A/N: Hi, guys! I am so sorry for the long wait!

Allow me to explain: After I posted the last update, the keyboard (and the touchpad) of my laptop broke. I was using the on-screen keyboard thing where you have to click the letters one by one just to be able to type anything, and there was no way that I  could write an update like that. I’ve tried to buy USB keyboards to stick to my laptop, but the two that I’ve tried have failed so far, and I’m fearing that my laptop might have to be reformatted or something to get the keyboard to work again.

I’ve been writing a bit on my phone, and the good, old fashion pen and notebook. And right now, I’m in an internet café to type everything into a document, finish the chapter, and post it.

I apologize for the wait.

Here’s the next chapter. Hope you guys like it.

Book 3: The (Crazier) Toddler Years

Chapter 2: Exercise

People often say that SM worked its idols hard.

Probably even too hard. Which caused some of its idols to leave. Like Kyuhyun’s Chinese hyung.

There were also times when Kyuhyun was still in SM that he thought that his legs would give away, that his back would break, and that his throat would literally burn.

However, none of the intense trainings and crazy schedules could have prepared Kyuhyun for this.

For the challenges of motherhood.

As most parents know, keeping up with a toddler’s energy was tiring.

As Kyuhyun would find out, keeping up with a little evil minion toddler might be enough to send even the evil maknae himself to an early grave.

“Minhyun! Get back here!”

No reply.

Just scampering of little feet

Scampering of little feet away from Kyuhyun.

“Minhyun, I said come back!”

More running away.

More huffing-puffing Kyuhyun.

For such a young boy who still wasn’t very steady on his legs, Minhyun sure can run. Run fast.

“Minhyun!”

“No!”

Between his gasps for breath, Kyuhyun gritted his teeth. He had started to hate that word ever since his son had learned it. All that Kyuhyun mostly heard from Minhyun these days is “no.”

“An apartment isn’t really a track field, you know, Kuixian.”

Kyuhyun, who had been bended over and clutching his knees with his hands for support, looked up to see his ELF neighbor standing at the entrance to his living room.

“How did you get in my apartment?”

“You forgot that Hangeng gave a copy of the key for your front door.”

Right.

Of course.

Ever since Kyuhyun’s “cooking thing,” his worrywart hyung had thought it was best to make sure that Xiari could easily get into Kyuhyun’s apartment.

Just in case Kyuhyun “did something incredibly stupid that endangered his and/or Minhyun’s life and needed rescuing and/or smacking on the head,” to quote Hankyung.

“Remind me to get both your copies,” Kyuhyun grumbled irritably as he still tried to get his breathing back to normal.

What’s worse than having a worrywart hyung that can just come barging in whenever he wants?

Having a worrywart hyung and a fan who doesn’t trust your ability to fend for yourself that can just come barging in whenever they want, that’s what.

“What are you doing, anyway?” Xiari asked skeptically as the little boy went zooming pass them.

“My son apparently doubles as a ball of pure energy,” Kyuhyun sighed wearily. Never having been the most athletic person (unless video games are finally counted as sports), he was already sweating and panting from trying (and it was just trying, not even succeeding!) to keep up with his son.

To Kyuhyun’s irritation, Xiari started laughing loudly.

“Why are you laughing?! As my fan, you’re supposed to be sympathetic!”

The Chinese woman needed a moment to get her laughter in control.

“As a fan, I’m of course sympathetic. As a fellow parent, all I can say is ‘feel the pain’!” Xiari grinned. After all, she went through this with Lin; it’s only fair that Kyuhyun experiences the same thing with Minhyun … Or maybe it’s not the same thing. Lin had always been a “calm kid,” after all. Minhyun, on the other hand, was turning out to be a terror. Sweet, cute, lovable, adorable, and all those good things, but still—a terror.

Xiari just shrugged to herself, though. That was Kyuhyun’s problem. Rather him than her that experiences having to run after a little evil minion, in her opinion.

Just then, Minhyun went zooming pass them again.

“Are all kids this energetic?” Kyuhyuyn demanded at Xiari. Because blimey, if all kids were like this, then Kyuhyun had no idea how parents, since the beginning of time, have been managing to do it! Parents must be superheroes with actual superpowers, in Kyuhyun’s opinion! There was no other explanation for being able to keep up with such running, jumping, bouncing balls of energies (a.k.a. kids).

“Most kids are at this age,” Xiari nodded. “Though I get the feeling that Minhyun’s … more of a handful than other kids,” she added with a smirk thrown at Kyuhyun.

“Great. Just great.

“Hey, you have no one to blame but yourself. And Changmin. You guys created the little evil minion, after all,” Xiari said. As much as she was a fan of Super Junior and Kyuhyun, she thought that Minhyun had to inherit all those traits from somewhere, so the little evil minion’s parents were really to blame.

CRASH.

The loud sound from kitchen had both Kyuhyun and Xiari looking toward that direction.

“Minhyun!” Kyuhyun shouted exasperatedly, having no doubt that whatever caused the sound was the result of Minhyun’s knack for destroying things without even getting himself hurt. Still, the evil maknae went sprinting to the kitchen to check on his son.

“Good luck,” was all that Xiari could say to Kyuhyun. And really, Kyuhyun’s going to need all the luck. The ELF had a feeling that Minhyun’s toddler years were going to be “interesting,” to say the least.

And the little evil minion’s poor evil maknae mother would have to deal with it.

Good luck to Kyuhyun, indeed.

“More!”

“Minhyun, if I push any harder, you’re going to be flying off of that!” Kyuhyun managed to gasp out from the tiredness.

“More, umma!” was all that the little boy insisted.

The mother-son duo was at the park, and Kyuhyun had placed Minhyun in one of those little plastic swings for toddlers. It had buckles and straps and everything, so Minhyun really wasn’t about to go flying off.

But really!

Kyuhyun was too tired fro