Minhyuk tapped his slender fingers on the wheel while breathing out impatiently. Lauren still hasn’t appeared even though she said that she will be out of class in five minutes, and it was fifteen minutes ago. It’s 3.30 PM according to his wrist watch and he had to bring her to FNC management―a recording company and artist management where Lauren be trained for her concert a couple of months later. After that, he had to drive her home before he went out to a music show with his band. Apparently it’s not a good idea when he offered Arianne to pursue her dreams to take Cuisine Diploma from Le Cordon Bleu in French and throwing himself to be responsible taking a good care of Lauren during Arianne’s absence. He never expected that Arianne will agree with his idea because he was simply practicing good manners. As the result, Arianne entrusts him to be responsible over Lauren. In fact, he didn’t know how to handle a puberty teenager.

He was a bit surprised when people from music industries in Korea started calling him and asked him to be their drummer without they even listen his drumming before. He knew that Kang’s name synonymous with art, but he never expected his transition from London to Seoul would be that easy. All Korean, especially in his art community, indeed knows Kang’s family which called as art aristocratic. His grandpa was a painter, three of five from grandpa and grandma children were taking career in music industries while Yoonhee aunty was following grandpa as a painter, and Sora noona chose her path in being an actress. That’s why it’s normal if Lauren and him ended up in art world as well.

Minhyuk knows he sounded like a hypocrite if it’s about Lauren. People knew he likes beautiful girl, all dolled up, with silicon, contact lens, and go to a dentist diligently. He even didn’t remember when the last time he went on a date with natural women. He knows people thought that he was dumb because judging women based on their outer appearance, but he didn’t even give it a damn. He likes beautiful woman who knows how to show off their assets, and nothing’s wrong with that.

He was almost jumping when he heard a knock on his car. He saw Lauren with two teenagers behind her. Minhyuk was a bit cautious when he pressed a button to open the door. And without saying ‘hey’ his only sister chirped in flash, “Oppa, sorry I’m late. Hana’s mom called, said that she can’t pick up her and asking Hana to go back with cab. She lives near Cheongdamdong, it’s not far from FNC. I said we can give her a ride, right, Oppa?”

She didn’t bother to wait for his answer to invite Hana and the other girl into his car. She added, “Ah right, this is Hana’s sister, Hanyoung.”

Lauren used the seatbelt, “Hana, Hanyoung, this is my brother, Minhyuk Oppa.”

Minhyuk could only shift his gaze and nodded slightly to the two sisters who looked fascinated for two seconds before they started yelling in joy and Minhyuk did his best not to close his ears with his hands, “OH MY GOD, Oppa you look cuter than we saw in TV!! We are your fans!! Please can you turn your head here because I want to take your picture. Hanyoungi you should pose beside Minhyuk Oppa and eonni will take your picture and then you do the same for me, okay?” Hana said while waving her cell phone vigorously.

And in five minutes, Minhyuk posed with the two girls resignedly. He hopes that the pictures won’t end up in a weird website, because if it’s yes, he’s sure his management company will scold him to death. One good reason why he did that is Lauren looks happy, proud of having a popular brother like him. He didn’t know why but he was willing to do it all to make Lauren happy, even though Lauren not seemed having the same feeling like him.  

One thing he learned after live with Lauren is his sister could only do three things: shouting incoherently every time she saw Justin Bieber, locking herself in her room with Justin Bieber’s voice echoed from sound system, and didn’t want to eat because she was sure that Justin Bieber dislike a fat girl, or rolling her eyes as if Minhyuk was an idiot if he can’t get why his sister did those things.

*************

Minhyuk exhaled hardly when he set his feet on FNC office. For more than an hour from Lauren’s school to Hana’s house, he was dizzy trying hard to figure out the music from Lauren’s ipod about a girl who obsessed to Alien. Besides, his head was about to explode listening up about who’s cuter between Gail and Peeta. His life turns upside down since Lauren joined in.

“Hey, you two.” Seohyun smiled when Minhyuk and Lauren went across the dining room heading to the studio in the backyard. Minhyuk approached Seohyun who was three months pregnant and kissed her cheek.

“You look terrible.” Minhyuk said while landing his hands on her shoulder to see her face clearly. Seohyun looks paler than she used to be.

She chuckle, “Thanks for the compliment.” She answered in irritated tone.

Minhyuk smiled. He always like Seohyun that according to his opinion was describing a woman who had a strong personality and never allowed every body to insult her. Not a type of woman who will go on a date with him, but a type to be a friend to his liking.

“You can barely at home. Are you on leave?”

“Got home early from office. A bit unwell.” She explained while her womb.

“How’s your morning sickness?” Minhyuk asked worriedly.

“Like death. It’s not supposed to be called as morning sickness because it’s not appeared in the morning. Sometimes it came in afternoon, evening, or night, unpredictable.”

Minhyuk chuckle listening to Seohyun’s rant, “Then next time you should tell Yonghwa hyung to use , so this won’t happen again.” He continued before hearing Lauren’s laughter behind him.

That laughter reminded him that his sister who was underage heard his comment. Minhyuk swore silently, he should be adapting himself for controlling his mouth that used to sound vulgar for kids.

“Minhyuk-ah…” A growling sound that Minhyuk knew without seeing the source of the sound.

Jung Yonghwa, the famous rocker in South Korea who recruited him as a drummer in his band, had that typical husky voice.

“I’m sorry, it happened unknowingly.” Minhyuk defended himself.

“Next time if you can’t control your mouth, I’ll throw your face to the toilet, ahrassoo?” Yonghwa threatened him while dragging Seohyun into her embrace.

“You’re squishing me.” Seohyun squealed in his chest.

Yonghwa loosened up his embrace so then his wife can tilt her head, but he didn’t release her.

“You okay?” he asked worriedly in a gentle way.

Seohyun was only nodding and Minhyuk smiled lightly witnessing their lovey-dovey scene. He really adored that relationship of Yonghwa and Seohyun who seemed to be comfortable of each other. Shortly, that love was glimmering out of their eyes and that was only a blind person who can’t see it. That’s something odd if he remembered their reason to get married begun because of a contract.

When will he find out a woman who can gaze at him like Seohyun gazed on Yonghwa? After all this time, women saw him because of two things: because he is Kang Minhyuk, a famous drummer in South Korea who can lift up their prestige, or as a handsome guy who knows on how to satisfy their physical needs. No one of them who sees him as an ordinary guy who wants love and affection. Wait a minute, since when he did become like this?! It seemed like he was tired more than he thought causing his mind in a mess. Oh, he really needed an assistant for Lauren!!

“Hi Lauren, are you ready to practice? Choa unnie had waited you in studio.” Yonghwa’s words woke him up from his reverie.

With a simple nod from Lauren―who seemed like embarrassed by Yonghwa’s smile, Yonghwa released Seohyun and walked with his newest protégé into his studio. Minhyuk shook his head. It seemed like no one can immune with Yonghwa’s formidable aura.

After they left. Minhyuk dragged a bar chair and sat down facing up Seohyun who peeled up an orange, “Do you know these people named Gail and Peeta?” He questioned her while extended his arm, asking for his orange.

Seohyun seemed like in her thought and handed him the orange, “Gail and Peeta are characters in Hunger Games.” She explained.

“Hunger… what?”

“That’s a teenager novel that made to be a movie, Minhyukkie. Did you never hear it?” She said and earning shaking head from him, “… it’s Jennifer Lawrence. She acted as Mystique in X-Men First Class.” She added.

Minhyuk sunk in a deep thought before shook his head again. Seohyun scoffed annoyingly, “Well, never mind.”

“What’s so great about these two guys?!”

Seohyun smiled, “You should be more in-touch with your feminine side to understand.”

“Yeah, right.” He mumbled so that Seohyun can’t hear him.

Minhyuk will commit suicide if he found out that his name associated with “feminine” word in any kind of form. He’s a real man who had obsession with all his activities that let him hit something. That’s why he turned to be a drummer.

“By the way, when Dayoung was teenager, did she lock herself in her room and refused to eat?” He asked, looking for a new topic.

Dayoung was Seohyun’s cousin. Last year, when Yonghwa and his band were preparing their world tour concert, Dayoung came oftentimes to watch them for practice. Seohyun thought for a while, “If I’m not mistaken, there was a period when she was a bit weird. I’m not sure whether she’d locked herself or not, but her mother had said that there was a period when Dayoung just wanted to drink liters of cranberry juice everyday.”

She squinted suspiciously, “Does Lauren lose her appetite?”

Minhyuk sneered, “Among other things, sometimes I don’t know on how to handle her. Must I scold her because she didn’t want to eat, play music with full volumes, or put up Justin Bieber’s poster the whole wall in her room?”

Seohyun chuckle, “In my opinion, let her be. She’s a teenager that her hormones are unstable and sometimes kinda cranky. Has she got her first menstrual period?”

Minhyuk grimaced at this conversation, “Actually, I don’t know if she’d got it or not and I won’t question her.” He answered.

Seohyun parted her lips, “You’d better ask her if she needed that sanitary napkins or not. She will stay with you until next year, right?”

He nodded while munching his last orange Seohyun gave to him. After all this time, Lauren never asked him to buy that 'sanitary napkins' when he made his monthly expense list. Does it mean that she hasn’t experienced her menstrual period? Gggrrrhh… thinking about all things related to menstrual period makes him giddy.

“Do you know someone who can be an artist assistant?” Minhyuk asked once again.

“Why do you need an assistant? For what?” Seohyun walked to the sink, washing her hands.

“Not for me, but Lauren.”

Seohyun gazed on Minhyuk while frowning and Minhyuk explained about his dilemma. He skipped a part to tell Seohyun that he wanted to get his love-life back, because he’s sure Seohyun won’t allow him get whoever the assistant is if she knew about this.

“What do you really need that assistant for? An assistant who can be a driver, baby sitter, personal shopper and tutor?” She asked while drying her hands with napkin.

He nodded slightly. Seohyun replied, “Who in the world that kind of assistant, idiot?!”

Minhyuk stared at her and growling desperately, “Aaarggh, this is a nightmare. Why does Lauren’s debut album can hit the market amazingly last year’s Christmas?! Who expected that South Korean likes that kind of music? It’s all because of Yonghwa hyung.”

Lauren’s popularity was just like fireworks, ride too fast and shining like stars in the sky. If only Lauren didn’t follow a sing competition last year―when Yonghwa joined as a jury and decided to present her after Lauren lost in semifinal―maybe she’s still an ordinary teenager.

Seohyun looked puzzled for a while before asked, “So you blame Yong Oppa for Lauren’s fame?”

“Not only Yonghwa hyung but the situations too. Lauren hasn’t ready for being famous. She’s too young. She’s supposed focusing herself more to study than practice singing and selling concert tickets.”

As long as she got the point of the reason why Minhyuk acted like this, Seohyun asked carefully, “I don’t see you grumbling like this when Arianne was still here two months ago. Besides, that time Lauren also already became a famous singer just like now. Just ask yourself, is it Lauren who’s not ready yet, or is it you?”

Minhyuk shut his mouth. He must admit that even though Lauren was just fifteen, she can adapt herself with her popularity and acted professional when she worked. He never saw heard her complaining with all media’s attention she got. All her weird behavior in home wasn’t caused by her popularity, but her age. And for Seohyun’s opinion, it’s just normal.

“It’s fine if you want an assistant for Lauren. But in my opinion, you have to talk it first with her. Does she feel comfortable with a stranger in her zone? You should remember that Lauren must like this person because this person eventually will work with her. One thing you can consider, do you can recruit a driver to shuttle her and a tutor to help her homework?” Seohyun advised him.

He shook his head, “It means that I have to recruit two people in a time. I would feel doubled guilty.”

Seohyun gazed at him confusedly and Minhyuk explained, “I feel that if I decided to recruit two assistants, I will disclaims of taking a good care of Lauren. I don’t… why do you laugh like that? What’s so funny?!!”

“No. It’s odd to see you change to be a mature responsible man.” Still with her mocking smile.

“I’m trying, but I’m bad at it.” He replied.

Seohyun rubbed his palms and said, “No, you’re not. You’re doing the best you can. You’re a good brother, bro.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” She said surely, “You’d better talk with Yong Oppa so that he can help you looking for assistant for Lauren, okay?”

Minhyuk frowned while gazing at Seohyun, “Okay.”

Now, Minhyuk had to think ways to tell Lauren without sounded like he tried to put down his responsible. Who knows that having a little sister would be this hard?