The Age Of Love

Seventeen - Not Just A Word

There was a knock at the door and Jeong Hyeok instantly jumped from the kitchen island where he sat staring blankly at his newspaper and nibbling on some toast. It had only been two days since he'd last seen his daughter but that was the longest he'd been away from her since he'd moved back from London.

He opened the door, scooping the infant out of the ring sling Se Ri was wearing her in. "Hey there, sweetheart," he said, bouncing her up and down as Se Ri followed him into the apartment.

"You guys have a good day yesterday?" he asked Se Ri over his shoulder as he made his way back through the foyer towards the great room of his new apartment. Yesterday was move-in day, and the first day they'd really started the new custody arrangement they'd agreed upon in mediation. It was strange not being there.

She shrugged. "I got spit up on a bunch. Did some laundry. Sang I'm A Little Tea Pot a hundred and fifty-two times."

"Is that right?" Jeong Hyeok asked in his best baby voice, looking down at Eun Jung. "Did Eomma sing you songs? Did she do the Little Tea Pot dance?" he asked his daughter. "Do you want to see her do it again?"

"Don't even think about it," Se Ri said, "There will be no more encores."

"Eomma is a spoil-sport," he continued to coo to the infant in his arm. "Uh-huh, yes she is,"

Se Ri just chuckled. "Are you laughing at me?" Jeong Hyeok queried in his normal voice, with mock outrage.

"It's just that I never cease to find your baby talk ridiculously endearing-- even if it will stunt out daughter's language development," she laughed.

"What?" Jeong Hyeok scoffed in disbelief. "I don't believe that."

"It's true," she assured him wistfully, "baby talk is bad for them."

Jeong Hyeok just shrugged. "Whatever-- she's got your genes, she'll probably be talking in full sentences by the time she's two. Okay, two and a half, I was a little bit of a late bloomer myself."

Se Ri rolled her eyes. "Feigned humbleness from the man who's fluent in four languages," she teased.

"You overestimate me. I'm only fluent in three," Jeong Hyeok corrected with a shake of his head. "I just learned enough German to get me through Oktoberfest. I pretty much know 'yes', 'no',' where's the beer?', and 'let's go back to your hotel room and have sex'."

"You will not be teaching the last two phrases to our daughter."

"Definitely not."

He could see Se Ri straining to keep a straight face. "You'll definitely keep her away from boys with that attitude," she tried to placate him. "And she won't have sex until she's at least 30."

"Hey, I am very intimidating," Jeong Hyeok insisted. "And you, little lady," he looked down at his daughter, "will not be having sex at all as long as I am alive. And since I plan on living well past 65, I would count on your 30's being a very chaste decade."

Se Ri lost the internal battle and started giggling.

"Not very convincing, huh?" he asked her.

"No," she gasped for air, shaking her head.

"Well," he shrugged, leaning casually against the sofa in the living area. "I've got time to work on it."

"You do that," she replied, setting her bag down in the corner and unzipping it. "I got you a housewarming gift," she said, standing up with a wrapped present in her hands. She shifted from foot to foot, suddenly nervous.

"You didn't have to do that," he assured her.

"Well," she chewed on her lip, her eyes on the floor. "I did, so..." she held the present out. Jeong Hyeok took it with a smile, then fumbled slightly, trying to juggle the gift and Eun Jung still in his arms. Se Ri took the baby from him and he turned his attention back to the package, running his finger along the seam to break the tape. He unravelled the paper to reveal a ceramic pink and orange dinosaur holding a pot of gold. The figurine was hollow and there was a slot in the top of the pot.