Eun Ji stopped in her tracks and held onto her knees for support to her exhausted body. She ran quite a distance, hoping that the two men didn’t follow her pursuit. She was breathing heavily, while her face was covered in sweat. She wiped her face using the sleeves of her clothes out of primary need.

‘Eun Ji! You pabo! Why did you run!? Now they’re going to think you ARE a stalker. Ugh!'

Standing upright once again, the chubby girl looked back to the direction where she came from. With a sigh, she simply muttered to herself “I guess I’ll just have to come back later…”

--In front of NH Media Building--

It was already evening when U-KISS’ finished their practices. The members of the boy group were all walking out of the building and on their way to the van. Everyone decided to eat out in a nice dining place for dinner since most of the guys were all dead tired to cook up for themselves at home.

As Kiseop walked out the building with Kevin, his eyes caught something in a distance. He stopped on his tracks, confirming whom he had just seen in a far. Kevin noticed him stop, followed his gaze but he couldn’t see what he was exactly looking at. He turned to the newest member and asked.

“Hyung, are you coming?”

Kiseop jerked his head towards Kevin, and nodded before he spoke, “Aniyo. I remembered I had something to do. Sorry about that. You guys go ahead.”

“You want me to accompany you? It’s awfully dangerous to be alone now that you’ll be debuting soon.“ The long-haired blonde Korean offered out of good will.

Kiseop simply shook his head, and assured him with a smile. “Thanks, but no thanks. I think I’ll stand out much more if I’m with you.” He responded jokingly, chuckling a bit.

Kevin chuckled too and responded, “Arasso. Be careful on your way back.“

“Yah! Get your butts in here. Let’s go!” Someone shouted from the afar. Diverting their attention to their van that was parked meters away from them, they realized it was Kim Kibum.

Kevin muttered something under his breath, before he jogged his way towards him.

 “Coming!”

Soon, Kiseop watched as the van pulled out of the parking space and drove away to wherever their destination is. He watched and waved them goodbye as they left the premises of the NH Media’s property. He held onto his scarf and wrapped it more around his neck and wore a cap that somehow hid his eyes. Ready with his not-so-obvious disguise, Kisoep only had one thing in his mind and he let his feet lead the way.

--Inside a café nearby--

Eun Ji was sitting on one of the tables near the glass pane of the café. Her eyes looked around and realized there weren’t many customers in the store. Looking down in her chocolate latte drink she just ordered, she had a heavy sigh escaped her lips. Just beside her drink was the same fancy box of homemade donuts she brought for her brother since this morning. Unfortunately, she felt disappointed because she saw the van of U-KISS leave upon coming back. She felt she totally lost her chance. And the donuts are already cold.

Her hand took the cup of drink and sipped a bit from it. The sweet drink made her feel a little better, but she dreaded that going back home with the donuts undelivered would make her feel bad for wasting her mom’s effort with making it with her. Out of nowhere, she felt a hand ruffling her hair and heard a voice spoke “Annyeong~”. Her lips suddenly beamed in delight as she recognized the voice. She looked over her shoulder and realized it was none other than Lee Kiseop, her soon-to-be-brother.

“Oppa!”  Eun Ji chimed and placed down her drink. She stood up and gave him a hug in which he responded back.

They broke away from the hug, as they sat down together with him sitting just in front of her. “There you are, Eun Ji. No wonder you suddenly disappeared.”

“Omo, I thought you left already. I saw the van leave,“ she spoke, pouting.

“Aniyo. I spotted you awhile ago in afar. I’m pretty sure you won’t go all the way the agency for no apparent reason. ” Kiseop spoke as he loosened the scarf he had on his neck. It made him feel more comfortable.

Eun Ji chuckled, “You know me so well.” She continued, “Thanks, oppa. What do you wanna have? My treat!”

He raised a brow and said, “You sure? You know I can pay for it.”

“Nah, it’s okay. And besides, I have good news.” She clapped her hands out of excitement.

“Really? I wonder what this good news you were talking about.” Kiseop called for the waiter for the menu and ordered decaffeinated coffee. The waiter soon left to prepare his order while he waited.

He turned back his attention to Eun Ji once again and asked, “So, what’s up?”

My lips turned into a grin and said, “Omma and appa have finally decided on a date when to get married!”

“Bwo?! No way! When!?” He was surprised.

 “One year from now.”

“Aish! Why can’t it be any sooner?” He was obviously growing impatient with the whole marriage thing about their parents.

Laughing at his reaction, she spoke, “Relax. I think they’re just taking time of themselves”

Pausing from their talk, the waiter came back with his order. He said his thanks and took it, inhaling the bittersweet fragrance of the coffee. He took a sip from his drink, and cherished it. He watched as Eun Ji drank from her own drink and smiled. The good news was probably what made his day a lot better today, and he obviously can’t wait for it any longer.

“Finally, we’re going to be a family.” He said just like a big brother would be.

Eun Ji agreed, sensing the inner happiness from his words. She couldn’t help but be touched. “Yeah…”

Kiseop beamed a grin, as if he was a little kid. “And I can’t wait to tell the people around the world my newest little sister!”

She froze and stared at him for a second, but soon calmed down from his sudden statement. She didn’t expect this to be coming from him, “Thanks, oppa…” ‘Am I really worth it to be called your little sister…?’

Kiseop noticed the anxiety, but shrugged it off, thinking it must be his imagination it. He changed the topic, out of the blues. “Remember the old days?”

“Yeah, I sure do.” She sipped on her drink again, blurting “You used to hate me so much back then.”

He almost choked from his drink, and chimed “YAH! I almost burned my tongue.”

“Mianhe, mianhe~ I was just kidding.” Eun Ji laughed at his reaction

--Flashback--

It was finally dismissal. Kiseop was walking in the middle of the street, still in his school uniform. His father called up to him ahead of time, asking him to meet in a restaurant in the city. He mentioned it was an important meeting and he couldn’t disagree from it. He didn’t know what the whole deal with this meeting was, so it made him a little curious with the whole urgency of it. Dragging his feet towards the restaurant, he entered the establishment. He immediately spotted his father with two unfamiliar female companions. One was just a fat high school girl who had the same school uniform from his school, and the other one was a lady looked almost the same age as his father.

His dad recognized him in afar, and gestured him to come and join them. He simply nodded as he approached them. He greeted them and sat down beside his father, hoping to get this over with. After all, this meeting was unexpected and it was taking too much precious time from his training today. He was, after all, a trainee in an entertainment agency as of the moment.

The middle-aged man soon spoke, “Son, this is Moon Ji Hye & Moon Eun Ji. This is my son, Kiseop.”

The younger lad bowed, greeting them and introduced himself. In response, they introduced themselves too.

He turned his attention to his father, and asked. “Appa, why did you call me over?”

“Well, son, I want you to meet the family of the person I want to spend the rest of my life with“

Kiseop froze from the last words his father spoke. He looked at him wide-eyed in disbelief. The idea that his father decided to move on with his life wouldn’t sink in, especially after the death of his mother several years ago. He faced his father with his anger creeping out of his system. He couldn’t accept this woman and her child. To me, it’s a betrayal to his real mother.  He stood up from his feet, and almost shouted at him.

“Appa! Have you forgotten about mom!? How could you date someone else and forget about her!” He knew almost all eyes were on him, especially from the other customers of the establishment. Without wasting another second, he darted off the building, ignoring the commands of his own father.

He walked away briskly on the vast crowd on the streets, not even apologizing to few individuals who he accidentally bumped into. He was in not in the mood to apologize. He can hear a female voice calling him from afar, but he continued to ignore it.

“Yah, Kiseop-ssi! Wait up! Please listen to me for a bit.” The voice called. He glanced back, and realized his assumption was right. It was the fat girl back then.  He walked a bit faster, almost jogging in fact, and tried to outrun the girl who was chasing her. He was in no mood for a confrontation from the likes of her.

“Kiseop-ssi!” The girl called out once again. This time, she was jerked him by holding onto his arm. It surprised the lad, and it certainly ticked him off.

“Stop following me! We have nothing to talk about!” He growled, obviously losing his cool from the whole situation.

He didn’t expect the next thing that happened though. The girl suddenly bowed almost in 90 degrees in front of him, trying not to meet his angry eyes. The way she bowed down was something of feat from a fat girl like her. You know, when their belly fat is preventing them to bow down, it can lose the balance of the person, but no, she persisted to keep her balance. It caught the young lad in a pregnant pause before he finally spoke with a sharp voice.

“What the hell are you doing?”

The girl almost jumped at the sound of his voice but she did her best to maintaining her bowing posture. She was obviously shaking but she persisted,

“Kiseop-ssi! I beg of you! Please reconsider my mother!”

The girl pleaded, trying to maintain her balance while still bowing. She looked like she was trying to be a laughing stock in the middle of the street, but she didn’t mind.

“I know that my mom can’t replace your mother, but at least get to know her. She’s a really caring mother and had endured lots of hardships for me. I beg of you, please get to know her at least before you decide!”

Kiseop was slightly taken aback with her. Regaining his cool, he stared at her. From the tone of her voice, she was really serious about this whole deal with their parents. Suddenly, she rose up from her bow, revealing her persistent sincere eyes he had not seen before. Mentally, he was surprised, but he didn’t let his expression to falter one bit.

“I’ve never seen my mom so happy since appa died…” Then she bowed again, trying her best to convince him, “All I ask is you give her a chance!”

Kiseop didn’t know what to respond, nor did he wish to make a decision right away. He turned his back on her, and began walking away. He simply disappeared in the ocean of people, leaving her in dust.

It was already past midnight when he came back home. He entered his family’s apartment, and noticed all the lights were all out. He was about to go straight his room when he noticed light coming from his father’s room. The door was open, and he hesitated to look after all the commotion he did earlier. However, he shook his head, and took a peek inside as quiet as possible. On the floor, he saw his father sleeping in front of the picture of his mother. He had burned incense for her, and offered her favorite flowers, lilies. On top of the offertory box and her memorabilia was a letter. Curious, Kiseop sneaked inside, trying not to awaken his father. Quietly, he took the letter and opened it.

“My dear wife,

It’s been a long time since you left this world, and I still can’t help myself to miss you so much. You were the one who gave birth to our son and daughter, and took care of us until you took your last breathe. It was difficult ever since you left, but we did our best to keep the same way just like you were still with us. It took me years to move on, but I’m sure that this is also what you want. To live what is in the present and to work on our future.

I met a wonderful woman. She also had a daughter and she ran a café. She’s quite different and she may not be the same as you, but I know you will come to like her too. She reminds me of you and how you kept our family together. I wish that you may give your blessings to her.

Even if time passes, I will never forget you. You have always been a part of my life and my love for you would never change. Even if I am dating another woman, it’s still different when you were still around.”

“Appa…”

That moment, there were tears coming out from his eyes. Kiseop was struck with guilt. He realized that his father didn’t forget about his mother all along. Rather, he was doing it for him and his family. Placing the letter back on the closet, he took the blanket from a nearby bed, and wrapped it to his sleeping father. He turned off the lights and left for his room. He had finally come to a decision…

It had been days since his last encounter with his father. He hadn’t spoken to his dad either because he didn’t know to approach him. They became stagnant to each other. It was break time in his school, and as usual, he was staying on the rooftop break away from the stares of the students. Kiseop was an ulzzang, and it was the thing that was attracting him to other students. Leaning on the wall, he sat down and watched the clouds in the clear blue sky.

Out f nowhere, he heard a voice. “Kiseop-ssi.”

Kiseop simply looked at her and soon averted his attention elsewhere. He didn’t speak, but he knew she would keep on talking.

“Um… M-My mom is inviting you to our café. W-We were hoping if you can come and try our new recipes.” She gulped.

However, he didn’t respond. He simply minded his own business. Eun Ji felt that he was still upset with the whole dating of their parents, but she couldn’t blame him. He must’ve been shocked with the whole thing. Trying to break the silence, she stuttered. “Uh… I-It’s okay if you don’t want to--“

“I’ll go.” He cut her off.

The chubby girl was surprised; she had to confirm. “Y-You will?!”

Without looking, the young lad simply nodded. On his peripheral vision, he saw her bowed down too many times, overjoyed with his unexpected answer. He finally decided to give them a chance. He didn’t know what to expect from them, but staying up on his past wasn’t on his plan. He realized that keeping himself stubborn with the whole deal won’t help, but he did learn something important.

No matter what, his father still loves his mother even if death tore them apart. It was true love that kept them together.

The chubby girl exclaimed in happiness, before running off, leaving him in peace. “Thank you! See you after school!”

Under that same blue sky, Kiseop realized that moving on was probably the best decision he had ever made.

--End of Flashback. In U-KISS' Apartment--

It was pretty late when Kiseop came back from his meeting with Eun Ji. She let him bring home a box of donuts they made for them, which in return he happily accepted. He opened the door of the apartment where some U-KISS members were living. The clicking sound of the door somewhat announced his arrival. He entered the premises of the place and was soon greeted by Eli.

“Welcome back. What took you so long?”

The young lad slightly bowed and said, “Mianhe. I just met up with someone.”

Kibum suddenly popped out, jokingly said, “With your girlfriend?”

“Maybe~” He answered jokingly, gaining wide-eyed companions as he passed by the two.

“Mworago!?” Both Eli and Kibum said in unison, following Kiseop’s trail.

”Lee Kiseop! How come you’re not telling us everything!?” Kibum spoke demandingly, but Kiseop just ignored him.

Upon entering the living room, he saw Soohyun, Kevin, and Dongho on the couch, watching TV, while Alexander was sitting on the floor, reading a magazine. With a smile, he raised the box of donuts he had, and asked.

“I brought home donuts. It’s kinda cold, but we can heat it up. Who wants some?”

Upon hearing the ’donuts’, everyone raised their hand and chimed their excitement. Without wasting another second, they brought the food into the kitchen where they warmed it up and feasted on it. The donuts were soon wolfed down until nothing was left on the box, and simply left satisfied U-KISS members.

“Man that was probably the best donuts I’ve ever tasted.” Alexander said, his fingers clean.

“You can say that again.” Soohyun said after he drank from a glass of water.

Dongho asked out of “Hyung, where did you buy it?”

Kiseop answered nonchalantly “I didn’t. It was given to me.”

“By your girlfriend?” Eli again with a sly smile on his face.

“Maybe.” He shot back with a smirk. Kibum rolled his eyes, knowing that this isn’t going to bring anything.

“God, Kiseop. Not those answer again”

“Well, you’ll just have to get used to it.” Kiseop beamed in delight. He checked his wristwatch and realized it was past their usual bed time. “Let’s all call it a day. I’m bummed.”

The rest of the boys nodded in agreement. One by one, they left and went to their rooms, leaving Kiseop and Kevin. When Kiseop was about to clean up the table, Kevin stopped him and spoke, “I’ll clean up. You’re probably tired by now.”

“Ah, thanks a lot, Kevin!” Kiseop thanked him, and he left, yawning.

Kevin grabbed hold of the box, and looked at it carefully. ‘This box looks familiar...’

He swore that he had seen the packaging earlier, but he couldn’t really point out where exactly. The packaging wasn’t exactly store brought, but it was fancy enough to be considered one. He cleaned the table and threw the empty box on the trash, calling it a day.

Kevin didn’t realize it came from the girl whom he just accused of being a stalker earlier.

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Author's Note:

Hi there! Thank you for all the comments and subscribers who liked my story. I didn't expect for this kind of respond, honestly. As you can see, this chapter is pretty long so the next chapters might come out the same, so the updates night come out slow. I hope you guys can wait!

Love lots, Lumella ♥