Kibum's POV

I wake up to the smell of something sweet and roll off the couch and fall into the floor.

“Kibum-yah!” a voice calls and I crane my neck to find the person it belongs to.

“MeiXing?” I ask.

“Good morning,” she smiles and I instantly smile back.

“What are you doing up?” I ask standing up.

She hums for a second before saying, “I'm making breakfast.”

I walk over to the kitchen area and lean against the counter. “Smells good.”

“Jinjja! That’s great, I was scared you might not like American pancakes.”

I shake my head, “I guess we’re going to find out.”

She flips a pancake out of the skillet and onto a plate. “Here,” she says handing me her creation. “Oh, and use this too!” she points to a small brown bottle on the counter.

“Where did you get this?”

She shrugs and then laughs. “Don’t remember. But I guess my parents gave it to me. It’s good on the pancakes.”

I pour the syrup onto the flat cake and grab a fork.

“Aren’t you going to try it?”

I look her. “Not until you have some too.”

“It’s not poison,” she smiles.

“I know that, I was just waiting on you.”

Her lip becomes an instant ‘M.’ “Jinjja? You’re not making fun of me?”

I shake my head. “I thought we would eat together.”

She opens to say something but shuts it and returns to the other pancake. She fidgets with her hair and presses the cake lightly to the pan before flipping it onto another plate.

I grab another fork and two glasses of water.

“Aish, you don’t have to do that,” she says placing her hair behind her ear once again.

I laugh softly, “But dear, you made breakfast!”

She bites down on her lip and I can’t help but think about how cute she is.

“I’m joking,” I say waving my hand like I’m clearing the air.

She untucks her bangs from her ear. “Just eat it.”

I do and it’s sweet and soft. “This is amazing.”

“I was hoping you would like it,” she mumbles.

I smile at her and finish my pancake.

MeiXing's POV

I can’t help but act like an idiot. I stumble on flat ground walking next to Kibum and slur my words. Aish.

“So do you have family here?” he asks.

I shrug my shoulders, “The majority of my family lives in Osan. At least that’s what my grandmother tells me.”

“Hmm, that would make sense.”

“But don’t you think it’s a bit strange?” I ask.

“How so?”

“Well,” I begin. “If my family lives in Osan, then why did I have a one way trip to Seoul and no bus ticket to Osan? That means I was supposed to be here.”

“You do have a point. Maybe you’re working in the city.”

I laugh. “Why would I move all the way to Korea to be a designer? I can do that in California.”

He grabs my hand. “You’re a designer?”

My fingers start to go numb but I smile. “Not yet, but I’m hopeful. I like dressing people up and changing how they are perceived. I once made a hat that looks like a lotus blossom.”

“I want to see!” he jumps.

“Sure. I think I saw my sketch book in my luggage. There are sketches and then images of the final project.”

“You better show me. I could try and put a good word in for you,” he smiles.

I look at my hand and his. “You have those kinds of connections?” I ask uneasy.

“I do,” he half smiles.

We walk a short distance to his next interview before a boy stops him.

“Hyung!” the light hair boy says embracing Kibum with a hug.

“You walked too?” Kibum says in Korean

“Of course,” the light haired boy says. “It’s good for me.” He spots me and shares a huge grin.

“Annyonghaseyo,” I nod.

“Whoa, Hyung…where did you find such a pretty dongsang?” he says.

“Jugiyo! I’m older than you,” I say putting my hands at my hips.

“Omo, I mean Nuna.”

Kibum laughs, “She kind of fell out of nowhere.”

The boy smiles at me again. “I hope you’re being nice to Hyung.”

I nod. “Of course.”

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gah, finially i added a new character. Things should be coming full circle in the next few chapters. yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

~meimeng