But Seungcheol, ever so understanding, let him be. With his smile still so stubbornly stayed
on his face, he pinched Jihoon’s nose. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth after eating! You said
you want to keep all your happy little teeth, didn’t you?”
Jihoon did say that.
But, later that day, he lost his first baby tooth.
When he was about to cry, from the stinging pain and from having to say goodbye to his
precious tooth, Seungcheol patted his head, comforted him.
“Jihoonie, do you know that if you put your tooth on the table beside your bed, and make a
wish, the Tooth Fairy will exchange it with anything you want?”
Jihoon’s eyes got bigger, his mouth agape. Why did he only hear about this now?
“Really???”
Chuckling heartily, Seungcheol answered, “Yes, really.”
So, that night, Jihoon brushed his teeth, also the little tooth he’d lost earlier, washed his feet,
and went to bed earlier than he usually did. He put the little tooth on his kitten-patterned hand-
kerchief, carefully placed it under the light of the bedside lamp. You know, in case the Tooth
Fairy couldn’t find it in the dark. And then, Jihoon put his hands together and closed his eyes.
“Hyung, do I have to say my wish out loud?”
“Yes, Jihoonie. So the fairy won’t bring you the wrong gift.”
“Okay.” Jihoon tightened his hands, taking a deep breath. Jihoon had never been this serious
before, and he hoped the Fairy would know. “Dear Tooth Fairy, I want a new Ironman
costume for Halloween tomorrow. I promise I’ll brush my teeth really reeeally well from now
on, so you’ll get all the good teeth!”
“Amen.”
Seungcheol tucked him in, kissing him goodnight. Jihoon fell asleep with a smile that night.
He couldn’t wait for morning to come.
Jihoon woke up at the first song of the morning birds, impatiently threw his blanket aside.
There, where his tooth had been just a few hours before, was a box. Jihoon hurriedly opened
it, his smile grew wider and wider as he peeled the wrappings.
“Hyung! Seungcheol-hyung! Look! Look what I got!”