Jiwon looked up from the book she was reading, as she saw a person coming along the path from the main gate to their mansion. She was leisurely spending it at home, having a good time because she could return to her favourite hobby, which was reading. It was her day off, after a busy week in the hospital. She was truly surprised when she recognized the face as he came closer. He came to her, and stood in front of her.

“Junmyeon-ah,” she got up from her chair, putting her book aside, and wondering what would have brought the guy back home.

Junmyeon looked extremely uncomfortable, even in the way he stood. His hands were inside his pockets, and his right foot kicking and damaging the well-maintained lawn. He was having a hard time looking at his stepmom’s face.

Jiwon opened . The first question which came into her mind to ask from him was ‘What brings you here?’. But then she thought it’d be rude to ask that, knowing how easily he got offended. “Shall we go inside?” she asked him with a warm smile. He nodded back in reply, so taking the book back to her hand, she led the way, letting him follow her into the mansion.

“Abhuji,” Junmyeon looked at her. “Is he at home?” he asked.

“Of course dear, it’s Sunday, so both of us are at home.” Jiwon said. “Wait, he must be in the study, I’ll get him.” she quickly went upstairs, leaving Junmyeon all to himself in the living room.

Within minutes, Jiwon came back downstairs, and after her, came Junmyeon’s dad. He looked down from the balcony, not coming down. Without saying a word, he stared at his son, with his hands in his pockets, and the son did the same, stared back at his dad, standing arrogantly, with his hands in his pockets.

This dad and son, both arrogant and stubborn as ever, they won’t get together ever at this rate...Jiwon thought. Trying to lessen the tension in the air between them, she stepped in. “It’s nearly tea time Junmyeon-ah, shall I ask the maids to prepare it?”

Junmyeon shook his head. “I....I have practices at four. So I have to go.” He said. He was different today, although he was awkward, his tone towards her was gentler than before, and he was not rude at all.

“Then what brings you here?” Jiwon cringed when she heard her husband asking the question that she had been afraid to ask. But unlike the way she had imagined, Junmyeon calmly answered his dad, instead of lashing out as usual.

“It’s the finals tomorrow.” He started. “The finals of swimming in the Inter University Games. And...I’m in it.” It seemed that it took him a lot of courage to blurt out those words. His dad kept o staring, waiting for him to finish what he was saying.

“I-” Junmyeon still sounded very awkward. “I’ll get going then.” He finally uttered. It looked like he couldn’t handle the awkwardness anymore. He bowed slightly to Jiwon, and turned back to the door to leave. He had taken only one step towards the door, when his dad’s voice made him halt.

“We’ll be there.” Jaewook, Junmyeon’s dad said. “Both of us, we’ll be there.” he said, with a slight, almost invisible smile on his face.

Junmyeon whirled around to look back at him. He looked from his dad to his stepmom, not quite sure about what he heard. Jiwon stepped forward with the widest smile on her face, and held on of Junmyeon’s shoulders with her hand. “When is it darling?” she asked in her usual soothing voice. “Um...at 2 pm.” He replied. Jiwon patted his shoulder lovingly. “We’ll definitely be there to cheer you up.”

Junmyeon couldn’t help the smile that curved the corners of his lips. “I’ll get going then.” He looked back at his dad, and left the mansion, unlike the previous days, he left this time happy, and contended.

“I did as you told me madam! Happy now?” Junmyeon said through the phone as he was walking back to his apartment. And his eyes crinkled into crescents with a laugh, when he heard the squealing and praising from his girlfriend on the other end.

* * * * * * * *

“And the Best Sportsman of the Year trophy goes to...”

“Kim Junmyeon of Cheonha University!!!”

The stadium erupted with cheers as Junmyeon made his way to the stage. Thanks to him, most of the gold medals in the swimming category, was won by their university. He won the first place in all the event he participated, and along with the other winnings of swimming, and also the other sports, Cheonha University was able to win the overall championship of the Inter University games, for the third consecutive year. The crowds went mad, and were cheering with all their might, while his friends were frantically waving his set of gold medals in the air, and whistling and cheering. As he made his way to the stage, he saw two figures seated at the front row of the bleachers, where he had noticed since the beginning of the event. His dad and step mom, were clapping along with the crowd, and though he didn’t clearly see from afar, he knew their faces were bearing proud smiles for him.

With a smile at the corner of his lips, he got onto the stage, and shook hands with the chief guest, that was ready to present him the trophy, who was an Olympic medallist. Junmyeon bowed to him, and he presented the trophy.

Junmyeon turned around to the crowd and just as he was going to lift the trophy up, a piercing pain ran along his spine. The injury he thought that was over, was acting up again.

Without showing out the problem, he merely bowed to the crowd, which made him almost drop on his knees with pain. He straightened again, and the chief guest saw his paper white face.

“Are you alright?” he asked in concern. “Looks like you’re injured.”

Junmyeon smiled at him. “No I’m fine. It’s nothing much.” He bowed to the medallist again and got down from the stage. His friends ran to him, along with Eunsoo. The two were surrounded by eleven guys, cheering and patting his back in admiration. Jongdae took the trophy from his hands, and Tao started putting on all the medals he won, one by one onto his neck.

Eunsoo held both his hands. “Congratulations...We’re so proud of you.” She said, beaming at him. “You look exhausted Junmyeon...” she said, looking at his pale face.

“Eunsoo,” Junmyeon started, biting his lower lip in pain, until it turned white. “I think my-”

Before he could tell her about his injury acting up again, her phone rang in her pocket.

“Just a minute.” She smiled at him and took out her phone, and answered it. “Yeoboseyo?”

“Oh Jisoo-yah,............Mwoh?” her eyes widened in shock as she uttered the words, and everyone aro