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Jaejoong looked at the glass doors one more time, just like she’s been doing every 2 minutes. She fixed her hair while looking in her Hello Kitty mirror that was always in her hand and then took a glance at her sleeping son.

She couldn’t resist the smile.

Changmin was drooling while making a pillow out of her bag and Jaejoong thought he looked just like his father. In truth, Changmin’s physique came from Yunho. At 9 years old, Changmin was almost Jaejoong’s height and still growing.

He was also exceptionally smart for his age, sitting with Yunho in his home office now and then. Additionally, Changmin even models for his mother once in a while.

Changmin recently even began home-schooling. Having skipped classes, the 9 year old couldn’t adapt to the social situation in high school. He started pulling major mischief as ‘revenge’ on those who dared to bully him. In the end, his uncle Jung Jihoon arranged for Changmin to be homeschooled at the Jung manor under his own wife Hyori. Changmin would visit his grandparents, study and only go to school for exams.

Jaejoong also feels that Changmin has been running as informant to her parents and in-laws regarding her health, especially since she refused to stay with either of them stating Yunho is capable of taking care of her. They don’t realise it, but they still treat Yunho and Jaejoong as children.

Jaejoong once again looked at the doors and sighed. She was going to glance in her mirror again but someone called her.

“Jaejoong?” She looked at the person who called her and took some time to recognise him. When she did, she stood up and exclaimed joyfully.

“Yihan oppa!” Jaejoong stood up to greet the man not realising her loud voice had woken up Changmin.

“Hi Jae! Long time!” Yihan gave her a once over, “what’s with the blonde hair?”

Jaejoong twirled a lock apprehensively, “just wanted some change. Where have you been?”

“Japan. I got a job there once I graduated. What about you? Still with that Jung?”

“married him. You never had a chance oppa.” Jaejoong said playfully making Yihan chuckle.

“I’m not giving up yet.”

“Mama?” Jaejoong looked sheepish when Changmin came up to them with sleep-laced eyes. He looked at Yihan with a frown having heard a part of the conversation earlier.

“Ah! Oppa, this is Changmin, my baby boy.” Jaejoong gave Changmin a squeeze and a peck on his cheek making Changmin smile.

“Whoa! When did you have him? When you were 14?” Yihan tried to wrap his head around the tall boy being Jaejoong’s son.

“21. Remember you saw me at the university?”

“Jung works fast.” Changmin didn’t like how that man said it and made his displeasure clear on his face. “so what are you doing in the hospital?”

“I could ask you the same.”

“got transferred back in Seoul and the new office demands a full health work up before I join. Now you.”

“Just some routine check up.” Jaejoong squeezed Changmin’s hand surreptitiously when the boy looked at her incredulously.

“Good. For a second there I thought you relapsed. I guess we both have come a long way haven’t we?” Jaejoong nodded but Changmin wasn’t pleased. He wanted to get his mother away from this man.

“Jung Jaejoong!” finally the doors opened and a nurse came and called Jaejoong. Changmin smirked at Yihan, “let’s go mama.”

Jaejoong nodded and turned to Yihan, “let’s catch up later. See you.”

“yeah bye!” Yihan waved at the two as he watched Changmin drag Jaejoong to the ward. Yihan took a glance at the department’s name and couldn’t help the apprehension.

Department of Oncology

“I hope you’re really fine Jaejoongie.”

Jaejoong thanked Changmin for keeping her bag while she sat on the examination table. She frowned when Changmin sat on the chair next to  it.

“that’s the doctor’s place baby.”

“then where do I sit?”

“you're going home.”

“I didn’t wake up at 6 am appointment that happens at 9:30 to go home.”

“no one is allowed to accompany the patient during tests baby. You’ll have to wait outside for half a day. I’d rather you utilize the time to study.”

“I finished studying so I can accompany you today.”

“then why don’t you help your daddy with accounts. Aunty Eunhye dropped them off yesterday. Daddy could use some help.”

Talk about between a rock and a hard place. Changmin wants to be with his mother but also help his father. A thought he unknowingly voices out loud.

Jaejoong couldn’t resist the fond smile. She loved how Changmin had the tendency to think aloud giving an insight into his mind and she also liked how the boy still calls them ‘mama and daddy’ instead of the ‘mom and dad’ kids his age tend to. Jaejoong and Yunho get the feeling that their precocious boy needs his parents because of this even if he used to get bullied due to this reason in school.

Jaejoong combed her fingers through her son’s dark brown locks akin to Yunho’s. Changmin relaxed into the feel, considering it has been a while since his mother did that. “go practice your piano. Take the taxi fare from my purse.”

“I want to stay.”

“it would be harder for me if you're here.”

“how?”

“I don’t want you to see me weak.”

“this doesn’t make you weak.” Jaejoong was silent and Changmin sighed. His shoulders drooped and he picked out Jaejoong’s purse from the bag before pulling out a few bills, “Fine. I’ll go home but this is the last time you're feeling inferior. You're not so stop making it appear so.” Changmin said as he tugged at Jaejoong’s blond hair reproachfully. He leaned closer and pecked her cheek, “Even if the appointment was late, I hope you're back by 2 or I’ll starve. Daddy’s hell bent on inventing Nigerian dimsum and I don’t want to eat that. Uncle Chunnie will be picking you up and he’s joining us for lunch too.” So saying Changmin left the room with Jaejoong waving after him.

Not a few seconds later, the doctor entered. It was not her usual because Dr Han had retired recently due to old age. Dr Park Jungmin came highly recommended from him and it was nice that the doctor was related to Yoochun too.

Dr Jungmin kept making notes before they could go on with the routine tests. “Sorry for the long delay. Got an emergency in the ER. I would have sent someone else but your family is very specific about the doctor.” Jaejoong nodded knowing how paranoid everyone was being about Dr Han’s replacement and Park Jungmin was like Changmin, subtly snarky. Jungmin glances at Jaejoong occasionally as makes notes, “blonde this time?”

“I can’t find the other ones.”

“pity. The red looked good, although the honey blonde was perfect.”

“are you flirting with me?”

“nope!” He put his pen in the pocket and crossed his arms amusingly, “I just have peculiar interests for a doctor, style being one of them.” He points to a screen in the corner of the room. “You know the drill. The nurse will do your blood-work after you’ve changed. I’ll see you when the results come.” Jaejoong went on to change and Jungmin was about to leave but he halted at the door as if he remembered something, “oh yes! How have you been feeling?”

Jaejoong thought for a moment, about what Changmin said earlier and all the love and affection she has got from her family, especially her husband and son. who would feel anything bad when you're so loved. “It’s getting better every day.”

~~~  

Changmin popped his head inside the doorway of the study. “I’m back.”

“It was faster today.” Yunho looked up from his files and smiled brightly.

“I went there straight after dropping mama at the hospital besides not as much outfits. Mama hasn’t done too much designing lately.” Changmin came inside and sat on the chair opposite Yunho’s desk. “I was brunette today. I think the stylist said that it was actually honey-blonde.” He pulled his short fringe downwards and stared at it, almost becoming cross-eyed, “everyone says that the colour suits me. Can I colour my hair to honey blonde?”

“No.” Short and sweet was Yunho’s reply.

“why?” it wasn’t whining. Changmin was curious. Why would he not be allowed to colour his hair.

Yunho wanted to say because he’s too young for that and that he can’t give permission without Jaejoong’s consent. But Changmin being Changmin, wouldn’t accept that. The unreasonable the better, “because your hair is like mine. If you colour it, it won’t be like mine.”

“then colour yours too.”

“No.”

“Come one! Everything I have is like you. I only have Umma’s eyes.”

“If you go honey blonde you won’t be like either of us. You're not getting your hair dyed and you're not discussing this with your mother either.”

“Fine.” Changmin huffed.

“Was the honey blonde that good that you're sulking so much?”

“they just said it suits me better. The red hairdo made me look too old, like it was obvious it wasn’t mine. Red suits mama better.”

“Everything looks good on your mama but we’re trying to get her to stop with the wigs.”

“it’s going to be hard then. Platinum blond is next and all her unmade designs are over. Grandma’s assistant told me that the designs mama had made earlier weren’t many and Halmeoni said that if we keep doing so many shoots we won’t make it before the launch of the new line.” When Yunho looked at him owlishly and Changmin rolled his eyes, “Halmeoni and Harabeoji are your parents and Grandma and Grandpa are mama’s parents. Really, why do you keep forgetting?” Changmin knows why he keeps forgetting. It’s because Changmin calls Junsu’s parents as Grandma and Grandpa too on their own insistence. The two sets can differentiate who Changmin refers to at a given point of time, but Yunho can’t.

“I didn’t think this through. I should’ve known better than to just organise random photo shoots with each wig.”

“Grandma Yoona,” Changmin stressed on the name, “said the new hairdo can just be used for the show but we still have the problem with the lack of designs.”

Yunho sighed and pulled out some papers from the drawer, “I didn’t want to use these ever because Jaejoong wouldn’t like them. but, give them to your grandma and ask her to see what she can make out of it.” Changmin looked at the papers. They were sketches of Jaejoong’s designs, detailed and very good, slightly loud and avant garde. For some reason though, the paper looked old and faded.

“When are these from?”

“Just before she debuted, she made these. She was trying for some out-of-the-box stuff but then rejected the idea for everyday wear instead. Your mama doesn’t like to look at her rejected ideas because she doesn’t think they are good enough but I and a lot of people think otherwise. Just ask your Grandma to make some changes where she deems fit and make it for the catalogue and the runway show. Junsu is going to model some of the dresses too. And that showstopper.....”

“The wedding dress from yesterday?”

“Yeah that. Ask your grandma to replace with something else. I have a special photo-shoot in mind for that.”

“Done.” Changmin looked at the designs and then announced, “I’m sticking with the brunette wig.”

“I thought you liked the honey?”

“I like brunette as long as it’s lighter than my natural colour. Really, why did you have to have dark brown hair? You should have had black like mama’s  or some visible brown. Not a colour that looks different under different lights.”

“Somehow that sounded racist.”

“I don’t like your hair. A equals to B equals to C, I don’t like my hair. I want mama’s hair or I go red.”

“I’m confused. I thought you hated red?”

“strawberry blonde. Final offer.

“Min-”

“and maybe one of those old-fashioned frizzy dos with corn rows in the front. No wait! That’s old. I’ll just stick with the classic waves, like mama’s. Wait!” Changmin banged on Yunho’s desk in excitement making Yunho flinch. “Matching hairdos. Then maybe you won’t look be like those arctic animals who look different in the snow and summer. How about I get brunette and you get pink?”

Yunho’s blank stare was telling of how often this happens. Changmin is volatile and flighty and adorable to boot, but only Yunho has the power of telling him no. “No.”

“Why?”

“Coz the sky’s so high! Now go and make food.”

“I’m a baby. I can’t cook.”

“order pizza and some of the funny sounding middle-eastern food.”

“if you're having beer, can I have too?”

The glare Yunho gave was enough to make Changmin scurry out of the office. Not 30 seconds since he ran away, Changmin’s head again popped in between the crack of the door.

“Can I still get the cornrows?”
“how about we shave your head?”

“I’ll go order that shawarma!”

~~~      

Yunho entered the room with a bottle of water. It was his routine lately, knowing Jaejoong gets thirsty often now. He looked at the lump on the bed then at the sidetable. The thick curtains were drawn and it looked like 7 in the evening instead of the 3 in the afternoon. Yunho had to strain his eyes to make out the half-empty glass of water and the litter of the tablets’ packets. Jaejoong had wound up her check-up early and came home with Yoochun where she ate a rat-size meal of chicken soup and salad. Saying a simple ‘no appetite’ she went to the master bedroom.

Yunho sat on the bed and ran his hand up and down the length of the lump under the sheets. He could tell that Jaejoong is on her side when she turned around to lie on her back.

“had them all?” he asked. Jaejoong nodded. “Is there anything else you need?” Jaejoong shook her head this time, “are you sure? You didn’t eat much. you have to eat more than just for the sake of eating medicines. You need nourishment.”

“I’ll have the soup again later. I want to lie down now. I’m just wea- tired.” Jaejoong was about to say ‘weak’ but she stopped herself remembering that her family had forbidden her to use that word. Weak meant giving up body and spirit in Jaejoong’s situation. She was not allowed to give up. ‘We are the ones who make ourselves weak by saying that we are’ is what her mother told her the first time Heechul was being treated for her cancer and then the second time Jaejoong was going through the same thing recently.

 “You didn’t tell how the check-up went.” Yunho combed his hand through her hair soothingly.

“in remission but the signs are good…… Jungmin says very good.”

“That’s excellent. I’ll be sure to tell that to others so they won’t badger you in the evening.”

Jaejoong sat up now and looked at Yunho like he kept a secret from her, “is everyone coming tonight?” Yunho nodded, “and you're telling me now!” Jaejoong moved to get out of bed but Yunho held her by her waist and made her stay where she was. “There wasn’t a need to tell you. My mom’s getting the food, your mom and aunt have made some snacks for Minnie and the m