After Sungmin’s verbal bomb, there were a few moments of silence as Ryeowook and I stared open-mouthed at the peeved Sungmin. Then, we exchanged looks and exclaimed in chorus, “HIM/HER?!” before making a gagging sound simultaneously. Our act was so seamless that we erupted into laughter, leaving a dumbfounded Sungmin staring at us in bewilderment.

I was laughing so hard that I doubled over, holding my abdomen as my body was wracked with laughing fits. Ryeowook was laughing so hard that he was holding on to Sungmin’s arm for support. Confused, Sungmin slowly released his grip on Ryeowook’s shirt, throwing a puzzled look at me.

“I… I…” I was trying hard to speak in between the short gasps that I was taking, “I… Oh my god… This is so funny!!!” Ryeowook, on the other hand, was kneeling on the ground, his face all red from laughing too hard.

“What’s wrong?” Sungmin asked, looking alternatively between us. I took a deep breath to calm myself down before looking at him in amusement. Ryeowook was also starting to recover from the hilarious misunderstanding. He got back onto his feet, wiping his tears of hilarity with the back of his hand.

Walking over to Sungmin, he gave him a pat on his back before breaking into a goofy smile, “I know the reason for your anger now. But I’m afraid there has been a misunderstanding here…”

“Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?”

“Well, Mr Righteous Lee,” I said while walking over to them with a smile, “Firstly, he really just nudged me. It was my own carelessness that almost caused me to fall down. Then, Ryeowook here,” I paused as I placed my arms around Ryeowook’s shoulders before continuing, “Is Heechul’s brother. BLOOD brother.”

“Bl-Blood brother?” Sungmin was slowly starting to get the picture.

“Yup. Ryeowook, this is Lee Sungmin, my housemate. Sungmin, this is Kim Ryeowook, my BROTHER.”

“Bro-BROTHER? N-Not……” Sungmin stuttered as he started to get all flushed up. Ryeowook and I nodded slowly in a serious manner before breaking into laughter again. Sungmin’s face was quickly turning crimson as he stood there. Suddenly, Heechul’s voice floated over from the nearby bus-stop, “YAH~ ARE YOU GUYS COMING OR NOT? THE BUS IS HERE~”

He was standing with his hands on his hips at the bus stop about 20m away, his stance suggesting his irritancy. “Come on! Let’s go before Heechul loses his temper again!” I urged the boys. We gathered up the remaining luggage, paper bags, as well as Ryeowook’s banner, and started running in order to catch the bus.

The bus that we took was a 10-seater minibus. Heechul sat right at the back alone, while the rest of us sat in pairs, Ryeowook and I in the front, Kyuhyun and Sungmin at the back. Except for Ryeowook and I who were chatting throughout the whole journey, everyone was very quiet.

“Maybe you should warn Auntie Yuri about the impending ‘storm’,” I whispered as I stole a glance at Heechul through the rear-view mirror. He was fast asleep. Ryeowook nodded as he pulled out his phone. While waiting for the call to connect, I used the rear-view mirror to check out the other two boys.

Kyuhyun was working at his Sudoku book again while Sungmin was still flipping through the magazine he was trying to read on the train. His previous blush had subsided, but he had a slight smile on his face as he muttered something under his breath. Then, sensing that someone was looking at him, he looked up and met my eyes in the mirror.

I flashed a smile at him and was about to turn behind to chat with him when Ryeowook’s call connected. “Omma?” He whispered softly as he covered the phone with his hand. Sitting right beside him, I was able to hear Auntie Yuri’s response.

“Ryeowook-ah? Have you managed to pick them up?”

“Ne~ We’re on the way back now,”

“That’s good, I’ve already prepared lunch, so come quickly okay?”

“Arasso. Omma, I have to tell you something,”

“Yes?”

“Brother is in a bad mood now, just thought I’ll let you know…”

“Mwo?! YAH! Kim Ryeowook! Do you think I’ll be afraid of my own son’s temper?!”

“Aigoo… I didn’t mean it that way, I just-”

“Arasso, arasso! Just get back fast. Bye,”

With that, Auntie Yuri disconnected the call. I smiled as I suddenly remembered that our warning serves no purpose as she was the only person in the household that is spared from Heechul’s tantrums as she was his nemesis. Just then, the bus came to a stop. I looked up and realised that we had reached the town centre.

Leaving me to wake Heechul up from his nap, the others proceeded to move our many items off the bus. Soon, we were stepping on the exact same route that I took last year whilst leaving here with a heart heavy with longing and worries. Now, treading on the same ground, my heart was filled with anticipation instead.

It was a 10 minutes journey on foot back to our house, and with the searing summer sun bearing down on us, it was pure torture. Luckily the boys were carrying the bulk of the luggage, and I was just carrying some of the light items. By the time the familiar yellow house came into view, I could not wait to get some well-deserved rest.

“YONNI!!!” came Auntie Yuri’s cheery voice. She was standing by the gate, looking out anxiously for us. After missing her for so long, just the mere sight of her immediately recharged me as I started running towards her, dashing right into her open arms.

“AUNTIE YURI!!! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!!” I exclaimed as I gave her a tight hug, accidentally hitting myself as the stuff I was carrying rebounded from their forward lurch.

“I missed you too, honey! How was your year? Are you adapting well in your new school?”

“Ne~ I’m adapting well… But my year was not good because Auntie Yuri was not by my side!!!” I whined as I tightened my hug around her. In my mind’s eye, I could imagine Heechul and Kyuhyun rolling their eyes at my comment.

“Aigoo… You’re a grown girl now… How can Auntie Yuri always stay by your side? I’ll be hindering you when you get a boyfriend!” she cheekily replied with a wink as she released me from her embrace, holding on to both my arms. Then, pivoting me 360 degrees, she looked at me from head to toes before remarking, “Aish… You seemed to have lost weight! Yah! Kim Heechul! Didn’t you feed Yonni well?!”

“Mwo?!” Heechul answered with a sudden abrupt turn to face her, “Feed her? She’s not my pet!” Shaking her head, Auntie Yuri motioned for Heechul to come forward for a hug. With a horrified face, Heechul attempted to slip past her, but he was pulled into an unwilling embrace before he got past the gate. “YAH! Don’t you miss your mother at all after being away for one whole year?!” She scolded as Heechul tried to wriggle out of the hug.

“Aish, I’m a grown man now! Save me all these hugging mushy stuff!” Heechul answered through gritted teeth, “Besides, there’s so many people watching now! Do you know how embarrassing it is?”

“Embarrassing? Who was the person who came crying into my arms at the town square when a bird accidentally poo-” 

“YAH! THAT WAS WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD!!!!” Heechul cut Auntie Yuri off anxiously, his face turning red from the recollection of the humiliating incident. She gave a shrug before continuing, “Since you think hugging your own mother is embarrassing, then I should let them know what a cry-baby you were when you were yo-”

“ARASSO ARASSO!” Heechul yelled as he hurriedly pulled Auntie Yuri towards the house, “Come on! We don’t have all day! I’m starving!”

After leaving the luggage cases and paper bags near the staircase, we settled down around the table where all the dishes had been laid out. The dining table usually can seat up to 6 people, so we didn’t have to add in any chairs. Soon, we were comfortable seated, and I was in charge of scooping rice for everybody as I was sitting right next to the rice cooker.

“So, I still don’t know your names?” Auntie Yuri started as she picked up her chopsticks, looking at Sungmin and Kyuhyun with a big smile on her face.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Sungmin answered, pushing his chair back as he stood up and gave a proper 90-degrees bow, “My name is Lee Sungmin, but you can call me Sungmin,”

“And I’m Cho Kyuhyun, you can just call me Kyuhyun,” Kyuhyun said as he too gave her a proper greeting.

“Sungmin and Kyuhyun. Okay, I got it. Please take a seat, the food is getting cold soon,”

Nodding, they took their seats again. Several quiet moments passed and the only sounds in the dining room were the clicking of the chopsticks against the porcelain bowls. Then, Auntie Yuri broke the silence again by addressing Sungmin and Kyuhyun directly, “Do you all eat out often in the city?”

“No, we usually eat at home. Yonni’s our head chef,” Sungmin answered brightly. I looked up from my bowl and caught his eyes, exchanging a small smile with him. He seemed to be in a better mood compared to the earlier part of the day.

“You better eat more now. I doubt you guys had any peaceful meals lately right?” Auntie Yuri’s tone made me turn to look at her curiously.

“Omma, what are you trying to say?” Ryeowook asked in between bites.

“I’m saying that these two poor kids probably didn’t eat well lately because of my babo son’s bad temper,” Auntie Yuri answered casually, causing Ryeowook and I to choke on our food in shock. Coughing furiously, I stole a glance at Heechul, who was giving me his infamous death-stare. Panicking, I pointed to Ryeowook, trying to push the blame for Heechul’s wrath onto him.

However, as I turned back to look at Ryeowook, he was staring at my accusing finger with his bowl held up to his mouth and his face stuck in a stunned look. “Mw-” I cut off his exclamation with a hard stomp on his foot. Looking back at Heechul, he was still glaring at me squarely. Desperate for help, I nudged Ryeowook again just as Heechul made a move to throw his chopsticks in our direction. Luckily, Auntie Yuri stopped him, “Heechul-ah! What are you doing with the chopsticks?!”

Making use of the chance where Heechul was distracted, I sent a pleading look to Ryeowook. He reflected the pleading look that I sent to him by shaking his head slightly. “Brother Ryeowook~” I whispered softly, pulling at his sleeve, “Help me out this once…”

“You’re the one that asked me to tell Omma~” Ryeowook whined softly as he tried to discreetly tug his sleeve out of my fingers.

“I’ll have to face him more than you do! You’ll only need to face him for these two months! By the time he sees you at the end of the year, he will have forgotten about this incident!” I reasoned, speaking through slightly parted lips.

“But I’m the one that have to stay in the same room as him for these two months! I’m in more mortal danger than you are!”

“He won’t kill you! You are his blood brother! He’ll take kinship into consideration!”

“You’re his sister too! He dotes on you the most~”

“He’ll need your blood if he ever gets into an accident!”

“My blood type is A!! His is AB! How am I sup-” Ryeowook stopped halfway in his sentence as we both caught what Auntie Yuri told Heechul.

“Stop glaring at Yonni! It was Ryeowook that told me,” was what she commented after she caught Heechul glaring at me angrily.

YEAH! Go Auntie Yuri!!!

Ryeowook hung his head low in defeat as he resumed eating. However, Heechul did not seem to buy her story as he continued shooting daggers at me through his eyes whilst eating. Afraid for my life, I did not dare to look up as he was sitting right opposite me. Beside me, Ryeowook too kept his head down, eating profusely out of his bowl.

Through the corner of my eye, I saw Heechul eating with agonising speed, his eyes never leaving us. Desperate to stay at the dining table but being too full, I kept scooping extra rice for Ryeowook, urging him to keep eating. Poor Ryeowook did not even dare to look up to get more of the dishes and was just eating bowl after bowl of plain rice.

After his fourth bowl of rice, he incurred the rage of his unknowing mum, “Aish, Kim Ryeowook! Haven’t you eaten rice before in your whole life? Kyuhyun and Sungmin are going to think that I’ve been starving you!”

Ryeowook turned his head slightly to throw me a helpless glance as I switched to piling his bowl with heaps of vegetables and meat. “Auntie Yuri, he’s hungry after standing at the hot platform in the summer heat while waiting for us! Not to mention he had to help me carry the heavy bags!” I said as I tried to help him out.

“Stop eating! You will still have dinner later! You’re gonna become a pig!” Auntie Yuri lashed out at my poor saviour before picking up her bowl and continued eating. Stealing another glimpse at Heechul, his fury was now directed at Ryeowook as he was burning holes into Ryeowook’s head as he glared at him. I gave a soft sigh and kicked myself mentally for being such a weakling, asking Ryeowook to shoulder the blame for me.

After lunch, we started moving the stuff into our respective rooms. I got back my own room while Ryeowook gave up his room for Kyuhyun and Sungmin as he shifted temporarily into Heechul’s room. Ryeowook came over to my room to escape from Heechul’s fury, using helping me as an excuse.

“My room’s dust free!” I said, looking at Ryeowook happily.

“Omma cleans up your room and Brother’s room almost everyday, just to keep it clean for you guys. You know how fussy Brother is about cleanliness… I…” Ryeowook paused as he suddenly grew quiet, running his hand along my bedpost distractedly.

I frowned, “Ryeowook, what’s wrong?”

“It has been so quiet ever since you left, there’s only Omma and me left at home…  The house gets too quiet sometimes…” He started sniffling. I walked over and gave him a huge hug, “Come on… Just endure it for another half a year okay? Then we can have lots of fun and never be apart!”

Ryeowook was a quiet and shy person. While we’re at school, I was always the one making friends then introducing them to Ryeowook. He, on the other hand, was more accustomed to following Heechul and I around. When I had to leave last year, I could sense that he was really unwilling to let me go. However, in order to make me feel more assured, he had put on a false façade of excitement.

“Why didn’t you call us more often?” I asked as I released him from my arms.

“I… I didn’t dare to…”

“WHAT? Why?! I didn’t know calling us was that scary!”

“No! It’s just… You two must be leading very busy lives in the city… I was afraid I would be taking up your time…” Ryeowook answered timidly as he threw a soft glance at me.

“Babo! I’m very free in the city! There’s nothing much to do actually. I just go to school and come back home, go to school and come back home. The same routine everyday.” I lied as I smiled brightly at him. The thought of Ryeowook being all alone here made me feel guilty, and I didn’t want him to feel like he was distracting me from my life.

“I can’t call too often too… You have your life to lead…” Ryeowook pouted a little, sitting down on my bed. My heart wrenched a little when I heard the sadness in his voice. That’s him for you. He will always put others before himself.

“Hey,” I walked over and took his hands in mine before continuing, “Ryeowook, you’re part of my life too right? You’re my most beloved brother! How can I lead my life with one part missing?”

“Really? Do you really think about me when you are in the city?”

I took out the small teddy bear that represented the close bond between the three of us, “See? I even brought Mr Teddy back! Remember how you would sleep with me whilst holding my hands after I have a bad dream?”

“Ne~ Do you still get bad dreams in the city?!” His gentle eyes were filled with concern.

“Ne~ But you’re not there to hold my hands, so I hugged him instead!” I answered, hugging the teddy bear before continuing, “I told him, ‘Yah, my best brother is not here to comfort me, so I’ll treat you like him okay?’,”

Ryeowook finally gave a small smile, “You still have Heechul,”

“Eek.” I retched exaggeratingly, “Can you imagine him holding my hands and coaxing me back to sleep? It’s like having a dinosaur hold your hands. I think my bad dream will get worse!”

We laughed. Just then, a soft knock interrupted our bonding session. Ryeowook got up to answer the door while I moved back to my luggage case in the corner of the room. “Oh! It’s you! Come on in!” I heard him said as somebody came into the room, followed by the soft thump of the door as it closed behind that person.

I turned around, with my arms filled with clothing articles, to find that it was Sungmin. He had a nervous look on his face as he stood by the door in discomfort, looking at Ryeowook directly. Throwing my clothes onto my bed, I sat down and started hanging them onto the hangers, while looking at Sungmin curiously.

He was rubbing his hands uneasily as he opened and closed his mouth alternatively, not being able to find the right words to say. Ryeowook and I exchanged looks before shifting our attention back to Sungmin. Apparently he’s here to talk to Ryeowook ever since he entered the room, he had yet to catch my eye.

All of a sudden, he bowed deeply at Ryeowook. Surprised, Ryeowook took a step backwards before asking, “Sungmin-sshi, why are you bowing to me?”

“I’m sorry for my actions at the train station just now. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive,” Sungmin answered, still in his bow.

“Ani, ani! It’s okay, you were mistaken! I don’t blame you,” Ryeowook answered, using his hands to pull Sungmin up, “Besides, now I know my sister will be well protected when someone bullies her!”

“That’s right, Sungmin! When Heechul or Kyuhyun bullies me, I’ll know who to go to!” I remarked, giving Sungmin a cheeky wink. Sungmin gave a shy smile before shifting uncomfortably on his foot, “Urm… I’ll go back to my room first…”

“Okay, tell Kyuhyun and Heechul to finish unpacking quickly so I can bring you two sightseeing around town!”

He flashed an ‘OK’ sign to me as he left the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he left, Ryeowook turned to face me with a big smile on his face. Thinking that he was smiling to Sungmin’s behaviour, I commented casually as I stood up to place my clothes into the wardrobe, “Sungmin-sshi is a very nice person. He’s probably just tired from the preparation and the travelling. Do you know he was the one that accompanied around the city to buy all the stuff we need? He even brought hand-gifts for you guys… Oh ya, speaking of which… I accidentally brought his gifts into my room. Should let him hand it out instead. Hmm…”

“Is he always so impulsive back home?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, walking over to my empty luggage case that was lying on the floor.

“I mean,” Ryeowook started moving closer to me, his voice getting softer, “Is he always so attentive to you?”

“Attentive? Oh come on, he was just being righteous… He probably thought you were my boyfriend and was abusing me or something,”

“How about jealousy?”

“Why on earth would he be jealous? You’re not making any sense now,”

“Oh come on, out with it!” his face was filled with excitement, “Is there something going on between you two?”

“What are you trying to get at?” I asked, closing my luggage case with a loud snap, sliding it under my bed.

“He’s interested in you,”

“What?! Sungmin?” I gave him a shocked expression, “Why would you think that?”

“Because I'm a bystander? And the bystander can see best?”

“Hmph, apparently this bystander needs spectacles,”

“Didn't you see the smiles he keeps sending in your way?”

“He smiled at everyone! You, Auntie Yuri, even Heechul!”

“The smiles he gives you are different!”

“Hey, I stayed with him for 6 months. Don’t you think I would be able to feel something if he really likes me? Girls are more sensitive in this kind of things!”

“Well… Maybe you are eliminating the possibility! Look at how you are reacting now!”

“Kim Ryeowook, you really are getting very bored here right? What? You are trying to be a matchmaker now?”

“Aish, An Yonni! I’m just trying to be a brother to you! You said I am part of your life right?! I’m trying to let you see your potential life partner!”

“How about you go out now,” I started as I pushed him towards my room door, “And play your part by getting ready to leave the house! I’ll meet you in 15. Get the boys,”

“I-”

“See you later!” I cut him off before he could make anymore ridiculous assumptions. Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it and digested Ryeowook’s words.

Sungmin?

Interested in me?

Could it be possible?

I felt my face getting redder as I pondered about the possibility. “Why on earth would he like me?” I asked myself, “It’s not like I’m gentle or anything. I’m practically like a boy in front of him! Boys all like gentle and demure girls right?”

I walked over to the mirror by the windows and examined myself. I looked decent, with long, jet black hair and an acceptable face. My skin is quite fair, and I am pretty tall.

But…

Staring at the T-shirt and jeans that I was wearing, I was reminded of the look on Sungmin’s face on the day of Heechul concert when he saw me in make-up and a nice dress for the first time. I still remember that he was speechless, and he even blu-

Wait!

An Yonni!

Why do you remember that?!

“AISH!!! Do you really think it is possible for Sungmin to like you?” Just debating about it made me frustrated. No wonder people always say that affairs of the heart are nothing but trouble. I shook my head hard, trying to get the thought out of my head.

“Kim Ryeowook! It’s all your fault! AISH!” I scolded as I pointed at Mr Teddy, who looked back at me with an innocent face.  Not wanting to think about the issue anymore, I grabbed a hair-tie and bun up my hair, leaving my room to meet the rest for our afternoon programme.

[A/N]

Hey my dear readers! I'm so sorry that this update took so long! Hope this chapter was satisfying to you all =) Stay tuned for more fun incidents that happened during their summer vacation!

Comments pls!!!!!

Saranghaeyo!