With Woo Bin away over night on a business trip to Jeju Island, and Jae Kyung stuck in a week of back to back business meetings, it was decided it would be better for Min Ki to have an over night stay at the Goo mansion, rather than staying at a baby sitters until way past his bed time, and then having to face a grumpy tired mother who had been working all day. The triplets where still sharing one room as their bedroom, so an extra bed was just moved in to the room.
However, at the So house when Ga Eul called her son down for dinner, she noticed a sad expression on his face.
'What's wrong, Sweetie?' She asked. Sang Min's top lip quivered.
'Mummy, all my friends are having a party with out me.' He said. Then suddenly he burst out in tears. Ga Eul quickly picked him up and hugged him tightly.
'Do you mean because Min Ki's sleeping over at Auntie Jan Di's house?' Ga Eul asked. The small boy nodded his head. 'Do you want me to ring Auntie Jan Di and ask if you can go too?' She asked. The small boy looked up with teary eyes.
'Can you do that?' He asked. Ga Eul laughed softly.
'Yes darling. Give me a second.' She said. She sat the small boy down on a chair while she picked up her mobile phone. She rang her best friend's number.
'Ga Eul-ah!' Her best friend's voice said happily down the phone. 'Why are you calling?'
'Sang Min would like to know if he could come and sleep over too?' Ga Eul said.
'Of course he can, he's always welcome. Jun Pyo's just ordered a stupid amount of pizza, so if you drop him over now he'll be right on time for the pizza feast.' Jan Di laughed down the phone. Ga Eul laughed in reply.
'We'll be ten minutes.' She said. Sang Min was looking at her hopefully as she hung up. She gave him a thumbs up. 'She said it's fine. They're about to have pizza, so I'll take you right now. Let me just pack you a bag.' She said.
'Thank you, Mummy!' Sang Min shouted. He rushed forwards to hug her, and then dived in to the workshop, most likely to tell his father. Ga Eul smiled. She quickly grabbed his backpack which was shaped like a frog's head and shoved some pyjamas and clean underwear in it. She also put in his toy frog he liked to cuddle as he went to sleep.
When Ga Eul came back down stairs, she walked in to the workshop to find her son. He was talking away to his father, as she had expected.
'Are you taking him over to Jun Pyo's? I don't really have time to take him.' Yi Jung asked. Ga Eul frowned slightly. Just one more month, they everything to do with the exhibit will be over.
'Yeah, I'm taking him, I'll be back in twenty minutes.' She said.
'Be safe on the road.' Yi Jung told her. He didn't look up. She turned to her son and called him over.
They arrived at the Goo mansion five minutes later. Sang Min dashed out the car as soon as she stopped it. He even opened the big door himself, in his haste to get in, he nearly tripped over. His uncle Jun Pyo caught him.
'Rascal, where did you come from?' He asked. Sang Min pointed to his mother who was walking behind him.
'Oh, hi.' Jun Pyo said.
'Hey, Oppa.' Ga Eul replied. 'Where's Jan Di?' She asked.
'She's pretending to be an evil shark in the game of pirates the kids are playing.' Jun Pyo said casually, as if this was something every one did on a regular basis. Ga Eul laughed a little as she peaked around the corner and saw her best friend snapping her arms forwards and backwards like a crocodile; or in this case, a bad shark.
'Is it ever quiet at your house?' Ga Eul asked laughing. It was frequently quiet at her house, with just the hum of the potter's wheel filling it. Sang Min was a very calm child.
'Yah, do you really think I can get them to shut up?' Jun Pyo asked. Ga Eul laughed again. Jun Pyo looked down at Sang Min. 'What are you carrying?' He asked. Ga Eul looked down at Sang Min. While she wasn't looking he had brought one of his canvas paintings with him.
'It's for Noona.' He replied.
'Really?' Jun Pyo asked. 'Mermaid, get in here.' He called his daughter. She came sprinting out of the living room. Small curly pigtails stuck out the bottom of her pirate hat.
'Sanggie!' She said excitedly as she saw Sang Min. She hugged him tightly as a greeting.
'Your little brother's got a present for you.' Jun Pyo pointed to Sang Min.
'Present?' Jin Ae repeated. She stuck out her small arms. Sang Min smiled and passed her his painting. As he past her the painting, every one else go a glimpse of it. Ga Eul gasped, and Jun Pyo's mouth dropped open. The painting Sang Min had done was of a mermaid; but that wasn't the surprising bit. It was a mermaid swimming through the ocean. She sea was beautifully done, and in the background where at least a hundred different fishes all drawn with beautiful metallic scales. The mermaid herself looked just like Jin Ae, only older. She had a beautiful metalic light blue tail and a turquoise shell top. Her eyes where enchanting, and her long curly hair fanned out around her like hair does in water.
'I love it, Sanggie.' Jin Ae hugged it to her chest. Her father snatched it off her.
'Hey!' Jin Ae complained.
'Just a second, Mermaid.' Her father told her. He looked at Ga Eul. 'Where did he really get this from?' He asked. Ga Eul shrugged.
'I really don't know.' She said. She knelt down next to Sang Min. 'Where did you get this painting from, Sweetie?' She asked.
'I did it!' He insisted.
'How could he have? They're aren't many adults that can paint this well, let alone a three year old.' Jun Pyo said. Ga Eul's eyes stayed wide.
'He doesn't lie.' She muttered. She turned back to her son. 'Sang-ah, you paint well for a three year old, but no where near this level, how did you do this?' Ga Eul asked. Sang Min looked at his feet in an embarrassed manner.
'I did something naughty.' He said. His cheeks turned bright red.
'Did you steal it?' His uncle asked him. He shook his head.
'No, I stayed up past my bed time and snook down stairs and watched a documentary about painting by hiding behind the couch when my Mummy watched it.' He said. 'I'm really sorry.'
Jun Pyo looked at Ga Eul. 'Did you watch a documentary about painting?' He asked. Ga Eul slowly nodded her head.
'But Sweetie, how did you paint this after just watching that?' She asked him.
'I looked really carefully at the screen and how the lady and man was doing it, and I remembered really carefully because Noona asked me to do a painting.' He responded.
'But where did you get the paints from? We don't have any of those colours?' Ga Eul asked.
'I mixed them like I saw Daddy doing when he painted a vase all rainbow colours.'
'What about the metallic colours?' Ga Eul asked.
'Uncle Jun Pyo gave them to me the other day.' Sang Min pointed to his uncle. Ga Eul looked at him.
'I did give them to him... he asked for them for a surprise reason, and they where just paints so I...' Jun Pyo trailed off. 'Sang Min, do you think you could do this again?'
Ga Eul stood, her jaw still dropped open. Sang Min nodded to his uncle's question.
'Yes, but I need a canvas and paints.' Sang Min said. Jun Pyo nodded.
'My big sister used to like painting as a teenager so I think there's still stuff in her old room that I haven't cleaned out.' Jun Pyo said. He shoved the painting in to Ga Eul's hands and dashed up upstairs to go and get the things.
'Auntie, can I please have my painting back?' Jin Ae asked. Her tone seemed slightly annoyed.
'Can I just take a picture of it?' She asked. Jin Ae nodded. Ga Eul quickly snapped a picture of the painting on her phone. Jun Pyo came back and put the painting supplies back on a table. But right then, the door bell rang. The pizza had arrived.
'Mummy, Uncle, please can I paint tomorrow and eat some pizza now?' Sang Min asked sweetly. Ga Eul nodded reluctantly. She turned to Jun Pyo as he paid for the pizza.
'I'll come back tomorrow. If he wants to paint before then, just let him.' She said. She walked of the house, happy in the knowledge that her son might just be a genius. She sped home quickly and burst in to the house. Her heart sank again as she noticed half the food was missing off the kitchen table.
Her husband had eaten with out her again. She walked in to the work shop.
'Oppa.' She called to her husband. He didn't seem to hear her. 'Oppa.' She called again. He didn't even look up. He was too focused on his work. Ga Eul sighed, and went back to the kitchen table to eat her now cold rice, alone.
Back over at the Goo mansion and it was a much different story. Jun Pyo, Jan Di and the five children where all sat on a circle on the floor eating the pizza. Jin Ae's painting proudly sat on the couch behind her.
'I can't believe Sang Min painted that.' Jan Di said looking at it again. She had been filled in on the story by Jun Pyo. 'You're so clever, Sang Min-ie.' Jan Di leant over the food and ruffled his hair. He smiled.
'Thank you Auntie.' He grinned.
'Mummy, what am I good at?' Jae Hwa asked.
'You're good at looking after people. You've got a kind heart.' Jan Di smiled at her own son. She reached over and ruffled his hair.
'I'm good at everything.' Jae Sun said. Jan Di laughed.
'You're not good at being modest.' She said. She ruffled his hair.
'My Mummy said I was charismatic.' Min Ki said. 'And my Daddy said when I get bigger I'll be good at getting all the ladies. But I don't want lots of girls. They're yucky.' Min Ki said. Both Jan Di and Jun Pyo laughed.
'Rascal. You wont be saying that when you're older, trust me.' Jun Pyo told him.
'Jin Ae's a girl, do you think she's yucky?' Jan Di asked Min Ki. Min Ki's nose crumpled.
'She's not a girl, she's a Noona.' He said.
'I'm a girl!' Jin Ae said loudly.
'No you're a Noona!' Min Ki replied. Jin Ae stuck her tongue out at him.
'She's both.' Jan Di said laughing. She found it adorable.
After a while every one was full, even though there was still a large amount of pizza.
'I told you you ordered too much.' Jan Di laughed. Her husband shrugged. He slipped his arm around around her shoulders. Jan Di reached over for the remote control, and put on a children's program for the children who where both full and sleepy. Four of the children piled on to the couch. But Sang Min walked up to them.
'Auntie, Uncle, could I do some painting please?' Sang Min asked. Jan Di stood up and nodded. She stuck out her arm and walked him in to the kitchen, leaving her husband to watch the rest of the children.
'What are you going to paint, Honey?' Jan Di asked Sang Min as he started drawing with a pencil on to the canvas.
'I want to paint my Mummy and Daddy.' He said. 'Mummy looks really sad because Daddy's working so much, so I want to make her really happy.'
'Is that why you're being so good at the moment? To make Mummy happy?' Jan Di stroked the small child's hair. He nodded. Jan Di kissed the child on the top of his head.
'Such a sweet boy.' She said. Sang Min smiled. Jan Di got up from the table, and walked back in to the living room. She laughed as she saw her triplets and Min Ki asleep on the couch. She laughed even more as she saw her husband asleep in front of them on the floor. She covered them all in blankets before she went back to Sang Min. She put down a picture frame in front of his.
'Here' she said. 'Try and copy this picture.' She said. Sang Min looked at the picture curiously.
'Is this Mummy and Daddy's wedding?' He pointed to the picture. The picture in question was of both his parents standing at the top of the aisle, they where holding hands and looking at each other like there was no one else in the entire world.
'It is.' Jan Di said. Sang Min smiled.
'Thank you, Auntie.' He said. Jan Di smiled at him. She nodded and yawned.
'You paint, Honey. I'm just going to rest my eyes for a minute.' She said. Sang Min nodded, and his expression became very serious as he drew out the lines for his painting. Jan Di lay her head down on the table.
Some time later and Jan Di was woken up by the light of dawn streaming through the dining room windows. She sat up, and looked next to her. Sang Min had fallen asleep next to her at the table. She smiled at her nephew, and pulled the paint brush out of his hand, he had fallen asleep clutching it. She then gasped as she saw the painting on the table. It was beautifully done, and looked some how even better than the original picture. There was a knock on the door, and she ran to open it. It was Ga Eul.
'Ga Eul-ah, come and look at this!' Jan Di pulled her friend in to the house. Ga Eul gasped as her eyes hit the painting.
'He did this?' She pointed to her son. Jan Di nodded.
'He's a genius.' Jan Di said. Ga Eul's smile was almost splitting her face in half. She couldn't believe it. Jun Pyo plodded in to the kitchen, it seemed he had just woken up too. He looked at the painting.
'That's amazing.' He said. Ga Eul carefully picked up the painting, and tried to pick up her son with the other hand.
'I'm going to go show his dad.' Ga Eul said quickly. Jan Di and Jun Pyo both nodded. Jun Pyo picked up Sang Min for Ga Eul as she couldn't really manage by herself. Ga Eul speed back home and pulled up in front of her own house less than two minutes later. She dashed back in to the house, leaving the sleeping Sang Min in the car briefly. She burst in to the workshop to show her husband. He was asleep at his workstation. He hadn't slept the night before. Ga Eul sighed as she realised she would have to wait to spread her joy, and that wait could possible take the entire month until the exhibit opened.