They gathered by the door with smiles as Valena checked everything one last time.
"Socks and shoes?"
The kids nodded their heads and grabbed each other's hands.
"Alright! Let's go!"
Pumping her fist in the air, Valena opened the door to see the receptionist standing at the door with sleep-deprived eyes.
"Are you alright? Sh-should I call an ambulance?"
Valena's worried voice brought tears to the woman's eyes.
"Why are you asking if I'm alright!? I-I should be asking you!"
The woman sobbed as she held Valena in her arms. Startled, Valena just let her hold on to her while she signaled the kids to go back into the room.
"I don't want my siblings to know I am hurt. They have been through enough already."
Valena whispered with a subtle threatening tone and a sickly sweet smile. The old woman caught the hint and nodded frightened by Valena's overpowering presence.
"I-I'm sorry. I was so worried for you that I didn't get any sleep. My brain's a little clouded."
The woman stared at her as if she was seeing someone else and Valena knew the worry wasn't for her. Seeing Valena's look of pity was tainted with mistrust, the woman quickly continued.
"You would be around the same age as my granddaughter had she not passed away."
The sorrow on her face softened Valena's heart and she slowly retracted her threatening aura. Pushing the woman back, she sighed and said.
"I'm not your granddaughter and I'm not going to be her replacement"
The old woman solemnly nodded and released Valena from her grip. Her resolve became even stronger as she glanced at her siblings with their innocent watchful eyes.
"Thank you for worrying, but everything is fine. If you'll excuse us, we've some exploring to do."
Valena grabbed Nabi's hand with a kind smile and pulled the kids out of the room while shutting the door behind them. The old woman started to speak but held herself back as watched them leave with uneasy eyes. Piling into the elevator Nabi and Haru focused on Valena quizzically.
"Everything's all right. She just mistook me for her granddaughter who passed away. "
Rubbing Nabi's head gently, she tried to hide the discomfort she was feeling from her wound. They made their way to the bakery right as the doors opened. The children were amazed by all the smells and scrumptious-looking desserts. The bakery gave off a sophisticated vibe, and even the employees seemed very elegant and high-class.
"What can I get a lovely lady such as yourself?"
The male employee swooned over Valena's beauty, ignoring the kids. With their faces pressed to the glass, Nabi and Haru were practically drooling over the sweets and couldn't care less about the rude employee.
"Pack five pieces of mochi bread, five pieces of hotteok, and five pieces of bungeoppang."
His incompetence didn't go overlooked by Valena and her mood worsened as he became distracted. The female employee standing by rolled her eyes and pushed the man out of the way as she started to ring up Valena's order.
"I apologize for his lack of intelligence. Here is your order. I hope you have a nice day."
Glaring at her coworker, the young woman swiped her card and quickly handed Valena her bag.
"Say thank you."
Reminding the kids of their manners, Valena nodded in the direction of the employee.
With a beaming smile, Valena bowed and led the kids to one of the tables under the skylight. The kids had huge grins on their faces as she passed out portions of each pastry. Tearing Yejun's serving into small pieces, she fed him in between taking bites of her own. After everything was finished, she moved to throw all of their trash away when Haru asked.
"Noona, do we have any water?"
"No, but I can get some. Is there anything else you guys want?"
Wiping the crumbs off Yejun's and Nabi's faces, she calculated how much money they had left.
"Chocolate bread!"
Haru exclaimed loudly while watching a passerby eat their bread. Leaving the duo at the table, Valena threw away their trash and went to order.
"Could I get six bottles of water and five pieces of chocolate bread, Please?"
Handing the cashier her card, she looked back to see if the kids were behaving. The two had similar expressions of excitement as they waited for her to return. Laughing at her siblings, she thanked the employee and hurriedly went back to the kids. As she set the bag on the table she realized Yejun's diaper was squishy and began to ask.
"Hey, Haru did yo-"
Holding up a backpack, Haru gave a knowing smile to his sister as she divided the bread.