I wanted to sleep longer, but the smell of London is too much to be resisted. My eyes immediately shot up as soon as the scent entered my nose, awakening every sleeping nerves inside of me. Then, I shot up and my eyes adjusted to a new set of surroundings.

Last night, I slept in District 12. Today, I woke up in Asgard. There is a small round table at the corner of the room, the walls are painted white and a large painting of Chris Hemsworth was placed across from my sight. Only the door and the bed remained the same. The room was simple, yet it freaked me out.

I was about to scream at the top of my lungs when Jiyong suddenly entered the room. My mouth was left agape, and he looked at me with dry amusement. “Good morning,” He greeted, smiling while holding a tray with food on it.

“I-I-“ I stammered first, because my mouth was still wide open. Quickly, I closed it up and replied, “Good morning, to you too.”

He held the tray high up as if to emphasize he was holding one. “Mom told me to eat breakfast with you in bed.” Then, he looked around. “Welcome to Asgard, I suppose. I’m Thor by the way.”

He wasn’t wearing any costume though.

“My nephew wore the costume.” He said, answering my question and I notice that his ears were flaring up. “He’s better in cosplaying than I am.”

Jiyong sat beside me, and placed the tray in front of us. “Mom cooked bacon, hotdog and eggs. She’s trying to work on British breakfast, but failed in her first attempt. So, I told her to stick on the usual breakfast to save time.”

I grinned, so wide I thought my muscles felt strained and Jiyong responded with a kiss on the forehead.

So much for a normal morning.

Jiyong brought me to the park, which was very unexpected. “Sandara is in the park.” He said as soon as we arrived, and laughed. That’s when I realized he was trying to pull off a joke, but because I was too slow on things, he was the only one who laughed hysterically. Passers-by look at him as if he was from the mental, and I have to wait for him to stop, which was about 15 minutes, before I suggested we go to the secluded part.

“Sorry,” Jiyong said when we started walking, and held my hand. “I thought of going in the park last night when you were sleeping, but the joke just came in when we arrived so I kind of broke down unexpectedly.”

I murmured inaudibly, and gave time for myself to appreciate my surroundings. Different kinds of trees pollute the park in a refreshing kind of way, a kind of get-up people who want to get out of the city stress and pollution temporarily. The ground was not made of cement but rather from grass, and it was trimmed, which made the other people inside the park walk barefooted. I hummed appreciatively and said, “Wow”

“You want to walk barefooted also?” Jiyong asked, curiously and I turned to him to nod, eagerly. He gave out a hearty laugh and said, “Okay.”

He was the first one to remove his shoes before I am, because he wants to check the grass first before I step. Then, he told me to step on his feet before I step on the grass because he said, “It will add more thrill, and can make you relax more.” while smiling. Jiyong held my waist as I stand on his own feet, and I wrapped my hands around his neck.

“Count to three with me before you jump onto the ground.” He commanded, smiling up at me, and I nodded, too much thrilled to speak.

We counted in unison. “One. Two. Three.”

Then he helped me jump onto the grass. The tension inside of me ceased, and the things I only feel was the soft grass against my feet and Jiyong’s hands on my waist. I sighed, and closed my eyes.

“What do you feel?” Jiyong asked, his amusement evident in his voice.

I inhaled, and answered breathlessly, “In cloud nine.”

He kissed me on the forehead; too suddenly I just let it slip. “You’re cute.” He reasoned out, smiling but I was too happy stepping on the soft grass to answer properly. I only murmured inaudibly, and fortunately, he accepted it with a chuckle.

Jiyong starts to guide me forward so we could start walking. The grass blades felt ticklish against my feet, continuously rubbing my nerves and kind of massaging it. I opened my eyes and said, “Thank you.”

“Well, I didn’t know about this park until recently when we cooled off. I remember running from school, and accidentally discovered this.” Jiyong replied. “But you’re welcome.”

My eyes wandered around, and I caught sight of a complete happy family. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always dreamed of having one. You know, with a father? When my father left us, he told me a million times that he needs to do his duty and to do that, he needs to leave us. He wants us to be not in reach, to be safe within his work because he doesn’t want his work to influence our lives. Back then, with a child’s pea brain, I thought he just wanted to leave and was just making excuses but just recently, after Jiyong and I’s supposed to be breakup, my mother taught me double meanings.

There are hidden meanings on words, that was she said one day when we were watching television. I thought it was one of her out-of-the-blue words, but when she started to tell me how she met my father, I immediately got the thought that she was giving me clues. My father didn’t leave us because he was selfish. He left us to save us from something.

I felt a shake in my hand. “Sandara, you okay?” I heard Jiyong ask, hastily and I nodded.

“You seem lost.” He said. “Are you thinking of something?”

I shook my head, afraid that he’ll get mad if he finds out I’ve been thinking of my father. If there’s someone Jiyong has a grudge on more than anyone else, well, that would be my father. He said he can’t forgive him for making my life miserable. I thought he was just being sweet at first but when I told him a story about my father, he just started throwing tantrums that I have to hold his hand and continuously promise not to bring my father up to our conversation again.

Jiyong led me to an unoccupied bench, where people don’t even bother to visit. I sat down gingerly, and sighed. “You have to place my father somewhere there in your heart. He’s my father, you know that right?” I looked at him with hope. Please my dragon; I just need your permission before I accept the internship.

“I can’t.” Jiyong replied, hastily. Oh great. “You know I can’t.”

I sighed. Here goes nothing. “Listen, Ji. He’s not as bad as you think. My mother, she had given me clues of the real reason of my father’s disappearance. He didn’t leave us because he doesn’t love us, but because he wants to protect us from something.” I turned to him, and held his hand between mine. “I’m going to find him in France, Ji. There’s an internship opportunity for me there. They said after six months of internship I could get the job. It’s not bad. I could find my father and at the same time fulfill my dreams of creating landscapes—“

I was cut off when he tore his hand away from my grasp, and regard me sharply. “Dara, you are asking too much at the same time. I can give you my permission to search for your father, but go to France?” He sighed. “You’re going to leave me again?”

Oh my scarred little dragon. I reached for his cheeks and cupped them with my hands. “I’m not going to leave you.” I clarified, trying to soothe him with my voice. “You know you can go with me.” I smiled at him. “No, I’m asking you to go with me. I can’t go there alone.”

“What?” He suddenly asked, raising a brow as he looked up at me. “What are you babbling about, woman?”

Oh my playful little dragon now in the mood. “Yah!” I slapped his left cheek lightly. “Don’t call me like that. It’s disrespectful.”

“You sound like you’re already an old woman.” He pouted, and then his eyes lit up with deviance. “Maybe I could switch my nickname for you from babe to ahjumma.”

I glared at him and challenged him, “Do so then I will leave for France first thing in the morning tomorrow and leave you here.”

Jiyong suddenly hugged me and cooed, “Ahh, my baby so hard to tease. Of course, I’m joking. I will never call you ahjumma.” He smoothed my hair as I smile in triumph. Ha! Serves you right! “So, when we will book our flight?”

“Ahjumma~” Jiyong said, poking my left cheek. I grunt, loudly to give emphasis and just continue to read. You see, his promise of not calling me ahjumma was only until we had asked the permission of our parents and had booked our flight to France. After that, when we lay still on my bed to wait for dinner, Jiyong started to call me ahjumma.

I felt him roll sideways to the left then to the right and finally, back to my side. He poked my cheek once again and called, “Ahjumma~”

“Stop it.” I only responded and continue to read, though actually, I am not reading. He is too much of a disturbance for me to concentrate.

He crumpled his fists, placed them near to his cheeks and moved it accordingly while saying, “Bbuing Bbuing~”. I turned my head at him with a scowl on my face and said, deadpan, “Stop it, you’re not cute.”

Jiyong pouted, and complained, “Ahjumma~ That’s so mean~”

“Yah, Kwon Jiyong!” I shouted, louder than I intended. “What’s with that accent? And don’t you show me your aegyo because it would never work. I still won’t talk to you!”

He placed his hand on his chest, and exaggeratedly said, “I am deeply wounded. You have hurt my ego.”

I rolled my eyes and contradicted, “You don’t have an ego.”

“Yah,” Jiyong said and pulled the book out of my sight, then toss it somewhere in the room. “What’s wrong with you? I know it’s not the nickname ahjumma.”

“I-“ I started, fidgeting and looking down at my twisted fingers. “I don’t like the nickname ahjumma.”

“You don’t say.” He replied. “But you aren’t going to stop me. I’m going to call you whatever I want.”

“I know.” I agreed and paused for a while. “Do you think my father will like me?”

Jiyong reached up to tuck the strands of my hair covering my face behind my ear. “He’s going to like a daughter like you.” Then, he smiled up at me. “You’re just one among the seven billion people in the world.”

“That sentence is like a record that’s used too much it can’t be played anymore.” I commented.

“What about,” He paused for a moment to think. “Because I love you?”

I pushed his face. “Too greasy.”

He caught my hand before I withdraw it back. “What about you wait until I write 101 things why your father will like you.”

I was about to say something when the door flew open and we both turn towards it with haste.

“What about you both stand up and go downstairs because it’s already dinner.” Sanghyun said, monotonously then looked at Jiyong. “Your parents are here.”

Jiyong bolted up from the bed. “No!”

Sanghyun crossed his arms, and gave me the I-hate-them look. “I’m still against the idea.”

“It’s not for you to decide.” I say, standing up. “As my brother, you just have to support me to what I want to do.”

He sighed. “As your brother, it’s my right to correct my sister when she’s making the wrong decision.”

“It’s not a wrong decision.” I scowled up at him. “And why are you so stingy towards Jiyong?”

“I am never going to accept him, ever.” Sanghyun clarified. “It’s just always the same. Everyone who enters our lives just leaves.” He looked down. “You’re just going to hurt yourself.”

“I’m done hurting myself.” I said as I walk past him. “It’s time to make myself happy.”

As I walk farther from him, I can clearly hear his ragged breathing and I know it’s because he’s crying. Before I disappear downstairs, he said, loud enough for only me to hear, “And now you’re going to leave me?”

My lips stayed set.

“I’m so excited with the France trip. When did you schedule it?” Jiyong’s mother asked Jiyong hastily, even before my mother could serve the food she cooked. I was parallel to him, because his father said that we should be apart on a family dinner and I was glad we are apart. Sanghyun doesn’t look good now that his eyes are swollen.

“Right after graduation we’re leaving. Sandara has an internship scheduled the day after.” Jiyong coolly answered, his eyes digging right on mine.

Jiyong’s mother looked around, and her eyes darted on Durami. She smiled and excitedly asked, “Durami-yah, you look so much like your sister. Do you also have a boyfriend?”

Durami spared a glance on Sanghyun before answering, “Sanghyun oppa will kill him before I can answer yes, so I don’t have.”

Intrigued and with a raised brow, Jiyong’s mother's attention shifted on Sanghyun. At first she was shocked, but then it turns to amusement just as quickly as she comments. “Sanghyun-ah,” She started. “Why are your eyes red?”

Sanghyun sighed impatiently. “I scrubbed them too much a while ago. I forgot to wash my sheets. You know,” He looked at Jiyong and emphasized, “We don’t have maids to do that for us.”

I kicked Sanghyun’s foot under the table, because grabbing him by the ear is not an option in front of Jiyong’s parents. Before Jiyong’s mother could reply, my mother suddenly entered joyfully, carrying a big tray with large roasted pork on it. That costs a fortune!

My mother must’ve seen my reaction, because when I looked at her for an answer, she just winked. “I’ve ordered roasted pork!” She gladly said and placed it on the table. “Wait a minute, I’ll just go get my specialty and the rice.”

I was about to follow her when she added, “Sandara, don’t follow me!”

Jiyong’s mother talked again, “I have so many friends in France. I could get you both a house to live in for free. You can save money through that.”

I smiled and bowed my head a little. “Thank you.”

“Add a little ‘eomma’ there, okay?” She said and I only answered with a shy smile, which she replied once again with a wink.

My mother appeared again, and placed the ddeubokki and rice on the table. As if on cue, Sanghyun suddenly stood up from his seat and bowed. “Excuse me, but I have training today.” He excused himself.

I bit my lip and whispered, “Yah, Park Sanghyun!”

“Please don’t wait for me. I’m going to sleep there.” He added, and disappeared.

“Oh, I thought he was going to have dinner here.” My mother commented, and suddenly shouted, “Say hi for me to your friends! Especially Mir!’

“I will!” We have heard him reply before the sound of the door closing.

My mother occupied Sanghyun’s seat, and smiled at Jiyong’s family. “He’s training in JYP Entertainment. He wants to be a performer when he grows up.” She explained to them. “The training is going on every day, which explains why he’s rarely here in the house. He needs to go to school in the morning and then training in the evening.”

And then, I shut them all off.

I stared at my phone.

12:00 a.m

I am already on my bed, in my pajamas and not sleepy. I wanted to sleep, but I am too anxious and worried to sleep. Is France really the right choice?

I was about to place my phone on my bedside table when my message tone suddenly rang. I opened my phone and saw Jiyong’s message.

If I was France, I am lucky for running in your mind.

I stuck my tongue out at it. Another message came in.

Don’t stick your tongue out at me.

“I’m going to sleep.” I said. Another message came in.

Don’t sleep until you’re replying.

“Yah! Do you have a CCTV installed inside my room you ert?!” I shouted, frustrated. Another message came in.

My mother is now making me sleep. You should sleep, it’s already midnight. And don’t worry, I don’t have a CCTV installed in your room. You may now sleep in peace.

I placed my phone on my bedside table, my eyebrows knitted and drifted, far away.

Someone who will look at me in the eye and give me that cute smile.