Family Man
It was that time of the year again. And as usual he was invited yet again to be the emcee for the year end award festival. He was out since morning for the last minute rehearsals he was supposed to go through with his two other co-emcees. They were his long time friends and he had a great fun doing the emceeing with them.
As evening came by, he was already fully dressed for the show. His make-up was done and he was just seated in the waiting room. He fished his phone out from his pocket and scrolled through the list of phone calls and messages he had received during his rehearsal. He smiled when he opened a picture message showing him a picture of a drawing done by his daughter. It looked messy and the colours in the picture were mismatched. But whatever it was, the picture looked beautiful on his eyes. He smiled wider as he imagined his almost four-year-old daughter spent the whole afternoon creating that piece of masterpiece.
“You look happy.” Jokwon, one of his co-emcees and an old friend, said as he sat himself down beside Yonghwa.
Yonghwa shot him a smile and showed him his phone. “I was looking at this.”
“Hm, should I wonder whose work it belongs to?” Jokwon raised an eyebrow, the amusement obvious in his eyes..
“My daughter drew it. It’s beautiful isn’t it?”
“Sinchia-yo? How cute!” Jokwon exclaimed. “How old is your daughter anyway?”
“She’s turning four soon.” Yonghwa told him.
“Ah... How is Seohyun doing?” Jokwon asked.
“She’s doing fine. Very busy with our newborn son.” Yonghwa informed his friend proudly.
Jokwon sighed. “I should settle down soon. It has been getting too lonely for me.”
Yonghwa laughed. “Wae? What’s with the sighing? I thought you like being single?”
“Being single is fun but when it gets too long, it’s lonely.” Jokwon pouted. “You’re lucky that you and Seohyun have that strong relationship. I envy the two of you.”
“Don’t worry Kwon-ah, you’ll find somebody soon enough.” Yonghwa said, patting Jokwon on the back gently.
Soon they were called as the show was about to begin. Yonghwa did his emceeing part well and he smiled more often at the camera, knowing that some of his loved ones at home were watching him via the television.
“Yonghwa-yah! You did great tonight!” Hongki called out while waving his hands crazily at his long-time friend.
“Komawo Hongki-yah! You did great too! Your voice still rocks!” Yonghwa exclaimed.
“I know right!” Hongki grinned. “Hey! See you later during the party!”
Yonghwa just nodded absent-mindedly. He then walked back towards his waiting room to change into another sponsored outfit. Once he was ready, he met Jokwon and their other co-emcee, Park Leina, a new idol on the rise, just beside the stage. All the artists and celebrities were gathered there as well for the closing ceremony of the concert.
Yonghwa looked around him. There were so many new idols who were doing very well. It reminded him of the time when he was still a rookie, rising up to fame with lots of hard work and sleepless nights. There were also the older idols, who were in the same league as him. They had gone through the rocky paths together. Some were still doing well in the singing industry, while some had given up on it and continued their lives as normal people with normal jobs. Time had matured them. And as for him, he was thankful that he was still surviving well in this industry. With his ability to compose songs, he was now a well-known composer. New idols recognized him and most of them wanted him to compose songs for them.
Yonghwa smiled. He was indeed very thankful with what God had given him right now. Being a composer, he managed to receive a well-earning salary which was enough to support his family and provide for his children. He was glad. This was what he used to dream of before and now it had become a reality for him.
“Remember our glory days? This is like a repeat of it!” Onew suddenly said as he clapped Yonghwa on the back. Yonghwa grinned. “But too bad there’s no SNSD today, if not it would even be memorable!”
“Yah! Are you trying to tease me?” Yonghwa asked, amusement in his voice.
“Ani. I’m just reminding you of the old times, um more like the time you were courting Seohyun!” Onew exclaimed before laughing even harder.
“Yah! I’m going to complain to her later!” Yonghwa said as he pulled Onew into a headlock.
“Yah! Yah! I was just joking around! Yah!” Onew tried struggling out of Yonghwa’s grip.
The two men finally stopped playing around the moment the cue was given to them that the closing ceremony was about to take place.
“I’ll see you later during the party Yonghwa-yah!” Onew said to him.
“Yeah, later!” Yonghwa waved goodbye to Onew before proceeding to head out towards the stage with Jokwon and Leina.
***
“Yonghwa sunbae-nim! I am really a big fan of you! Can you just sign for me your autograph? I would really appreciate it!” A rookie idol by the name of Kim Hyunwook, from the group Electronites, exclaimed as he handed a notebook and a marker to Yonghwa.
“Sure!” Yonghwa said as he acknowledged Hyunwook’s request.
“Please do send my regards to Seohyun sunbae-nim as well. I am a big fan of the both of you!” Hyunwook said with a huge smile on his face.
“Ne. I will.” Yonghwa assured him.
“I guess I’ll see you at the party later.” Hyunwook bowed low and waved goodbye to Yonghwa before heading towards his own waiting room.
Yonghwa grinned as he entered his own waiting room as well. As he got himself ready for the after party, he took a look again at his phone. Eight missed calls and all of it came from his wife’s phone. He smiled before returning the call.
“Yeobosaeyo?” Yonghwa smiled wider when he heard his wife’s voice.
“Yeobosaeyo. Hyun-ah? You called?” Yonghwa asked.
“Sorry to disappoint you yeobo. It wasn’t me who had been calling you.” Seohyun told him with a smirk.
“Hm, let me guess, it’s her again?” Yonghwa let out a soft chuckle.
“Of course, who else?”
“Where is she right now?”
“She’s in the nursery, sulking. She doesn’t even want to go to bed.” Seohyun told him with a small pout.
“Ahrasso. Put her on, let me talk to her.” Yonghwa told his wife.
After a few moments later, Yonghwa finally heard his daughter’s voice on the line.
“Yeobosaeyo appa?” Yonghwa smiled when he heard the tender voice of his four-year-old daughter.
“Yeobosaeyo princess.”
“Appa! I saw you on tv just now!”
“Sinchia? Did I look handsome?” Yonghwa grinned.
“Of course appa! You look dashing!”
Yonghwa laughed. His daughter was always full of surprises.
“Princess, what are you doing?”
“I am waiting for you appa. When are you coming home?” Her whiny voice was enough to make Yonghwa smiled even wider than before.
“Hana-yah, appa has to work tonight, so I might be home late.” Yonghwa explained soothingly. “So you should not be waiting for me. You need to sleep you know. It’s pass your bed time.”
“But I can’t sleep if it’s not you who tuck me in.” Hana said. Yonghwa could just imagine her pouting. “And you need to read that story that you promised me, remember?”
Yonghwa chuckled. “I remember princess. Okay, I tell you what, I will try to get home as soon as I can. But you need to get in bed first, so by the time I reach home, it’ll be faster for me to start reading the story for you.”
He heard silence, then a bit of grumblings and finally a long sigh.
“Ahrasso appa. I will get to bed now.” Hana told him. “But I am still waiting for you.”
“Ne princess.” Yonghwa nodded his head in understanding. “I’ll be home very very soon, ahrasso?”
“Ahrasso appa!” Hana squealed and Yonghwa grinned, relief overcame him.
“Now princess, can you please pass the phone to omma now?”
“Ne appa!” Hana replied eagerly. Then he heard a bit of shuffling in the background.
“What did you say to her? She’s excited to get to bed now.” Seohyun suddenly asked, giggling.
“Well, I have my ways.” Yonghwa grinned.
“When are you coming back home yeobo?” Seohyun asked.
“Maybe in an hour or so. I have the after party to attend.” Yonghwa told her with a
sigh. “You know how they go right?”
“Trust me I do. And believe me, I’ve had enough of those.” Seohyun smiled.
“I’ll try to come back as soon as possible.”
“Ahrasso. Come back home safely then.” Seohyun told him.
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
***
*At the after party*
Yonghwa was suddenly getting restless. He was done eating, he was done drinking and he was done eating again but the party had still not ended yet. Yonghwa sighed as he took a look at his friends who seemed to be having a very good time. Jokwon, Hongki and Onew were busy talking and drinking at the same table as he was.
“Yonghwa-yah! Come on, join us!” Hongki called out as he handed a glass of beer towards Yonghwa.
“I can’t. I’m driving later.” Yonghwa declined politely.
“Let him be. He’s married.” Onew pointed out. “Marriage, it’s a big responsibility.”
“Yah! Everything that comes with the letter ‘M’ is a big responsibility.” Hongki pointed out. “Marriage, managing, money...”
“Mortuary?” Onew added and all his friends including Yonghwa smacked his head hard.
“That’s not funny, pabo!” Hongki exclaimed.
“Mianhe. It’s a joke okay.” Onew raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.
“And as we were talking, responsibility, that’s a big word.” Jokwon said, bringing them back to the topic they were discussing earlier.
“Of course. Especially when you start having kids.” Onew added.
“That’s the start of torture!” Hongki stated with a low growl.
“Oi! Where do you guys get that sort of information about marriage anyway?” Yonghwa suddenly asked. He was getting annoyed at his friends who were talking about things which they themselves had not experienced before.
“Well, I kind of guessed it that way.” Onew shrugged.
“And as for me, I have friends who are married and trust me, they always complain about it.” Hongki raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I have not much comment about it. But right now, I have that urge to try out marriage.” Jokwon grinned shyly.
“Let’s hear it out from the expert himself.” Onew gestured towards Yonghwa. “He been married to Seohyun for six years already. And now he has two kids. He’ll know it better than us!”
Yonghwa looked up at his friends who were suddenly quiet and waited patiently for him to speak. He smiled as his mind started replaying all the events which had happened to him after his marriage with Seohyun. He had never felt so happy.
Marrying Seohyun had been the best thing which had happened to him. Starting a family with her made their lives even sweeter. Having kids made his life complete. How he loved his wife and kids, they were practically his life now.
“Well, marrying to the woman I love, and then starting a family together with her, raising our children together, those are the events which I think are even more valuable than wealth itself. Money, you can still find them anywhere, but the experience of being with your wife and kids, you need to take the risk into leading the life of a family man to find out how meaningful those things are.” Yonghwa said with a small smile plastered on his lips. “I was single once, just like you. And believe me, I thought that being single and remain single is a great choice for me. But after getting to know Seohyun a bit more, falling in love with her, my heart was opened for marriage. But of course you had no idea how scared as hell I was after marriage. I even thought I had a culture shock after three months of being married. Of course the sex was great but when it comes to money matters, the household bills, house loans, wow, those were the things which freaked me out.”
“That’s huge!” Onew exclaimed with rounded eyes.
“But guys, that was when your spouse comes in. There’s a reason why it’s called a marriage in the first place. Husbands and wives work together. Marriage is like team-building in a way, both of us, husband and wife, helping each other in times of need. I am very fortunate that Seohyun is a very patient wife. She was always there for me whenever I thought the end was near. She’s the one who gives me the strength. She never lets me go astray.
“Then the kids come in. Let me tell you guys, being a father is the best thing ever! The first time I set eyes on my daughter, that feeling which creeps up into your heart, I’ll remember it forever.” Yonghwa grinned. “You know that that little baby was made because of your sincerity and love with your wife, you’ll definitely treasure the moment.”
Jokwon, Hongki and Onew continued to stare at Yonghwa. They thought they had just seen that glow on his face which told them that their friend there was definitely happy with his life. And what they were feeling towards him right at that moment was just plain envy.
“Hm, I guess I have to go now. It’s getting terribly late already.” Yonghwa finally said when he saw the time on his watch.
“Where are you going?” Hongki asked as he pulled Yonghwa down to his seat again. Yonghwa shot him an amused look.
“I’m going home, back to my wife and kids.” Yonghwa reminded him.
“But...”
“I hope Hana’s asleep already if not I would have to read that book to her.” Yonghwa muttered.
“Hana? Who’s Hana?” Onew asked stupidly.
“Hana’s his daughter you pabo!” Jokwon answered for Yonghwa.
“You read books to your daughter?” Onew asked in astonishment.
“Of course! I’m her father and that’s what fathers do!” Yonghwa rolled his eyes.
“Do you get to go to the zoo?” Onew asked again and Hongki and Jokwon just laughed.
“Every month.” Yonghwa grinned.
“Sinchia-yo?” Onew looked impressed. “Wow!
“Guys, I wish I could stay and chat with you longer but I’m afraid I can’t. I got to go now. Family’s waiting.” Yonghwa shrugged before waving goodbye to his friends.
Hongki, Onew and Jokwon watched as Yonghwa disappeared from sight. They looked at each other and frowned away.
“He’s lucky he has somebody waiting for him at home, unlike us.” Hongki grumbled as he pushed the glass of beer away from him.
“Imagine his kids greeting him at the front door, squealing ‘appa!’, ‘appa!’. That could just release me of my stress from work! Lucky bastard!” Jokwon mumbled.
“Having a wife to cook chicken for you everyday seems nice.” Onew muttered. “I guess getting married isn’t that bad right?”
The three friends suddenly sat up. They turned to look at each other in understanding before grinning.
***
Yonghwa entered the house softly. The house was dark, only the dim kitchen light illuminated the darkness. After locking the front door, Yonghwa climbed up the stairs and headed straight towards his daughter’s room. As he opened the door, he saw that his daughter was already asleep. Yonghwa let out a soft smile as he walked closer towards his daughter.
Yonghwa noticed that she was hugging the book which he had promised to read to her, close to her chest. Yonghwa’s smile widened as he gently pulled the book out of her grasp. His daughter stirred in her sleep before she suddenly opened her eyes. Yonghwa froze for a moment before smiling at his daughter.
“Appa...” Hana called out. Her voice was raspy from sleep and Yonghwa had to chuckle at that.
“Ne princess?”
“Promise me you’ll read the book for me tomorrow.” Hana told him and Yonghwa nodded.
“Of course princess.”
“Because I am too tired to listen to you reading it now.” Hana mumbled before dozing off to sleep once again.
Yonghwa held back his laughter before leaning in forward to plant a kiss on his daughter’s forehead. Even after a tiring day at work, just hearing that simple sentence from her was able to make him smile the entire night. Yonghwa then tucked Hana in bed properly before heading out of her room.
Next stop was his son’s room. He walked in to see the baby sleeping soundly in the cot. Yonghwa smiled proudly as he gazed at his son. Jung Hyungki, that was his name, chosen by Yonghwa himself. He was only a month old and Yonghwa could not wait for him to grow older. There was so much to teach his young boy and so much to share!
After a few more moments, Yonghwa gave a gentle kiss on Hyungki’s head before leaving the room. Before he left, he made sure that the room was warm enough and that Hyungki was not feeling the cold.
Finally, Yonghwa headed towards his room where he knew his wife was waiting. He entered the room to see a still awakened Seohyun sitting on the bed with a book in her hands. She was wearing a red-rimmed spectacle and that sight of her like that made him thought of the first time he had ever seen her up close, in that particular bookstore. Upon hearing the door opened, Seohyun looked up and smiled sweetly when she saw her husband.
“You’re back yeobo?” Seohyun asked as she placed the book down on her lap.
“Ne.” Yonghwa answered with a smile. “Not sleeping yet?”
“Ani. I was waiting for you.” Seohyun said with a smile. “How was your day?”
“It was fine. Tiring but fine.” Yonghwa said as he changed his clothes to something more comfortable. Then he walked towards the bed and sat on it before pulling Seohyun into a tight hug.
“I missed you.” Seohyun muttered as she buried her face into his Yonghwa’s chest.
“I missed you too.” Yonghwa replied, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.
“Guess who I met just now?” Yonghwa asked and Seohyun pulled back from the embrace before raising an eyebrow.
“Who?” She asked curiously.
“Jokwon, Hongki and Onew.” Yonghwa said.
“Ah! I saw them earlier as well.” Seohyun nodded her head. “So what did you guys talk about?”
“Hm, about marriage and kids.” Yonghwa shrugged.
“Why? Are they getting married soon?” Seohyun squealed.
“Don’t know. Maybe.”
“It’s time for them to get married anyway. They’re getting old.” Seohyun grimaced.
“I’m sure they’ll be married soon.” Yonghwa assured.
“They are great guys. I’m sure they’ll find the perfect woman soon.” Seohyun grinned.
“Of course they will! Especially now when they have the rough idea of what marriage and family will be like...”
“Wae? You brainwashed them with your own family life?” Seohyun raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I did. And they seemed to accept it well.” Yonghwa grinned.
“They’d better had because we do have a great family life!” Seohyun said proudly.
“Of course! And you know something? There’s also another thing we’re great in.” Yonghwa said, suddenly his voice turned low at the end. Seohyun looked at her husband questioningly.
“We’re great in?”
“Sex.” Yonghwa whispered and Seohyun giggled.
“Yah! That’s absurd!”
“If what I’m talking about is absurd then where do you think Hana and Hyungki comes from then?” Yonghwa wriggled his eyebrows.
“Aish! Pabo!” Seohyun hit Yonghwa lightly on his shoulder as the two of them continued teasing each other into the night. As the night went deeper, the two of them decided to call it a night as well and headed off for bed.
Yonghwa let out a small grin as he drifted off to sleep. This was the life he always wanted. This was the person he never regretted becoming. A family man.
