CHAPTER VI : The Two Prince

It was February twenty-eighth, the day Baekhyun gave birth, at approximately three forty-five in the early morning. He gave birth to a seven point four pound healthy baby girl.

Now, it has been almost eight years and Hyebin’s birthday is coming up in two weeks. Naturally, being the child everyone had been waiting to come to life, everyone is excited for the big day and, this time, it's not just because of her existence. It's always been like that, everyone anticipating the little girl’s birthday party.

It's always grand, “the best party of the year” as others put it. It's always thanks to her excessively spoiling father and uncle--Chanyeol and Suho. This year, they're still the ones in charge of the expenses but with Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s mothers, who have decided to take on the role of party planners for the event.

It'll be a costume party, they said. With the theme of royalty, to be exact. Everyone in attendance should dress as if they stepped out of the world of story books and movies such as Snow White or Frozen. Everyone should either be a prince or a princesses; a king or a queen; an integral part of the royal court or kingdom such as a jester or a knights and so on. Strictly, “No costume, no entry”.

It is the first time that someone else has decided for the theme, considering that in previous times, they only heeded what the child wanted. The grandmothers claimed that they only want to do something for their precious little girl. Besides, they also thought that the theme they chose was something that Hyebin would want. It's better for someone else to do the planning so that when the day of the celebration finally comes, the child will be delightfully surprised.

The little girl pauses from her coloring of her masterpiece of a Princess dancing with her Prince when someone hugs her from behind and whispers in her ear, “So what would my Princess want me to wear to her grand party?”

She knows that voice, it's her Prince Charming! The child blushes even more when the guy pecks her cheek.

“Should I come as Prince Charming since you're my lovely princess?”

Hyebin clears and hardly imitates an old English countess as she commands her uncle, “Yes that would be perfect my dear Prince, please do come to my ball more dashing than you already are.”

The dark skinned samchon chuckles and is about to make a witty comment when one of the child's fathers enters the living room to continue tending to his guest--not his daughter’s.

“Jongin, please stop seducing my child! I let you enter my house because you were there when I had a dilemma and now it's my turn to return the favor because of the rabbit hole you are in.. don't make me change my mind and kick you out.”

The child gasps at the mention of ‘rabbit hole’, she turns to face her uncle and cups his cheeks, “Please don't tell me that my prince is actually Alice?”

Jongin wants to chuckle because of the little girl's queer way of thoughts, but he bites it back for the child might take his amusement in a bad way. Her father speaks, though, for he is irritated by the skinship that his child and friend are displaying, “No Hyebin, he's more like Cheshire.. and Alice is his prey..”

He looks pointedly at his colleague and, upon realizing that his child is looking at him with curious eyes, he decides to drop his complicated symbolisms.

“Hyebin baby, could you just do that in your room and leave uncle Jongin and I alone? We're going to have adult talk, kids aren't allowed to hear it. Is it okay if you let us be just us?”

The little girl complies and the two adults proceed to talk about Jongin’s conundrum.

“Hyung, I'll really man up on the party. I promise I'll do it this time. I'll tell him everything there is to say,” Jongin takes the beer bottle that his hyung hands to him and chugs a good mouthful of the beverage.

Chanyeol sits beside his friend, “Well, then don't come as a prince. That might piss him off and then it will lead to you cowering because of the possible death glares he'll send you the whole night. You won't be able to confㅡ”

“But hyung Hyebin is expecting me to be in a prince costume. I don't want to disappoint her on her birthday! I REALLY PROMISE THAT I WON'T SUCCUMB TO MY TREMBLING NERVES AGAIN! You have nothing to worry about Chanyeol hyung.”

“I'm just suggesting that you should think about wearing a different costume because he already came in here and asked my daughter what she wants him to wear. You now how his mood swings are, he might throw a tantrum when he sees that you're both wearing the same thing.”

Yes, Sehun already came. The difference is that he had to talk to Hyebin longer for her to respond and know that he has to come as a prince too.

“You better not yourself and come back to me worrying about your heart again. I have had enough of you pouring all your self-proclaimed unsolvable knots. You were my problem solver back then, you had a clear view of everything. What happened to you?”

“It's not that easy when you're already in this position, okay. This is really tough, hyung! I'd go insane if you're not here! Now I finally understand all your worrying back then. But I finally gotten all the courage I need, I'll finally push through with it. I'll come in as a Prince so I wouldn't upset Hyebin and I won't be teetered by him or by the whirlwind I feel in my stomach and heart. Besides, it's not like we'll be wearing the exact same thing, there are tons of styles to choose from,” Noticing that the other parent is missing, Jongin steers the conversation to another topic. “By the way where is Baekhyun hyung? Is the eatery operating even on a weekend? He has people working for him.. why does he have to be always present there?”

Baekhyun is such a perfect embodiment of  the ideal family man.

He is a responsible father, a kind son, everything you could ever ask for. He's responsible, understanding, caring, sharp-witted, canny, sweet, loving, humble, and more. He can even pass as a saint if only he didn't commit the sin of touching and being touched by another man who wasn't his husband.

Hyebin is indeed a blessing. He chose to forget about the cruel process that he had to endure to have her in his life. The child he has and loves shouldn't be attached to the word sin. They asked for her--him and Chanyeol. They asked for this from the heavens; for a child.. and here she is. The procedure doesn't matter, they should just be grateful for the blessing that is now theirs.

The little blessing has been so spoiled by her fathers--more so by Chanyeol and Joonmyeon.

It irks Baekhyun when Chanyeol and Suho goes overboard with their pampering, despite understanding that a father’s love for his daughter is the greatest, because he fears that his daughter might lose her ground. Sure, she's their one and only child and she deserves all the finer things in life, but Baekhyun doesn't want her to become what people call a spoiled brat; the kind of person he himself despises because they bear neither manners nor breeding. Hyebin is just too precious to him that he fears his own child will grow up to be very same kind of person he’ll loath.

He hopes and prays that his Hyebin grows up well-mannered and down to earth. He never forgets to teach her about the good values he grew up and lived with; for her to not lose her footing; for her to grow up as humble as she should be, to be satisfied with what she has, and to not want more than what she should.

“Hyunnie your eyebrows are almost one. It's turning into a unibrow,” His older brother, Baekbom, snickers by the counter outside of the kitchen.

On weekends his brother would come and help as a waiter in the diner. It's a big help, really, to have family helping out. Right now, he can see Baekbom from the box window to the kitchen. He does not quite understand what his brother just said to him.

“Your eyebrows are overly knitted brother, what are you thinking about?”

Finally understanding his hyung, Baekhyun tries to smile. His very famous rectangular smile matches the window and separates him from everyone.

“Just thinking of my baby girl, hyung. She's being spoiled too much by Chanyeol and… her uncles…” He had to pause before saying uncles because he was about to say Joonmyeon.

Slipping would have raised suspicion from his brother. He doesn't want his family to ever know about that, about Hyebin actually came to be in his life--his and Chanyeol’s. It will surely be a huge mess if word ever spreads to his family. Not to mention, Chanyeol’s affluent family and everyone else.

Only him, Chanyeol, Sehun, Chen, Suho, Jongin and Doctors Wu and Do know about the infertility of Chanyeol. And, minus the two doctors, the aforementioned are also the only people who know about how Hyebin came about. It is a good thing that Dr. Wu and Do had agreed to not tell their families about Chanyeol’s case, hence, them getting away from a larger than life judgement from family.

“Well, Baekhyun, that's the reason why you have employees. You don't have to always be here. You can be home 24/7 with Hyebin with this diner still runnin,” Seeing that his younger brother isn't listening and is too busy worrying about something again, the older Byun clears his throat loud enough that some other customers glances at him. “Baekhyun-ah. You'll burn the food. Just let your assistant cook do all that. I'll just take over the diner in your place for the rest of the day. I'll do my best to manage it. Go home. Sehun is in your house again, I bet. He will help relieve stress with you, I hope.”

No one knows. No one is even suspicious of their family. Baekhyun having lain with Joonmyeon is a journey that is over and done with, they won't have anymore problems with Chanyeol’s predicament.

It'll be another tough journey, though, about his child’s upbringing. He is so sure that Chanyeol and Suho wouldn't be easily swayed from their excessive pampering. He'll have to take it upon himself, the duty to guide his little girl to the right direction.

Baekhyun can do it. He will do it. He'll be a great parent. Just like how his parents are and how they raised him to be a fine and noble man.

Uncle Sehun is determined to have Hyebin warm up to him. He always has to put in tremendous effort in order for Hyebin to feel comfortable with him, unlike Uncle Jongin who effortlessly gets Hyebin’s attention. Sehun has always had to bribe her, in one way or another, to get her to notice him.

He can't really blame her though, Hyebin picked the trait from him. The stubbornness that she has towards him is the same as what he shows towards his hyungs. It's just him finally getting a taste of his own medicine, really, and said medicine just happens to be from his godchild, a girl who is quadruple less his size. Besides, Hyebin obviously has a (tiny) crush on her sun-kissed uncle. It's understandable why she has her eyes fixed on Jongin

Jongin got the title of Prince Charming easy breezy because he is the apple of Hyebin’s eyes while he, Oh Sehun, had to work hard to get to be called Hyebin’s Handsome Prince. He isn't so sure, though, if it was only because he nagged at her all the time about how it was so unfair that Jongin got to be her prince. Her only prince, at that.

Fine. He doesn't have to be her only prince, but surely she thinks of him handsome!

“I'll be your prince Hyebin,” He coos at his pretty godchild for the umpteenth time and points at her coloring book again.

“But uncle Jongin is already