twenty-five

  “Jeongmin, could you please go to sleep?” Luhan blurted out in frustration at the little kid who was fidgeting restlessly, despite the fact that Luhan had wrapped his arms around the child. “Your dad and mom are still going to take some time, and you’re really pushing me to the limit!”

  The usual crowd, or at least, almost the entire SM family had gathered outside the surgical ward, and they had made so much of a hassle that the nurses had been forced to shoo half the troupe away, at the same time begging for their autographs. Staying behind were the quieter ones who, in return, were to take care of the children that had tagged along with them.

  “Don’t scold him like that, sweetheart.” Yoona nagged, giving her husband a teasing poke. “Look, now he’s pouting at you.” Sure enough, as he whipped his head around, he saw that Jeongmin was clearing frowning with his arms folded.

  Jeongmin’s little ears perked up at Yoona’s comment, immediately hopping off Luhan’s knees and sitting at the other seat next to Yoona. “…Can I lie on your shoulder, Auntie Yoona?”

  “I want to be with Mommy!” Jun said whiningly, instinctively leaning his head against his mother’s protruding stomach without waiting for a reply. Jeongmin reflexively placed his head on Yoona’s shoulder, following Jun.

  It was Luhan’s turn to frown. “…Do I have kid-repellent or something on me?”

  “It’s either you seem intimidating to them, or you just naturally repel them, Luhan.” Seohyun remarked comically, earning herself a glare from him as she chuckled, Seonjung’s hair. “It’s kind of interesting how Yoona used to be one of the worst moms on ‘Hello Baby’ and now you’re gaining all the attention from all the little ones.”

  “It’s not like you were some sort of angel, Seo.” Yoona narrowed her eyes.

  “Hey, my Seo-baby is an angel.” Kyuhyun said defensively.

  Yoona rolled her eyes. “Whipped, totally whipped.”

  “…All four of you are whipped.” Krystal pointed out, causing the four of them to blush.

  Victoria nudged her suggestively. “Shouldn’t you be going in to support your sister? At least you’ll have some insight to what giving birth is truly like, and you’ll be prepared to face it in the near future.”

  “Like I’m ever going to have a kid.” Krystal scowled, scorning the mere thought of it. “…Probably never even going to get married, at this rate-“

  The doors of the surgical ward were slammed open, revealing a rather intense dark haired man, half-sobbing yet half-grinning, his dark eyes filled with emotions as he stepped out. Instantly,  the remaining couple and children stood up, exchanging glances in exhilaration and anticipation, waiting for Jonghyun’s news.

  Jonghyun could barely suppress the wide smile that curved upon his lips. “It’s a girl!”

  “She’s absolutely perfect, isn’t she?”

  Jessica cooed the tiny baby in her arms lovingly, tenderly her newborn daughter’s cheeks. She admired the features of her daughter, who seemed uncannily like a carbon copy of her. And the more she stared, the more she felt fascinated, the more she felt grateful, and the more she felt her motherly instincts become aroused.

  Jonghyun’s smile was lopsided, grinning dreamily as he stared at his wife and daughter. “…What shall we name her, Sica-ah?”

  “Hmm.” Jessica thought deeply. “…I haven’t thought about that yet.”

  “You wanted a girl and you didn’t think of a name?” Jonghyun’s eyelids shot up in surprise.

  “Well… honestly, I thought we would land ourselves with a boy.” Jessica admitted, grinning somewhat sheepishly. “It’s often said that one never gets what one wants, and I thought that I would be gifted with another boy to make me more appreciative…I just never… I never thought I’d actually get a girl.”

  Jonghyun was not infuriated, not one bit, understanding what his wife was trying to imply. He her hair lovingly, as if to provide her with some sort of comforting reassurance. “Sica… I’m sure that the gods saw how sincere you were, and they probably knew that you’d be a good mother…”

  She heaved a sigh. “I’ve done a lot of things in my life that were selfish and conceited. Most of the time, I only thought about myself rather than others.” It was almost as though she was making an honest confession. “…And when I prayed for a girl, I wanted to have her because I thought that it would be more entertaining to buy girls’ clothing, to chat and gossip with her, and to tie her hair into plaits…”

  “And what’s wrong with that?” Jonghyun came to her defense. “Every mother would have that sort of desire, Sica, it’s just a matter of whether they want to admit it or not. At least you were being straight-forward enough to admit the truth.”

  She shook her head gently. “…I never really appreciated Jeongmin much. I love him, but most of the time I was just being envious of Vic-unnie, of Seohyun, of Yoona, because they all had such pretty girls that they could marvel at. I didn’t. But now, as I look back… I feel horrible, Jjong-ah, Jeongmin doesn’t deserve to be treated in such a way.”

  “You didn’t mistreat Jeongmin, Sica. Even now, he still loves you. He was murmuring about you all night in his sleep – he was genuinely concerned for you, and he still is.” Jonghyun gestured towards the boy who was entrapped in deep slumber, lying on the sofa in the ward. “Don’t worry about such things, Sica, don’t.”

  It was during such periods of which Jessica could truly appreciate her husband’s traits. Sure, he was a comical, fun-loving man who was often careless, but there were times of which he could be sincere, and when he was sincere, nothing mattered more than his words. She knew that he meant it, and that he truly meant it. And that, that was all that was important.

  “Thank you, Kim Jonghyun.” Jessica uttered softly. “…For everything.”

  “I love you, Sica.” He grasped her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “So, what shall we name this little one?”

  “…You name her, Jonghyun.”

  He contemplated the thought in his mind for a moment. “Mijeom. Beauty, goodness, virtue… Mijeom.”

  “Mijeom it is, then.” A soft smile spread on her face as she trailed her fingertips along the forehead of her pretty little daughter. “Kim Mijeom.”

  And exultation overwhelmed their hearts.

  “Shim Changmin – stop fidgeting restlessly and stay still!” Victoria’s words of fury came out as incoherent little mutters, as she bit several pins in . “Move again, and I’ll kill you, I really will!”

  He chuckled heartily, heeding her orders. “Yes, Madam Victoria.”

  She gave him a soft whack as she put some finishing touches on his tuxedo, sticking her pins into the few loose parts to ensure that the cut was perfect. Changmin, on the other hand, willed himself not to shift around subco