Chapter One
One Family: SMTOWN
chapter one
"Kids, please. Your parents are gonna come back soon and if I don't get you little monkeys to go to be-"
"You're too loud, Uncle Sehun." In-young complained and placed her Barbies on the floor, her little pipsqueak voice threatening to crack. "You're even louder than Appa." Sehun grunted in defense, then shrunk back down. His noonas and hyungs had sub-consciously left a baby to take care of ten squirming little devils. Each and every one of them.
He could note from the corner of his eye that Soo-hyun and Jae-Kyu were becoming partners in crime; ransacking the cookie jar, and emptying out its contents into their folded shirts. Nathan and Jeong-rin, the two younger kids, were in slumberland without a fuss. Little Min-hee, who was nice enough not to trouble Sehun, and watch Sesame Street instead, was the only one who was manageable. The rest were...well...
"Uncle Sehun, what's inside this little door?" Myung-baek was atop the kitchen table, gesturing wildly to a high cupboard. Sehun instantly rushed over and scooped him up into his arms, then settled him on the floor. "Don't climb high places like that, Myung-myung! You almost gave me a heart attack." He breathed. Oh boy, if Taeyeon knew about this, she'd kill Sehun.
Sehun peered inside the slightly ajar cupboard, and saw the immaculate blue stacks of D.O's limited edition, Song Dynasty china. He heaved a sigh. Oh Sehun had, once again, saved the day. And his natty hyung's precious China.
"I WIN! I WIN! Hahaha! In-jae is a looooserr." Su-ri and In-jae were relentlessly squishing the buttons of Sehun's Xbox 3000 game controllers, constantly exuding little cries of victory, and punching their tiny fists in the air. "Ri, you have to keep it down." Sehun put a finger to his lips, his voice lowered to a whisper. "Rin is sleeping. So is Joon-joon."
Su-ri flung Sehun's game controller aside, and Sehun gasped dramatically. His baby. His baby was being thrown away so harshly. He ran over to pick it up, but In-jae thunked his head with his own one, earning an ear-piercing yowl from the maknae.
"Sssh, Uncle Sehun!" Candice hissed at Sehun, and glanced up at him from her storybook. "You'll wake them up."
As if on cue, two loud wails resounded from the adjoining room.
Great. Just, great.
"What did you do now, Sehun oppa?" Sehun was too caught up in the mayhem that he ceased to notice that Soojung had let herself into their dorm, clutching countless grocery bags. "We left you for a couple of hours with our kids, and this is what happens." She dropped the bags on the countertop before Sehun had enough time to get to her. "Honestly, Sehun. I can't ever imagine you getting married or having kids."
Sehun helped her unpack her groceries, as she made her way into the room to console the crying angels. "That's easy for you to say, Soojung. You have absolutely no problems with your kids. Hyung helps out more than any other father. And you guys have been in love since we were trainees!" He turned around, and rested his hands on his hips. "It's the chemistry, really."
Soojung was swaying around both Seon-joon and Jeong-rin in her arms, trying to get them to calm down and fall back to sleep. "Then what about Kris oppa and unnie?" She paused, and checked if her nephew was still opening his eyes. "They fought every day since the moment they set eyes on each other. And poof! Now they handle their two kids perfectly."
", you see." Sehun snickered surreptiously, and Soojung stared wide at him. "Hatred needs a channel to be vented on." He explained, placing the grapes in the fridge.
"Oh please, Sehun. No need for the prescription." Krystal popped Nathan back onto Sehun's large bed and continued soothing her daughter. "If they had so much , I doubt there'd be just two kids now." She paced around the room, still rocking back and forth. "There'd be five of them, and there would never be enough love to go around." There was a teasing glint in her eye.
"And you would have three more kids to put to bed."
Sehun gulped loudly.
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The families were having a nice, quiet dinner together at EXO's huge dorm.
Sulli had practically buried the contents of In-jae's bowl underneath a thick coat of vegetables, and topped it with even more leafy greens. His siblings were, however, luxuriating in every spoon of their double-chocolate pudding. In-jae gritted his teeth, and squeezed his chopsticks tightly.
"Now, honey. I know you want to have dessert. But you have to finish this." Sulli coaxed her obstinate son, who refused to snap his head back to the disgusting bowl of vegetables. "See how In-young and Soo-hyun finished it so quickly?"
"But Mummy," In-jae flicked on his aegyo switch. "...they had less vegetables than I did." He retorted, folding his stout, short little arms across his chest. Minho was, of course, a conplete er for his children. He transferred some of the vegetables from his son's plate to his, before keeping silent, awaiting Sulli's wrath.
"Min! You have got to stop succumbing to them." She refuted. "Do you really want to watch your son become an unhealthy, pimply half-pint like Sehun?" She glared at her husband, then received one of her own from Sehun. "I am not pimply, Choi Jinri." He pulled an annoyed face. "My puberty stage is just a lot longer than all of yours'."
"Calm down, Ssul. One lesser portion of vegetables won't kill him," Minho laughed. "...and he's also inherited our good skin!" He smiled widely.
"It's weird though, actually." Jessica began, putting down her chopsticks with a 'clang'. "Me and Kris don't really take care of our skin that much. But look at Candice!" She pulled her six-year-old closer. "She has better skin than the both of us, combined."
"Daddy, what's ''?"
Kris' eyes enlarged. "Sweetie, where'd you learn those words?" He demanded, all a-fluster. He dared not to make eye contact with anyone else at the table. He supposed they were all suppressing their laughter to the greatest extent that their insides hurt. "Well, Uncle Sehun and Aunt Krystal were talking about how mummy and daddy have ''. And I want to know what it is."
"Yeah, Uncle Kris. We all want to know what it is." Jae-Kyu chimed in, causing Baekhyun to place his hand over his son's mouth embarrassingly.
"You know what, kids? You can just eat dessert now. Leave Uncle Kris alone." Krystal suggested, and their little faces brightened up as they bolted to the fridge in a frantic search for their holy puddings.
"Kris hyung," Kai spoke up, cradling Jeong-rin, "...how did you even raise Seon-young to the age of six?" He joked, and the rest of the gang laughed along.
Wasn't very funny when Jessica thwacked him on the back of his head.
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"Seo?" Kyuhyun's voice echoed across the living room. He was already at the doorway, slipping his shoes on haphazardly, one arm holding a sleeping Min-hee. "Jagiya. It's getting late." He reminded not once, but close to three times. She was most probably helping to clean up the dorm, like the caring mother she was.
Ah, Seohyun. If Kyuhyun hadn't married her, everything would have one wrong. It was just like the ecosystem. Certain things needed to be set right in the first place, in order to ensure a bright future. Sort of like a prophecy, too.
"I'm coming, Kyu!" rang a voice from the second floor. Seohyun took big strides down the stairs, and hurried to peel her apron off. Sweat was beading her forehead, but a small smile was plastered on her face. Whatever Cho Joohyun did for someone, she didn't expect the person to do the same for her. She was content with what she herself could offer. That was Seohyun.
Without much delay, they were in their car, where Seohyun was treated to a heavenly blasts of cold wind. She sunk down in her seat, occasionally checking up on Min-hee, and occasionally dozing off by herself.
"You know," Kyuhyun stated, unintentionally rousing her from her slumber, "...if the meetings tire you a lot, then we don't have to go for them." He glanced worriedly at her, but Seohyun shook her head sleepily, giving a meek smile. "If Soojung, Jessica unnie, Taeyeon unnie and Jinri can put up with this, I'm sure your wife can." She cheekily "exhibited" her invisible biceps, with a smug look on her face. Kyuhyun broke out in giggles. "You're so good at aegyo. Too bad our company had made Soon-Kyu in charge of that." He kidded.
"You're a cheesy sap, Cho Kyuhyun."
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Baekhyun bit his lip egotisticaly, beaming from one ear to the other. He cowered closer to the television screen, the remote still snugly in his hands. Taeyeon was henpecked by the blaring lights of the screen and the volume that seemed to fluctuate. She yanked the covers over her head and when she spoke, her voice was muffled.
"Bacon, turn it off."
Baekhyun couldn't hear anything at all. His eyes were transfixed on the television screen. A flurry of candy-pink and white flashed by, with the addition of loud cheering. Yes, he was indeed reminiscing his moments. SMTOWN Seoul, where it all began. Where his one and only idol whispered in his ears, sang next to him, and walked alongside him. That was the best day of his life.
Who would've known she'd become his wife.
"Did you hear me, Byun Baekhyun?" She had now flipped open the covers. "Turn the damn thing off."
He lifted a hand, almost to tell her not to speak any further. "They ignite feelings of nostalgia, don't they?"
Taeyeon groaned annoyingly, and proceeded back to sleep. Her husband was so not possible.
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