June 6, 2013

Sunggyu froze at his own words, and amazingly everyone was quiet for about 5 seconds before they all wanted to talk at the same time but Seul-ki.

"I mean-!" Sunggyu began but the kids wouldn't stop talking.

"Your cousin?" Sungjong said, surprised.

"I didn't know you had a cousin. A cute one at that." Sungyeol commented, looking straight at Seul-ki.

"Can we go in?" Howon complained and everyone just opened the door wider and took off their shoes "I'm Sungyeol!" He grinned, waving his hand to Seul-ki's face.

"Ah... Hi." Her voice was hushed and she nodded a little.

"I'm hungry..." Howon announced.

"Yah, you kids! Did you come here just for food?"

"Of course." Sungyeol said, laughing. "It's weekend. It's only right we pay a visit to the elders."

"Who are your elders!" Sunggyu wailed.

"I can't believe you never talked about your cousin, hyung. How could you keep such a cute girl to yourself?" Sungyeol said, and made a disbelieved face.

"Ya-yah!" He stuttered. "That's not it!"

"You should at least introduce her to us." He said, again and his stomach growled loudly. "Ahhh~ I'm hungry!"

"I'll... go and make breakfast." Seul-ki said suddenly, her voice small.

"Really?"

"Um." She nodded and she turned and Sunggyu saw the look on her face; it wasn't the angry face that she made when Sunggyu talked about his father, or the sad look she had when her eyes welled up in tears at the wedding. Sunggyu saw it clearly; the disappointment across her face. He extended his hand to reach her but Seul-ki quickly darted away, looking down on her feet and went to the kitchen.

He then turned abruptly to the kids. "Yah you rascals! What are you doing here?"

"What?" Sungyeol asked, looking at him with widened eyes. "We always come here on weekends why are you so mad?"

"Go home! Go home!" He said, pushing them together.

"Why are you like this?" Sungyeol asked again, feeling really strange. Howon slipped under Sunggyu's arm and went to the kitchen and soon Sungjong was trailing behind him.

"Yah!" Sunggyu shouted but as soon as he turned to them, Sungyeol dashed in as well. He let out a groan and followed them. They were all seated at the table, and Seul-ki was setting up the table, putting the plates and spoon, without looking up. Sunggyu followed her to the kitchen and he made sure they were out of sight when he grabbed her arm, pushing her towards the fridge.

"Lee Seul-ki..."

She didn't even look up to his face, feeling her chest going hollow and she saw Howon standing at the door, looking at them. She turned her head sideways and Sunggyu who noticed her gaze turned to see Howon looking at him, and Seul-ki and his eyes diverted to him again. Sunggyu released Seul-ki's arm and she slipped away, and went on frying the eggs, her face straight.

"Can I help with anything?" Howon asked, looking from Sunggyu to Howon. Sunggyu frowned before he went out of the kitchen and Howon eyed him for a while before he stood next to Seul-ki.

"I'd like my yolk to be half-cooked," he said, looking down the pan. Seul-ki turned to him and blinked rapidly, feeling awkward by the sudden request.

"Okay..." She nodded and went on frying enough sunny side ups before she brought them to the table, where Sungjong and Sungyeol were waiting, playing with their phones. Howon was holding the pot of kimchi fried rice and everyone made a fuss over it while she was scooping out the rice for everyone.

"Hyung! Let's eat!" Sungjong called out.

Seul-ki sat silently at the end of the table, with Howon and Sungyeol near to her. Sunggyu came out of the room, looking moody and he sat at the other end, looking at Seul-ki. Sungjong picked up his spoon and before he could even scoop his rice, he saw Sunggyu putting his hands together. Everyone was silent for a moment before Seul-ki did the same and said the prayer, making everyone scrambled to do the same.

"I'll eat first!" Sungyeol said, digging in. "Ahhhh. Yummy."

"It's good." Sungjong said, a bit surprised.

"Hmmm." Howon said, with his mouth full. Sunggyu still hadn't touched his food, looking at Seul-ki who was just holding her spoon. When she scooped her rice and ate slowly, he followed suit. Then he was thinking to himself of how to fix the situation. Should he just announce that Seul-ki was his wife and the cousin thing was a joke and what was he going to do if they started to bomb him with questions of when did they get married etc etc.

"So are you a student?" Sungyeol began, interrupting Sunggyu's thought. Sunggyu didn't know why his mouth was so tight that morning.

"I've just graduated high school."

"So you're going to uni soon?"

"Hm." She nodded timidly.

"Are you going to stay here with Sunggyu-hyung?"

Seul-ki looked at Sungyeol and then at Sunggyu who was staring at her with a somehow worried face. She smiled awkwardly at Sungyeol.

"Have you ever been to Seoul?" Howon asked.

"I did... But they were just short trips."

"Did Sunggyu-hyung give you a tour then?"

Seul-ki looked at Sunggyu again and he was looking down on his plate. She shook her head, smiling weakly.

"Ah! What is wrong with you, hyung? You should at least take her around and see this place!" Sungyeol said, looking at Sunggyu.

"Do you want to take a walk with us? Hey, why don't we bring Seul-ki to the carnival? There's a carnival in town today, so why don't we-" Sungjong suggested and everyone was chattering happily about it when Sunggyu slammed his palm on the table, startling everyone. They looked at him and were silent for a while.

"Why are you disturbing her? She can't even eat when you kids keep on talking this and that!" He asked, angrily, genuinely so that everyone just went timid.

"We were only asking her questions..." Sungyeol said, looking at him strangely. "Hyung, you're so strange."

"You don't have to be so mad." Howon said, looking at him with a straight face. "We're only trying to loosen up the atmosphere here."

Sunggyu looked at Howon for a moment before he looked up to Seul-ki who had stopped eating. Her face was still unchanging; her eyes a little brooding.

"I don't think I can make it today. I'm not feeling well." She said, looking at Sungjong who turned to her as soon as she started talking. "I'm sorry, Sung..."

"Sungjong. It's Sungjong. Ah, no, it's okay." Sungjong said, shaking his head slowly. Then everyone was eating in silence and when Seul-ki got up from her seat, the kids got up too, following her to the kitchen, leaving Sunggyu alone at the table, feeling horrible.

"I'll do it. Just leave them here." Seul-ki said, to the three who were flocking in the kitchen.

"Andwae! You're not feeling well, are you? Let us help."

"No, it's okay!" She said, feeling miserable when Sunggyu appeared, looking glum.

"I'll do it." He said, quietly, taking the plate from Seul-ki's hand and went on washing it.

"That's right. Hyung should do it." Sungjong said, earning a sharp glare from Sunggyu but he pretended not to see it before taking Seul-ki's hand and dragged her out of the kitchen. Sunggyu groaned to himself.

They sat her down in the living room, on the sofa. Howon sat in front of the rack under the TV, looking at it for a long time. Sungjong sat down beside Seul-ki on the sofa an