“Now?” “No.”

“Now?” “No.”

“Now?” “No.”

“Now?” “No.”

“Now?” “I’m going alone next time.”

Yunho and Changmin laughed while Jaejoong scowled lightly.

“He’s just excited to be a brother Jae.” Yunho said from behind them. he was walking with Changmin’s and Jaejoong’s bags.

Jaejoong stopped and turned around. She pointed at her slight distended belly. “It’s five months only. The baby is not going to pop out anytime soon.”

“Pop out?” Yunho teasingly asked.

“You know what I mean.” Jaejoong brushed it off.

“Umma make baby come now.” Changmin, the bratty boy demanded.

“baby’s not coming for another 4 months.” Jaejoong replied sassily. “now get moving. I don’t want to miss Running Man.”

“I want to watch Superman is Back.” Changmin insisted.

“Fine. You can watch it on Appa’s TV.” Jaejoong made Changmin walk again.

“but I want to watch Nat Geo.” Yunho whined behind them.

“Boooring.” Jaejoong hollered.

They reached their house amidst playful bickering. But before Yunho opened the door, Jaejoong stopped him.

“what?” Yunho whined. He knew what was coming.

“I want pizza. Deep dish. With pineapple.” Jaejoong ordered as if Yunho was a waiter. Yunho rolled his eyes. He put the bags on the porch.

“Min-ah, take them in.” Yunho told the boy.

“Okay Appa.” Changmin put his backpack on his shoulders and took Jaejoong’s handbag. Yunho unlocked the door and Changmin went in. “I want barbecue chicken and garlic bread~!” Changmin called from inside.

“I feel like a gopher.” Yunho grumbled.

“that’s another word for husband and father.” Jaejoong teased. She slightly pushed him towards his car to get him going.

“Yeah! Yeah! I’m going. Couldn’t you tell me you wanted pizza when we passed by the restaurant?” Jaejoong didn’t respond to that because she knew it was just her husband’s good-natured grumbling.

She went inside and closed the door. While she took of her shoes, someone knocked on the door. She didn’t think it was Yunho so she looked through the peep hole. She frowned seeing Yunho’s face on the other side of the door. “Jae!” Yunho called.

Jaejoong opened the door. She looked at Yunho with confusion. “You forgot your wallet?”

Yunho shook his head. He pointed behind him, “we have a guest.”

Jaejoong peered over his shoulder and her eyes widened. The young woman waved her hand at her nervously and looked down immediately feeling awkward.

Jaejoong was speechless and Yunho understood why. A while ago, he was heading to his car when a woman called him. Her appearance, or more precisely, her familiar face made his voice die in his throat too. He only came to his senses when she spoke, asking to meet his wife and him.

Jaejoong found herself looking inside the house. Changmin was sitting on the couch and watching TV. He was oblivious to what was happening at the front door.

Jaejoong stepped out and closed the door without a sound. She stood there with Yunho. Yunho hesitantly nodded, giving the woman permission to come closer.

She felt bolder and walked through the gate and to the porch steps. Jaejoong came a step lower. Now that she was close, the resemblance was clear as day.

There was nothing extraordinary about this woman. She looked a few years younger to Jaejoong but she was tall. She wore a simple white top under a thin burgundy knitted coat and dark jeans. Her hands were behind her back, holding something which made Yunho and Jaejoong tad wary. But what was striking, was her face.

Yunho imagined that when Changmin would be older and he grew out his hair, he’d look just like this woman. Her face screamed Changmin. Whoever the father was, didn’t appear pass on his looks to Changmin. The only difference was the length of hair. Otherwise, even they were the dark brown thick locks just like Changmin. This woman even had Changmin’s nervous habit of playing with the hem of her sweater. 

Yunho opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. “Are you…?”

“Yes.” The lady answered meekly. She looked at both of them. “Can…we talk…in private?”

‘no’ was Jaejoong’s answer in her mind. But seeing the downcast face of the woman and Yunho’s shocked face, she knew she said it out aloud. “I…I mean….how can we be sure that’s she’s really his mother. People don’t have to be related to resemble each other. Like…like… you look like the guy from Dong Bang Shin Ki.” Jaejoong said pointing at Yunho’s face.

“Jae~!” Yunho groaned defeated.

“Jaejoong-ssi-”

“you know my name?” Jaejoong was surprised.

The woman sheepishly nodded. “I may or may not have stalked you.” She admitted apologetically, “but I am Changmin’s mother. I can prove it. I left him at St John’s Church near where you used to live and I have this….” she brought forward the thing she was holding behind her back.

It was a handmade colourful patchwork bag. Yunho and Jaejoong’s eyes widened seeing it. they exchanged knowing glances and returned their attention to the girl who was fishing out something from the bag. She showed a bunch of crumpled old papers.

“These are my medical documents from when I was pregnant with him and when he was born. Even the documents for the birth certificate I made is there and I have photos-” she was cut off when Yunho stepped forward and held her bag.

He looked at her with an unreadable expression. “did you make this?”

After a moment of trepidation, she nodded. “I made another one, during the pregnancy, it was with him….that night.”

“We know.” Jaejoong answered instead. “We figured his mother would have made it.” Jaejoong admitted now she was Changmin’s mother but there was an unsettling feeling in her stomach. “You…you….want to meet him?”

The girl immediately shook her head. “No! I don’t want him to know. It would destroy his world.” She looked pleadingly at the couple. “Can we talk without him knowing….please?”

Jaejoong didn’t waste any time. She entered the house while Yunho waited with the young woman outside. Jaejoong went up to Changmin.

“Minnie-ah!” Changmin looked at her, “remember you're supposed to sort out the things you wanted to give away. the box is near your bed. Can you do it now?” Jaejoong commended herself for her steady demeanour.

“Yup!” Changmin gave her a thumbs up and ran upstairs to his bedroom. A minute later, Jaejoong heard the sound of Changmin’s TV in his room and the sound of toys being strewn on the floor.

“Yunho!” Jaejoong called and he came inside the house with the lady in tow. Jaejoong gestured to the couch, “Have a seat.”

The three adults sat. there was a tense silence for god knows how long. The lady decided to speak up.

“I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m Shim Chamiko.” She did a slight bow while seated.

“I’d introduce ourselves too ….but I guess you know us already.” Yunho joked slightly.

Chamiko nodded. “Y’all didn’t realise but I was there that night….at the church….” She again fiddled with her sweater. “I wanted to make sure that Changmin was safely taken inside so I hid and waited. I was supposed to leave right after. But then you guys came and took him. I didn’t expect that, so I followed you. I first intended to keep an eye on you if you're….bad or something but then I found you people were really nice. Every weekend, I followed you…to…um…just see Changmin…from a distance.”

 “You should be a spy. We didn’t even realise.” Yunho said incredulously. Jaejoong slapped his thigh in order to tell him to behave.

“I understand why you're wary of me too. The incident last year….that woman….I used to sometimes come by his school under the pretext of voluntary work and I saw that…” Chamiko looked at Jaejoong with slight awe, “you were so brave….I don’t know if I would’ve been able to stand in front of a gun for Changmin.”

“You didn’t give yourself that chance.” Jaejoong scolded the young girl a bit. “Chamiko-s