During the first script-reading, Eugene stood behind the staff in the corner to hide from the cast and the camera. Authors usually sat beside the director or the producer, but he didn't want more people to know who he was, so he had to hide even from the camera that was recording the behind the scenes.
Turned out, it was the right decision.
Halfway through the script reading--which was truly interesting and became a bit emotional--he felt his phone vibrating. Eugene would have rejected any call during a meeting, usually, but when he saw it was one of the teachers from the kindergarten, he couldn't think about the script reading anymore.
After letting one of the staff know that he'd go to the restroom, Eugene slipped outside and took the call immediately in the hallway.
"Miss Jones?" Eugene asked worriedly. The only time the kindergarten called him was when Hannah had a fever. "Does something happen to Hannah?"
[Mr. Kim, I'm so sorry, but can you come right now? Hannah is--]
Eugene could hear it before the teacher could finish her explanation: the sound of his daughter's cry. No, not just a cry--Hannah was wailing.
Eugene felt the blood drain from his body immediately. The hand holding the palm was cold, and he almost stopped breathing in fright.
[Umm...it's the situation you were talking about] the teacher said quickly. [We're using the neutralizer and she's not feeling sick anymore, but she can't stop crying and calls for her Papa...]
"I'll be there."
Eugene said without hesitation. He didn't even return to the conference room. The situation he was talking about meant Hannah got triggered by a scent or a pheromone. He had no idea how it happened this time, but he could find out later.
His daughter was still crying, damn it!
He ran to the lobby while texting Ashley, telling her he had an emergency regarding his daughter. If she's Allen and Sophie's friend, Eugene was sure Ashley would understand.
Thankfully, the company building was in the middle of the business district, so there were always taxis flashing by. He didn't have the leeway to wait for the bus or go to the station when Hannah's wail was still ringing in his ear.
"Eugene?"
Eugene almost gasped as his steps halted at the voice. Arthur, who always reminded him of Hannah, was walking toward him with widened eyes. At that moment, he didn't even realize that his hand was trembling until he grasped the alpha's arm.
He really almost asked Arthur to come with him.
Arthur wasn't just Hannah's father, but the guy was probably the one who gave Hannah that hypersensitivity. Eugene's mind was filled with storms; he wanted to be angry, but he also wanted Arthur to help him.
In the end, he let go of the alpha's arm. He didn't want to reveal Hannah's existence yet--if not ever.
He could still...he could still do this on his own.
"I'll..."
But still, he could use some help.
"I'll call you later."
"Oh, okay..."
Eugene quickly flagged down a taxi and prayed that there wouldn't be much traffic on the way to the kindergarten. He couldn't even think about the fare, just swiping his card and running toward the building. The teacher who called him was already waiting in front of the door and swiftly led him to where Hannah was.
Because children were prone to crying when they heard their peers cry, they had Hannah in the back room, where the teachers would usually rest. She was wrapped in a blanket, and there was a cup of warm chocolate milk by the table that she refused to touch. A teacher was with her, trying to calm her and make her stop crying--to no avail. Tears kept streaming down her face without stopping that the teachers were worried she would get dehydrated.
The moment the door opened, however, Hannah looked up immediately before she could even see who it was. She could smell it, however, the scent that had been with her since before she was born.
"Han--"
"Bwabwa!" Hannah jumped off the couch and almost tripped on the blanket as she tried to run. But a familiar pair of arms was holding her tight and pulling her into a hug, and she wailed again in relief. "Bwabwa! Hana is s-scaare!"
"I know, baby," the familiar voice and familiar scent enveloped her gently, softer than any blanket could ever be. "Papa is here, mm? It's okay. You're okay.
Hannah nodded and snuggled into her father's embrace, taking a deep breath for the scent that was better than any neutralizer. Soon, her cry turned into soft sobs, and before long, she fell asleep from exhaustion.
Holding her sleeping daughter, Eugene looked at the teacher to ask about what happened in detail. He didn't mean to be harsh, but it seemed like his eyes were too sharp due to the tension, and the teachers were quickly apologizing to him again.
"We were taking the kids to the park earlier," the director stepped up to explain. "As you know, we do it every month when the weather is good. We make sure the surrounding is safe, and the only other group there are high schoolers during their sports class."
Eugene nodded. His school used to do that too when the fields at the scool was all occupied. Since it was almost the spring tournament, the fields were probably full of students training. At least in his experience.
But just by the keyword of high schoolers, Eugene could guess what happened. "Did one of them suddenly manifest?"
Alphas and omegas mostly manifested during their teenage years, meaning around their middle and high school days. Six out of ten, the first manifestation would result in an uncontrollable explosion of pheromones. It wasn't something that could be predicted.
"Yes," the teachers nodded, and secretly heaved a sigh of relief since Eugene seemed to know the answer.
Naturally, it wasn't the teachers' fault. Nothing to criticize or sue.
"We immediately gave Hannah the neutralizer, but she can't stop crying."
In other words, they had done everything by protocol and did everything they could.
"I understand," Eugene nodded.
It was a situation he was always afraid of, but also expected to happen. That was why he told the teachers about the nautralizer. He did not, however, think about the aftermath.
Unlike an adult who might calm down after the ravaging vanished, children would still feel uncomfortable. The fear and the uncertainty would still linger around until they were sure they were safe.
That included Hannah.
During the first trigger, Eugene was also there. When they were in the amusement park, of course, Eugene was there. This was the first time Hannah got triggered by a pheromone while Eugene wasn't by her side. Even after the sickness vanished, she couldn't find her safe space.
"Thank you for calling me right away," Eugene said, prompting the teachers to heave another relieved sigh.
It was always scary when the children's parents got dissatisfied with something, especially if the kids went through something while under their supervision. And if that parent was the friend of the foundation committee member supporting them?
And talking about that committee member...
"Hannah!"
The door opened again, and Sophie came with the same concerned look as if it were her own son's accident. When he saw Eugene was already there and Hannah was already sleeping calmly, she sighed in relief.
"Oh, thank God!"
"Sush," Eugene clasped her mouth lightly when Hannah fussed in his arms. "Can I borrow your car?"
Sophie nodded and stood up again, gesturing outside. "Yeah, of course. Do you want to go back first?"
"Nah--just let me stay inside. It's almost the end of the class, anyway. We can go back together."
"Alright."
"Umm, this is..." The teacher who was waiting for Eugene earlier lifted a paper bag with a cake box inside. "You dropped this earlier."
"Oh..." Eugene widened his eyes. He didn't even realize he still had that paper bag.
As if she already knew what it was, Sophie replied with a smile. "I'll take that, Miss."
Sophie peeked inside the paper bag while walking to her car with Eugene, a subtle grin plastered on her face. She would have teased Eugene about it if it weren't for Hannah's situation.
She might be banned from telling Arthur about Hannah, but Eugene never banned her from trying to make them a bit closer.
The car was warm and nice; Eugene snuggled in the back seat with Hannah, draping a soft blanket over the little girl. Thankfully, perhaps because she was exhausted from crying, Hannah did not stir at all. She only woke up when Sophie left the car to pick up Tobias near the end of the hour.
"Papa?" Hannah blinked slowly, looking up to make sure she was still in her safe space.
"Good morning, baby," Eugene smiled and flicked the girl's red nose lightly. He took the tissues he had been preparing and wiped the trace of tears on her cheeks.
He gave Hannah some water to replace all of the water she let out earlier while meticulously cleaning her face. Her breath still stuttered a little bit, but she looked much better already.
"Papa, Papa--listen!"
Of course, after regaining her strength, the girl went on her story time. Eugene always told Hannah to tell him everything, whether she had a good day or a bad day, so he received a detailed re-enactment of what happened in the park earlier.
"And then--and then Hannah feel dizzy and...and...like when we stay too close to bonfire--"
"You can't breathe?"
"Ung!" Hannah nodded. So it seemed to be quite similar to what Arthur experienced. "Miss Jones give Hannah the small stick Papa put in Hannah's bag, and Hannah can breathe again. But...but...Hannah feel scared and--what is that, Papa?"
"Huh?"
Eugene followed Hannah's distracted gaze to the paperbag on beside him. Her sensitive nose seemed to catch the smell of sugar emanating from the cake box.
"Ah..." Eugene hesitated for a second, but her daughter's eyes were already sparkling in anticipation. He chuckled and took out the cake box, opening it on Hannah's lap.
He had been holding it carelessly, not to mention the drop, so he didn't expect it to still look pretty. Evidently, some frosting was sticking to the box's wall; sprinkles and fruits fallen from their rightful place. Eugene was sure they were pretty before, so he felt kind of guilty for Arthur.
"Cupcakes!" Hannah gasped while grasping her pink cheeks. "Papa, they are so colorful! So pretty!"
Well, it was good that Hannah loved them nonetheless. Eugene had no choice but to accept the fact that Arthur was a better cook than him. He was confident in baking the cake itself, but the frosting and filling were a different story.
"Can Hannah have them, Papa?"
"Yes," Eugene sighed inwardly and smiled. "You can have them for lunch today."
Hannah gasped even more. Dessert as lunch? Is this her birthday?! Hannah took one with a pretty light purple frosting and handed them over to her father. "This is for Papa!" she said before taking--of course--the chocolate one. "This is for Hannah!"
Eugene laughed and tapped his purple cupcake to the chocolate one like a toast before biting into it. He thought it would be another butterfly pea and lemon flavor, but it turned out to be purple yams.
This guy really had game, huh?
Hannah was already humming a melody that Eugene never heard--probably made it up herself--while rocking her body left and right. There was no trace of the wailing baby from an hour ago.
"Is it good?"
"Sooo goood!" Hannah practically buried her face in the cupcake. Frosting was all over her nose and cheek, and she licked them with her short tongue right when the car door opened and Tobias climbed up.
The little cherub stared at Hannah's dirty face and laughed so hard he couldn't climb to the seat by her own. After a help from his mother, he took the green cupcake--this time it was pistachio--and had it while Eugene cleaned Hannah's face again.
"Papa, is this from where you buy the small cakes last time?" Hannah asked while taking the pink, strawberry-flavored one.
It had chopped strawberries and pinkish whipped cream instead of a frosting, and Hannah loved it even more than the chocolate one.
"Yes, they are," Eugene gave up and answered truthfully now. "But it's not a store, so I can't always bring them, okay?"
"No?"
Eugene glanced at Sophie in the passenger seat, who pretended she didn't hear anything--but was definitely watching them through the rear-view mirror.
"No, but..." Eugene sighed. "I can try and ask the baker sometimes."
"The baker~" Sophie muttered with a little chuckle, while Hannah was beyond ecstatic.
"Really?"
"Don't expect too much," Eugene shook his head.
Hannah didn't seem to listen as she finished up the cupcake happily, as if the whole pheromone accident earlier had never happened. Eugene ruffled her soft, thick auburn locks and leaned back on his seat, staring at the almost empty cake box.
Seemed like it was time he looked for non-professional advice.