Seo Eun-hye went to the kitchen and brought back some warm water. She put formula in the baby bottle and poured in the water.
The babies, now lying in a circle on the clean blanket, had the nipples put in their mouths.
However, the babies shook their heads. Although the nipples were in their mouths, they did not suck. They whimpered, indicating they were hungry, but they did not want to eat.
"Oh, Ji-yun. If you're hungry, eat a little."
Ji-yun's mother sighed at the sight of her daughter, who refused to eat despite her whimpers. The other babies were the same.
The only one who was drinking the formula was Seo Jun.
Seeing the anxious mothers, Seo Eun-hye picked up Seo Jun. She hadn't done anything wrong, but seeing her son eating well made her feel a bit self-conscious.
Squish squish—
Seo Jun observed the situation from his mother's arms.
His mother held him, looking perplexed, while the others tried to coax the babies into eating by putting the nipples in their mouths, pleading with them to take just one sip.
Squish squish—
After thinking for a moment while drinking the formula, Seo Jun raised his right hand. If he did nothing, the babies would continue to be noisy, and the mothers might start crying.
'This might not work, but...'
On the baby's right hand, a leaf-green wand pattern was etched, invisible to others.
'I've never used this before...'
To be honest, using abilities like [Fairy Sparkle] was new to him.
In the ecosystem of monsters where the strong prey on the weak, such flashy abilities were unnecessary and even dangerous.
After using only combat abilities every day, it felt somewhat refreshing to use this one.
'Sparkle.'
[Fairy Sparkle - Lowest Tier - is sparkling. It attracts the attention of young, innocent eyes.]
Originally, the fairy's wings should sparkle, but since Seo Jun had no wings, his hair and skin slightly shimmered.
The crying babies' attention turned to Seo Jun, who was sparkling strangely. The mothers couldn't see it.
Only babies, who are free from prejudice and untouched by the world, could see the Fairy Sparkle.
As the babies stopped crying and looked in one direction, the mothers' gazes followed.
They saw Seo Eun-hye holding Seo Jun, sitting on the floor with one hand holding him and the other supporting the bottle.
Squish squish—
The sound of Seo Jun sucking on the nipple was the only one heard.
Seo Jun, who was drinking the formula, calmly waved his right hand. He was shaking the sparkle.
[Fairy Sparkle is shaking. Someone might want to imitate you.]
When a fairy's wings sparkle, it attracts children's attention, and when the fairy dances, the children follow.
Fairies often play tricks on those who imitate them, sometimes even leading children into the forest and making them lost.
Fairies dance, sing, and do strange things. Most of the time, it's strange.
All of this is the power of the sparkle.
Squish squish—
The nipples in the other babies' mouths also made sounds.
Squish squish—
The babies, affected by the sparkle, started to drink the formula.
"Oh my goodness!"
Everyone noticed that the babies were imitating Seo Jun, though they didn't know why.
The babies, who had been crying and refusing the formula, were now eating it as if it were the most delicious thing in the world.
"Seo Jun is amazing!"
"Exactly. They all started eating because Seo Jun did."
The mothers were delighted.
"How wonderful that they eat like this!"
Especially Ji-yun's mother, who was holding Ji-yun, said with a half-sob.
Ji-yun had refused to eat despite her mother's constant pleading and begging. Ji-yun's mother's head ached and she even shed tears every mealtime.
The other mothers nodded. Mina's mother, stroking Mina's golden hair, said:
"So, is this it?"
"This?"
The mothers' gazes turned to Mina's mother. She smiled and said:
"A baby eating broadcast!"
The mothers burst out laughing.
Eating broadcast!
A baby eating broadcast!
"Ahahaha!"
Mina's mother, who records and updates her daily life on a vlog, had said this half-jokingly, and everyone laughed.
"Right!"
"At this level, it could be a real eating broadcast!"
"Totally an eating broadcast star. A star!"
Eating broadcasts, where delicious foods are displayed and eaten in front of a camera, provide vicarious satisfaction to viewers and can help with dieting. They also encourage viewers to order the same menu and eat along.
Seo Jun's eating, which made the other babies follow, was similar.
The babies, who were not interested in the mothers' laughter, continued to drink the formula, following Seo Jun.
Soon, the formula in the bottles was all gone, and the mothers picked up the babies.
Burp!
Seo Jun, who drank first, burped first. Seo Eun-hye then picked up Ji-yun's twin brother, Ji-woo, and helped him burp.
The babies' burps echoed like a round song in the living room. Fortunately, they all ate well and didn't seem to be about to vomit.
The mothers placed the babies on one side of the living room and continued their conversation, occasionally glancing at them.
"Seo Jun's mother."
"Uh-huh?"
Ji-yun's mother called out to Seo Eun-hye. Mina's mother had said it as a joke, but the heart of a mother with a child who doesn't eat well was not so light-hearted.
Ji-yun's mother, feeling a bit embarrassed but for Ji-yun's sake, said:
"Sorry, but could you send me a video of Seo Jun eating?"
Everyone was surprised at Ji-yun's mother's request. Mina's mother, in particular, was shocked:
"No, that was just a joke."
"I know."
Tears welled up in Ji-yun's mother's eyes. The twin mother quickly handed her a tissue.
"Our Ji-yun doesn't eat well, so he's smaller than his peers. I've been trying hard to make him eat, but he just won't..."
Ji-yun's mother cried.
The mothers' gazes turned to the babies. Ji-yun, who was holding his fists, was indeed smaller than Seo Jun, who was the same age. Among the five babies, Ji-yun was the smallest.
Although there was a size difference between Seo Jun and Ji-yun, Seo Eun-hye, thinking it was because Seo Jun was unusually healthy and tall for his age, quickly waved her hand:
"No, sister. Seo Jun is just bigger than his peers, that's why he looks that way."
"…The doctor said I need to make him eat well… sniff…"
Ji-yun's mother finally burst into tears. Ji-yun's face twitched, sensing his mother's crying.
Seeing this, Seo Jun sighed inwardly and raised his right hand to call the sparkle.
'He's not even hungry, but I don't want this unnecessary crying!'
[Fairy Sparkle is sparkling. It attracts the attention of young, innocent eyes.]
Seo Jun's hair and skin shimmered. The babies' attention was drawn to him.
'Oh no! I forgot.'
The babies swarmed around Seo Jun. Unlike before, when he was safely in his mother's arms, Seo Jun was now on the floor, defenseless, and the babies swarmed around him.
Babies, who put anything in their mouths, saw something interesting right in front of them. They wouldn't let it go.
Seo Jun's shimmering hair and fingers were put in the babies' mouths. Squish squish— They were sucking, even though it wasn't formula.
'Mom!'
Seo Jun looked at Seo Eun-hye, but she was comforting Ji-yun's mother. His body was covered in the babies' saliva.
He could have cried out, 'Ugh,' but from their expressions, the mothers seemed to be having a serious conversation.
Seo Jun sighed deeply and let the babies have their way, sacrificing his body to avoid interrupting the mothers' conversation.
Squish squish—
'Why does it feel like my soul is being sucked out?'
"Really, I'm just asking once… sniff."
Ji-yun's mother clasped her hands in a plea. Seo Eun-hye's heart softened at the sight.
Her own son ate well, slept well, and was healthy. He had never been sick. She considered him a very rare baby.
Even though she had raised him without worries, she was still a mother. She understood Ji-yun's mother's feelings very well. Besides, it was just a video of him eating.
'It's not like she's asking for money.'
It's not like she would come to see Seo Jun every time Ji-yun refused to eat. After thinking for a moment, Seo Eun-hye said:
"Sure, I'll send you a video."
"Really?!"
Ji-yun's mother was surprised and grabbed Seo Eun-hye's hands.
"I'll only show it to Ji-yun. Only to Ji-yun…"
Seo Eun-hye, seeing Ji-yun's mother crying, said:
"But, sister… Even if you see the video, there's no guarantee Ji-yun will eat well. This might just be a one-time thing…"
"I know, but even a little effect would be great. If he eats just once out of ten times, that would be enough…"
Ji-yun's mother had thought about this. In fact, she had considered it a coincidence.
But if she saw her friend eating in a video, maybe her daughter would follow. Any little help would be good.
A very thin straw appeared in front of her, who was drowning. She was determined to grab it, for her daughter, Ji-yun.
"Then, I'll send you a video of Seo Jun eating when he has his meals. He won't eat now because he's full."
Ji-yun's mother, wiping away her tears, nodded.
"I really appreciate it. Really… Thank you… I'll definitely repay you…"
Seeing the two, the twin mother and Mina's mother thought for a moment and then spoke:
"Seo Jun's mother, could you send me a video too?"
"Me too!"
"The twins don't usually have trouble eating, but sometimes they don't…"
"Min-a doesn't eat baby food well… Could you send a video of him eating baby food?"
Seo Eun-hye nodded at their requests.
"Sure! I'll just film him eating. I'll send videos of both formula and baby food."
The others' faces finally lit up with smiles. Seo Eun-hye also smiled, seeing the relieved faces of the mothers. She then turned to her well-fed, well-slept son.
"Oh, Seo Jun!"
"Min-a!"
"Ji-ho, Ji-woo!"
"Ji-yun!"
Seo Eun-hye's son was being smothered by the babies, almost resigned to his fate.