Little tendrils of sleep curled around him ever so gently, gradually descending him into its awaiting arms. Its peaceful hush lulled the external noises on the flight. He felt himself slip deeper into its embrace when . . .

An ear-piercing scream struck his eardrum like a gavel striking a gong dead in the center.

What the—

The tendrils of sleep flinched and slithered away as his eyelids fluttered open with an exhausted sigh.

A nap was all he wanted but the baby in the seat beside him seemed to have different ideas. The man, presumably the child's father, bounced the baby ever so lightly in his arms, shushing him . . . or well, at least trying to.

But no, the baby was inconsolable and screamed even louder than before — something that surprised Namjoon for he assumed the child could get no louder.

It was bound to happen though. Namjoon knew it from the time he stepped into the plane.

Well, okay.

Maybe not from the time he stepped in the plane but the minute he knew the seat beside him was taken by a man with a six month old baby . . . yeah, he knew there would be crying somewhere in between the 14 hour journey by air.

"Aye, hush now. Jungkookie. Hey, baby. Are you hungry?" The man spoke in a tone so soothing, Namjoon was sure he could fall back asleep with it if it weren't for the screaming babe.

But the baby refused the feeder, crocodile tears dripping down his pink tinted cheeks.

"Okay, you're not hungry," the man seemed to say to himself, "Hush, baby. Ou, look there. Look. See clouds, kookie. Clouds."

But the baby seemed least interested in clouds at the moment. The man placed one hand on the baby's back and with the other, he checked his diaper.

"You haven't soiled your nappy as well. Kookie, baby. Hush."

To be continued . . .