48.  WELCOME HOME BYONG

Puppy pouted the next morning that we didn’t wake him for Byong’s feeding at night. He was upset with himself that he had slept through our night’s activity. Umma comforted by reminding him that he would have to take care of me and Byong all by himself for few hours before Kibum came. She also reminded him that two months was a long time for him to do everything for me and he needed to share the responsibility or else he will get burnt out. He nodded his understanding and hugged her in thanks for a full night’s sleep.

Nurse came to sponge me, puppy helped even though he didn’t need to, making me think that he just needed an excuse to touch my body. I grinned at him. Next he took me for a walk in the corridor outside while umma prepared tea, expecting appa to arrive any moment. Byong was sleeping after his morning feed. Appa came just as my hunger pangs struck me.

Umma served breakfast for puppy. I insisted on sitting in a chair with them and having soup on my own. Puppy arranged the chair next to his place on the couch. I smiled at appa when he placed sleeping Byong next to him on the couch.

“Appa, I think every baby has shared your morning tea while sleeping.”

“In my busy life Jinki, morning tea is the one time I truly feel relaxed and sharing it with a baby is even more relaxing. Did he wake up a lot at night?”

I shook my head, “Only once. I hope he continues that habit even later.”

Puppy kept pouring more soup in my cup, a little at a time. He’d offered food to umma but she refused, since she’d return home after he’d eaten.

“Jonghyun, how’s your work going? I heard you took a month’s leave to look after Jinki?”

“Yes appa. Do you mind if I call you appa? Or should I use abeoji-nim?”

“Appa is fine. You are family. No need for formality. It’s funny we have never addressed each other directly before now.”

“Please forgive my oversight appa.”

“Not your fault. How’s work? I hope no more dangerous assignments.”

“Work is as usual appa. And danger is part of police work.”

“You are a father of two now. You have a family to think about. Do you really need to court danger every day?”

“I am in just as much danger as any other police officer. And there are many with families bigger than mine. Police work is less dangerous than driving a car or crossing a road. We take precautions to keep safe appa.”

“Yet you got seriously injured.”

“I know appa, my bad luck that night. Do you know, more people die in road accidents every year than policemen get injured on the job?”

“I can always pull strings and get you a safer posting.”

I intervened at this point, not wanting puppy to be put in a tough spot by rejecting appa’s offer as I knew he would. “Appa Jjong will be up for promotion within this year again. He has already given tests for it and we are awaiting results.”

“A promotion is not going to reduce the risk Jinki.”

Puppy and I looked at each other wondering how much to disclose to my father. Puppy nodded discreetly.

“He is also planning a shift to the Cyber Crime Investigation Task Force. We are waiting for the promotion to finalize before applying for the move. That way he will get an equal or higher designation in the Task Force. We are already in discussions with the CCITF recruiters.”

Appa looked shocked at this piece of information. Umma watched with a smile of pride.

“Don’t you need to be a computer expert to join there?”

“Yes appa. I am one. To join the force I need excellent investigative skills, creative out of the box thinking, and computer expertise. I have scored well on all of these.”

“Appa Jjong is not your run-of-the-mill policeman. Don’t be fooled by his benign exterior.” I grinned at my father.

“I am realizing that Jinki. You have a bomb on your hands hidden inside a firecracker with this one.”

“So the grilling is over?”

“Yes. Welcome to the family young man. And good luck to you keeping Jinki in line.”

“Thank you appa. I love him just the way he is, every little quirk of his, whether he is in line or out of line, he is adorable.”

I blushed at puppy’s words.

“You two certainly get along better than Tae and Kibum. Jinki since you left, Tae is just so out of control with Kibum. How did you manage him before? He seemed to listen to you and treat Kibum better.”

“Very simply appa. I threatened to castrate him if he ever mistreated Kibum. He knew I meant it. Maybe you should renew the threat.”

All three looked at me in shock. I grinned at them. But they were not fooled. They knew me and they understood why Tae never got out of line before.

“It won’t work Jinki. He knows I’d never carry it out.”

“Then I can’t help you appa. My equation with Tae is different since I left Minho. Even if I threaten him, he knows he can hide behind you and I have no desire to fight with you. Plus Kibum does not talk to me anymore and I hardly visit your home to be updated on latest mishaps.”

“Then come more often. We miss you. How about weekly breakfast like before?”

“That will be some time. I need to fully recover first. Then Jjong needs to be off work on Sunday. We’ll certainly come then.”

Appa nodded satisfied. Puppy raised his brows at my white lie.

“Liar,” He whispered as he helped me lie down.

“Of course jagi,” I grinned at him.

Appa and umma left soon after as appa was hungry. Puppy and I looked at each other. We were alone again. Awesome. Puppy drew the curtain and kissed me deep.

“Oh yeobo it’s been a day since I kissed you like that,” He kissed me again. “You taste even better as ummappa of my two kids.”

I kissed him the third time, “And you, dearest father of my two, have become a better kisser in less than a day.”

The nurse interrupted with my medicines. Byong woke up needing to be changed. As puppy was changing him, his nurse came to give him a bath. I sent puppy along with them, promising that I’d be fine alone for a few minutes.

Kibum came before puppy could return.

“So Bummie did you decide last night whose lips are more kissable?”

“Don’t remind me hyung. Your brother spent all night proving his.”

“Good for you. I’ve been meaning to ask why aunt Hee Young left early yesterday?”

“Uncle was not feeling well. And you know how he is when unwell, won’t let her move from his side.”

We passed time chatting and gossiping about family. I’d missed out on many years of family news. I’d not even attended Minseok’s wedding as I was on restricted movement at that time of my pregnancy. Kibum gave me gossip on his sister-in-law and how silent Minseok was dealing with a talkative wife. Joon-myun had fallen in love and was after his parents to get him married quickly. Kibum’s parents were after Minseok to become a father quickly.

Puppy returned with a bathed Byong in his arms who was very near to crying. Kibum quickly moved my bed up and I prepared to feed him. When Byong was burping, puppy told us his parents would be coming for a visit. He was tense and I was calm. I handed Byong to Kibum and held puppy’s hands and told him to stop worrying.

When they did come an hour later, his father happily rocked a sleeping Byong. His mother refused to touch the baby. Kibum prepared coffee for them. His mother tried to frown at Kibum but he sat in front of her and put her in her place.

He first crossed his legs and picked his cup with his pinky sticking out. He pouted to blow on the coffee and looked at puppy’s mother. She was staring at him with open. He raised one eyebrow in his most Diva manner and took a very lady like sip from his mug. Then began talking to puppy, waving his hands about in an exaggerated manner. Her eyes bugged out even more.

I called out, “Stop it Bummie. Don’t .”

Kibum grinned at me and sat up straight and behaved like a gentlemanly Diva after that.

“Aunty, I am gay, not a freak. Do you know it is rude to stare like that.”

Puppy grinned and got up to give me some food. It had been a few hours and I was hungry. Kibum directed him to serve me the chicken he had brought along with the soup. Then he focused on puppy’s mother and began drawing her out, making her talk about herself. Soon she was comfortably talking and laughing with Kibum.

I whispered to puppy, “You see the magic of Kibum. This is what made me decide he was best partner for Tae. If anyone can change your mother, it is Kibum.”

We watched as puppy’s mother shifted nearer to his father and began cooing at the sleeping Byong. Kibum winked at us and grinned. He left them alone with the baby and came to talk to puppy and me.  

They left after an hour, and I saw puppy’s mother smile for the first time.

Puppy’s work colleagues came to visit us in a steady stream. Kibum went home at lunch time before Kai’s return from school. Imo and girls came after school. Room was filled with laughter and fun till they left at night.

One more day and I was released to go home with the baby in the evening.

Home Sweet Home. There was even a small banner reading “Welcome Home Byong” in Soo’s writing. We were welcomed with lots of cheers by imo and the girls, Sehun and Mrs Oh. Puppy muttered ‘the dweeb’ under his breath while holding Byong in his arms.

I rubbed his arm to calm him down. “Jagi, we will talk about this at night. Please behave as usual for now. They are just babies.”

Puppy nodded and handed Byong to Mrs Oh who approached us for him. I lay on my bed and Sehun approached me with a bouquet. I smiled at him and took his hand and kissed it. Then I kissed his cheeks. Minx was right. He did taste a little bit like cotton candy. He smiled at me and my heart melted. His smile was pure sunshine. Oh my baby girl stood absolutely no chance.

Byong was being shown around the house and introduced to its every corner. Puppy came and sat beside me. “Ah yeobo finally home.”

I nodded and gave him a quick kiss. “Tell me what my lips taste like right now.”

He winked at me and his lips first then mine, “Cotton candy. But when did you have one? Did you apply a new lip balm?”

I laughed, “No jagi. That’s your ‘dweeb’ for you. He really does taste like cotton candy.”

“No no yeobo it does not matter what he tastes like. She is not to kiss him.”

“I know jagi. I made her promise me. We negotiated to only kisses on the hand.”

“No yeobo. No kisses anywhere.”

“Fine. You see if you have better luck. Personally I think, it’s the best deal. Better save our energy for more lethal stuff as they grow older. We do live next door to him and will continue to do so. And they will continue to play together. And you did call him cute.”

“Yeobo, I was naïve. I was a new father. No one told me calling little boys cute in front of little girls leads to kissing later on.”

“Jagi she is a beautiful girl. She will only grow more beautiful as she grows. There will be boys lining up to confess to her. Don’t you think a known devil is better than an unknown one?”

“No yeobo, she can’t date till she is at least 20.”

“What do you plan to do? Hide her in a closet?”

“I wish I could just keep her in my arms forever. It scares me. The thought of her growing up. Some creep breaking her heart like that loser broke Soo’s.”

I kissed him softly again. “Jagi she will grow up whether we want her to or not. I still say better a known devil than an unknown one. Think it over.”

Imo brought a fidgeting Byong for his feeding. I rubbed puppy’s hand before letting it go. We didn’t get any more private moments till everyone slept for the night.

Minx climbed into bed with us. She sat in puppy’s lap and he wrapped his arms around her before telling her stories. She slept off in his arms. He picked her up and brought her to me for a good night kiss and then carried her to the girls’ room and tucked her in between Soo and Jiyeon who were sitting up reading in bed.

On his return, he put Byong on one side of the bed, tucking in pillows to make sure he’d be safe and then climbed between us to hug me. “Yeobo I missed holding you in my arms. Welcome back home.”

“It’s going to be a long recovery. You look hotter each passing day. Fatherhood suits you jagi. Kiss me quickly before I faint from lack of my daily sustenance.”

We kissed like there was no yesterday. Like there was no tomorrow. Just then and there. Those moments. Those kisses.

We stopped while we still could. I lay on his arm with my head tucked into his shoulder. He tucked Byong into him on the other side with his arm holding him close to his body and smiled contentedly at me. We knew as soon I was healed enough, Minx would tuck into his side and Byong into mine and we’d have to get used to sleeping on our backs in the middle of our kids.

“Now don’t sleep just yet yeobo. I’ve been thinking all evening. Sehun is a nice kid. His family is nice. And he is a known devil. But I don’t want to permit any relationship.”

I rubbed his chest as we talked, “We shouldn’t jagi. But we also need to keep the communication lines open with them. You know that going all parental and authoritative never works with Minx. She has to be coaxed, won over with logic or negotiated into things. And the whole Sehun thing has to be kept under wraps.”

“You’re right. What do you have in mind?”

“I got her to promise me in the hospital to stop kissing him. But I had to give in to kissing the hand. If we limit it to only one body part, we can control the kissing for some time. Otherwise, she will just say you never stopped me from kissing here or there.”

“Oh yes, Minx would do exactly that. If you tell her no kissing cheeks, she will kiss the nose or the lips and say you only said not to kiss cheeks.”

“I got her to promise no kissing anywhere except the hand. She made her pinky promise to me.”

“What if he tries to kiss our baby girl?”

“No kissing anywhere except the hand. Holds for both of them. She will get very upset with him if he does anything that breaks her promise to me.”

“You are a genius yeobo. But how did you get Sehun’s taste?”

“I kissed his hand and cheeks today evening. I had asked Minx why she was insisting on kissing him and she told me he tastes like cotton candy. I had to check for myself. He does faintly taste of cotton candy. I wonder why?”

“Don’t deviate from the topic. It doesn’t matter how, what matters is stopping her addiction to it.”

“But jagi if we know why, maybe we can change his taste.”

“It’s worth a try then.”

“But I am not sure it will work much. I think it’s more than his taste. Have you seen him smile jagi?”

“Yes. What about it?”

“His smile is pure sunshine. I see children smile all the time. I know the difference.”

“Hmm like your smile is sunshine to me. I pity the dweeb. You and Minx are most mesmerizing, hypnotizing, prettiest bombshells.” He kissed my head.

“And my jagi is the handsomest, sweetest dragon. Where they are concerned we’ll just need to put in rules and constraints as time goes by. But we cannot completely stop it. Thankfully they study in different schools.”

“Oh yeobo and I thought we had at least another ten or more years before we came to this point. I still feel like wringing his scrawny neck.”

“My sweet sweet jagi.”

“Don’t sweet jagi me. You and Minx are the same. Always sweet talking me. I will be failing in my duty as her father if I just go ahead and say yes to the first dweeb who proposes to her.”

“I am not saying you say yes to Sehun. I’m saying don’t say ‘no’ just as yet. If you want to come out of this sticky situation with your relationship with Minx intact, you will have to tread very, very carefully. And I will sweet jagi you all I want. You gave me that right.”

“Fine. I won’t say no. I’ll control my reaction. But I am not happy about the situation. I know what you said is totally right. I don’t like it that’s all. I cannot think of any other solution either so we’ll go with what you suggested for now. But it’s too soon. She is our baby girl.”

“I don’t like it either. But if we ban her from things, she will become stubborn and do those things just to irritate or frustrate us.”

“Hmm sounds like someone else I know.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Oh yes you do. Now hush and let me kiss you.”

I happily lifted my face up and kissed him. “Love you jagi.”

“Love you too yeobo. Sleep before Byong wakes up.”

I kissed his shoulder and we snuggled into each other to sleep with Byong.