The cab then slowed down in a little neighborhood as Chaerin looked out the window, looking for her house number. “18 … 19 … 20 … 21! There it is! 21!” She said loudly, her voice was filled with excitement. Yongguk bent his head, looking out the window as well. It was an adorable double-story town house, with a little garden up front. He then saw a man in his 50s approaching the house after locking his car that was parked right in front of the house.

Chaerin immediately opened the cab door when it stopped and rushed out to the man. “Appa!” She shouted with a bright smile on her face.

Yongguk then slowly got out of the cab and watching them from there as the old man turned around to Chaerin.  He saw emotions changing in his wrinkled face so quickly, from a disturbed face to a shocked one and then joy. “Chaerin?” He heard the old man called. “Chae-ah!” He then made his way down the steps and pushed the little white gate opened and welcomed his daughter home with widely opened arms.

“Appa!” Chaerin cried while holding on to her father’s neck tightly. “I’m home!” She then pulled out from his embrace with a teary but still bright smile. “Did you miss me?” She asked.

“Of course I did! We all did!” He then chuckled while cupping his daughter’s chubby face into his hands. As he was studying her daughter’s face, he was then disturbed when he noticed Yongguk looking their way with a smile on his face. “Who is that?” He then asked his daughter who has totally forgotten of her senior’s existence.

“Ah!” She then turned around looking to Yongguk who was getting her bags and luggage. “Aigoo! Oppa, it’s alright, just leave it!” She said running towards him and taking her bags from him. “Appa! He’s my senior from the states!” She said loudly because of their distance, but her father did not seem to have heard her clearly as he looked even more confused. “Come on,” she then dragged Yongguk towards her father.

“Eh, Chae, there’s no need for that!” He said reluctantly, but still was successfully dragged towards her father. He got nervous and hurriedly politely bowed to greet the older man. “Annyeonghaseyo,” he greeted.

Chaerin chuckled. It was her first time seeing him acting so nervously. In her eyes, he had always been a bold and confident senior; she had always looked up to him, admiring his leadership skills when they were in college. “Appa, this is my senior from the states, his name is Yongguk, Bang Yongguk,” she introduced.

“Ah, hahaha,” the old man then let out a laugh. “So you’re the famous Yongguk-ssi!” He said nodding his head while smiling at a confused Yongguk. “Chaerin has told us about you before, how you helped her around the college and even took her around the city so that she’d get familiar around the area,” he chuckled. “My, my, what a fine young man you are,” he said looking at Yongguk from head to toe. “I should thank you for looking after my daughter, she can be such a baby sometimes,” he joked while giving Yongguk a polite bow in return.

Yongguk hurriedly bowed back and smiled. “I know how it is, sir,” he joked back.

“Yah! The both of you!” Chaerin pouted when they spoke as if she were not present.

“There it is,” Yongguk chuckled while pointing at Chaerin. Chaerin slapped his arm, threatening to bite it as well.

Chaerin’s father chuckled as he watched the two youngsters. He observed at the way Yongguk look at his daughter, he could only smile and shake his head.

“Yah, old man, what’s all the noise out there?” A gentle voice said as the front door opened and a lady with her hair tied into a neat bun stepped out of the house, finding her husband with two youngsters. “Oh, who are they?” She asked, stepping down the steps carefully to approach them.

Yongguk heard Chaerin gasped. “Umma!” Chaerin then called with teary eyes.

The lady’s head shot up as she focused her eyes on Chaerin. “Chaerin?” She called. When she saw that it was really Chaerin, she ran towards her daughter. “Omo Chae-ah!!” She cried and pulling her in for a long tight hug. Chaerin’s father chuckled at his wife. “Dear me, what are you doing here? You told me you wouldn’t be coming home! You little liar!” Her mother said holding her daughter and inspecting her from head to toe. “Goodness, you’ve lost weight!”

Chaerin could only smile at her mother. She did not know what to say. She only knew how much she has missed her mother.

Her mother then looked back up and noticed Yongguk who was beside Chaerin. “Oh my,” she gasped. “And who is this handsome young fellow here?” She asked turning to Chae. “Are you cheating on Zico?” She joked.

“Mom!” Chaerin laughed. “This is Yongguk, I told you about him, remember?” She then said wiping her tears away.

“Omo!” Her mother said. “Oh my, my, my! It’s so good to actually see you, Yongguk-ssi!” She said with a bright smile as she grabbed his hand and shaking it. Yongguk then knew where Chaerin got her beautiful smiles from.

“Ah, Yongguk will do, Mrs. Lee,” he said.

“Oh no, Mrs. Lee will not do!” She protested. “Just call me umma like Chae,” she said. “And you can call him appa,” she said holding on to her husband’s arm; Mr. Lee just chuckled along without any objections. “Don’t be shy, get your bags and come on in! Chaerin, go help him! Palli palli!” She said, shooing her daughter back to the cab to get Yongguk’s belongings.

Chaerin then hurried off to the cab while trying to hold in her laughter when she saw Yongguk’s dumbfounded expression. She felt bad her senior was being pushed around like that by her parents, but she loved it even more seeing the side of him that she has never seen before.

“Ani, Mrs. Lee, I should get going,” Chaerin then saw Yongguk trying to talk to her mother but her mother only ignored him and walked back into the house with her father happily as they carried Chaerin’s bags in, leaving a speechless Yongguk behind.

She heard him let out a sigh after she paid the cab driver and walking to his side. She chuckled softly. “Come on, since your family ain’t around, why don’t you have dinner with us then?” She smiled, hooking onto his arm and tugging him pass the white gate into her territory.

“You sure it’s alright?” He asked. “You guys probably need some family time,” he reasoned.

Chaerin laughed. “We’ll have lots of time for that, don’t you worry,” she assured him with a warm smile. “Oh, and don’t be shy to call them mom and dad,” she then added as they walked up the steps to the porch. “My parents had always wanted a son, that’s why they’re acting this way, they only have my younger sister and I,” she explained.

“Really?” Yongguk then mentally slapped himself when he realized he knew nothing of her family and had never even bothered to ask her how many siblings she has. “Well no, they should be satisfied, because the last time I checked, you’re definitely a boy,” he joked.

Chaerin who took off her shoes and was about to step up the step into the house, dramatically turned around ready to give Yongguk a piece of her mind after hearing that remark, ended up slipping her step off her shoes that she was stepping on and fell backwards. Yongguk hurriedly grabbed her, but got dragged down instead and the both of them fell right into the house. 

Oops ;P 

Cheers!