He was shaking as he got on his knees. He has no strength to look up because of the shame he felt. All he could feel are his fingernails digging to his palms as he place his hands on his lap.

“Harabeonim,” Chen was holding back his tears as he looks straight to the ground. “I-I’m sorry. I know.. I know that I don’t have any right to be called as your grandson anymore. I know that I don’t have any right to claim myself as a Kim anymore...”

“ARE YOU CRAZY!” his grandfather’s voice echoes in his office, making Chen startled. “Driver Song, make my crazy grandson sit on the couch rather than kneel on the floor. We are no longer living in Joseon Dynasty.”

Song-ahjussi, who was by the door, comes over to Chen and grabs Chen’s arm to help him stand up.

Chen could barely move that’s why Song-ahjussi had to direct him to the couch that was facing where Kim- harabeoji was sitting.

“So tell me,” Kim-harabeoji leans back into his chair “How was Beijing?”

Hearing his grandpa’s gentle voice made Chen break down and cry. He doesn’t know what to say to his caring grandfather who did nothing but just support him even with his failures in life. He doesn’t know how to respond to his grandfather’s loving eyes as he smiles at Chen.

“You don’t need to apologize to me, sonja (grandson). I have to be the one to apologize because I saw the pain you had after being compared to your family by other people. I am sorry for the pressure you felt on having to follow your family’s steps... my steps, just to be able to fit in as a Kim”

Kim-harabeoji slowly stands up with the use of his cane. He goes over to Chen and sits beside him as he placed his wrinkled and shaking yet gentle hands into Chen’s clutched hands “I’m sorry...”

It took awhile for Chen to stop crying. In Beijing, he may be just the carefree smiling pabo who just lives his life. But in Seoul, he is still that helpless little boy who still seeks strength from his family.

“So tell me,” Kim-harabeoji gives few taps on Chen’s knee “Does coming back to Seoul means you will tell me that you finally found what you’re looking for or does this mean you still don’t know what you want?”

Chen takes a sip of the glass of water his grandpa asked for one of the maids. “Minseok-hyung advised me to come back... to get back on my tracks... and I think my last track was here in Seoul, after I ran away...”

Kim-harabeoji sighs “Did you really have to come back? There are days where I hoped that you wouldn’t come back and have found your life there so that you don’t need to go through that pain you’ve once experienced when you were here. I even hoped that you could have met a girl there to make you happy... I guess we don’t have the same charms. When I was your age, girls beg me to be their boyfriend”

Chen laughs “There may be a lot of things that I hate in Seoul but having you as a grandfather makes my life easier. I guess it is because you always find a way to make me laugh.”

“Ahh... you should be saying that to a girl! Didn’t Minseok introduced you to any girls in Beijing”

Chen shakes his head “The moment we came to Beijing, all he did was set me up on a date from our customers.”

“Well, why didn’t you try to find yourself a girl?”

“For a moment, I thought I found her” Chen smiles as he takes another drink of his glass of cold water. He looks at his watch “ahh, it’s getting late harabeoji”

Kim-harabeoji nods “Just go and take a rest. The maids will just take your things to your room. You can pay your parents and brother a visit tomorrow”

“Do I have to visit hyung?”

“Aigoo~yes you have to”

Chen leaves his grandfather’s room and quickly got to his room. He changes his polo to his comfortable black hoodie. He keeps his favourite sneakers and took his red snapback. After changing, he put his phone in the pocket of his comfortable denim pants.

When Chen got down from the stairs, one of the maids greeted him,

“Ah young master, would you like me to call for driver Song?”

Chen shakes his head “It’s ok. I’ll be just taking my bicycle and have a stroll at the Han River”

Chen was putting a chain on his bicycle by the pole when his phone suddenly rang. He quickly answered the call “Yeoboseyo?”

There was a long pause on the other side of the line “—Ch-Chen? Ahh—Kim Jongdae, this is Chaerin. I just saw on my phone’s call history that you called...”

Chen was surprised because he didn’t expect a call from Chaerin. He didn’t even expect Chaerin to go over her call history. “Ahh!” he felt stupid for saying only that word “ahh... I am just checking—Ahni..”

“Huh? Ahni?”

Chen put his other hand on his head and start to pull his hair; he even felt more stupid “Ahh.. I was talking to myself...The reason why I called,” he entered the building and waited for the elevator “I need to tell you something—Ahh, I’ll be getting on an elevator and we might lose connection. I’ll just call you back ok?”

“Uhm.” Says Chaerin like it was her cool way of saying yes or ok.

As soon as Chen got off of the elevator, he calls Chaerin on the phone. “So where was I?”

“You said that you need to tell me something... Ah, wait..”

Chaerin felt her jaw drop as she looks at screen of their door viewer. She hangs up and opens the door.

Chen was smiling ear to eat “Annyeong!” he bows to greet her.

“YAAHH! How did you—” Chaerin couldn’t hide how surprised she was. She was wearing a white round-neck shirt and black yoga pants, while she has her blonde hair down.

Chaerin puts her palms on her face but with her eyes shown “YAAAHH!”

Chen lightly laughs “Ahh, you don’t have to be conscious with your no makeup face” he shows a plastic bag “Can I come in? I brought some snacks.”

“No. Goodbye” Chaerin was about to shut the door when Chen put his foot to stop it.

“Yah. Shouldn’t you be showing me some Korean hospitality? I am a foreigner in this country and you need to show me some courtesy” Chen raises his eyebrow teasingly

“Aish,” Chaerin opens the door but she was still on the way “you can’t stay here; appa is already sleeping since he has this big lecture-seminar thing tomorrow.”

“Then let’s go to a playground. I saw one which is just a few blocks away from here” Chen tilts his head to motion that they should go “I need to ask you something” his smile faded a bit as he looks to the other direction.

“Araso... just give me a minute” Chaerin didn’t ask for any more explanation and shuts the door. After a few minutes, Chaerin got back wearing a red stylish long coat and had her hair tied up into a bun.

Chen was right; the playground was just a few blocks away. Chaerin sat on the bench that was near the playground where parents usually sit to look after their children.

They haven’t said a word as soon as they got to the elevator or when they got to the playground. It must be because Chen has so many things in his head. Or it must be because Chaerin feels awkward and her heart is about to burst for some reason. This was all running through Chaerin’s head...

“Yah” Chen paused on his track and looks at Chaerin “Don’t sit there. You look like an ahjumma” Finally, someone breaks off the silence.

Chen goes to the swing and sits down. He taps on the swing beside him and smiles “This is where the cool kids sit while their parents look after them”

Chaerin rolls her eyes and smiles. She walks over to him but didn’t sit down “So what is it?”

“This is a swing” Chen was smiling while he was busy going over the plastic bag he brought. He takes out a can of coke and a yogurt drink, and places the plastic bag on his lap. He shows them to Chaerin “Choose one.”

Chaerin takes the coke and slaps Chen’s arm “I’m not talking about the swing. I’m asking you what you are going to tell me or ask me...I can’t decide which you'll tell...” she was looking at her drink and was avoiding looking at Chen.

Chen slightly clutches his hand and put his finger to his lower lip. He then draws them out and snaps his fingers “Both”. He takes a straw and stab it to his yogurt drink. “I’m going to tell you something and will ask you something” he looks up at Chaerin and smiles.

Chaerin sits on the other swing and opens the can of coke “...so... what is up with your smile?—”she bites her lower lip feeling stupid to ask Chen because he gives her a look seeming like he is confused.

 Chaerin took a big gulp of the coke and ends up scrunching her nose and coughing because of the rush of her carbonated drink. She covers with her fist and tries to let words come out of “your... your smile seems different,” she clears “At first, you were happy. But after a few minutes of talk, you looked worried. And now... I can’t tell.”

Chen takes his plastic bag and brings out bottled water. He opens it and hands it to Chaerin, who takes a drink on it slowly. “Don’t be too eager drinking, that’s just a coke” and lets out a light laugh “And you’re right. I am worried.”

“Wae?”

“I met up with my harabeoji... after few months of running away.”

Chen clears his throat and looks the other way “I didn’t expect him to still be himself around me, after what I’ve put our family through. I thought I was going to die as I gasp for air while I try to apologize..aish” Chen goes over to his plastic bag again and opens a snack “Would you like one?”

“Yah,” Chaerin pushes it away “Continue with your story.”

“Well... he said that I didn’t even need to apologize” Chen drinks his yogurt drink and slowly rocks the swing like a child.

“Isn’t that great?”

Chen nods “And now, I want to ask you something.” He looks at the direction of Chaerin but was too shy to look at her “Would you come with me as I visit my parents?.. It’s not that I have a problem visiting them. My real problem is visiting my hyung. I’m not forcing you or anything. It’s just that I don’t have Minseok-hyung with me and you’re the next closest yet awkward relationship I have” he lets out his words fast and feels like he’s going to die in shame. He continued swinging as there was an awkward silence.

“Yah,” Chaerin playfully hits Chen’s back “We’re not that awkward since we are able to open up with each other.” She looks at him and smiles “As my way of returning the favor when you were so kind to me in Beijing, I’d be happy to accompany you.”

Chen smiles back “Really? Thank you”

“It’s nothing”

He shakes his head “Not only for this. Also for the drawing... and letter” he feels that his cheeks heat up for no reason

 “Ahh... that’s nothing” Chaerin quickly stands up and stretches out her arms “I better go since it’s getting late..well.. more late”

“Should I walk you home?” Chen was about to stand up when Chaerin looks at him and then shakes her head. “You never did walk me home because we both know that I can manage myself... I’ll just see you tomorrow, ok?”

Chen bows and says “I’ll be just picking you up at 9AM”

Chaerin gives a light bow and walks away.

After a few blocks, she stops and puts her left hand to her chest. She lets out an air which made a few of loose hair move up.

- - - - - E N D - - - - - 

A/N:

Annyeong my dear readers! Ahh! i'm really really really sorry! I haven't updaated in ages while you guys gave a a really good feedback, I'm sorry. But don't worry, this crack fic is 100% on going even if I have a lot of school work to do. I would like to thank you amazing people for bearing with me! kamsahamnida~♥

Any who.. thank you very much for the upvotes ♥

Finally, I got to do this playground scene (well it's my dream to write this scene.. lawl.. it's something personal about me & fantasies..)

(๑´•.̫ • `๑) 

Ahh! if you have any comment on the story, chracters, the way I write.. Also, are there some parts that you liked in this chapter? please do comment them below.