- Chapter Ten - "His return."

Holding onto his sleeping little girl who was propped against his front in the baby carrier and protected under his long cashmere peacoat, Jaejoong was walking quietly while pushing a cart full of luggage in an almost empty hallway in this Incheon airport.

Without the ordinary ballet of comings and goings from its people running to catch their flight at the last minute as those who trying to find their boarding gates in an incessant cacophony, the place was quiet. Only a few people were walking through this hall not really paying attention to their surroundings, hastening their steps hoping to be home as soon as possible in this cold night of December. However, some of the passers-by were staring at him, trying to put a name on his face which was hiding behind a glossy sunglasses and a wool scarf wrapping around his mouth. His sisters had warned him to be careful when he walked on the Korean soil with the media still looking for him. So he was.

Landing at night in the Korean land reminded him of the night of his departure for France with Hana two years and half ago.

Pulling from his thoughts, the man craned forward to look for some members of his family in this almost empty airport's hallway. Soon a pleasant smile was plastered on his face at the sight of two of his older sisters who were standing a few meters from him, hopping in their feet like two little girls impatient to open their Christmas gifts at the dawn of the saint day. Speaking of Christmas, he should think about getting a present for all the members of his family. The event wasn't so far.

Soon the two women set their eyes on him. And Jaejoong could see their joy as well as their fear and worry mirroring in their eyes. He gathered his courage and walked in the direction of his two older sisters who seemed to be frozen in place with their hands laced together not knowing if they should walk to him or run away from him.

"Hey? This is how you welcome your little brother?" Jaejoong said slowly, a smile painting on his face when he stepped in front of them.

"It's... it's really you..." The oldest of the two women said with a shaky voice, her eyes set on the man who was as alike as two peas in a pod to her younger brother.

"It's me Jinhee noona." He said softly, reaching his right hand to her.

"God... it's you..." The woman burst into tears, taking her younger brother's hand in hers making this moment real, while his other sister, also in tears, took him in her arms carefully with his sleeping daughter between them. Jinhee thought she would be stronger than her other siblings. But she was so wrong. All her emotions took precedence over her resolutions to face Jaejoong with tranquility. "Are... are you... okay?" She choked in her breath, squeezing his hand in hers while her other trembling hand was cupping his cheek tenderly.

"I'm okay." He breathed softly.

"God... You're okay..." Jinhee said softly with a smile on her lips, feeling relieved to see Jaejoong smiling like before.

"I'm okay." He repeated again, wanting to calm his two sisters who were now in a mess, tears streaming down their cheeks, tempering their makeup.

"Noonas! Stop crying. You're really ugly." He said, laughing softly.

Sookjin, his other sister burst into laughter earning a look from the few passersby in this airport. "Who could be more beautiful than you my baby brother?"

"My wife." Jaejoong answered with a sweet smile plastered on his face.

The two older women looked at him for awhile, a bit surprised that their younger brother could mention his late wife without feeling sadness but only adoration.

"Thank goodness..." Sookjin breathed out. "You're okay..." She whispered while burying her face on his back, not wanting Jaejoong to see her crying face. "You're finally here... You finally come home..."

"Yes... I'm home..." He said softly, letting his Sookjin noona cry on his back at her heart's content. "But noona... could you lessen your hold on me? You're trying to choke me with your arms around my neck..."

"Aish! Don't complain. Whose fault is it? Who asked you to go somewhere for so long?" She said between her sobs.

"Noona... You're choking me..." Jaejoong tried to escape her tight grip on him, being careful that his daughter's sleep wasn't disrupted by his movements.

"Don't care."

Jinhee wiped her tears with the back of her hand while laughing softly at those two brother and sister who were bickering like before. As if two years and half of separation was nothing. Lowering her eyes at the little child still sleeping in front of her father in the baby carrier, she sketched a smile. "So... this little one is your little miracle..."

Jaejoong stopped arguing with his other sister and nodded, confirming his oldest sister's words.

"She's... she's so tiny..." Jinhee stated putting her hand in front of . Capucine looked so frail and so small enfolded under the coat of her father. How could a baby of one years old be so tiny?

"She is."

"Is she..." Sookjin tried to ask after composing herself from the crying mess she was seconds ago, her eyes on the little child girl. "Is she... like Hana?" She added.

"She's okay." Jaejoong answered, looking at his daughter with so much love. "Even if her physical development will be a step behind all the children her age... she's going to grow up to be someone normal but at her own pace..."

Jinhee and Sookjin nodded. If Jaejoong said that his daughter will be fine, they won't deny his convictions.

"Are you ready to go home?" His oldest sister asked suddenly with a smile.

"I am."

"Appa and umma can't wait to see you and your little baby girl."

"Are we going directly to Gongju?" Jaejoong demanded when Sookjin took the cart and pushed it for him.

"Yes."

"But it's really late..."

"Don't worry. Late or not, everyone is waiting for you at our parents' house. They all want to see you." Sookjin replied.

"Are you okay for 3 or 4 hours of driving?" He demanded.

"Yes. If we have to drive at the speed of a tortoise, we will do it. We're going to get you home. To where you two should be." Jinhee said, holding his hand in hers. "You won't go anywhere from now. You will have to stay still and let us spoil you like we did before. And now we have to spoil this little one too."

"So I'm going home." Jaejoong said slowly with a smile. He looked at his daughter still propped against him with a smile. "Baby girl... we're going home. Hal-abeoji and Halmeoni are waiting for you..."

And the little family left the hallway under the scrutinizing stare of those people still at the Incheon airport.

At the parking lot, with the help of his oldest sister, Jaejoong put his daughter on the baby seat at the back seat carefully, while his other sister put his luggage in the car trunk. Capucine opened her eyes for a while at the movement. She looked at her father for a second and drifted off again into her sweet dream, making Jinhee laugh at her antic behavior.

"She likes to sleep."

"Yeah. A lot." Jaejoong said with a smile.

"Will she be okay for a long drive?"

"And it's now you ask the question?!" The man said amusedly. "Well you will have to drive slowly as you said. Like a tortoise."

"I thought you're matured enough to put down your childish attitude for being away from us. I was wrong." She flipped his forehead playfully. "Hana spoiled you too much."

"She did." He replied with a smile.

"You smile a lot." Sookjin stated when she got in front of the driver seat, looking back at her brother who was sitting on the back seat next to his daughter. Jaejoong was putting a baby blanket on her. She smiled at this side of him.

"Why should I cry?" He asked, cocking a brow.

"It's just... we thought you would be broken..." She stuttered.

"I'm not an object that you all have to put its pieces together after a fall. I'm a human being... I... I seem frail in your eyes now... but I have to move on... I have someone, a little person who depend on me. Everything is okay. Don't worry too much."

"It's what he said." Sookjin sketched a smile while looking at her front. The last time she had him on the other line, he had demanded her, all of them to never say anything about his return to the other four men. "Get in the car." She added to Jinhee. "We don't want to make everyone wait for this little princess too long."

"Which princess are you talking about?" The other woman asked playfully, hopping on the passenger seat and closed the car door.

"Not funny noonas." Jaejoong rolled up his eyes, while his two sisters were laughing at him. "What are you waiting for? Drive!"

"Yes chief!" Sookjin said with a salute and pulled away the car from the parking lot.

The ride to their parents' house in Gongju was long and short at the same time. And the two women let Jaejoong sleep during the drive. The man needed some rest after a long flight with his baby girl at his side. And he will need all his courage to face the other four men someday. Not tomorrow but one day when Jaejoong will be ready to have them again in his life. For now, all of them had decided not to rush things for him. They will follow all his decisions.

Sookjin parked her car at the driveway in front of their parents' house. She turned back to look at those sleeping father and daughter. She didn't have the heart to wake Jaejoong who slept peacefully with his palm on his baby's belly.

"What are we going to do?" She asked in a low voice.

"He isn't a child anymore. We can't hold him in our arms like before." Jinhee said quietly. It would be good to turn back the time at the first day their parents had introduced Jaejoong as their little brother. He was so tiny and chubby but so beautiful. "Wake him up." The older woman added.

"Why me?" Sookjin whined in low voice not wanting to wake Jaejoong and her niece.

"Don't ask! Do it. I'm older than you."

"Stop fighting. I'm awake." Jaejoong said, rubbing his eyes slowly. His gesture made Jinhee and Sookjin travelled in time. It was as if they got back their adorable little Jaejoongie who always walked at their side while holding onto the hem of their skirts, not wanting to be left behind.

"We're home." They said to him in unison. And Jaejoong could only chuckle softly at their behavior.

Soon, the door of their childhood's house opened at the sight of their other siblings who seemed impatient to see their baby brother and their niece.

"Everyone is here..." Jaejoong said slowly at the sight of all the members of his family walking in their direction.

"I thought they would be sleeping at this late hour of the night." Jinhee stated slowly.

"Are you joking?" Sookjin said sarcastically at her older sister. "No one will be able to sleep knowing THIS is going home." She added pointing her thump at the backseat, earning a slap on her back head from Jaejoong and a laugh from Jinhee. "Oww... I'm older than you. Be respectful please." She nursed the back of her head.

"I should have stayed in Paris." He said while he removed the seatbelt. He slid off of the car and not long after he had his arms full of his older sisters in a crying mess. As for his sisters' husbands, they were patting his shoulders or ruffling his hair like older brothers would do with a proud smile on their faces.

"You won't go anywhere again?" His Sooyoung noona asked while gripping at him like her life depended on him.

"I won't."

"You're going to be okay?" His Ahyoung noona inquired with tears flowing down on her cheek.

"I'm okay."

"You will stay with us forever, right?" His Minkyeong noona demanded, his cheek tenderly.

"Well... if I'm not going to die from your hold I can manage to stay with you until your time will comes." Jaejoong teased all of them.

"God... you're being a brat!" Mikyeon, his third older sister swatted him playfully on his shoulder. "We miss you. You know?"

"I know."

"You left without a word. How could you do this to us?" Seonhee, his second older sister said to him in tears. "Now that you're back... how could you want us to let go of you again?"

"I won't go anywhere. I just want to take my daughter to meet her grandparents." He said with a smile.

"You won't go anywhere, right?"

"I won't."

"Promised?"

"It's a promise."

They all released him reluctantly. Jaejoong laughed softly at their pouty faces. They were so adorable. And the man thanked them for all the love they gave him even if he wasn't their biological brother.

Jaejoong went to the other car door and opened it. He removed the security around his daughter and took her in his arms carefully. He cooed her when she whined a bit not liking to be disrupted in her sleep.

"Là... là... Papa te prend juste dans ses bras. (There... there... Daddy just takes you in his arms.)" He pressed soft kisses on her forehead, rocking her in his arms and telling her that e