~~Chapter 013~~

Sunyoung cleared and began her vocal exercises. In between, she heard two knocks on the door.

She opened the door and froze.

"Annyeong haseyo, omeoni, abeoji." Sunyoung bowed.

"Sunyoung, we came to visit." Mrs.Lee smiled, stepping into the apartment. It seemed as if Sunyoung's brain had frozen from the shock she just received. However, that was uncanny because Onew had warned her beforehand that his parents were coming to visit.

"Sunyoung? Are you okay?" Mr.Lee asked. He patted her head and chuckled.

Sunyoung recovered and giggled. "Good. Now the normal Park Sunyoung is back." Mrs.Lee smiled, reaching for Sunyoung.

"I missed you, omeoni." Sunyoung hugged Mrs.Lee tightly.

"I did too. Where have you been for this long? You didn't even come home with your parents when they left America."

"I wanted to become a singer. I wasn't kidding about this. I have a passion for this and I want to show this to everyone. I want to run around the stage freely. It's my destiny, omeoni." Sunyoung expressed.

"Weren't you lonely?" Mr.Lee asked.

"No. I attended a vocal and dance academy for two years. They provided dorms and food for us. I had two Koreans as my roommates. So, it was suitable for me." Sunyoung informed.

"Sunyoung-ah, I have a question for you." Mrs.Lee said suddenly.

Mr.Lee widened his eyes and looked at the door. "Uh, Sunyoung, I need to go. I have to go to work. It was nice seeing you after a while."

He quickly left and Sunyoung frowned. "Why did abeoji leave in a hurry?"

"Forget that. I know why you left Korea. Jinki told me everything a few days after you left." Mrs. Lee said monotonously.

Five years ago,

"Jinki-yah, please get up." Mrs.Lee beseeched her son, who had been lying in bed or settling on the sofa since Luna's departure.

"Umma, I don't want to bother you. Don't mind me. You can do whatever you please. Leave me alone." Onew mumbled, placing a pillow above his head.

"Lee Jinki, I want you out of this room right now." Mrs.Lee ordered sternly. "Why are you locked up in here?"

Onew sat up and stared at his mother. He realized parts of Luna's personality  resembled his mother's personality.  Both Mrs.Lee and Luna had a beautiful and radiating smile. They always were optimistic and had a smile on their face. He had only seen both of them cry once in his lifetime(for Luna, it was after she became an adult).

Tears began to roll down his cheeks at the memory of Luna and Mrs.Lee concernedly went to soothe him.

"Umma...." Jinki sighed.

"Jinki-ah,  why are you crying? You can tell me. I'm your mother,right?"

Onew cleared his throat. He began to explain the reason for Luna's sudden departure  excluding the indecent word he called her.

Mrs.Lee raised her eyebrows. "Jinki, you really said all this? She said all that,too?"

Onew nodded. Mrs.Lee turned away from him and then turned back.

"Aigoo...you like her, don't you?" Mrs.Lee chuckled.

Onew nodded again.

"Then, why didn't you tell her then?"

"I was arrogant and disregarding then. No one could match me. We also argued too much. How will that even help our relationship together?"

"I know Luna sometimes frustrates you. She sometimes outsmarts you. But she really likes you. Haven't you noticed? Ever since she was young, you were her light. She stayed with us more than she did at her own house. Luna loves you, Jinki. You're lucky to have a girl like her. Why don't you give her a chance?" Mrs.Lee smiled.

"I love her, as well. Fighting with each other was an expression of endearment to one another. When Sunyoung left for the second time to America, I was so forsaken. It was so tedious without Sunyoung's vociferous and deafening voice. I always would search for a way to scold someone because it reminded me of Sunyoung." Onew said.

"Go fight for her. She'll forgive you. I have to go cook our dinner, okay?"

"Komawo, umma." Onew hugged her tightly and watched as she left.

 Is it too late Luna? Onew thought.

Present Day

"Really?" Sunyoung raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Yes. Sunyoung." Mrs.Lee answered. There was a hopeful look in her eyes that yearned for Sunyoung and Onew to be how they once were.

"I'm not interested in listening to you speak about Onew, omeoni. I'm sorry for seeming rude, but it's the truth. I do not like Lee Jinki. I don't know if I'm overreacting, but this is how I feel."

"Sunyoung, then I will leave. I know that you have a schedule to attend to soon. Come over to our house one day when you're not busy. I love you, my second child." Mrs.Lee Sunyoung's hair once and smiled.

"Ne, omeoni. I'll visit one day!" Sunyoung led Mrs.Lee outside and watched her leave for a second before quickly closing the door in fear of any watchful fans.

Mrs.Lee walked to her car, thinking about Sunyoung's new behavior.

Sunyoung-ah, you really hate my son, don't you? Mrs.Lee smiled to herself.

~~~

"Omo, unni! What do I do? I'm so nervous! What if I seem too complacent with my singing and the audience doesn't appreciate it?" Sunyoung expressed her worry to her manager. She looked at the waiting room screen and saw that it was almost her and Onew's turn to sing. 

"Sunyoung, relax. Just do what you normally do. Show your passion for singing. Now go. Onew-ssi is waiting for you." Tiffany advised and gently pushed her towards Onew. 

"Are you ready?" Onew smiled. Sunyoung returned a tight smiled and nodded.

Though Sunyoung was hesitant at first, she later turned into the confident woman she turned into on stage. Onew showed his usual bright aura and it was evident that he enjoyed this song very much. Sunyoung's high-pitched, potent voice cooperated well with Onew's sweet, gentle one. They received a large applause and even a standing ovation from a judge.

"Though Immortal Song 2 is known for idol singers performing legendary songs, today is a special one. The contestants will be performing modern K-pop ballads. We just concluded our first performance with Park Sunyoung and SHINee's Onew. Shall we hear about the performance from our judge of this special?" The host said.

"Yes. That was a beautiful performance. Sunyoung-ssi and Onew-ssi, your passion for singing was palpable. It was lovely to see that you enjoyed this. Also, your chemistry was undeniably wonderful. I'm not sure whether you practiced for it or not, but it seemed very realistic. Your performance was great. Sunyoung-ssi, I noticed that at the beginning, you seemed shaky. Were you nervous?" Singer and judge Younha commented.

"Yes, I was nervous." Sunyoung replied.

"As the song went on, that went away, I saw. Onew, you sang well. Good job to both of you." Younha said.

The two contestants descended the stage and watched the next two performances from the side of the stage. Later, they went backstage to leave.

Once backstage, Sunyoung faced Onew. "I'm sorry, Onew. We won't be receiving number one because of my hesitation in the beginning." Sunyoung said.

"It's okay. That was really fun. The number one does not matter. I liked singing with you." Onew assured.

"Really? Thank you." Sunyoung bowed and left his side to speak with Tiffany.

"Unni, how were we?" Sunyoung asked.

"I'm so proud, Sunyoung!" Tiffany hugged Sunyoung.

"Thank you!!!" Sunyoung cheered. On the screen, she saw the winner being announced. As she expected, it was not her and Onew. Tiffany followed her gaze to the screen. 

"That's okay Sunyoung. You have seven more chances to earn number one." Tiffany said. 

Sunyoung looked at her, confused. "Seven more chances?"

"The PD of this show has asked you to be on this show. What do you think?" Tiffany inquired.

"YES! Unni, that would be an honor!" Sunyoung jumped up and down.

"Wow, your schedule is becoming longer. You're also going to be on some other singing show in a couple of days." Tiffany said.

"That's good! I'll be promoting myself, right?" Sunyoung said.

"Yes. Speaking of which, you'll be starting your music show performances tomorrow."

"Okay." Sunyoung nodded with a bright smile.

This was the idol life and this was her dream.

Author's Note:

 I updated faster!

Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

There's something I'm going to explain to avoid misunderstandings though.

When Onew's mother tells Sunyoung that she knows about why she(Sunyoung) left for the States in a hurry, I go back to five years ago and show the moment where Onew tells his mother about what happened between the two. Then, I return back to present day.

Onew's mother doesn't tell Sunyoung about that moment specifically, even though I included it as part of the chapter.

That's all! :)

The next chapter includes.....I'll make it a suprise! 

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