Dedicated to: NafisaYGStan

“Get up!” Kwon Jihyo said as he flipped the duvet of her sleeping son over. “Get up, now!”

“Urgh,” Jiyong groaned, his head hurting from the lack of sleep. “Why? It’s still summer, ahjumma....” he mumbled before rolling over to the side, only to frown when the ray of light settled upon his eyes.

“Your brother and Chae-Chae are downstairs, eating breakfast. Get up. Fix your hair, and go join them.”

“They’re back?”

“Yes, now u-“

Jiyong bolted out of his bed and ran downstairs, a bunch of hair sticking out rebelliously. He arrived at their kitchen only to find it empty, then headed quickly out of the door, barely slipping on some sandals and into the Lee’s kitchen.

“Chae!”

“Well, good morning to you too,” His dad mumbled before opening today’s newspaper over his face to hide his grin. Idiot, he thought before chuckling to himself. The girl looked at the young man before her, and away, a blush in her cheeks.

“Hyung.... Err..” Ri mused, a wicked grin on his face.

“What?!” Jiyong snapped at his brother, annoyed at his own imagination’s rendering.

“.”

“What ?”

“KWON JIYONG. GET YOUR BACK HERE, YOU ANIMAL!” Jihyo screeched from outside the house, making her own husband jump from the loudness of her voice.

“WHAT?’

“Uh... I’m going to my room.” Chae Rin mumbled, keeping her eyes down, while her mother giggled uncontrollably by her side, her own father half angry, half mad at the absurdity of the situation.

“PUT ON SOME PANTS, YOU ERT.  HOW DARE YOU WALK OUT OF THE HOUSE WITHOUT ANY, YOU LITTLE SH.. I’M GOING TO BEAT SOME SENSE INTO YOUR BYUNTAE-SELF, GOD HELP ME!”

“.”

“Well, that wasn’t embarrassing at all.” His little brother’s gloating voice floated around his room as he hid himself inside his blanket.

“. . .” He cursed, making the younger man laugh.

“Hyung, that was always a classic!”

“Tell me about it,” another voice said as the sound of the door swinging open followed.

Urgh. He thought.Oh great, dad and brother, lecturing me.

“Guess old habits die hard, huh?” His dad laughed as he closed the door and patted Jiyong’s through the sheets. “Are you dressed now, son?”

“Abeoji, what do you mean old habits?” Ri inquired, slumping on the floor, still chuckling at the memory.

“He used to do it all the time. Right when he wakes up, run towards Chae Rin’s house to play with her. It was really cute back then. Now? Just abnormal. And sick,” though his tone was joking, Jiyong winced from the thought of it. How could he, a cool guy in his own mind, mess up that badly? Pants? Really? He couldn’t even afford to remember putting on the most basics of basics?

“It’s alright. At least you had briefs on.”

“Don’t tell me-“ Ri said, his words hanging with anticipation.

“There were several times when that wasn’t in the equation.”

“Oh go—“ Jiyong bolted up, sitting and peeking his head out from the burrito he had rolled himself in. “At least I had diapers, right?” Please God, let him this leeway, please, please, please.

“Maybe.”

.

Chae Rin was in a wreck. Clutching her head in shame, all he could think of was him – not necessarily his exposed skinny legs (though, that was a big part of it), and the color of his or boxers, whatever people call it, but of the fact that he ran to greet her. Without thinking about anything else. Though she knew that hope was a poisonous thing, her mind tried to argue that he must have missed his brother, yet her heart... Oh, her damned heart pointed out that it was her name he called first. It was her he looked at, not Ri. With a blushing face, she burried herself into her pillows, wriggling before screaming as loudly as she could.

She felt a rush of air against her feet when the door swung open violently.

“WHAT? ARE YOU OKAY? IS THERE A COCKROACH? WHERE IS IT? I’LL KILL IT!” Her prince’s voice filled her ears. Darn it, she thought, that even in the confines of her room, she imagined him there.

Meanwhile, Jiyong looked around her room frantically, his eyes searching for any sign of brown movement or fluttering about. And when he saw none, he stared at Chae Rin’s back, the young girl doing exactly what he was doing mere moments ago.

“Chae... Hunchae?” He asked, carefully approaching the bed. By the foot of it, he sat on the floor, facing away from her. “I know you must be angry with me. I mean, I know you probably think of me as a ert and all of that, and I swear I never meant it. I’m sorry.”

The girl was left frozen in her position. What was she supposed to say? Her big was facing the ceiling. Her thick thighs exposed, and the man of her dreams sitting on the floor of her room. She had seen him half , and today, seen him in his boxers as well. And though she never wanted to allow herself to feel it, her old self came out – the one who dreamed of beautiful balls and weddings and plans and dates. The one who hoped that her prince could just be that, her own happily ever after.

“I-.. it’s okay” she mumbled, carefully rolling to the side. She looked at a part of his profile, the handsome face that made her heart flutter. She couldn’t do it... She knew, looking at him like that, that it was hopeless. Whatever she dreamed of forgetting, of washing away, it wasn’t possible. Not when it was like this. Now when she couldn’t even control the beating of her own heart, the rush of her blood and the happiness that filled her heart just being near him. Draping the sheets over her back, she wrapped her body tightly and kept quiet.

“I’m sorry... but not just about that. About everything. I know.... I must have put you through hell. I’m really sorry, for misunderstanding and.. and not believing you.”

“I know. Ri kept telling me,” she whispered before smiling at the thought of her friend. “He’s a good friend, and brother. Annoying, but good.”

“That’s what family is, right?” he said, looking back to flash her a smile.

At that moment, they both heard it – the absolute quiet of their hearts. So quiet, it was, for a second of two, that they didn’t even hear the ticking of the clock.

“Are we family, oppa?”

“Of course.” He nodded before looking away, scared at what he felt and what it meant.

“Then it’s alright. When summer vacation ends, we’ll go back to how it was. I’ll meet you at the park, teach you about girls. Discuss random things, such as why we’re all scared of something grabbing us by the feet at night. I’ll make all of us lunch every once in a while. It’ll be as if nothing ever changed.”

But something changed. Something definitely changed.

“Sounds good,” he merely said, his throat dry as he gulped down air.

“May I ask you something?” Her voice, so tiny and scared made his heart ache. Was she still afraid he would implode on her?

“Shoot.”

“Why... why did you think I was lying to you?”

“I guess.. because, you know...”

“...?”

“Sometimes.. thinking that lies exist is easier than dealing with what is real.”

“Cryptic, much?”

“Speak for yourself.” He chuckled, making her smile too.

“Oppa?”

“Yes, Chae-Chae?”

“... I.. I love you.”

And he swore he had become deaf at that moment as everything around him turned down its volume, as if his reality had been warped into a pure pulsing line of white.

“At first, I was really sorry about it. Because I didn’t want to scare you away from it. But don’t worry.”

“Honestly, Chae? I’m not worried at all,” he mumbled, his heart, oddly enough, beating calmly now after her words. He felt at peace with the truth, comfortable. It was a different sort of comfort, similar to the comfort his favorite song brings yet completely unalike. Comparative to how he feels after a good night’s sleep, or a perfect score on a test after a sleepless night. Still, a wave of stillness  overcame him, so intensely. He had no idea of such a feeling – the feeling of... contentment? Not joy, but it was just right. There were no words he nor I could describe it as.

“I know.. you’ve probably known it for a while, but I don’t want it to be a burden. It’s totally fine that it’s one-sided and I don’t expect anything from your end, I swear!” She said, shaking her head, her chubby cheeks pink when he looked at her.

He breathed out before chuckling softly. “I know, I know.”

“But I’ll get over you one day, I swear. And then we really could be family, you know? But as for now, just let me be. Be weird and annoying, but I’ll try to change. Like, really!”

He laughed at her cuteness, despite her words bringing worry to his heart. He didn’t... did he? He was scared because he didn’t think he wanted her to change. Ever.

“Hush,” He merely said before sitting on her bed and pulling her into a tight hug. His heart beating rapidly once more. “If you can forgive me for doing that.... embarrassing thing in the morning, I’ll survive your... love.”

“You’re not gonna call it puppy? Like eomma and imo?” She squeaked inside his arms, making his grin even wider.

“Nope. And don’t you dare get over me, Chae-Chae, or I’ll get really mad!”

She pulled away, her cheeks red and her expression so adorably frustrated when she looked at him. “NO FAIR! You are not allowed to say such things. You know.. family’s can’t love each other like how I ... you. Okay?”

“I know..” he sighed, forcing himself to half-smile but failed quickly. “We’ll be fine, you and I.”

Author’s Notes: It is hard, describing how Ji felt at that moment. Lame, I know. But still, if you’ve experienced it then describe it in the comments. It is the feeling of utter calmness – as if that moment was meant to be. Like... the recognition of fate and being completely fine and.... Ah, I guess feeling “complete” would be the closest adjective.

And confessing, isnt as hard as it seems. (has done it. coz.. yeah). Once you start, everything sort of just pours out. This Chae Rin is based on ME, like the majority of my Chae’s. But I guess, we all have experiences like this, yes? Of love and heartbreak, of desperation and of the fear of being never good enough for that person. Stop fearing. That’s all I can say. ALSO LONGEST CHAPTER EVER. DAMNIT. 

I THINK, based on the story in my head, that this fic is 60+% done. I was thinking 70% or more but, you know. XD i kinda dont want it to end (coz it means writing for me and i can never keep my face straight at coffee shops when i write. ;A;)