!! Arghhh!!! Why am I even trying!" Maggie snapped.
"But you are looking like a mad bull. Mad bull Madie," Ah-rin joked.
She started giggling like a little kid. Though Maggie was really pissed that her name was being ruined perfectly by this drunka$$ idiot, she couldn't help but chuckle at her cute giggling. It was a rare sight for her.
She helped Ah-rin stand up from the floor and took her to the bedroom. She made her lie down properly on the bed, covered her with the comforter, and adjusted the room temperature before leaving. But she stopped when she felt a hand grabbing hers.
She turned to see Ah-rin looking at her in a half-asleep state with a pout.
"Cuddles???"
She gave her best puppy eyes, making Maggie chuckle at her cuteness. She looked really adorable like a baby when she was drunk. Once she was sober, she would act like a cold-hearted stone. Maggie lay down in the empty space beside her, and they both cuddled and fell asleep like that.
Time skip to the next morning…
Maggie and Ah-rin's sleep broke when they felt movement between them. Both of them opened their eyes only to see two little cute creatures sleeping between them. The first thing in the morning was the surprise of finding the twins there.
They looked at each other in bewilderment and then chuckled at Noah and Naomi's cute strategy. They found it very adorable. Noah and Naomi both knew that their mommy couldn't ignore their cuteness and puppy eyes. To melt her anger and make sure their mommy wouldn't leave the house before they woke up, they came and slept between them.
Ah-rin and Maggie winked at each other and tried to get up without making any noise, but the clever twins jolted awake as soon as they felt movement. They climbed down from the bed and knelt on the cold floor, holding both of their ears.
Ah-rin and Maggie were shocked to see them take such a step.
"Mommy, we are sorry. Please forgive us," Naomi pleaded.
"Mommy, please forgive Mimi. She wasn't at fault. She just followed me so that I wouldn't get lost and end up getting lost with me. It's my fault. Don't punish her, mommy," Noah cried between sobs.
"Get up," Ah-rin said in a cold voice.
"Mo… mommy…" Noah tried again.
"Don't make me more angry. I said get up, now!!"
Both siblings stood up, looking down at the floor. Ah-rin took slow steps toward them, and when she finally stood in front of them, she engulfed them in a motherly hug. Noah and Naomi smiled, realizing their mommy had forgiven them.
"Never—listen to me—never ever do this again. I will beat your ass until it becomes red and you won't be able to sit properly for days if you ever dare to do that again," Ah-rin warned them.
"We won't, mommy. We are sorry," they promised almost in sync.
"I missed you so much, my babies."
"We also missed you, mommy!!"
"Such a drama queen and drama king you both are!!! From where did you learn it, hmm??" Maggie teased them.
She pulled their cheeks, making them whine while Ah-rin chuckled at their cuteness.
"Oh segcy Madie, we are drama prince and princess, and she is our queen. We learned it from her," Noah said sassily, pointing at his mommy.
"It's Maggie, not Madieeeee!!!!"
Maggie huffed, done with this mother–babies trio. All three burst into laughter while Maggie tried to look offended but ended up laughing too.
"Okay, okay… enough now. Get ready, you little rats. It's your first day at school. Do we want to get late??" Ah-rin reminded them.
"Ayooo!! It's your first day at the office, big mice. Do we want to get late??" Noah mimicked her.
Now it was Maggie and the twins' turn to burst into laughter, while Ah-rin huffed in annoyance.
"You little rats!!!"
Noah and Naomi ran out of the room to save their peaches from their mommy's beatings. Ah-rin smirked at Maggie, who was still laughing. Maggie gulped nervously and ran toward the bathroom to save her beautiful peaches too.
Ah-rin chuckled at her three babies.
"This is what home feels like… my home," she murmured to herself.
She freshened up in another washroom and went to make breakfast for them all.
Later that morning, after the laughter faded and the apartment settled into a comfortable rhythm, Ah-rin stood alone in the kitchen.
The kettle whistled softly on the stove.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting gentle shadows across the counter. She leaned against it, resting her weight carefully, her bandaged hand tucked close to her body.
From down the hallway came muffled voices—Noah arguing dramatically about socks, Naomi insisting her bag was too heavy, Maggie shouting something about being late already.
Ah-rin smiled despite herself.
This.
This chaos. This noise. This warmth.
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, letting it all sink in. Whatever ghosts had tried to follow her home last night had no place here. Not in this kitchen. Not in these mornings.
She straightened, picked up the cups, and poured the tea.
Outside, the world waited—with questions, with consequences, with a past that refused to stay silent.
But for now, Ah-rin chose this moment.
Breakfast.
Laughter.
Her family.
And just for today, that was enough for her peace.
To Be Continued…