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It all began at four in the evening.
Outside the house, Yongbok stands on a plastic chair. She clears her throat, but no one seems to listen, so she clears it again.
Changbin looks up from where he’s leaning against the fence, while Chan sits cross-legged on the grass with a notebook. He has drawn a very crooked line graph titled:
PARENT ROMANTIC ACTIVITY TERMINATION.
The twins sit beside him, eating grass with little too much focus.
Yongbok clasps her hands behind her back. “This meeting will now begin.” Changbin snorts, and she narrows her eyes at him. “Hey! Respect the chair.”
He straightens slightly. “Sorry. Continue.”
Yongbok nods. “As we all know… there has been a problem.” The wind blows dramatically. Chan flips to the next notebook page, as Yongbok takes a deep breath. “Papa and Mommy have been whispering too much. So is Uncle Han and Auntie Honey.”
Chan nods solemnly. “Confirmed.”
Changbin raises a hand. “Clarify whispering.”
“Kitchen whispering,” Yongbok says. “Hallway whispering. Couch whispering. And yesterday they did that smiling thing at each other.”
The twins gasp. Hyejin drops her grass. “Cute.”
“This is not cute,” Yongbok says sharply.
Chan adjusts his imaginary glasses. “According to my observation, there have also been increased dates.”
“Yes,” Yongbok agrees. “Also nice clothes. Without us.”
Changbin folds his arms, as Chan flips to another page. “Last Friday? Dinner out. Sunday afternoon? Coffee outing. Tuesday? Rooftop... uh... something.”
Yongbok’s jaw tightens. “They are having too much love. And leaves very little to us.”
Hyejin whispers to Jihan, “Love bad?”
Jihan thinks deeply, then shakes
his head.
Changbin finally speaks. “So what exactly is the issue?”
Yongbok turns to him. “They are forgetting balance.”
Chan nods vigorously. “There must be fairness.”
Changbin sighs. “You sound like you’re filing a complaint.”
Yongbok steps down from the chair dramatically. “That is exactly what we are doing.” She pulls out a folded paper from her pocket. “From today,” she reads, “we are going on strike.”
Chan underlines something on the book, while the twins clap because clapping feels correct.
Changbin raises an eyebrow. “Strike from what?”
Yongbok looks at him like he’s slow. “From cuteness. No more random hugs,” she says firmly. “No more running into arms.”
“No more saying ‘I love you’ first.” Chan adds.
“No more choosing Mommy or Papa during cuddle time.”
“Neutral positioning.”
The twins look horrified. Hyejin whispers, “No hug?”
Yongbok kneels in front of them gently. “It's okay, this is temporary.”
Jihan’s lower lip trembles. Chan quickly intervenes. “It is strategic emotional withholding.”
The twins don’t understand that. But nods because it sounds official.
Changbin leans forward now. “And what is the goal?”
Yongbok straightens again. “More family time.”
Chan nods slowly. “We miss movie nights.”
Yongbok continues, quieter now. “They laugh together a lot.” Her voice isn’t angry, just thoughtful. “And I like it. But… I want to laugh too.”
The twins crawl closer to her, and Hyejin grabs her sleeve. “Family hug?”
“Later,” Yongbok says softly. “After victory.”
Chan flips to a new page and writes in big letters.
OPERATION: NO CUTENESS.
“Now... rules,” he says.
Yongbok counts on her fingers. “One: If they opens arms, walk normally.”
“Two,” Chan adds, “no sitting on laps without permission from the committee.”
“Three,” Yongbok says, “no joining them when they do couch cuddles.”
The twins gasp loudly. That one hurts.
Yongbok swallows but nods. “For the greater good.” she says as she extends her hand into the center of the circle. “For fairness.”
Chan places his hand on top. “For balance.”
Changbin hesitates, then adds his. Hyejin slaps her tiny hand on top, Jihan adds his too.
Yongbok smiles. “Strike begins when we enter the house.”
Operation: No Cuteness-
Is officially in effect.
At first, it doesn’t feel like anything.
Hyunjin is in the kitchen, rinsing strawberries under running water while Jisung leans against the counter pretending to supervise, which really means admiring the woman of his life.
Minhee is on the couch, legs tucked beneath her, scrolling through something while Seungmin types on his laptop at the dining table.
The twins are on the rug building something that looks like a castle but could also collapse at any moment. Yongbok is sketching in a notebook, and Chan is sitting unusually straight in his chair, reading. Changbin is inside somewhere, video games and all.
Hyunjin turns off the tap and dries her hands. She steps into the living room and automatically opens her arms when Jihan toddles past.
“Come here, baby.”
It’s instinct. It happens a dozen times a day.
The little boy slows down.
Hyunjin expects the usual, a dramatic fall into her lap, arms thrown around her neck, the little hum he makes when he presses his cheek into his mother’s shoulder.
Instead, Jihan looks up at her. Then walks around her.
Hyunjin stays standing there, arms still slightly open. “Okay,” she says lightly, dropping them. “Independent era.” She smiles to herself and turns back toward the kitchen. But something in her chest feels… odd.
Across the room, Seungmin barely glances up when Yongbok passes by his chair. He simply extends an arm without looking, the way he always does. She is his shadow. She will crash into him. She always does. But tonight, she pauses beside him.
He waits for the impact. But it doesn’t come. Instead, she clears her throat softly.
Seungmin’s hand stays suspended in midair for a second longer than necessary. He slowly lowers it, as he watches her sit down at the table, posture straight, feet still.
He closes his laptop halfway. “Bokkie.”
“Yes, Papa.” Her tone is polite, respectful, almost formal.
“Are we fighting?”
She blinks in confusion. “No.”
He studies her face. Nothing is wrong. No redness around her eyes. No pout. She looks… composed.
“Then why didn’t you hug me?” he asks, genuinely perplexed.
“I didn’t need to.”
Need to?
He feels something cold slip down his spine.
On the carpet, Jisung stretches dramatically and flops backward near Chan. “Son, my best buddy,” he announces, opening his arms wide. “Emergency hug required.”
Chan doesn’t even look up from his book. “I am currently occupied.”
Jisung props himself up on one elbow. “With what?”
“Personal matters.”
The sentence is so calmly delivered that Jisung actually sits up straighter. “Personal… matters?”
“Yes.”
Jisung glances toward Hyunjin, catching her already looking back. Minhee is watching everything now. Her eyes narrow slightly as she studies Yongbok’s straight back, the careful distance she keeps from Seungmin. The way she doesn’t lean into her when Minhee walks past her chair.
Minhee tries something small. She walks over and rests her hand on Yongbok’s head, ruffling her hair. Usually that earns an immediate, dramatic protest and then a hug. But today, Yongbok gently removes her mother’s hand.
“Mommy, please. I just brushed it.”
Minhee stares at her. “You always makes me brush it.”
“I am growing up,” Yongbok replies solemnly.
Across the room, Hyejin trips slightly over one of the blocks. Hyunjin’s body reacts instantly. She crouches down, arms open, ready to catch tears. Hyejin wobbles, steadies herself, and then looks up at her mother. Hyunjin can see it, the instinct to run forward.
The toddler’s lip trembles. Then she straightens her shoulders. “Okay,” she says bravely, and walks away.
Hyunjin remains crouched. Slowly, she rises, and her eyes meet Jisung’s.
“Did you see that?” she whispers.
He nods slowly.
Hyunjin presses her lips together. “This isn’t random,” she says softly.
Seungmin nods once, and his jaw tightens slightly. “Okay. When was the last time we had a family movie night?”
Minhee thinks. “Uhm... a few weeks ago.”
“When was the last time we went out without them?”
The woman winces slightly. “Twice this week.” She says as she looks at Yongbok again.
The house had fallen into that suspicious kind of quiet.
Oh.
Ohhh.
Minhee slowly turned her head toward Seungmin. Hyunjin tilted her head just slightly, as Jisung’s gaze sharpened.
Then, barely noticeable, they all nodded once.
Counter-operation initiated.
The next morning began suspiciously calm.
Yongbok came into the living room first, chin lifted in determination that had clearly survived the previous day. The twins trailed behind her.
Jisung was already there, sprawled dramatically across the couch, and Seungmin stood by the window, coffee in hand, staring out. Hyunjin walked in tying her hair up, while Minhee followed with a bowl of fruit.
The children paused.
Jisung sighed loudly. A theatrical, aching sigh, and Seungmin responded with an equally heavy one.
Yongbok narrowed her eyes.
Jisung sat up slowly. “Seungmin.”
“Yes.”
“I have been thinking.”
Seungmin nodded gravely. “Me too.”
The twins exchanged a glance.
Jisung looked toward the hallway where the kids stood very obviously listening. “If the babies,” he began carefully, “do not want our love… then what must we do with all this love?”
Seungmin’s jaw tightened in fake heartbreak. “We must respect their wishes. Their wish for not needing our love.”
Yongbok stiffened.
Jisung wiped at an imaginary tear. “Yeah. We cannot force affection.”
Seungmin took a deep breath. “You’re right.”
Jisung straightened. “In that case…” He turned dramatically toward Hyunjin. “I shall redirect all my overflowing love-”
Hyunjin arched a brow.
“-to my wife.”
Then Seungmin followed smoothly, stepping closer to Minhee. “And I,” he said calmly, “will devote all surplus affection to my Lina.”
Minhee choked on a laugh she tried to hide.
The children stared.
Jisung stood and swept Hyunjin into a dramatic hug. “My talented, beautiful, irreplaceable queen,” he declared loudly.
Hyunjin laughed. “What are you doing?”
“Redirecting,” he answered solemnly, pressing exaggerated kisses to her cheeks.
Seungmin wrapped an arm around Minhee’s waist and kissed her temple gently. “Good morning,” he murmured, softer but intentionally visible.
Minhee played along immediately. “Oh? No first kiss to your little witch today?”
Seungmin sighed. “We’ve been respectfully dismissed.”
Yongbok’s eye twitched.
Jisung lifted Hyunjin into a spin, and the woman shrieked, laughing. “Put me down!”
“Never,” he said dramatically. “You are all I have now. All my little treasures abandoned me.”
Seungmin brushed Minhee’s hair back from her face. “It’s just us, I suppose.”
Minhee leaned into him. “Finally. Peaceful mornings.”
Chan came watching all this, and stepped forward. “Excuse me?”
Nobody responded.
Hyunjin cupped Jisung’s face playfully. “So all that love is mine now?”
“All,” he said seriously. “Exclusively.”
Hyejin’s mouth dropped open. She tugged at Jisung’s pants. “Appa.”
Jisung looked down mildly. “Yes?”
The little girl hesitated. “Nothing.”
Jisung nodded and went back to kissing Hyunjin's cheek.
The betrayal.
The audacity.
Yongbok’s hands clenched.
Hyejin whispered urgently, “Stealing love.” Said the little girl, and Jihan nodded frantically.
Jisung buried his face dramatically into Hyunjin’s shoulder. “I feel lighter already. No rejection here.”
Hyunjin giggled. “You’re ridiculous.”
Seungmin pressed a slow kiss to Minhee’s forehead.
“I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!” Yongbok snapped. “ATTACK.”
It was immediate chaos.
Hyejin launched first at Jisung’s leg. Jihan dove at Hyunjin's waist, as Chan squeezed himself between his parents. Yongbok climbed onto the couch and wedged herself between Seungmin and Minhee.
“No redirecting!” she shouted.
Jisung gasped as tiny hands started poking his sides. “What- what is this mutiny?!”
Seungmin grunted as Yongbok wrapped around him like a koala. “You said you didn’t want affection.”
“I changed mind!” Yongbok cried desperately.
Hyunjin tried to maintain composure but burst into laughter as Yongbok shoved herself into her lap possessively.
“Mine!” Yongbok declared.
Minhee barely lasted three seconds before joining in. She tickled Hyejin’s side. Seungmin retaliated by grabbing Jihan and blowing kisses on his cheek, and the twins dissolved into uncontrollable giggles.
Jisung grabbed Chan and peppered his face with kisses. “No redirecting?” he teased.
“No!” the boy shrieked between laughs.
Hyunjin joined in, kissing both twins’ hair repeatedly. Minhee attacked Seungmin from behind, tickling his ribs.
“Traitor.” He yelped.
“You started it. The counterstrike.” she replied sweetly.
Within minutes the living room was a pile of limbs and laughter. The children completely forgot about dignity. Forgot about plans. Forgot about revolutions.
All that remained was chaos and squealing and way too many kisses.
Yongbok clung to Jisung’s arm dramatically. “You cannot give our love away, Uncle Han.”
Jisung kissed her head. “Oh?”
Hyejin tackled Hyunjin again, as Jihan clung to Seungmin’s neck like his life depended on it. Minhee leaned back against the couch, laughing as all eight of them tangled together.
Operation No Cuteness. Officially dead.
The children had lost track of the mission entirely.
And the parents?
They didn’t need another silent nod.
Victory had been reclaimed the second the kids yelled “attack.”