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Chapter 16: Boys Will Be Boys – November 11, 2024

“Yun?”

“Hmm?”

“We’re all set.”

She glanced up at her husband.  “What?  What’s all set?”

“We’ve got plenty of turtle ice cream in the freezer.  So when you’re nursing, you’ll be amply supplied.”

“Tae, you are a darling!”

He grinned at her.  “Any contractions yet?”

She shook her head.  “Nope.  Not a one.”

Tae got down next to her on the bed and put his lips right next to her big belly.  “Come on, Himchan, it’s time to come see your appa.  I can’t wait one more day!  Please don’t make me wait!”

“Tae-ae-ae.” Yun suddenly sucked in her breath.

He glanced sharply at her.

“Either you encouraged this little boy to kick me, or you’ve convinced him it’s time to come.”

Tae shot up off the bed and gazed down at her with concern.  “What do you need?”  He turned abruptly.  “I’ll pack the bag for the hospital.”  He pivoted back towards her.  “Do you need food?  Something to drink?  Yuni?”

“Tae,” Yun grinned.  “It’s going to be hours before Himchan arrives.  Calm down.  I’m fine.  It was one contraction.  Maybe.”

“But he is due tomorrow.”

“So he might come today.  And he might not.  But go ahead and pack that bag.  And I will take some dinner.  Just in case.”

Tae ran to get her some dinner.  Conveniently, Yunyeong had just finished cooking it.  Then he packed a bag and put it in the car.  As he was returning to the kitchen with Yunseong’s dirty dishes, he passed Yunyeong.

“Yuni, if Yun goes into labor tonight, can you watch Seulgi?”

Yunyeong glanced up from her dinner in surprise.  “Is she having contractions?”

“I think so.”

A grin lit up her face.  “Absolutely, Tae!  Any time that you need me, I’m here.  I’ll take care of Seulgi.  Oh!  I’m so excited!” 

She grinned at Kookie.  Then a ripple of surprise flowed across her face as her hand flew up to her own abdomen.

Jungkook glanced down at her belly.  “What is it?  Is he kicking you?”

“Mmhmm,” she murmured.  “Our little cutie pie is very active tonight.  I think he likes kimchi.”

She reached out to grab his hand, and as she did, Jungkook watched a ripple flow across her belly this time.  Grinning broadly at her as she settled his hand across the spot in question, he felt his son kick against his palm very lightly. 

“Yuni, that will never get old!  It’s so amazing!” 

Just then, that little appendage slid across his eomma’s skin for several inches under Jungkook’s hand.  Riveted to that spot, Jungkook wasn’t paying any attention to Tae when he came running back into the room.

“Uh, Yuni, I think Yun needs you.”

Yunyeong glanced up.  At the concern on her brother-in-law’s face, she stood up, disrupting her husband’s enjoyment of their baby. 

“Aw, Tae, couldn’t you have waited another minute?  Jaedeok was giving me a high-five.”

Yunyeong giggled at her husband’s fanciful characterization of their son’s behavior.  She snagged his hand with her own and dragged him along down the hallway towards Yunseong’s bedroom.  Tae had already rushed back into the room ahead of them.

Yunyeong’s eyes settled on her twin’s face.  “What’s wrong, Yun?”

“Nothing,” she panted.  “I’m just in labor.  It’s all his fault,” she threw her thumb towards Tae.

“My fault?” he asked with wide eyes. “What did I do?”

“Well, for starters, you got me pregnant.  I didn’t make this baby on my own, you know.  And, secondly, you insisted he needed to come today.  He’s an obedient, little boy, so he felt the need to do your bidding.  If you hadn’t said anything to him, I could be sitting here enjoying a big bowl of turtle ice cream instead of ––” she hissed suddenly as her abdomen tightened.

Yunyeong squeezed Jungkook’s hand before releasing it to grab her sister’s hand as she came to sit down on the edge of the bed.  “How far apart are your contractions?”

A few seconds later, Yunseong spat out, “Five minutes.”  She was clearly quite disgusted.  “It’s going to be hours,” she whined.

Yunyeong grimaced.  Yun was not pleasant to be around when she was in pain. 

“I’m sorry, Yun.  But you can do it.  You made it with Seulgi.  And baby number two is generally easier to deliver and quicker to come.”

“That’s easy for you to say!  You’re not having your baby for another five months!”  Yunseong gritted her teeth again.

Yunyeong sighed.  It was going to be a long night…

––

At eleven eleven that night, Yunseong gave birth to a healthy, little boy.  Kim Himchan.

As his appa held him and beamed adoringly down into his tiny face, Tae exclaimed, “It’s amazing.  He was born on eleven eleven at eleven eleven in the evening!”  He grinned up at Yunseong.

She replied dryly, “I’m just glad he’s here.  I thought he was going to take twelve hours to be born like Seulgi did!”

“Nope.  My son definitely isn’t as patient as my daughter,” Tae opined, still gazing lovingly down at the little boy with the shock of midnight hair.

Yunseong smiled as she watched them.  Once again, Tae was claiming Seulgi like that whole horrid, rebellious season of Yunseong’s life had never happened.

“I love you, Tae,” she breathed.

He glanced up at her then and smiled.  “I love you too, Yun, and this darling, little boy you’ve given me.  You’ve made me the happiest man on earth.”

She smiled at him.

“Three times,” he finished.

She quirked a dark eyebrow at him.  “Three times?”

“Mmhmm.  Today.  The day Seulgi was born.”  He grinned at her as he paused.

“And?” she prompted.

“The day you married me.”

Her heart melted.  “The feeling is mutual, Tae.”

“I’ve made you the happiest man on earth?” his lips quirked teasingly.

“Wo-man, Tae.  You’ve made me the happiest woman on earth,” she clarified testily.

His right eyebrow flew upward.  “You still sound kind of irritated.  Do you need some turtle ice cream?”

“Yes, Tae.  I definitely need some turtle ice cream.”

“Alas!  I don’t think they have any here at the hospital.  You’re probably going to have to wait until we go home.”

She sighed.  Just then, Himchan decided that the idea of food sounded good to him too.  He began to complain a little.  Tae handed him back to her. 

“I think that’s your cue…” he grinned at his wife.

“Oh, you do, do you?” she smiled at him. 

As she began to nurse the baby, Tae watched them and murmured, “Lucky, little guy.”

“Tae!” she rebuked him.  But she giggled as she rolled her eyes at him.

“What?” Tae asked innocently.

She just shook her head at him.

Did boys ever grow up?  She highly doubted it.  But as she gazed down at her tiny mite, she decided that was okay with her.  This little boy was just perfect.  He could stay that way forever.