Second Filming Day

JiYong rang the doorbell to Jodi's house, but 'Happy' by Pharell was playing so loudly that he was sure she couldn't hear him. He let himself in, he didn't think she would mind. Ebah barked and ran at him as soon as he opened the door. JiYong was braced for her this time. Ebah danced around his feet excitedly, then flopped onto her back for a belly rub. JiYong set his huge, red bag down, and knelt to oblige.

“I see you've met the fearsome guard dog.”

JiYong looked up and met the smirking face of a tall girl with fire engine red bangs. “You must be SooYoung,” he said as he rose and bowed.

“And you are Kwon JiYong-ssi. It's nice to meet you,” SooYoung returned.

“Oh, you can drop the formalities. We're practically family,” he countered with a smile. SooYoung raised her eyebrows and shrugged. She snapped her fingers and Ebah followed her out the door. Strange, JiYong thought.

Looking ahead, he could see Jodi(in more black) dancing and singing to the two little boys in front of her at the counter, using a spatula as a mic. On his way over, he bowed to the people at the dining room table that he recognized as members of the WGM staff. They were drinking coffee, bobbing to the music, and eating breakfast while watching Jodi play around.

“Yongie!” Jodi yelled as she caught sight of him. She dropped the spatula on the counter and walked over to hug him. She pulled back to smile at him, then hugged him again before turning around. “Hey boys, come over and meet my husband.”

One boy jumped out of his chair and ran around the counter. His bow was so fast and sloppy that he almost pitched forward. “Annyeonghaseyo! Oh JeongUi-imnida!” he practically screamed. JiYong held in his laughter, barely.

The second boy that approached him moved slower, eyes on the ground the whole time. His bow was executed perfectly. “Annyeonghaseyo. Oh JinShil-imnida,” he fairly whispered.

Even if the boys hadn't said their names, JiYong would have known one from the other based on their dismount. While Jodi was in Daegu, they talked almost every night. She had described them this way; 'If not for their similar faces, you would never know they shared a womb, let alone a genetic code. JeongUi is what most would consider a typical boy. He's loud, he gets dirty a lot, he loves to play, he's very energetic. He likes loud, guitar and bass heavy music like Glitch Mob, and very heavily edited Trap Muzik. JinShil is his opposite. He's quiet, thoughtful—timid might even be the right word for him. He's an old man. He loves books, black and white movies, and Soul music. He's my low maintenance baby.'

JiYong smiled broadly at them in return before bowing back. He gave them the full 90°, despite their age. They were so cute, there was no way for him to not smile. “It's nice to meet you both. JiYong-imnida.”

“Can I call you 'hyung'?” JeongUi asked boldly. JiYong nodded. “Cool.” Satisfied with his response, JeongUi climbed back on the barstool to finish his pancakes. JinShil looked at him with wide eyes, then turned and followed his brother.

“Don't worry. He takes a while to warm up to new people,” Jodi whispered in his ear. “Have you eaten yet?”

JiYong told her that he just had coffee on the way over. Jodi made a face before pushing him into the stool next to JinShil and prepared to feed him as well.

“Would you mind waiting?” asked Kim AhJong, the newly promoted PD. The previous one was asked to resign after the editing fiasco. “That way we can get it on film.”

“This isn't being recorded?” JiYong asked as he looked around at the mounted cameras.

“Nope. Cameras are off whenever the boys are here,” Jodi answered.

“I wanna be on TV, noona!” JeongUi whined.

“Too bad kid. You'll just have to wait until you're legally able to sign your own contracts.”

“You never let me have any fun,” JeongUi finished with a pout.

“That is my job as your big sister,” she explained patiently. “Hurry and eat. Your doctor appointment is in an hour.”

“Are you sick?” JiYong leaned over and asked JinShil softly.

JinShil shook his head. “No. We can't go back to school until the doctor says we don't have pink guy.” JiYong looked at Jodi for a translation.

“Pink eye, sweetie. One of the kids was passing it around, so they put his class out to stop the spread. The boys don't have it,” she assured him quickly, “But a doctor has to clear them.”

Jodi pulled out the carafe from the high-tech coffee machine and walked around refilling the mugs of the staff. She asked if everyone had enough to eat and insisted that it was no big deal to make more of everything. With satisfied smiles and pats to their bellies, they shook their heads one by one. He watched Jodi take the plates from the boys, they were just pushing the food around and wasting time anyway. JinShil protested, so she lifted him off the stool and chased him to the bathroom with orders to wash their hands. She loaded the dishwasher and answered questions from the staff. Occasionally, one twin or the other would run to the kitchen complain or ask a question, she would answer them and set them back to the task of dressing. When SooYoung came in with Ebah, Jodi reached under the counter to fill Ebah's bowls and scratch the dog between the ears. She wiped the counters, responded to a text message and scribbled on a notepad—never stopping her dancing. JiYong watched her in awe.

“You're so efficient,” he complimented.

Jodi scoffed and stuffed the pen behind her ear. “Not really. I'm incredibly forgetful, actually. All this is part of the routine, so it looks more impressive than it really is.”

“Your house is usually this busy in the morning?”

“Some version of this, a few times a week. I live in a constant state of organized chaos. Children tend to do that. Speaking of which,” Jodi slapped her hands on the counter and approached what JiYong assumed was the boys' room. She threw the door open and scolded them, “You have exactly two minutes to be out here and in your shoes, or we are going to have a problem. Hurry up.”

“Yes, noona,” they responded together. It took them less than a minute to come out and retrieve their shoes.

“Hey, Soo? Can you pick up some things from the grocery for me?” Jodi looked down at the list, and around the counter, and then at the floor. SooYoung walked up behind her and hit her on the back of the head, making the pen drop. “You could have just told me it was there.”

“My way was more fun,” SooYoung told her with a deep-dimpled grin. Jodi wrote a few more things down before handing the list to SooYoung. Then she hugged her, pinched her cheeks and talked to her in an aegyo filled voice. SooYoung did not look amused. “You are doing this because there is an audience and I can't fight back. But they won't always be here, Jodi. Keep that in mind.”

Jodi kissed her on the cheek with a gleeful chuckle and walked away. She and SooYoung helped the boys get bundled up. Jodi knelt down, zipped JinShil up, grabbed him by the collar and shook him, giving him kisses every time he came forward. He giggled, playfully told her to stop, but made no attempt to get away. With one last smacking kiss to his cheek, she let him go.

“Come over here, other little boy,” she called to JeongUi. He shook his head and looked meaningfully at the people looking at them over her shoulder, JiYong included. “Oh. I understand. You don't want kisses in front of an audience. I can respect that,” she said a little sadly. She stood up and sighed dramatically. “But you know what? I don't care!” Jodi tackled him to the ground and buried her face in his neck. The little boy shrieked and screamed and kicked and laughed helplessly. “Do you accept my love?”

“No!” he yelled defiantly. Jodi continued the assault. Ebah, not sure how seriously this threat should be taken, barked and jumped around them frantically. Jodi paused for a moment to soothe the dog and repeat the question. “Never!” JeongUi responded. Jodi shrugged and attacked him with more kisses and