One Month of Ahyeon's Yogurt Training
A month had passed since I started training Ahyeon as my assistant at the kindergarten. Thanks to sacrificing heaps of yogurt, candy, and snacks, the education had yielded decent results. Nestled between the bookshelves that had become my exclusive seat, I leaned against the wall and slowly turned the pages.
"Huuuing. Too little..." And right beside me, Ahyeon was scraping the bottom of her yogurt container clean. She smacked her lips in dissatisfaction.
"All gone?" I closed the book I was reading and turned my head toward her.
Ahyeon nodded brightly, as if her pout had never happened. "Yeah!"
"What about the leftovers?"
"Trash can! Gone!" With that shout, Ahyeon grabbed the yogurt container and dashed off somewhere. When she returned, her hands were empty.
"You threw it away properly?"
Ahyeon planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly. "Super clean!"
I chuckled and set the book down. Then I patted my thigh. "Good job. Come here, then. Time for your reward."
"Heheheng." Ahyeon's face flushed as she clambered clumsily onto my lap.
Over the past month, I'd ingrained a single formula into her little head: Obey Taeyang = Get praised = Feel good. Ultimately, it boiled down to: Obey Taeyang = Feel good.
I ran my hand over the back of Ahyeon's head as she buried her nose in my nape. This level of skinship had become so routine that even if we did it in front of others, they'd just shrug it off.
"Good girl. You did great."
"Did I do good?"
"Yeah. Super good."
"Hehehe."
I called it training or whatever, but it wasn't anything special. It was just an extension of education. Especially with a toddler whose sense of self wasn't fully formed yet—the word "education" really hit home. In a family, isn't what parents do for their kids basically education and training? Even the tiniest things, if praised consistently, create a reward system. Down the line, it turns into the drive to seek out praiseworthy tasks on their own, not just follow orders. It's a ridiculously simple algorithm anyone knows, but surprisingly few parents stick to the cycle.
Conversely, master this, and you can wield more influence than a parent. In that sense—and it was kind of sad, really—Ahyeon lived in the perfect home for this training. Overworked, exhausted dual-income parents who were too busy to be harmonious, leaving the kid to spend her time alone. For Ahyeon, my presence was already more than her parents'—no exaggeration.
"Snuuuurf." Maybe just sniffing wasn't enough anymore; she started sucking on my collarbone with wet smacks.
As she pulled her lips away from the now saliva-soaked spot, Ahyeon made a lispy sound. "Yogurt smell..."
I gave a wry smile at her mumble. Honestly, the situation was ridiculous. Who'd have thought I'd end up using yogurt body lotion? And I'd even switched my shampoo to green grape candy scent. My whole body felt like a walking snack.
"Too good..." But seeing her love it so much made it feel a little rewarding.
"You like it?"
"Mmmh."
I slid my hand down to hug Ahyeon's back. We pulled each other close, faces buried in each other's napes. My frame was just a bit bigger, making the position possible.
We stayed like that for a while before I furrowed my brow, then relaxed my expression.
"Ngh, mm."
"Whyyy?"
Maybe I should buy some sugar-free yogurt... Kids this age really shot up overnight; the weight on my legs felt pretty heavy.
"Nothing." No matter how young, I wasn't about to say something dumb like that to a girl. Instead, I stroked her hair along its flow.
"It's 'cause I like Ahyeon so much."
"I like Taeyang too much too!"
To fully change the subject, I added, "What'd you do at home yesterday?"
"Ahh!"
And I immediately regretted the question.
*
An hour had passed. Or maybe two. One thing was certain: I was dying.
"So last night on TV!"
"Yeah?"
"And then like, from its mouth, kuaaaak! Fire comes shooting out!"
"Sounds fun. Then what?"
"Elephant uncle comes out of the fridge! Wraps the Earth around his trunk and throws it at Jupiter!"
I couldn't tell her to stop when she was so excited. I nodded along enthusiastically, letting it flow in one ear and out the other.
"Yeah! And then! And thennn!"
As she paused to catch her breath, salvation appeared from afar. A teacher was rounding up the kids one by one.
"Kids~ Nap time~"
I stifled a laugh and shook my head regretfully. "Aww, man. Guess I'll hear the rest later."
With headcount coming, we couldn't hide and chat forever. I slipped my hands under Ahyeon's armpits and lifted her up. Yep, heavy.
"Let's go."
"Hing. Okay."
"Wanna hold hands?"
"Hands! Hold!"
We clasped hands tightly and headed to the teacher spreading out blankets.
The teacher, who had been laying out dozens alone, startled when she saw me. She barely regained her composure, but her unease was obvious.
"Oh my. Taeyang came to help teacher again?"
"Ahyeon wants to too."
Ahyeon shot her hand up. "Yes!"
Kindergarten teachers were mostly guys, but there were one or two women since physical work wasn't zero. And generally, they handled these miscellaneous chores. Well, less about gender, more about being the junior.
The tense teacher pointed shakily at the pile of pillows far off. "Th-then, Taeyang and Ahyeon, can you bring those pillows?"
"Sure."
"Yessiree!"
It wouldn't have taken long alone, but split three ways, it finished fast. Once everyone gathered and checked, they all lay down under their blankets. Lights out.
The kids, who'd been bouncing like energizer bunnies all day, conked out instantly like flipped switches.
My blanket lifted sneakily, and Ahyeon crawled under. Big enough for kids; two fit fine. Sharing blanket and pillow, she grinned at me.
"Fuhehehe."
She giggled goofily and leaned in close. Then.
Mwah— Now she initiated without me prompting. Our "normal" routine, drilled in over the month.
"Love you."
"Yeah, me too."
"Love Taeyang so much."
Her unusually clear pronunciation sent chills down my spine. Am I the one being trained here?
No way... right?
*
I quietly got up so as not to wake Ahyeon sleeping right in front of me. Glancing around, all the other kids were out in various poses. Tiptoeing carefully in case someone stirred, I slipped out of the room.
Destination: staff lounge. I quickly opened the door and stepped in.
"Ngh."
Waiting inside was the female teacher from earlier with the blankets. And naturally, no other teachers in sight.
"What are you doing?"
Meeting her uneasy eyes, I grinned, baring my teeth.
"Don't undress."