Living With The Jungs

Dinner with the Jung family was certainly generous. It seemed like they had purchased the entire Busan fish market in order to celebrate their youngest son's homecoming. There was smoked salmon, lemon pepper squid, crumbed prawns, three layer pork samgyapsal, copious amounts of steamed and sticky rice, and what seemed like more than a dozen dipping sauces and side dishes. YongHwa also tried to talk you into trying the jellyfish salad, which you almost dry reached back up again at the thought as it slid so easily down your throat like a lump of super soft gelatine. However when you got your mind past the fact that you were chowing down on jellyfish, you actually appreciated the sweet and sour taste that it had been cooked and served up in. You would have eaten more of it as the saucy taste was so delicious, but feeling the delicate jelly within your chopsticks again reminded you what it was again and you felt your stomach gurgle a warning. Deciding to play it safe you went back to the meats you were more accustomed to. Though the Jung brothers both complimented you on your ability to try new things, with a particularly proud looking YongHwa beaming from beside you and proceeding to pile up your plate with the foods he knew you loved.

"Yah, Yong Yong, are you trying to turn a beautiful woman into a pig?" laughed KyungHo good humouredly as the women looked on with nervous smiles and Mr Jung senior let out a bellow of laughter at one look at your plate.

"Now there's a man who knows how to take care of his woman," laughed their father as he pushed some of the hard to reach plates towards the two of you kindly.

"Are you saying I don't know how to take care of women, Appa?" challenged KyungHo playfully. His eyes flashed to you and he winked, causing you to choke on the salmon you had just bitten into.

YongHwa watched you with concern, "Kwenchana?" he patted your back attentively as the women exchanged solemn glances at each other.

Their father laughed some more, and reached for his Lite beer. "Aniya, my eldest son is probably the most capable of any man I know in taking care of women! But how many women does he insist on tending to? Isn't it time you brought home a nice girl like ________ here and thought about settling down? You're older than our Yong. Don't let him outdo you in matters of the heart." He took a long draught from his pint and slapped it happily back down onto the table, smacking his lips together as he did so.

"Appa," KyungHo sighed with a hint of mischief, "If only I had found a woman as breath-taking as my younger brother's, I might as well do just that!" he grinned over at you and YongHwa, seeking a reaction as he too reached for his glass of ale. "But I suppose I am not so lucky as yet... I will hold out for her as long as she decides to take to come to me."

YongHwa was chewing rather aggressively on some pork, his eyebrows lowered over his large stern eyes as he met his brother's mischievous ones. For someone so mature looking, you found it refreshing how playful YongHwa's older brother actually was. You guessed all brothers were the same, they loved to pick on and play with one another. YongHwa looked as if he was an easy target for his hyung, despite the former's flawless reputation in his career and workplace. The ever composed cold beauty here seemed more like he was quite capable of melting and rising to the challenge any moment. "Don't be so hopeful, hyungnim," YongHwa muttered under his breath, taking another large and aggressive chopstick full of samgyapsal as if using it to hold his composure. You also knew what a strongly driven and passionate man yours was. He wasn't the cold beauty everyone seemed to think he was. He was the Emotional leader of CN BLUE, and that nickname surely fitted him the most.

KyungHo laughed good naturedly, "Aigoo, I'm only messing with you, little brother."

The women of the table looked on anxiously but then soon carried out a conversation in quick Korean which they occasionally sought replies from the boys here and there. It was difficult for you to follow the conversation as your Korean was not quite up to this speed, add to that they were talking in the Busan dialect so really you had no hope at understanding where the conversation was going and soon felt a little excluded. Yet YongHwa and KyungHo always came back to you after being quizzed by the elders, YongHwa's older brother ever curious as to the personality and interests of his little brother's girlfriend. Their father also listened in on you kindly and only positive things seem to come from this gentle Jung senior. YongHwa's grandfather was sitting at the end of the table opposite YongHwa's grandfather and the whole time he barely had anything to contribute at all, merely munching slowly but quite contentedly on the meal everyone else kept piling up for him.

That night you and YongHwa were allocated separate rooms to sleep in, you would have to sleep in the bedroom with all the women, and the men slept in the bedroom at the back of the house together. You asked YongHwa if this was a normal thing to do, and YongHwa replied saying it only really occurred when anyone in the family brought visitors of the opposite but who weren't supposed to be sleeping together. It was a rather old fashioned tradition among many Korean families, and YongHwa implored you to bare it just for one night so you honoured the traditions of the family and went into the room with the women to help lay down the beds and set up the pillows and covers.

YongHwa's mother and grandmother lay beds on either side of yours, and you looked at the line-up uncertainly, feeling as if you were going to be trapped there overnight, not being able to move between the two of them. You wondered if they had arranged it this as purposefully, with the possibility in mind that you might get up in the middle of the night to seek out YongHwa. What kind of girl did they think you were to have to be kept an eye on like that? You sighed and placed your bag in the far corner of the room, retrieving your toothbrush and silently going into the bathroom to do your bathroom bits before bed.

YongHwa came up behind you in the bathroom, placing his hands over your face and resting his chin on your shoulder as you bemusedly continued brushing your teeth and looking straight ahead into the palms of his hands.

"Guess who," he murmured in your ear, his hot breath blowing onto your ear and shoulder.

You lowered your shoulders in something of a slump, and replied thickly, your mouth full of toothpaste foam. "I saw you come in through the mirror."

"Kekeke, so who is it then? I'm not taking away my hands until you say my name." He nudged at the side of your face with his nose and you let out a short laugh as it tickled.

"Hmm... is it... KyungHo?" you asked playfully, and as you expected YongHwa's hands flew from your face and you could see his mock grumpy face staring back at you from behind you in the mirror.

"Yah! Do you wish it was my hyung?" YongHwa glowered at you, folding his arms over his chest.

You smirked as you bent over and spat out the toothpaste into the basin, making him wait as you then proceeded to swill out your mouth and spit out several more times. Something whacked you in the bottom, and you jerked up suddenly to turn large eyes on YongHwa's reflection looking smug now in the mirror. "Yah!"

"You shouldn't try being cheeky with me while you're bent over like that in front of me," YongHwa teased. He then made to reach for your bottom again when you let out a hiss through your teeth in warning and danced to the side so he couldn't get you this time.

You looked at each other meaningfully for a moment, he flashed you a dangerous smile and you tried your best to give him a harsh warning look but he dived for you again, and again, with you jumping out of his reach each time. Then finally when you let out a shrill giggle when he almost got you, he finished it off by lunging at you while you were backed into the corner of the bathroom, and slid his arms around your back, pushing you backwards against his thigh so he was holding you up with his leg and his arm, while he brought his face down close to yours and looked soulfully into your eyes. It was something out of a movie, when the man holds the woman backwards and leans in and kisses her passionately. You imagined you were in a black and white movie as you heart thrummed against your chest and YongHwa brought his face ever closer to yours, closing his eyes, you also closed yours in submission when-

"Hem, hem. Mind if I cut in?" YongHwa's older brother strolled confidently into the bathroom and took his toothbrush from the top shelf above the mirror. With his height, it seemed he didn't have much trouble reaching for anything. He slicked some paste onto his brush, wet it, and then gazed at the two of you expressionlessly as he went about brushing his teeth.

You and YongHwa slowly slid upright and away from each other. You awkwardly pried yourself from YongHwa's arms but as you went to quickly shoot back out of the bathroom, you bounced back into YongHwa's side as he pulled you by the arm into him. You gave him an incredulous look. Why didn't he let you escape?

"Sticky, isn't he _________," KyungHo observed, some humour creeping into his eyes as he winked at you. "My little bro, looks like he's totally stuck to you. I don't know how you can stand it. Don't you get suffocated?"

YongHwa's grip tightened on your arm. "Why would she get suffocated if I love her? Isn't it a man's duty to stay by the side of his woman?" YongHwa sounded more than a little annoyed at his brother's jibe.

You turned shyly to look at the shower, your face turning pink. Where had all that sass gone that you were able to muster when the whole rock chick act started? It seemed since you had fallen so hard for YongHwa, that confident girl was so hard to make contact with again. It was as if the confidence, the romance, the utter devotion you received from YongHwa, and yes it got a little heavy sometimes but you weren't complaining about that, it was as if that initial oomph has slipped out of your fingers. It was even harder to muster up that persona, that bravery which came with little miss rocker, when you were in these surroundings. Under the scrutiny of YongHwa's family had pushed you right into that shy girl slot you had suffered from most of your life. Whether it was simply a sign of respect to be meek and mild, or you had lost your confidence, you deeply wished you still had it with you. Instead, you had to rely on YongHwa's ability to protect you. Though you were not exactly afraid of YongHwa's brother, it was the remaining time with his mother and grandmother you were worried about the most.

"Mula (I don't know)," KyungHo regarded you a little more closely, and YongHwa subtly moved you around the side of him. His brother laughed, his face cracking into a great boyish grin, with toothpaste froth pasted at either side of his mouth. "You're probably right Yong Yong. But what would I know? Seems I can't hold a girlfriend down for more than a month. You better take care of ________ though," he added seriously, then lowered his voice. "Don't let Omma and Halmonni get to her, neh?"

You looked around to face him again. "What do you mean by that?" you asked.

KyungHo sighed, held up a finger, turned around to rinse his mouth out, patted it dry on the towel beside him and then turned back to face the two of you again. "Halmonni just thinks she is right about everything, and she is the boss of the family. It's not like our grandmother has his wits about him, since he lost most of his memory and doesn't know what time of day it is anymore, she's taken even more of the family power from him. Even though we don't always agree to what she says, just try to keep her happy _________. Try your best for your boyfriend's sake."

You looked around to meet your boyfriend's eyes, they were deep and serious as they looked back at you. He blinked slowly, those large exotic chocolate brown eyes at you. Of course you would try your best, you wanted YongHwa to be happy, so you didn't want to create problems between yourself and his family. You would try your best to win over his grandmother, she would approve of you, you could do it. You smiled at your resolve, and YongHwa smiled back at you. He squeezed your hand, and at the prolonged moment KyungHo coughed loudly and dismissed himself from the room.

"Ah, _________. I want to show you my room!" said YongHwa suddenly with the excitement of a little boy. He grabbed you by the wrist again and pulled you with almost painful force down the hallway to where his childhood bedroom was located. Before going in, he poked his head inside the room. Then he turned to you with his finger on his lips, "We have to be quick though, this is where all the men will be sleeping tonight." So YongHwa gingerly pushed you in before him and then the light. You swept your eyes over the room and glimpsed a computer in the far corner, a clothes rack, an old battered guitar and a Homer Simpson lamp before your eyes landed on someone sitting cross legged on the floor and you jumped back into YongHwa, startled.

KyungHo looked up at the two of you in disbelief, "I thought I left you two alone in the bathroom! Don't tell me you're coming in here to do things now!" He looked slightly ruffled, and you noticed he had just climbed into his bed, his hand on his sheets as he sat on his mattress on the floor, ready to cover himself up.

"Ah, mianhae hyung." YongHwa hurriedly slammed the door shut again. You looked at each other, but both felt a presence behind you and turned in surprise to see YongHwa's father standing there with his hands behind his back.

"Is everything okay with you youngsters?" he asked, his mouth quivering as if he wanted to smile but wasn't allowing himself to.

YongHwa bowed to his father, and you followed suit. "Neh, appaji. We were just, wishing each other a goodnight. _________ also wanted to wish KyungHo a goodnight," YongHwa lied.

YongHwa's father laughed softly then bowed his head to the both of you. "Kurom, jalja (Well then, good night)." He then walked past the two of you and retired for the night.

YongHwa looked sheepishly at you. "Well, I guess we should get to bed too. Will you be alright in there with the women? I'm sorry about  these arrangements..."

"Kwenchana," you assured him, "I will be fine. It's only for the night anyway. I'll take it as an opportunity for female bonding," you laughed and he ran his hand through your hair, admiring your face as you laughed. You stopped laughing abruptly at his expression.

"Well, jalja yobbo (goodnight honey)," YongHwa grinned and planted a kiss on your forehead. "See you in the morning."

"Jalja, oppa."

........................................

Truthfully, you had a rotten sleep last night. Before getting into bed, you tried making polite conversation with the two older ladies, but they didn't seem in much of a mood for talking. YongHwa's mother was nice enough to you though, she listened to what you had to say and gave you the most replies. YongHwa's grandmother on the other hand, preferred to stare into thin air and make a few grunting sounds before turning her back on you completely and lowering herself under her sheets. The only full sentence she was prepared to offer you was, "Turn out the lights!" And then once the room was shrouded in darkness, any further conversation was completely cut off.

Throughout the night it was just as bad. Usually it took you quite a while to fall asleep, and that was even worse when you were in alien places or strange situations, if it was too bright or too noisy for you to sleep. Well it was near impossible to fall asleep in this room, as YongHwa's grandmother fell asleep only too quickly and the terrible snoring started up almost immediately. YongHwa's mother wasn't too noisy, but you could hear her nose whistling on the other side of you every time she inhaled a deep breath.

You flipped over on your right side, flipped onto your left, looked around for another cushion to squash into the side of your head and held it down with a force which you couldn't keep up with you wanted to relax and fade into slumber. When you gave up on that and flopped onto your back again, YongHwa's grandmother's hand flew out to the side in her sleep and whacked you in the side of your head. You bolted upright, staring down at the shadow of her in outrage. She was asleep, it was an accident. You settled back down again, and just as you finally started nodding off, sleep became to envelope you when BAM another hit to your face as YongHwa's grandmother turned over in her sleep. You gritted your teeth and placed the cushion in between your face and YongHwa's grandmother so that you had a shield if it were to happen again. It was probably the early hours of the morning when you finally managed to fall into a further undisturbed sleep. At least you did not receive any more hits to the face.

The morning was similar to last night, you were unable to get much out of YongHwa's grandmother but his mother was polite enough to you. The three of you changed into your everyday clothes like this, YongHwa's grandmother catching a critical look over your body as you quickly tried to cover yourself. She clicked her teeth and was the first to leave the room while YongHwa's mother came and helped tie up the tassels on your blouse. To your surprise she brushed the hair from your face behind your ears when she finished, and gave you a genuine smile.

"Please don't be hurt by my mother, she has always been known to be a harsh lady. She has her reservations about people before she really gets to know them, but she will warm up to you if you continue to be this sweet girl you are now. I promise you, she will come to accept who you are and let go of her own wrong judgements." YongHwa's mother put her hand on your shoulder as you blinked at her in surprise and then left the room to go and help her mother prepare the breakfast for the family. You were left standing there stunned, but then a shadow darkened the doorway and poked their head in, from the corner of your eye you saw them look both ways into the room then creep into the room towards you. As they approached you, you turned towards them dazedly and they stopped in their tracks.

"Oww, I wanted to sneak up on you again," whined YongHwa when you caught his eye and smiled in greeting.

"If you want to catch me off guard you better do a better job of it. Honestly your creeping lacks skill, you'll never surprise me at this rate." You chuckled and reached down for your hair brush which was sitting on top of your bag.

YongHwa was watching you closely. "What did Omma say to you just now?" He looked worried.

You smiled at him reassuringly as you brushed your hair. "She was being nice," you said simply, and his expression relaxed. "She was more or less saying what your brother told me last night."

YongHwa nodded, stepped forward and put his hand on your hand which was brushing your hair. "Here, let me do that for you."

"Neh?"

"Let me brush your hair. You're my woman, let me take care of you." YongHwa took hold of the brush as you relaxed your hand and allowed your arm to fall to your side. You grinned uncontrollably as he moved around to the back of you and gently ran your brush through your hair. It felt nice to have someone else do it for you. Did boyfriends usually do that? It left you feeling all warm and fuzzy.

"You know, you're using that phrase a lot lately," you observed in amusement.

The brushing paused a moment. "What phrase are you talking about?" And started up again.

You mocked him, trying to imitate his deep voice. "She's my woman, let me protect her. You're my woman, let me take care of you. My woman!"

The brushing stopped again. "Yah," said YongHwa in an annoyed voice, he held the brush up and thinned his lips at you. "I'm doing something nice for you and you mock me?"

You giggled and nudged him with your back, pushing his chest. "It's cute though," you admitted when you felt him continuing to stare down at you, the brush hovering above your head.

There was a moment of silence. Then you felt the brush running through your hair again. "Yeah well..." he sounded shy all of a sudden. "Who am I? I'm Jung YongHwa. Of course I'm cute. You're a lucky woman, so be careful."

You frowned, looking straight ahead. "Be careful of what?"

The brushing stopped for the last time. "This." YongHwa's face came around from behind you, he clapped his hands on either side of your face, the brush falling onto the carpet at your feet. Then he pressed his lips against yours, and held you there, gently but firmly, kissing you passionately.  Your eyes fluttered closed and your body yearned towards his. You made to turn around to wrap your arms around him as he kissed you but-

"For the love of Buddha you two are at it again!" KyungHo's voice rang out from the doorway.

The two of you snapped apart and turned to stare at him like frightened rabbits. You hurriedly bent down to pick up your brush, allowing your hair to swing over your face and block out your blushing cheeks.

"Hyung!" YongHwa hissed in irritation. "Why are you spying on us?"

KyungHo's eyes widened incredulously. "Oh ho! Your hyung-nim, spying on his donsaeng? Give me a break. I came to tell you guys that breakfast is ready. So hurry up and get your butts out here before Halmonni catches you." He rolled his eyes, pushed himself off the archway and you heard him cackling his way down the hallway.

You turned to YongHwa anxiously. "He won't say anything...?"

YongHwa laughed, and ruffled your hair making you pout. "Hyung's on our side. Don't worry. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Oh, kurom," you lied, giving YongHwa a gentle smile. "Never better. But I must say your grandmother is a restless sleeper..."

He laughed again, rubbed an itch on his nose. "Kureh? Did you sleep next to Halmonni? I think I heard something about her bad sleeping habits, are you okay?" He bent his knees and cupped your face again, turning your face left and right. "Hmm, you seem to be okay."

You grinned, putting your hands over his. "Kockjongma (don't worry), I'm fine."

YongHwa returned your smile, but then it froze as his brother's voice rang out again. "Balli, balli (hurry, hurry) my little donsaeng! Or your breakfast will be mine on the triple!"

YongHwa grabbed your hand and brought you hurriedly into the kitchen, giving his brother daggers upon entering the room. Everyone was bustling about the kitchen, setting the breakfast dishes and bowls on the table and you quickly moved to take a seat between YongHwa and KyungHo. YongHwa's father greeted you with a nod and a smile as he too came to sit at the table, and YongHwa's grandfather wandered out the room as if strolling through a dream nobody else could see, unaware that he should have been taking his place at the table now as well.

"Mianhae, sister-in-law," whispered KyungHo in a low voice as you settled in beside him. You straightened in your chair at his words, and looked around quickly. Nobody else heard that. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable." He offered you that charming wink and then looked over the table at the selection of breakfast dishes. "Cha, what to have first?"

"KyungHo-ah," called his mother just as his fingers landed on a bowl of abalone porridge. "Go and fetch your grandfather for us, will you? It seems he's wondered out onto the street again."

................................................

Most of the morning was spent preparing a feast for the picnic the family wanted to take to the seaside in the afternoon. You and YongHwa were sent out to fetch some groceries, and you were happy with the alone time you could now spend with your man. It was hard work being around his family twenty-four seven, the pressure was really eating at your energy pretty fast and you felt yourself already being worn out after just a few hours with his grandmother around, as she was watching your every move like a hawk. Most of the morning you had tried your best to be helpful, but the fact that you couldn't cook Korean food, and you couldn't understand what was being said as the old woman proffered jibbering in rushed Busan dialect meant that you were left floundering at what was actually expected of you and after being sent back and forth time and time again with the wrong spoon, the wrong bowl, the wrong bucket and mixing and pouring and chopping everything wrong, you began to feel quite useless pretty quickly. It seemed every move you made had YongHwa's grandmother clicking her teeth at you or shaking her head, and you were tired of looking to YongHwa's mother for guidance. Did she think you were stupid too? You supposed she didn't want her son marrying someone useless, who didn't even know how to cook or even follow orders. But how were you supposed to do all that if you didn't understand what they were saying?

YongHwa sensed your mood and you felt him clasp your hand in his as the two of you walked down the hill to the shopping strip. "So how are you taking it all?" he asked you, swinging your arm with his as you walked hand-in-hand. He seemed a lot brighter and cheery than usual, and you suspected he was trying his hardest to be buoyant for your sake.

"I'm enjoying it here," you said truthfully, as all-in-all you were enjoying your time in Busan, and there were some good things about staying in the house too. You loved the food, you loved the ongoing opportunities to explore YongHwa's childhood, you enjoyed the company of the males in the family as well as they were warm and funny, and quite taken with you as well. If you could just get along with everyone it would be perfect. Though it was a help that YongHwa's mother's attitude had improved, and she seemed to want to help you as much as possible behind her mother's back. "But I don't know how to get your grandmother to like me. No matter what I do, I can't please her."

YongHwa made a face and you laughed. He squeezed your hand and then brought it up to his lips to kiss it. Then he looked at you, tripping over an inconsistency in the pavement and going slightly red before speaking, "D-don't worry too much about Halmonni," he reassured you hurriedly as you stifled a giggle at his clumsiness, "And don't bother trying too hard. You're beautiful the way you are, just keep being yourself."

"I don't think she cares how beautiful I am, Yong Yong," you said sensibly, though the use of his childhood nickname took the sensibility out of your statement and you both chuckled.

YongHwa shook his head. "Aigoo," he ruffled your hair. "You know what I meant, I don't just mean in your looks."

"Then what else?" you prompted, batting your eyelashes at him.

He tripped on the pavement again, flushing even more than last time. "Aiiiish. Don't do that to me... I mean you have a beautiful heart! But sometimes you're a bad girl!"

You raised your eyebrows. Nudging him playfully you teased, "Moh? What do you mean I'm a bad girl? Moh? Moh?"

He stopped suddenly in the middle of the street, whipping your arm around to face him and your hair flew past your face. It was getting more crowded now you were approaching the main street, and some people stared at the two of you as they passed you by. Curious glances at YongHwa's sudden movement, and your look of bewilderment. He stared into your eyes, and they flashed. You wondered if you had angered him and swallowed hard subconsciously. But then his eyes softened again as he looked at you. "Like that."

"Neh?"

YongHwa smirked to himself and turned to continue walking, pulling you with him. You walked a few paces alongside him, still utterly confused. When he refused to elaborate you looked up and stared into the side of his face pointedly. He was still grinning to himself, a strange amused kind of grin that you didn't understand. What was that about? Was he going to explain properly or not?

"Yah, that doesn't tell me anything! What do you mean 'like that'?" you burst out, losing your patience entirely.

YongHwa held the back of his hand to his mouth as he sniggered. Without looking at you, he regained his composure, straightened his face and said, "You just... do things to me."

"Moh? What did I do?" you looked him up and down, checking for injuries or something physical you might have done without realising. He seemed perfectly fine to you. Except for that stupid expression on his face, but how were you to blame for that? You felt annoyed all of a sudden.

The two of you reached the main street, and you followed YongHwa's lead as he tugged you in the direction in which to find the best store for the groceries you were to bring home. The crowds of people bustling about, the smell of freshly caught fish mixed in with cooking smells, bbq and spices, and so many brightly coloured things flashing past you as you were tugged by them distracted you from your conversation and your need to understand what on earth your boy was going on about. You moved with him from store to store, pricing different items and checking which place had the cheaper goods. You wondered why YongHwa was bothering to price match and barter when he had a comfortable salary through FNC but he informed you he still lived a humble life, that he still valued money and his family helped him to never lose sight of that one given. He held out his hand to show how many coins he had brought with him and you realised it was a mere layman's amount. He went on to explain he never left for the market with too much money in his pockets as it stopped him being greedy and overspending, and also as there were too many pick pockets around in big cities and especially in busy places. You nodded in understanding, and he turned around to check the price of the fruits with the vendor when the very type of person he had just been talking about came from behind you and in an instant you felt a tug at your waist before you were thrown against YongHwa and some faceless man made off with your purse through the startled crowds.

"Kwenchana?" YongHwa steadied you again, and smoothed his hands over your frame to check if you were alright, that there was no bodily harm done.

"Neh, I am alright..." You stared after the beggar who had stolen your purse, slipped a hand into your pocket and noticed your handphone was also missing. "Oh no! He stole both my purse and my phone!"

YongHwa gritted his teeth, and without a word he took off through the crowds in the direction in which the robber had run. You called after him anxiously, but within moments he had gone. Feeling a rise of distress as people continued to stare at you, you drifted through the crowded street towards the buildings which you had last seen YongHwa and the stranger. They had run out of sight, and you were now uncertain exactly in which direction they had gone. How far was YongHwa willing to chase the stranger? You knew he was fast, but you were worried for him in the moment he caught up with the guy. What if the man as armed? What if he had buddies waiting for him down a back alley and spotted YongHwa, on his own... Your heart rate picked up terribly, and you began pacing back and forth along the alleyways you had spotted.

There was no telling where they had gone, or what was happening now. You couldn't even call him to check where he was or if he was alright. Overcome with distress you went to sit on a bench nearby, keeping an eye out in both direction for YongHwa to return, unharmed. You didn't even care about your purse or phone anymore. The only reason you wanted your phone was to contact YongHwa. After a while of waiting you stood up from your seat and scanned the street. What if YongHwa came back to the store he had left you at to come and find you? You squinted left and right, walked a few paces both ways and realised with rise in panic that you couldn't even remember which store it was. They all looked the same to you and there were too many people in the way. Feeling hopeless and so utterly at a loss you slumped back down on the bench and decided to wait. If he didn't show up in the next twenty minutes, you would have to try and find your own way back to the house and alert the family.

____________________________________________________________

YONGHWA P.O.V.

At the look on your face YongHwa bolted after your attacker. He didn't even stop to think, or plan, he just went with it. How dare someone push you like that, how dare they steal from you? It was his prerogative that you had the best time possible in Busan, and nobody had the right to mess that up. Not his family, he was growingly getting more and more annoyed about their lagging ability to realise your significance and if they took much longer he was going to have to put a foot down, not them and not some random loser off the street who needed some serious educating. He was going to be the one to do it. He was going to educate his grandmother, to hell with respecting the elders and only elders know best. And he was going to educate this guy. When he caught him...

YongHwa kept the lowlife in his sights all the while they dodged through crowds, down side streets and the guy finally seemed to be running out of breath. The idol felt a budding of satisfaction as he noticed the extent of which the pick pocket was slowing down, looking this way and that is if he was feeling helpless. Bet this guy didn't expect YongHwa to follow him all the way here, he thought to himself with a satisfied grin. Just wait until I catch you, he thought. Nobody picks on my girl, not on my watch. And not on anybody else's watch either. You were going to be so pleased when he came back with your purse and your phone. YongHwa's grin widened, would you call him your hero? Would you reward him in any special way? He wondered if this was a tough enough act for you to give out such a reward. If he got into a fist fight, surely that put this on a decent scale. He made a note to get a couple of bruises and scrapes in the ordeal. That meant he had to end this in some kind of scuffle. Well, the guy had it coming to him anyway, if he was going to resort to this kind of low-life and scumbag sort of past time. Especially now that he had involved you. That was the wrong move, buddy. Whether you give those things to me freely or not, you're going to get one fist-full in the face any which way you choose.

The guy stopped outside a run-down looking sort of house. YongHwa noted they had run all the way to the poorer side of the town, a few blocks from the main street in which he left you. The man jogged up to the doorstep to this house and YongHwa squared his shoulders as he continued his way towards the house, not even stopping to think for a second. He had his chest puffed out, finally he had the guy cornered. He was certain he could take this guy on, he didn't seem too muscular, if anything he was a bit more on the weak side. Compared to YongHwa's athleticism, he'd be an easy opponent. Especially since he was now bent over, out of breath, standing that the top of the steps by his front door. YongHwa smirked, feeling nowhere near as short of breath as this guy, so he proceeded forward with confidence.

Just as YongHwa stepped over the edge of the house onto the property, there was a loud voice which shot out from behind the front door of the house and YongHwa froze in his tracks as the door burst open. Suddenly the company of two had become a company of five, and YongHwa was all of a sudden outnumbered.

End Chapter Twenty Six