Chapter 1

            “Yeobo, Minmin, I’m home!” Key’s voice echoes throughout the empty house as he slowly bends down to put his shoes on the rack next to the door. Patting his swollen belly with a smile, he walks into the living room, humming a faint tune and wondering where his husband and son are.

            “Jjong must be at work but Minho… ah! Right, he has soccer practice today,” Key thinks, dumping his car keys into the little dish on the coffee table and putting his bags down so he can start preparing dinner.

            One kimchi jigae later and just as he starts to take out the ingredients for his latest craving (ddeokbukki), he hears the rattle of a key turning in a lock and his son screaming, “I’m hooooome!” Key wipes his hands on the front of his apron and steps out from behind the kitchen counter just in time to see a sweaty but exhilarated Minho, pulling his friend into the living room. “Umma, is it okay if Jinki to stays over tonight? His parents are out of town again.”

            “Of course,” Key says smiling, “Have you asked your parents yet?” When he sees the little boy nod he pinches his cheeks and says, “Then I’m fine with it.”

            “Thank you, Immu!” he replies, bowing low and smiling at the pregnant man who is pinching his cheeks.

            “Are you alright with eating kimchi jigae and ddeokbukki for dinner?”

            Minho groans softly when he hears the word ‘ddeokbukki’ because it’s all his Umma’s been cooking for the last month and he thinks he’ll throw up if he has to eat one more ddeok.

            “Or do you want me to order some fried chicken?”

            Key chuckles when he sees Jinki’s suddenly sparkling eyes and Minho’s frantic nodding. “Fried chicken it is. How bout the two of you head up to Minmin’s room to shower and change first. If you finish your homework quickly you can play until dinnertime okay?”

            The two seven-year-olds say a quick ‘yes’ before racing up to Minho’s room as Key turns back to his cooking and stirs the ddeokbukki with one hand while dialing the number of the chicken place down the street with his other. When he’s done ordering the food and has placed all the food on the table, he hears the muffled sound of his phone’s personalized ringtone for his husband and rushes over to the living room. After a quick rummage he answers the call, smiling the entire time.

            “Hello?”

            “JAGIYAAAAAAA!”

             Key flinches a bit but grins when he hears his husband’s enthusiastic shout over the phone and the sound of his colleagues laughing.

             “Yeobo, what is it?”

             “I just called to make sure that everything’s okay at home. How’re you and Minho? Has he come home from school yet?”

             “Mmm… He brought Jinki home for a sleepover. The poor boy’s parents have left him home alone with the maid again. I’ve ordered some fried chicken and made ddeokbukki and kimchi chigae. How’s work?”

              “Reaaallyy busy. I’ve got a loud, grumbling tummy but work’s fine. We’re about to close a really big case we’ve been working on so everybody’s a little frantic; remember that criminal who’s been on the news a lot lately?”

              “Ahh… you mean that case. So that means you won’t be home for dinner?” Key asks, flopping down on the couch and rubbing his belly absentmindedly.

              “Jagiya…” Jonghyun begins hesitatingly, “I’m really sorry, I’ll try to make it back for dinner but the chief expects us to do the bust tonight. I promise I’ll be a lot less busy after this case but right now, I’m not sure if I’ll be home for dinner.”

               “It’s okay Jjong. I’m proud of you and the work you do. Besides, as long as you’re home at the end of the day to cuddle me, kiss Minho goodnight and you’re here for all the important things, I’m happy.”

               “Have I ever told you how lucky I am to be married to you?”

               Key chuckles and replies, “Well, even if you said it a million times I don’t think it’d be enough so keep saying it.” The two laugh into the phone line connecting them and say their ‘I love you’s’ before hanging up.

               For some reason or another, the timing for everything is perfect today because the minute he hangs up, the doorbell rings, signaling the arrival of fried chicken. Key walks over to the door and opens it, wallet in hand. When he’s done paying for it, ending up with five free bottles of banana milk, he shouts, “Minho-ya, Jinki-ya! Dinner time!”

               A flood of pitter-patters are heard as the two of them run down the stairs, eliciting a warning from Key not to run as the two children wash their hands before sitting at the dining table. Looking around the dining area, Minho takes notice of his father’s empty chair and asks about it.

               “Your father’s working late today so he won’t be home for dinner.”

               The young boy nods understandingly before continuing to shovel bites of chicken and spoons of kimchi jigae into his mouth, but not the ddeokbukki. He silently swears to never touch another plate of ddeokbukki. Well at least not until his mother’s given birth to his little brother, which isn’t for another 3 months.

               Pretty soon, with the two ravenous boys eating like there’ll be no tomorrow, Key is left with a load of empty plates and a half-eaten plate of ddeokbukki.

               “Thank you for the food!” the two children chorus, before running back up the stairs and talking excitedly about the game Onew brought over. 

               “YAH KIM MINHO, LEE JINKI WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT RUNNING?”

                The blonde male chuckles when he hears the twin subdued apologies and turns back to the basin to continue washing the dishes; by the time he’s done and all the dishes are drying on the rack, the clock on the wall reads 9pm.

                Key walks back to the living area and takes out his designing sketchbook and his mac. He works on touching up a few designs that he’s drawn for next season’s sell. These will be the last designs he’ll be drawing for his current company before he officially opens his own label. His boss had been sad to let him go but then again the older woman had always known her talented apprentice would some day grow out of her care and unfurl his own wings, she’d just hoped it would be later rather than sooner.

                 After finishing his work and sending pictures of his drawings to BoA (his boss), he continues the draft for his own clothing line, adding some bits and pieces and coloring a few of the more solid ideas that he’s drawn. When he looks back up at the clock on the wall it reads 12am and he’s a bit surprised that time has passed so quickly and his husband still isn’t back despite the late hour.

                  Huffing a little, he tidies up the tabletop, packs up his things and deposits them in his study, “Thank God for the weekends,” he thinks, ducking his head into Minho’s room and smiling at the sight of the little tyke and his friend snuggled up on a pillow fortress on the floor. Walking in quietly, he grabs the blanket on Minho’s bed and drapes it over the two youngsters, holding back laughter when he hears Minho mumble, “No more ddeokbukki umma…. Please…. I don’t wanna eat it anymore…”

                  Closing the door softly behind him, he walks back into his own room and gets ready for bed, sliding into bed once he’s done and closing his eyes. His last thoughts    before he falls asleep are :

   “I wonder what Jjong’s doing…”

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A/N : Heyy there! So here's the first chapter, it's more of a filler or a small explanation and look into the lives of our characters. This chapter was sorta from Key's viewpoint but in the next chapter it'll be from Jonghyun's viewpoint.

By the way, you people are bloody amazing!! I don't know who those 8 subscribers are because I'm kinda technologically handicapped and I don't know how to find out (heheh *sheepish grin*) but thank you so very much! Also that person who upvoted this fic : *I SEND YOU BIG HUGS AND SMOOCHES* <3

Anyways, please continue to support 'ddeokbukki and banana milk' and give it lots of love! (fyi if you haven't tried it yet, banana milk is AMAZEBALLS)

@cassandra : Heyyy :) I hope you like the first chappie and I promise I'll update pretty regularly! Thank you for the kind comment <3 *hugs* HEEHEE