Author's Note: Okay. This story may suddenly pop up in a few days or it may take a week to do. I don't know. I'm still figuring it out as I go, but don't be surprised if only a chapter is posted a day. I have other things to do. But like always, give me your honest opinions and tell me things I did wrong. I'll correct them as I go along. Also, I'm going to continue to make up names for the characters' parents whose names we don't know, like Yi Jeong and Ga Eul.
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Ga Eul stared at her mother as she ran her mouth. There was nothing she was surprised about usually, but this one was the ultimate surprise. All she could talk about was the kids. Bin Ji and Ahn Na were playing in the floor with trucks and dolls and sharing as they went.
Her mother was making a fuss when they weren't even her grandkids. Since they'd been living together, the couples took turns taking care of the kids. It had started out when Bin Ji refused to sleep without being rocked by Yi Jeong. Then when they adopted Ahn Na, she had refused to take a nap unless she was in Yi Jeong's studio or Woo Bin' arms. It made it very hard on them so they just moved in together.
Ga Eul glanced over at Eri. She was sitting with her easel propped up in the corner and a drop cloth on the floor. It looked so weird to see the devices implanted behind her ears, but the contented look on her face these days was enough to ease everyone's doubts. She looked even more at ease than when she first met everyone.
As if she knew she was being watched, Eri glanced over. Like usual, she was covered in paint from the hands up. Even a little was smeared on her face. She looked like she had gotten into a fight with four year old, which was very possible.
After they had adopted Ahn Na, Woo Bin and Eri had sat down and had a very long discussion. It had taken so long they had stayed up all night. Yi Jeong had gone downstairs the next morning to find them sitting across from each other t the table. They hadn't realized he was there for some time because of how deeply in discussion they had been. Like usual, there was no arguing. They were the solid couple when it came to life altering decisions.
No one had understood what that all nighter had been about until Eri came to dinner with the announcement that she wasn't going to be a surgeon anymore. Everyone was shocked because she loved working with patients, but once again Eri surprised them all. She had grown up without her parents because they had lost their minds when she had lost her hearing (that's the way she puts it). She wasn't going to put her career before her family.
It had worked out because Yi Jeong wanted to open a small pottery and art shop but had no one to run it on days he was busy setting up art shows. He tossed Eri right on in along with a young art student. The two ran the studio and the shop without too many issues. When Yi Jeong had time away from the gallery, he popped in and helped work. They sold a lot of the students' paintings and artwork as well as Eri's. Whatever sold, the student or artist got a huge cut of the profit.
"Mom! You can't do that!" Ga Eul scolded.
Her mother shook it off. "I'm curious. Why did you name your child Ahn Na?" she asked Eri.
"Even with Cochlear implants, I have a hard time pronouncing Korean names. So Woo Bin and I decided to name our kids Western sounding names but with Korean spelling. Bin Ji would be Benjamin in France. Ahn Na would be Ana with a short a sound. It's not Anna, but Ana. It's also easier to sign when I turn these down," Eri replied. Even with implants, she still spoke with a muted voice. But they were used to that so it didn't matter.
"How can two couples live here comfortably when both husbands are so rich?"
"Mom!"
"Quit screeching," Eri scolded. "We live together because we're family. I couldn't imagine a day without them."
"You're going to want a place where you can have fun on your honeymoon. You need a newlywed house, Ga Eul. You need a space that is wholly your own. When are you going to start a family? You should have been married a long time ago. Your friends married before you!"
They got into an argument sitting right there. Eri shook her head as she finished painting and started to clean up. Since it had been nearly eight years since Yi Jeong and Ga Eul started dating, everyone thought there would be a wedding a long time ago. But things had gotten between them not too long after Bin Ji was born.
For the first time in years, Yi Jeong had gone to visit his mother in the hospital. She had been in and out since he was a kid but had gone in permanently when he was in high school. He hadn't seen her in four years, but after he returned from Sweden, Ga Eul had pressured him to go. He had and they were on the fast track of mending their relationship. Now he went a few times a week to see her.
But the first few times he went, there had been this nurse that his father had hired. It wasn't a secret that his parents hated each other due to Yi Jeong's father's constant affairs, but Jeong Ha took care of his family even if his mindset was slightly skewed. He had hired this nurse not based on her skills but based on her looks. Her hair was long and always curly and she was the correct size for a Korean woman, whatever that was. At first Yi Jeong wasn't in the least bit impressed because he had a good woman at home, but the nurse had been persistent.
That persistence had won over and Yi Jeong had spent a few nights with her while planning a show. Like usual, he had hidden everything from his girlfriend, telling only the most important person. Woo Bin had listened to him and told him he was stupid, like a good best friend would. Then he had promptly told Ga Eul.
At first she had been very upset, but what woman wouldn't when she found out her boyfriend was cheating? She had told him she was done and to never contact her again. Yi Jeong had listened to her wishes and hadn't contacted her for three weeks. But his mood deteriorated. He didn't paint or make pots or anything. He barely got his show together while he was alone.
So his friends had pulled an intervention and forced them to sit down and talk. They had literally locked them in a room at Jun Pyo's and refused to let them leave. This was way before Eri and Kyu Lee so it had only been Jan Di and the boys. They had argued and fought while locked in that room but in the end they had made up. Jan Di had said that if they hadn't, she was going to rescind her wedding invitation to the two of them.
They had pushed off getting married until they were certain they could absolutely trust and live with each other. It had been tough. Yi Jeong was careless, not really caring where things went because he had never had to put things away. Ga Eul always had a place for things and he kept rearranging things. They fought all the time about putting things away or rearranging the furniture. It had taken eight years; three years of him being in Sweden and five to get everything else on track. Finally they were ready to get married.
The front door opened and in spilled Kyu Lee and Jan Di. An open door policy meant their friends had the pass code to their home and could come and go as they pleased. There were countless times when they woke up and someone would be on their couch. Usually it was Jun Pyo because his company was close by and he had worked all night. Everyone had a change of clothes in the babies' room so they could change when they were cleaned up and fed.
"You're always covered in paint and clay these days," Kyu Lee moaned as she saw Eri across the room.
"Shut up and bring me the mop and bucket," the other woman demanded.
The longer they stayed together the more they found out how bossy Eri really was. She was passionate and spirited, but when away from the crowds of people, she was bossy. It's what made her the perfect person to be the head of their friends. Jun Pyo used to be until he was tamed by Jan Di. She was very frank with all of them even if it took her a little bit to understand what she was feeling.
She cleaned up her workspace but not herself. She didn't mind being covered in colors. Actually it made her happy to be messy. She was the worst chaebol ever because she didn't care about appearance.
They all sat on the couch and Ahn Na toddled over to her. It was nearly nap time and they could see the little Song getting sleepy. She grabbed the blanket lying beside Kyu Lee and curled up in her mother's lap.
"Oppa," she whined. It was the only word she knew at a year and a half and she used it frequently. Bin Ji crawled over and climbed in Ga Eul's lap. They put their heads together and slowly fell into sleep.
"If we move, they'll wake up," Eri warned.
"Has her mother contacted you?" Kyu Lee asked.
Eri shook her head. "No, but we send her pictures. We left it as an open adoption in case she wanted to meet later on. We plan to tell her when she's old enough to understand, and we'll let her decide what she wants to do."
The woman Eri was talking about was a seventeen year old girl who had gotten pregnant in high school. Her parents wanted her to abort it, but she had decided to have it then give it up for adoption. She had met Eri when she went in for a doctor's appointment and the two started talking. Somehow the girl had conned Eri into being the adopter for her child. Normally a couple has to be married for two years before they can adopt. Eri and Woo Bin had barely been married a year and a half when this opportunity fell into their laps.
They had taken care of the medical bills and doctor visits for the girl because she was carrying their new addition to their family. They had dinner together to discuss plans and adoption. Even though it wasn't through an agency, they did everything by the book and made sure everything was legal.
When the baby was born, the girl hadn't wanted to hold her. But when Eri gets something stuck in her head, she usually gets her way. She may have been the legal mother, but the girl was the birth mother. No matter what she was going to hold that baby. Eri made her, and at that moment they came to the decision to have an open adoption.
"To be a mother of two must be fun."
Eri stared at Eul Ya. Ga Eul's mother was a piece of work. She was always so worked up about this wedding that she never thought about what she said. Eri and Kyu Lee looked at each other then shook their heads. They were used to this. Eul Ya wanted her daughter married yesterday with a family of her own.
"Where is my son-in-law?" she suddenly demanded.
"You've been here three hours and you're just now realizing that Yi Jeong isn't here?" Eri confirmed with a raised eyebrow as the women around her laughed. Their fearless leader always said what was on her mind.
They planned for a few more hours. Flowers, wedding cake, gifts, the reception, everything went down on paper. The only ones who knew how to plan a wedding was Kyu Lee and Jan Di, but they were too indecisive to get anything done. Ga Eul and Eri made all the decisions while her mother complained the entire time.
Finally they were able to get Eul Ya out of the house so they could get dinner ready. It was always an affair when the four women were together, but throw in two children and it was absolute chaos. Flour was all over the kids and the girls and it was just a mess, but everyone was laughing to the best of their ability.
Yi Jeong and Woo Bin made an appearance as soon as dinner was ready. Ga Eul criticized the two men for popping up every time food was involved. Woo Bin smiled cheekily as he picked up Ahn Na and gently gnawed at her nose. Bin Ji, jealous of his sister getting all the attention, grabbed hold of his pants leg and hopped up and down until he was picked up.
"He comes in, plays with the children, and then decides that he needs to eat," Ga Eul groused.
Eri nodded in agreement. "What should we do about that?"
"Maybe we should starve him?"
"No, he gets cranky when he doesn't eat."
"No one said you had to starve him of food," Kyu Lee advised. When they looked at her, she smirked which made everyone burst out in laughter.
"You are too cruel about that," Yi Jeong said.
"Don't worry. You're in the same boat. You left me with my mother all day when she came to ask you about the color of your tie," Ga Eul turned on him.
"Well, no lovings for you tonight either it seems," Woo Bin mocked.
"So it would seem. By the way, Eri, I need you at the shop tomorrow. They're delivering the new mirrors and countertops and someone needs to sign for them. I'm going to be in meetings most of the day," Yi Jeong said.
Eri nodded. "All right. Do you want the mirrors hung up or should I wait?"
"Just wait. Since we're rearranging the displays, I need to see what all we're going to put out that way I know which pieces to accent more so they'll sell. Oh, and call Min Ho. His piece sold today. There's a check waiting for him in the cash register."
The two business owners talked a little bit more over dinner but then settled into a nice conversation with everyone else about where the honeymoon should take place.