It’s been 2 weeks since  they came to New York and Joohyun was full of excitement.  She was going to take her husband and kids around the city she grew up in.  It would be wonderful seeing New York from their eyes. Like Oppa took her around Seoul when she first met him, Joohyun wanted to show him the city she knew and loved.

As expected the Korean consulate welcomed Yonghwa and his family.  As heir to CNB Holdings, Yonghwa was accorded the respect that was due to his family name. The embassy held a dinner in their honor. Hwejangnim and Samonim flew in from Korea to attend the affair.  It was the perfect excuse Hwejangnim told the couple -they were missing their grandchildren.

Joohyun attended the affair in a stylized Korean hanbok while Samonim opted for a more traditional one. By now, Joohyun was used to photographers taking pictures of them. It was just one of the many things that came with being Yonghwa’s wife.

That weekend was the first time she saw her face in the papers. It showed pictures of her, her husband and parents in law. Captioned as: Korean royalty living in New York- Joohyun dismissed it from her mind and got down to the task of settling her little family in New York.

Since it would be month before Yonghwa started school, the couple decided to take the children out to the usual sights in New York. The zoo and Central Park were places where her little ones loved the most. The museums became the couple’s favorite places.  Joohyun was used to the guards and often laughed when, like the children, their usually formal guards would start taking pictures of the zoo and the park. The couple ate out – sometimes with children sometimes just by themselves. New York was a huge city and Joohyun hoped that they would enjoy the time they stayed there.

They had just come out of the movie theater when one of the guards approached Yonghwa and reported that a black van had been following them since they left the house.

“They seem to be press, Doryeonim” the guard told Yonghwa.

“I thought they would have moved on by now.” Yonghwa sighs and looks at his wife. “Buin, are you bothered by them? I’ll have to ask Uncle GO to talk to their editors.”

“As long as they don’t go near us or the children I have no problems – yet.” Joohyun replies.

The 2nd weekend spread showed the couple taking their children to the zoo. Pictures of Jae and Aeyah in Yonghwa’s arms while watching the lions, Joohyun buying ice cream and giving it to the children.  Yonghwa and Joohyun sitting the park bench holding hands while Joohyun read a book. The pictures were zoomed in and always showed the presence of their security detail. Captioned as - Korean royalty: A day in the zoo with armed guards. Joohyun throws the paper away in disgust.

“Oppa! Wake up!” Joohyun climbs into bed and tires to wake her husband. “Look at the papers.”

Yonghwa opens one eye and looks at his wife. “Are the children awake?”

“No – they’re still asleep I checked a few minutes ago.” Joohyun tells him.

“Unless you want me to do something with you – I think I should be asleep because the children are asleep.” Yonghwa pulls her into his arms and snuggles his face on the crook of her neck.

“Oppa – we just did it last night!” Joohyun tries to wiggle away but her husband tightens his embrace. She starts to giggle as his lips kiss her neck but she stops and pulls him away. “I’m serious Oppa.”

“What is it this time?” Yonghwa looks at her.  Fully awake now with tousled hair – Yonghwa was the splitting image of their eldest Jae.

Joohyun sighs and resists the urge to kiss him back. “Look at the papers. It shows our outing at the zoo.”

“So?” He picks up the newspapers and reads the spread.

He was reading and Joohyun was looking at him. She still found him gorgeous and she guessed she’ll always think of him that way. In his favorite plain white tees and a pajama bottom he looked just as good as when he was wearing his favorite Armani suit.

“Stop looking at me Jung Joohyun –“He tells her as he continues reading the article. ‘If I do something – we might end up with an audience.” He looks up and winks.

“Stop Oppa – I’m serious. I don’t like them following us around.” Joohyun sighs. “They make it look like we’re prisoners or something.”

“Ah Buin, you’ve been with me for so long you’re starting to accept life with bodyguards.” He folds the newspaper and throws it on the floor.  He gathers his wife in his arms again and covers them both with a duvet.

“The bodyguards are for your protection and the children’s. They’re necessary.” Joohyun settles in her husband’s arms. “Besides they’re really nice when you get to know them.”

“They’re armed and dangerous. And they are for our protection not just mine. Samonim would throw a fit if she knew that you thought the guards were nice.” Yonghwa chuckles.

“But they are. They have families back home and they sometimes show me their pictures. I think of them as part of our family.” Joohyun replies.

“Spoken like a true American.” Her husband laughs. “Arasso – I think of them as family too. I miss Ahjussi and Yongguk. I hope Ahjussi comes in the summer.”

“ He will Ahjussi promised but Yongguk can’t leave Hwejangnim and Samonim – maybe when they come for Christmas but then again Yongguk has family to go to – he should be with them in Christmas time.” Joohyun drew circles around her husband’s chest.

“No don’t do that Mrs. Jung.” He holds her hand and kisses it. “Audience coming soon.”

Joohyun just laughs and kisses him. He returns her kiss and they were just getting to be passionate when they hear a little voice.

“Ma-ma awake?” Little Aeyah stood by the door of her parents’ room. She was in her pink pajamas with her favorite bunny. “Appa?”

From under the duvet Yonghwa sighs and Joohyun tries to stop herself from laughing.  Their children always headed for their parents’ bedroom as soon as they woke up.  They would keep on doing this until Min Sun arrives in a month’s time.

Min Sun was still their governess and Joohyun knew that her children needed the type of upbringing that was given to Yonghwa and his brother. But unlike the other governesses that raised chaebol children – Min Sun was loving and warm.  Joohyun and Min Sun had many compromises when it came to raising them.

“Aeyah – I told you that you can’t wake up Omma and Appa!” Jae stands next to his sister.

“Just asking.” Aeyah looks up at her brother.

“How can a sleeping person answer you Aeyah?”” Jae takes her hand and pulls her towards the stairs. “Silly baby! Come on Guard Park let me open the TV – we can watch cartoons.”

“Not a baby!” The little girl replies. “Don’t close the door Oppa!”

“Let them sleep Aeyah! If Yoo Moh was here she’d scold you for sure!” Jae closes their parents’ door as quietly as he could.

Yonghwa and Joohyun lift the duvet and look at each other. Apparently their whole household was up.

“Do you want to get up now?” Joohyun asks her husband. Downstairs she knew that their head guard would have heated up the soup and prepared the children’s morning meal.  He was Min Sun’s nephew and was extremely kind to the children. Both live in guards spoiled their children but Joohyun was grateful for their company.

“Did you hear my answer?” Yonghwa leans over and looks at her. “I said I want a lazy Sunday.”

“Arrasso I heard you. I’ll bring you brunch.” Joohyun gets up from the bed and heads for their dressing room.

She found their house cozy.  True it was a small compared to the huge mansion in Seoul but it was like her parent’s house so she found it comfortable. At the beginning she was worried that Yonghwa would be uncomfortable living with their guards but her husband said he’d been living with guards his whole life so he wasn’t bothered.

Dressed in a cardigan and jeans Joohyun goes downstairs to prepare her husband’s breakfast.  Her children run to greet her and she had to wait until they settled back to eating before starting to cook. The guards greet her and she asks if they have eaten. It was an easy atmosphere as Joohyun was friendly with them.  They were more formal with Yonghwa.

Joohyun made her husband’s favorite mushroom and tomato omelette.  He taught her that himself. Then a fresh bagel with cream cheese and black coffee.

“Omma are you just eating that?” Jae asks his mother. Joohyun was drinking her morning smoothie.

Joohyun nods and takes the tray up.  The children knew that their father would spend the entire morning until early afternoon in bed – reading the papers and looking at his computer.

“I wonder why Omma just drinks that in the mornings. Do you know why Guard Park?” Jae asks their guard.

The guard colors slightly and coughs. “Ladies usually do that so they don’t get fat.”

“But my Omma is not fat.”Aeyah spoons the soup in .  Today she refuses to be fed by Guard Park. She was not a baby. Half the soup drips down her bib.

“No she isn’t. Not like you.” Jae looks mischievously at his sister.  He was a quiet child but he would often tease his younger sibling. He puts rice in his soup and eats neatly – smiling widely at his angry sister.

“Am not!” Aeya bangs her spoon. “Right Park Ahjussi?”

“Of course Princess.” The guard smiles and wipes the little girl’s mouth.

“Ma-ma!” The little girl calls out to her mother who was coming down the stairs. “Oppa said I was fat.”

“You’re cute and lovely.” Joohyun bends to kiss the top of her little girl’s head. Aeya was chubby – but that was baby fat – Joohyun was like that when she was a small girl.

“See.” Aeyah puts out her tongue at her brother.

“You shouldn’t do that to Oppa.” Joohyun tells the little girl. “Good little girls don’t do that.”

“But Ma-ma…” Aeyah whines.

“Finish your food properly or we don’t go out today.” Joohyun sits and looks at her children.

“Are we going out today Agassi?” Guard Park asks.

“Yes, just to the fresh produce market and the super market.” Joohyun tells him.

It was already late in the afternoon when they left the house. Joohyun had to resort to bribery to get Yonghwa to dress up.  True to her suspicions as soon as their SUV left a smaller black van followed not far behind.

So the 3rd weekend spread showed them in the market. Yonghwa holding hands with Jae while carrying Aeyah in his arm. Joohyun buying flowers from a vendor. Their guards holding the supermarket bags and loading them in the SUV.

Joohyun gasped and blinked her eyes as she opened the Sunday papers.  This was the 3rd weekend that she saw her face in the papers.   It made her blood boil. And she requested Yonghwa to talk to his Uncle GO.

It was really silly – they weren’t the only family in New York that had guards, her husband was chaebol but this was New York – there were plenty of other rich people around. It bothered her especially when she was planning to put Jae in a pre-school for 4 hours every day and Aeyah in play school for 2 hours every other day.

They met with GO over dinner at Aldea.  Yonghwa’s youngest Uncle was still single and proving to be an elusive bachelor to ladies in New York and Seoul.

“Uncle – you’ve seen the Sunday papers haven’t you?” Joohyun asks him.

“Yes, I have. They’re very detailed. It seems you have a permanent team assigned to you.” GO tells them.

Joohyun pales. “That’s invasion of privacy.”

“No niece – it’s called living in the spotlight in New York. Right now you’re interesting to them.  We’re hoping that the interest will die down. It’s no use calling their editors about it. They’ll still run the spread. They’re not violating your privacy since they don’t come near you. They maintain the perimeter.” GO tells the couple. “Celebrities are used to this.”

“But we’re not celebrities Uncle.” Joohyun replies.

“Of course you are. You’re part of the 1% cream of Korean society. Your husband and son are heirs to the one of the top ten conglomerates in Korea. You’re a Cinderella girl born and bred in New York who married him at a very young age. This is something the public loves to read. It sells. I just told them that you won’t be giving interviews.” GO smiles at her.

“Me? Interview? What interview? Of course not!” Joohyun gasps.

“Joohyunah – stop! Don’t think about it.” Yonghwa holds his wife hand. “Do you want us to go home?”

“No of course not Oppa! Why should we?” Joohyun replies. “I’ll not give them the benefit of thinking I’m a coward.”

“Good to hear that. Oh, and by the way do you know that the overseas copies of the newspapers are selling like hot cakes in Korea? Apparently everyone over there is curious about how you both are faring in New York.” GO gives a little laugh as he pours them some more wine.

Yonghwa gives a laugh and Joohyun scowls. GO finds the couple refreshing. He was in love with Aeyah and his conversations with Jae were refereshing.  Having them in New York made him miss Korea a lot. He found himself going frequently to shop for clothes for Eunji’s little girl and sending them off via parcel service. His sister already complained that the baby had enough