Ae-Cha P.O.V :
It's 31st December at 11 pm, an hour before the new year, and here I am preparing dinner for the new year party.
I took the tortilla press tonight, the heart stamp, and made some egg white sugar glaze. I wet my hands and pull chunks of the cold, sticky fermented rye dough. I place it between plastic sheets and press it into a thin layer. I cut some squares with a cookie cutter and sandwich them with peach leather, goiabada (guava paste), and cassis (black currant) jam. I repeat and repeat. Maybe these are not all the fillings one would think to add to Pryaniki, but in our family, American Latin Eastern European, and obviously Korean flavors mash is a thing. And we often celebrate our "thing" with food.
"Eomma!? Should I put a little more ginger in the soup?" My eldest son asked me.
"Yeah, a little bit," I told him.
He thanked me and went to cook the soup.
He is helping me in the kitchen as he loves to cook. And yes, he is a good cook. I appreciate him.
"Eomma, have it!" SeokJin said while feeding me spoonfuls of soup. "How is it?" He asked.
"Delicious! I really love it, Jinnie," I said with a smile.
"Thanks, eomma," he smiled. "I think I have to get going to check on my little brothers, or I should say little demons. It's really hard to control them."
"Oh yeah, go ahead," I chuckled at his statement as he called his brothers little demons.
But he is not wrong, though. Sometimes I also think that having seven children and taking care of them is not an easy thing to do. Yes, you hear me right. I have seven kids, and all are boys. (Wow, right? 😉🤭) My seven precious gems. They are like a rainbow's seven different colors with different characters.
My eldest son, SeokJin, is really sweet, obedient, and responsible. As he is the oldest child, he treats his younger siblings as his own, and he's kind of a mother figure to them because he loves them so much, well, after me obviously. 😌 I am the mom, after all; no one can take my place, but he is good at handling the other kids. (Key words: when I am not at home, okay?) But sometimes he behaves like the youngest child in the family (my baby 😄). He loves to enjoy and make people happy around him. That's why he tells us jokes. But he only finds them funny. (Ooo...Hmm 🤔...Let it be 😅) Overall, he is a good son and a good brother. We are proud of him as he takes his responsibility perfectly.
"Eomma, where is the whipped cream?"
I turned around, hearing the question from my second eldest son, Yoongi, who looks like he just woke up from his sleep.
"Sleep" is something Yoongi really loves to do. I'm telling you the truth, if sleeping were a job, he would be a millionaire.
"Eomma? Where is it?" He asked me again.
"Oh, it's in the cupboard," I said. "Well, it's really surprising to see you here while sacrificing your sleep."
He turned around, looking at me while holding the whipped cream packet. "Well, it's just to engage the maknaes while I sacrifice my precious sleep. While they work on the cake, I can catch some sleep," he said as he went out of the room.
Well, that's a good idea. 😕
Yoongi is a genius kid; he has a solution for any kind of situation. He is weak at expressing his feelings but has a warm heart for his brothers, which he never expresses in words but shows through his actions. He is the one who gets hyper or angry easily if anyone bullies any of his brothers. He's not lazy; he just prefers not to do things. But if he determines something needs to be done, he goes for it and completes it at any cost. He never shows that he cares for his family, but his actions show how much he cares for us.
"Hey, I'm here, Honey," my husband said as he hugged me from behind.
"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly.
"What do you mean by 'what are you doing here'?" He said as he broke the hug. "I'm here to celebrate New Year with my family."
"Oh really? I thought your priority is the Kim's company, not us," I said, looking at him.
"Come on, sweetheart, that's not true. My first priority is always my family. And it's my beautiful wife and my seven handsome sons," he said, smiling.
Obviously, I know that my husband's first priority is his family, but I love to tease him by asking him, company or family? Because I love to hear when he says he loves his family much more than the company. 😅 🤭.
"I know, Honey!" I caressed his cheeks. "You know I just love to tease you."
He rolled his eyes playfully.
"I'm gonna check on the boys and see how far the preparation has gone, okay? Then I'll help you with the remaining dishes, hmm?"
I nodded as he went out.
That's my husband, Kim Shihyuk. He really is the perfect man: a good husband, a good father, and also a good boss and CEO of our company. He is a really hardworking person who balances both his work life and family life. I've been married to him for 24 years now, but our bond is the same as before. I truly feel loved with him and with our sons.
Shihyuk's P.O.V :
It was a long day at work, but I tried to end it early as I had to spend time with my family for the New Year party. Anything happens, but my first priority is always my family.
We had simple plans for celebrating the New Year party. Just me, my wife, and our seven kids, that's it. No expansive party or get-together, although we could do that since I am the CEO and owner of Kim's company, which is one of the biggest companies in South Korea. But we prefer a simple life.
My wife, Kim Ae-Cha, loves it that way. She doesn't like the spotlight on her. She prefers a simple and normal life. That's why we don't have any butler, as she cooks for us. In the past, she also didn't need any babysitters for our kids, as she thought our kids would not get along with us if we always hired babysitters. But after some consideration, she agreed, but only for the times when she would not be at home. She really loves our sons (She loves me too; we both love each other, otherwise, why would we have seven boys? 😉) Well, I love them too, but as you know, a mother's love is never comparable.
"Appa, look," my youngest son showed me the cake in his hand, which he prepared with his younger twin brothers, who also joined him toward me.
"Wow, it's beautiful, Jungkook. You did a great job," I ruffled his hair. He giggled at my action. "Thanks, appa," he said, showing his bunny teeth, which were enough to melt someone's heart.
Jungkook is thirteen but still the baby of our family as he is the youngest son. He is a mom's boy and also Ae-Cha's favorite, as you know, the advantage of being the youngest 😌. He is pampered by all of his elder brothers and by me obviously. He also loves all of us; for him, family is everything. We spoil him a lot, but he is not a spoiled brat because my wife and I make sure that our sons receive love but not become spoiled to the extent that they will disobey us or any elders.
"We also helped him, Appa!" Taehyung said, pouting. "Yes, appa, he was not alone," Jimin said after him.
"Aww, my boys," I cooed at my twins. "It's really beautiful and looking delicious. You two also did a great job by helping him with the cake," I said, ruffling both my sons' hair. They smiled at me, warming my heart.
Our twins, Jimin and Taehyung, they are the sweetest and also sometimes headaches. Well, because they are the troublemakers of the house.
But if I have to say about Jimin, then he is more mature than Taehyung. He is an angel of our family, a pure-hearted person. He always helps his family as much as he can. He wants everyone to be happy and healthy and tries to make himself useful for everyone. He knows how to stay away from troubling himself and also tries to help his twins stay away too, but he troubles himself anyway. 😐
Yes, Taehyung, Jimin's younger twin, loves to get himself in trouble, although he doesn't want that but he gets into it anyway. Although he is sixteen, sometimes he behaves like eight. And his behavior makes me confused; is he really older than Jungkook? And sometimes he talks about something that only he can understand. But he is also a very pure person, and he is also a mom's boy who always wants to be near his mom.
"Hello, appa, when did you come?" My middle son, Namjoon, asked as he brought the wine bottle to place it on the dining table.
"It's been 15 minutes, Namjoon-ah," I replied. "Wait a minute! You are not allowed to touch any glass objects, right? If accidentally..." Before I could complete my sentence, we heard a glass breaking sound.
"Oops...uhmm...sorry, Appa. I accidentally dropped it," Namjoon said, smiling awkwardly. "Don't worry! I will clean it," he said as he started to pick up the broken glass from the wine bottle.
"Wait, stop there! You can hurt yourself. Let me help you," I said as I also went near him to pick up the broken glasses.
Our servants had gone to enjoy their holiday as we had given them two days off for celebrating New Year with their family. So we had to do our work ourselves.
"Done," Namjoon said as he picked up all the glass pieces in a plastic bag. "I will throw it in the dustbin and clean the floor."
"Wait," I said, "Give me the bag. I will throw it away; you just clean here."
He gave me a thumbs up, and I went to throw the bag in the dustbin.
Namjoon (sigh), he really is a clumsy person. It's not like he wants to be like that, but it just happens. Whatever he touches, it breaks. That's why his siblings call him the 'God of Destruction'. (Well yeah, it happens so 😅) That's why he is not allowed in the kitchen because if he enters there, the kitchen will not be the kitchen. But that doesn't mean that he can't do anything. He is the smartest kid among all my sons. He has an IQ of 148, he is the topper of his school. He also taught himself English, while my other sons take tuition. Sometimes I think he is smarter than me.
Thud!!!!
A loud sound was heard from the dining hall. I rushed towards it.
"What happened?" Ae-Cha asked, panicked, as she came from the kitchen.
Now everyone was there, standing, except for Hoseok, who was on the floor. I guessed he fell, which was why we heard the 'thud' sound.
"Oh my baby, what happened?" Ae-Cha asked him as she kneeled near him, with Jin helping him to sit.
"Are you alright, buddy?" I asked him, rubbing his shoulder.
"Yes, just my butt hurts," he said, wincing.
"But how did you fall, hyung?" Jimin asked, coming near us.
"I was coming here to wake Yoongi hyung up, but on the way, I slipped because there was water here," he said.
"Well, you woke me up by causing the noise anyways," Yoongi said, crossing his arms.
"Yoongi!" Ae-Cha glared at him.
Yoongi didn't say anything and looked the other way.
"We should go to the couch," I said, as we went there.
"How did the water get there?" Jin asked.
"Umm...actually, it's my fault," a quiet voice said; it was Namjoon.
"Why did you pour water there?" Ae-Cha asked, confused.
"Actually, I was cleaning the floor as I accidentally dropped the wine bottle, and the floor was still wet, so Hobi hyung slipped there 😅. I am sorry, hyung, because of me, you fell," Namjoon apologized.
"It's okay, Namjoon-ah. It was an accident; no one is at fault," Hoseok smiled at him, which was returned by Namjoon.
"You dropped the wine bottle," she suddenly said. "Didn't we tell you to stay away from the glasses?"
"Sorry, eomma, I just wanted to help," Namjoon said, lowering his head.
"Aww, it's okay, baby, don't be sorry. Just be careful. I just don't want you to get hurt, hmm," Ae-Cha said, caressing Namjoon's cheeks. "Are you hurt anywhere, baby?" She asked, examining Namjoon's hand.
"No, I'm fine, eomma, don't worry," Namjoon smiled, showing his dimpled smile.
"I hope you're alright, Hobi hyung," Jimin said, sitting near Hoseok.
"Does your butt hurt, hyung?" Jungkook asked.
"Is one butt or two butts hurting?" Taehyung asked.
We looked at him.
"What?!" He asked.
We just shook our heads.
"I'm fine, maknaes," Hoseok said cheerfully as he stood up from the couch. "There is nothing that can bring Kim Hoseok down! Let's go, we shall do our rest work... yeah... Hwaiting! ✊✊"
"Hwaiting! ✊✊" the maknae line cheered as they followed their energetic hyung.
Kim Hoseok is the energetic kid among all of his brothers. He is really cheerful. He never gets tired of doing any work and is always ready for new tasks. He is also the sunshine of our family, always making us happy. He always does something that will make you happy. He is full of positive vibes. He helps and respects his elder brothers and loves his younger ones. Well, he loves us both equally, so it's hard to say whose boy he is 😅... his love can't be narrated; he loves everyone equally. He is a brother that creates a bond that makes them stick together.
"So... is the dinner ready?" I asked Ae-Cha.
"Yes, it's almost ready... oh, shoot... I forgot to make Hoedeopbap!" she said.
"Should I tell someone to bring it or should I tell the chef or order from the market or I can..." Before I could complete my sentence, Ae-Cha stopped me by putting her finger on my lips.
"Jagiya, did you forget? Servants are off duty, and we are celebrating the new year simply! So, we should go and buy fish," she said.
"What? But we can call..."
"What did I just say?"
"Alright, fine... let's go."
She smiled.
"Boys?!" she called for her sons.
"Yes, Eomma?" six boys said in unison, except for Yoongi, as he was sleeping (oo...this boy 😑).
"Me and your appa are going to the market, okay? We will be back within 30 minutes. So don't do anything stupid, alright?"
All nodded at her.
"And Jin, honey!"
"Yes, Eomma?"
"You are in charge, so don't let them do anything stupid or dangerous, and take care of everyone and yourself, alright."
"Jagi, we are only going for 30 minutes, not for 30 days. You are saying it like..."
She glared at me... alright, I need to shut my mouth. (🖐️😅 🖐️)
"You got it, Jinnie."
"Yes, Eomma, don't worry. I will handle them; you can enjoy your shopping," Jin said.
Ae-Cha smiled at him.
We both went out for our shopping.
(After 45 minutes)
Mr. and Mrs. Kim came back from their shopping.
"We brought fish and also everyone's favorite candy," Ae-Cha said, smiling.
"Candy!!!" Jungkook cheered.
"Yes, baby, come on, everyone take one candy," she said as she started to walk towards the kitchen.
"Eomma!" Jimin called.
"Yes, sweetie!" She turned around.
"Can't we eat the candy together?" he asked.
"No, baby, I don't want to eat now. You enjoy it; I shall make this last dish, then we can enjoy dinner. And yes, you all can only eat one candy because you have to eat dinner, got it?" she said.
"Yes," the boys said.
"Alright," she said as she started to walk.
"Eomma!" Hoseok said.
"Yes, Hobi, do you need something?" she asked.
"You just came now, don't you think you need to rest?" he said.
"Aww, so sweet of you, but I am fine," she said as she turned around.
"Eomma?" Taehyung called this time.
She turned around and sighed. "Yes, Tae?"
"Can I have a glass of water?" he asked.
"Alright, I shall bring it." With this, she went to the kitchen.
Ae-Cha went to the kitchen and...
"YAH!!!! WHO THE HELL DID THIS?!"
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