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"Dad, can you tell me a story?"
Jackson considers his son's request as he settles in with a stack of books for their nightly bedtime story ritual.
"Take your pick, kiddo! This is every book we have. It's your choice tonight, birthday boy."
"But we've read all those books a million times. I want to hear a new story..."
Jackson's lips flatten into a straight line as he comically flares his nostrils in mock anger. Yumin giggles as dragon-dad emerges to huff frustrated breaths out of his nose before diving in for a tickle attack. Yumin's limbs go flying in all directions as he screams with glee.
"Are you really going to demand a brand new story every night now? Who do you think you are, some kind of prince?"
Yumin squeals, squirming away under the blanket. "No way! I'm the king!"
"Oho, that's a very rude thing to say in front of the real king!" Jackson laughs with a fresh wave of tickles.
"Dad!" Yumin finally screeches in surrender.
Jackson sits up, chuckling. Meanwhile, Yumin resurfaces from under the comforter looking grumpy and severely ruffled.
"If you're the king then I am the prince," Yumin says with an upturned nose and a smug smile.
Jackson is delighted by his son's wit. "I guess we need to start collecting more books to start that library of yours after all, huh?"
"Daaaad, I don't want to hear a story from a book," he corrects.
Jackson watches carefully as the boy puckers into a petulant pout. He looks startlingly like... Jinyoung. Jackson takes a calming breath to prevent any emotions from showing on his face. Yumin has been surprising him like this a lot lately. It'll be a certain look, a laugh, his tone of voice, or a choice of words that is so shockingly similar it catches Jackson off guard. With his big puppy dog eyes, strong eyebrows, and round lips, Yumin is growing up to look more and more like his biological father every day.
Jackson stands and slaps the stack of books back on the shelf with an exasperated but goofy grin. Yumin smiles, knowing he's won.
"All right, what kind of story do you want then, your royal highness?"
"The one about the two princes," Yumin whispers, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Yumin was four years old when he started this phase of begging for bedtime stories every night. Back then it never took long for Yumin to fall asleep to the sound of Jackson's voice, so Jackson had made up a fairytale just to have the beginning of a story to tell every night, knowing he'd never need to finish it. As Yumin got older though, he stayed up longer to actually listen to the story and Jackson eventually ran out of ideas. He started buying books left and right to keep up with the demand and now at the age of seven (no eight, since today is his birthday), it seems Yumin is tired of the classics.
"Wow, you still remember that one? Smart boy," Jackson says as he ruffles Yumin's hair even more before brushing it out of his face. "But it was about a prince and a king, remember?"
"Oh yeah! Dad, please! I remember you used to to tell it all the time, but I don't remember how it goes anymore."
Jackson laughs. "Yeah that's because you always fell sleep halfway through. I assumed you didn't like it very much, so I stopped telling it."
Yumin furiously shakes his head no and clasps his hands together in a silent plea.
"Hmm," Jackson hums as he gives his son a quizzical look.
Yumin takes the bait. "What?"
"Bedtime was a lot cuter back then... what happened?"
"Daaaaaad!" Yumin groans as he crosses his arms.
"All right, all right. Since it's your birthday. Come here." Jackson reclaims his spot on the bed and rearranges the pillows so Yumin can snuggle back under the covers.
"Okay, I'm ready."
Jackson leans back against the headboard, legs crossed at his ankles and fingers interlocked over his stomach.
"Yumin-ah, I don't know about this. It's been so long, I'm not sure I can tell it right," Jackson scrunches his nose as he turns to look at his son.
"Dad come onnnn," Yumin whines as he clings to Jackson's arm. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful prince," he starts helpfully.
"That's all you remember, isn't it?" Jackson teases but Yumin nods sadly. Jackson smiles and clears his throat to prime his voice for storytelling mode. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful prince who lived in the Kingdom of Melody."
"Yes, yes!" Yumin exclaims.
"He was a smart prince, and very kind, but he was famous for having a special talent. He was known throughout the Kingdom of Melody as the prince with the voice of an angel."
"Prince Angelvoice!" Yumin whispers in awe, remembering.
Jackson watches as Yumin's eyes light up, fully attent and already hanging on to every word. His guilt starts to broil at this. There really isn't much left to tell. He reaches around to pull Yumin to his side.
"Can I make a confession?" Jackson breaks out of storytelling mode to ask. When Yumin nods, he leans in to whisper, "To be honest, I never got much further than this part of the story..."
Yumin sags against Jackson's shoulder with disappointment. "So it doesn't have an ending? It doesn't even have a middle?"
Jackson looks into his son's eyes as they moisten with a very sad kind of hope.
"Of course it does!" Jackson is quick to reassure him, desperate to not prolong the boy's sadness. "This story has a middle and an ending! I've just... never had a reason to tell it before. So I'm afraid I won't tell it very well. And you might not even like it."
Yumin looks up into his dad's face. "Does it have a sad ending?" he asks thoughtfully.
Jackson gives pause, surprised by his son's intuition. "Yeah, kid. I'm afraid it does," Jackson responds in a soft voice.
Yumin rises to his knees, places his warm kid hands on Jackson's cheeks, and stares meaningfully into his father's eyes.
Jackson feels the sting of welling tears, but he doesn't try to hide it. He doesn't want his son to think crying is shameful.
Yumin looks into his dad's eyes and his voice is solemn as he says, "It's okay, dad. I'm not a baby anymore. I can handle it."
Yumin looks so like Jinyoung in this moment. Jackson chokes back a sob at the determined look of concern and reassurance on his face and pulls Yumin into a hug.
"You're growing up way too fast, bud. Slow down, will you? Dad can't keep up."
Squeezing his dad tightly, Yumin desperately wants to promise that he won't, but he's unsure how to keep himself from growing up.
Jackson sighs when Yumin doesn't answer and realizes he'll have to start making some stuff up on the fly to make this story work.
"All right I'll tell you the whole thing, but there's a catch."
Jackson releases Yumin and they resume their storytime positions.
"What's the catch?"
"It's a long story, so I can't tell you the whole thing in one night. And it's also a very special story, so I can only tell it once a year. On your birthday."
Yumin considers these conditions very seriously and Jackson cracks an adoring smile.
"Deal. It'll be like reading a really special chapter book!" Yumin cheers.
"Are you reading chapter books now?" Jackson asks, dumbstruck.
"Yup! My teacher says my reading level is almost two grades ahead."
Jackson's mouth drops open in disbelief. No wonder the kid's been complaining about the kiddie storybooks.
"My son is a genius," Jackson gushes as he turns to look at his son proudly. He squishes Yumin's cheeks and the boy laughs with mirrored pride.
"Come on dad, what happens next?" Yumin urges as he grabs Jackson's hands and holds them still in his own lap.
"Okay, okay. Prince Angelvoice eventually got so famous, that visitors from all over the world started visiting the Kingdom of Melody just to hear him sing. He started going out on the palace balcony every day to sing for the crowds of subjects that would gather under his window to listen."
"You sing for lots of people too, dad! Are you the prince in this story?" Yumin suddenly interrupts.
Jackson looks at his son, transforming his initial surprise into an expression of hurt. "I know I've already said this. Boy, I'm the KING!" he roars playfully as he sits up and strikes a regal pose.
Yumin laughs and climbs on his dad's back. Jackson stands up off the bed to prance around the room as he raps a song from the good old days about being the king.
"Hey, that's uncle Bam Bam's song!"
Jackson deposits Yumin back onto the bed and shoves his fists onto his hips. "How do you know that?"
"Uncle Bam Bam raps that song when he comes over sometimes. And he always says he's the king..." Yumin says looking thoughtful.
Jackson deflates and closes his eyes. "Yumin-ah?"
"Yeah, dad?"
"What is your father's full name?"
"Wang Jackson!" Yumin cheers enthusiastically.
"And what does wang mean in Korean?"
"KING!"
Yumin pumps his fist into the air with a triumphant shout and Jackson just about collapses at how cute his son is. He is so proud to be Yumin's dad. He quickly rearranges his expression at the thought of Bam Bam's bad influence.
"That's right. So the next time he comes over, please remind me to kick uncle Bam's-"
Yumin stands on his bed and reaches forward to clap his hands over Jackson's mouth.
"No bad words, dad."
The look on the boy's face is so identical to Jinyoung's stern gaze that Jackson can't help but laugh through Yumin's hands. He never thought he'd be so happy to be scolded by his own son. Jackson raises his arms in surrender with a reassuring nod and Yumin slowly lowers his hands.
"So what happens next?" The boy asks eagerly.
They settle back down onto the bed as Jackson recollects his thoughts.
"One day, the king from the neighboring Kingdom of Rhythm heard news of the famous prince and his angelic voice. When he found out that his own subjects were traveling all the way to a different kingdom just to just to hear this mysterious prince sing, the king became very curious and very competitive. He wasn't called the Rap King for nothing, after all. The Rap King became so curious, in fact, that he prepared to visit the Kingdom of Melody for himself to see what all the fuss was about. He spent days and nights practicing his raps so he could challenge Prince Angelvoice and determine once and for all, who would be crowned the Emperor of Music."
"Dad? Why is Rap King a King and Prince Angelvoice a prince? Is Rap King much older than Prince Angelvoice?"
Jackson laughs because it's all just nonsense he's pulling out of his ass now. He never got as far or as detailed as this before. He decides to take advantage of the opportunity to spin more detail into the story.
"They're actually the same age. Rap King was crowned the king of Rhythm when he was really young because... he was just so good at rapping." Jackson grins smugly.
"Then Rap King is you, dad isn't he?"
Jackson shrugs off the poignant question, acting like he's too absorbed in the art of storytelling. He responds by flashing Yumin a noncommittal smile and stands up to continue.
"Rap King spends weeks and weeks practicing. And then one day he practices so hard that he shreds his vocal cords." Jackson drives this point home by scratching and tearing at his neck theatrically.
Yumin gasps, eyes wide as he clutches his own throat.
"Rap King panics, afraid his voice and his raps will never be the same and that he'll never be good enough to beat Prince Angelvoice to become the Emperor of Music. Feeling hopeless, he decides to set out on a journey, first to the south and then to the west. He has friends in the Kingdoms of Swag and... Beauty you see, and trusts they will help him figure out a way to heal his vocal cords. Then and only then, would he be able to challenge Prince Angelvoice in an ultimate battle of music."
Yumin's eyes are finally starting to look sleepy. Success!
"All right, this is where we're stopping tonight. End of chapter one, to be continued next year!" He concludes with a bow.
Yumin groans and grumbles and whines for the story to continue. It's already way past his bedtime and he looks exhausted, so Jackson quietly smiles the mild tantrum away and tucks the boy in for the night. He flips the light switch so the dim glow of a rotating nightlight is the only source of light in the room. Yumin's eyes close even as he's still whimpering about the first chapter ending so quickly.
"It's not fair, it was too short," Yumin despairs in a fading voice. Then he drops off to sleep completely.
"Happy birthday, Yumin-ah," Jackson whispers as he presses a kiss to the top of the boy's head.
Jackson stretches out next to his son to think. He yawns and wonders why Yumin was so fixated on placing Jackson as one of the characters, first as the prince and then as the king. He knows for a fact he never made the direct connection out loud for Yumin to hear... but maybe rapping about being the king all the time has been giving the boy these ideas. Ideas that are turning out to be a little too astute. It's Jackson's fault for making up a fairytale based on his life, but if he's being honest, the kid is just naturally getting sharper every day. Jackson finds relief in knowing he'll only have to tell the story in pieces once a year, though he wonders how long that agreement will last. Maybe after a few birthdays Yumin will be old enough to hear the whole story and the whole truth behind it. Jackson promises himself he won't keep his son in the dark forever. He just wants to protect Yumin from the tragic truth and the sadness that will undoubtedly follow it for a tiny bit longer.