Once again, not all of these scenes play out at the same time, some will pick up before something happened, say for example, when WooRen decided to go to the kitchen and the next scene starts with SooJi noticing WooRen who hadn't left to the kitchen yet. It sounds so COMPLICATED but I’m sure you all know what I’m getting at! These scenes aren’t exactly playing one after another in the same flow of time!

*I’m even confusing myself now…lol*

 

...

 

Ren and the others returned to the living room when the snacks were done and from there time started to pass quickly. Everyone grouped off and talked with each other while rotating every now and then, almost like a true social gathering. Ren got to meet all of his siblings friends including Jihoon’s. He got to meet Mingyu and his friends properly as well as Jeonghan and Seungcheol. Let’s not forget Chan. Over time, it seemed like Chan was the one everyone talked to the most, because he was very new to most of them. He was the youngest as well and so the girls sort of doted on him the entire time and gushed over how cute he was. Jeonghan tried so hard not to get jealous!

 

That’s my baby…

Hyung… don’t start.

 

Chan typically thought that he was going to feel left out once they got there, there were just so many people and he didn’t know many of them, he definitely felt like he was going to be the odd one out because of his age. He was imagining him sticking beside Seungcheol or Jeonghan’s side and watch everyone have a fun time without him because how do they include a teenager into their adult talks? But he was glad to see everyone there treating him like everyone else, they were treating him like an adult. Well, besides a certain someone and we all know who that is without even mentioning his name.

 

“Hyung.” Chan called out to Won Woo who had separated himself from the others for a moment, there was too much interaction right now and he needed a break.

 

“Hey, Chan.” Won Woo smiled. “Are you having fun?”

 

“Surprisingly, yes.” The younger said with a cute smile. “I really didn’t expect everyone to be so nice and even interested into talking with me. I really thought it was going to be the opposite.”

 

“I understand.” Won Woo assured him. “You’re the only high schooler among us, so it’s natural for you to think that way in a room full of adults. But you’re doing very well, I’m impressed. Look at you, mature Chan.” He said while reaching over to ruffle Chan’s hair a bit.

 

“That’s right! I’m mature!” Chan chuckled. “So if you ever need someone to talk to, you can talk to me. Remember that!”

 

“Of course.” Won Woo thought that was sweet of Chan to say, he supposed he was worried for him after hearing about everything that happened recently. Who wouldn’t though?

 

A moment later, someone joined them at the corner they were standing at and it happened to be Soo Min. “You two having fun?” She asked with a cute smile.

 

“Yes.” Chan nodded and looked up to Won Woo who did the same. “I just needed to step away for a moment, too many people talking at once, they’re treating me like a celebrity.” He said with a pout and the duo laughed. “Last I checked, it was Ren-hyung and Hyungwon-hyung who are the celebrities.”

 

“That’s true.” Soo Min nodded and turned back to see the girls, Mingyu and his friends crowding around the two models asking questions and being excited. Baekho was standing by monitoring the situation because he’s actually Ren’s bodyguard, but Junhui was standing near Hyungwon’s side as if he was his bodyguard. He should be honestly, since he knows Wushu and could totally protect him if needed. Just like Minghao protected the girls yesterday.

 

“But hey, you can be a celebrity yourself.” Won Woo nudged Chan. “I bet you’ll be a famous dancer when you grow up. It’s probably why Soonyoung was so eager to talk with you, Mingyu told me once that he aims to own his own dance studio and become the best choreographer out there.”

 

“Really? That sounds so cool!” Chan’s eyes were twinkling with excitement. He’d love to work with him if he could!

 

“Jihoon could make that number one hit song that Soonyoung could dance to, it’d be iconic.” Soo Min grinned when Jihoon had walked over to join them. He playfully smacked her with a snicker but he didn’t protest to anything she said like he knew that day would happen eventually.

 

“Who will sing?” He asked.

 

“Mingyu’s friends, of course.” Won Woo pointed out. “Didn’t you hear them earlier when they were performing their own little concert? They’ve got some good vocals.”

 

“True…” Jihoon turned to eye the trio they were talking about. “I wonder if I could get them to come to my studio someday to record.” He muttered like he was talking to himself.

 

“I think they would love to come work with you!” Soo Min beamed. “You could make them a song and have Chan and Soonyoung work together on making a choreo to it. It would be so fun and I’d totally come cheer you guys on when you actually release it and become idols!” She was getting ahead of herself and left planet earth for a second.

 

“You’re so cute, noona.” Chan chuckled before turning to Jihoon. “But it would be good practice down the road, so let’s consider it sometime?”

 

“Sure.” Jihoon nodded and reached over to pat him on the head. Chan was still shorter than him but he knew it wouldn’t last much longer, so he was going to do this as long as he could! Once Chan gets taller, he’d stop because it wouldn’t be as cute anymore when their height difference is too different.

 

“I can’t wait!” Soo Min quietly squealed. “I’m going to be your biggest fan!”

 

“No doubt.” Won Woo chuckled.

 

“I’ll go back to the others now, can’t keep them waiting now can I?” Chan said with a turn of his neck, like he wasn’t sure how he’s going to approach everyone when he returns, because there were too many of them! But he could at least start with his hyungs, Jeonghan and Seungcheol, he can save him from all the attention that he just wasn’t ready for right now.

 

With Chan gone, it was now just the trio, Soo Min, Jihoon and Won Woo. They were doing that thing again, that thing when they stand in the corner of the room and watch everyone interacting with each other. “There's so many people…” Soo Min was the first to point out.

 

“It's crowded.” Jihoon said next.

 

“It's noisy.” She added on. Then they both looked up to Won Woo who snickered.

 

“I don't mind it.” He said with a chuckle. “You two need to be more social… it's actually nice once you get the hang of it.” Even though he hadn't spent that much time with other people, the times spent with Mingyu and his friends were fun. It seemed like Jihoon and Soo Min only ever spent time with their circle of friends, with the exception of Min Ji, Soo Min’s only girl friend whose brother is friends with Soo Min's cousin. Connections, connections.

 

“Not all at once, right?” She said with a sheepish smile when she glanced over to everyone chatting away.

 

“That would be chaotic.” Jihoon muttered and cringed at the thought. A nightmare.

 

“Don't be dramatic.” Won Woo chuckled.

 

A moment later, the catering service showed up and everyone began to get excited since they all had gotten hungry despite eating snacks. It was dinner time anyway and they were so grateful that Ren was treating them tonight. Once all of the food was delivered, Minhyun began to organize everything with the help of Kihyun, Seungcheol, and Seokmin. Soo Min offered to help, but Minhyun insisted that she take it easy and just relax with the others. She already helped with the snacks earlier, that was enough. Before she left the kitchen though, she made a special request to Kihyun who would be helping plate the food while Seokmin and Seungcheol would bring them out to everyone. “Be sure to put lots of carrots on Jeonghan’s plate.” She said.

 

“Doesn’t he not like those?” Kihyun questioned. He had a vague memory of eating lunch with him before and saw Jeonghan picking the carrots out of his food like a picky kid.

 

“No, he loves them!” She laughed before leaving the room to join the rest. They were all listening to Aron tell a funny story of the time he got culture shock after moving to Seoul during high school. Jisoo spoke up and said he could relate and so did Daniel, LiNa and Mei Yi. It was a somewhat bonding experience for them all to get CLOSER.

 

Pretty soon Seungcheol and Seokmin brought out servings of food and started to hand them off to everyone quietly. Soo Min patiently waited for Jeonghan to receive his food and he asked why she kept looking at the kitchen. She assured him it was nothing and a moment later nearly everyone was served their food but Jeonghan. Kihyun personally came to deliver his plate and the look on Jeonghan’s face was priceless when he saw the mountain of carrots on his plate while Kihyun claimed “Soo Min said you love carrots.” She pouted from him selling her out so quick, Kihyun was smart enough not to be fooled by his friend’s girlfriend so of course he’d rat her out! But like a good sport, Jeonghan accepted the mountain of carrots and ate them with no visible problems.

 

“You didn’t have to eat all of them.” Soo Min felt a bit guilty since it was only supposed to be a joke! She would have happily accepted half of the carrots but he forced himself to eat them all.

 

“But they’re good for me. I won’t have to eat any more for a while now.” He simply said with a hint of laughter. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you back for this.” He said with a sweet smile but it was very threatening to her. She should have seen this coming given their long history of pranking each other over the past several years. Damn. “Or you can just make it up to me later?”

 

“No, I can handle whatever payback you have coming, don’t worry.” She raised her hand up to block his charming smile. “I’ll start planning my next revenge before it even happens.” Jeonghan rolled his eyes with a snicker before noticing Minhyuk was watching them nearby.

 

“What?” Jeonghan frowned.

 

“Nothing!” Minhyuk blurted out with a sheepish laugh. “You two are just so cute together!” He gushed and Jeonghan sighed in defeat.

 

Mingyu chuckled nearby along with Won Woo. He had mentioned to the older how cute his friends were. Won Woo even told him an old story about the SooHan couple’s cute antics. Hearing him talk about it was adorable, it seemed to make Won Woo happy as he talked, which was a little funny since he always acted like he hated their PDA. Mingyu figured Won Woo was just happy because his friends were happy. If he could always smile just like this. Mingyu would be the happiest man alive. After everything that he’s been through this week, he just hoped he could make it easier on him somehow and that Won Woo would be able to smile like that always. It was Mingyu’s goal now.

 

…

 

Time started to pass quickly while everyone chatted up a storm amongst each other. Everyone had finished eating their dinner and some had gotten seconds. In time, Daniel and his “gang” decided it was time to split and parted ways with everyone. They all expressed how nice it was to meet each other in this sudden gathering, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. They hoped to meet more in the future.

 

Daniel and his friends took their leave after telling the others goodbye. He mentioned to Won Woo that he could text him tomorrow if he had any questions about the study guide since they didn’t really get to go over it. Won Woo appreciated his help and told him he definitely would text him tomorrow just to make sure he understood everything.

 

Hyungwon said his goodbye to Junhui before saying a special goodbye to Ren and the WooMin duo. “Right, since my dad plans to tell us more over dinner on Monday, will you come?” Soo Min asked.

 

“I’ll be there.” He nodded. He then stood there for a moment hesitating on how to part from her, does he give her a pat on the shoulder or a hug? Maybe a fist bump? She beat him to it and gave him a sweet gentle hug. A smile slowly spread across his lips and he hugged her back before they parted. When he turned to Ren and Won Woo he just waved at them and started to walk off, probably because he was too embarrassed to start hugging them too. Won Woo just laughed while Ren pouted but he understood.

 

“Soo Min, let’s hang out with the girls soon, okay?” Min Ji said while tackling her with a hug out of nowhere, she almost fell backwards but Won Woo stopped it from happening. Since Wonho was leaving she needed to go as well.

 

“O-Okay.” Soo Min stuttered out and gave a few pats to her friend’s back. “See you soon.”

 

“Be sure to finish your projects before Monday!”

 

“I will!”

 

“Bye for now~!” Min Ji happily skipped off back to her brother’s side. He and the rest waved at them from the door before exiting and then they were gone.

 

“I guess we’ll get going now, too.” Youngmi said while coming over to tell them her goodbyes. She was going to give Mei Yi and LiNa a ride home. “It was really nice meeting you, Soo Min! Let’s meet again soon, okay?”

 

“Okay!” Soo Min was defeated when she heard Jeonghan chuckling nearby, it was clear he was very amused and excited to see her interacting with other girls. Youngmi surprised her with a hug and so did the other two girls, it was literally like her energy bar was draining each time she was hugged. It was nothing against the girls, it was just that she wasn’t used to getting hugs from anyone other than her boyfriend and occasionally their other friends and when she visits her parents that had become rare.

 

After telling Ren and Won Woo goodbye, they were off as well. The only ones left were Ren and his friends, Mingyu and his friends and WooMin and their friends, there were still a lot present despite eleven people had just left!

 

“Hi.” Minhyun greeted when he came over to join Won Woo and Mingyu. He wanted to talk with them before leaving soon because he hadn’t been able to meet Won Woo properly just yet.

 

“Hello.” Mingyu greeted back to him and Won Woo gave a quiet wave. “Good to see you again.”

 

“Same.” Minhyun nodded with a smile.

 

“You’ve met before today?” Won Woo asked curiously and Mingyu nodded.

 

“That evening when I brought Soo Min home on my back, she was with him.” Mingyu gestured to Minhyun. “The tall guy with blonde hair.”

 

“Oh.” Won Woo remembered now. “Right, thanks for helping Soo Min that day.”

 

“I barely did much, but you’re welcome!” Minhyun chuckled. “Who would have thought things would turn out this way, huh?”

 

“Yeah.” Won Woo agreed. “But it is what it is.” For a second, Mingyu could tell Won Woo seemed bothered by something, but it didn’t last too long when Minhyun spoke again and held up a conversation with Won Woo. He was asking the basic get to know each other questions with him and relationships were brought up. “How long have you been dating Ren?” Won Woo asked out of pure curiosity.

 

“About three years now.” Minhyun answered with a sweet smile. “What about you and Mingyu?”

 

“... about 5 days.” Won Woo was slightly embarrassed to say that but it was the truth! “We still have a long ways to go, don’t we?” He added with a cute chuckle and looked to Mingyu who smiled the brightest smile he’s ever seen. It was clear that he liked what Won Woo had said, it sounded like he planned to be with him for a while, didn’t he?

 

“Time will fly, trust me.” Minhyun assured Won Woo. “Before you know it, you’ll be celebrating your two year anniversary and wonder where the time went!”

 

“Looking forward to it!” Mingyu said happily and it brought that same smile from before to Won Woo’s lips, that cute smile, that happy smile.

 

While Minhyun continued to chat with Won Woo and Mingyu, Ren was chatting with Jihoon as well as the SooHan couple and Seungcheol. He was asking about how they all met and Seungcheol was the one who explained the whole story. He explained how he and Jeonghan grew up as neighbors and were inseparable, they’ve been best friends since they were practically babies. Then baby Chan was born and so they were a cute trio of their own. Ren thought it was adorable and naturally Soo Min cooed the entire time listening to the story for the seventeenth time. At the age of 5 is when they met Soo Min and Won Woo. They weren’t exactly friends until much later on, but it was pointed out that Jeonghan and Soo Min had an interesting feud growing up which eventually lead to friendship and then to romance. During high school is when Jihoon and Jisoo entered the picture along with Junhui. That about summed up everything and then it was Ren’s turn.

 

Ren explained his side of things with Jihoon, and how he met Minhyun and the others after Jihoon moved away. His time in Busan was fun yet lacking without Jihoon. There were more opportunities in Seoul for him so he made the move, he didn’t expect to discover so much after moving but was happy with how things were turning out so far, it was nice.

 

Jeonghan noticed something while Ren had been talking about the sibling situation, he noticed how Soo Min became somewhat uncomfortable and he figured maybe she just didn’t expect Ren to be open about it with the others right now. He thought about mentioning that to him but at the same time, it was good if their friends knew since they weren’t exactly in the immediate loop at the moment, this would save them the burden of retelling everything. But it seemed like he wasn’t the only one noticing it. Seungcheol could sense maybe it was time to give Ren and the trio some time to themselves before the night is over. He remembered how yesterday went, they didn’t get to spend much time together since it was late. Even today, they didn’t get much time together since everyone else was here intruding, not intentionally though.

 

He suggested they leave after Ren was done with his talk and everyone willingly agreed that it was perfect timing. Seungcheol left with Jeonghan, Chan, Junhui, Minghao and Jisoo. It was another case of illegal backseat riding, can we guess who had to sit in whose lap? You’re probably wrong but guess anyway! Baekho drove Mingyu and his friends home, his car was a little more spacious, so there was no need to do any illegal backseat driving in the end. What a relief! Minhyun would drive JR and Aron home. That left Ren and the Trio alone, finally. The SooRenJiWoo squad.

 

“We survived.” Soo Min joked after they took a seat on the couch together. WooMin sat next to each other while RenJi sat next to each other next to them, making SooRen sit in the middle.

 

“I've never hosted a gathering that big before.” Ren said while closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the couch behind him. “That was a little exhausting.”

 

“You must be tired, huh?” Soo Min asked while sitting forward and gauged his response. “Just sit there and relax, just imagine ocean waves calmly washing up on the shore and…” she had gotten up and grabbed Won Woo by his hand and signaled for him to be quiet. Jihoon noticed and and got up too, because he knew where she was headed. To The Lady GaGa Shrine.

 

“And?” Ren asked, falling for her trick. When she didn't reply, he opened one eye to see why everyone was so silent and he noticed he was on the couch by himself now. “Yah!” He pouted when he caught them going upstairs. He let out out a mix of a sigh and a laugh when he heard Jihoon usher the WooMin duo to hurry up the stairs followed by their fast pace footsteps. Instead of running like he’s done the past two times, Ren calmly headed after them up the stairs. He even shrugged when he got to the top and went the opposite way and then to the correct way like it was a routine he had to do to make it the same as before, because this time Won Woo was present.

 

“We have returned, oh great GaGa!” Soo Min said seriously. “We have brought our fourth member of the group, the SooRenJiWoo squad has finally been Born This Way. We are ready to Just Dance now.” She had pulled out her phone while speaking and searched for that particular song. When she found it, she pressed play.

 

“What are you doing?” Ren’s voice said behind them and they turned to see him standing there with his hands on his hips, perfectly displaying an older sibling stance and looked at them like they were his troublemaking siblings.

 

“Quick, put on your Poker Faces.” Jihoon muttered but they couldn’t help but laugh at all the puns that were being made.

 

“Enough.” Ren chuckled. “And so you have it. My “Lady GaGa” shrine as Soo Min would say.” His words were directed to Won Woo who looked at the small collection up and down.

 

“It’s nice.” Won Woo complimented. “At least it’s more organized than her Hello Kitty shrine back at home.”

 

“I don’t have a shrine!” Soo Min pouted. Karma.

 

“You definitely do.” Jihoon nodded in agreement and she frowned at him and insisted she didn’t. They started to go back and forth about it while Won Woo and Ren watched them like a pair of older siblings watching their younger siblings fight. Because it really felt like that right about now, despite Jihoon wasn’t connected to them in any way other then his parents being friends with theirs.

 

Ren gestured for Won Woo to follow him to the other side of his room so he could talk to him without SooJi’s bickering interfering. “How are you feeling?” He asked kindly.

 

“I’m good. What about you?” Won Woo returned the same tone. “Sorry about things changing so quickly like that, it was a nice idea in the end but probably could have been planned out better.”

 

“Agreed. Though, I’m glad I got to meet everyone sooner than later.”

 

“Hopefully you can meet more than just our friends soon. You’ll get to meet your dad on Monday, how do you feel about that?” Won Woo wanted to ask because he was curious. They hadn’t properly talked about it because of how eventful everything was earlier.

 

“I’m nervous. As expected, right?” Ren gave a sheepish smile. “I don’t really know what to expect actually. Soo Min told me that he’s looking forward to meeting me, so I guess it won’t be so bad.”

 

“Mr. Chae is pretty laid back and fun. I don’t think you should be worried at all. You’re going to love him.” Won Woo gave him a warm smile and Ren felt touched, he could feel a sting in the back of his eyes again. Chae Kangmin is his father after all, of course he should love him, like he should have these past 21 years.

 

“Well, since you asked me a question, let me ask you a question, okay?” Ren managed to keep his cool. Won Woo simply nodded in reply with a small ‘sure’ and Ren thought about how to word his question. “Since you’re going to L.A after midterms. How do you feel on facing your parents?”

 

“I’m scared.” Won Woo said calmly with a sad smile. It broke Ren’s heart. “I mean… I want to know the truth and I’m sure I’ll get it soon. Things just happened so quickly so I’m still processing it on the inside. It probably doesn’t look like it, huh? That I’m having such a hard time with all of this. I had to be strong… for them.” Won Woo stole a glance across the room to see Soo Min was going over the Lady GaGa albums with Jihoon, maybe they were talking about their favorite songs. It put a small smile on his lips but he was still struggling with his emotions. “I can understand how she felt… what she said at the hospital, it made me think about it too.” He could see Ren’s expression change, almost like he was rejected in a way. “It’s probably hard to understand if you aren’t in the same position… but I’m still happy we met. I’m happy with how it turned out regardless, if it had been any different, you probably would have been alone. So I’m glad that I can be your brother, I’m happy that you won’t have to be alone anymore.”

 

“Thank you.” Was all Ren could say because he was fighting back his tears. “Thank you for accepting me as your brother.”

 

“Of course.” Won Woo smiled and held his arms open for a hug. “I don’t usually give hugs, but it looks like you need one.”

 

“Tch.” Ren did a sad snicker but accepted the invite and Won Woo gave him the most brotherly hug out there. It was tight and loving and Ren really felt cared for. That was until Won Woo’s stomach rumbled and Ren snickered in response. “Are you hungry?”

 

“Maybe just a bit…” Won Woo said with a sheepish smile.

 

“That’s okay, we can go downstairs and get a snack.” He suggested and gestured for his brother to follow him out of the room. Won Woo glanced back to SooJi who hadn’t noticed them leaving just yet, but he could tell something was happening between them. Let them be.

 

…

 

“They’re hugging.” Soo Min whispered to Jihoon after glancing over her shoulder. He looked over and saw it too. “I guess they’re having a brotherly moment.” She said with a sad smile. “I’m happy for them.”

 

“Are you still upset about the outcome?” Jihoon asked quietly. They had music playing on her phone, so they were sure they couldn’t hear them talking on the other side of Ren’s large room. They hadn’t been able to hear anything the other two were talking about this whole time either.

 

“I suppose just a bit.” She admitted. “It’s kind of hard to accept but I’m sure I’ll get over it soon enough.”

 

“And if you don’t?”

 

“Don’t say that.” She frowned at him. “I will.”

 

“I’m just pointing out possibilities.” He gave an apologetic look. “I understand you’ve been with Won Woo for so many years, of course it would be hard to accept something like that so suddenly. I’m sure once you get to bond with Ren a little more, it will get easier. Just be sure to talk it out with them, okay? Be honest.”

 

“But it’s hard to speak about it. I don’t like it.” She was starting to get those negative feelings again and she put the album she was holding away and stared at the shelf of merch. “You don’t understand…”

 

“You’re right. I don’t.” He replied calmly, a hint of hurt in his tone. “But I’m trying to understand.”

 

When she turned to face him, she noticed Ren and Won Woo were gone. They probably had left to go downstairs or something, so it was just her and Jihoon now. “I’m sorry.” She managed to say while the tears started to well in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry with Ren and Won Woo in the room because she didn’t want to worry them, but since they were gone, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. He looked to see they were gone as well when he saw her tears, he had worried for the same thing.

 

“It’s okay.” He said kindly to her with a sad smile and reached out to rub her arm. “You’ll be okay.”

 

“Will I really?” She brought her hands up to cover her face. She was so disappointed in herself right now. Just when she thought she was making progress on accepting everything, she regressed. She took a step back unintentionally.

 

“You have to try. At least do that, okay.” He said while bringing her into a tight hug. “Don’t give into those negative feelings. Be strong.” He could hear her cry harder and he laughed. “Yah! You’re doing the opposite!”

 

“Thanks.” She managed to get out when they parted from their hug a moment later.

 

“Jeez, now your eyes are all pink and swollen.” He scolded and wiped away a few tears for her. “They’re going to think I made you cry now!” He pouted. “You know how brothers get when someone makes their sister cry.”

 

“I’ll protect you!” She laughed and was instantly in better moods. It made Jihoon happy again. “But you’re my brother too!” She added on. “Are you going to attack yourself or something?”

 

Jihoon stood there with a mixed expression. “But I’m not really related to you in any way…” he muttered. He suddenly felt dejected. He was the only one out of the four with no relations whatsoever. He was the odd one out. He felt so lonely now that he thought about that. Growing up, he sometimes had the same wants like Ren, to have a sibling to play with, to talk with… He never got that and he was sure his parents wouldn’t have another kid at this point. He would be an only child forever.

 

“So?” She pouted and snapped him out of it. “You are like a brother to me. You act like it too when you scold me and tell me to be more responsible. You fill in that brother role quite well~! You and Won Woo… are like my chosen family. You’re family to me regardless of family trees.” She gave him a bright smile and it was now Jihoon’s turn to cry. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” She panicked for a second and threw her hands in every which direction and looked around for help. “Sorry! I’m sorry! You don’t feel that way?! You don’t have to-”

 

“No, you idiot. Of course I feel the same way!” He interrupted and smacked her on the arm. She yelped and pretended to be hurt but giggled when he snickered at her. “I just… never knew you thought of me that way. Even after what happened between us when we fought, I was sure things would never be the same. I felt like I really pushed you away.”

 

“I thought the same, but I actually think it brought us CLOSER, don’t you think? When all of this stuff started to unfold with Ren, you were there for me. And you continued to be there for me… even now. So hell yeah I’m gonna think very highly of you!” She smacked him in return, lightly of course.

 

“Thanks.” He said with a small sniffle and she reached out to wipe a remaining tear for him.

 

“Jeez, now your eyes are all pink an-”

 

“Don’t copy me!” He laughed.

 

“You know how brothers get when someone makes their brother cry!” She could see him pause at those words. “I’m sure Won Woo feels the same. Even Ren, too! Accept it!” She playfully pushed him back with her right index finger to his forehead and he lost his balance for a second and snapped out of it. “And I’ll work on accepting the truth as well. Let’s accept it together.”

 

“... alright.” He smiled softly. “You don’t have to do it alone. I’m here.”

 

“I just finished crying and you’re making me cry again?! You’re evil!” She turned off to the side and covered her face. He only laughed and patted her on her back, he was glad they could have this talk, in front of the Mother Monster Shrine. Then he heard her stomach growl.

 

“How are you still hungry after eating all of that food earlier?!” He teased and she pouted at him.

 

“I just am!” She complained.

 

“Fine. I guess we should head down and see about getting a snack.” Jihoon gestured for her to follow him out of the room. Soo Min hesitated for a moment and Jihoon noticed when he got to the door. She snapped out of it quickly before he could say anything and she hurried over to catch up.

 

…

 

“You have many choices to choose from.” Ren said after opening the fridge door. “My boyfriend basically bought the entire store for me.” He added with a cute laugh.

 

“Really? Wow.” Won Woo was amazed. “He so nice.”

 

“He is. He’s very nice.” Ren nodded. “I guess you two haven’t been able to meet much, I know he’s met with Soo Min a few times.”

 

“Yeah, she seems to know you and your friends more than me since I wasn’t around.” Won Woo suddenly frowned at that thought. He at least got to talk with Minhyun earlier, that should count for something.

 

“That’s okay, you’re here now.” Ren gave him a sweet smile. “Don’t dwell on things like that, okay? Tomorrow’s always a new day, it’ll be fine. Just take it one day at a time.”

 

“Alright.” Won Woo really felt like a younger brother this time with how mature Ren sounded just now. “Thanks, bro.” He said with a cute chuckle. He wasn’t going to say bro a lot, but it was just to emphasis on the situation, that’s all.

 

“You’re welcome.” Ren chuckled before he noticed Soo Min and Jihoon come down the stairs when he peeked around Won Woo’s shoulder, because Won Woo was taller than him. “They must’ve gotten hungry too.”

 

“Most likely.” Won Woo chuckled and opened the fridge again to get some ingredients out so he could actually prepare a snack, he had gotten sidetracked from talking to Ren a moment ago.

 

“Hey you two, did you want a snack-oh no, what happened?” Ren was asking until he noticed the two looked like they had been crying. Won Woo heard that and immediately turned around from the counter to see what was going on. He saw it too and felt his heart ache a bit. He knew something happened and worried if the two had fought again. I didn’t hear any yelling though?

 

“It’s okay.” Soo Min assured them with a weak smile. “We just had a heart to heart by your Lady GaGa shrine.”

 

“... that’s good.” Ren said with a hint of a chuckle and Won Woo was relieved.

 

“It made us hungry, so can we please have a snack?” Jihoon said with a cute pout and Ren nodded with a happy smile.

 

“Let’s make the children something simple to eat since it’s getting late.” Ren said to Won Woo after joining him at the counter where he had pulled out items to prepare. There was fruit.

 

“Tch, children?” Both Soo Min and Jihoon said in sync. “We want candy!” Only Soo Min had said and Jihoon turned and smacked her upside the head.

 

“No.” He said sternly and her betrayed look had both Ren and Won Woo laughing. “Fruit is good for you!”

 

“And so are Choco Pies.” She muttered while rubbing the back of her head. Seeing Won Woo and Jihoon scold her was a little cute to Ren, though… he felt like he should do something to please her. In a sense… make her like him more than them. You could probably say he was feeling a bit jealous just then and he did think about what Won Woo said earlier, he felt like maybe she could still be struggling about the situation and he would like to do something to help her through it at least. If we got CLOSER, maybe it could help?

 

He watched her suddenly distance herself from the kitchen and he knew it wasn’t because Jihoon playfully hit her, he could just sense she was having a difficult time. Jihoon offered to help Won Woo with the snacks and suggested Ren go speak to her alone. It seemed to be what they were doing tonight, talking to each other one on one. Now it was their turn along with Won Woo and Jihoon.

 

Ren hesitated but agreed and was about to leave until he turned back around and got something from one of the cupboards. A Choco Pie. Won Woo gave him a thumbs up and so did Jihoon and Ren chuckled. He was definitely going to get CLOSER to her with that Choco Pie for sure.

 

“He’s already on the right track.” Jihoon snickered beside Won Woo.

 

“He definitely is.” Won Woo agreed. “Does she get fruit and a Choco Pie?” He questioned while he was counting how many apples to cut.

 

“She’ll throw a fit if she doesn’t get both.” Jihoon snickered again.

 

“True.” Won Woo shrugged and Jihoon held back his laughter. “So…”

 

“Yeah?” Jihoon knew the older probably wanted to know what happened up in Ren’s room. “Like she said, we had a heart to heart.”

 

“Right.” Won Woo nodded with a small smile. “That’s nice.”

 

“It is.” Jihoon managed a smile of his own. “Obviously you think highly of her, right?”

 

“Highly?”

 

“Like specially.”

 

“I do.” Won Woo nodded.

 

“I figured after being friends for so long. Must be nice.” Jihoon said softly and Won Woo could tell he was dejected about something.

 

“I don’t think time really makes that much of a difference.” Won Woo pointed out. “You and I have only been friends for about 5 years now… yet I consider you also special.”

 

“Really?” Jihoon had lowkey brought it up to see if Soo Min was right about them.

 

“Yeah, we have this… weird but special bond with each other.”

 

“Weird.” Jihoon repeated with a cute pout and Won Woo laughed.

 

“I don’t mean it like that!”

 

“I know.” Jihoon gave a small chuckle. “I get it.”

 

“Honestly, before any of this came about I was fine with it. Being an only child really didn’t bother me since I had Soo Min around. I was lonely but then wasn’t because I had someone there by my side, always. Thinking back on it now, I never really had too many thoughts about what it would be like to have a sibling, I didn’t have to imagine it because Soo Min was already like a sister to me, and then you came along as well. We got along quickly and before I knew it we were already close in our weird bond. It’s only been 5 years but I think of it like you’re our 5 year old baby brother whom we’re still getting to know as you age.” He joked but when he saw Jihoon had tears welling in his eyes he panicked for a second. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you!”

“You didn’t!” Jihoon blurted out and wiped at his eye with the back of his hands since he had been handling the other apples. “It’s just nice to know you feel the same. She was right! The all knowing King.”

 

“Of course.” Won Woo chuckled. “I really think all of this has brought us CLOSER now.”

“It has!”

 

“I just hope things will be the same between those two.” Won Woo was worried about Soo Min and Ren. He was sure she will come around in time but he didn’t know how long it would take. Hopefully not long.

 

“It will be okay.” Jihoon said with a small sniffle. “I’m here for you guys. It’ll be difficult but I know you’ll get through it so please, if you need to you can talk to me, I’ll help out as much as I can. I’ll try to understand it all.”

 

“Thanks.” Won Woo was really touched by his words and before he knew it there was a sting in the back of his eyes, too. All the pent up emotions were coming through after these honest one on one talks with them. He was nervous about how his one on one talk would go with Soo Min now. “Jihoon…”

 

“Yeah?” The younger looked up and was heartbroken to see tears in his eyes. He hadn’t seen Won Woo cry much over the years, so it was clear to him that he was hurting pretty bad in some way. “Tell me, what is it?”

 

“What if I can’t get on that plane to L.A?” Won Woo said quietly and wiped a tear that fell. “I know I’ve been stressed about all of this, we all have, but I hadn’t thought about backing out on visiting L.A until now. The CLOSER we get to fall break, the more I feel worried and scared. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do it. I might have… bottled up more feelings than I should have and now…” more tears had started to fall and Won Woo tried to wipe them away as fast as he could but it was no use. It started to frustrate him and he slowly dropped to the floor and rested his back against the island counter with his face covered by his shaking hands. He felt like he was breaking down and it scared him how it was happening out of nowhere and so quickly. He overfilled the emotion bottle for sure.

 

Jihoon panicked for a second, he thought to fetch the others but he knew maybe that wasn’t such a great idea. Maybe Won Woo didn’t want them to see him like this, he probably didn’t want anyone to see him like this. Jihoon couldn’t simply leave though, he had to do something! He quietly took the spot next to Won Woo and gently rested his hand on his shaking shoulder.

 

He thought about what he could say other than the cliches, but those were the only things coming to his head. “It’ll be alright.” He watched Won Woo try to keep quiet and let out shaky breaths. “If you don’t feel like you can go to L.A. Don’t go. Don’t force yourself, okay? We’ll all understand… you don’t have to pretend you’re okay. If you’re not okay, you’re not okay? And that’s okay. It all starts when you acknowledge that. If you’re trying to put on a front for the sake of Soo Min, or for me, or for any of us, please don’t. Stop. You’re hurting yourself by doing that. You’ll make yourself sick…” he was recalling what Seungcheol told him earlier today, how friends just put up fronts so their friends don’t worry, it’s a negative cycle. But what stood out to him most was how he said things would be okay, even if it didn’t feel like it. That’s what was giving him the strength to comfort Won Woo now.

 

“I’m sorry.” It hurt to hear how upset Won Woo was about this, it made it difficult for Jihoon to keep calm either.

 

“I know. We know. Just… breathe, okay? Relax. For now, just don’t think about it, even if it’s hard, just try to think about something else, something that makes you happy. Think of a song or something?” It seemed like his words were helping and Won Woo was starting to calm down. He took it upon himself to hum a string of notes from a recent composition he made in his studio last week. He was a little shy about doing it, but if it would help his friend be more at ease because he believes music can heal the soul, he’d do it. He started to hum the notes. (Example: SVT Don’t Wanna Cry)

 

He hummed it for a minute or so and when he checked on Won Woo, he could see how calm he had gotten, there was even a smile on his lips when Jihoon locked eyes with him. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem.” Jihoon muttered with a hint of embarrassment, but he was happy he could help Won Woo in the end. “Should we get back to cutting the apples?”

 

“Oh, right. Forgot about that.” Won Woo nodded and they both got up and washed their hands before getting back to preparing their snacks. The atmosphere didn’t feel tense anymore but instead peaceful. They hoped it could last when the other two return.

 

…

 

Soo Min had stepped away from the kitchen and wandered off into the living room where the chaotic fun was earlier. It was a good memory she’d remember forever. Large crowds weren’t really her thing, but this one was okay because she at least knew most of them. She looked at the karaoke machine and thought about how she wanted to sing earlier when everyone was taking turns, but she was too shy about it. There were just too many people watching, even if it was just one person, she would be too shy. I never thought if Jihoon would be too shy about his music… she thought and frowned. Little did she know, she’d miss out on Jihoon’s little performance for Won Woo back in the kitchen. I really gotta stop overhyping stuff like that…

 

Her thoughts were interrupted when she sensed someone sit near her on the couch. She knew who it could be without even looking and wasn’t sure what to say. Luckily he spoke first.

 

“How are you feeling?” Ren asked softly.

 

“Feeling...okay.” She answered with a hint of a shrug in her shoulders. She didn’t make eye contact though and started to feel horrible about it. It was starting to feel like a repeat from before, when she couldn’t face him. “Still trying to process everything.” She had to be honest this time at least.

 

“Understandable.” Ren didn’t sound too disappointed and she was glad. “Might take some time.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Take all the time you need. I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere.” He smiled when she looked his way and of course… the waterworks were starting up again. She had filled her emotional bottle up too much as well. “I mean I can’t always be here sitting on the couch but you get what I mean, right?”

 

“Obviously!” She chuckled while wiping a tear that slipped from her eyes. That sense of humor, she appreciated it.

 

“Good.” He smiled and pulled out the Choco Pie he grabbed before leaving the kitchen. It was time. “Here.”

 

“... but it’s bad for me.” She accepted it from him regardless and he noticed that.

 

“Sometimes it’s good for you.” He assured her. “Emotionally, I mean.”

 

“Thanks.” A smile started to spread across her lips. “I doubt they’d even let me have one even if I was crying!” that smile turned into a pout quickly.

 

“That’s okay, I’ll always let you have one.” He chuckled in reply and she paused.

 

“The best brother a sister could have.” Her smile returned and was a little stronger this time, but guilt and sadness still clouded it. “I’m really trying.”

 

“I know. Thank you.” Ren could cry too, but this time he had his emotions in check, he is sad but not too sad. He’s disappointed, but not too disappointed. He was just a little of everything tonight, emotion wise and he told himself it was okay. It was only natural for him to feel those things and he should accept it. Life is just like that but you just have to get through it and keep moving forward.

 

It was quiet between them, a little too quiet and they could hear bits and pieces of the conversation going on in the kitchen, and someone was crying. Soo Min knew who it was and it broke her heart all over again, she started to get overwhelmed and Ren saw that. He thought about going into the other room and check on the others, but he couldn’t simply leave Soo Min like this either. He was hesitant on resting his hand on hers, or her shoulder because he didn’t know if she’d reject his attempt at comforting her, so he kept his hands to himself but still gave her his full attention. “Do you want to talk?” He asked. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

 

“What if… it doesn’t work out?” She muttered out and looked at him with those worried eyes. “What if things just get worse from here on out? What if our parents hate each other even more? What if this does more damage than good? What if our families really break apart?” She kept her voice low since she didn’t want Won Woo and Jihoon to hear what she was saying, but her tone peaked here and there when she started to cry because her voice was cutting out and cracking and it made her try to speak louder.

 

“That’s a possibility.” Ren had avoided thinking about those things because it also made him worry and panic on the inside. He’d really hate if all those things came true, then it would really feel like it was all his fault. “But we won’t know until it happens.”

 

“That’s the scary part.” She covered her face with her hands and did her best to calm herself before she ends up a sobbing mess and freaks everyone else out. “Maybe it wouldn’t feel any different other than it being official and known. Already our families are distant from each other and the story says there were bitter feelings between them. How much worse could it get other than them officially stating that they hate each other.”

 

“Stop.” Ren didn’t like how negative she was being right now and it was seriously bothering him. She really thinks this way?

 

“It’s only a matter of time, isn’t it? They’re already going down that path…”

 

“Stop.” He repeated calmly but she didn’t listen.

 

“I don’t know why I’m even upset about it if that’s how it was going to be. They kept it all a secret, so why should it matter if they choose to cut all ties with each other. They… didn’t care about us, did they?” She looked to him for an answer and saw him simply look at her with a broken smile.

 

“Are you done?”

 

“Done?”

 

“Did you get it all out there? Is there anymore negative things you want to say? Go ahead and say them so they’re not still swimming in your head like that later.” He was calm when saying all of that and she realized he was being mature with her. “Just say how you really feel, be honest.”

 

“I’m scared.” She admitted and dropped her face into her hands. Ren’s heart was broken once again. “I just want things to work out. I want everyone to be honest with each other. I want us all to somehow OVERCOME this and be one big happy family. I want us to be CLOSER again. I just want us to be happy.”

 

“And we will be, but we have to fight for it.” Ren finally summoned the courage to comfort his sister by resting his hand on her shoulder. “If we sit back in fear and do anything, nothing will change. You’re right, there are bitter feelings between our parents, but we can do something to change that. We can confront them and show them that everything is okay once we’re honest about it all. I’m sure if they see us doing everything to keep everyone together and happy, they will follow suit. Someone has to show them that.”

 

“What if-” she was going to say but he quickly silenced her.

 

“What ifs are just what ifs. Let’s just focus on the present and roll with it. Let’s wing it because you can’t accurately predict the future, it’s not set in stone, remember that. Our futures start with us, we’re the ones who will build it, okay?” He watched her give a small nod in understanding and he smiled. “Facing our parents is the first step in all of this, we’ll have to be strong and it will be difficult but we’ll have each other, so don’t stress about it too much, alright?” She nodded again with a small sniffle and he was happy that she was listening and calming down now. “Good. No more tears tonight, please.”

 

“I have a lot of them, though.” Her face scrunched up and her lip quivered, it was cute in a sad way.

 

“Then you should let them out, don’t hold them in anymore.” He said while scooting CLOSER to her side and put his arm around her shoulder and patted on his, implying she could cry on his shoulder.

 

“Is this expensive?” She asked with tears already falling down her cheeks and he laughed. Just like when Won Woo apologized for crying on his “not that expensive” coat yesterday morning.

 

“Not that expensive.” He said and predicted her answer.

 

“That’s supposed to make me feel better?” She pouted and he just pulled her over into a tight hug. My siblings are so precious! Despite she was crying, he felt happy to comfort her like this. 21 years later and he finally has the sister he’s always wanted.

 

Soo Min tensed up at first when he hugged her but immediately relaxed and started to calm down. It was nice and she felt much CLOSER to him, like they’ve known each other for years now and they’ve only known each other officially for about a week. It seemed like time didn’t make a difference in this case after being open and honest with each other. We can start building our new future with Ren now. She thought in peace and slowly started to lose consciousness, all of the events today really took a toll on her physically, mentally and emotionally. In a matter of minutes with Ren her hair gently, she fell asleep in her brother’s arms. That’s when Jihoon and Won Woo entered the living room with the sliced apples.

 

“She’s asleep?” Jihoon asked when Ren warned them to be quiet. He simply nodded with a smile and gestured for them to carefully sit on the couch.

 

“It’s been a long day for us.” Won Woo pointed out in a quiet voice. “I’m not surprised that she knocked out before we could go home.”

 

“Right. It’s late.” Ren frowned when he realized that. “Should I wake her?”

 

“No, don’t worry about it.” Won Woo assured him. “Let her sleep.”

 

“But… are you just going to leave her here?”

 

“No. We can stay.” He said after taking a bit of the apple slice. “I mean… if that’s okay with you?”

 

“It’s more than okay.” Ren’s smile widened. “What about you, will you stay too? It could be like a real sleep over now that we have two more additions.” He seemed excited now and it was cute to Jihoon. When they had sleepovers back in Busan, it was just the two of them because they never invited other friends, they didn’t really have anyone to invite actually.

 

“Sure, I’ll stay.” Jihoon nodded and pulled out his phone to let his parents know he wouldn’t be home again because he’d be staying the night at Ren’s house for the second time this weekend.

 

“We can have a more proper sleepover next time.” Won Woo pointed out. He didn’t want to ruin his brother’s excitement but he was sure they were all pretty tired from today.

 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Ren quickly agreed. It’d be difficult to have fun after all the tears and not to mention they were definitely tired. “I have a guest bedroom you and Soo Min can sleep in for tonight. Jihoon can stay with me. Sound good?” The other two nodded and Ren gave a thumbs up before looking down to Soo Min sleeping on his shoulder. “So… what do we do with this sleeping child?”

 

“Leave it to me.” Won Woo chuckled and got up to step over and he easily scooped her up into his arms. They heard her groan at the sudden interruption in her sleep, she wasn’t too happy about that but she was going to have to deal with it.

 

“I’ll carry you too!” Ren teased and stood up so he could scoop Jihoon up. The blonde was too slow to react, so the oldest was successful in doing so.

 

“Yah! Put me down!” Jihoon complained, quietly though, quietly. He squirmed in Ren’s arm and Won Woo just chuckled.

 

“Stop, or I might actually drop you on accident!” Ren scolded and Jihoon obeyed. While it would have been fun to joke around further, Ren was too tired to actually carry him around, so he put him down like requested. “I’ll show you to the guest room.” He said and gestured for Won Woo to follow him to the bedroom on the first floor towards the back of the house, it was the only one on that floor but there were four bedrooms upstairs including Ren’s.

 

He would have had them use one of the other bedrooms upstairs but the problem was they weren’t furnished yet since it was just Ren, it’d be ridiculous to have that many bedrooms when it was just him. He was making plans on transforming the other rooms upstairs into more useful spaces like an art room or a study room, though he truly wished to gain some roommates at some point in time... “Do you want a change of clothes?” He asked after they entered the room.

 

“I’m fine.” Won Woo assured him while putting Soo Min down on the large bed.

 

“What about her?” Ren pointed to her after he was done and faced him.

 

“She’s fine too.”

 

“It wasn’t like I was going to lend you expensive clothing!” Ren snickered.

 

“I know, relax.” Won Woo laughed before looking to Jihoon who had followed them. “I guess we’ll see you in the morning.”

 

“Yeah.” Jihoon nodded. “Goodnight. We’ll be upstairs, you know where to find us, just follow the sound of Lady GaGa’s voice, gonna be okay, da da doo doo, just dance-” he was suddenly elbowed in the side and flinched and bent over dramatically.

 

“I didn’t hit you that hard.” Ren snickered again before facing Won Woo who was holding back his laughter. “Like he said, we’ll be upstairs if you need anything.”

 

“Got it.” Won Woo nodded and gave them a small wave. “Goodnight.”

 

“Goodnight, sleep well.” Ren said while leaving and shut the door behind himself on the way out. Now it was just Won Woo and Soo Min who was still knocked out.

 

“Jeez, what a day.” He muttered while working on getting her body under the covers. Once she looked settled, he went to the other side of the bed and tried to get comfortable. He let out a long sigh and thought about putting on a playlist of piano covers but he knew that would kill his phone by morning since he didn’t have his charger with him. So he lied there in silence and it wasn’t exactly pleasant. It’s fine. He thought to himself and tried to count backwards from 509.

 

…

 

After Ren washed up in his master bathroom, he returned to his bed where Jihoon was browsing away on his phone and looked comfortable doing so. He could see the youngers eyes started to droop and Ren chuckled. “Hey, enough of that. You should sleep.” He said while blocking Jihoon’s screen with his hand.

 

“Yah!” Jihoon complained and swatted his hand away. “In a minute!”

 

“That minute turns into minutes, then an hour, then hours, then days…”

 

“Shut up.” Jihoon rolled his eyes and tapped on his screen a few more times before closing out his social apps and placed his phone on the nightstand next to Ren’s bed. “Happy now?”

 

“It’s not about me! It’s about you!” Ren pointed out. “You were about to pass out while holding your phone above your face. We both know how that was going to end.”

 

“Whatever.”

 

“Whatever.” Ren mocked his tone and dodged Jihoon’s fist. “You sure have a lot of energy for someone who was about to knock out a moment ago!” Jihoon groaned and look just like a grumpy kid. “Sleep, you’re getting cranky.” His comment had Jihoon thinking about what Won Woo said earlier, about how he was like their 5 year old baby brother that they were still getting to know. He snickered at that thought and Ren pouted and asked what was so funny.

 

“Earlier when Soo Min and I had that heart to heart, she told me how I was among her chosen family. Just like Won Woo, she thinks of me like her brother even though I have no relation to her whatsoever. I didn’t always think about what it’d be like to have a sibling, but it was still in my mind from time to time. After everything that happened this week, it was just nice to hear that from her. She even said Won Woo probably feels the same and… he does.”

 

“That’s cute.” Ren cooed and Jihoon was embarrassed. “I mean, I feel like that too.” He admitted. “I thought of you as a younger brother when we were back in Busan. I guess that’s why when you left it was a lot harder on me.”

 

“Really?” Jihoon wasn’t about to cry a third time, but he could feel the tears start to surface and he blinked them back. “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay. We’re together again and so that’s all that matters.” Ren assured him with a sweet smile. “I’ll think of it as you left to visit the rest of our family.”

 

“Are you trying to make me cry again?” Jihoon asked and struggled to hold back his emotions.

 

“No!” Ren said with a guilty laugh.

 

“I don’t know how many times I’ve cried today, but I better not wake up in the hospital with an IV in my arm.”

 

“You won’t! I’ll get you some water!” Ren hurried off down to the kitchen to get them some water bottles. When he grabbed them, he thought about Won Woo and Soo Min and made a quick trip to the guest room to leave them water bottles too. It was a quick visit and Won Woo thanked him for bringing them water and then they said another goodnight to each other.

 

When Ren returned to his room, he could see Jihoon was on the verge of falling asleep again. “Sleep! Just be sure to drink lots of water in the morning.” He said softly while Jihoon’s hair. The blonde was too tired to swat his hand away this time and honestly, it was helping him fall asleep faster. Within a minute or two, Jihoon was fast asleep and Ren was happy. He wished him sweet dreams and pulled the covers over his shoulder a bit more to keep him warm. Then he got settled on his side of his bed and was able to fall asleep within minutes.

 

...

 

Won Woo his side and faced Soo Min shortly after Ren left the room a second time. He drank some of the water and got settled back in bed again and tried to get comfortable. He had lost his place on counting backwards when Ren brought the water bottles, so he started to recall all of today’s encounters instead. I didn’t get my one on one talk with her in the end. He wasn’t too disappointed because he’s had many talks with her before, it just seemed like a thing that was going on tonight so he thought maybe they’d have a talk as well.

 

A few moments went by and he to his other side and grabbed his phone again so he could compose a text to someone.

 

Won Woo: Today was a long day.

Rest a lot, okay?

 

Mingyu: I will! You too! ❤

 

Won Woo smiled at the heart he was sent.

 

Won Woo: Thanks. ❤

 

He sent the heart back and felt more at ease now.

 

Maybe he could fall asleep now? But more time started to slip by him and he sighed again. Is it because it’s a new place? He wondered. But I have Soo Min with me? He was a bit confused and a little frustrated. Or is it because I haven’t properly talked to her yet? It was just stuck in his head and preventing him from falling asleep peacefully. Luckily for him, Soo Min started to stir in her sleep and her eyes fluttered open. She was awake now.

 

“Morning.” Won Woo teased and she frowned. “I’m kidding, it’s not morning yet.”

 

“Jeez, I really thought it was!” She pouted and sat up to look around. “Where are we?”

 

“In the guest room on the first floor.” He answered and sat up as well to face her. “You fell asleep earlier on Ren’s shoulder.”

 

“Oh, I did?” She was a bit surprised. “Sorry.”

 

“There’s no reason for you to be sorry, don’t worry about it. We’re all pretty tired after today, so it’s understandable that you knocked out like that.”

 

“We’re all pretty tired? Then why aren’t you asleep yet?” She gave him a worried look. He just sighed and shrugged in response. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about it… but earlier, I heard you crying in the kitchen. I assume Jihoon was able to comfort you and you’re okay now?”

 

“Yeah.” He nodded.

 

“That’s good. I’m glad.” She gave a weak smile. “I cried in the living room, too.” She added with a sad chuckle. “Seems like we were all crying today.”

 

“Seems that way.”

 

“It’s probably not going to be the last time we cry, either.”

 

“Possibly.” Won Woo’s expression was slowly dropping and she felt bad.

 

“Well, it’s okay. We’ll cry together.” She tried to say in a positive way. “We’ll still have each other no matter what happens, right?”

 

“Right.” Won Woo needed to hear that and his mood started to lift up now. “We’ll always have each other.” A small smile reached his lips. This was a good talk. “It’s late. Go back to sleep, okay?”

 

She nodded and lied back down before she got settled close by him. “I will. You sleep too!” She said with a yawn. “Goodnight, Won Woo.”

 

“Night, Soo.”

 

“Love you.” She didn’t realize she had said that out loud and she wasn’t embarrassed by it, but it just wasn’t something they said to each other often. It was definitely said in a platonic way.

 

“... love you too.” He said it back and it made her happy because he seemed more open and affectionate after meeting Mingyu and Ren. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t love him if he had still remained the same old Won Woo who was closed off and distant, she’d love him regardless because he’s her chosen family. She’d always love him unconditionally and he’d do the same for her.

---

Chapter fifty-one~!

 

I listened to music box versions of Don’t Wanna Cry for the majority of this chapter.

I feel so sad lol *Hoshi’s my expression for sure aha*

This chapter seems packed and a bit fast paced, but I did all I could when editing it.

If I don’t post it now I might just get stuck and I don’t want that x.x

Well here’s another long update for ya before I disappear again!

I don’t know how long I’ll be gone but I’m having surgery on my knee May 1st x.x TODAY

So of course recovery is a priority aha but I’m sure I’ll be back very soon~

So like always, I hope you all can be patient with me!

Until next time~!