6. JJONG & ONEW

In the week before we left for Australia, our days were very hectic. Duckie constantly cried and whined to go to Australia with us. I had offered to take her with us but Heechul refused to part with her for a month. He couldn’t go because Siwon refused to part from him.

Puppy checked and we were lucky to have two seats available on our flight. He spoke to the airline and reserved both for two days. We persuaded Heechul and Siwon to send Duckie with us and join us for the last two weeks.

Duckie was one happy little princess after that and Heechul a sad one. It took Puppy’s erted brain to put a smile on Heechul’s face when he put a twist on the parting by reminding Heechul and Siwon that they were getting nearly two weeks to be alone with each other. Duckie kept kissing me every few minutes.

Amber tried to persuade DongHae and Hyukkie to send her with us but they put their foot down and absolutely refused to discuss it. She pouted and whined but their collective determination was greater than hers. She then appealed to Puppy who used his seniority over DongHae at home to overrule him.

Both the reserved tickets were used for Duckie and Amber. Imo and Uncle lauded Puppy for his far-sightedness in reserving the tickets knowing the propensity of our family to join in slowly at the last moment. We were glad we had rented out a spacious 3-bedroom executive apartment.

Kai began appealing to us to talk to my father and get his permission to take Kai with us. It was agreed that he’d come with Siwon and Heechul and anyone else who decided later. Taemin had to buy new properties for our franchises. Kibum and he decided against joining us.

We packed our sleeping bags for the kids to use. We again packed a bag full of Korean munchies for the kids and jars and jars of kimchi for all of us. All the kids had to pack their school work as well. There were loud groans at that but one hard glare from me silenced all of them. I smiled to myself. The studies wouldn’t be a trouble during the stay.

I had already coached the kids to call Puppy Jjong appa. Everyone practiced it for a week before we left home. Even I was calling him Jjong and he went back to his old nickname for me, Onew. It felt odd but I didn’t want anything to blemish his professional reputation. Kids agreed with me and we practiced hard to stop calling him Puppy. He whined one night to me that it didn’t feel right and called me hard hearted when I told him to grin and bear it.

One day prior to our scheduled flight, Heechul’s waterworks began. He began crying non-stop for his baby girl leaving him alone. Poor Duckie began sobbing too and hugging him for dear life. It took a hard whack on his head from imo to make him stop freaking his little girl out of her mind. We kept her with us and Siwon took Heechul home alone. Duckie soon forgot her tears when she found herself surrounded with excited kids.

We first took a flight to Incheon. We reached the Incheon airport early for Jjong to greet his team as they arrived. It was a delegation of 14 officers headed by Jjong, from different stations across Korea. The news of our family accompanying Jjong had reached everyone. We garnered a lot of curious looks as all of them also knew about my experimental pregnancies. There were introductions all around and our posse of kids got busy talking to the officers.

Everyone was happy about our family going with them. Ji and I offered to cook for them whenever they missed Korean food. We were immediately inundated with requests. I told Ji to tell Heechul and Siwon to bring more kimchi with them. Our supply was sure to be over in the first week itself.

Our kids were seasoned travelers and knew how to behave well during the trips. Children’s backpacks were full of games to play at the airport and in flight. The three teens also had money in their pockets to buy food or drinks at the airport. They were good supervisors for the two younger ones.

Our thirteen hours of flying went without a hitch. By the time we landed in Canberra, capital of Australia, I was on first name basis with everyone and was either hyung or oppa to most of Jjong’s team. I could see two of the younger officers casting interested glances at Ji who was totally blasé about it all.

At the Canberra airport, we bundled ourselves in winter coats to brace for the cold Australian weather. We also had our first brush with Australian media. They were as much interested in our family as they were in Jjong’s team. South Korean team was there to present many of their innovative investigative techniques. I personally thought that the knowledge exchange would be more of pick-their-brains sessions as South Korean Agency was considered global authority on Cyber Crime Investigations.

I was brought out of my reverie when a mic was suddenly in my face and a question loudly followed it, “Mr Lee how does it feel to give birth to two children when you are a man? Does it make you feel feminine? Is that why you are in a same-gender relationship?”

I turned to look at the reporter holding the mic while moving the mic a little away from me. I smiled at her and saw her eyes become a little glazed. I congratulated myself for still possessing the old dazzle.

I confidently responded while holding her gaze, “I was in a same-gender relationship long before deciding to participate in highly experimental male pregnancy research by Dr Jeong-su Park. If you will research about hormones you will find all humans have both male and female hormones. My two children are the light of my life and I am proud to be a mother and father to them at the same time. I consider myself just as much a man as you consider yourself a woman.”

“Do you plan to have more children?” Another reporter quickly caught on to my openness and pressed for more information.

“I think the world is already overly populated. We wish to give the best to the two we have.” I smiled at him as I made my bid for population control.

“We’ve heard you are a good friend of Dr Park. What is his next research topic?” Another question was fired.

“Yes Dr Park and I are good friends and brothers-in-law. I think you need to ask him about his work. I wouldn’t like to make any comment on it unless it is to .” I grinned at the reporters.

“Being the leading authority on male pregnancy, why didn’t Dr Park bear his own child?” Another question was fired.

“Dr Park and his wife tossed a coin to see who’d be the lucky one. His wife won.” I deadpanned.

There was shocked silence for a few moments after that. Ji pinched my back for revealing the family secret. The silence was followed by laughter as the reporters digested the quirk of fate.

“Is that your daughter?” A reporter pointed to Minx who was standing next to Sehun as usual. He whispered something in her ear and then habitually kissed her cheek.

“Yes she is.” I calmly replied.

“Who is the young man holding her hand?”

Oh boy, now that was unexpected. “He is our soon-to-be son-in-law.” I kept a straight face as I said that. Ji pinched me again.

“How soon?”

“Hopefully at least another 10 to 15 years, but practically maybe 7 years.”

“You call that soon? I thought you meant a year or two.”

“From a parent’s point of view anything less than 20 years from now is soon.” I winked at the reporters. My comment was met with another round of laughter.

“Are you always this candid Mr Lee?”

“Don’t you think I should make it worth the time you spent waiting for us to arrive? Candidness prevents misinformation.” I shrugged.

“Can we have a longer candid interview with you and your family?” A reporter boldly asked.

“I am sorry, the answer to that will have to wait till I discuss it with my family. Here is my card, email me your interview agenda and I promise to think it over.” I passed my card to the reporter, who gave me his in return.

Duckie and Byong chose that moment to cling to my legs silently indicating their desire to move on. I bowed to the group of reporters around our family, “Please excuse us now. The children are tired after our long journey. It was nice talking to all of you.” Following my cue, all of the children bowed to the reporters as well and we moved to find Jjong and the team.

We were quickly introduced to the reception committee. They introduced us to a man who was designated to be our chauffeur for the extent of our stay in Canberra. Jjong had requested and arranged for it. We were separating at the airport as Jjong was accompanying his team to their accommodations first to get them settled. He would meet us at the apartment later. In the evening our family was also invited for the welcome dinner.

Our luggage was loaded into a rental car that was big enough to accommodate our large family. We first went to a grocery store to stock up our kitchen before going to our apartment. The chauffeur handed us the key for it. Along with him, we all carried our luggage into the apartment and kids immediately began running around and exploring the spacious penthouse.

I offered the girls the largest room, but they refused. Boys didn’t want any room, they wanted to use the sleeping bags and pretend they were camping. This left the two other bedrooms for the girls to use. I guided them to put all their clothes in one room only so the boys could use the other room for their storage and bathroom needs.

Ji called the dibs on using the Jacuzzi in our bathroom. We guided the kids to take baths and freshen up, while Ji and I cooked lunch for them. Once Sehun was ready I sent him to ask our chauffeur if he’d like Korean food for lunch. Sehun came back with a negative. Ji went with him to see if they could persuade him to have a taste.

Mr Johnson accompanied them back and thanked me for inviting him for a taste. We had prepared only a quick simple fair of soup, fried rice, chicken and kimchi. Jjong would be eating lunch with his team. I still set aside some food for him. After a taste, Mr Johnson did not hesitate to eat his fill. As soon as the food began filling their stomachs, the kids began yawning.

After lunch I sent the kids to sleep off and be fresh for the evening. Ji went to use the Jacuzzi while Mr Johnson helped me clear the table. He insisted on helping me load the dishwasher in thanks for his surprisingly delicious meal. We talked about his family as we cleaned up. He wondered if he could bring his family to meet the children. He had two boys aged 12 and 10. His wife worked as a housekeeper. I invited his family for lunch the next day. He left the apartment with a big grin.

I checked on the kids to find Amber sleeping in the room she was sharing with Ji. Sehun and Byong were asleep in the other room. Minx and Duckie had gone to sleep in my bed. I quickly changed into a pair of shorts and asked Ji if I could join her in the Jacuzzi. She had anticipated it and was wearing shorts and t-shirt. We relaxed in the hot water and discussed about next day’s lunch. We wondered how many people Jjong would have invited for next day’s dinner.

Ji suggested hiring part-time help for the kitchen work as she was sure we would be cooking for a lot of people during our stay. We decided to speak to Mr Johnson about it. Our skins were pruning before we moved. I sat in the Jacuzzi and faced the wall while she used the shower stall and then my bathrobe to go to her room. She had to shake me awake before leaving. I showered quickly and hugged Duckie as I slept off myself.

Doorbell woke me an hour later. I groggily opened it to a tired Puppy who hugged me to him as soon I closed the door after him. “Hmmm someone sure smells good.” He nuzzled my neck.

“And someone needs a shower,” I kissed his cheek and walked him to the bathroom. I sat on the bath tub as he talked to me while showering. He told me about meeting the teams from other nations at the hotel. I served him food while he related the informal buffet lunch which helped the teams freely mingle with one another. Three teams would arrive in the evening. He’d come back only for a couple of hours to freshen up.

I softly kissed him and pulled him to sleep for an hour. He set his alarm for exactly 60 minutes before cuddling me and falling asleep in an instant. I watched him sleep and let his soft breath lull me to doze off once more.

When we woke, children were still sleeping. As he dressed to leave, I put in a bag the items he would need for dressing for the formal dinner later on. I also narrated to him the brief interview I had faced at the airport. About the family interview, he’d need clearance for himself from back home. I didn’t want to attend one without him.

I also told him about Mr Johnson and family lunching with us the next day. Jjong grinned at me. He counted out six people whom he had extended dinner invitation to till then, three members of his team and three from the welcoming committee. Ji was right, we’d definitely need help if we didn’t want to spend all our time in the kitchen.

Jjong left for the hotel with Mr Johnson, while I prepared tea for myself. Ji joined me as I was pouring myself a cup. I poured one cup for her as well. We wore our jackets and went out to the balcony to enjoy the view of the city. Canberra looked like any other cosmopolitan city. We had time to lazily explore it. With the school holidays on, the usual child-friendly places would be crowded.

Children started waking up one by one and we served them warm milk and sandwiches. They watched an Australian comedy show while munching. Unlike some of the horror stories from parents of big families about their holidays, I found our kids to be well behaved. Whatever mischief they got into at home, during our travels they were hardly any trouble, not even Duckie and Byong now that they were older.

We dressed for dinner and Ji helped Amber with some light makeup. I added shopping for make up for Amber to my mental to-do list. All of us were formally dressed in suits or dresses with the exception of Amber who was wearing a trouser-suit. I helped Byong with his necktie and adjusted Sehun’s.

In the car I again repeated my instructions to the children to both bow and shake hands and be at their best behavior as not only Jjong’s family but also representatives of Korean family. Each child practiced their name introduction the international way, not the Korean way. Sehun and Minx were told to keep some distance and not hold hands or kiss the cheeks as I had no desire to explain it anymore.

We met Jjong in the hotel and went through endless rounds of introductions to various teams and people. We shared our dinner table with the wives and families of senior members of the Canberra Cyber Squads. There were smiles at our concept of Korean family when I introduced only two of the children as mine. Children behaved exceptionally well and charmed everyone with their bows and handshakes and polite conversations.

There were endless rounds of speeches making me glad that kids had eaten something earlier. Since I was seated between the wives of two senior-most officers, I trusted Ji and the teens to look after Byong and Duckie. They kept my faith in them. At last the dinner wound down and everyone began departing or going to their rooms. With one last word to his team to not do anything to shame their country, Jjong returned with us.

We all hung our formal clothes carefully in the wardrobes to use again for the farewell dinner. Sehun and Byong rolled out sleeping bags in the living room. Jjong made sure the room would remain comfortably warm through the night for them. We were still feeling the effects of our twenty hours journey from home to Canberra. It didn’t take long for all the children to sleep off and Ji to settle in bed with a novel.

I pulled Jjong into the Jacuzzi. As he began relaxing, I massaged his back and rubbed the knots out of his muscles. We lazily dissected the dinner. I had realized during the speeches that he was the youngest team leader.

“Jagi I am so proud of you. I am glad that our relationship has not affected your career.”

“It is only because of your support yeobo.” He pulled me to sit in his lap and kissed me. We made slow love in the Jacuzzi before falling into exhausted sleep on the bed.