I pressed my phone to my ear to block out the sound of squealing children, while scrawling notes on a piece of paper. "Alright, I'll check with the members of Super Junior to see if they want to do the advertisement. They probably won't get back to you for a while, though-- they just had a comeback in Korea. No, I can't do it either. I'm doing charity work. You know, the Zodiac Foundation, and the three scholarship programs I run? Well, of course. I have to do something constructive with my money."

I finished the call, and started another one. "Yes, hello? I need to cancel that interview. Why? It's my son's soccer game. I have to go. What kind of mother would I be if I didn't go? Yes, thank you. Of course, I'll let you know when I can reschedule. Thank you."

I glanced at my watch before making the final phone call. It was already getting late. "Yes, is this the person who contacted me for the option of appearing on 'Immortal Song 2' as one of the legends? I think I'll take it. Yes, I'll even do the performance beforehand."

I met my husband's eyes from across the room and stuck my tongue out at him. "Yes, I will sing. I can't guarantee a flawless performance, but after ten years, I think I've learned to control my voice again, more or less. Thank you. Goodbye."

"So what's tomorrow's schedule?" he asked, sitting down next to me.

I sighed, pushing my bangs out of my face. "The company wants me to direct another movie. And Super Junior, cough cough, has to do their recordings tomorrow, or they won't be able to start promoting it until May, and we were shooting for April. Which reminds me. Ah Ra says that Sora is showing real promise."

"Ah Ra?"

"Yes. Kyuhyun's sister. The one that Sora's taking violin lessons from?"

"Oh yeah..." he shook his head. "I'm still surprised she said she wanted to do that."

I laughed. "She made the decision when she was three years old. She wanted to play the violin like Uncle Henry. And she's still going. I think Henry should be scared."

"And Zhou Cheng wants to play soccer with Minho," he added. Zhou Cheng was our first son, named by Zhou Mi's father. Since we had to be fair. And, like a miracle, his autism was barely noticeable. He'd been diagnosed with mild ADD.

I laughed, then stood up, knowing how late it was getting. "Okay, come on, you little rascals, it's past your bedtime!" I shouted, snatching my youngest son, Shang Lin, named after his father's first starring role as an actor-- as he ran by me.

He struggled in my grip, trying to get away, so I picked him up and began to carry him to his bedroom."

"But Mama! Me and Zhou Mei were playing tag!" Zhou Mei, the youngest of my daughters, wanted nothing to do with the trouble that Shang Lin was in, and was hiding behind the couch.

"No buts!" I yelled back. "All of the rest of you, too. Settle down and get ready for bed, or I'll give all of you a spanking!" I commanded firmly. As they all docilely came into the room, five in all, if you included Shang Lin, I caught a glimpse of amusement in Zhou Mi's eyes as he watched from the doorway, leaning his long, thin form against the frame. If he didn't dye his hair so much, you would be able to see the silver strands running through it.

Our kids always preferred to be punished by their father, who, much to my chagrin, was a complete softy around them. So I always became the Mom that took charge.

As I sat on the edge of the bed to tuck Shang Lin in, I felt four small bodies crawl up next to me, with the oldest, Sora, a lovely girl at the age of nine, imitating my perch on the bed.

I felt arms around my midsection, and looked down to see my son, named John Patrick, to keep my family's tradition, although he wouldn't bear the family name-- looking up at me.

"Mama, we have a question," he declared, his dark eyes more like his father's than like mine.

"What's that, sweetie?" I asked, brushing aside his bangs, which had fallen in his face.

"Who is Super Junior, Mama?" Zhou Mei burst out.

I laughed. "The group your father's in, of course." It was a bit of a strange question, I had to admit. Surely my children had seen my collection of merchandise, my photo albums filled with pictures with them. I was fairly sure they knew how I rushed to answer phone calls from any of them, and hung out with them as much as possible, in addition to all of the work we did together as artists under SM. Also, the members adored my children as much as their own, and my children loved them like their uncles. To put it simply, Super Junior was a familiar name in the house, I thought.

"That's not what she means," Sora corrected importantly, glaring at her little sister. What we're trying to ask is why you still like them so much, even though you married Papa, and the group is getting old."

I considered her question. "Well, it's kind of a strange story..."

"Bedtime story, bedtime story!" Shang Lin chanted, the other children quickly joining in, bobbing up and down on the mattress in their excitement, making it shake.

"Okay, alright," I caved, "I'll tell you a bedtime story about it. But only if you promise me that afterwards, you'll all go to bed."

I got a set of quick agreements, and then I sighed and began.

"Once upon a time, there was a thirteen-plus-two member male music group, called Super Junior. And after my friends, and family, and fans, and sons, and daughters..." I poked Shang Lin in the belly with each one, making him giggle.

"After all that, but not by very much... they were the most important people in the world to me. All thirteen-plus-two of them."

My eyes met Zhou Mi's from across the room, and I smiled as I met his gaze.

"The end."