interlude
just the two of us, mister (im)perfect
BEGINNING NOTES:
We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you a break in Kim Jongdae’s mind.
Tune in for a brief showing of the life of Byun Baekhyun, featuring tragic backstories, gay realizations, and dogs.
I have made Baekhyun half-Chinese in this verse for story reasons. I know he has a name written in hanja, but I have altered it slightly for pronunciation and meaning.
For your reference:
Byun Hyeri (alpha) - 변혜리 (rom: Byeon Hye-Ri)
Wang Liyin (beta) - 汪莉殷 (pinyin: Wāng Lì Yīn)
Byun Baekbeom - 汪柏橎 (pinyin: Wāng Bǎi Fǎn)
Byun Baekhyun - 汪柏賢 (pinyin: Wāng Bǎi Xián)
I have also provided footnotes for some cultural context!
The wooden frame rattled as the door nearly blew off its hinges. Baekhyun mentally apologized to his neighbours for making a fuss first thing in the morning. However, it was hard to be polite with the raging fury growing within him.
No Hello, Baekhyun. How are you settling in America? or I’m sorry, my son, for moving your entire life across the ocean, yet again.
No. That would mean that his sire had a heart underneath that frosty exterior, that she felt remorse. Baekhyun never considered himself an optimist—that Baekhyun died long ago. Although, deep down, he still hoped and prayed that the woman who held him with such tenderness, surrounding him with the sharp yet refreshing scent of peppermint as she bit onto his cheeks cooing Liyin-ah, where is our son? All I see is mandu! still existed beneath the icy mask of Chairwoman Byun Hyeri.
But, Baekhyun knew better. His Eomma was gone, leaving behind the jagged shards of Eomeoni. And Eomeoni only cared about one thing:
“I have notified the Parks of your current stay abroad. Assistant Shim sent a copy of your scheduled meetings with the young Park heir to your inbox. This is your last chance, child. Do not make a mockery of yourself. Do I make myself clear?”
The aftertaste of rancid coffee grounds lingered in the stagnant air. Swallowing the bile that managed to crawl into his mouth, Baekhyun spat, “Crystal, Eomeoni.”
Like most children, Baekhyun dreamed of meeting his soulmate, the other half of his heart. He yearned for an ending like the knight who saved the princess from the evil dragon threatening to override their bond; for the princess to stand up against her parents for marrying her off to a foreign power when her soulmate stands beside her as her retainer.
But stories were only confined to the pages within their books. Reality, on the other hand, was a cruel mistress.
He knew better. After all, his mothers were soulmates, and look how they ended up:
One was forever locked in the glass chamber of her office, the other beside her eldest in a crypt that overlooked the Han River.
Sometimes, Baekhyun wondered if his life would have been different if he had just gone to school that day. Would he have joined Fan-ge6 and Mama in the afterlife? Would they be here now since Baekhyun normally made a fuss being strapped into his car seat, missing the drunk driver by mere moments?
If they were here, Baekhyun would still be in Korea, probably studying for the Suneung while bothering his older brother to treat him to bubble tea. His Eomma would scold him for slacking off while his Mama would laugh and say, Xin’gan ah,2 let Xian-bao take a break ah? He has been studying so hard for his exam. As always, Eomma would roll her eyes before handing Baekhyun her card while warning Fan-ge, Don't spoil your brother too much.
His brother would have been twenty-two, newly graduated with a degree in business. He probably would have studied at SNU or Yonsei since he never liked being away from home. If Fan-ge hadn't met his soulmate by then, Eomma would have arranged something with a demure omega from a well-to-do family, only after hours of discussing it with Mama since Byun Hyeri could never say no to Wang Liyin.
Of course, he still would have been engaged to Park Chanyeol, the only alpha son in the main family of the Park conglomerate, for that agreement was set before he was born. However, maybe the arrangement wouldn't feel as stifling with his Mama holding him tight, keeping him safe with her scent of nutmeg and cinnamon. She would convince Eomma to let Baekhyun and Chanyeol go at their own pace, they have all the time in the world, xin’gan. They're just kids. Mama would pat his head while saying, Xian-bao, it'll be okay, ah? Mama is always here for you.
Maybe Fan-ge—or was it Baekbeom in Korea? Baekbeom-hyung? He only ever knew him as Fan-ge—would have his own condo in Seoul. A modest unit not far from their apartment. Baekhyun would hide out there when the studying became too much, and he would complain about Eomma's expectations while stealing Fan-ge's snacks from his fridge. Fan-ge would threaten to rat him out while inviting him to stay for dinner, maybe even offering to help Baekhyun with his literature homework because Fan-ge was always better at the humanities than he was.
Mama would still be writing books, probably moving on to more lengthy novels since she always wrote with her children in mind. Maybe she would have gone back to the office after her youngest wasn't as needy, taking a more hands-on position at her family's publishing company. She would take her children to visit their grandparents more often, especially to the retirement estate where the kids could breathe without the weight of upper society.
The realization pained him. It's funny. How different Baekhyun's life would have been if the two person-like holes in his heart never existed. He would have had one Mama, one Eomma, and one gege. Standing proud, the image of the power couple Byun Hyeri and Wang Liyin with their two children, Byun Baekbeom and Byun Baekhyun. One, two, three, four members.
Nearly a decade later, only the stones of a meek omega child and his cracked marble of a sire withstood the test of time. One… Two… Just one, two…
It had been years since Baekhyun stepped foot on "good ol' American soil," not since his grandparents dropped him off back to his flight to Korea for middle school at Eomeoni's request. But he never forgot the scent of LAX, the stifling miasma of smog, jet fuel, and bodies baking in the Los Angeles desert heat. For that, upon exiting the airport terminal after an 11-hour flight, the young man breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't home, far from it. But it was familiar, something comfortable as he adjusted himself to the English signage and speech. Without skipping a beat, he moved toward the baggage claim, rolling his carry-on behind him.
We meet yet again, Terminal B.
In another life, maybe Baekhyun would have been content with this arrangement. Technically speaking, Park Chanyeol was the ideal alpha—tall, well-bred, and handsome. Their engagement, while predestined before they were born, could have been seen as the perfect love match between childhood friends. The news headlines practically wrote themselves: Wedding of the Century! See the inside scoop of the monumental union between chaebol childhood sweethearts, Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun! Exclusive wedding AND honeymoon photographs on page 8!
Genuinely, he could have been okay. If only being married did not automatically include having children, kissing, hugging, going on dates, etc. etc. If those parts were stripped from the equation, if they could have just signed the marriage certificate and called it a day, Baekhyun would have loved being together with the Park family’s only alpha son.
Don’t get him wrong, Baekhyun would do anything for Chanyeol, just as the alpha would do anything for him. But he would rather the LAX bathroom floor twice over than willingly subject himself to a full-on mouth kiss with the guy.
“Bro! I’ll have you know that my lips are-”
“-are personally crafted from the hands of gods. I know, Yeol.” The omega glared at the red-headed alpha as the latter splattered tteokbokki sauce in the eager defence of his looks. Pushing a wad of napkins Chanyeol’s way, Baekhyun remarked, “I see you haven’t changed a bit.”
Mid-chew, the alpha snarked, “And I see you are as cuddly as ever, babe .”
“Like a bed of roses, honeybuns.”
For a few, tense moments, the two glared at each other, not willing to be the first one to back down. Well, until a drop of tteokbokki sauce dripped down Chanyeol’s chin, landing with a quiet plop. For a quick second, their eyes met. For one weak moment, Baekhyun cracked.
“Damn, you look like an idiot,” he snickered as the other wiped his chin, rolling his eyes at the omega. “God, I missed you, bro. Korea wasn't the same without you.”
At the mention of Korea, Chanyeol’s eyebrows furrowed, emphasizing his forehead wrinkles. His scent, normally a palatable blend of hickory and smoke, bled subtle notes of ashe.
Seeing this, Baekhyun scoffed. He took a sip of his milk tea, chewing the thick straw every so often. “Not you too. I can handle a lecture from Popo3 later, but not you. Best friend code dictates that I am allowed one Avoid the Situation card.”
Chanyeol returned to his tteokbokki, quietly muttering, “Bro, you used up that card years ago.” He continued, “In all seriousness, I leave for uni and suddenly the tabloids are calling you a delinquent? I wouldn't have known if my sister hadn't texted me to check-in on you. She worries too, ya know?”
Unsure what to say, Baekhyun stared at the grain of the wooden table, watching the lines turn into spirals and eyes. It took everything in his power to not crinkle his nose at the stifling smoke of Chanyeol’s worry.
“Bro, I’m serious. You’re not like this. How do you think I feel reading headlines like that? Like, Dispatch's commentary is unwarranted on a good day, but this?”
“What’s there to say, Yeol? I argued with Eomeoni over my life? That isn’t new.” With his growing bitterness over the situation, his unique scent of warm morning coffee darkened. “I can’t ing do anything without her reminding me that it reflects on you too. Physics camp? No no Baekhyun. An omega mustn’t shine brighter than their alpha. Aigoo. You need to stop with this hapkido nonsense. You are becoming too muscular for your station. What would Chanyeol think? Like what the . She knows you didn’t care then. Why would you care now? Why does it ing matter?” To close his point, Baekhyun stabbed another hole in his milk tea lid, stirring the remaining tea with a newfound vigour. “I can’t even go to you anymore after our fights because you’re a whole ocean away.”
“And now you take it out on your poor competitors. Look. I told you I would have been fine with staying in Seoul for university. Maybe-”
“Don’t finish that sentence, Park. I told you before, it goes against the bro code to bar you from attending your dream school just because of my family drama. Yeah, I missed you, but you’re happy here. One of us should be, at least.”
“Bro, we both should be happy.”
“But here we are. What’s done is done. It’s not like I was happy in Korea anyway. It’s too quiet without you.”
To ensure he focused on his studies, Eomeoni forced Baekhyun to board at the school. According to the alpha, his maternal grandparents would be too soft on disciplining him. To that, Baekhyun called bull. He knew it was for his torture, to distance himself from his support system while making it just close enough to taunt him. Sure, he could visit. But it wasn't the same as coming back to his bedroom back at the house. Knowing his popo and gonggong4, the room was exactly as he left it: Ben 10 posters taped on the walls, Pokémon figurines sitting on his desk, copies of his mama's books on the shelf. Would his bedsheet still be an action shot of the Teen Titans? Would it still faintly smell like morning brew or would the calming scents of petrichor and flowers take hold instead? Would Mongryong's bed still be in the corner of his room? Probably not. Mongryong hated being alone, but he always wondered.
It didn't matter how many times he planned to visit, or how much he wished to catch up with popo and gonggong. Because at the end of the day, he would have to go back to a lonely, stale shared boarding school bedroom.
God forbid he was reminded of the happy childhood his grandparents gave him after the accident. No, Baekhyun knew Eomeoni wanted him to forgive and forget everything of that time. Just because she eventually saw reason and decided to parent again years later.
But he never forgot. Byun Hyeri made her choice when she shipped her son off abroad to wallow in grief as if he was merely a pet to be rehomed, and not her young, grieving child.
Byun Hyeri did not teach him English to better adapt in school. She didn't comfort him from his night terrors each time he dozed off. And she definitely did not introduce him to a new friend, a tiny corgi puppy, to help with his grief. No. She chose to isolate herself from the world. She chose to let popo and gonggong take care of him, despite them simultaneously grieving the loss of their only daughter. It was clear all those years ago: Byun Baekhyun was no longer a part of Byun Hyeri's ideal life.
Over the years, Baekhyun had come to accept that he lost three people that day of the car accident: Mama, Fan-ge, and the remaining love of Eomma.
So who gave her the right to dictate his future once she remembered she still had one surviving child around? No one, but that didn't stop her from intruding upon any sort of happiness in Baekhyun's life, subduing her son with sharp glares and the biting miasma of icy mint. For years he had relentlessly fought against her suffocating expectations.
He couldn’t give in. He refused to give Eomeoni the satisfaction. But he was only one person. Every person had their limits.
He nearly gave in to the desire to join his Mama, reaching over to take her hand and leap. Instead, the universe offered the hand of a young omega whose presence cut through the biting cold with just his inviting scent of cinnamon and brown sugar.
For the first time in forever, Baekhyun could breathe.
Kim Jongdae entered his life like a lighthouse shining through the fog. The world became clearer in a way that he had never realized before; like wearing glasses for the first time. It wasn’t love at first sight, no. It was more like finding a piece of yourself you never realized was missing until you found it again.
Baekhyun didn’t expect anything to happen on his first day in this new school. In fact, he had planned to just follow through the motions until the year ended, causing just enough mischief to annoy Eomeoni across the ocean but not enough to get expelled. It was the omega’s scent that caught his attention first. At first, he thought that someone brought freshly baked snickerdoodle cookies—from a nutrition class or something—yet underneath the top notes of cinnamon and sugar was a strange bitterness. Coffee? Expresso? It didn’t matter, however. If Baekhyun had listened to his desires, he would have just followed his nose and snuggled into the source, rubbing his face to bury himself with that uniquely perfect mixture of sweet and unsweet. Decorum be damned.
The boy had attended elite private omega-exclusive schools his entire life. He was intimately aware of what his fellow dynamic typically smelled like. It wasn’t bad per se, but it was enough to give him headaches if he stayed in an enclosed space for far too long. Just the ample amount of pleasant for him to tolerate the school day. More often than not, the sweetness overpowered the atmosphere, clogging his throat like molasses.
This scent, however, was perfect. Sweet enough to entice, yet bitter enough to balance the aroma. It left him wanting more.
Baekhyun jumped when his teacher lightly nudged him to proceed with the introductions, the latter offering a reassuring smile to offset the nerves.
He had done this for the classes prior; yet, pray tell, why had his speech facilities ceased to function upon meeting the eyes of a singular hunched-over boy in the front of the class?
Asian, like him. A mess of black hair that desperately needed a comb. A prominent Adam’s apple that poked from the collar of his uniform. Designer eye bags that rivalled his Eomeoni’s after she dealt with the Board of Directors. A cute set of ears. A slightly skewed tie. A set of plush lips that naturally upturned at the corners.
The most beautiful person he had ever set his eyes on.
It took a second for him to connect the tempting scent to this singular boy in the middle of his English class.
And suddenly, everything made sense.
“How did you know that Eomma was your soulmate, Mama?”
“I just knew, Xian-bao5. When Mama first set her eyes on your Eomma, all I saw was her and only her. Nothing else in the world mattered but her and I. Mama told herself that this grumpy, grumpy alpha is mine. Then we got married and had your brother.”
“And me!”
“Yes. And you too, baobao.”
His mother had always been a hopeless romantic, viewing the world with rose-tinted glasses. Her stories were always embellished with fantasy and idealism. Yet, for once, her description was completely factual—accurate.
That day, Byun Baekhyun had met his soulmate, his heart, his fated.
He never expected said soulmate to be distant when they officially met, for the other to completely ignore their initial meeting in a manner that would have impressed Baekhyun under any other circumstance. Jongdae, whom he had come to know, never pushed Baekhyun away, no. Jongdae never pulled away. Maybe, if he wasn’t too selfish to let go, it would have hurt less if Jongdae had pushed him away, he would have gotten a clear hint.
But no, Jongdae never sought out Baekhyun’s affection, but he accepted it regardless. Hell, the other managed to keep his cool in the midst of his preheat, only asking Baekhyun for some HeatMo and water. He didn't ask for any scented items or his company, just some meds and a promise that Baekhyun would be on standby for "emergency" trips to the store at the latter's insistence. He never minded the scenting, seeming to always respond to Baekhyun’s scent instinctually, yet Jongdae never initiated any sort of interaction. Yes, they had become quick friends, yet the raven never pushed for anything more than that. He offhandedly mentioned his completely platonic arranged relationship with Chanyeol, only to find that Jongdae only wished him happiness in his future marriage.
“Oh, that’s rough buddy.”
“Eat your fries, Yeol.”
“I’m just saying. I don’t speak omega-”
“What ing ist bull are you-”
“Kidding. Anyway, I am probably just a dumb alpha-”
“You are.”
“Yah! Who’s ist now? As I was saying, he seems like a nice person. He doesn’t seem like the type to be harsh. He is probably letting you down lightly. Sorry bud, but it seems as though your soulmate is straight.”
Look. He may be dumb, but he understood that. But it was okay, a lot of soulmates end up not being romantic. They could make it work if that was what Jongdae desired. He thought he would be okay with an arms-length friendship. But life doesn’t work that way.
One January afternoon, they were hanging out like normal. This time, the location was, conveniently, his bedroom since his roommate went home for the weekend. In no time, Jongdae splayed himself on Baekhyun’s bed as the latter attempted to wrap a birthday present he bought for a fellow Hapkido Club member. Pads of gift wrapping paper and scotch tape cluttered the room with Baekhyun at the center of it all.
Baekhyun would have been in a state of focus, of zen. But that was hard to do when he kept turning his attention to a certain someone snickering at the elder’s every inconvenience. It’s not his fault that wrapping paper doesn’t come with a manual and Youtube wasn’t helping! The quicker he finished, the quicker he could convince Jongdae to (platonically) cuddle while watching this new show on Netflix he found: Umbrella Academy.
One snicker later, Baekhyun had enough. He abandoned the scotch tape at his side while crossing his arms, aiming to look extremely pitiful. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” He accused with a pouty look.
To an onlooker, Jongdae’s expression would have been seen as mocking. But Baekhyun knew his soulmate better. Rather, his snickerdoodle scent sweetened every passing moment, unveiling the omega’s true mirth. Without thinking, Baekhyun responded with his complimentary morning dark brew, enveloping the room in a homely atmosphere of languid autumn mornings.
“Who? Me?” Jongdae tilted his head in mock confusion. “No, no. I’m just doing my homework you see.” He gestured to the practically blank piece of paper in front of him, a decoratively drawn “THE” sticking out like a sore thumb. “You go back to doing what you’re doing.
Baekhyun gave a blank look.
“Okay, fine. It’s funny,” the younger omega admitted with a lighthearted smirk, the type that enticed Baekhyun to kiss the upturned corners- quit it. He wants to be friends, remember. Take the hint!
Paying no heed to Baekhyun’s mental debate, Jongdae set aside his things to ask, “Although, I don’t understand why I can’t just help you. I’ve been sitting here for an hour watching you do this.”
At the mention of being helped, Baekhyun’s eyes hardened as he remembered why the hell he was putting so much effort into the present in the first place. Pulling the pads of wrapping paper and tape closer, he asserted, “It won’t be as meaningful for Lucas’s birthday if I don’t wrap it myself.”
At the raven’s cute puzzled face, Baekhyun shook his head and sighed, asking the former, “What if I just gave you an unwrapped box for your birthday, huh?”
“I wouldn’t mind. I would appreciate it if you gave me a present in the first place.”
“That’s not- You know what, never mind. I guess that’s one roll of wrapping paper saved for the future.” With that, he motioned to return to wrapping the box again before he paused. Wait a minute. When was Jongdae’s birthday? Did he never ask? That couldn’t be right. Yet as Baekhyun recalled their time together, no singular date was popping out as Jongdae’s Birthdaytm. This couldn’t be. Bad Baekhyun, bad!
“Uhh, Dae?” He had no idea how to ask this without seeming like a major . Either he forgot some crucial information or never cared to ask. Neither scenario was ideal! Welp, gotta rip off the bandaid so to speak. Tapping the torn pieces of previous wrapping attempts, Baekhyun just blurted, “When is your birthday?”
“In September.”
“Ah. September. Ah, I see.” That wasn’t as bad as Baekhyun assumed. He had plenty of time to- wait a minute. “September? Jongdae, we met in September. It’s January now. We already knew each other and I didn’t know your birthday?” Toward the end of his ramble, Baekhyun’s voice quieted, mainly directing the last question towards himself. Bad Baekhyun!
Nonchalantly, Jongdae hummed. “I mean, it never really came up. Besides, it already passed when I met you.” To confirm, the raven quickly searched through their message history, scrolling to the beginning of the chat. “Huh. Never mind. We knew each other for about a week and a half when my birthday passed.”
A week and a half?!
“And you never said anything?” Baekhyun tried not to sound too dejected. Obviously, they were on rocky ground at that point in their relationship. But he couldn’t lie and say that Jongdae never bringing up the subject—even after they became close—did not hurt. Slowly, but surely, the air had tinged an acrid odour.
“I don’t really celebrate my birthday here…” Jongdae’s voice and scent dampened, trailing off as he tried to focus on something other than Baekhyun’s faltering expression. Wait , that wasn’t supposed to happen.
Fueled by determination, Baekhyun declared, “Not anymore. Everyone deserves to celebrate their birthday.” Let me fix this. Please, let me make things right. Let me show you that you matter to me.
Jongdae’s shoulders relaxed once he realized that it was the end of the subject. He returned to his abandoned English assignment before offhandedly saying, “Have fun with that.”
Let it be known that Baekhyun always accomplished whatever he set his mind to! The next day, the brunet pranced his way to Jongdae’s dorm room, holding a poorly wrapped box in his arms like precious cargo. He shifted his weight from side to side as he waited for the omega to open his door. He only refrained from yelling out because it was still rather early on a Saturday morning.
The first thing that spilled out of Jongdae’s mouth upon opening the door, revealing his sleep-ruffled self, was, “Baekhyun, you didn’t.” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, groaning when he realized that the Baekhyun in front of him was not a sleep-induced apparition.
“Baekhyun, yes I did.” The omega smirked, proudly presenting his box to his barely conscious partner. The wrapping paper was clearly torn at some edges, with tape sticking out of the corners, but it was from him. The box was wrapped with love in mind. To top it all off, a sticker that read, “Dae :D,” prominently displayed itself on the lid.
Sensing Jongdae’s protests, Baekhyun quickly spoke up. “It’s a small gift. It only cost me a couple of bucks, if that.” He then lightly pushed the box towards the other’s chest. “Besides, you turned 18. Milestones and all that.”
Silence.
In a moment of weakness, Baekhyun was tempted to say “never mind” upon being regarded by the younger man. It’s fine, he could take a hint: he pushed too hard. Before he could formally abort the mission, however, the weight in his hands disappeared. With a smile that mirrored his inviting morning musk, Jongdae gently took the gift, being careful to not catch his fingers on stray pieces of tape. His voice still hoarse from sleep, the raven conceded, “Okay. But I’m making it up to you in May.”
As he expected, especially from how the younger treated the box initially, Jongdae carefully peeled back the layers of wrapping paper. To be honest, his technique would make his popo jealous. He managed to neatly peel the tape from the paper, with no rips in sight. Baekhyun swayed slightly from left to right, nervously examining Jongdae’s expression.
Upon revealing the present within, Jongdae’s eyes widened, his scent emitting a sweeter tone as he looked to Baekhyun for confirmation.
“Go on, open it.”
The omega gingerly removed a rather cute Donald Duck phone case from the box. A sticky note that read, “To the most quack-irificly, web-tastic birthday boy ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡,” sat smack-dab on Donald’s nose. For a long while, Jongdae just stared at the case, rubbing his thumb to flatten the sticky note.
Does he not like it…? Maybe he should have cut out the pun. It was a stupid pun he made at 4AM…
To break the silence, Baekhyun blurted, “I remember you looking at that when you helped me buy Lucas’s birthday present. It isn’t much, but I thought of you. And you needed a phone case anyway, so I hope I didn’t overstep… But if you don’t like it-”
“I like it. Thank you, Baekhyun.” Never mind the fact that he had just awoken minutes before, Jongdae looked tender with his sleepy smile. He cradled the gift with such adoration that Baekhyun forgot that his gift was a mere phone case. Yet that didn’t matter. At the moment, all the omega noticed was Jongdae’s drowsy smile and the wafting scent of cinnamon sugar.
Upon seeing that scene, Baekhyun’s chest warmed with neverending pride. If he felt that happy over a gift from a friend, what more joy might a boyfriend bring him? What about a bonded mate? It was selfish, but he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t have the strength to keep himself at arms-length from the other.
He couldn’t believe he had lived this long without Jongdae. Funnily enough, he nearly felt some sort of empathy for Eomeoni. What would he do if he lost him; if he no longer could bask in the younger’s cat-like snickers when Baekhyun does something dumb; if he could no longer plant his head into Jongdae’s shoulder, just taking in the latter’s homely scent of freshly baked snickerdoodles.
Chanyeol was happy for him. Jongdae was fine—Baekhyun ignored the slight burnt hint in Jongdae’s scent whenever his arrangement with Chanyeol was mentioned, focusing on the support the omega outwardly showed instead. Eomeoni, he’ll make this work, if it is the last thing he will do.
He’ll play her game, and he’ll win.
"-and then the Princess kneeled before the throne-"
"Oh, I remember this part. Then-"
"Gege! Shh! I want Mama to read it."
"But you always have her read this story.”
“Shh!”
“Baekhyu-”
“I SAID SHH.”
“YAH! GET YOUR FINGERS AWAY FROM ME.”
“Fan-er8. Xian-bao.”
“Sorry, Mama.” “Sorry, Mama.”
“And?”
“Didi7, Gege is sorry for ruining your story.”
“See, ah? Gege said he was sorry, Xian-bao. What does Didi say, ah?”
“... Gege… Didi is sorry for hitting you.”
“Good boys. Where did Mama leave off? Oh yes. The Princess kneeled before the throne. She declared to the Emperor, ‘You say that I as a Princess cannot marry a common farmer. Father, if that is so, I hereby abdicate my title of Crown Princess.’ She threw her golden hairpiece to the Emperor and lived happily ever after with-’”
“Mama, what does ‘abicate’ mean again?”
“Ab-di-cate, Didi. It’s when you give up something. Right, Mama?”
“Oh.”
“Yes, your Fan-gege is right. It’s when someone with a lot of power—”
“Like the princess?”
“—yes, like the princess—steps away from their duties. It’s like if your Eomma left her very important work at the big building to stay at home all day.”
“Oh, oh, oh! Because she is ‘hae-jang?’”9
“No, no, no, baobao. ‘Hui-jang.’ But yes.”10
“But- But- But why would the Princess do that?”
“Sometimes, baobei1, people will do anything for love.”
“But she is a Princess, Mama! She lives in a big palace and wears pretty clothes and doesn’t have to clean her room. Why go away to a dirty farm? She can bring the farmer into her house! There is like a gajillion rooms!”
“Xian-bao, you don’t understand it now, you’re still my baobao! But when you are big like me and your Eomma, you’ll find someone that makes the world feel happier. When you are with this person, all the coolest things in the world like big houses and pretty clothes cannot compare to them.”
“I still don’t get it, Mama.”
“Aiya, you’re still young. Stay my Xian-baobao a little longer, okay ah? You don’t need to understand it now. I’ll explain more when you’re… hmm… this high.”
“But- But- But- That will take like five bajillion years!”
“Plenty of time for my baobao to cook more, ah? Your gege is fast asleep. Baobao should be sleeping too! It’s your first day of school in the morning! Mama will see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay, Mama. Night night. Gege is sleep right now so I tell you night night from him too. So night night.”
“Good night, my loves.”
FOOTNOTES:
[1] baobei 宝贝 = darling, treasure; a term of endearment that often refers to a loved one. This can include a significant other, a child, a pet, etc. etc.[back]
[2] xin’gan 心肝 = derived from the saying 心肝宝贝 (xīn’gān bǎobèi), or the Chinese version of the saying “the apple of one’s eye.” 心 refers to the heart/soul. 肝 refers to the liver/body. Together with 宝贝 (from above), it refers to someone so important, that you cannot live without them; similar to how you cannot live without your heart and liver.[back]
[3] popo 婆婆 = maternal grandmother[back]
[4] gonggong 公公 = maternal grandfather[back]
[5] baobao 宝宝 / (name)-bao (name)-宝 = treasure, baby
**宝 shares the same pronunciation as 包 (bun/dumpling), hence the cooking joke that BBH’s mother made.[back]
[6] gege 哥哥 / (name)-ge (name)-哥 = big brother[back]
[7] didi 弟弟 / (name)-di (name)-弟 = little brother[back]
[8] (name)-er (name)-儿 = literally means child. Similar to how -ah/-yah/-ie is used in Korean, it’s a diminutive marker that references a close relationship. Typically familial, but it can be used in other contexts as well.[back]
[9] haejang 해장 = hangover[back]
[10] huijang 회장 = chairwoman/chairman
**the joke was that baby BBH mispronounced the word, and ending up saying something completely different.[back]
~~~
Fun tidbit to twist the knife: the reason that his mother handled the grieving period so terribly, was because BBH was a replica of her mate. It doesn't justify anything, but she couldn't stand BBH's face reminding her of the incident. She wanted him to have a good life, away from the vultures (i.e. the paparazzi). Thus, she sent him to the grandparents. Not only would he be raised in a much happier environment, but he wouldn't see her act like a zombie (alpha pride and all that). However, as you can see, she handled it in a way that left much to be desired. :)
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