Soft Landing With You ( a 'Crash Landing on You' fanfic)

Extra 2: Picking Your Battles

Ri Jeong Hyuk sighed and leaned back in his chair. It had been a long day. He was preparing for his first concert in Seoul, he had to submit two journal articles for peer review in his department so that he can get a supervisor for his doctorate. Most of all, he had to juggle all this with the 7months old twins because he was currently on paternity leave.

Earlier that day, Soo Hui had a fever and her sister was sympathizing with her. Jeong Hyuk started panicking because Seri had travelled out of Seoul and it was his first time dealing with a sick child, much less two. He had to call his mom (Madam Yeo) for help but help came surprisingly in form of Chairmen Lee and Yoon, Seri's father. Apparently, the two friends had decided to play baduk at the Lee Mansion so when his call to the main house had connected, they had decided to come over and help.

You will think, what help could they be but Ri Jeong Hyuk was in for a surprise when the older men carried the twins like pros and ordered Jeong Hyuk to get fever reducer at the pharmacy three streets from the house. When he returned, the twins were calmer and eating. From the wet towel in a bowl and change of clothes, he noticed the older men had wiped them, changed their clothes and were currently feeding them. He sighed and approached his father and father in law and bowed to them sheepishly, stress obvious on his face.

"Young man, have a seat. We have something to say to you." Chairman Yoon said some two hours later. The twins had settled and were sleeping; Jeong Hyuk had put them to bed and carried the baby monitor back to the living room. The older men had likely been discussing before he came back because they were wearing identical forthright expressions. Here we go, Jeong Hyuk thought as he sat in front of them, ready to a tongue lashing. They are likely going to bite my head off, and I deserve it.

"Sigh... Relax, we are not scolding you." Chairman Lee said, shaking his head at the tense new father. "Lee Hyuk ah, you are going to have to pick your battles. You need to decide what are your priorities right now and set aside other things and focus on it else you will lose out."

"Lee Seobang¹, I think you are a fine young man, you don't have to prove yourself to anyone. If I didn't like you, there's no way I will let you around my daughter, much less marry her. You are good and stable, single minded. You need to stop overloading yourself with work and at the same time, balance your household." Chairman Yoon said, his tone gruff and commanding with an almost unnoticed softness. Jeong Hyuk released the breath he didn't realize he was holding and looked down at his hands. I guess, he thought, they really see it all at their age.

"You have a gift neither of us were able to take advantage of, the chance to be raise your kids and connect with them, be actively involved in their lives. You cannot give such up. We regret it, and can only make up for that with our grandkids like today. Thankfully, our kids are not bad but that's all thanks to our wives. Don't be like us." Chairman Lee said and got up, gesturing to his friend. Chairman Yoon followed suit, stopping to pat Jeong Hyuk's shoulder. "Young man, pick your battles so you won't end up with regrets." He left after saying that, catching up with his friend, the two murmuring about the baduk game...

That was hours ago and Jeong Hyuk was currently at his desk in the study, carrying the twins who had gone back to sleep. They had woken up earlier, a little cranky but their fever had gone down. He had fed them and taken them for a walk in the park near the house. When they returned, Jeong Hyuk had to return some urgent calls so he had brought them into the study, juggling them with the phone. By the time he was done, they were asleep, Soo Bin sucking on her thumb and Soo Hui burrowing into his chest like her mom does, Jeong Hyuk thought affectionately, gazing at them.

He carried them to their room, wiped them down again so they don't feel too hot and put them to bed, replacing Soo Bin's thumb with her pacifier. He took another look at them and sighed, it was everything he asked for, his world was right in front of him. I guess what the old men said is right, Jeong Hyuk thought, leaning against their room door. He grabbed the baby monitor and returned to his study to make some calls.

"Hello, Secretary Ha, please put forward some letters for me. I will be postponing my peer review to next year and the concert should be moved to two months for now..."

***********

When the twins were three years old, Seri discovered she was pregnant again. Jeong Hyuk was ecstatic, he had been praying for it and working hard as well (A/N: Uri Hyukie 😏😏). He had finished his doctorate in classical music last month and had given himself leave for some months. Seri had giving up on managing the twins and handed them over to Jeong Hyuk. This is because embarrassingly, Seri constantly got into arguments with them.

The twins had strong opinions on everything; from clothing to choice of TV shows. Seri was unhappy that she always lost to them even though they were just three! Last month, for the family gathering at new year held in the Yoon Family Estate, Soo Bin had decided to wear snickers with her hanbok and Soo Hui decided high tops looked better, completing her look with a multicolored scarf to Seri's dismay. When she had questioned the outfit choice, the girls had stood before her, arms akimbo, frowning their identical faces at her, ready to argue back. Jeong Hyuk, seeing them battle ready had wisely left them. Well, they all look alike, he thought. They won't kill each other.

Seri refused to admit that they looked and behaved like her. Anytime they made trouble, they were Jeong Hyuk's kids, not hers 😒. So when she found out she was pregnant again, she decided to move to the Yoon Estate and leave father and daughters to fight themselves. She decided not to fight with them too; Her mother had told her that if she argued with them while pregnant, the baby will look like them. Although she didn't believe in myths... she was not going to take the chance!

She later changed her mind and sent the twins to the Yoon Estate and stayed at home. Ri Jeong Hyuk was her husband, why did she have to give up her Hyukie for the twerps?! They should go fight with their grandparents. Jeong Hyuk watched her antics, amused. The twins were having a swell time at the Yoon Estate and had been there for a week. Seri, rather, was missing them but refused to admit it. Jeong Hyuk watched her as her folded the twins clothes into the cupboard again after taking them out earlier. This was the second time she was refolding the clothes the past week. He sighed and thought, it seems I have to go pick the twins and bring them home. It's going to be a long couple of months....

¹This is what parent in-laws called their son in-laws in South Korea.

A/N: Hi guys, there are just a couple chapters left. If anyone has a special request for a storyline, drop it in the comments. As always, Live and Love!