Little superstar- II

“Is this good?” Jaejoong’s favourite stylist asked while the rockstar ran his fingers in the shorter locks of dark brown hair.

Changmin pouted stubbornly as his head tilted to the side with each push from his mother’s fingers. Not that he has a problem with short hair. It’s just that he was hoping for some golden hair.

His sulky face was very amusing to Jaejoong who chuckled and then faced the stylist. “I love it. He looks like his father.” Jaejoong and the stylist laughed secretly when they saw the corners of Changmin’s lip twitch at the compliment but he remembered he’s sulking and twists his mouth and looks away from the mirror with a cute ‘hmph’.

Brushing off some stray hair from Changmin’s neck, Jaejoong lifted him and was preparing to leave but halted with a start. He noticed the camera filming them and was surprised for a moment.

He was tired after returning from Japan yesterday afternoon and directly going for a drama filming. It’s a good thing Changmin doesn’t have school today because the lack of sleep is making him slightly forgetful and disoriented. During the short nap he took while his hair was done, he forgot they’re filming a variety show. And he’s more than used to the privacy of his regular salon that he didn’t expect a camera and filming crew to be there.

“Ma?” Changmin squeaked worriedly when his mother didn’t moved for several seconds. Jaejoong shook his head and plastered a wide smile on his face. “I forgot about the camera.” He laughs his trademark ‘stop-break’ laugh covering his mouth when Changmin calls him ‘silly’.

They leave the salon and Jaejoong puts Changmin on his feet because the boy wants to ride the elevator downwards.

“it’s like an amusement park ride for him.” Jaejoong speaks to the camera just when the camera focusses on the boy observing the rows of shops around the mall with interest. Anything and everything looks attractive to the young child that he feels tempted.

When they land on the steady floor, Changmin bolted off somewhere when Jaejoong was distracted texting Junsu to get the car out front. He didn’t even notice Changmin ran away somewhere rather fast that he’s halfway across the mall now. because he was holding Changmin’s jacket and Gundam figure, his dazed brain mistook it for Changmin’s arm in his hand. Worried for the child, Junsu’s assistant who was with Jaejoong, ran after Changmin and it was caught on camera.

“Umm… Jaejoong-ssi…” Jaejoong looks at the camera with a frown.

“I thought you're not supposed to speak… has there been a change in the concept?” Jaejoong asks curiously.

“no… that… your son…” Joon’s voice is heard off-camera and that makes Jaejoong look at his hand. There’s Changmin’s jacket and toy but no Changmin.

“EEP!” with a yelp Jaejoong took off in the direction Joon and the cameraman pointed. The cameraman also runs after him making the view very unstable.

The camera stops shaking some distance from where Jaejoong has slowed down. it stays on the rockstar as he walks towards a Crocs store.

“God Changmin! how could you just run off like that!” Jaejoong shrieks uncaring that the people who noticed the gorgeous rock god is walking among them are looking. They notice the camera too and whisper among themselves. Some even took pictures on their cellphones. But surprisingly no one crossed an invisible barrier to get closer to the rock star.

The camera zooms in to the people Jaejoong is walking to. It’s a very funny sight with Junsu’s puny assistant holding on to Changmin as if she’s begging her lover not to leave her. Changmin, to his credit, doesn’t look like there’s a pair of lanky arms wrapped around him and a full grown adult female on his back trying to keep him from the store’s glass doors. Changmin even dragged the puny woman a few inches on the floor trying to get to the store’s glass display.   

“thanks for catching him Dara.” Jaejoong takes hold of Changmin’s hand and sends a sheepish smile to the panting assistant. Changmin is taller than his age and he has his father’s raw strength and energy. It’s no wonder Dara used so much energy trying to restrain him.

Jaejoong empathises. While Changmin is physically taxing than any of the little nephews and nieces Jaejoong has babysat, he’s became used to the Jungs’ physical stamina. It took a year of dating Yunho, regular morning runs and giving up junk food for that.

“Umma! Umma! Let’s go!” Changmin jumped tugging Jaejoong forward by force.

“Yes! Let’s go.” Jaejoong pulls him in the opposite direction but Changmin dug his heels in the ground.

“No Umma! Go here!” Changmin points to the Crocs window display. Jaejoong looks at the bright neon shows behind the glass then at Changmin. “You want new shoes?” Changmin nods vehemently with sparkly eyes, “No.” Bye-Bye sparkly eyes.

“But Umma~!” Changmin whined.

“No means no. Your Appa got you new shoes from Singapore last week. And didn’t I get you so many jeans yesterday when I came back? No new stuff till next month.” Jaejoong was sure Changmin isn’t going to run to the store so he let’s go of his hand to put on an assertive posture. Even if the kid tries, it’s not like he can buy anything without his mother’s purchasing power on his behalf.

“But Umma~ they have lights! Plip-plip!” Changmin even makes twinkling gestures with his hands to emphasise everything is better if they light up like a Christmas tree.

“Oh they have lights do they? That changes everything!” Jaejoong says seemingly convinced to get the shoes.

“really?” the sparkly-eyes Changmin is back.

“No.” Jaejoong deadpans and Changmin pouts with crossed arms.

“I want them.” He demands stomping his foot but his bratty attitude is contrasted by the teary eyes and quivering lips at being denied.

Unfortunately, a near-tears Changmin is Jaejoong’s weakness.

“Crap! He’s totally like me! No Jaejoong! steel you heart. You have to be stern like Yunho is when you want the new LV bag…ooh LV~ NO! focus Jaejoong focus.” Jaejoong mutters and slaps himself. He suddenly puts on a stern face and looks at Changmin as if channelling his inner diva during a photoshoot. “You're not getting new shoes and that’s that.”

“I want! I want! I want! WAAAAAH!” Changmin (fake) cries and throws a tantrum but Jaejoong is unfazed. He signals Dara to keep some distance and the assistant makes a phonecall to Junsu. They will have to make sure no negative publicity is caused by this event.

“Please continue. We’ll leave once we’re done.” Jaejoong says nonchalantly though he’s itching to glomp his baby.

“WAAAAAH! UMMA IS MEAN! HUWAAAAH!” Changmin cries in his spot. The first class actor that he is, he even manages a waterfall of tears albeit much after he’s cried for several minutes to have an effect.

It was some five minutes later when the door of Crocs opens from inside and a lady steps out. Behind her is a little toddler who looked about two years younger than Changmin.

Seeing the older boy cry, the toddler walks to Changmin and tugs his shirt. “Why hyung cry? Hyung have oo?” the toddler’s sudden question halts Changmin’s waterworks abruptly and awkwardly. Because her son has taken the lead, the lady also expresses her concern. Although it may also be that she sees one of her favourite singers before her and wants to make an impression.

But Changmin’s brain is working on a whole another plane. Looking at his mother with a deadpan expression, he mutters, “these strangers care for me and my own mother is being mean.”

That has a sputtering Jaejoong dragging away a flailing Changmin. Jaejoong groans passing by the cameraman again realising his ‘worst mother of the year’ moment was filmed. He stole the keys from Junsu who had arrived belatedly.

“I’m taking the car.” Jaejoong yells while Dara brings Junsu up to speed.

Junsu can only sigh. “Only Changmin can manage this…only Changmin.”    

~~~

“He made me look like an idiot I tell you! I’ve never been this embarrassed in my life! It’s worse than the time the paparazzi got a picture of me walking into a glass wall.” Jaejoong huffs against thick brunette locks.

“that wasn’t so bad! You were blinded by their camera flashes to notice there was a glass wall… and that glass was pretty clean. I only realised it was there because your BB cream left a print on it.” Junsu says with a mouth stuffed with French fries.

Jaejoong scrunched his face and threw a napkin at his friend, “wipe your face and shut up! I’m not talking about that.”

“But you brought it up…”

“shut up Park! I’m talking about how my son embarrassed me. It’s supposed to be the other way round!”

“yet… you're clinging to your son like he’s a plushie.” Yoochun points to Changmin happily eating his third burger in Jaejoong’s lap.

“I’m smothering him to death.” Jaejoong tries to say with evil seriousness but just that thought has made his eyes well up with tears.

Yoochun and Junsu wondered why Jaejoong is trying to be an evil stepmother over such an amusing incident when it’s pathologically impossible for him. it’s futile for him to even try.

“You're not killing him Jae… you love him…” Yunho says in monotone without looking up from reviewing the rehearsal video on his laptop. The perfectionist that he is, he’s mentally making notes about sound, light, choreography, setting and stuff that need some improvement.

Jaejoong’s mouth twists seeing Jung Yunho is serious mode, “you didn’t even hear what happened at the mall.” As if to prove him right, Yunho looks up at his wife curiously.

“I thought you're talking about yesterday coz your sister said you cosset him too much. Aren’t we talking about you smothering Changmin to death?” Yunho asks.

Yoochun looks at the camera and gestures to Yunho, “Husband of the year ladies and gentlemen.” He smirks.

“I’m talking about your son’s sharp tongue that makes me want to strangle him.” and Jae