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"Rule number one?"
"Don't sing hide and seek."
Seungmin hummed along as Yongbok obediently answered while clutching tightly to the straps of the small backpack on her back. He was asking the same things to her again and again to make sure his daughter remembered what he had taught her.
"And why is there such a rule?"
"Because Channie—Channie is scared of the song," Yongbok answered, and Seungmin nodded his head with a satisfied smile.
Seungmin and Minhee were going out of town to attend Seungmin's friend's wedding, and taking Yongbok along wasn't a good idea, so they were leaving her in Jisung and Hyunjin's care. Jeongin was busy shopping and self-renovating her new apartment, so she couldn't take care of the little girl, leaving the couple as the only option.
"Rule number two?"
"Sleep on time," Yongbok happily smiled. Even though she knew she wouldn't be able to see her parents for two days, she looked unaffected. It's alright since she's so attached to the other family; auntie Honey and uncle Han are her second parents, and the boys are her brothers rather than cousins.
So it's going to be just fine.
She looked happy and in an excited mood, and that's why she wasn't rebelling against the rules set by her parents. She's going to have a whole two days and nights to play with her brothers, eat with them, study with them, draw with them, sing with them, sleep, run, and paint. She's already excited because it's going to be so much fun.
"Rule number three?"
"Always be a good girl."
Seungmin ruffled the girl's hair and grinned, satisfied with the outcome of his day-long struggle. Chan looked up from beside Hyunjin, almost jumping up and down on his feet, silently asking her to take Yongbok inside already. Can't wait to play games.
"She's already a good girl, Min." Hyunjin laughs as she scooped the little girl into her arms, Yongbok nodding her head excitedly as if to confirm. "Right, princess?"
"Yes." Yongbok says in a high spirit, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Bokkie is a good girl." Hyunjin smiled and pinched Yongbok's cheeks, the girl happily giggled.
"Don't worry about her too much." Hyunjin assured. "Have fun at the wedding. If you could extend it and make it your own second honeymoon." She winked and the couple laughed, a faint shade of pink warming their faces.
"Bokkie will be safe here." Hyunjin says and Seungmin's eyes travelled to the woman and he shook his head.
"It's not about her safety though—" he sighed as Yongbok glared at him, trying hard to be intimidating, trying harder to appear as intimidating as her mother; but it ended up bringing a smile on Seungmin's face.
Minhee smiled as well from beside Seungmin and took her daughter's hand into her's. "And what's the ultimate rule?"
Yongbok looked at her father for a moment with a mischievous smile before looking back at her mother and happily clapped her hands.
"Have so much fun." Yongbok says hushed as if she's sharing a secret. "Do what Bokkie wants." She quickly adds and covered her mouth with a hand, giggling secretly.
"That's my girl." Minhee chuckled and turned to her husband who was shaking his head with a knowing smile. Seungmin took Minhee's hand and interwined their fingers; it was the cue for them to leave.
Yongbok's head peeked from behind Hyunjin's nightgown the moment the door opened in front of Jisung, the little girl's giggles welcoming him home.
The sight of his wife with a girl child warmed his heart. Hyunjin had called him before he left his office to inform that the kid is staying for two or more days, so he already expected this welcome. Cherry on top, Jisung came back home after attending a gender reveal party of his colleague, and the color they revealed was pink. It means... the baby is going to be a girl.
"Uncle Han!" Yongbok happily called, coming forward to hug his legs and then she looked up, tugging at his pants, asking to be lifted up.
Jisung reached down and lifted her up, the girl wrapping her tiny arms around the man's neck to hug him. "Welcome—" she looked at her auntie honey and Hyunjin mumbled something for the girl to catch. Yongbok blinked and nodded, turning to Jisung again. "Welcome home uncle Han."
It would be a lie if I say Jisung hadn't melted at the girl's voice.
"Look who it is..." Jisung cooed. "My favorite princess." He says and Yongbok narrowed her eyes, the adults finding it cute.
"What?" Asked Jisung and Yongbok shook his head sideways. It looks as though she caught the man lying.
"Uncle lie," said Yongbok. "Bokkie knows Auntie Honey is uncle's favorite princess." Jisung blinked, and slowly a soft smile made its way across his lips, Yongbok giggling happily. Hyunjin shook her head and ruffled the girl's hair as Chan skipped his way to join the three.
"Dada..." Jisung looked down at the sound, his son at his feet. Chan walked past his mother and stood beside Jisung, staring up at him with a pout while Hyunjin kept looking at them as Jisung smiled and bent a little with the girl still in his arms, scooping the boy up as well.
"How was your day, buddy?" Jisung asked, and Chan grinned wide while Yongbok tugged at the man's collar to answer, then pouted, feeling that the man was giving attention to her cousin now.
Jisung just smiled at the girl, then his attention went back to the boy. "Did you have fun with your sister?" he asked again, and Chan nodded excitedly.
"We painted today," answered Chan, lifting his hand up to hold each finger to count. "House, hills, flowers and—"
"Family," Yongbok cut in, slapping her uncle's shoulder lightly, successfully snatching his attention. "Bokkie drew Papa, Mommy, Uncle Han, Auntie Honey, Channie, Binnie, Auntie Innie, and Bokkie drew Bokkie too." Yongbok threw her hands up in the air and made a circle with them, Chan nodding with a big smile, his whole body shaking in Jisung's arms.
"Bokkie's big happy family."
The man stared at her with his eyes gleaming with happiness, then his shoulders slumped, realizing that he couldn't ruffle the kids' hair because his hands were occupied holding them both.
He laughed and placed a small kiss on Yongbok's hair, then did the same with his son, his eyes sparkling with just a little too much love and affection.
Now it's time for Hyunjin to melt at the sight of her husband with two tiny humans in his arms.
Hyunjin's mouth popped open as she opened the door to the bedroom, Jisung with his hair full of tiny butterfly clips and bows welcoming her. Yongbok was busy snooping around the contents of her tiny backpack, getting more and more clips out and placing them in her uncle's hair, wherever there was a space.
"What's happening here?" Hyunjin huffed out an amused laugh, loving the sparkling little butterflies in Jisung's black hair, the man smiling like he had already accepted his fate.
"Bokkie is making Uncle pretty," the girl announced, clipping another glittery blue butterfly onto her uncle's hair. "Uncle Han said no one's as pretty as Bokkie and Auntie Honey. Bokkie knows how to make Uncle pretty," she said, turning to her aunt with sparkling eyes. "Is Uncle Han pretty now?"
Jisung smiled awkwardly as Hyunjin's laughter filled the room. "Of course, of course," she agreed with a thumbs up. "My princess has magic hands. Now you've made your uncle the prettiest." She said, and Yongbok happily clapped her hands. Now that her mission was a success; she gathered the rest of her butterfly clips, putting them back inside her bag, while Jisung carefully removed the clips without the girl noticing.
Yongbok's eyes traveled across the room as Hyunjin went to grab an extra sheet and blanket, the girl catching glimpses of books and files placed near the wardrobe.
"Book?" Yongbok simply asked, pointing at the 'huge book' she saw on the shelf. Jisung glanced at the digital clock on the wall and then at the girl, frowning that she wasn't showing any signs of falling asleep.
Chan and Changbin were there, playing with the girl until Hyunjin asked her older son to complete his homework. Chan started to yawn, indicating that he was tired. Now the boys were in their room, both sleeping after the long day, but Yongbok—
"Uncle," Yongbok called again, her hand still extended toward the shelf. "Storybook?" she asked, and Jisung shook his head.
"It's a Polaroid album, princess," he replied, smiling as Hyunjin took the album out of the shelf and came to join the two on the bed while Yongbok blinked at her uncle, confused.
"Pol—pola—" she stuttered, and Jisung waited, Yongbok stumbling over the word while trying to pronounce it correctly. He kept nodding, encouraging her. "Polaroid," she finally said, clapping her hands happily, and Jisung's lips pulled up to form a wide smile as well.
"Correct," Jisung exclaimed. "That's my girl."
"Wanna see." Yongbok says, reaching for the album. Hyunjin hummed and sat up straight, with her back leaned against the headboard of the bed, a pillow placed behind her for support. She opened the cover and turned the pages, Yongbok's curious eyes following her every move.
Yongbok happily looked at each picture and frowned whenever she caught something written underneath it: dates and places and a few lines. What was the name Mommy gave to those little lines? Cutes? Quetes? Quotes?
She shuffled in between Jisung and Hyunjin, asking to see more pictures as Hyunjin turned each page, everything full of her and Jisung's happy moments. Polaroid pictures of Hyunjin, so young, and Yongbok didn't remember seeing her Auntie Honey like this— so young, so little, like she was the age of Binnie.
Yongbok couldn't tear her gaze from the pictures, her Auntie Honey smiling wide, with Uncle Han's arm wrapped around her waist, both looking at each other. Even in the blurred snap, her auntie looked pretty. Cute.
"Look." Yongbok shook Jisung's arm. "Papa." She said, and the man nodded, because it was Jisung and Seungmin in a snap, play fighting on the beach, the picture Hyunjin took without them noticing and thus, they looked funny in it.
"Papa looks funny." Yongbok giggled, and Jisung was about to agree, but - "Uncle is funny too." - Jisung pursed his lips and nodded, accepting the comment.
Yongbok grinned and turned the page, smiling as she spotted her mommy there with her papa, but their pictures were less, not that she minded. She somehow knew that the whole album is about Uncle Han and Auntie Honey, so she's okay with seeing just them, but she's happy that she could see her parents as well in some pictures.
Then another picture came, and Jisung looked at Hyunjin with a slow, audible inhale. It was, again, them as a couple, but there was a big bump in Hyunjin's belly, and Yongbok pouted because her auntie looked a little tired.
"Why's Auntie Honey's belly so big?" Yongbok asked curiously, and Jisung chuckled.
"That's Binnie." He said, and the girl's mouth formed a small 'oh', then she giggled happily, looking at the picture for a long time, until her gaze fell on another one next to it. It was Jisung and Hyunjin's graduation pictures, both in their academic gowns, black robes with red borders.
It wasn't the thing that caught Yongbok's attention. There was a tiny baby in Hyunjin's arms, sleeping while Yongbok's grandparents stood on either side of her uncle and aunt.
"Binnie?" She asked, and Hyunjin leaned forward with a nod. Then, as if a sudden realization came in, Yongbok froze on her spot, a deeper frown forming on her face.
"Oh no!"
"What happened?" Two pairs of panicked eyes turned to the little girl, staring at her wide, shocked eyes. Hyunjin's hand wrapped a little tight around the girl in a reflex, Jisung's looking at them puzzled.
“What happened, princess?” Jisung tried, and Yongbok gasped, rather dramatically.
“Where is Bokkie?” She asked with a tiny frown, turning the pages and carefully inspecting each photo to spot her. No, she isn’t there, not even in a single photo.
“Oh no! Bokkie is missing.”
Hyunjin laughed, feeling her breath calming down. She looked at her husband, and Jisung had the same smile as he reached, pulling the blanket up to cover them.
“It’s because you weren’t born then, princess.” The woman said. “The photos are old. Years before you and Channie are born.” Yongbok’s eyes went wide at that. Then she sighed sadly.
“Bokkie was late.” She pouted and placed her head on Hyunjin’s chest, now sadly looking at the photos. “Bokkie wanna be in photos.”
“It’s alright.” Jisung assured, gently patting the girl on her head. “We’ll make another album with Chan and Bokkie in it.”
“Promise?” Yongbok asked expectantly, and Jisung hummed. She looked at her aunt as well, the woman humming with a big smile, and Yongbok is convinced with the promise. The girl smiled and hugged Hyunjin, reaching to take Jisung’s arm to place her head on it. Slowly the girl closed her eyes while looking at the woman, and Jisung’s eyes turned soft at the sight, Hyunjin reciprocating the same emotion.
As Yongbok drifted to her dreamland, Jisung drifted to his trail of thoughts. “She’s adorable,” Jisung says in a whisper, and Hyunjin hummed, careful enough to not wake up the girl.
“Let’s wait a few minutes more.” Said Hyunjin. “I’ll take her to the kids’ room.” Jisung nodded at that, then shook his head quickly.
“No.” Whispered Jisung. “Let her sleep here tonight. With us.” And who’s Hyunjin to deny. After a few minutes, Jisung peeked to confirm if the girl’s actually asleep, then lifting a hand up to run it slowly through his wife’s short hair.
“I think,” he began, Hyunjin lifting her head up to stare at him. “I think we’re ready to have another baby.” He says with a small smirk, and Hyunjin raised her left eyebrow, Jisung ignoring it to go on with his thoughts. “I think… now we’re ready for a girl child.”
Hyunjin gave a tight-lipped smile. “I don’t think Channie is old enough to be a middle child.” She says, and before she could continue, Jisung raked his fingers down to lift her face further up, his eyes gleaming with desire.
“He’s five, don’t you think he’s old enough to be an older brother? I’m sure my princes would love to have a little sister.”
“What if it’s a boy again?” Hyunjin asked back as a challenge, and Jisung shrugged.
“Then we’ll go for the fourth one—”
“Jisung!”
“What?” Jisung blinked innocently, ignoring the glare directed at him. Hyunjin rolled her eyes and without commenting on it, she lifted the sheets up, closing her eyes shut as if she isn’t interested in the talk, and the thought.
But the redness across her cheeks and ears told another story.
Now it's not just a desire for Jisung to be a girl dad. Somewhere in the future, he envisioned having a little girl who'd call him 'dada' and his wife 'mumma,' coming into this world as a little sister to his two boys.
But now, for the time being, let's leave the man alone to enjoy this moment.
His... Trial period as a girl dad.