“Mommy, mommy!” JaeJoong exclaimed in a wrought up way when he ran towards his mother who was in the bathroom and pulled the clean and damp laundry out of the washing machine. He was a nervous little wreck when he noticed that something was missing while he was packing his stuff into his little tiger-backpack.

“What's wrong, sweetheart?” MiKyung asked her little son worriedly, cradling JaeJoong into her arms whose eyes were b with tears.

“Ph-phantie. I can't find him,” JaeJoong sobbed, burying his teary face into his mother's shoulder as he held tightly onto her.

“Och, Joongie. Don't cry. We will find Phantie,” MiKyung assured her trembling son, rocking him back and forth while drawing soothing circles on his small back.

“What happened?” HanKyung asked when he walked past the bathroom towards the stairs and noticed JaeJoong's sobs and hiccups.

“He can't find his elephant,” MiKyung replied softly, kissing JaeJoong's forehead when HanKyung crouched down next to them.

“What a pity,” he mumbled while streaking with his fingers through JaeJoong's hair before he suddenly remembered where he last had seen his son's favourite plushie. “Oh, I know where it is,” he exclaimed, gaining JaeJoong's undivided attention.

“R-really?” the four-year-old asked hopefully when he looked with his large brown eyes at his father which were glistening with tears.

“I promise. Now, do you wanna come with me to get it?” HanKyung asked with an affectionate smile and had almost immediately an armful of JaeJoong hanging on his upper body whose eyes were sparkling while nodding. MiKyung looked after them with a genuine smile on her lips when JaeJoong clung like a koala bear on his father, his head resting against the broad shoulder as they made their way to find JaeJoong's elephant plushie Phantie.

“You slept with mommy and me yesterday night, right?” HanKyung reminded his son who nodded as a response when they reached his and his wife's bedroom. “Look, there it is,” he whispered into JaeJoong's ear, causing the small boy to look at the direction he was pointing to. JaeJoong's eyes were sparkling brightly when they fell onto the greyish fluffy stuffed animal in between the pillows of his parents.

“Phantie!” he exclaimed, almost jumping out of his father's arms when he recognized the greyish fluff as his elephant plushie which was half as tall as him. JaeJoong stormed towards the big bed once his feet were back on the ground, jumping onto the pillows and squeezed his plushie flush to his little chest once his arms were securely wrapped around it.

He didn't let go of his precious plushie the entire day, not even when he and his family were on the way to visit Granny Mae for a barbecue on the day from where on JaeJoong would stay a few nights at the older lady's home to spend more time with YunHo.

“Hello, Joongie~” a cheerful voice remarked once the Kim family was inside of HyunAe's house, JaeJoong's large brown eyes catching sight of YunHo waving at him from the top of the stairs.

“Yunnie!” JaeJoong exclaimed, storming clumsily up the stairs - without tripping though - and hugged YunHo once he had reached him, his elephant plushie squished in between them.

“YunHo dear, why don't you show JaeJoong to your room to let him put his stuff down?” SunHee called out with a wide smile when she welcomed MiKyung, HanKyung and AhYoung.

“Come,” YunHo said when he pulled JaeJoong towards the bedroom he was sleeping in, JaeJoong's right hand entwined with YunHo's while holding tightly onto his elephant with the left arm.

*

“Come, you two little mucky pups. Or we eat without you,” MiKyung exclaimed when everyone was sitting around the wide table standing on the terrace, waiting for the playing two boys to join them. They were so lost in the play with their trucks, cars and the sandbox that their clothes were all dusty and dirty. But of course YunHo and JaeJoong didn't care, but they did care that their stomachs were growling.

“Sausi! Sausi!” JaeJoong exclaimed cheerfully once he sat at the table next to YunHo and his mother, bouncing up and down the many pillows lying on his seat.

“That's sausage, Joongie. Saaau~sage,” AhYoung explained to her little brother who sat across from her. She was already eight and in the second grade so she always tried to teach JaeJoong something when he spelled it the wrong way. She just meant it well but it almost always caused pouts and teary eyes. Just like now.

“Hey, hey. No arguing here,” HanKyung remarked when he came with the first plate of grilled sausages and steaks to the table. “Now, now. Don't cry, Joongie. Here, eat your sausage,” he said softly when he placed a big sausage onto his son's plate, kissing his temple before he left to go once more to the grill. A wide smile was tucking on JaeJoong's lips, his earlier tears already forgotten when he stared at his favourite grilled food in front of him. Now everything missing was this red yummy stuff he loved to squeeze onto his sausage.

“Keshuppie~” he exclaimed excitedly, his feet dangling to and fro when he held the big bottle of ketchup in his hands.

“No, no, no. Let me do this before you squeeze it onto your already dirty shirt, honey,” MiKyung said when she interfered to prevent more stains. After this she cut JaeJoong's sausage into bite-sized pieces before she handed JaeJoong a fork. The same was done for YunHo by his own mother.

A new trail of ketchup was left behind around JaeJoong's and YunHo's lips likewise whenever a new piece of sausage was stuffed into their mouths. Every now and then they mourned after a tiny piece that fell onto the ground, but not without making a stop on their T-shirts first, of course. Just when JaeJoong was about to pierce his fork into a second sausage - a quarter of the first was still on his plate - he lost the yummy grilled food to his sister who was just a second faster than him.

“Youngie, that's mine,” he whined, eyebrows knitted and lips trembling when he pouted while staring after his lost sausage.

“It's not. And you still have some,” AhYoung remarked, biting into the grilled sausage with relish as JaeJoong's shoulders slumped and his sobs were audible.

“Was that necessary now, AhYoung?” MiKyung asked her daughter, a slight scolding tone amidst her voice before she turned to her crying son. AhYoung was pouting likewise. She was just hungry and since JaeJoong still had some pieces left she thought that she could take the sausage. Damn, it was so unfair.

“Come, Joongie. Stop crying, hm?” MiKyung consoled her son softly, wiping away his little tears that were streaming down his cheeks. He sobbed and hiccuped without any sign of stopping, his teary eyes downcast and trained on his own plate. He sniffed slightly, his eyes widening when half of a sausage was placed onto his plate, his head hesitatingly turning to its origin on the right. They were following the small hands and short arms towards the face of the kind person, his tears stopping halfway when he registered that it was YunHo.

“Not crying. Joongie better smiling,” said boy mumbled when he sat back onto his seat after he had put the remains of his last sausage onto JaeJoong's plate whose eyes had stopped to water as his little snub nose was still running. A genuine smile tucked on JaeJoong's lips, his tears already forgotten when he leaned to the right and planted a chaste kiss onto YunHo's cheek, a soft 'click' audible when a photo was taken before he sat back onto his seat.

“You and your photos,” SunHee said to her husband, shaking her head in disbelief as she knew that TaeBum was a passionate amateur photographer.

“Be honest. You think it's cute,” TaeBum replied smiling as he knew his wife just all to well, his eyes trained on his son who resembled an overripe tomato perfectly while JaeJoong was happily stuffing more pieces of his sausages into his mouth, oblivious of the aftermath of his thank-you to YunHo.

But the event was long forgotten when YunHo and JaeJoong were once again lost in their play, this time playing tag together with JaeJoong's older sister. Squeals were resounding through the summery air every now and then, the sun about to set and leaving a red trail at the horizon behind, shining brightly.

“I think the bed is calling for you two,” MiKyung remarked when she glanced at her watch and back at JaeJoong and YunHo sitting on the bench whose eyes were all tiny and frames leaning against one another.

“No,” both whined, followed by yawns and the rubbing of their eyes when they slightly shook their heads.

“And the bathtub, too,” SunHee added before she went inside and towards the bathroom. The two sleepy boys were carried by their fathers to said room, undressed by their mothers before they were carefully placed into the tub filled with warm water.

“Bubbles,” JaeJoong squealed once he was surrounded by the warm water and the foam floating around. His earlier sleepiness was totally forgotten, as was YunHo's.

“Wait at the staircase,” MiKyung instructed softly when she handed her husband a towel. Both knew perfectly what was lying ahead of them.

MiKyung and SunHee were struggling to get their sons clean, the two boys too energetic to tame. Water was splashed around, giggles surrounding them when the two mothers were finally done with washing the hair of JaeJoong and YunHo. YunHo sat still with a wide grin on his lips when JaeJoong put foam onto his head, both giggling during the process. Their mothers could only watch them in amusement, wide smiles tucking on their lips.

“Say 'cheese',” SunHee exclaimed when she held her husband's camera in her hands, taking a photo of YunHo with a crown of foam on his head and JaeJoong holding his hands up, blowing the foam on his palms into SunHee's direction.

After the little memory was taken, MiKyung rinsed water over YunHo's foamed head carefully while SunHee was heaving JaeJoong out of the tub.

“SunHee, watch out!” MiKyung remarked when SunHee got hold of a towel and took her eyes off of JaeJoong just for the split of a second, the opportunity the little whirlwind had been waiting for. But MiKyung's warning came too late as everything they could see of JaeJoong was his bare bum when he ran through the corridor all the while laughing melodiously. The wind caused through his running was drying his exposed wet skin minimally, his arms spread as if he was flying on his way to the staircase. But his escape was soon stopped by a broad chest and a towel when arms were wrapped around his frame.

“Gotcha, little monkey,” HanKyung remarked when he heaved JaeJoong onto his arms, carrying him back to the bathroom while the little boy was giggling happily. He really loved this routine whenever his father was at home. It was just too much fun to get caught like this.

“Always the same with you, little runaway,” MiKyung greeted them when they were back in the bedroom of YunHo across from the bathroom, kissing JaeJoong's forehead before the now dry and still boy was placed onto the mattress YunHo was already sitting on, wearing his SpongeBob pyjamas while playing with his Bambi plushie.

“Mommy, story,” JaeJoong whined and requested like a tantrum all the while MiKyung dressed him into his teddy bear pyjamas. “Pwease~” he pleaded with puppy eyes when his mother finished her task.

“Can't you sleep without it today, sweetheart?” MiKyung responded softly, earning herself a full pout.

“No,” the four-year-old whined, joined by YunHo who wanted to hear a bedtime story, too.

“What's this? My angels aren't sleeping yet?” HyunAe's voice remarked when the elder lady came into the room to say good night to YunHo and JaeJoong. She almost immediately had the two sleepy yet very energetic boys running towards her and hugging her legs when both exclaimed, “Granny Mae!”

“They want a bedtime story,” SunHee said when she heaved YunHo back onto the bed while JaeJoong was hopping onto the mattress by himself.

“Why don't you three go back down then and I read one to them?” HyunAe offered, gaining total agreement of the two boys immediately. Once SunHee, MiKyung and HanKyung had left the bedroom, HyunAe went to a shelf and took out a thick book filled with bedtime stories.

“So, which story would you like to hear?” HyunAe asked the two boys once she had settled down onto a chair that stood closest to the bed.

“Hoppothum, hoppothum,” JaeJoong chanted while bouncing up and down on the bed, his elephant plushie tumbling over the mattress with every of his movements.

“Hop o' My Thumb then?” HyunAe inquired, earning eager nodding from both boys. Two sparkling pairs of eyes were staring at HyunAe when she opened the book to the page of JaeJoong's favourite bedtime story, both their heads resting either on their hands or stuffed animals.

'There once lived in a village a -maker and his wife, who had seven children, all boys;
the eldest was no more than ten years old, and the youngest was only seven.
It was odd enough, to be sure, that they should have so many children in such a short time;
but the truth is, the wife always brought him two and once three at a time.
This made him very poor, for not one of these boys was old enough to get a living, and what was still worse, the youngest was a puny little fellow who hardly ever spoke a word.
Now this, indeed, was a mark of his good sense, but it made his father and mother suppose him to be silly, and they thought that at last he would turn out quite a fool.
This boy was the least size ever seen; for when he was born he was no bigger than a man’s thumb, which made him be christened by the name of-'

“Hoppothum!” JaeJoong exclaimed with wide sparkling eyes, sitting on his lower legs while clutching his Phantie flush to his chest. His excited outburst was earned with the warm laughter of HyunAe.

“That's true, Joongie. Hop o' My Thumb,” the elder woman remarked with a soft smile while ruffling JaeJoong's hair. The two boys listened carefully when Granny Mae read further about the adventures of the small boy called Hop o' My Thumb and what kind of a genius he was. They held their breaths when Granny Mae reached the part where Hop o' My Thumb and his six brothers were left behind in the forest for the second time.

'The -maker and his wife were charmed at having their children once more with them, and their joy for this lasted till their money was all spent; but then they found themselves quite as ill off as before.
So by degrees they again thought of leaving them in the forest: and that the young ones might not come back a second time, they said they would take them a great deal farther than they did at first. They could not talk about this matter so slily but that Hop-o’-my-thumb found means to hear all that passed between them; but he cared very little about it, for he thought it would be easy for him to do just the same as he had done before.
But though he got up very early the next morning to go to the river’s side to get the pebbles, a thing which he had not thought of hindered him; for he found that the house-door was double-locked. Hop-o’-my-thumb was now quite at a loss what to do;
but soon after this, his mother gave each of the children a piece of bread for breakfast, and then it came into his head that he could make his share do as well as the pebbles, by dropping crumbs of it all the way as he went. So he did not eat his piece, but put it into his pocket.

It was not long before they all set out, and their parents took care to lead them into the very thickest and darkest part of the forest. They then slipped away by a by-path as before, and left the children by themselves again.
All this did not give Hop-o’-my-thumb any concern, for he thought himself quite sure of getting back by means of the crumbs that he had dropped by the way; but when he came to look for them he found that not a crumb was left, for the birds had eaten them all up.'

“Bad birds,” YunHo mumbled while rubbing his sleepy eyes, yawning when he snuggled his face into his Bambi plushie. JaeJoong next to him was still listening carefully, though the sleepiness even overtook his senses as he was too sleepy to bounce up and down any longer.

Silence surrounded the three souls when Granny Mae read further about Hop o' My Thumb's adventures with the bad Ogre and the King, her voice getting lower and lower the closer she came towards the end of the story.

'By and by, Hop-o’-my-thumb, who had become the king’s first favourite, heard of the Ogre’s death; and the first thing he did was to tell his majesty all that the good-natured Ogress had done to save the lives of himself and brothers. The king was so much pleased at what he heard, that he asked Hop-o’-my-thumb if there was any favour he could bestow upon her? Hop-o’-my-thumb thanked the king, and desired that the Ogress might have the noble title of Duchess of Draggletail given to her; which was no sooner asked than granted. The Ogress then came to court, and lived very happily for many years, enjoying the vast fortune she had found in the Ogre’s chests. As for Hop-o’-my-thumb, he every day grew more witty and brave; till at last the king made him the greatest lord in the kingdom, and set him over all his affairs.'

Once Granny Mae reached the end of the story and closed the book, a soft smile came across her lips when she caught sight of the two sleeping souls on the bed. She took the book aside before she turned towards JaeJoong and YunHo snuggling into their stuffed animals while dreaming peacefully. She carefully put the blanket over JaeJoong's and YunHo's forms who were slightly cuddling up to one another, JaeJoong lying like always on his stomach while YunHo was lying on his right side, his thumb resting between his lips when he slightly on it.

She planted a soft kiss on each of the two peaceful faces before she left the room quietly, leaving the two boys in their dream world.