The clock strikes 9.01 PM. Both of the Lee families are still in their chair, enjoying the dessert of orange soufflés with hot chocolate, topped with vanilla ice-cream and marshmallow. The three adults are busy talking about the old times while Jiyeon and L. Joe spend most of the time eating, and more eating.

            The Kyumin starts telling funny stories he’d read in the paper or online. “I remember reading this online, I guess.”

            “Go on,” Shinhwan encourages.

            “There’s this kid, named Gus. He spends all of his money from allowance, and Christmas and birthdays to buy bug killing equipment, and he would go from door to door to ask his neighbors if he could kill the bugs.” The Kyumin bursts out laughing before he adds, “For free!”

            Shinhwan and Hana erupt in laughter right away when they hear the whole story. Jiyeon giggles at that but she manages to calm down before her parents do. Deep down she feels glad to have some laughter like that in the house.

            “Here’s one.” Shinhwan clears his throat. “Do you know what they call an alligator in a vest?”

            What, honey?” Hana asks.

            “An investigator.” Then all the three adults burst out laughing again. Hana is already wiping her tears.

            “That’s lame, dad,” Jiyeon sniggers.

            “That’s not lame,” L. Joe snaps back. “It was actually pretty funny.”

            “I have a real funny joke,” Kyumin interrupts. “Do you know why Elvis Presly can’t drive backwards?”

            “Why?” Shinhwan asks.

            “Because he’s dead!” Then all the three adults erupt in laughter, yet again. Jiyeon laughs along and L. Joe just nods to the joke. It’s funny indeed.

            “Nice one!” Shinhwan offers his friend a high-5 and he takes it.

            “I know right,” Kyumin agrees.

            After the two men finished sharing jokes they read inline or in the paper, Th two decide to take it to the nearest bar. Hana, on the other hand manages to convince his daughter and L. Joe to stay for awhile as to help her with the table.

            “I appreciate your kindness to help me with the table, L. Joe,” Hana says as she picks up all the cutleries from the table.

            “It’s not a big deal,” he shrugs. “This is the least I can do for the delicious dinner.”

            “So, how are you doing now that school is over?”

            “I’ve been involved in after-school programs. Some stuff that the teachers ask me to do for all the high school grads. It helps with my credits, and I get to add a little something to my resume.”

            “I see,” Hana smiles. “Do you have in mind what college you wish to go?”

            “I have a few, but I haven’t really decided yet.”

            “What course would you take?”

            “Something that has to do with business. My dad kinda encourage me to.”

            “Do you want to do business?”

            “I don’t know,” he shrugs. “Maybe. I mean, since I’ll be working with my dad when I’ve finished college, so why not learn business.”

            “What about your dreams? Have you thought about realizing your dreams?”

            “I have actually. But I think of my dad and, I know what should do.”

            Hana nods as she listens along to what L. Joe says. Ans she must say she’s impressed by his mature act. “You’re a wonderful son, you know that?”

            L. Joe grins sheepishly at her compliment. “Wow, I haven’t got that before. Thank you”

* * *

            Hana is in her kitchen, doing the dishes while Jiyeon is helping herself with two mugs of hot chocolate.

            “I thought we’ve had those hot cocos for desset right,” her mom says when she glances at Jiyeon putting some cut marshmallows into the two mugs of hot coco.

            “I know. This is the after-dessert treat.”

            “And how will you manage to finish those two hot cocos?”

            “These are for me and L. Joe, mom” Jiyeon smiles at her mom and she carries the two mugs and excuses herself from the kitchen.

            Jiyeon carefully takes a firm hold of the mugs as she walks outside the porch and places the two mugs on the table next to the wooden swing.

            “Thanks,” L. Joe mumbles as he takes the mug. “Nothing like a hot coco with some marshmallows.”

            “So,” Jiyeon starts to push her feet against the floor as the swing comes to motion. “I saw you were spacing out until I walked in here. What was on your mind?”

            “I was not spacing out.”

            “You were. I saw you.”

            “You saw what you wanted to see.”

            “Ah, just shut up and answer me.”

            L. Joe smiles wryly as he runs his gaze at her.

            “What?” She asks, feeling strange by how L. Joe looks at her.

            “Nothing,” he then looks down to the floor. “I was thinking about some stuff.”

            “What stuff?”

            “Like, where do you go from here, or what would be the best thing for you and your loved ones when you finally grow up?”

            “I thought you said you’ve grown up,” she tries to crack a joke but she obviously fails when L. Joe gives her a blank stare.

            “I’m sorry,” she bites out with a trace of guilt. “Carry on…”

            “A while ago, back when I was helping your mom at the table, she asked me about my dreams, and when I said to her that I put my dad first and do business instead, she told me that I was a good son.”

            “So what about that that bothers you?”

            “It doesn’t bother me,” he frowns a bit, eyes still glued to her face. “It’s just that I don’t know how putting your loved ones before your own need- is a good thing to do, is a thing that makes you the good son.”

            “You don’t like the fact that you are being a good son to your dad?”

            “It’s not like that.” L. Joe sighs. Then he shrugs. “God, I don’t know. I was thinking that if I hadn’t thought about taking business and pursue with my dreams instead, would that make me a bad son?”

            Jiyeon blinks for a few moments as L. Joe’s staring at her, waiting for her to say something.

            “No…” She breathes. “I mean, just because you do things that you like doesn’t make you the bad guy. When you do things that you like, you’d actually make your dad feel proud of you because he knows that you’re making your dreams come true and there’s nothing more that your dad could’ve asked.”

            “It’s hard to tell if he’s proud of me. I mean, I’m not that close with my dad like you are with yours, but we’re not on a bad term either. I just wish he could tell me what to do. But he’s not always there. So things sometimes get hard for me.”

            “Well, I’m here,” she says as she grasps tight L. Joe’s hand. “We’re best friends, right?”

            “Yeah we are…” He finally says as he smiles along to it.

            “I owe Jinyoung big time on this, you know.”

            “Why?” L. Joe asks.

            “It’s all thanks to him that we finally speak to each other. Can you imagine if he hadn’t asked me to come with him to your house, I mean, we might not be able to talk this comfortably if we hadn’t broke that code of silence.”

            “I guess you’re right,” he nods. “He seemed pretty excited when you agreed to come along.”

            “Yeah…I mean, wow, 7 years of not talking and not acknowledging each other’s presence. Could you imagine how we managed to go through that?”

            “Was it rough on you?”

            “What?”

            “When we stopped becoming friends. Was it rough on you?”

            Jiyeon scratches her head as she tries to remember what did it feel like when she stopped talking to him. “Well, it was definitely not a good ride for me. I kinda regret it now that I think about it. What about you?”

            “It was rough on me,” he says bluntly. “You were like the only person who knew what kind of person I was back then, and when we just stopped being friends, I was pretty mad at you and at me as well, but it didn’t matter really. We just didn’t talk, and it seemed to me like it would remain that way.”

            “And I’m really glad it didn’t.”

            “Yeah,” L. Joe says as he smiles shortly to her.

            “But we didn’t have a good head start.”

            “You’re right,” he laughs. “We bickered a lot before we come to this stage.”

            “I didn’t know how you were, I didn’t feel the usual feeling I had when we were friends, so I was in my defensive mode.”

            “Defensive mode? You make me sound an evil monster now.”

            “But tonight you seem like a whole different person.”

            “In a good way?” He asks.

            “You cut a meat pie for me and exchanged the plate. I was taken aback when you did that, I swear to God.”

            “You wanted the pie. So..,” he shrugs as he seems cool about it.

            “I figure.” She suddenly snaps. “I’m sure there’s nothing amazing about it.  You’ve probably done that to all of your girlfriends before.”

            “You think so?” He teases.

            “I know so, L. Joe.”

            “If that’s what you want to think, then I’m fine with it.”

            “What does that mean?” Jiyeon asks as she squints her eyes.

            “Nothing,” he shrugs.

            “No! Tell me. If it’s not like what I think, that what is it?” She’s getting impatient. “I mean, if it’s not like what I think…are you saying that that was your first time doing that?”

            “First time doing what?”

            “Don’t play dumb with me. When you were being gentleman and cut the pie for me, was that your first time doing that?”

            L. Joe sighs as he lays back and crosses his arms. “You wanted the pie, so I helped you with it. Is that even a big deal?”

            “Wait- are you blushing?” Jiyeon open her eyes wide as she realizes the color of his cheeks are changing.

            “What, no!” He rubs his cheek. “I’m not blushing. Why would I blush, you fool? I cut the pie for you. You’re supposed to be one who’s blushing right now, not me.”

            “I know. But I’m not blushing. OMG you really are blushing!” Jiyeon covers to keep her form bursting in laughter. “I can’t believe it! You’re getting redder and redder. This is a new discovery. I didn’t know you could blush.”

            “You’re one relentless human being.” L. Joe truly feels annoyed right now. His cheeks are getting hotter as she teases him more. He gets up from the swing and gets inside the house when it feels a lot warmer. “I’m getting out of here.”

            “Wait!” She shouts with a little bit of a chuckle. “Gosh, you’re totally blushing for no reason.” Jiyeon gets up and gets inside as well.

Okay. So I was thrilled to read some new story comments until I came across that one comment asking, why this story is rated?

Then I was not thrilled anymore, to be honest. ‘Kay, so here’s the thing. I rate this story because I want include some in it, but I haven’t got the chance to do it because it’s yet the perfect time to do so. Sure I could’ve included when L. Joe’s making out with his girlfriends but I didn’t do it because I didn’t want L. Joe to sleep around. I don’t want my lead character to be such a prick. I know I would regret it if I actually did write some between L. Joe and his girlfriends. So yes, pretty much he’s a still a friggin . I hope you readers don’t have any problem regarding my decision to make him stay coz obviously, I don’t.

And I’m not sure whether that person who asked me this would read what I have to say about her question, but if she does read it, I hope you got your answer. The question was not malicious, I know. But if you don’t find any friendliness in my answer, then it’s my bad. And to other readers, I hope you would continue to support me. I won’t be able to write this much if it wasn’t for you guys. T.T

Have a good day all :3 And a good read as well =]

p/s: And basically I rate this coz I want to. U mad? ;)