--January 2022--

Nam Ji-hyun navigated the trip from the villa to SOOP offices with her the twins snuggly secured in the back. She was a bit worried about bringing them into the office but she knew that her boss was madly in love with them and she needed his goodwill today. With the help of her manager, who was driving them, she settled on the sofa with Hyung-min while SOOP CEO cuddled Hyung-joon.

“Ji-hyun-ah… are you sure that you won’t let them do CFs when they get older.”

She shot him a look that threatened death.

“They will not be in any CFs. Chang-wook orabeoni and I are not pimping out our children… besides, Glorious would be furious if you got all the profits off of them…” she gave him a wicked smirk.

“Ji-hyun! You have twins. We’ve discussed it. I get little Joon-i and he gets Min-ah.”

“If you weren’t holding my baby, I’d throw something at you.”

“Ji-hyun… now. Since we have gotten that out of the way. Work. I know that is the reason you came in. Is there something you liked amongst the scripts I sent you?”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking. I was given a script recently… it came through my fan mail. Now I don’t know how it got through because my manager is normally good about weeding them out. But this one slipped through.”

She read out the plot summary and started with reading the screenplay out to him. Ji-hyun was rarely nervous when discussing projects but today she held her breath. The writer was Shin Su-won who had won the Canal+ Prize for best short film at Cannes with her short film Circle Line. Her other work had featured in several Korean and international film festivals. The film was set during the Japanese occupation and told the story of a young mother who believed her husband had been murdered by the Japanese. She struggled to raise her young family and work as a school teacher. The parallel story was of the husband who was not dead but part of the resistance. He secretly watched over his wife. Eventually they reunited when she offered her house as a place for resistance fighters. 

It would be unlike anything she had ever tried before. And she had a good feeling about this one.

“Hmm… the note—Nam Ji-hyun-ssi. I admire your work and humbly present my story for your consideration… Hmmm… I like it. But we will need to do some more research to make sure that it is legitimate.”

“Great. I’m so glad that you’ve agreed to let me do it!”

“Now! I…” he began to sit up but the baby complained and he had to sit back. Ji-hyun bit her lip as she watched him coo at the baby to calm him down. “Shh… there… there…”

“I think it is time to take them home. Will you help me?”

He chuckled. Once again Ji-hyun had gotten her way without once fighting or throwing a tantrum—a welcome change compared to some actresses he knew. Once she had left her flipped through the script. It was good, he realised. Very good. He picked up the phone and sent out various instructions before calling Ji-hyun.

“You are right—as always. It would suit you. And the public would love it. You in a dramatic role like this, playing a mother. I’m making all the right preparations and then will get back to you.”

—

That night Ji-hyun told her eomeonim about the new project while they got the twins ready for bed.

“I would play a young mother who finds out that the husband she thought was dead is alive. It is set in the Japanese occupation. I think it will be interesting because she has had to make sacrifices to survive.”

“Oh that is my favourite period! I wish Wook-i would take a similar role… Maybe he can play the husband?” she teased.

“Eomeonim!” Ji-hyun objected. “What about the boys! Both eomma and appa away at the same time! We are trying to space out our projects so that we aren’t both away at the same time.”

“Aish. You think your eomma and I can’t take care of two babies between us?”

“Would he want to do it? It will be a very draining role, his first action piece since K2… He has been taking on so many projects. I’m getting worried about him. But he keeps being dramatic and saying that we have bills to pay.— as if we don’t have more than enough money for us to have half a dozen babies.”

“True. And we should make him take a break. Ah. Here he is. Son! You are home. Come and fix supper for us.” 

In the distance they heard a tired “Yeh”.

“Poor man.” they both tisked. Chang-wook had not been working that day. He was just getting back from playing basketball with his friends.

Over dinner Ji-hyun presented the idea to him. Only for a suspicious look to enter his eyes.

“Did you get the same script?” he asked. “I was handed it today as well. Urgh. You don’t think? Did our CEOs plan this? Imagine the press!”

“It wouldn’t surprise me. But I don’t think so. Mine came directly from the writer.”

“What! Why did you get personal treatment,” he pouted.

“Orabeoni, it is probably because Glorious did a better job of screening your fan mail,” she soothed him.

—February 2022--

The negotiations moved swiftly after that. Kim Seong-hun signed on to direct. Rumours that the film was considering casting either Nam Ji-hyun or Ji Chang-wook started to filter into the media. The speculation was fuelled by a photoshoot for Ji-hyun where she said that her next project would show an entirely new side of her. The Chang-wook on his radio program discussed how much help Ji-hyun was in helping him pick his projects.

“Ji-hyun-ah, she is always telling me, “Orabeoni”—she likes to call me that— she is always saying “Orabeoni, never be afraid to do something different. Even before I show her a script, I always think “What would Ji-hyun-ah think of this.”

The casting announcement was made and the buzz around the project reached fever pitch. It was unusual, though not unheard of, for couples to star in the same drama but this would be something else. It would be the third time they had been on the same project and this time as man and wife. Ji-hyun didn’t enjoy the number of photographers that started to camp outside their house or the fans who were desperate to see their two little sons. But she couldn’t deny the thrill of getting her hands on another meaty script and one that would really show a different side. How, she thought, would her own experience as a mother and wife change her view of the character? Would she make different decisions?

However she soon found that it was one thing to work with her husband when they lived separately and another to work with a husband she went home with every night. Sometimes she thought that if his eomeonim wasn’t there she might lose her mind. So she was relieved when she was offered a photoshoot in Hawaii. She would be there for four days. Her only concern was that she would be away from the twins for the first time. In fact there would be one day when the only person looking after them would be Chang-wook. And while he was an excellent father… it was a lot of work and keeping an eye on each of them and keeping his sanity… she worried that he might have a panic attack.

Nevertheless she trusted him to manage when Chi-gu promised to stop by if needed.

—

Chang-wook waved goodbye to Ji-hyun. Then immediately called Chi-gu.

“Come over. Please… I need someone to take pictures!!!” 

He had never been more excited by anything. He was going to have a boys’ weekend with his sons and he needed someone to document this.

Chi-gu arrived. He brought with him a nice camera which Chang-wook dismissed. He wanted to upload quickly rather than the fuss of photoshoot quality pictures. It was ten in the morning and at ten minutes past he uploaded the first picture. 

He was sitting on the sofa, Hyung-min on his right and Hyung-joon on his left. 

“Boys weekend, Father Sons having fun.”

The photo was the fastest to reach 2 million likes in the entire time that he had instagram—ever. 

The instastories were adorable… from the twins crawling over their father to them waving each other. 

When Ji-hyun landed in Hawaii, She was met with so many messages from family and friends telling her she needed to like those pictures as quickly as possible. She rushed to look at instagram. She liked the picture and commented.

“Gentlemen Hyungs making their Appa work hard. @jichangwook HWAITING!”

When they got to the shooting location, stylist-eonnie asked her how things were going with the twins. She told her that everything was perfect… but then had to admit that it was getting stressful working with Chang-wook oppa while living with him. There was no one they knew who had worked in a similar situation before. 

The next morning she ran into her former American costar, Alex. 

“Ji-hyun! How are you?”

“I’m well. How are you?”

“Very good—here for vacation with Helen. Congratulations on your marriage—Helen and I were sorry we couldn’t come. And your twins are gorgeous. I love all the posts from Chang-wook. Hey, why don’t you join us for lunch.”

“You are here together?” Ji-hyun asked. She was surprised that her costar and the director were on vacation. “Wait. You and director-nim are married!”

He chuckled and looked a little bashful. 

“Only recently. Trying not to make a fuss since we work together so much…”

“Yes! I would love lunch. I will bring my assistant?”

“Sure.”

At lunch Ji-hyun came with a list of questions she wanted to ask. She bounced in her chair before just bursting and asking the most important question.

“How do you work together and still come home at night and not kill each other?”

The actor and director couple laughed. They explained that if they weren’t on set they didn’t talk about work. It had been hard at first but it saved their relationship. It was such a relief to be given the advice that Ji-hyun insisted on paying for lunch and giving them both tight hugs. 

—

When she arrived back in Seoul, she was surprised at the strange noise she could hear from the arrivals hall. When the door swung open she heard people shouting her name and Chang-wook’s. It was then that she spotted her husband. He had a bouquet and balloons and the most beautiful smile on his face. It took all her self-control not to run to him. But she couldn’t control her smile. When she arrived he quickly handed the bouquet to her manager but he lost the balloons which gracefully floated up to the ceiling. He grabbed he pulled her into a side hug.

“Sorry. Don’t want to cause pandemonium if I give you a proper hug,” he whispered into her ear.

“How did people know?”

“I made a mistake. Instead of my private account I posted an instastory on my public account saying I was on my way to pick you up.”

“Aish. Oppa,” she couldn’t stop smiling. There were times when she couldn’t believe that she had married such a crazy, haphazard man. His little pout was too much for her and she bit her lip at how y he looked. Like a little puppy who was denied his favourite toy. 

“How are the babies?”

“Being spoiled by our eommas.”

She rolled her eyes. 

They made it through the crowd and into the waiting car. It sped off and soon they were pulling up in front of the villa. Ji-hyun burst out of the car as soon as it came to a stop and ran in to see her sons happily playing with the stuffed turtles they loved so much. 

“Aigoo, Hyung-min-ah, Hyung-joon-ah, did you miss eomma?” 

They made happy little noises and she lay down on the floor to play with her babies. Chang-wook joined her and she at once felt peace wash over her. 

Later that night, when they were sitting in bed, Ji-hyun told him about the advice she had received from Alex and Helen. Chang-wook leant over and kissed her cheek. 

“What?”

He kissed her lips. 

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because?” she giggled.

“Just because.”

“Aish.”

“Jiji… Thank you for making me the luckiest man in the world. For bringing light into my life, for always doing your best to make our lives easy. For being you.”

“Orabeoni. Honestly. If you…” she narrowed her eyes and turned to face him. “You haven’t done something have you?”

He pulled an innocent face.

“Oppa…”

“Present!” he reached under his pillow and pulled out a little box. She opened it. Inside was a necklace with two heart lockets. Inside one was little pictures of Hyung-min and Hyung-Joon. In the other a picture of him. The other side was blank. She asked him what would go there. He shrugged and smiled. 

“Who knows.” 

She snuggled into his arms and rested her head on his chest. She could hear the beat of his heart.

“Oppa. One day someone is going to write a drama based on our life. It would make a beautiful drama, don’t you think?”

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. 

“Hmmm… maybe. But I like our truth better than someone else’s story about us.”

She kissed his chest, right above his heart.

“Chang-wook-ssi?”

“Yes, Jiji?”

“Saranghae.”

“Saranghae.”

—

They woke up very early the next morning so that they could see the boys before going to filming. It would be a long day for both of them. 

“Ohh. My boys,” she smiled as she watched Chang-wook feed them at the same time. She didn’t usually post pictures of them, but the sight was too precious to miss. She pulled out her phone and posted her first instastory. A boomerang of Chang-wook doing aeroplane swoops of food into their little, smiling mouths. The babies weren’t in the image so it was just him, looking like the devoted father he was. She added little heart emojis and a laughing emoji for good measure.

He didn’t see the story until they reached the set. When he did, he complained that she never showed him looking cool. She rolled her eyes. It always amused her how much he didn’t understand that what made her love him so much was his relaxed, beautiful smile, his fun side. That is what had first attracted her, it was what made her love him, and it was what kept her heart pounding and her smiling.

Still, she was a loving wife. And in a moment when he was about to do a particularly “cool” action shot that would protect their on screen daughter from a car speeding through the streets, she snapped a picture. He was at his “Top Star” iest in that moment. When she shot the rest of that scene, her character looked around for her daughter’s hidden rescuer, she briefly caught glimpse of him in the crowd. There it was, she thought for a split second. There was the acting that came from now being a father. Just as she was making new decisions since the birth of their sons, so was he. 

—May 2022--

She would not be able to post the picture yet because the film BTS was still under wraps but she took the opportunity to post an equally dashing image of him. It was May. They had gone for a little and gentle hike—a short break after filming had finished. At a lookout, he put his foot on the fence and leant out gazing at the view. His sunglasses, windswept hair, and the t-shirt that was doing justice to his action film physic made him look like he was shooting for a magazine spread rather than taking a rest. 

“Oppa.”

He turned to look at her. She captured the moment. His ghost of a smile and twinkling eyes.

“Pose for me,” she asked.

He did and she snapped away.  He asked to see the pictures but she refused. He pouted that he wanted to take a picture of her, but she didn’t want one when she was wearing her hiking outfit. He relented but insisted after she had showered that it was his turn to take a picture. 

Since they were going on a date, she grudgingly agreed and put on a simple blue dress. She was saying goodnight to the twins before they left when he pulled out his phone and snapped a picture. She looked up. Her expression was gentle and full of love. 

“Oppa, don’t post that? Hmm?”

“Why not!”

“Because… oh I don’t know. I’m embarrassed,” she admitted.

“Ok.”

They arrived at the restaurant, where they were meeting Jin-ah and Seo-joon, when he captured an even better shot of her, one he knew he could post on instagram. She had her chopsticks out with a delighted smile on her face. She looked so beautiful and natural that he couldn’t help but post it right away. He captioned it.

“We are eating well.”

She rolled her eyes, but grudgingly agreed that it was a very nice picture… if you liked the idea of making your wife look like a glutton. 

“You two are too cute,” Jin-ah made a face. 

“We are cute too!” Seo-joon laughed. He offered her a piece of sashimi. “See. We are cute too.”

She rolled her eyes.

“So how are you feeling now that they are almost a year old? Do you have any plans for their birthday?”

“I think that I will forever be grateful that I live with my mother-in-law. I don’t know how to thank her. How many parents can happily spend the day and night away?”

“You are lucky,” Seo-joon nodded. He chuckled when Jin-ah rolled her eyes. “She dreads the idea of twins.”

“Yes. And I am not ashamed of that.”

“It is a lot of work…”

“But we love it.”

“It hasn’t, you know, effected anything like “that” or anything?” Jin-ah asked.

Ji-hyun and Chang-wook blushed. They shared an embarrassed look. Then shook their heads.

“No,” they said emphatically.

—June 2022--

Now that filming had finished, Ji-hyun announced through her energy that she would be focusing on her private life. Chang-wook realised a similar statement—he had a few photoshoots but essentially their days calmed down into a routine of waking up, spending time with their sons, and then one morning Chang-wook pulled Ji-hyun to the side. It was the night before the twin’s first birthday and he a special plan.

The next morning after the whole family had celebrated with seaweed soup, they put the twins in the back of the car and drove to the jjimjilbang. Surrounded by their family, no one approached them. Ji-hyun did her best not to cry. His consideration always warmed her heart. The twins, on more than one occasion, did their best to escape the watchful eyes of their parents and grandparents. They had learnt to walk only recently and were determined to show off.

Being the proud father he was, Chang-wook insisted on posting an instastory of their attempts to escape. Ji-hyun, a little more anxious, eventually caved and snapped one of Chang-wook filming them. She captioned it:

“Gentlemen Hyungs escaping, their Appa aiding them.”

It was hard for their fans to be patient with them when they posted these intimate moments of family life. And that evening Soop and Glorious CEOs got together and bemoaned the fact that Ji-hyun and Chang-wook adamantly refused to do a variety show of their little family.

“Maybe they will be more lax if they have another one?” Glorious CEO asked.

“What! Take Ji-hyun out for another year! Never. If you don’t want to pay a penalty, then I suggest you inform your star to learn about family planning…”

“You always make that threat…”

“Of course. Chang-wook agrees to family-focused CFs. Ji-hyun refuses every one…”

“Hmm… what about a stroller CF? I think there is one… but not the look we want for Chang-wook. I’m trying to get him out of the diaper one but he likes it because they give him free diapers…”

The two CEOs looked at each other and burst out laughing. 

“Another round!” they clinked their glasses. 

It could be worse they decided.

AN: In case you were wondering, there is no age restriction for Jjimjilbang—though some areas there are for the safety of kids.