NOTE: For the subscribers who already read this chapter, the bold parts were the things I've added in this chapter that is connected to the latest and edited version of chapters 19 and 20. 

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Jiyeon arrived home at around two in the afternoon, after picking up Minsoo from the nursery. Ever since she quit her job at the school library, she never had much things to do in Friday afternoons. She just sat on the couch reading, watching tv, surfing the internet, sleeping or playing with Minsoo. In this particular day, while Minsoo was taking his afternoon nap, she had an unusual agenda. She was never really much of person who cleans an entire house, but in this particular day; she is that kind of person. Well aside from the fact that dusts have accumulated almost all over the house and that Minsoo has found maybe a-week-old chip crumb on the carpet and almost ate it, she wanted to busy herself from thinking about how should she would act in front of Hongki after last night. They never really talked after the kiss; they just smiled like fools at each other. And when it got really awkward because none of them were saying a word, she suggested they go to sleep. He walked her to her room, said goodnight, kissed her one last time and almost tripped on his way to his room. And in the morning, he was still asleep when she left.

After changing into a white loose shirt and denim shorts and putting up her hair into a ponytail, she decided to clean Minsoo’s room first before setting him there and closing the door behind her so he wouldn’t inhale the dirt and dusts while she cleans.

Jiyeon has seen Yonghwa and her sister’s room countless of times before. But only once did she see it after they have perished. It was after the funeral, after the lawyer had broken the news about Minsoo’s guardianship.

That night, Jiyeon couldn’t sleep. She got up from her bed to get a glass of water from the kitchen, but somehow she winded up in their room. She sat on their bed and wandered her eyes around as if she was memorizing every details of it. When she took a deep breath, that’s when the tears came again. She sobbed hard on her hands, talking to her sister as if she was there, telling her the pain, the heavy feeling in her heart, her thoughts about the guardianship, everything—like she always do in the past. The next morning, she woke up on their bed with Hongki shaking her to wake. And that was the last time both of them ever entered the room again, out of respect, or maybe because if they do, they’d find themselves wrapped in the memory of the past.

As Jiyeon entered the room, the smell of dust immediately welcomed her; it’s been two and half months ever since it was unoccupied after all. She looked around the room before stepping inside. Of course, it still looked the same. The king sized bed with its white and blue sheets at the opposite wall and the nightstands on each side where there settled lamps, picture frames and books. There’s a window on the far side wall on her right where the curtain was completely down and a glass door to the terrace. A television stood opposite from the bed, above it hang their wedding picture and a vanity mirror on the left wall with two doors (a bathroom and a walk-in closet) perpendicular to each other.

Jiyeon tried not to cry as the memories of her sister came flooding in. She in a large ounce of air before entering. She stripped down the bed sheets and shook off the dust on the pillows and the cushion. She didn’t really need to the change the sheets so it stayed that way, .

She dusted off every shelf and stand, changed the curtain, vacuumed the floor, and took out the picture frames so she could put it up in the living room. She cleaned the bathroom and took out the used toothpaste, brushes, lotion, shampoo everything and put it in a box to—she didn’t really know if she should throw it away so she place the box there, under the sink. And next was the walk-in closet, she dusted every corner of it and vacuumed the carpeted floor. Since no one was to use the left clothes, they should probably give it to charity but of course, she should consult Hongki about that.

After successfully cleaning the room without shedding a tear, much to Jiyeon’s relief, she went to Hongki’s room. She was sure he didn’t like anyone touching his things so she intended not to rearrange anything, she was just going to change his sheets, dust off whatever it is to dust off and clean the floor, no more no less. Plus, as surprising as it is, Hongki is not a messy person and she has proven that when she first slept over in his former apartment.

When she entered his room, she noticed the only thing that scrapped the orderliness of it was his shirt and pjs on the floor next to his bed and the evidence that the bed sheet showed where he got up this morning.

Jiyeon smiled to herself. She likes it that even though he might appear like a messy person, in truth he wasn’t really. She didn’t know why, she just likes it.

When she walked to the bed to change his sheets, she noticed her face on the nightstand—wait her face? There were two photos lying on his nightstand—one was a candid photo of her smiling with a flower crown and the other was the two of them smiling at the camera. Hongki had a blue flower tucked on his ear and had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. His smile was tiny as if he was smirking and his eye smile, oh his eye smile.

A second later, Jiyeon was producing her phone from her pocket and was taking a photo of their picture together. She smiled to herself afterwards, satisfied. She place the photos inside the drawer of his nightstand, so he wouldn’t be so embarrassed after finding out she has changed his sheets and found the photos lying around exposed.

It was around four when she finally finished every corner of the second floor. She checked on Minsoo before going down to put the dirty sheets to the laundry room; he was still asleep. Wow, babies still a lot, don’t they?

After putting the sheets including the dirty clothes in the washing machine, she was off to clean the entire kitchen. Half an hour later, after a five-minute break, she proceeded to the living room. But before she could clean the entire area, especially carpet, she needed to move the couches outside to the backyard to dust it off as well. First she carried the coffee table outside and then the armchairs.

In the middle of pushing the first armchair through the hallway to the backdoor, Hongki entered the house.

“What are you doing?” he blinked at her halting on his way up the stairs. But what made him stop really was the fact that she was exposing her legs—not that he’s complaining.

“Cleaning,” she answered as she made several sounds one makes when he or she’s constipated.

“Hey wait, let me help you with that,” he rushed to her aid positioning himself on the other side of the chair. He was still wearing he’s backpack, a black beanie and a yellow urbeats headphones around his neck.

That looked familiar, Jiyeon thought staring at the headphones and then she remembered. It was her gift for him on his birthday. It was the first time she saw him use it. For the past months, she was worried he didn’t like her gift at all. But he’s actually using it right now!

Hongki smirked when he noticed where her eyes were. “I love it, don’t worry.” That made her flush.

He snickered, “Common, on three. One. Two. Three!”

After carrying it outside, he went up to change clothes before going back down and helping her move all the couches out and clean as well. He checked up on Minsoo too, the child’s still sleeping. Wow, he surely sleeps a lot, that kid.

Hongki was outside dusting off the carpet and couches while Jiyeon was inside cleaning the shelves.

“You want some juice?” he offered when he was finished outside and saw Jiyeon standing by the cabinets arranging the stock of cds and dvds.

“Yes, please,” she answered tiredly as she bent down to put the cd she found among the stocks in the player. The cd covers says ‘For Future Use’ which to be honest grabbed her full curiosity.

“You should have moved the general cleaning tomorrow you know, I could’ve helppffft—“

“Ribbit, ribbit…”

“Mr. Frog, oh what am I gonna do, my golden ball has fallen into the spring. If I could only get my ball again, I would give you all my fine clothes and jewels and everything in the world.”

Hongki’s mouth hanged open.

On the television screen was a nine-year-old version of him in a frog suit looking like he was gonna piss himself, his nostrils were flaring and his eyes were glancing from side to side like he was silently begging for someone, anyone to come to his rescue. The camera zoomed out and shifted to the audience. Everyone was silent except for the stifle of laugh in the background. “He forgot his line, that idiot,” Yonghwa’s voice whispered on the camera’s mic.

The camera zoomed to little Hongki’s face again. After a long silence, which felt like forever, he opened his mouth at last.

“Ribbit… ribbit?”

After that, the camera went shaky and all they could hear was Yonghwa’s laughter. And on top of Yonghwa’s laugh was Jiyeon’s.

“Oh my god wow, that was epic,” she exclaimed clutching her stomach as she rolled on the floor laughing.

Hongki put down the glasses he was holding on the floor ears burning and marched to the player. He ripped the cd off and broke the thing into half.

That made Jiyeon stop.

“You,” he turned and narrowed his eyes on her. “Pretend you haven’t seen that.”

“What? But why? It’s cute,” she said batting her eyes innocently.

He scowled dragging his teeth along his lower lips, “Aish! It’s not cute, it’s the most embarrassing day of life!” He slumped down next to her on the floor and threw the broken cd carelessly. “I thought I got rid of that a long time ago. Aish! That hyung!”

“Dang, the cd’s broken, I was just planning to let the others watch it,” Jiyeon stared sadly at the poor disk.

Hongki looked at her accusingly, “No juice or dinner for you.” He stood up, emptied the two glasses he brought a while ago and trailed back to the kitchen.

He was just placing the dishes on the sink when Jiyeon’s voice came from the door, “Good thing, there’s an extra copy.” When he turned to her, he saw her leaning on the door frame with arms crossed, smirking.

In between her fingers was another cd.

Hongki lunged after her but he was too late because she was already running upstairs laughing like a maniac to hide the copy in her room.

When Jiyeon was sure Hongki has given up on barricading her door, she stepped outside quietly. He was nowhere to be found in the second floor, and Minsoo was still sleeping, so she went downstairs.

The two armchairs and the carpet were already placed back in their proper places, she noticed. But still no Hongki in sight. Wondering, she went to check on the backyard but still no Hongki. When she went to check in the laundry room, she found the door beside it, which has never been unlocked before because it has some stupid passcode as if it was some sort of volt, has been opened.

“Look what I’ve found,” Hongki gestured around him grinning.

The room wasn’t that big but enough to fit three wine racks on each walls and some sort of a display case at the center.

“Wow, I never thought Yonghwa-oppa’s a wine enthusiast. And how did you find out about the passcode?” Jiyeon was assuming the wine cellar was Yonghwa’s since she knew her sister’s not much of a drinker.

Hongki frowned, “I remembered hyung has clued me in about its passcode before. He told me, it was a date of one of the most unforgettable moments of his life. And then you found that video.”

“Oh,” she said finding herself snickering again.

“Yeah, keep laughing,” he pouted before turning to scan the racks. “Hmmm…I wonder what tastes the best in here.”

“Wines taste better when they’re old they say,” she said joining him inside. “Hey how about this, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1983?” she holds up a bottle of red wine for him.

He examined it for a while before grinning again, his eyes twinkling with excitement. He’s such a bipolar sometimes. “Should we try it?”

She smiled, “Should we?”

“We should,” he said. “Go on outside, I’ll get the glass.”

“Outside, you mean the backyard?” she blinked at him unsure.

“Yeah,” he wriggled his eyebrows smiling goofily.

*Gakyul, gakyul is Ribbit ribbit in Korean. I wanted to use the korean word but then I say naaaa... I should use the international frog's sound for better understanding right? and when did you even hear a frog say gakyul gakyul? well it's not like it says ribbit ribbit either

okay enough of the frog talk...

i wasn't really sure if should have ended the chapter here, the chapter looked......kind of dull keke oh well, don't worry, the next chapter will be nothing like this ^^ hey, look on the bright side, i actually updated fast! *wriggles eyebrows Hongki style*

Here's a visual representation of the headphone and/or his outfit of the day :D