(IY2 = Invisible Yong-yong)

Seohyun shook out a blanket before hanging it on the line to dry.  It was such a lovely and sunny morning.  Breathing in deeply, she could feel the light moisture in the air and the warmth of the early morning sun on her face.

Her nampyeon was currently closeted in his studio, busy composing a new song.   All the girls were in school.  Little Yong-yong was still asleep.

Aaahhh peace… such a rarity in the Jung household…

She bent down to get another blanket from the basket and hung it to dry.

Better take advantage of the nice weather.  Maybe I should take little Yong-yong out to the park today.

She hummed to herself as she kept busy.

Finishing her task, she picked up the basket and walked towards the house.  Summer was creeping in slowly.  She could already feel the heat coming on.  Thank goodness for the soft breeze that came along.

Ahhh…  It’s such a beautiful day.  I must drag my nampyeon and baby outside.  They can both use the fresh air.

She could smell the light scent of lilacs on the freshly washed blankets as she walked among them, all lightly fluttering in the breeze.  Passing by a white one, she stopped suddenly and backtracked.  Something had caught her eye on the lower edges of the blanket.

It was mud.  Bending over and taking a closer look, she saw five little fingerprints on a cute and tiny hand.  That little handprint could only belong to one culprit.

Shaking her head, she took the white blanket off the clothesline.

Aigoo, I’ll have to wash this again.

Her suspicions were suddenly pricked.  She decided to check on the other ones.  She felt so relieved to find them clean, except for another white comforter at the end of the line. It was a muddy work of art, with tiny little handprints all over.

With nostrils flaring, Seohyun set out for the criminal.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Yonghwa looked into the refrigerator, trying to decide on what drink to get.  The selection was all kiddie flavours.

Yah, no soju?!  he chuckled to himself as he reached out for a herbal drink instead. He’d grown to love these stuff since meeting his wife.

I should probably just make some ma shake.

He reached out towards the shelf that held the milk.  A bottle of banana milk caught his attention.  He didn’t know there was chocolate-flavoured banana milk.

Wow, I should join Hyun and the kids on the next grocery shopping trip.

He took it out for himself, but it slipped from his hands and dropped to the floor with a thud.  The bottle was all covered with mud.  Come to think of it… He looked at the refrigerator door to check.

Oh yes,  it was muddy alright.  He could clearly see a cute little handprint amidst the chaos that used to be a white refrigerator door.

He chuckled to himself as he took some paper towels and proceeded to clean up the mess.

Now where is that little guy?

*  *  *  *  *  *

Seohyun entered through the back door and shook her head at the muddy handprints all over it.

Chincha, that boy…

She stopped as she got inside and let go of the laundry basket she was carrying.  Not only were there muddy handprints all over the wall, but there was also a chocolatey mess on the floor.  A pair of muddy kiddie boots lay amidst it all.

Aigoo, somebody’s been messing with the garden hose when I wasn’t looking.

She moved quickly and searched for the tiny criminal.  She checked the laundry room, the kitchen, and all the kids’ bedrooms.

The little guy was just like the “invisible man.”

She ran to the living room next.  There, she saw a clear sign that said, “Yong-yong was here.”

The TV screen had two very distinct handprints.

That boy, chincha, you are really your appa’s son!

She laughed as she quickly cleaned it up.

Where are you?!

“Seohyun-ah!?!?!”

Her head jerked towards the direction of the studio.  Images of the possible situation flooded her mind.  Running towards the studio, she burst through the door and stopped in awe.  The annoyance she’d been feeling since she saw the blankets all dissipated at the sight that met her.

As a wife and mother, she did what she could.

She laughed.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Yonghwa sat down again at his desk, a banana milk bottle in hand.  He placed it down beside his keyboard.  He was really excited for this song he’d been working on.  It wasn’t for the band.  He wanted his wife to sing this one.  With him.

Yah, I must be getting really old.  Too mellow and mushy, he thought and smiled in spite of himself.

Shaking his head, he dived into the final lines of the song.  A few minutes later, he reached out for his banana milk and grasped air.

That’s weird.  I know I brought one with me.

Remembering the mess in the kitchen, he suddenly kept still.  Pretending innocence, he called out in a loud voice.

“Aigoo, I suddenly miss my Yong-yong.  Where could he be?”

He heard a soft giggle from under his desk.  Not looking down, he stood up and opened a closet behind him.

“Could he be here?”

He pretended to search inside the closet.  Another giggle came from under his desk, a little louder this time.

“Yoohooooo, oh Yong-yong?!  Are you there?!”  he called out into the closet in a sing-song voice.

More giggling came from under the desk.

Yonghwa turned around and peeked into a wastebasket.

“Yong-yong, are you there?”

The giggling didn’t stop now, and was growing louder.

“Aigoo, appa misses his Yong-yong.  Maybe he’s in his bedroom.”

Yonghwa slowly turned around to leave the studio.

“APPA!!!”

Yonghwa grinned.

“Is that my Yong-yong’s voice?”

He turned around dramatically.

Then his heart dropped to the floor.

Standing in front of him was a little mud monster.  Little Yong was covered in mud from head to toe.  The bigger problem was… he was still wet and dripping some onto his carpet.

“APPA!!!”

Yong-yong ran to hug his appa’s legs.  Yonghwa didn’t know what to do next, so he tried first to remove the kid from the tight embrace.

“Aigoo aigoo aigoo what happened to my little flower boy?!”

Sparkling white teeth appeared amidst the chocolate face.  Yong-yong grinned innocently at his appa.

“Appa, I want a puppy!”

Yonghwa then heard a soft whimpering from under his desk.

Kneeling down to take a look, he gasped at what he saw.

It was the neighbor’s puppy.  It used to be all white and fluffy.

It was dark brown now.

“Seohyun~ahhh!?!?!?!”



**  have a fluffy sunday y'all! **