5. MONETARY FUND

I was very busy the whole month of June. With so many new franchises coming up, we were carefully vetting the franchise owners to suit our principles. We had many applications for each proposed hagwon and a week was spent finalizing the top three candidates before calling each one to Daegu for a meeting with us.

We’d realized that we couldn’t manage all of it on our own even though there were three of us. The sheer volume of routine paperwork itself was overwhelming. Since our US holiday, children were working an hour or more with us.

Sehun and Amber had become adept at handling routine emails and letters on behalf of me and Heechul. Minx sat with Sehun and learnt but I felt she still had some way to go, as she was easily distracted. I put her to organizing our files and running errands inside the academy. She was also good at solving problems of students of all ages.

I’d allotted the two of them a corner of my office to work from and an official laptop of their own. Byong and Duckie were not allowed in that corner. Sehun and Minx even printed a “Byong and Duckie keep away” card and put it on their desk. The younger ones usually sat near Amber as she worked.

Jiyeon had more household responsibilities and was assisting Uncle in his office during her spare time. We asked Hyemi noona if she was interested in working part time but she told us to ask her once Kiwoo was in college. We finally invited one mother of each academy to join the staff as our full-time administrative assistants.

As the time for our travel drew nearer, I saw a longing look on Ji’s face every time Australia was mentioned. We asked her over dinner in the middle of June and she remained silent. We asked uncle and imo and they agreed. Puppy went and booked her tickets immediately. She quietly went to him and hugged him from behind as he sat booking her ticket. He kissed her forehead and put her to looking at the photographs and videos we’d received for possible leasable places.

After some discussion we agreed to rent a 3-bedroom fully furnished apartment or house. I insisted on executive class as it would ensure that everything in the apartment was of good quality. Puppy had also requested help from his Australian hosts to find good family accommodation. Jiyeon and he began spending time every night searching for a place.

Near the end of June, Hyemi noona called me to her house one day and took out a check book to pay for Sehun’s expenses. I glared at her but she was not perturbed.

“Jinki he’s been working for two years and saving his money to pay for his holiday with you.”

“But noona we have holidayed during these two years also. We’ve gone to a lot of places in Korea itself.”   

“We didn’t pay because we came along on almost all of them. And travelling within Korea isn’t as expensive as going overseas.”

“I cannot take money to take our son with us. Sehun is a part of our family noona.”

“He’ll be very disappointed Jinki if you do not let him pay his own way.”

“We’ll take the money the day he stops calling us appa and ummappa.”

“You know that day won’t come.”

“Fine. Let him take some money for shopping, though I am not happy with that also. Let him save the money for his higher education. Medical studies are not cheap.”

“We are also saving for it.”

“Tell him to save for his marriage fund then. With the way they both are going, I don’t think he’ll wait till he is 30 to get married. And Minx wants to be a housewife and stay-at-home mother. He might even be a father of a few by the time he is 30.”

Both of us laughed at the thought of it.

“Really Jinki, it’s getting harder to keep the two of them apart.”

“We’ve even stopped trying noona. We are resigned to the fact that we might have to marry our Minx at an early age.” I sighed.

“I have brought up my Sehun to be a good boy. You don’t have to worry.”

“You are not factoring in their love for each other.”

We sat silent, contemplating our children.

“You know noona it can work. They breakfast with you and dine with us.”

“Won’t work, his father leaves very early.”

“They dine alternate nights with us.”

“Hmmm that might work Jinki. But why are you thinking that now?”

“The other day we were watching an American medical drama and one couple was married soon after starting college. I could see the lights switch on in Minx’s brain.”

“Hmmm. If she makes up her mind, there is nothing any of us can do. Why did you have to bear such a stubborn daughter?”

“We Lees are very strong willed. And I am famous in my family for being the most headstrong.”

“Seeing the two of you, I am not surprised about Minx. I think she is learning from you and Jjong.”

“Any which way you see it noona, in a few years she will be your headache. Congratulations!” I grinned at her.

“When you put it that way is there any possibility that you’d consider a live-in son-in-law?” Noona deadpanned.

“Only if Sehun changes his name to Kim Sehun.” I began laughing.

“Well, I am certain his father and I can persuade him to take her name after marriage.”

“Ah noona, she is looking forward to living with you. And her ambition is to be a super mom with ten kids and Sehun is fully in favor of it.” I some more.

“Stop laughing you evil man. It’s a scary thought not a joke.” She actually shuddered.

I doubled up in laughter.

“On second thought, I will take your advice and ask his father to put the money in his marriage fund. With such evil neighbors there is no saying how soon our innocent son will be corrupted.” She grumbled.

The look on her face was priceless. I just kept laughing harder.

Later in the night I related the whole conversation to Puppy who kept laughing at my narrative. At the end of it, all he said was, “Remember when she began her periods after the US holiday?”

We laughed again remembering that time perfectly well.

Three months after our return from Los Angeles, Minx came to us one evening claiming she had begun her periods and showed us a pink stained . Puppy and I had looked at each and then at Minx very solemnly.

“You are too young Minx but I can see there is no other option. Get me a clean .” I spoke soberly. The moment she left our room, Puppy and I had grinned at each other.

I made a pad with face tissues and put it in her and told her to change into it. Puppy and I left for a quick shopping trip. We purchased the most uncomfortable pads we could think of. Imo had shown Puppy which ones to avoid in LA. On returning home, I read the instructions on the pack and showed Minx how to use it by putting one in a fresh .

Puppy warned her that she needed to wear it day and night till she stopped bleeding. She nodded and happily skipped off with the padded and the pack in her hands. Next day was Sunday so no problems. Monday she went to school and told me on her return that wearing a pad was very uncomfortable. I patted her head in understanding.

She wore it for one more day and then declared her bleeding to be over. That was the end of her periods. She’d not bled again till date.

“Oh yeobo how did she think she could fool us with fake blood?” Puppy laughed at the memories.

“She didn’t realize that paint will dilute in water and stain pink instead of red. Or maybe she didn’t know the color of blood very quickly changes to dark red not light red.”

“Do you think same will be case with marriage and motherhood?”

“Nah. We made those the most uncomfortable few days of her young life. She’d told me it felt like wearing Byong’s diaper. God knows how she knows what a diaper feels like.”

“Maybe she tried wearing one of Byong’s for all we know.” Puppy suggested. We laughed harder at that.

“We will help her be comfortable in her marriage and in taking care of children. No matter what her age is at that time.” I said through my laughter.

“If we help her too much with the kids, she’ll really have ten.” Puppy reminded me.

“You are forgetting the labor pains jagi. There is no way she’d want to go through those pains more than once or twice.”

“I hate the thought of her in pain. Let’s ask Sehun to have the kids.” Puppy thought aloud.

We looked at each other and shook our heads. “Nah, neither should be in pain.” We said together.

“Let’s ask Doc to research painless delivery.” I snapped my fingers.

“Yes. He might get another Nobel for it going by his track record.” We smiled like two crazies at each other.

“Yeobo I just loved your pregnancy and having Byong. Can we have another?” Puppy touched my surgery scar.

“I am forty. My hormonal balance will be totally whacked out with another pregnancy. Let’s just wait a few more years and we can have Minx’s to play with.”

“Well we do have Soo’s also. And before Minx may be even Ji’s. But it’s not the same. Minx to a certain extent will be happy letting us bring up the kid. It will free her up for Sehun. Not to mention she’d live next door.”

I looked at him in wonder. I never knew he loved kids this much. But he soon put my doubts to rest.

 “Will you let our grandchild le you? It’s been a long time since I saw that sight. I should have recorded it with Byong. But I never thought I’d miss it so much.”

I looked at him in surprise.

“Don’t look so shocked. Are you forgetting how hot the whole thing was?” Puppy took off my silk pajama top and softly kissed my s. “Let me remind you of that time yeobo.”

That was his last sentence for the rest of the night.