It is another beautiful Saturday afternoon.

As Yuri is being lead into a room for her family lunch date, she is reminded of last week’s lunch with SHINee and the others. Once the doors opened, there is a long table and she sees Lee Soo Man and his wife waiting for her. She thanks the waiter and rushes inside, apologizing for the wait.

“I’m just glad you made it,” Lee Soo Man happily says.

Yuri smiles back. She looks around. The place is extravagant, but she already knows because of the exterior look when she first saw the place from outside.

“Don’t worry, and order anything.”

“Okay…Appa.”

Yuri and Lee Soo Man both know that today will be the only day that they’ll be acting as a family. She has also promised him that she’ll call him ‘appa’ as his last request. Although it sounds weird to both of them, doing it for a day is no problem.

After everyone finishes ordering, Lee Soo Man breaks the silence. “Yuri, that night I listened to you. Even though I shouldn’t have a say, I’d like to express my side.”

She awkwardly smiles as she thinks back to that night. “I’m sorry that my rage just—”

Lee Soo Man shakes his head. “No. Thanks to your friends, I was able to understand where you were coming from.”

Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk? Since when did they have a conversation together? “My friends? What did they do?”

“Your friends were also angry for you. I didn’t know you guys had such a strong bond in just this many months,” he says.

Yuri blinks. “No. I’ve known them longer than that.”

Lee Soo Man leans forward. “I thought it was your first time meeting the SHINee boys?”

Yuri and her father become lost.

Yuri tries to understand the subject. “Wait, are you saying that…”

“…the SHINee boys were also mad.” Lee Soo Man carefully finishes the sentence.

She silently sighs.

“You didn’t know?”

She nods. “Actually, I bid them goodbye before you.” She plays with her fingers on the table.

The door opens the food is served while everyone is quiet.

As a waitress places a plate in front of Yuri’s Mother, she glances at her. In her first dinner with Lee Soo Man when Taecyeon was present, she didn’t really have a chance to look at her mother.

Lee Soo man catches her glance and begins to speak again. “Your mother became paralyzed after you were born,” he says, looking at her.

Yuri looks away and feels embarrassed. “Sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be.” Lee Soo Man stabs into his plate. “When I found out that she wouldn’t be able to properly watch over you, I became a bit worried and nervous about whether I would have the confidence to watch you.”

“So you gave me to your friend, who was a widow?” The way she said it sounds so offensive, but she doesn’t have any bad intentions on hurting her father.

Lee Soo Man nods with shame. “The difference between your other father and I was that he was a much more family man that I am.” He laughs and puts his fork down. “In the beginning, I already knew he would make a better father that I would. He always chooses family over anything.”

Yuri nods along as she thinks about all the time she had with him.

“He’s always wanted a family life…and I never really did. It’s funny how our lives are the exact opposite, and yet, here I am wanting to steal it from him again when I thoughtlessly gave it to him in the first place.”

Yuri gently smiles. She puts her hand over his hand. “It’s okay. Now, I’m just glad I have two great fathers and two fantastic mothers.”

He smiles back at her. “Thank you, Yuri ah.”

*

The day of the festival has come, and everyone’s busy.

In front of Yuri’s class, Eunhyuk hands Hyoyeon and Yuri a schedule flier.

“Okay, since we’ll be separated for a while, remember, we have to meet at five o’clock for a one hour practice in the usual meeting spot and then—”

Hyoyeon rolls her eyes out of irritation because she doesn’t want to be stuck here while almost everyone’s already outside enjoying the school festival. She gently puts her hand in front of Eunhyuk’s face and covers his face. “We’ll head over to the actual dancing stage.” She scoffs. “Ya, who do you think we are? We’ve done this more than three times! We know!”

Yuri giggles. “Eonni, he just wants to make sure.” She removes her friend’s hand and gently pats Eunhyuk’s back. “I’ll make it on time, oppa.” She bids her two friends goodbye and enters the hallway to go downstairs to have fun in the festival.

Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon line up together side by side. “Did you call them?”

Hyoyeon looks at Yuri turning a corner. “Nope. I texted them.”

“She knows the idols are coming, but not her Father.”

“I think she can handle him now. She passed that mountain already.”

He rests his arm on her shoulder and nods.

*

Yuri is outside of her school and sees many students and parents walking around.

Loud music is play here and there. A few students and people who pass by her stop just to greet her and welcome her as they express how happy she’s back into the dance for this festival. Some even asks if she’s going to do her ‘graduate song’ and she answers that it’s a secret.

When she sits on the grass from all the walking, she looks at the people all gathering around her. Her smile fades away when she sees a nearby father picking up his young daughter and swings her around and then hugging her. It reminds her of her late father.

“Appa.”

*

“Where were you two?” Yuri asks, as Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon walk through the door of the practice room.

They are fifteen minutes late.

“Oppa, weren’t you the one who reminded us non-stopped, and eonni, didn’t you say you’ve done this more than three times?” She stands up from her stretch, and the dance crew crowd around the couple for answer.

Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon push them aside.

Eunhyuk catches his breath first so he speaks, “We’re sorry. We were helping a few people along the way in getting around the school area.”

“Who?” Mr. Heechul asks. “They’re not suspicious people, right?”

Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk nod.

“No, they’re friends of ours,” Hyoyeon answers.

Yuri walks over to them in excitement. “Who? If they’re friends with you, do I know them, too?”

Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk look at each other at the situation they have accidentally put themselves into.

Hyoyeon takes a step forward. “Ah, no time for questioning.” She nervously walks to the crew. “Let’s practice for we’ll be on stage soon!”

Just like that, no secret is told.

*

The SHINee boys, Taecyeon, Yoona, Jessica, Lee Soo Man, and his wife are seated in the corner in the middle area away from easily spotted areas. They are very excited to have come to a place with few disguises as they’ll be in the dark. The stage is set up to look like a huge concert, but it’s really just outdoors with large tents hovering above them to keep the sunlight away.

It’s only a few minutes before the actual festival concert starts.

“Why is the graduation dance by Yuri eonni undecided?” A girl from a seat in front of the group asks.

Everyone hears and becomes attentive.

“Isn’t this her only chance to do one?”

Another student, on the left, engages with an answer. “I hear that this year hasn’t been going well for her.”

“What happened? What did you hear?” another girl asks.

“I don’t know. Usually they always update us via their personal homepage, but this time, since it’s the first time we didn’t get any news, everyone thinks it’s serious.”

The student on the right who first started the conversation gives her opinion. “I’m just sad that everyone’s done their graduation dance, but not Yuri eonni.”

The SHINee boys, Taecyeon, Jessica, Yoona, Lee Soo Man and his wife become alert when Key taps onto the lady’s shoulder. “Sorry, but what is this ‘graduation dance’ you’re talking about?”

The girl replies as if she doesn’t recognize Key or anyone behind her. “You must be new to this dance group.” She begins to explain from their history group in ecstasy. “This dance group became popular virally, and they’re practically loved by every school near here! They come up with their own songs, dance routines and even clothing lines! At school, as their tradition every year, a ‘graduation dance’ is given to a certain member chosen through a popularity vote online. This dance is a dance she or he makes to be like a legacy so that if they ever do leave the group, we can always have something to look at. In the dance, they only include the dancer and the newbie.”

“Newbie? What do you mean?” Key asks.

“Instead of just having the usual crew as back up dancers, every graduation dance will be the first debut performance of a newbie that they’ve personally allowed to be in their group for future performances.”

“So why is it important if she doesn’t do today?” Key continues to ask despite his situation.

“Yuri Eonni will be graduating next year, and it’ll be harder for her to do so when she’s going to apply for college,” the other girl answers.

Key thanks the girls and after they look up front, he gets a smacking from practically almost everyone. “What was that for?” he asks.

Taecyeon voices out first. “Ya, if we get found out, all the hard work we’ve been doing will be—” his words are cut when the stage lights are put on and music starts to play.

*

Yuri, backstage in her matching clothes with the rest of the members, is nervous.

She’s never been this nervous before. Is it because Appa’s not here? She perks her head up to glance at the huge audience.

Outside, Mr. Heechul is doing the greeting and hosting.

Or am I nervous because I know they’re here? She realizes something. She turns back and looks for Hyoyeon and Eunhyuk. She finds them on the opposite side. “Eonni! Oppa!” She calls out to them in a low voice.

They turn to her and walk to her.

“What is it?” Hyoyeon asks.

“You guys were late…was it because you two were helping Taecyeon and the others?”

They are caught. Eunhyuk and Hyoyeon nod.

“Yeah,” says Hyoyeon. “We figured we shouldn’t mention them since we didn’t want to lose your focus.”

Yuri sighs. She pulls out her hands and hugs them. “Aw, thanks, my friends!”

Their quick hug is interrupted when Mr. Heechul gives them the cue to enter the stage.

“Let’s do this!”

*

Within seconds of Yuri and her friends’ entrance, the crowd loudly cheers and claps. As the music turns on, a huge LED projector-like screen is shown above the stage.

Taemin grooves with the music and soon, the rest of his people follow. “Wah, she really dances beautifully!”

Jonghyun, sitting beside Minho whispers, “Isn’t she fabulous?”

Minho clicks his tongue. “Just watch your girl!”

Jonghyun laughs as he has fun teasing Minho about Yuri. “Too bad I’m not a player…or else, she would’ve definitely be another person in the party!”

Minho rolls his eyes as he knows Jonghyun’s messing around with him. Because they’re a bit far away so they won’t catch anyone’s attention, he looks up at the LED. He realizes his eyes are slowly shifting to looking at Yuri dancing.

Her beautiful thick black hair flowing all over, her seductive smile pulls him in every time she does a smirk.

He can’t help but be in daze. It reminds him o