Experiences and Preparations

Month 7
Week 28

He stood outside the pub waiting for the rest of the husband figures to arrive. At times he would take a peek at his watch. It was another monthly Friday where the husbands would meet up to have a drink together at their usual pub whereas the wives would have a simple gathering down at one of their house. It was always the five of them meeting, him, Seohyun's husband, Junsu, Hyoyeon's husband, Joongki, Tiffany's husband, Taehwan, Taeyeon's husband and Jeremy, Jessica's husband. They started with this routine of monthly meeting eversince some of them started dating the SNSD girls and it continued up till now.

A few seconds later, he saw Junsu and Joongki turning round the corner, walking towards him in a hurry. They had similar sheepish grins on their faces.

"You waited long?" Junsu asked handing out his hand to shake Yonghwa's. Joongki did the same, the grin never leaving his face.

"About ten minutes or so." Yonghwa replied. "How's the family?"

"We're good. And Jaebum is going crazy with his drum set which we just bought for him for his birthday." Junsu said laughing. "And Hyoyeon had warned me not to come home too drunk tonight. Well, she also remind me not to let you drink any alcohol since Seohyun is pregnant and may due anytime soon, so she wants you to be on alert."

"Ah sinchia-yo?" Yonghwa asked, the shock enveloping his face. "I don't intend to drink either. I'm in charge of driving tonight." Yonghwa dangled his car keys in front of Junsu and Joongki's face.

"Great!" Joongki clasped his hands together. "So where are the rest?"

"Taehwan said he'll be a little delayed. Jeremy will only be back next week. So he won't be joining us tonight." Yonghwa explained.

"He's back in America now? Alone or with Jessica?" Joongki asked.

"I think both of them are in America now. Seohyun told me that they are launching a new design soon."

"Ah, I see." Junsu and Joongki nodded in understanding.

"And I invited someone else other than our usual clan." Yonghwa informed causing both men to look up at him.

"Who?" Junsu asked curiously.

"Jinwoon. I met him two weeks ago and I mentioned to him of this meeting we always have. He seems interested and so I asked him to join us." Yonghwa shrugged.

"Ah! My one day brother!" Junsu was estatic. "He's alright!"

"Ah! Jinwoon from 2AM?" Joongki nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. Seohyun and I were invited to be his guests for his new show. That was where I met him."

"New show? What new show?" Junsu frowned.

But before Yonghwa could answer, Jinwoon had arrived. He was full of smiles when he approached them. "Annyohaesayo!" Jinwoon greeted the three men enthusiastically. Junsu was practically thrilled to meet Jinwoon. They exchanged handshakes and hugs before going into the pub for their usual monthly chats.

The pub was quiet as usual as there were not many visitors who would frequent the place. As soon as one of the staff saw Yonghwa, Junsu and Joongki's familiar faces, he straight away led them to a private room towards the back. They had been regular customers of the pub for quite some time and so they were always given the best service.

"Aigoo! Finally another husbands' night out!" Joongki exclaimed.

"But don't forget, it's also the wives' night out." Yonghwa reminded. "And it's at my house tonight." The rest of the men nodded including Jinwoon.

Similarly like the husbands, the wives will also meet up once a month, the same meeting night as their husbands. This month, they decided to meet up at Yonghwa and Seohyun's house.

"So is Nicole joining them tonight?" Yonghwa asked as he looked over at Jinwoon who was walking behind him.

"Ne. She called me earlier to inform me that she was on the way." Jinwoon replied.

The four men entered the private room and seated themselves before ordering some beverages. They started conversing about their family lives and most questions were directed at Jinwoon and Yonghwa on the latest program they had filmed together recently.

"It's called We Are Expecting. Since my wife is pregnant so we decided to join the program." Jinwoon explained.

"And I was invited as their guest, since Seohyun is pregnant as well." Yonghwa added. "The program is about pregnancy, and they want to add variety vibes into the program to make it more interesting."

"So it's similar to We Got Married? Only in a pregnant way?" Junsu chuckled at his own joke causing the rest to laugh at his silliness.

"So when's Seohyun's due Yonghwa-ya?" Junsu asked as he took a sip from his drink.

"Um, end April. It's suddenly approaching very fast!" Yonghwa grinned as he rubbed both his hands together.

"It's very exciting right?" Jinwoon asked, looking at the other older men in front of him, Junsu and Joongki. They had sour looks on their faces which were quite surprising to Yonghwa as well as Jinwoon. "Ah wae?"

"Yah, when I was about to become a father, I felt very excited too, just like what you two are feeling right now." Junsu said, his eyebrows frowning suddenly. "But it's not an easy ride I tell you."

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!" Park Taehwan exclaimed as he entered the private room and went up straight to take a seat beside Yonghwa.

"Where were you?" Joongki asked the moment Taehwan was finally settled.

"I had a meeting with the Sports Council." Taehwan replied, grinning.

"By the way, this is Jinwoon. I'm sure you know him right? 2AM?" Yonghwa introduced Jinwoon to Taehwan.

"Ah ne. Annyohaesayo." Jinwoon and Taehwan formally greeted each other.

"I do know him through Jokwon." Taehwan grinned. "Nice to see you again."

"Yeah you too." Jinwoon nodded.

"So how's everyone? Wives? Kids?" Taehwan asked around.

"All great. Everyone's healthy!" Joongki answered for everyone. "And Jaebum's gotten a new drum set and he's driving Junsu and Hyoyeon crazy."

"Ah sinchia?" Taehwan grinned.

"Yeah! He's learning to play the drums properly of course!"

"Cool. He'll do great!" Taehwan nodded before turning his head towards Yonghwa. "And how's our father-to-be?"

"Yah, now there's two fathers-to-be. Jinwoon's wife, Nicole, is pregnant too." Junsu added, grinning.

"Sinchia? Great, let me welcome you to the father's club then!" Taehwan exclaimed who held out a hand towards Jinwoon who accepted it willingly with a grin.

"Jinwoon here, he said he can't wait to be a father. And I told him, the three of us," Junsu gestured to himself, Joongki and Taehwan, "were like that once too, until the day our wives wanted to give birth." Taehwan nodded in agreement.

"Wae? What happen exactly?" Yonghwa asked, curiosity was clear in his eyes. "It's not that bad right?"

"Well, of course each of us had different experience but it had the same conclusion." Joongki said. "That morning when Fany felt the contractions, I felt as if I was in hell. I understand that she was in a lot of pain, and she was freakingly getting mad at me for no reason at all. All I did that day was wrong. She got all snappy and even screamed at me not to touch her."

"Aigoo! You should have seen Hyo. She was worse I tell you." Junsu started talking. "We were in the delivery room already and as the husband and the baby's father, I was of course allowed to come in to give support to my wife. But no! She was practically pushing and chasing me away! She even scratched my arms and pulled my hair! The best thing was she blamed me for getting her pregnant! How ridiculous is that you tell me?"

"Taeyeon was almost similar!" Taehwan added. "I was being hit like a punching bag from our home all the way to the hospital. She kept shouting to me that it was the last time she'd even get pregnant and after giving birth, there'll be no more for us! She was shouting it as if it's nobody's business. There were lots of people and everybody's eyes were on us! It was damn embarassing!"

"Did that really happen hyung? It seems as if you are creating a story." Jinwoon started grinning at Junsu, Joongki and Taehwan.

"Ani. We're telling the truth." Taehwan answered.

"Sinchia-yo? That's scary." Yonghwa gulped. "Do you think Seohyun will be like that?"

"You'd never know. You look at Fany. She looks so sweet and adorable and cute. But when it comes to giving birth, she's nuts!" Joongki shivered.

"Usually, the quiet and reserved type of person are the ones who's going to create a scene later on." Taehwan nodded his head at Yonghwa who was leaning back against the chair. His face was suddenly pale as he remembered the events which had happened previously during Seohyun's pregnancy process.

"But hey, different women will act differently right?" Jinwoon tried to brighten the atmosphere up again. He glanced at Yonghwa's worried face and he knew so much what Yonghwa had gone through. "Cheer up Yonghwa! Seohyun's not going to be like that. You know her right?"

"Yah! Don't worry so much." Junsu added as he pat Yonghwa's shoulder as if giving him the encouragement. "It's still two months away. There's still time for you to prepare."

Yonghwa shrugged. How could he not worry?

******

"I hope Sica will give us some new designs to us as a present." Tiffany pouted, with her hands clasped together.

"She'll think twice before giving one to you." Hyoyeon laughed.

"If she's a good friend, she'll surely have something prepared." Tiffany nodded. "She needs make up for missing the monthly meeting this month."

"Let's just wait and see how our ice princess apologize for being absent." Taeyeon grinned as she dumped an empty packet of cashew nuts on the living room table.

Just then, Seohyun wobbled her way towards the living room with a tray filled with glasses in her hands. The lively atmosphere in her house was definitely making her feel very happy and relaxed. She smiled as she placed the tray down on the table.

"Aigoo! Why didn't you tell me to help you with this?" Tiffany asked as she ushered Seohyun towards the sofa and forced her to sit down.

"Unnie, don't worry I can manage." Seohyun blurted out but Tiffany just plainly ignored her. "Unnie..."

"Yah! Just sit down and rest will you?" Taeyeon said as she pointed to Seohyun's stomach. "You're big enough already."

"I'm not that big unnie!" Seohyun whined.

"Admit it Seohyun-ah. You do feel tired right?" Hyoyeon asked, grinning.

"Aigoo. I can't hide it from all of you right?" Seohyun pouted. "You guys are more experienced than I am."

"That, you're so right!" Taeyeon smirked as she continued pouring drinks for everyone.

Taeyeon, Hyoyeon, Tiffany and Nicole were gathered at Seohyun's house for the wives' monthly meeting. It was Nicole's first time for the gathering, but she adapted well with the ex-SNSD's members. The moment she entered Seohyun's house, Tiffany was the first to be attached to her, telling her to sit and be comfortable with them. Nicole was indeed very happy to be welcomed to the mother's group.

"So unnie, how was your labour experience? Is it crazily painful?" Nicole asked Taeyeon as she continued munching on the currently favourite snack, chocolate wafer.

"Yeah! Tell us unnie!" Seohyun said, her eyes glinting excitedly.

Taeyeon smiled. "Well, it was the best experience for me. Although it was painful, but I strive hard just to see my two perfect angels."

"Was it just painful or really really painful?" Seohyun asked again, her eyes clouded with worry.

"It was damn painful I tell you. The contractions are the ones which made me feel as if my heart was going to burst!" Tiffany answered shaking her head. "But of course I keep myself relaxed and control my breathing. I was trying not to make your Joongki oppa panicked you see."

"Ah! Yes, that reminds me during my delivery time." Hyoyeon nodded. "We were in the labour ward and he knew I was going to give birth soon, but he was the one shouting in a rush, telling me to push and continue breathing in front of the nurses! Aigoo! Thinking of it just makes me embarassed."

"Ah sinchia?" Seohyun laughed shaking her head.

"Aigoo. Sometimes, these husbands are the ones exaggerating when we're the ones who's giving birth and not them." Taeyeon said.

"I wonder how my husband will react when my time comes." Nicole sighed. "He did fainted when he got to know that I am pregnant."

"Sinchia?!" Tiffany exclaimed before breaking down into heaps of laughter.

"Are you being serious? Fainting?" Taeyeon asked, her expression shocked.

"Really. It's true." Nicole nodded her head. "That's why now I am suddenly worried about his reactions later."

"Don't worry Nicole, Jinwoon will be fine." Seohyun pat Nicole's shoulder, smiling.

Seohyun watched as her unnies and Nicole continued with their conversation. Every now and then she would smile and nodded her head as if she was listening to them. But in actual fact, she was actually thinking about what she was going to face later on during labour. Was she going to give birth exactly on her due date or earlier than expected? Will Yonghwa be with her during that time or will she be left alone? Will she have a normal birth or will there be a need for an operation? Those questions were lingering on her mind. Of course, she always hoped for the best but still she was expecting for the worst.

"What are you thinking about Seohyun-ah?" Nicole asked suddenly causing Seohyun to come out from her reverie.

"Ani." Seohyun answered as she shook her head. "Um, would you like to look at our baby's nursery?"

"Nursery? It's ready?" Tiffany squealed, grasping her hands together under her chin. "I just love looking at Nurseries!"

"I still remember the time me and my husband decorated our twin's nursery." Taeyeon sighed as she smiled. "We were so excited about it and we wanted to provide the best things for them."

"Every parent will be like that. The same thing goes for me." Hyoyeon nodded. "I even peruaded Junsu oppa to get the most expensive stroller for Jaebum when he was not even borned yet!"

"Yeah yeah! I was like that too!" Tiffany added grinning. "I was the expert in wasting money when buying baby stuff."

"Have you bought the baby stuff yet?" Taeyeon looked at Seohyun and asked.

"Of course unnie! The CNBlue uncles were even making sure that the stuff are complete. If not,they'll shop for more." Seohyun told her guests.

"Ah sinchia? Your baby is so lucky to have uncles like them." Tiffany squealed.

"Come let's take a look at the nursery." Seohyun stood up and ushered her sisters and Nicole towards the nursery which was all ready to be viewed.

They spent all night talking and sharing stories with each other until their husbands got back from the pub. The almost drunkened Taehwan, Junsu and Jinwoon were driven home by their wives. Joongki on the other hand opted not to get drunk for the night, so he was in a fit state to drive his wife home.

Seohyun and Yonghwa waved their goodbyes until their friends' cars were gone from sight before heading back into the comfort of their own home. Yonghwa sighed out loud as he started clearing up their living room which was scattered with lots of food wrappers, empty bowls, plates and glasses.

"What is this? You ladies had a bachelorette party earlier?" Yonghwa teased.

"Bo? You're so bad!" Seohyun punched her husband's shoulder playfully. Yonghwa grinned enjoying the mirth in teasing her while his hands still work hard in cleaning.

"So what did you ladies talk about?" Yonghwa asked.

"Hm, well, we talked about our baby names, I allowed them to visit the nursery, then we talked about the kids and I also asked the unnies about giving birth." Seohyun replied as she sat down on the sofa, rubbing her stomach gently.

"Oh sinchia?" Yonghwa raised his eyebrows. "So, did they tell you how they react? Of course they are in pain so they might have acted a bit um violently?"

"Ne? Aniyo." Seohyun said laughing as she waved her hands. "They were calm and tried their best to overcome the pain. I should be like that too."

"Really? How did you know?" Yonghwa frowned. It was not supposed to sound that way right?

"They tell me of course!"

"And you believe them?" Yonghwa asked in shock.

"Well, is there any reasons for me not to believe them?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, we were talking about giving birth as well."

"Ah sinchia-yo?" Seohyun looked at her husband in surprise. "Such an awkward topic to be discussed about amongst men."

"Well, me and Jinwoon did ask them about it." Yonghwa shrugged.

"So what did they say?" Seohyun pulled Yonghwa to sit down next to her.

"Junsu, Taehwan and Joongki hyung said that their wives transformed into something else during labour." Yonghwa said, his eyes locking onto Seohyun's brown ones.

"Like?"

"Tiffany don't even let Joongki hyun touch her. And she kept blaming him for getting her pregnant. And Hyoyeon beat the hell out of Junsu in the labour ward. And Taeyeon threatened Taehwan that they were not going to have anymore!" Yonghwa told his wife. His eyes were rounded in terror.

Seohyun on the other hand laughed hysterically. "You're kidding!"

"Aniyo! You should have seen their faces while they told me this! It's true!"

Seohyun stopped laughing and thought for a moment. "Hm, I guess it could be true. Since it is supposed to hurt a lot during the labour process. " Seohyun had her fingers brushing against her chin as she nodded absent-mindedly. "So, since they are in pain, they could not rationalise their own thinking. Hm, I understand."

Yonghwa stared at his wife in surprise. How could she know so much when she herself had not even gave birth yet?

"Aigoo! Why are you staring at me like that?" Seohyun asked, frowning.

"I'm just amazed at how you know so much!"

"Yeobo-ah, don't you remember there are such things as books?" Seohyun raised an eyebrow.

"Aish! Sinchia! I forgotten that you read." Yonghwa pulled Seohyun to him, hugging her tight. His left hand landed on her stomach, it tenderly.

"Yong..." Seohyun whispered as she placed her head on Yonghwa's shoulder, leaning into his embrace.

"Hm?"

"If I were to react a bit differently when I give birth to our princess, can you please bear with it?" Seohyun said, her eyes travelled up to look at her husband's face. "Please be patient with me will you?"

"Joohyun-ah, of course I will." Yonghwa replied as he pressed a kiss into her temple. "I will try my best to understand you. Anyway, you're the one bearing the pain of giving birth to our princess, I should appreciate that."

"I'm glad you think that way." Seohyun smiled. "I might get a bit regretful during that time. Because of the pain, I might might lose conscience and might say things which I don't mean."

"Ahrasso. I will keep that in mind. Don't you worry." Yonghwa grinned, enjoying the comfort he was feeling at that moment, just being together with his wife.

"Aigoo! I'm so tired!" Seohyun sighed.

Yonghwa continued grinning as he bent down towards Seohyun's stomach. "Baby? You hear that? You are making omma tired you know?" Yonghwa said, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Ah sinchia! What are you doing?" Seohyun whined as she tried to get up but was unable to as Yonghwa held onto her tight, forcing her to continue sitting.

"Wae? Can't I talk to my own daughter?" Yonghwa asked, pouting.

"Okay, go ahead." Seohyun shrugged. "Actually, the more you talk to her like this, the more she could recognise our voices. Then, when she's borned, she'll know who are the people who has been talking to her previously."

"Wow! That's neat! So she'll recognise her omma and appa then?"

"Ne. Since it's our voice she's been hearing most of the time. So she'll react well to out voices once she's borned later."

"Aigoo! Now I really can't wait for her to be borned!" Yonghwa exclaimed, kissing Seohyun tenderly on her cheek.

"Me too Yeobo, me too!" Seohyun replied, smiling. "But, before that, we really need to clear all those mess first yeobo." Seohyun pointed to the still messy living room to her husband who sighed even louder than before.

"Ahrasso! I'll clean up first," Yonghwa said before pointing to Seohyun, "and you, stay here and relax."

"I know yeobo. I'm all ready to relax!" Seohyun pulled her legs up onto the sofa, as she leaned back against the armrest, wiggling her feet excitedly.

"Good. I'll be back soon!" Yonghwa placed another lingering kiss on the crown of Seohyun's head before moving off to start washing the plates and glasses in the kitchen.

"Clean it well love!" Seohyun shouted after Yonghwa's retreating back.

"Ahrasso Hyun!" Yonghwa shouted back a reply causing Seohyun to giggle happily.