Kyung-mi couldn’t sleep. She twisted and turned, hoping that she could miraculously find some comfortable position and fall asleep quickly. But she didn’t, and eventually gave up.

She yawned and checked her beside clock. 2 am. In the morning. Ugh… she rubbed her eyes and continued to stare at the ceiling. Almost instantly, she began to think of Kevin and smiled unconsciously.

I’m going back to Korea. For good this time. She had already started packing for the big move ahead. Her parents were also planning to send some of her other possessions once she got settled, but she still needed to pack the basics.  I can’t wait!

But with every good thing, there was a flip side – she wouldn’t get to see Kevin as much due to the fact she wouldn’t be working for NH this time. Can I really do this? I might not see him for weeks if he’s away touring. He’ll be up at night, practicing or going to fan meetings and I can’t even stand next to him.

We have to be careful when we go outside too, she realized. If the fans recognize Kevin and see me, rumors might fly. I don’t want to ruin his reputation and U-KISS’. That’s the last thing I want to do. Kevin loves singing, he’s found his place.

The question is, where do I fit into all this?

Pull yourself together Kyung-mi. She shifted in her blankets, anxious. You’re going, you love Kevin, and everything is going to work out, alright? Now go sleep somehow, or else you won’t have enough energy to be with Kevin later today.

=======================================================================================================

Somehow she managed to get some rest, and woke up at 9:15. Kyung-mi rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stretched. The mid-February sun was streaming through her blinds, as if the Earth too wanted Kyung-mi to wake.

“Mm…” she sniffed, smelling bacon and eggs wafting through her room. “Food!”

Mrs. Walters walked through the door, smiling at her daughter. “Let me get some food into that skinny body of yours. No leaving this house until you eat something!”

Kyung-mi stretched one last time and laughed. “Yes mom.” She stood up and followed her mom to the kitchen, where her father was sitting down, reading the newspaper.

“Hi daddy,” Kyung-mi gave her father a quick kiss before sitting down. “Anything interesting?” she asked, referring to the news. She poured herself a glass of milk.

“Mm… nothing really…” he flipped through the last pages and then put the paper down.

“Coffee?” his daughter offered, holding up his cup.

“Please.”

“Coming right up.” Kyung-mi poured a cup and put a little bit of cream. “So…” she muttered, passing the cup to him. “What did you think of Kevin?”

Her father grinned. “I was waiting until you asked me that!”

Kyung-mi smiled back. “So I take it he’s great then?”

Mrs. Walters entered from the kitchen, bringing in the plates of bacon, hash browns, and eggs. “He seems like quite the gentleman to me. What did you do in a past life to deserve him?” she said playfully.

Her daughter just stuck her tongue out. “Dad?”

“Honestly, I trust your judgment Kyung-mi… but if you want my honest opinion, I think he’s rather girlish looking. Other then that he’s fine,” he said, tucking into his eggs.

“It’s not girly, it’s angelic!” Mrs. Walters sighed, dismayed by her husband’s ignorance.

“What I want to know is if he’ll be able to protect you from others,” Mr. Walters replied. “I trust Kyung-mi, but I want to make sure that she’ll be safe in Korea.”

“Don’t worry dad, he’ll be protective when he needs to be.” Kyung-mi reassured her father. “When I’m gone, promise me you won’t take my candy.”

He shrugged. “Hey, you might be gone for a looooonnng time… maybe you won’t come back, ever!”

“Haha, maybe… Dad, don’t be in such a hurry to get me out of your sight.”

==================================================================================================

“Kevin!” Kyung-mi wrapped her hands around her boyfriend, taking in his scent and just him.

Kevin just smiled and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He gently untangled himself and held her hand instead. “Let’s go.”

Kyung-mi giggled, smoothing out her comfy sweater (per usual.) “Where are we going?”

“Hm…I was planning for a walk downtown… nice picnic lunch… relaxing in the park…” he pointed to the picnic basket at his feet. “…ice skating at night in that outdoor rink…”   

“Hahah! You’ve just got the whole day planned out, eh?” Kyung-mi said playfully, squeezing Kevin’s hand tightly.

“Pretty much… come on, let’s go.” He held her hand gently and the two began walking to the L.A shopping district. Twenty minutes in, Kyung-mi was drawn to the many small boutiques and Kevin happily followed her inside.

“What do you think?” Kyung-mi stepped out of the change room, wearing a white satin dress which seemed to gently hug her waist and then flow outwards from there. She twirled playfully so that Kevin could see, the knee length skirt fluttering like flower petals.

Kevin’s eyes went wide. She looks so beautiful. “I-it’s… a-amazing…” he gasped. “Words can’t describe how beautiful it looks on you,” he commented, blushing. He mentally smacked himself in the face. That is probably the cheesiest thing ever. Reeeaaaalll smooth Kevin.

Kyung-mi’s eyes glowed with the compliment. “It certainly is a beautiful dress…” She checked the price tag on the sleeve.

$150. Ouch, Kyung-mi winced. I want to save for Seoul… she looked at herself through the mirror. I’ll have to pass…

“It’s too expensive Kevin. I’ll find a better one,” she replied, stepping back into the change room.

“Wait,” Kevin held the curtains. “I’ll buy it for you.”

“W-what? Don’t!” Kyung-mi replied, shutting the curtains. “You earned that money yourself, you shouldn’t spend it on something as trivial as th-”

“What, I can’t buy things for my girlfriend?” he leaned against the adjacent wall, waiting patiently while Kyung-mi got dressed. “Just this once.”

“…er…” Kyung-mi usually considered herself a stubborn person, but if Kevin put it that way… “Thanks Kevin.” She stepped out, back into her tights, converse, and hoodie. She passed the dress to him, careful not to wrinkle it. “I owe you one.”

Kevin just simply gave her a gentle kiss. “Just promise me you’ll stay by my side forever, alright?” He immaturely held up his pinkie finger.

“For sure,” Kyung-mi giggled, intertwining her finger with his.

The rest of the morning passed by quickly, and Kyung-mi found herself sitting on a picnic blanket in one of L.A’s parks within the city while Kevin unpacked some sandwiches. He passed one to her while she observed the park. It was pretty much deserted – after all, it was February and who went out for picnics in the winter?

Obviously this couple did.

“This is really great,” Kyung-mi took a bite out of the sandwich. “Did you make it?”

“Maybe…” Kevin took a bite too as he sat next to Kyung-mi, casually swinging his arm around his shoulder. “I learned a few things from Chef Kiss after all.”

“Hehe…” Kyung-mi’s gaze fell after she realized what he said. He used to be on TV shows. Who knows if he’d get another offer to do one back in Seoul? That meant that she’d see even less of him.

“What’s wrong?” Kevin turned to face Kyung-mi, eyes worried. He didn’t like to see Kyung-mi stressed.

“Well…” she bit her lip. I should talk to him. “I’m just worried that when we go back to Seoul, since I’m not working at NH anymore, I won’t be able to see you often, if not at all. I want to make sure that I’ll be able to spend time with you. I want a normal relationship Kevin, honest and real.”

Kevin looked away for a second, but then stared at Kyung-mi hard to show he was serious. “Look, I know what you’re saying. And I’m going to tell you, no matter how busy I am, how many tours I have, whatever spare time I have or I can make, I’ll spend it with you.” He held her hand, pressing it against his lips. “I don’t want us to separate again. Not like… last time.”

“Yeah, me neither…” Kyung-mi rested her head against Kevin’s shoulder. “But I need to know that I’m not going into this… um, empty handed per se.”

“You aren’t,” Kevin replied. “I know there’ll be times when I’m gone for a long time. But the time I’m here, I promise, I won’t make you regret a thing.” Kevin kissed Kyung-mi passionately, hugging her close.

================================================================================================

“I guess I’ll see you soon Kevin,” Kyung-mi sighed, giving Kevin one last hug. They were standing outside her apartment complex and it was 11pm already. “My plane is tomorrow at 10am.”

Kevin sighed too. “I’m sorry I can’t be there to drop you off. U-KISS has some other promotional activities that-”

Kyung-mi lightly punched Kevin in the arm. “Yeah. I know.”

His face softened. “I’ll see you soon.” He kissed her gently, hand on her back. Kyung-mi responded with a quick kiss back and leaned her forehead against his. “I’ll miss you, even if it’s for a week.”

“At least it won’t be as long as before,” Kevin kissed her again, and then broke off. “You should go get some rest.”

Kyung-mi nodded, a wave of tiredness suddenly swept over her. They had an active day after all. “That sounds about right.” Her legs unexpectedly gave way. She tried to stand up, but her legs didn’t respond.

“Er…” Kyung-mi tried to hide a smile. “A little help?”

Kevin grinned and picked Kyung-mi up bridal style. “Anything for you, my dear.”

============================================================================================

“I can’t believe you’re leaving again,” Mrs. Walters said, hugging Kyung-mi. The Walters family was gathered again at the Los Angeles international airport.

-FLASHBACK-

"Mom, I'll be alright... don't worry about me," Kyung-mi Walters said to her mom, patting her mother's back. "Its only for a week... unless I get in."

"...and I know you will get in Kyung-mi Erin Walters! It's just we've never had you gone for so long!" Mrs. Walters said proudly and a little teary.

"Come on Jen, her plane is going to start the board-" Mr. Walters started.

"Good day. First call for plane 97 passage to Seoul International Airport is now accepting passengers with small children, seniors, or those traveling alone. Thank you."

"-ing," Mr. Walters finished.

Kyung-mi's heart thumped in anticipation. It was time. But suddenly, one last wave of doubts went through her mind. She could speak Korean and had lived there with her parents for eight years before she moved to the States and her father was invited to be a professor at Harvard University, but still she was unsure. She had never lived anywhere by herself (Its only going to be a week... I think) and the thought of leaving her parents from her sheltered home was a little scary. Her parents, seeing the doubt in her eyes, smiled proudly and gave her a classic Walters family hug.

"Off you go now hun," her mother said, tears gone and all smiles. "We'll miss you."

"I will too Mom. Try not to burn the house down when I'm gone, and do NOT let Dad eat my stash of gummy bears, an-"

Mr. Walters looked slightly offended at the fact his daughter thought he'd go so far to steal her candy (which happened most days), but quickly got over it and kissed her forehead. "You’re babbling." 

-END FLASHBACK-

Kyung-mi smiled and returned the hug. “Hopefully it’ll be for the last time.”

Mr. Walters nodded. “I truly hope it is.”

“Hello everyone. First call for Flight 56, passage to Incheon International Airport, American Airlines. First call for passengers with young children, seniors, or those traveling alone. First call.”

Hana, who had been standing awkwardly as the Walters exchanged their goodbyes, finally walked over. “Do you have the keys?”

Kyung-mi twirled the key ring with her right index finger. “Check.”

“Address?”

“Check.”

Hana grinned. “Looks like you’re all set. I’ll see you soon. The trainees - well technically we’re not really trainees anymore – are on a flight tomorrow.” The two girls hugged, a bond forged after months of dispute.

“You got it.” Kyung-mi looked at her parents and friend. “I’ll see you soon,” she said, adjusting the strap on her purse.

“Just go already!” Hana laughed, giving Kyung-mi a light push, breaking the silence.

“Fine fine, aish…” Kyung-mi turned and checked into her flight. Giving one last wave to her companions, she walked to the terminal.

This time, she looked back, hoping to see a glance of Kevin pushing his way through the crowd to say goodbye.

But she got no such satisfaction.

==================================================================================================

Kyung-mi slowly opened the door to the Choi family mansion. Hana had told her what had happened between her mother and father, but her mother decided to keep living in that house. She wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.

She stepped into the hallway, gaping. Two parallel staircases were spiraling up to the second floor. To her left was a huge living room complete with floor to ceiling windows, a billiards table, espresso machine, and small fridge use to store drinks. To her right was a family den, with comfortable looking couches and flush pillows.

I didn’t know that Hana’s family was so rich! Kyung-mi wondered, setting down her bags. She couldn’t help but skip through the whole house, looking through the various guest rooms as well as the pool deck and patio.

-FLASHBACK-

“Alright, here are the keys,” Hana said, passing over her key ring. “In the event that my mom isn’t there, then you’ll have to let yourself in. I’ve already filled my mom in on everything, and she’s excited to meet you. You’ll be back in Seoul on a Monday, but I’ll be back late Tuesday night.”

The two girls were sitting in Kyung-mi’s room early in the morning. Kyung-mi was all packed and the girls were just waiting for Mr. Walters to finish sending off a few work emails.

Kyung-mi nodded. “Thank you so much for everything Hana. But…” her gaze drifted to the window. “I swear I’ve forgotten about something…”

Hana cocked her head to the side.

The hoodie-clad girl’s eyes widened. She remembered. “Shoot! I forgot to talk to Leo!” She started to fidget with her jacket sleeves. “What am I going to do?”

Hana rolled her eyes, calm as ever. “Don’t worry, I’ll go talk to him for you alright? Leo’s a pretty chill person. I’m sure he’d understand…” But Hana regretted the words that came out of . He might end up resenting Kyung-mi for leaving him.

Kyung-mi shook her head. “You can go talk to him for me, but I should write him a note. Or maybe I’ll call him later, when I’ve landed… hmm…”

-END FLASHBACK-

Kyung-mi was abruptly awoken from her daydream by the sound of someone shuffling through the house. She rubbed her eyes, and noticed that she had somehow transported herself to a bedroom. Kyung-mi stretched and took a look around.

She was sleeping on a queen-sized bed with light blue covers. There was a French-door window leading to a balcony on her left, a walk in closet to her right, and a bathroom in front.

Slowly, the door into the hallway opened slowly. Kyung-mi turned to see a woman who seemed like she was around fifty-five but still had the vitality of youth step through the door. She had a tray of tea in her hands, as well as a small smile on her face.

“I’m assuming you’re Kyung-mi Walters. Hana told me a lot about you,” Mrs. Kang said. She had switched back to her maiden name, now that she was no longer married to a Mr. Choi.

Kyung-mi nodded and smiled as well. “Are you…”

“Call me Auntie Hye for short. Yes, I’m Hana’s mom.”

Of course she was. Hana really takes after her mom, Kyung-mi noted. Same face, figure...

“Thank you for letting me stay here while I get settled Auntie.”

“It’s Hana's and my own pleasure.” Mrs. Kang replied. “You know, when Hana saw you in L.A, she phoned me immediately. Honestly, I’ve never heard my daughter sound so…”

“Normal?” Kyung-mi grinned, taking a sip of tea.

Mrs. Kang shrugged, not the least bit offended. “Pretty much. She’s never had any real friends, you know. You’re her first.”

“It wasn’t easy!”

“Haha! I know.” Mrs. Kang checked her watch. “Well, right now its 7pm. If you’re hungry, we can go out to eat… or maybe if you’re too tired then do you want to rest?”

Kyung-mi’s stomach rumbled. The airplane food hadn’t exactly been fulfilling. “Food sounds amazing.” She liked Auntie Hye. She seemed like a gentle person who was brought up sheltered. But from what Hana told Kyung-mi, it seemed like Hana’s mom could really kick some if need be.

“Great. I’ll meet you downstairs in two seconds.”

================================================================================================

Ugh, so fluffy.

No drama... for now D:

Anyway, more important things will be coming up.

Look forward to it! ><

Hey guys, also if you could answer the poll down there, it would really help me out! Thanks guys <3

-dayturnstonight