“Jae-umma! Jae-umma!” a youngster around the age of three ran up to a man in the kitchen. “Jae-umma, look-ie what I got!” The man turned around from the boiling kettle in front of him to see a toad in his son’s hands. “Isn’t it cute? Can I keep it?”

The man smiled, crouching down to ruffle the boy’s hair. “Well, why don’t you put the toad back in the garden and help umma with lunch, okay? Sound like a deal, Minnie?” he negotiated with the kid. A bright smile flashed onto his face, and he ran excitedly back outside to set the creature outside. When it came to food, there was nothing, except his umma, higher than it.

The man in the kitchen was a single father to the boy. His friend, who his son affectionately calls Uncle Chunface, helps support the two after the father abandoned them. The man, Jaejoong, had been born with the outer appearance and DNA of a man but the organs of both a man and a woman. In his final year of high school, he was impregnated by his boyfriend, resulting in Changmin.

The second his boyfriend found out, he abandoned him in a heartbeat, calling him a freak of nature and a disgrace to all men. Jaejoong was left to raise Changmin without his father. Since his birth, Jaejoong’s friend, Yoochun had stepped in to take the role of father for the time being. But for some strange reason, Changmin never thought of him as his father, but more of as an uncle. He never thought of Jaejoong as his father either, more of a mother. The boy was smart for his age, which definitely gave Jaejoong pride as a single parent.

“What’s for lunch, umma?” Changmin asked pulling over a stool so he could climb onto the counter. He plopped his little body down obediently and stared into the pot.

“We’ll be having potato soup with little ham sandwiches. How does that sound?” JJ asked his son, whose full attention was on the pot on the stove. He nodded hurriedly, his stomach growling at that precise moment. Jaejoong giggled, reaching over to tickle the boy’s stomach. “Is someone hungry?”

“Umma!” Changmin squealed. “Minnie is hungry!” he giggled. Jaejoong kissed the boy’s forehead at the sheer cuteness.

“Can you go get the bread for umma?” Changmin jumped down to the floor and ran over to the pantry to fetch the bread.

“Honey, I’m home!” a voice called into the house. Jaejoong laughed. “Ow!”

Two men entered the kitchen, one rubbing his arm, the other looking peeved. The second saw that Jae was cooking and came over to help, shooting a glare at the other before doing so. “Ignore Yoochun, he’s a pabo,” he stated, taking the ladle from Jaejoong to stir the soup for him. “I don’t know why I’m dating him…”

Yoochun, a erted smirk crossing his features, crept over and wrapped his arms around the man’s waist. “It’s because you love me, Susu,” he teased, pecking the man’s shoulder.

“Uncle Chunface! Auntie Su!” Changmin yelled coming into the room with the bread in his little arms. He raced over to them.

Yoochun reluctantly let go of Junsu to pick up the running boy, sighing at the name he was called. “Hey sport! Helping your umma I see,” he greeted the boy, kissing the boy’s head.

Changmin puffed out his chest in pride. “I’m a big boy so I can help umma!” he smiled brightly. Jaejoong came over and took his son into his arms.

“Well, Mr. Big boy, can you help umma make the sandwiches?” He set the boy on the counter and took out a few pieces of bread. “I’ll butter and you put the ham on.” Changmin saluted in acknowledgement.

With Junsu and Yoochun there, though Yoochun didn’t really help since he was sipping the soup saying he was “testing” it, lunch finished early, and they all sat around the table to eat. “So, what brings the two of you to our home?” Jaejoong asked once they all were settled.

Junsu and Yoochun exchanged a glance. Yoochun reached across the table to take Jaejoong’s hand. “We really hate to say this, but you need to find a man.” His jaw dropped at the statement. He felt offended. This was an intervention.

“I’m well off without a man to take care of me as if I’m a woman!” he argued standing up from his seat. “Changmin, you can take your lunch into your room, just don’t spill it.” The boy’s face brightened up. He grabbed his plate and bowl and hurried off to his room. “I’m not some helpless housewife. I can take care of myself!” he shouted at his friends.

Junsu stood up slowly. “We know that, but your inheritance won’t last you forever and Yoochun and I wanted to started a family of our own,” he informed him. Jaejoong’s eyes widened, he lowered his head and sat back down in his seat. He had been taking Yoochun’s money these past few years without really considering his friend.

“I understand what you’re trying to get at, but I can just get a job,” he reasoned. “I don’t need a man to help me.”

“Jae-hyung, no offense, but you never finished high school. What job could you get that could fully support the two of you? And knowing that Changmin is at this age, he needs a parent at all times. You won’t get a job,” Yoochun argued. “Let me set you up with a few people. I know several polite men from the company that are looking for a guy like you. Please Jae-hyung. For Changmin.”

He sighed and crossed his arms. Their lunch had been forgotten. He didn’t want this. After what had happened with Changmin’s father, he believed every man he’d ever date would be the same. But, Yoochun did have a point. It was for Changmin. Changmin needs a father, and they need money in order to support them.

“I’ll do it on two conditions. One, Changmin must be there for the first date. Two, I can only guarantee one date. If either Changmin or I don’t like him, then there will be no second date, okay?” he said. Junsu breathed a sigh of relief.

~*~

Jaejoong and Changmin lived in a fairly spacious one floor home. It had two bedrooms, a spacious living room, a kitchen, small dining room and two bathrooms, but there was one room that Jaejoong absolutely loved and that was the music room.

Currently, Jaejoong was sitting on the piano bench. That was the only piece of furniture in the room. The flooring was an ash hardwood flooring that covered the entire home, except for their bedrooms and bathrooms. The grand piano was towards the back of room, a present from his sister before she died when he was seven. Two of the walls were just panes of glass windows that looked out into the back of the house.

He played a soothing melody on the engraved grand piano. On the front panel where sheet music would normally be placed was the engraved message “Always Keep the Faith”. For years, he had accepted that as his life motto. It kept him going in the worst of times. It got him through the pregnancy, the first year without the help of anyone since his parents were never in his life. Those were probably the hardest of times that the phrase helped him through.

Later that day, he had a date with a man named Jongnim who worked somehow with Yoochun. He should be getting ready, but his nerves were out of control. He just needed to calm down a bit.

“Umma!” a young voice called to him that accompanied the sound of padding footsteps towards him. The boy abruptly stopped short, noticing that his umma was on the piano. He gingerly walked up to him and slid onto the piano bench next to his mother. He was fascinated by the movement of his mother’s hands and the noise it made. Unknowingly, Changmin found himself memorizing the sound to the key.

The melody gracefully came to an end and Jaejoong put his hands in his lap, turning to look at his son. “Cool, isn’t it?” he asked ruffling Changmin’s dark brunette hair. He kissed his forehead. “I’m going to go get ready and then I’ll be back.” He got up from the bench and exited the room.

After taking a quick shower and grooming his jet black hair, he walked into his closet to retrieve some clothes. A simple pale grey cardigan and black skinny jeans were enough. He accessorized with his black framed glasses, instead of his contacts, a ring on his right index finger and the bracelet Changmin (with the help of Junsu) gave him last Christmas. He threw on a pair of black shoes and went out to get Changmin ready.

He found Changmin still at the piano. His tiny hands were playing the melody Jaejoong had just been playing. His youthful face was knit together in concentration as he stared at the black and white keys in front of him. Pure pride swelled in Jaejoong’s chest, seeing his son play back the song without sheet music and after he had only played it once in front of him.

“Changmin-ah, c’mon let’s go get you dressed,” Jaejoong interrupted once the song ended. The boy looked back with a content smile on his face.

“Umma, did Minnie do good?” the child asked scurrying past him toward his room.

“Minnie did very good!”

~*~

It was about twenty minutes past one-o-clock and about twenty minutes past the time they were supposed to meet. The café they were in was a small homey café, but the atmosphere was making Changmin antsy. If this Jongnim guy doesn’t show up within the next ten minutes, the two of them are leaving.

Changmin was drawing by the door when the jingle atop of it rang, signaling its opening. A man rushed in and promptly tripped over one of the crayons on the floor, hitting Changmin as well. “Damn brat,” was the first thing out of his mouth. He went over to the counter, sending a glare to boy by the door, to ask where his date was. The woman there pointed at Jaejoong, who just at that precise moment was checking on Changmin to make sure he was alright.

The man sighed and rolled his eyes. He composed himself, put on a smile and walked over to his date. “Hello, I’m Jongnim. I’m sorry I’m late, but I got caught up at work.”

Jaejoong instantly sent him a glare, causing Jongnim to flinch slightly. “That’s the first thing you say to me. How about an apology for my son here? You did after all hurt him,” Jaejoong snapped at him. Changmin was crying, now in Jaejoong’s arms.

Jongnim was not happy. This man insulted him, or at least it felt like it. He was a man of high power and this man here is scolding him. “Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?” he growled.

“I’m his mother. I bite back when my son gets hurt,” he snapped. “You’re a bastard and I’m leaving.” That was by far the worst date of his life. He bounced Changmin as he walked towards the nearest ice cream parlor. As a single mother, he didn’t have a car, getting a ride from Yoochun whenever it was needed. Their home wasn’t far from town, so most of groceries were bought and carried home. He also had a bike to use.

He opened the parlor door with his free hand. The dwelling was nearly empty, so it didn’t worry Jaejoong much that Changmin’s crying would annoy anyone. “Can I get a caramel malt and a banana split please?” he ordered, rocking Changmin. He was just starting to calm down. His tears were slowing and he was beginning to hiccup.

Jaejoong took a seat in the corner of the room, rocking him and patting Changmin’s back, quietly shushing him. He didn’t even notice when his order was called, his attention was so drawn to calming his baby down. Fortunately, a man in a business suit brought it over to them. It was obvious that he didn’t work there.

“Thank you,” Jaejoong said, noticing that someone placed his order on the table. He looked up to the face of probably the handsomest man he had ever seen. Though his face was small, his dark brown hair brought out his features. This man, to put it simply, looked like a model.

“Don’t mention it. I can see your focus is elsewhere as it should be,” he smiled and bent down to Changmin’s eye level. “Is the little man okay?” Changmin turned around, teary eyed, but actually smiled.

He sniffed. “I got a oo,” he mumbled. Jaejoong kissed his head. “Umma kiss it better!” he held out his reddened arm to Jaejoong. Jae laughed and kissed the arm, but also blew a raspberry on his stomach. Changmin started giggling, his tears forgotten.

“Now, eat your ice cream, Minnie,” he told his son, moving the banana split towards him. He grinned and dug in with a happy smile still plastered on his face.

The man pulled over a chair. “I’m Yunho, by the way.” He reached out his hand in greeting.

“Jaejoong and this is my son Changmin,” he shook the hand. “Thank you again… for getting our order and helping me calm him down. It was greatly appreciated.” He took a sip of the caramel malt.

 “May I ask what got him upset. I hate seeing children cry and it just broke my heart seeing that,” Yunho asked. He took a bite of his sundae.

Jaejoong sighed. “A friend of my set me up on a blind date and I had to bring Changmin-ah. The blasted git hit Changminnie on his way in and had the nerve to not apologize. Plus he was about twenty minutes late.” He rolled his eyes, taking another drink of the malt. “Minnie, tell Yunho here what you call your uncle.”

“He’s Uncle Chunface!” the boy remarked happily, his face covered in banana split. Yunho started laughing and wiped the ice cream off of his face. And at that moment Jaejoong’s phone began to ring. It was Yoochun.

“Speak of the devil and he will come,” Jaejoong muttered. Yunho continued to clean Changmin’s face. “Hello?”

“You about had me fired!” a voice screamed over the phone, loud enough even Yunho could hear it. “That was my boss you went on a date with! If my dad wasn’t CEO, I’d have been fired.”

“Well, I assume you forgot to tell him about Changmin. That was apart of the agreement. I only date if he comes with me. Your boss obviously hates children. That lowly bastard. He was pissed at me for yelling at him to apologize for hurting Changmin,” Jaejoong argued. “Let Junsu pick next time.”

“I didn’t realize he didn’t like kids. He volunteered at the children’s center just last week,” Yoochun retorted. He paused a bit. Jaejoong heard Junsu saying something to him through the phone. “Oh okay, apparently the boss paid Junsu double my earnings to do it for him. You’re right, he is a lowly bastard. I might be able to convince my dad to fire him if possible.”

“Where are you now? You didn’t answer your home phone!” Junsu called into the phone from afar.

“Changmin was hurt so I took him out for ice cream to calm him down. We’ll probably be home within the next hour or two. Changmin will crash within that time,” Jaejoong informed him. “Will you be coming for dinner because I’d like to know if I need to make extra?”

“We’ll be there,” Yoochun acknowledged. The phone call ended.

Jaejoong’s attention turned back to the table. Changmin was all cleaned up and had finished his bowl. Yunho had given Changmin the rest of his sundae which the boy was currently scarfing down. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. His son truly liked this man.

“Yunho-ssi, would you like to come to dinner? I’m sure Changmin would want you there, as would I. You’ve helped me so much today, it’s the least I can do to repay you,” he offered. Yunho brightened up at the question.

Yunho ruffled Changmin’s hair, which oddly matched each other’s. “I’d be happy to,” he agreed.     

~*~

Though Jaejoong fought against it, Yunho insisted on walking the two home. In all honesty, Jaejoong actually didn’t mind it. Changmin fell asleep half-way home. Yunho offered to carry him since he was beginning to get heavy. It touched him that this man was so kind.

The walk began to get awkward, so Jae asked, “Where do you work? A man in such a nice suit probably has a nice job.”

Yunho laughed, his chest vibrating slightly. Changmin just cuddled deeper into the chest. “I’m from Jung Corps. My father is the CEO.” Jaejoong looked over in surprise. Jung Corps was one of the largest Entertainment companies in all of Korea. He had several of their films on his shelf. He’d wanted to go to one of their concerts for years. This gentleman was from it, and he was the son of Jung Munhee, the most powerful man in the entertainment industry.

However, he knew one thing. Yoochun would not be happy when he sees Yunho in his home. Yoochun’s company, Park Entertainment, was the biggest rival to Jung Corps and since both of them were the heirs to the company, a one-sided rivalry sprung up.

“What do you do for the company?” he asked. He admitted to being too curious for his own good.

Yunho smiled down at the wide, curious eyes looking up at him. “I help my father when I can with finances, but for the most part, I’m an actor and a model,” he answered. Jaejoong stared up at him in awe. Yoochun would hate him. “Although… my dream has always been to be a father.”

At that moment, Jaejoong knew Yunho would be a good father. He knew he’d be a good father to Changmin. “You’d be a good father…” he muttered unknowingly. His eyes widened when he realized what he said.

Yunho smiled. “May I ask, why does he call you umma? I assume his appa is out of the picture considering you said you were on a date.” Jae looked to the ground, following the familiar footpath home. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that,” he quickly added with worry, seeing Jaejoong’s face.

“No, no, it’s alright…” he took a deep stabilizing breath. “I was in my final year of high school. I was dating this really nice guy. He was my first. Since we were both guys, we didn’t think to use protection. I didn’t know, but I could get pregnant. Changmin was the result of that night. The second the father found out, he abandoned us.” He held back the tears that threatened to fall and took another shaky breath. “I’ve raised Changmin as his mother these past three years with only the help from the two friends that stayed by me.”

The home came into view much to his relief. Yunho saw it and was instantly drawn to it. It looked homey and pleasant. It was surrounded by trees and over looked the ocean hundreds of feet away and below. For some reason, Yunho wanted to return there after a long days work. It felt right.

Jaejoong stopped right in front of the house. “This is home, come in. I’ll show you to his room.” He unlocked the door and led Yunho inside.

Yunho instantly took in the surroundings. Though it was unfamiliar to him, like the outside of the home, he felt drawn to the home as if it were his own. He followed Jaejoong through the living room, down a small hallway and into Changmin’s small room. He laid the boy in his bed, tucked him in and resisted the urge to kiss the boy’s forehead.

“I have to say your home is lovely,” Yunho commented, following Jaejoong into the kitchen. He was thanked for the compliment as his host moved effortlessly around the kitchen, getting dinner prepared. “What’s for dinner?”

“Since my friends will be coming over, there are several dishes I’m going to make,” Jaejoong answered. He planned to make Dak Galbi (Spicy Stirred-fried Chicken), Kimchi Chigae (Spicy Cabbage Soup), Gaejang (Seasoned Blue Crab) which was Changmin’s favorite dish, and rice.

Yunho felt like Jaejoong was trying to feed an army. “Do you need help?” he asked.

“If you can start the rice, that’d be nice. Changmin will be up soon. Can you play with him until supper is ready?” Jaejoong asked, setting a pot of water on the stove to boil. Yunho nodded obediently and went towards the pantry to get the rice.

~*~

Yoochun and Junsu arrived at the home about ten minutes past six. They knew Jaejoong liked to serve dinner exactly fifteen minutes past six. They entered the house and were immediately taken back by the sound of laughter. They were used to hearing Jaejoong and Changmin’s laughter, but someone else’s voice was echoing through the house, and they didn’t hear Jaejoong amongst it.

The two exchanged a quick glance before hurrying into the house. Yoochun stopped dead seeing Yunho on the floor playing with Changmin. Junsu rushed past, straight into the kitchen. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jae in there.

“What are you doing here?” Yoochun growled. His eyes narrowed at the sight. Yunho looked over, a bright smile across his face. Changmin finally saw his uncle there.

“Uncle Chunface!” Changmin cried, running towards him with a happy face. Yoochun picked the boy up and held him close, seeing Yunho as a threat to his nephew instead of a friend.

Yunho stood up, setting down the toy car he had been playing with alongside Changmin. “Ah Yoochun, it seems you’re Jaejoong’s friend that I’ve heard so fondly about. It’s a pleasure to see you again,” he smiled going over to shake his hand. Yoochun moved Changmin away to take Yunho’s hand.

“You didn’t answer me. What are you doing here?” he snapped. Changmin looked between the two.

Yunho sighed. “Jaejoong invited me for dinner. I helped him calm down Minnie when the date went horribly wrong,” he replied. “I have no ill intentions being here if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Why you-” he hissed ready to attack the man in front of him.

“Chunnie!” the familiar dolphin shriek of Junsu’s stopped him. He calmed himself, placing Changmin on the ground as Junsu ran up to him. Changmin stared up at him in confusion. “Calm down. Let’s be civil.” Junsu took Yoochun’s arm leading him towards the dining room.

“Dinner’s ready!” Jaejoong called.

Changmin raced past them towards the dining room. He promptly raced back out to wash his hands after being told to do so by his umma. Yunho was already in the bathroom to wash his own hands when Changmin rushed in. He helped the boy wash his hands before following him back for dinner.

Instantly walking into the room, Jaejoong could feel the tension in the room as he brought out the final dish, the Gaejang. Thankfully, Changmin’s excitement seeing the dish brought some relief to the room. He and Junsu tried to calm Yoochun down, but it was no use. Finally, Jaejoong dragged Yoochun out of the room, fed up by his attitude. If someone could solve this, it was Jaejoong.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You’re brooding like a child who just got his favorite toy taken away. Is this because of Yunho?” he demanded. He cornered Yoochun in the kitchen.

“Yes this is because of Yunho!” he shouted back.

“Well, what did he do to you?” Jaejoong argued. “He can’t be a bad guy. Changmin absolutely adores him, and you of all people would know how smart he is.” Yoochun was stunned speechless by what his best friend and self-proclaimed soul mate just said.

He lowered his head in defeat. Jae was right. Yunho had done nothing to him. He was just letting the stupid company rivalry blind his judgment. Looking back on seeing Yunho with Changmin, he had seen a father and a son playing. For some reason, he could now see Yunho molding perfectly into this family, whether he liked it or not.

“I’m sorry… I don’t know what came over me,” he admitted. Jaejoong sighed and pulled his soul mate into his hug.

He whispered into his ear, “Thank you. Please, always keep the faith… in me. I only ask that you keep an open mind, but I trust you to interject if this goes south.” Yoochun smiled and nodded. The two reentered the dining room.

While the two had been arguing, the meal had started, Junsu helping Changmin dish up, knowing exactly what he liked. “Kani!” Changmin cried in joy. It took Yunho slightly by surprise to hear Japanese come out of his mouth. “Totemo oishii desu ne,” Changminnie said once again in Japanese.

At that moment, the two reentered the room, hearing the phrase as they did. Jaejoong laughed. “Yoi desu ka?” he asked in amusement. Changmin nodded, his mouth stuffed full with crab. That answered Yunho’s unasked question of where the heck this boy learned Japanese. As sons of CEOs, both he and Yoochun had learned Japanese since that was the best place to promote for industry. Junsu had learned in high school since his dream had always been to be a singer.

Yunho finally dished up a plate for myself and tasted the cooking. His eyes widened. It was the perfect blend of spice and meat. His mother’s cooking is amazing, but this is by far the best food he’d ever tasted, even better than 5-star restaurants.

Jaejoong was staring at Yunho in confusion. He was slightly worried that it didn’t taste good. Finally, Yunho spoke, swallowing what was in his mouth. “I don’t think I’ve tasted anything like that.” Jaejoong lifted an eyebrow at the comment. “It’s like I’ve tasted heaven.” Jaejoong started laughing.

Yoochun quickly cut in. “You know…” Junsu held his breath and Jaejoong instantly stopped laughing. “That was my first reaction to it as well. It’s better than my mom’s!”

The two breathed a sigh of relief. Things were looking up. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.

(2 Years Later)

It was nearing noon one winter day. Yunho was the happiest he could be, so Yoochun just had to ruin it. “So Yunho, where’s that lovely wife of yours? It’s nearly noon, shouldn’t she be bringing you your lunch by now?” Yoochun called, peeking his head into Yunho’s dressing room.

Yunho played the main character in the movie he currently was on the set of. He played a cop with a big heart, but his career gets turned upside down when he’s forced to arrest a child. Yoochun was the director of the film, and he made it his second job to just irritate Yunho whenever he could.

“Yoochun, you of all people should know that my wife is a man. He’s probably not going to come. I want him resting. He shouldn’t be on his feet,” Yunho rolled his eyes. Yoochun chuckled.

“When has that stopped him? I know Jae and if wants to bring you lunch, then by god, he’s going to bring you lunch,” Yoochun replied.

Their attention was drawn out of the dressing room when they heard gasps coming from their coworkers. For a second, they had thought something had happened. Peering into the main set area, a man waddled along with another helping him. His stomach was huge, but his eyes were set in determination, sweat forming on his brow. A young boy skipped behind the two, adoring the attention he was getting from all the crew members around him. It was Yunho’s ‘wife’, Jaejoong, who was eight months pregnant with a baby girl, bring led by Yoochun’s ‘wife’ Junsu. Five year-old Changmin followed the rear.

Yunho hurried to Jaejoong’s side. This was the first time Jaejoong came here to give him his lunch, but as he was a pregnant man so the pregnancy was more difficult then a normal pregnancy. None of his fellow cast has seen his wife and has only heard stories, many many stories.

“Jae, what are you doing here? You should be at home resting,” Yunho scolded gently, helping the man into the nearest seat. Several of his fellow cast looked on with smiles, seeing how much Yunho carried for this man.

Jaejoong looked up at him with a loving gaze. “I can’t just sit at home doing nothing. It’s so hard asking Junsu to do stuff for me, besides have you tasted his cooking?” he reasoned.

“Hey!” Junsu argued. Yoochun went over, wrapping his arms around the peeved man, nuzzling his nose into his neck. A few awes swept through the cast.

Yunho laughed. He motioned Changmin over, picking him up. “Well, since you were so persistent on bringing me my lunch, let’s eat.”

The two had been married for nearly a year now. Changmin had begun calling him appa, but a mother’s love was strong. At night, Changmin would still go to umma over appa just because of the familiarity. Umma still came first in Changmin’s heart, despite the fact that Yunho had tried to win it several times.

A beautiful baby girl was born a few weeks later by the name of Hyunjae. She was adored by both and protected immensely by her older brother. Jaejoong couldn’t be happier. He had a husband, his son was happy and he now has a gorgeous daughter. His life couldn’t be any better since he had the love of a mother.

Always Keep The Faith…

I've actually had this done for a long time, but have been waiting to finish the other one (Fear) first. This is probably one of my favorites since I love writing about Changmin as a kid. The display picture is what they look like in the story. I don't own individual pictures. I hope you enjoyed the story, I had a blast writing it.