3. CRAZY BUNCH

Two months after our wedding, we wondered how other married couples felt. We felt no different than we had earlier. Except that we were wearing an extra ring. We discussed about it and Puppy laughed at how he had jumped when I’d said yes. But now it felt the same anyway.

When we met for our weekly dinner, Heechul demanded a pic to see whether we were using our silk pajamas. Kibum took a leaf out of his book and demanded a pic of our wearing his gifts as well. There was no way we were going to take photographs of ourselves wearing y . He’d just have to take our word for it that we were using his gifts very well.

Tae just wagged his finger at us, “You are all evil men. It hurt me to sit for two days after your wedding dinner.”

“Then you shouldn’t make Kibum wait for two years. You expect him to enjoy while you close your mind to it yourself. Don’t you feel happy making him happy? And it’s not such a big thing that he is asking for.” Siwon patted Tae’s shoulders.

“Talk about yourself Siwon. Tae, don’t worry I agree with you that we have an evil family. They have corrupted my sweet baby too. Try a pain killer next time, it helps.” DongHae advised Tae.

“You both better teach them the right way then. It shouldn’t hurt. They are obviously doing something wrong. You are two complete idiots for not sharing your years of experience with them and make it easier for yourselves.” I scratched my head as I said that.

We were sitting at our home, having coffee after dinner. It had become our routine to meet once a week at each one’s home in turn. The kids were busy playing xbox games. Hyemi noona and Soo were talking with imo and Ji in a separate room.

“Enough. You are all such shameless men. How can you discuss this with me, Leeteuk and Sunwoo sitting right here?” Uncle began laughing as he scolded us.

“I don’t mind appa. I will soon be picking their brains and drawing blood to do a research on ual dominance in gays.” Doc nodded serenely.

“I don’t mind it either. It just makes me appreciate my sweet Hyemi even more.” Sunwoo hyung laughed with uncle.

“Noona will no longer be sweet if she spends too much time with these guys. I am warning you hyung. Be careful.” Tae said to Sunwoo hyung.

Kibum glared at him as the rest of us laughed away his warning. I offered Tae a chocolate to sweeten him up.

“No thanks hyung. I am watching my weight.” He refused. “Do you know I can still fit into my wedding tux?”

“As long as you don’t close any buttons.” Kibum countered with an innocent smile.

Now it was Tae’s turn to glare at him. And we got something new to about.

Puppy suddenly turned serious. “By the way, just to let everyone know, I have been asked to lead a delegation for a month long training and exchange of ideas in Australia in July.”

“Are you refusing again?” DongHae asked.

“Of course.” Puppy nodded.

“You know you will not be so lucky with promotions next time round if you keep refusing trainings and assignments.” DongHae softly advised.

Puppy just shrugged.

I got a brainwave hearing the word ‘July’. “Is family allowed to accompany on such trainings?”

“There is nothing that stops the family from accompanying except the prohibitive costs of living that they have to bear on their own.” DongHae raised his brows not catching my drift.

“I have not heard of any families accompanying on such overseas visits. Why Jinki?” Siwon gave his opinion.

“Kids will have holidays in mid-July. Why don’t we go with you Puppy? Why refuse yet another training?” I took Puppy’s hand and laced our fingers.

He looked at me smiled. “I will say yes only if you are sure you and kids will come with me. I am not going alone under any circumstances.”

“You are one crazy man Jjong. It’s an honor to get the opportunity to lead a team overseas. And you plan to refuse without a thought.” DongHae wondered aloud.

“Crazy for Jinx,” Heechul teased us.

Suddenly Sunwoo hyung groaned. “Not again. Sehun will make our lives hell when he comes to know you are going away. These two kids will drive us insane. Why can’t we go into time warp and emerge when they are a marriageable age? It will make our lives so much easier.”

“Sehun will go with us hyung. What made you think we didn’t include him when we said kids?” I tried to ease hyung’s mind.

“You people are really crazy. Minx and Sehun are not even dating and you talk as if they are already married.” Kibum squawked in surprise.

“Key you should be used to it after all these years. Those two practically live in each other’s pockets. They don’t need to date or marry. They will straight progress to having kids.” Heechul snickered at us.

“What? No way. My baby girl is not living in sin with anyone. Not even Sunshine. They are too young to even think about it. Heechul hyung please don’t even put any such ideas in their heads, especially Minx’s.” Puppy got worried. I rubbed his back to calm him down.

“I thought about when I was 14.” Hyukkie grinned at us.

“My son is not like that Hyukkie.” Sunwoo hyung protested.

“It’s nothing to do with good or bad. It’s natural.” Hyukkie clarified. “What about you hyung?” He asked DongHae.

“I married my high school sweetheart. And I thought about kissing her from the moment I saw her when we were 15.” DongHae smiled at the memory. Hyukkie held his hand and smiled with him.

“I was a late bloomer I guess. I didn’t think of kissing anyone till I was at least 16.” Tae added his bit.

Puppy and I just looked at each other as memories were mentioned all around us.

“I realized I was interested in boys instead of girls and was too scared to actually think anything further.” Kibum laughed self consciously.

“I would always recite Bible whenever my thoughts strayed. My mother would have killed me.” Siwon grinned.

“Aww my sweet Simba.” Heechul smiled sweetly.

“I was too busy studying and then was too shy. My first kiss was after our wedding.” Leeteuk blushed as he said that.

“We grew up in very innocent times.” Uncle winked at us. “We kissed for the first time when Dae Hei was 13.”

“Don’t worry Puppy. Our kids are not like that. Thinking is not the same as doing. You are an example of it remember? Curiosity is natural when growing up. But we made them promise. And they won’t break their promise. We both know it. So don’t worry.” I kept rubbing Puppy’s back as I spoke softly to him.

He nodded remembering that he had his first kiss with me at the age of 22. “You are right Tokki. Our kids know the value of keeping their promise.”

Sunwoo hyung smiled at us. “Trust me, Sehun will never do anything to harm Minx or upset you both. We’ve brought him up to be a good boy.”

We nodded in acknowledgment as we were part of his upbringing.

“We will book his tickets as well hyung. No arguments. We cannot bear the thought of him going hungry again.” I looked at Puppy and he nodded in agreement.

Sunwoo hyung nodded and laughed, “You know it right that we will have a continuous storm at our place when you announce your travel plans. Kiwoo will be very upset that his younger brother will be going overseas again. And no, before you offer to take him too, he has to study.”

We nodded. Kiwoo had left after dinner to return to his studies. He was aiming for scholarship to a US college.

“Ummappa save me. Duckie is pulling my hair off.” Byong burst into the living room and climbed behind me and Puppy.

“He cut my doll’s hair.” Jinri screamed as she climbed right after Byong pulling his hair again.

I held Duckie in my arms while Puppy untangled her fingers from Byong’s hair. “Tell me what happened first.” He asked Byong. Heechul and Siwon looked at us without a worry on their face.

“We were playing hair styling. We took turns cutting her doll’s hair. I don’t know why she is pulling my hair now.” He explained.

“My doll has no hair now.” Duckie hugged me and said into my chest. “It was my favorite doll ummappa. I asked him to cut only a little hair. But he kept cutting.”

“But it looks good like this Duckie. It looks like a military doll.” Byong defended himself.

“I don’t want a military doll. I like brushing my doll’s hair.” Duckie looked at Byong with tears in her eyes.

“Don’t cry Duckie. I am sorry. I thought you would like military hair cut for your doll. Let me ask noona if she will give one of her dolls to you.”

Byong got down from behind us and walked out. Jinri slid out of my arms and followed him calling out, “See if she will give me the one with pink hair. I promise to take good care of it.”

We looked at their retreating figures in surprise. We waited in silence but when they didn’t return we were sure her wish had been granted by Minx. Heechul rubbed his hands in glee as Siwon and he smiled at each other.

Puppy and I just sighed in relief that the kids had sorted out their dispute without needing our intervention.

“Hyung why don’t you teach Kai manners like that? He is growing up as an insensitive brat. Except for Amber, he is horrible with all other girls. He behaves well with Minx also only because I heard Sehun threatening to beat him up if he didn’t.” Kibum hissed at Tae.

“He spends more time with you Kitty than with me. You teach him. We hardly talk anyway. He doesn’t listen to a word I say.” Tae put the responsibility back on Kibum’s shoulders.

“Then talk nicely to him. He is your son also.” Kibum glared this time.

“No wonder he is a brat. If this is the example he has at home.” Uncle’s words shut them up as we all broke up in laughter at their bickering. The pair constantly bickered, glared or made up publicly.

Puppy squeezed my hand and whispered, “I wouldn’t change a thing. Crazy and all, they are ours.”  

I nodded and squeezed back. They were a crazy bunch for sure. But they were our crazy bunch.