The sky rumbled. Droplets of rain started falling a few minutes after. Good thing Henry was already inside the café when the sky decided to shower everything under it with rain. According to the weather news he watched this morning, it was going to be warm and sunny that day but apparently, the news lied. It was kind of annoying actually, since he was just wearing a sleeveless black shirt and cargo pants – it was stinking hot when he left the house but a few minutes later, thunder could be heard and lightning were already visible in the dark, clouded sky. Global Warming – he thought. It had been happening more often than before, winter ended too fast, summer came too early, spring was barely felt. It . Henry loved spring.

Henry looked around. The place was awfully empty; it was very unusual, especially on a rainy day. The employees of the companies around that area love to bully their juniors and make the youngsters buy coffee for them on rainy days.

He saw someone knocking on the door.

“Why are you guys closed?” The guy asked. He looked familiar. Henry remembered the guy buying around ten cups of steaming hot coffee and having a hard time carrying them. Henry ended up clocking out early and helping the guy carry the cups to his work.

 He looked at the sign that the guy was pointing a, although he really was starting to get distracted by the man’s awful odd get up – the guy was also wearing cargo pants like him, but he topped it with a neon colored jacket and paired with a bright yellow basketball shoes. He was more than sure that his brother, Zhou Mi, would freak out if he saw the guy. He almost chuckled. That guy was really nice though.

“Staring is rude mister.”

He coughed. “I’m sorry.” He looked at the sign again. That explains why the café was empty. “And I have no idea why the café is closed today. I’m not working here anymore.” There a hint of bitterness in his tone. He was still a little upset that he had to leave his job.

“Oh?” The guy cocked his head. “That’s a shame. I kind of like talking to you.” He smiled. “It’s really hard to find anybody that can speak English here you know?”

“Yeah.” He agreed. It was really almost impossible to find anyone that he could talk to in the languages that he was most comfortable with – English and Chinese – and that guy was one of those people. They were still both struggling with their Korean.

“I’m Amber by the way.” The guy offered his hand to the very much confused Henry.

“Amber? Isn’t that a girl’s name?” He accepted the other’s hand. “I’m Henry.”

“Well, nice meeting you Henry. And yes, Amber is a girl’s name. Is there something wrong with that?”

Amber looked at him with the same level of confusion he had before the guy started laughing. Henry almost started freaking out.

“Oh my gosh! You thought I was guy?” Amber was still laughing.

“Huh?”

“I’m not sure if I should be insulted or amused.” Amber shook her head, still chuckling. “Let me do this again. My name’s Amber Liu. Chinese but I grew up in the US. And it may not be obvious, but I am very much a female.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep.” She grinned. “Want some proof?” The girl looked like she was about to lift her shirt up, he panicked.

“No! No! No! It’s good! It’s fine! I believe you!”

Henry was shocked. There was nothing else to say. He was shock. He wanted to say something but he was pretty sure he just looked more like he was having a or a heart attack or something. How could he not know that he was actually talking to a girl? How could he? That was so very stupid of him.

“I .. am ..” He took a deep breath. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Amber just kept on grinning and tapped his back a little too hard.

“It’s fine.”  She tapped his back again. “Nice meeting you Henry. See you around.”

Henry was left there. Still shocked, but with an awkward smile on his face.

“Well that was amusing.” Henry wanted to dig a hole right where he was standing and just hide in there forever when he heard that familiar voice. “That was Amber Liu. She’s working at the bookstore two blocks from here.”

“Hyung.”

It was Cho Kyuhyun.

“As much as I want to talk to you about what I saw, we don’t have time. Heechul hyung wants to see you. They’re all upstairs.”

*****

Heechul bit his lips when he saw Henry’s face. He walked towards the younger and hugged his cousin. Henry’s cute face when Heechul first saw him years ago, registered in his mind. Henry was so cute back then. His cute cheeks always reminded him of those sweet rice cakes he loved so much. The song that they were listening to that night also played in his head. He remembered his Uncle Jae telling him that the song was called Dandelion’s Promise. Henry played it in his school recital.

Tears fell.

“Heechul-hyung?”

“Henry-ah.” Heechul finally let go of the younger and pinched Henry’s cheeks. “You’re still so cute.”

Henry had always known that Kim Heechul was more than weird. That guy’s mood could change in a matter of seconds. He’d seen his former boss depressed, happy and mad, and he was more than sure that he would never want to his hyung mad again. It was a very traumatic experience but what was happening then was not just weird. He couldn’t even think of the right word to describe it.

“I know this is really weird and I’m pretty sure that Heechul is creeping you out right now but Henry …” Dennis paused. “This is your family.”

Henry smiled. He’d always loved the people in that café. Even though his bosses weren’t always there, it wasn’t that hard to get close to them. He treated all of them like his own older brothers, like his own family.

“I know hyung. I treat you all like my real brothers.”

“That’s not Dennis meant Henry-ah.” It was Heechul again.

“What do you mean hyung?”

“Tell me your mother’s name.”

“Mandy. Mandy Lau.”

“And your father?”

Henry thought for bit.

“Jae Sun? Kim Jae Sun?”

“Kim Jae Sun is my Uncle.” Heechul paused. “Was my Uncle.  

Henry, was again, confused. Like always. He had always been. Ever since he was kid. His brothers told him that it was because he was just too innocent but sometimes he thought it was just all because he was too ignorant. He just always stayed in their house ever since he was a kid. He didn’t even have any friends before .. not until they moved to Korea.

Heechul held Henry’s hand - those hands that held his finger tightly when Heechul tried to touch Henry’s tiny nose when they were kids.

“I know it’s hard to believe, even almost impossible, but you’re my cousin. Your father was my Dad’s brother.” Heechul smiled, eyes still b with tears. “We’ve met once. You’ve already met most of us before but you were so little back then.”

Henry’s mind was blank. He didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to react. Heechul was right, it was impossible to believe what the older just told him. He didn’t remember having any other relatives other than his brothers. He could even barely remember his parents.

“Henry?”

He lowered his head and bit his lips. He had to think. “I’m sorry Hyung. I have to go.”

He was about to leave but Sungmin stopped him. The elder’s cute was void of any emotion, but his eyes were filled with sympathy and had dark bags under them. He didn’t know why, but the elder’s look gave him creeps.

“Stay. You have to. If you want to know what really happened to your family.”

*****

short chapter is short
and a new character was introduced c:

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