KAI

“Yes? What yes?”

I shook my head. I didn’t know what I said. Lu ge looked at me like his eyes were boring a hole into my soul.

“I mean, yes…um…no… I mean… Xiao Yi?”

“I was asking where Sehun and Xiao Yi are.”

“Oh. Yes. Them.”

“Well?”

“Xiao Yi is upstairs. Sehun is at the ice- I mean, uhm…ice cream..sh-shop.”

“Are you okay, Kai?”

“Ne. Ne, I’m okay.”

“Call Xiao Yi down here. And tell Sehun to come home.”

He didn’t wait for me to answer. He continued talking to papa on the phone. He was exactly being papa’s duplicate right now. Before I turned around to go back upstairs and call Xiao Yi, I caught a glimpse of the tall glass of drink in front of Lu ge. He was drinking a blue-colored substance. Coconut lavender lemonade, as far as I knew.

I went back upstairs and knocked on Xiao Yi’s door. She opened right away. I told her that Lu ge wanted her to go down. It was dinner time, anyway. Little sister followed me back downstairs. By the time we got back down, Lu ge had just hung up on papa and placed his phone on the counter. He took the tall glass between his fingers and drank. He motioned for us to sit down on the other bar stools in front of the counter. I sat down two seats away from him. Xiao Yi wanted to sit down behind me, but Luhan drew up the stool near him. She rolled her eyes subtly as she sat down.

Lu ge ran his eyes from top to bottom like scanning both of us for any fractured limbs or scratches. When he was satisfied, he grinned. That kind of grin that made you think of sunny days and cotton candies, only that you know he had an evil side.

“Kai, did you call Sehun?”

“Uh…not yet.”

“Call him now.”

“Okay.”

I took out my phone and dialed Sehun’s number.  He picked up at the second ring. I told him that Lu ge wanted him home and I heard him sigh, but said he’d be home right away. I didn’t look at Lu ge when I spoke with Sehun. I was avoiding his eyes. I knew he’d be suspicious about something if he saw my eyes. I had swiveled the bar stool and turned my back and leaned on the counter. After I called, I took a deep breath and turned to face Lu ge and Xiao Yi again. I mustered a grin on my face.

“So?”

“He’s on his way home, Lu ge.”

“Good. Papa is kinda excited about starting the Fusion project already. He wants us to submit a soft opening plan.”

“Us? You mean…”

“Yes. Us. I mean me, you and Sehun. Well, Jin is coming back to Beijing within this week to help.”

“What can I do?”

“Friday or Saturday, we’ll have a meeting. That’s why I need you and Sehun to clear your schedules.That depends if Jin will be here by Friday. The earlier, the better we can start. Papa wants the soft opening to happen by the end of October.”

“Hmm…”

“Xiao Yi, I…will also need you to clear your schedule. There’s something…we need to discuss, too.”

Xiao Yi looked at Lu ge blankly. She just opened and stared. Lu ge smiled a little.

“If I’m not mistaken, Papa will be coming home too. He’s still trying to clear his schedule, what with Xiumin and Kris starting in Thailand. Papa wants to make sure they’ve got everything covered before he comes home.”

“Papa will be at the meeting?”

“No. I mean, I’m not sure. That will depend on his schedule. But in case he gets it cleared for the weekend, he’ll come home.”

“Oh.”

“Kai. There’s not much to do for a soft opening, so I figured you and Sehun could start to help out.”

“Lu ge…”

“Sheesh. You can do it.”

“You think so? What if I don’t? Papa might--“

“Papa gave me permission to let you and Sehun work on this with me. Now, stop giving me excuses and help me.”

“Yes, Lu ge.”

He nodded at me and drummed his fingers on the counter. The househelp appeared from the backyard. She went directly to the kitchen and washed her hands to start preparing the dinner table. The other househelp had emerged from the laundry room bringing freshly laundered clothes and quietly slipped up the stairs to deliver the clothes in our rooms.

Sehun arrived thirty minutes later. He didn’t say anything else, except “Good evening.”

The dinner table was set and we were seated. Lu ge sat on his chair. Out of habit, no one dared sit on papa’s chair at the head of the table. Only when joking around would we sit there and pretend we were papa.

To divert Lu ge’s attention from Sehun, I started to make small talk about his vacation in France with the other oldies and Baek. He snorted at first and cleared his throat.

“It was fun. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Although, Baek was a little paranoid when we used his stuff. Hahaha! Which reminds me, I have to call Chanyeol about the broken doorknob. Baek screamed when he found out after Chanyeol and Chen left. I think I lost my sense of hearing for at least three days when he screamed.”

“Yo oppa said they got kicked out.”

“Oh, that was actually for another reason.”

“Lu ge, have you learned any French words?”

“Je t’aime.”

“Shhh taem? What?”

“Je t’aime. It means I love you.”

“Oh. How about I hate you?”

“Je vous deteste.”

“Huh?”

“Lu ge, did you go to any of their historical sites?”

“Yes, we did.”

“That time we had Christmas there, it was really cool. How was it different during summer?”

“Not much difference, though.”

Sehun kept silent the whole time. He ate slowly, too. To avoid being asked by Lu ge, he tried hard to be invisible. But just before he stood up to bring his plate to the sink, Lu ge noticed him being silent.

“Sehun. How was your day?”

“Uh…my day. Well, my day was..good.”

“Clear your schedule for Friday and Saturday.”
“Uhm. I…”

“Got something important to do?”

“Well…”

“Do you have something to tell me, Sehun?”

“No. No, I don’t. I mean, I got something important on Saturday. But, I’ll try to reschedule.”

“Hmm. Okay.  Let me know tomorrow if you can.”

“Yes, Lu ge.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. I saw Xiao Yi and Sehun did the same. Lu ge had stood up to bring his empty plate to the sink. Sehun followed him and made a face at me and Xiao Yi.

We slept well that night. Lu ge hasn’t been curious about our personal schedules for the meantime. But I don’t know how long it will stay that way. Sooner or later, he’d be curious and ask a lot of questions. For now, we were safe.

SEOKJIN

“Jimin? Neo eodiya?”

Jimin has become J’s clone since he came to Berkeley. He was always missing whenever I needed him. Appa had made a side trip to Nevada to check some future business opportunities. Jimin was glad that appa wasn’t home to monitor his every move, so he did what he wanted to do.

But today, he shouldn’t be allowed to do whatever he wanted without my permission. Appa had just called and he was on his way back to St. Helena. He also told me that I would have to go back with him to Beijing for a week, to work on the soft opening of Fusion, the joint business venture with the Wu family.

I had checked the garage for Jimin’s car and saw that it was still there. I was relieved to know that he didn’t disappear outside the property again. He was somewhere in the house, but I didn’t know where he was exactly.

I already tried knocking on his bedroom door, but there was no answer. The door was unlocked and I peeked inside. No sign of him, either.

“Jimin?! Appa is coming back to Napa Valley today!!!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs.

He wasn’t like this before. J was the only one who went missing all the time.

I guess I said the right words, because a few minutes later, he appeared through the office door. He was in the office? Huh?

Jimin: Hyung.

Me: What were you doing there?

Jimin: I was studying.

Me: Studying what?

Jimin: My school subjects. What else?

Me: In the office?

Jimin: Yes, waeyo? Appa is coming home?

Me: Yes. He just called me.  And about that… Jimin, are you listening?

Jimin: Yeah, yeah…

Me: Appa is bringing me back to Beijing for a week. Plan for Fusion’s soft opening.

Jimin: Awesome!

Me: You are not allowed to hold parties here, by the way.

Jimin: Tch!

Me: I mean it.

Jimin: Just a few friends? I have new friends from Berkeley.

Me: Andwae! Not even that.

Jimin: Wine tasting?

Me: No. Appa will hear about this.

Jimin: Hyung. Hyungggg….don’t tell appa.

Me: I’m just warning you.

Jimin: Appa’s coming back to California with you after a week?

Me: I don’t know. Maybe not.

Jimin: Hmm…

He had a mischievous look in his eyes as he rubbed his chin with his fingers. I swatted his head and he just laughed at me.

Me: You do know that appa is serious about the winery. He’s gonna regulary come back here every month.

Jimin: Hmm, yeah.

The front door opened and appa stepped inside. Jimin bit his lip and stepped backward, making me the only visible person to appa from the front door’s angle.

Appa: Seokjin, good. You’re home. Book that flight for tomorrow. We have to be in Beijing by Friday.

Me: Yes, appa. On it.

Appa: Where is Jimin?

I turned to face Jimin, but he was no longer there.

That little brat.

Me: He was in your office earlier. Studying, he said.

Appa: I’ll go talk to him first.

Me: Okay. I’ll be in my room, then. By the way, direct flight?

Appa: Yes, if available.

Me: Understood.

And I started to walk towards the stairs, smiling to myself. If appa won’t find Jimin in the office, he’d be dead meat. I chuckled as I walked up the stairs, listening for appa to call out for Jimin. And I wasn’t mistaken.

“Jimin? You left the laptop on in here. Where are you? I need to talk to you right now.”

LUHAN

It’s all coming back. That feeling from before. Ugh.

Xiao Yi has no escape this time, I think.

*groans*

Why can’t I even do something for her?

The only consolation I have right now is knowing that somehow, little sister is fond of Jungkook. She’s seventeen now, and maybe her feelings for him has developed over time. But she spent the last three years in London, so it’s also possible that she has changed her mind about liking him.

A lot can change in three years. She’s more mature now and more responsible.

I have to know if she still likes Jungkook.

Because if she doesn’t, I have to do something.

*covers face with palms*

The best thing about this is that, I am supposed to be the one to tell her...in case papa won’t be able to come home this weekend. Mr. Kim is coming back to Beijing with Jin, and I’d be papa’s representative at the meeting. It would also be in the meeting that Mr. Kim (and papa, supposedly) will officially inform Jungkook and Xiao Yi about their engagement. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, so as much as possible, I want to know if Xiao Yi still feels the same for Jungkook.

“Xiao Yi, do you still like Jungkook?”

I can’t just ask her like that, can I?

Maybe I’ll go to FIS in the afternoon and…observe.

Why does it feel like I’d be stalking her? OMG Luhan. You are willing to stalk your little sister just to find out if she likes a boy?

I should probably ask Kai and Sehun first. They’d tell me what they know. They are afraid of me. I just really need to know. If she still likes him, I won’t be in the way. Or will I?

I still can’t bear thinking of Xiao Yi dating. Jungkook has to prove himself worthy before he gets to marry little sister. Engaged or not, he still has to prove himself worthy. If he fails, he needs to work on it and pass the test again. The longer the engagement period, the better.

But wait…

If-- Xiao Yi still likes Jungkook, it also matters if Jungkook still likes her.

What if he doesn’t? Three years is a long time to make someone change his mind.

I’ll have to talk to Jungkook soon, too.

“Lu ge, mama called. She can’t reach Baekkie-hyung. Do you know where he might be at this time?”

Sehun had interrupted my thoughts.

Of course. Baekhyun would turn off his phone at this time. He might have conveniently forgotten to tell everyone else that once a week, he turns off his phone so he could sleep peacefully. I told him to tell mama that.

I have to talk to someone ASAP.

I took out my phone and started typing a text message.

I need to talk to you about something.

But, I forgot. I didn’t have his number.

*slaps forehead*

Do I ask Xiao Yi or Sehun for his number?

Crap.

I really should rely on my plan A.

Plan A: Stalk little sister and Jungkook.

I finished a college degree.

And now, I’m training to be a professional stalker.

Do not let Wu Zun know about this. Tch. I swear, papa. If the result is the same as before, I’d punch your face. 

• Luhan doesn't know that he is partly right about something. But not really... Cliffhanger there. I'll leave the speculation to you. Hehehe xD

Anyway, BTS' 花樣年華 pt.2 will be out in October, and their comeback stage in November! Tao had his first charity concert, Luhan will release his first album and Kris will do an album too. KAI and TAEOH in Oh My Baby!!! OMG I was waiting for this to happen. xD CHANYEOL's composition and his singing voice ♥  and adasjfgajkgfda hafsdgfaskjfgkagaskgakjgd  LOL. As always, I leave you with→  吴愛你們。我愛你們。 ♥♥♥