BGM: SM Town - Dear My Family

"Oh! Kyungsoo-ah! You're home early!"

When Kyungsoo arrived after a long subway ride from Apgujeong, Seungsoo was a bit surprised that his 18-year-old brother arrived home even before their mother has finished preparing dinner. 

"I was early yesterday as well," Kyungsoo informed as he removed his shoes to change into a pair of slippers. "Aren't you sleeping in the dorm tonight, Hyung?"

Kyungsoo's older brother turned his attention back on the FC Seoul game he was watching on television. "Yeah, I'm staying here for the night," he answered. "I have a paper to write, but my roommate is throwing a party tonight and I don't think I would be able to finish it by tomorrow if I stayed there," he explained, not taking his eyes off the television.

Their parents might have bought this excuse, but Kyungsoo knew his older brother well enough to figure out that he was lying. Aside from having a good sense of discipline and concentration, Kyungsoo's hyung has a high tolerance for noise; so Kyungsoo knew right away that the supposed party being thrown by Seungsoo's roommate wasn't the reason why his older brother was at home that night.

"Hyung, just admit it. You went home tonight because you didn't want to miss the game. I know you don't have a TV in your dorm," Kyungsoo teased, plopping down on the sofa beside his older brother.

Busted, the older Do brother just gestured Kyungsoo to keep quiet. "Don't worry, I won't tell Umma," Kyungsoo assured, chuckling at his hyung. "Wait. So if you're here, that means-"

"-we're having kimchi spaghetti for dinner?" Seungsoo said, correctly finishing Kyungsoo's question. "Of course, we're having kimchi spaghetti for dinner. I especially requested it!" he revealed, referring to Mrs. Do's specialty dish that they all love.

"Wait, aren't you going to change first?" Seungsoo asked. "You must be stinking of sweat after all that practicing!" he added, jokingly sniffing Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo playfully hit his hyung with one of those paisley-embellished throw pillows from the sofa. "Hey! I always shower after practice!" he defended. "Besides, we only had singing lessons today and yesterday, so I didn't sweat as much!"

"Singing lessons, huh?" Seungsoo remarked.

"Yeah, I even got to sing Junsu sunbaenim's parts yesterday," he happily boasted, impressing his hyung so much that Seungsoo momentarily looked away from the television, which caused him to miss that fail of a corner kick by Ha Daesung.

"Whoa! You got to sing Xiah Junsu's parts?!?" Seungsoo commented. "I don't know much about singing, but I do know he's incredibly good at it. Probably the best male singer in K-pop right now, don't you think?"

♪ Milkshake, milkshake, ice cream, ice cream~ Milkshake, milkshake, ice cream, ice cream~ ♪

As soon as he heard the intro to f(x)'s Ice Cream, Kyungsoo dropped the throw pillow he was holding to search his pockets for his handyphone. "Who's it from? A girl?" Seungsoo teased, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

"No, it's just Chanyeol," Kyungsoo disappointingly responded after checking the text message he just received. "He's just reminding me that his PV with the So Nyeo Si Dae noonas is coming out tomorrow,"

"Daebak!" his older brother exclaimed, adjusting in his seat to face Kyungsoo. "Wouldn't it be nice to have you featured in a So Nyeo Si Dae music video too, huh Kyungsoo-ah? Or maybe in f(x)'s? Or better yet, BoA's?"

"Ah, Hyung~ you know I'm not good-looking enough to appear on other artists' music videos! They only choose visuals like Kibum sunbaenim or Minho sunbaenim to play the lead in such videos," he pointed out, although he was secretly imagining what it would feel like to play the hero in a girl group's music video.

While she was entering the living room to check on her boys, Mrs. Do couldn't help but overhear Kyungsoo's statement about not being good-looking enough to appear on music videos. She, of course, begged to disagree with her younger son's opinion about his looks. "What are you talking about? Of course, you're handsome!" she argued.

"Ah, Umma~ you're only saying that because you're my mother!" Kyungsoo retorted.

Mrs. Do sat down on the sofa and squeezed herself between her sons. "So? That doesn't change the fact that you're handsome!" she maintained. Her motherly love might have affected her judgment with an unnecessary bias, but Mrs. Do truly believes that her son is handsome. He is, after all, the spitting image of his father.

"Yeah, isn't SM Entertainment notorious for signing only good-looking people?" Seungsoo chimed in, his eyes still glued to the television. "I mean, I haven't heard of anyone unattractive debuting from that company!"

"But I haven't even debuted yet!" Kyungsoo reminded.

"But you will!" Mr. Do suddenly spoke up. He was on his way to the kitchen to ask his wife whether dinner was ready yet when he unintentionally eavesdropped on his family's discussion about Kyungsoo's good-looks or according to him, his lack thereof. 

"Son, remember this. Never feel insecure about how you look. Depreciating your physical appearance is an insult to God's creativity," he sermoned, prompting his wife to nod in agreement. "Besides, you are my son~ of course, you are handsome!" he said, making the rest of his family to laugh.

Mrs. Do just smiled. After all these years, her husband's sense of humor still hasn't failed to amuse her. "Oh~ c'mon, you two. Dinner's ready," she said, patting the knees of her sons before getting up from the sofa.

"We better feed your father before he mistakes himself for Won Bin again!"

As soon as the maids informed her that they were done setting the table for dinner, Mrs. Kim immediately made her way up to the second floor of the house. Upon reaching the third room in the hall, she knocked on the white door to call out her younger son.

"Joonmyun-ah, it's time for dinner!"

Although he was in the mood to write the reflection paper required for his philosophy class, Joonmyun knew better than to excuse himself from a family dinner. Sighing, he reluctantly got off from his seat and joined his mother all the way down to the dining room.

When they arrived at the dining room, Mr. Kim was already seated in the chair at the head of the long mahogany dinner table. Mrs. Kim was about to ask her husband about the whereabouts of her elder son when Joonmyun's brother suddenly came in the dining room with a bottle of champagne.

"What are we celebrating?" Joonmyun asked as he settled on the seat beside his mother's.

"Your brother successfully finalized a deal this afternoon," his father proudly answered. "It was a multi-million dollar contract with an international company!"

The older Kim brother uncorked the champagne bottle and started pouring drinks on the flute glasses prepared by the maids. He was about to pour champagne on the fourth glass when Joonmyun stopped him. "Hyung, I'm not drinking," he informed. "I have a reflection paper to finish tonight,"

Despite Joonmyun's refusal, Mr. Kim still urged his older son to carry on with what he was trying to do. An achievement like this, he insisted, must be commemorated with a celebratory toast by the entire family. Ever the obedient son, Dongkyu just shrugged and continued to pour champagne on the flute glass intended for his brother.

Definitely not the type of wife who goes against her husband's wishes, Mrs. Kim tried convincing her younger son to obey his father instead. "Just take a little sip after the toast, okay?" she suggested. "You don't need to finish it,"

Joonmyun nodded. If there was one person he couldn't say 'no' to, it was his mother; and since his mother pretty much agrees with or submits to almost everything his father says anyway, that probably makes him a very dutiful son to his father too.

"To Dongkyu and his first successful multi-million dollar deal!" Mr. Kim proposed, raising his flute glass. The rest of his family repeated what he said as they clinked their flute glasses together before taking a sip of champagne.

"The lobster looks good, Umma," Joonmyun's older brother complimented, before taking a bite. "Hmm... it is delicious!"

Mrs. Kim beamed. When her husband called her that afternoon to share the good news about the successful deal, she immediately ordered one of the maids to accompany her to the seafood market. She originally planned to have steak for dinner, but she decided that preparing his favorite food for dinner was the best reward she could offer to her elder son. "I bought it especially for you," she said with a smile.

Joonmyun couldn't help but feel a little jealous of his older brother's latest accomplishment. Fresh out of college, Dongkyu has already secured a multi-million dollar deal for their company and is currently on a high-speed up the corporate ladder. What he envied most, however, was not the inevitable promotion his hyung might get from their father or the brand new car he will definitely receive from their mother. What Joomyun yearned for the most was to have their father look at him with the same pride.

Ever since that day he started training in SM Entertainment to become an idol, Joonmyun's relationship with his father started drifting apart. Mr. Kim, who wanted both of his sons to take over his company someday, naturally opposed Joonmyun's choice of entering the world of entertainment. If it wasn't for Mrs. Kim's power of persuasion and - although he would never admit it to anyone - Joonmyun's impressive speech about fulfilling his dreams, Mr. Kim would never allow the family's maknae to sign a contract with an entertainment agency.

"So, Joonmyun, how was your day?" Mr. Kim asked.

Joonmyun took a sip of water. "It was alright, Apeoji," he responded. "I'm enjoying my classes in the university so far. Especially philosophy. The lecture today about paradigm shifts was quite interesting,"

"What about practice?" his mother questioned.

"We just had singing lessons today, Umma," Joonmyun politely answered. "We were asked to sing this piece by Fly to the Sky sunbaenims and our vocal coach complimented my voice. He said I'm improving a lot,"

Mrs. Kim gently patted her lips with a cloth napkin. Putting the cloth napkin down, she then intertwined her fingers and beamed at her younger son. "That is nice to hear!" she exclaimed, and Joonmyun couldn't help but smile bashfully.

"Fly to the Sky songs are quite difficult to sing, aren't they?" Dongkyu asked. "You must be really good, Joonmyun-ah!" he praised.

The truth is, nobody in the Kim household has ever heard Joonmyun sing. Both Mrs. Kim and Dongkyu have been convincing Joonmyun to sing for them, but the youngest Kim always refused their requests. He promised himself that he would only let his family - especially his father - hear him sing once he is convinced that he's good enough to stand on stage.

"No, Hyung. I still have a long way to go," Joonmyun humbly disagreed.

"It is still very impressive, though,"Dongkyu maintained.

The Kim family was still in the middle of dinner when one of the maids suddenly entered the dining room to inform them about a phone call. "It's for Sir Joonmyun, Madame. It's Mr. Chanyeol," the maid reported.

"Please tell Chanyeol that we are still having dinner and that Joonmyun would call him back as soon as he finishes, okay?" Mrs. Kim ordered. The maid uttered an almost inaudible 'Yes, Madame' before excusing herself from the dining room.

Joonmyun was about to have another bite of lobster when his older brother spoke up. "I heard his PV with So Nyeo Si Dae is premiering tomorrow," Dongkyu mentioned. "He probably called to remind you again," he chuckled.

"You also know about that?!?" he asked, quite surprised that his hyung knew about Chanyeol's impending music video appearance. 

"How could I not know? He's texted me several times about it," he answered.

Mrs. Kim slowly shook her head and chuckled. "Even I know about it," she revealed. She took a sip of champagne from her flute glass before continuing. "Mrs. Park told me that the music video is all Chanyeol ever talks about these days. The boy is obviously thrilled about it!"

"Who was it?"

Minseok just came back from the living room when his mother asked him about the person he just got off the phone with. As he expected the moment the telephone rang, the person on the other end of the line was Chanyeol - calling Minseok just to remind him about the premiere of his Genie PV with So Nyeo Si Dae.

"It was just Chanyeol," Minseok answered, helping his mother clear the table. "That kid is pestering everybody about the upcoming release of So Nyeo Si Dae's new music video,"

Noticing that her son was collecting the plates they used for dinner, Mrs. Kim tried snatching them away. "Oh, just leave them to me. I'll clean them up myself," she said, while carefully placing the used glasses on a metal tray. "You must be tired from practicing. Just go up to your room and rest," she insisted.

"It's okay, Umma. I'm not that tired, anyway," Minseok upheld, stacking the dirty dishes, so he could carry them all at once. "Besides, how could I let you do the dishes after you prepared our dinner? Umma, you're the one who needs to rest. I know you've been working hard doing house chores all day,"

Mrs. Kim couldn't help but smile. She wondered what kind of heroism she must have done in her previous lifetime to deserve such a kind child. Nevertheless, she silently thanked all the gods for blessing her with a son like Minseok. Feeling a bit emotional, Mrs. Kim hugged her 20-year-old son from behind and bit her lower lip in an attempt to stop her tears from falling. 

"Look. Your mother is about to cry again," Mr. Kim pointed out when he witnessed the touching mother and son scene the moment he entered the dining room.

Although a bit taken aback by his mother's gesture, Minseok carefully his mother's arms that were wrapped around his waist to let her know that he cared about her as well. "Umma, don't cry~" Minseok begged, holding back a smile as his father started teasing his mother about her sudden sweetness towards him.

"Ah~ don't ruin it!" Mrs. Kim exclaimed, telling off her husband. "Our Minseokkie is growing up so fast, the next thing we know he's going to get married to some pretty girl whose culinary skill is only limited to frying eggs!"

The mention of him possibly marrying a girl with limited cooking abilities made Minseok smile. Your best friend Jihye, after all, has next to zero skills when it comes to kitchen appliances and cookware. "So, I guess I'll just have to live with you guys even after I marry, no?" he suggested. "That way, I won't miss your delicious kimchi stew!"

Continuing the task unintentionally abandoned by his wife when she gave Minseok a hug, Mr. Kim started collecting the used utensils by placing them on the metal tray. "Minseok-ah, you may want to re-evaluate that plan," he suggested. "Wives rarely get along with their mothers-in-law... especially those who don't know how to cook!"

"Why Umma? Didn't you get along with Halmeoni?" Minseok asked.

Freeing Minseok from her embrace, Mrs. Kim pulled out a chair and sat down while watching her husband and her son clear up the table. "We're okay now, but that wasn't the case when your father and I were still newlyweds," she revealed.

"Oh, son. You have no idea," Mr. Kim chuckled as he reminisced those times when his mother and his wife would argue about the smallest things. Up to this day, he still didn't understand why two women would fight over the only 'proper way' to fold trousers - if such a thing even existed.

"Stop laughing!" Mrs. Kim chided. "Your mother gave me such a hard time that my cooking always end up getting extra saltier because of my tears!" she recalled, suddenly remembering that day when Minseok's grandmother scolded her for allegedly emptying out an entire salt shaker in a pot of samgyetang.

"Umma, promise me you'll never be mean to my future wife," Minseok requested as he walked towards the connecting kitchen to put the dirty dishes on the sink.

"Of course she'll be mean to your future wife!" Mr. Kim commented, following his son to the kitchen while carrying the metal tray containing the glasses and utensils they used for dinner. "It's the only way she could get revenge for all the hardships she suffered because of your Halmeonie's unnecessary supervision," he joked, making Minseok laugh.

"God is fair after all," Mrs. Kim declared, entering the kitchen to watch the men in her life do the dishes for her. "He blessed me with such a thoughtful son and a very annoying husband!"

"A very annoying, but unbelievably attractive husband!" Mr. Kim corrected, briefly looking away from the dirty dishes he was scrubbing with a cleaning pad just to give his wife a wink.

Mrs. Kim face-palmed herself. "Two decades later and I still don't know why I agreed to marry you!" Mrs. Kim kidded, but her husband quickly retorted with an answer that made her heart flutter. "It's because of love, darling. Only love," he smiled, his sparkling eyes confirming what he just said.

"Oh that is so cheesy!" Minseok grumbled as he rinsed the dishwashing liquid off the plate he was holding. "Please tell me I didn't inherit that from you!"

"Sorry, son. Greasiness is already imprinted in the Kim family genes," his father shrugged, passing a newly-scrubbed plate for Minseok to rinse. "Don't worry, though. Girls secretly like it!" he winked.

"Oh, Minseokkie~ your father is so annoying!"

"Argh! Park Chanyeol is so annoying!"

Sitting on her bed, Jihye complained to you on the phone while she was checking her email account on the laptop that was resting on one of her pillows. "He flooded my inbox with 'My Genie PV with Shoujo Jidai is coming out tomorrow' messages! Can you believe it?!?" Jihye blurted as she scrolled through Chanyeol's emails.

"Only because he did the same thing to my inbox!" you replied. Like Jihye, you were also in your bedroom, scrolling through the countless 'Genie PV' reminders from Chanyeol. "Just let him be, Ji. He's just excited about it," you reminded.

"But he's too excited!" Jihye argued, logging off her email account to avoid their friend's annoying messages. "How can I forget about that Genie PV when that's all he ever talks about?!?" she whined, before logging on to her favorite Super Junior fansite. Browsing through the latest fantaken airport photos of the always-gorgeous Choi Siwon, after all, is Jung Jihye's idea of therapy.

Just then, a high-pitched voice called out outside your best friend's room. "Unnie! Can you get off the phone, please? I need to make a call!" the girl begged.

"Was that Jieun?" you asked, referring to Jihye's 15-year-old sister.

Ignoring her younger sister's request, Jihye opted to answer your question instead. "Yeah, don't mind her. She wants me to get off the phone so she could call her boyfriend," she said, automatically fanning herself when she accidentally saw a shirtless photo of her bias from a recent photoshoot. "Oh my God! A half- Siwon oppa! I think I'm going to die!"

The information that caught your attention, however, was not the shirtless photo of Choi Siwon, but the fact that Jihye's little sister was already dating. "Jieun has a boyfriend?!?" you asked.

"Yeah, remember that guy I told you about? The one she went out with when I didn't go home with you that one Monday during the summer?" she reminded, and you nodded as you recalled that day. How can you forget it? That was the day you became Jongin and Moonkyu's new commuting buddy. "Well, they officially dated about a week after that," Jihye added.

Jieun, who managed to enter your best friend's bedroom without being noticed by Jihye, suddenly blurted out: "Unnie! You're too loud! What if Umma and Appa heard?"

"Ya! What are you doing in my room?!?" Jihye asked, quickly clicking on a new tab in an attempt to hide Choi Siwon's shirtless photos. "Get out!" she yelled, shooing her sister away from her bed.

"There's no need to hide the shirtless photos. I already saw it," Jieun mentioned. "C'mon, let me see it again!" she requested, urging Jihye to open page with Siwon's glorious shirtless photos again.

"Ya! Aren't you too young to look at shirtless photos?" Jihye asked, refusing to give in to her sister's request, although she was already itching to take another peek at C