Seoul, 9 August 2024

 

"Are you home now? We'll be there in about 15 minutes, ok, hon?"

"Yup. Alright. Drive safely, yeobo," I say before I hang up. It's 3 p.m. and I just arrived at home from work. Ji-Yong already picked up Ga-Young from her painting class and later we're going to buy a few supplies for Ga-Young's 7th birthday party tomorrow. I already ordered food from the caterer, and I'll pick up the birthday cake tomorrow morning. Everything is right on track.

"Umma, please help me change my clothes," Dae-Hyun pulls me to his bedroom.
 

"Dae-Hyunnie, are you sure you're going to wear those? You're going to feel cold when we're in the mall," I frown seeing my son pick out a tank-top and a pair of shorts. "Yes, umma. I want to show my biceps," he replies in a serious tone, making me chuckle.

"Your biceps? You're too young to have biceps, baby," I tell him softly. He sighs, "but appa has biceps, so I want to have them, too." I smile at him and give up trying to tell him otherwise. If he wants to be like his appa, then why should I stop him? His dad is a gentleman, so it's great if our son wants to be more like him.
 

"Dragon ah, come here! Hyung has a treat for you," Dae-Hyun giggles. Dragon wiggles towards him; Dae-Hyun picks him up and puts him on his lap as he sits on the couch in the living room.

"Dragon ah, noona's home!" Ga-Young swings the door open and runs to the couch. A few seconds after that, I see Ji-Yong enter the house while carrying Ga-Young's bags in his hands, slightly panting. "All she can talk about is Dragon," he grunts when he hugs me.

"Hey, hubby," I kiss his cheek, "did you have lunch yet?"

"Mmm. I had Japanese food at the lunch meeting," he replies. It's Friday, and I'm happy that he could finish work early.

 

"Princess, we'll be going in half an hour, go get changed," Ji-Yong tells Ga-Young as he sips on his coffee in the living room. "Can we take Dragon to the mall, appa?"

"No," Ji-Yong replies with a sullen expression. Ga-Young sighs and runs upstairs carrying Dragon in her hands. I sit next to Ji-Yong and pat his thigh, "please don't tell me you're jealous of our pet, yeobo." He rolls his eyes, "I'm not jealous."

"Then why are you acting like that, hmm? What's with the long face?" I coax.

He huffs out, "ok, you're right. I am… a little jealous." See? This is how silly Kwon Ji-Yong can get. He's always jealous when there are other males besides himself and Dae-Hyun around his little princess; he used to be jealous at Big Bang members, and now he's jealous of a dog. Kwon Dragon has only been with us for 3 days, and Ji-Yong already thinks that Ga-Young loves Dragon more than she loves him. Aigoo… how silly.
 

"Honey, you're going to turn 36 in 9 days, I think it's time to stop being so jealous all the time, hmm?" I coo at my beloved husband.

"No need to remind me that I'm getting old. I almost lost my breath just by walking from the driveway into our house while carrying Ga-Youngie's bags. What did she bring to that painting class? Those bags were heavy! Don't they have lockers or something?" he rambles. I chuckle at the scene. The devil in me wants to have a little fun…

 

"I know, right? Can you believe that our prince is now 4 and our princess is turning 7 tomorrow? Time flies so fast, huh?" I wrap my arms around his waist. He responds with a heavy sight and rubs my shoulder.

Convinced that he's taken my bait, I add, "imagine this, yeobo. Soon, our princess will become a teenager and start dating, and then she will get married and--"

"Babe, please stop right there and let's not get into that. Ga-Young is NOT going to date anyone! I will announce to all her friends in attendace tomorrow that my daughter will not be dating until after she turns 50!" he cuts me off. His chest is heaving in irritation. Mission accomplished; I laugh evilly inside. Ji-Yong is always sensitive when we discuss a topic like this.

"Omo, 50? Aren't you a little too much? Who would want to date a 50-year-old woman who's never been on a date?" I pull my head away from his chest, still in my dramatic mode.

He smirks, "that's the point, baby. My princess will be too old to date, she's going to give up, and she will remain my little princess forever." I shake my head and decide to stop the conversation, since he's clearly taking it too seriously. "Go change your clothes so we can leave," I pull him from the couch and he lazily walks upstairs.
 

"Appa, are Big Bang appas going to come to my party tomorrow?" Ga-Young asks. We're in the car, on our way to Lotte Young Plaza in Myeong-dong. "They're Big Bang uncles, princess, NOT appas," Ji-Yong answers from the driver's seat.

"But Seung-Hyun appa told me to call them appa," Ga-Young replies innocently. Ji-Yong raises his eyebrows and looks at Ga-Young through the rearview mirror, "which Seung-Hyun are you talking about, hmm? Old or young?"

"Young Seung-Hyun appa!" Ga-Young's cheerful answer clearly shows that she doesn't get the fact that her dad is feeling jealous. "No, princess, he made a mistake. From now on, you call them uncle, ok?"

"Ok, appa."

 

"Remind me to strangle Seungri tomorrow when I see him at the party," Ji-Yong whispers as we push the trolley inside Lotte Mart. Ga-Young is holding my hand, while Dae-Hyun is sitting in the trolley seat. "Honey, I don't think strangling Seungri in front of little kids would set a good example," I whisper back.

He swings his arm around my shoulders and mumbles, "I'll do it after the party, whatever, I just need to strangle the punk for teaching our kids to call him appa." I giggle as I rub his back with my hand to calm him down.

"Umma, what do we need to buy?" Ga-Young jiggles my hand. "Just some drinks, sweetie, everything else is prepared by the caterer and the party organizer," I ruffle her hair. "Oh! Umma! Soft drinks are in that aisle!" Ga-Young points her fingers at the sign and drags me with her. Ji-Yong follows behind us with Dae-Hyun.
 

"Whoa… get this one, too, umma! This one is pink! And that one, the purple one! And the green one as well! Wow, the colours will match my Alice in Wonderland theme party!" Ga-Young jumps excitedly as she points her finger at different kinds and different brands of drinks. Dae-Hyun giggles at his sister's antics, and Ji-Yong grabs all the drinks she wants.

"I think those are more than enough, honey," I tell Ji-Yong after looking at the trolley which is now filled with bottles of drinks. We're having 50 people in total tomorrow at the garden party, but the drinks look enough to feed a third-world nation.
 

"Omo! Kwon Ji-Yong?" I hear a woman's voice behind us. Ji-Yong and I turn around. Oh, how awesome; I scream in my head. Of all places, we have to run into this woman here in Lotte Mart with our children in sight.

"Annyeonghaseyo," Ji-Yong lets out a small smile. I also greet the woman with only a liiiiitle friendliness. "It's nice running into the both of you here," she smiles. I don't know whether or not that smile is sincere, and I don't care, I just want to scratch her face.

"Yeah, we're buying some things for our daughter's birthday party," Ji-Yong replies, still with a tiny smile. "Aww, what a cute family. Is this your son? How old is he?" she points at Dae-Hyun.

"He turned 4 in June," now it's my turn to answer. "He looks cute, just like his appa," the woman giggles. Oh, that giggle. I want to throw these bottles at her face to shut !!! Gaaaaah!!!
 

"Appa! Ummaaa! There are no other drinks I want to buy. Let's go now," Ga-Young runs towards us and stands between me and Ji-Yong. "Ok, princess," Ji-Yong looks down at her and her hair.

"Omo, is this your daughter?" the woman asks and leans down a bit. Before any of us can answer, Ga-Young speaks, "yes, I am Kwon Ga-Young. Who are you, ahjumma?" Ga-Young is glowering at the woman and her tone is uninviting. I laugh inwardly at my daughter's bravery. Thank you, sweetheart, please tell this woman off so we all can go in peace. I can choke her myself, but your dad has a reputation to protect.
 

"I'm your daddy's old friend. A close friend, if I must add," the woman sneers. I can see that Ji-Yong's face has turned stiff, most likely suppressing his anger. I cling onto his arm and rub the back of his hand. "Old friend? Jeongmalyo? That means you and appa aren't friends anymore, right? Too bad, then. My appa is very cool, everyone wants to be his friends," Ga-Young retorts. Oooh, sweetie! Good comeback! I praise her silently.

"Come on, princess, let's go," Ji-Yong turns the trolley around and I hold Ga-Young's hand in mine. "Good bye, Ji-Yoon ssi," Ji-Yong says as we pass by the woman.
 

"Happy birthday in advance, Ga-Youngie," the woman says with an ugly smirk plastered on her face. Ish! Who the hell does she think she is to call MY daughter 'Ga-Youngie'? I wish I carried pocket knife everywhere I go so I could rip !

"By the way, I was surprised when you told me you were Ji-Yong's daughter. You don't look like him at all, is Ji-Yong really your daddy?" the adds and raises an eyebrow. My mouth is agape as I listen to her derision. Too far, Kim Ji-Yoon, TOO freaking far! I look at Ji-Yong; his eyes are squinted and his face is all scrunched up. Uh-oh, , you just pressed the wrong button. Ji-Yong glares at the and covers Dae-Hyun's ears with his hands. He then looks at Ga-Young, "princess, close your ears tight." Ga-Young does exactly as told.
 

"YAH, Kim Ji-Yoon! Who the do you think you are? What made you think you had the rights to say all those things in front of my wife and kids?! Telling my princess that she might not be my daughter?! Tch, of course you don't know how to talk to a little child, you don't have any! But then again, what kind of man would want to marry an old tramp like you, am I right?" Ji-Yong shrieks. The opens , but Ji-Yong's shout cuts her off before a word comes out of her.

"I see you're still a giant after all these years, huh? Next time you see us, don't bother coming closer to say hi. I don't want my kids to catch your cooties or even breathe the same air you breathe! Go and get ed!" Ji-Yong grabs my hand, I grab Ga-Young's hand, and we all walk away from Kim Ji-Yoon. The people in the aisle are looking at us with shocked expressions. Thank goodness, there aren't any minors around to have heard Ji-Yong's curse earlier.

I turn my head around when we get to the far front of the aisle, Kim Ji-Yoon is still standing there with ajar. I smirk; traumatized by my man's rage, huh, ? I stick out my tongue at her and flip my middle finger up. I know it's childish, but I couldn't resist!
 

"I can't believe I snapped in front of our children," Ji-Yong whispers while hugging me from behind. It's after dinner and I'm in our bathroom wiping off my makeup. I can hear guilt in his voice. It's extremely rare for our kids to see or hear their daddy raise his voice in front of anyone. I look at him through the bathroom mirror and caress his cheek, "I was shocked, too. But you were so cool. You looked like The Hulk." And we both giggle like fools.

"I'll go to the gym more often so I can really become The Hulk," Ji-Yong smirks naughtily.

"Do whatever you want, but don't come near me if your turns green," I nudge his waist. He keeps standing behind me, waiting for me to finish cleaning up.

 

"You're not feeling insecure again, are you, babe?" he suddenly asks. I furrow my eyebrows and turn around. Oh, here we go again…

"Are you saying I should feel insecure?" I raise an eyebrow at him. Sure, Kim Ji-Yoon still has a great body, probably much better than mine if you hold a survey and ask a group of men. She's still tall and slim, while I myself have put on a few extra pounds from 2 childbirths. But I don't think I have a need to feel insecure or jealous at the . Why should I? A lot of women would kill to have what I have: a wonderful family.

Ji-Yong smiles and shakes his head, "not in a million years, baby." I smack his lips with mine and smile widely, "I'm better than her, right?"

He picks me up and sits me down on the bathroom vanity, "you're waaay better, Mrs Kwon." Oh dear God, the way he says 'Mrs Kwon' make my s perk up. "No other woman in this world can beat this," he cups my face and pecks on the tip of my nose. "And these," his hands go down to my . "And especially," he brushes his palm over my crotch, "this." I feel tingles - good tingles - all over my body.
 

I swing my hands around his neck, "you know, seeing you get angry earlier really ."

He smirks, "is that so? Want to see how angrier I can get?"

"Alright, Mr Kwon, show me what you got and-- OMO!" I squeal happily when he slings me over his shoulder and smashes my body on our bed. Afterwards, Kwon Ji-Yong really transforms into The Hulk, or as I like to call it: MY Hulk.