As typical in the morning, the Kim house was crazy and full of noise. The dogs were barking outside, there were clangs from the kitchen, piano keys being hit repeatedly, and birds chirping out the window. To drown it all out, Kim Lauren blared her music as she got ready for school. She couldn't help but sing and dance along as she picked out her outfit which would seem like a real performance to any normal person. After several years of dance and singing lessons, she was practically pro.

That wasn't the only thing that she was good at though—she was also a pianist, a painter, a volleyball star, a cheerleader and involved in leadership activities for her high school. On top of that, she was smart and cared about her grades being perfect marks. Not that she'd cared since she'd just done everything for fun and attempted to always give her best effort, but her rewards out of that were a ton of awards. Downstairs, her umma had displayed them all proudly on a big oak, tiered case along with pictures.

Anyone who saw their house could tell how much she was loved because every wall had pictures of her and her small family. Her parents were a gay couple, one named Kim Kibum, or Key for short who was a designer and the other was a famous idol singer named Kim Jonghyun. A couple of years ago, he'd had a slump and stopped performing to take care of her. Her Jonghyun appa was a role-model and hero to her and she loved him best when he shined on stage, so she'd encouraged him to try again. She'd never seen him happier than the last few years as he got back into the business with a fresh spirit and started producing rather than just performing.

She thought it would be fun to listen to his music, so she switched her pink stereo to one of his old CDs. She sang the ballad sweetly as she stretched her arms over her head and looked around her cluttered room. She still had a princess bed that had been upgraded to a bigger size and she still had her green bookshelves. There was a white desk and chester drawers that had been added, the sticker garden had been replaced by singers and baby animals, and her walk-in closet was full to the point of bursting with randomly assorted colored clothes spilling out a trail to her bed.

Pens and books from doing her homework late last night laid scattered over her table. She didn't care much for pictures, but she did have a frame with lots of little pictures of her, her best friends and some of close family. She pulled off her pajamas, leaving her in sunshine yellow, white polka-dotted undergarments on her small frame. She was surprised to see in the full-length mirror that she had a bruise on her slim waist and that her perky s had grown again.

She playfully scrunched her long, naturally medium brown, wavy hair and made a face childishly at herself. It was always fun making herself pretty-ugly. Then she giggled and turned to her bed where five outfits were scattered. She picked one that was a frilly, white blouse with a pink ruffle skirt, then dug underneath her bed for her white slip-ons. She was still singing as she looked in the mirror and did a graceful twirl. Like her nicknames 'vitamin' and 'happy virus,' Lauren just didn't see a time when it was not appropriate to smile. She was as bright, energetic, and positive as they could get and she loved living every day happily and making others feel that way too.

She skipped to the bathroom to do her morning routine. On the way, she heard strange sounds coming from her parents' bedroom that had the oak door cracked open. She tiptoed over, listening carefully as a cautionary measure. If her parents were doing it, she really didn't want to see it and would just leave them in peace. Though she barely even knew what 'it' was, she knew it was an expression of their love for each other and that it was a good sign.

She knocked gently on the door and waited. She heard a sniffle, then her umma's deep, choked voice sounded with fake brightness, “Come in!”

Lauren opened the door gently and came around the edge. Jonghyun appa wasn't there, it was just her Key umma, gone platinum blonde again, sitting up in bed surrounded by muddled blankets and tissues. He still looked pretty and slim enough to be in his twenties though he was nearing forty now. If you called him old, you'd probably get smacked, but if you called him pretty, young or handsome, he'd surely kiss you.

The sniffles were because he was crying while watching old homemade movies of their family shot throughout the years. He did that sometimes lately. He was very sentimental and he was going through a crisis it seemed now she was growing up and becoming less of 'their child' every day. She'd tried to insist she'd always be their 'baby girl' even when she became a married woman and all, but both of them had a hard time adjusting to the idea through they tried to hide it.

“Good morning, Lauren,” he said cheerfully, attempting to hide the evidence of the mountain of balled, slimy tissues with his sweatshirt and blanket.

Lauren, quietly with a rather somber expression on her face, climbed up in the bed to his side. He blinked at her as she leaned in and fixed his bed-tousled, blonde strands. Then she hugged him around his broad, slim, bony shoulders tight.

“Umma...It's going to be okay,” she comforted, softly patting his back.

He sniffled and wrapped an arm around her.

“No, it's not. You're getting so big while I'm getting so old, ugly and fat...” he cried, resting his chin on her shoulder and Lauren could feel renewed wetness and quivering lips.

“Umma, you are not,” she giggled in amusement.

Her umma was more dramatic than any other person's real female mother.

“Promise me you won't leave us and make babies anytime soon. I don't think my old heart can take it.”

“Umma, you worry too much. I'm still young.”

“You didn't promise.” She could hear a lovely pout in his voice.

Lauren giggled again. “Okay, umma, I promise.”

“How come you guys aren't downstairs yet? Breakfast's ready,” a curious, kind voice sounded from the door.

They both turned to see a handsome, short, well-built man with a movie-star chiseled face and giant, sweet puppy eyes that now had slight crows feet at the corners. Jonghyun appa had only aged more handsome and Lauren was proud of that as well. She wasn’t shallow so to pick friends and crushes on looks alone, but she did think they were important as she was a visual, artsy person.

Jonghyun looked at Key with a disgruntled expression like 'not again' and Key appeared guilty. He turned away and looked at the TV screen, knowing that he'd be at a loss if he talked now so was staying coolly silent. That was one of Key's habits she’d picked up along with all the other ways he had sense and wit. Jonghyun looked at the large TV screen which was flashing images of Lauren at age seven getting swimming lessons.

“Aw, she was so little then.” His face went all softly cute and he moved next to Key, leaning back in the bed.

Key smiled and reached across the bed for his hand. They shared a soft, romantic look when they appeared on the screen as young men in love. There was no one in love like her parents and though she still liked seeing it and found it admirable rather than gross, she couldn't help but react to it since that's what teenagers did.

Lauren rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically. “You two are hopeless.”

“Hopelessly romantic,” they both said at the same time.

Lauren walked out when they started singing to each other and moving in for kisses. “Ew, get a room.”

She went back to the bathroom to brush her hair and put on light makeup. While she was doing this, she caught the tune of the music playing from her room and started singing. Jonghyun who had moved to the kitchen started to sing with her. When it got to the chorus part, she jumped out with a toothbrush and Jonghyun had a spoon in hand. Using them as mics, they sang to each other with enthusiasm, funny dancing and comical, over-exaggerated expressions.

One thing she loved about her parents was how young they were at heart and how unafraid they were of making fun of themselves. This was a trait she'd developed and was honing herself. The part finished and, laughing sightly, they casually went back to what they were doing before. Key came out in dark purple sweats, sweater, and rainbow socks and took the plates of the breakfast Key had started but Jonghyun had finished to the table.

watered at the smell—her parents were practically gourmet chefs so that her friends often came over just to eat. Her umma and appa never minded. They still liked to have tons of people over and even party though they were strict that she couldn't drink with them yet. She shut off her music, grabbed her school bag, and shut her bedroom door, then walked out to the living room. She set her yellow school bag on the couch, disturbing their black and brown little dogs who had been sleeping.

“Morning Roo, morning Coco,” she cooed to them and kissed them on their foreheads, giving them sweet, apologetic pets.

They happily closed their squinty eyes and rested their heads back on their tiny, pointed paws.

“Lauren, your food's getting cold!” Key called from the dining room.

“Coming~!” she replied cheerfully and jogged to the dining table.

Jonghyun's eyes went big as he saw her and narrowed when she sat down. Lauren kept a cool, chic expression as she folded her bare legs lady-like under the table and picked up her metal chopsticks. She had an idea what he was upset about though and what he was going to say. Key was looking at him curiously.

“Chalmokessumnida,” she said brightly and dug in.

She filled with eggs and danced happily, murmuring little pleasure noises. “Hmm, umma, it's so good!” she praised around stuffed cheeks.

“Don't talk with your mouth full, sweetie,” Key chuckled and smiled sweetly so his dimples showed in his pale cheeks.

“Lauren...” came Jonghyun's patronizing voice.

“Appa, this is so good. You have to try it. Here!” She stuffed his mouth with cooked mushrooms and seaweed on top of a spoonful of rice.

She was trying to delay the lecture as long as possible. Jonghyun ate for awhile after that but he kept sending her suspicious looks. Key kicked him under the table and gave him 'the look.'

She finished and said her ending, “Chalmokussumnida,” then set her chopsticks on her empty bowl and sat up.

Jonghyun appa, the authority in the home or rather just the winiest, party-pooper, couldn't be silenced any more. “That skirt is too short. Go change.”

She wheeled around and pouted. “But appa...”

“No. Guys will be ogling you and they'll be bending down to peak as you go up stairs and trying to you on the bus. I was a boy once, too. I did all of that so I know,” he lectured continuously with a stern look and a wagging finger.

Lauren turned her pout and puppy eyes to her Key umma. “Can't I go like this? It's not that short and it's cute together. Right?”

Key nodded and smiled softly. “It's very cute and it's not too short. Besides you're going to be late if you don't go soon.”

“Assa! You're my favorite, umma,” she cheered, stuck out her tongue at her father, then giggled as she ran back to grab her backpack.

“See, I'm her favorite,” Key childishly stuck his tongue out at his husband who looked disgruntled.

“I was her favorite yesterday, so don't take it to heart.”

Key chuckled, knowing it was true—she manipulated them that way because she knew they somehow still cared about the ranking game after all these years.

“You shouldn’t encourage her to wear stuff like that. What if something happens to her? I don't like it,” Jonghyun huffed and crossed his arms.

“She's a girl, baby. She should look cute when she goes to school. Plus our daughter's smart and can defend herself. She'll be fine,” Key insisted with a gentle voice.

Lauren could see that when she came to the table their argument was over and Key’s expert persuasion was working on her father. She liked it when they settled things on her own and she didn't have to play peace-keeper.

“Thanks, umma,” she murmured as she pecked his cheek.

“No problem. I'm the cool one, remember?” he winked at her.