“So this is Kai, or Jongin, but I’d rather you call him Kai,” I introduced Luhan, who gave a slightly cold gaze and scanned Jongin from head to toe thoroughly. I could tell that Jongin’s guard was up, judging by the way his shoulder was unusually stiff. His eyes were focused on my hands around Luhan’s arm, which flustered me a little, to be honest.

                  “And Jongin, this is Luhan.”

                  “Is he fit enough to be your protector?” Luhan scoffed. Being the protective brother figure he was, he wrapped his arms around me possessively, as if he was staking a claim that I was off-limit. Instead of waiting for Jongin to reply, I opened my mouth and hit Luhan’s arms playfully, “Don’t be mean, Ge. Grandfather personally picked my two protectors in their early age.”

                  “Coming from a flower guy who looks way too pretty. Are you sure you’re a guy?” Jongin muttered and smirked at Luhan. He might not look the part because he was always careless about anything else, but Jongin was one hell of a competitive guy. There was no way he would want to lose for the sake of losing.

                  “Rude, as well,” Luhan’s eyes narrowed dangerously. I had seen that look too many times and I thought it would be best to keep him happy for the time being. He nudged at my neck and walked along the road, “Mei, how that Old Man picked him as your protector is beyond me. I could’ve done a better job for you.”

                  Behind us, Jongin was quiet, but there was this frostiness that created a barrier I could not break down. I did not want them to fight silently like this, and I realised that part of this was caused by me. Sighing, I looked up to Luhan and whispered, “Let’s talk somewhere else. Do you have any suggestion?”

                  “I will cook,” was what he said as he brought us down the road and up to his apartment.

***

                  Lu Han, surname Lu, just as his grandmother and father were. His father was a child born out of wedlock from my grandfather’s secret affair decades ago in China, so in a way, Luhan was also my cousin, because we had the same grandfather. He kept his identity a secret and stayed with the China’s branch family for some time before he moved out on his own, now financially capable to take care of himself in another country.

                  I was trained with him when I was younger, around four or five years ago. This was also why he was the closest to me out of all the cousins that I had. He was always protective, now more than before, full of perspective, and could be humorously sassy when he wanted to. No one would expect that a fragile looking Luhan possessed a sharp mouth. Maybe that was how I inherited all the bad language and sarcasm.

                  In this world, I only trusted Luhan. And maybe Joonmyun. 

                  I did not even trust my own Grandfather, but I trusted Luhan. Unlike other people, Luhan was constant. Stable. Earth-bound. And most importantly, he was very much present. I did not need assurances for him. He never gave me empty promises though his words were sweet as saccharine. It was a pity that when Grandfather was alive, he had wanted Luhan gone. As a result, his name was written off the family tree and he could not participate in any formal training with the other children.

                  “Does Joonmyun know you are here?”

                  I looked up from the newspaper and gleefully stepped onto the kitchen where Luhan was cooking. His sleeves were almost touching the sauce, so I went up behind him and rolled them up a bit. He stiffened and stopped moving, which was oddly adorable. When I pulled away, Jongin was sizing me up, frowning and looking very dissatisfied with this whole thing. I could not care less.

                  “Nope, but he will, very soon. I have things to talk to him, after all.”

                  “And I heard Seoul’s been traumatized by the sudden attack, yes?” Luhan grabbed the ginger from the cutting matt and put it together with the chicken. I especially told him to cook a lot of chicken because both Jongin and I were greedy pigs.

                  “Pretty much,” I walked around the dining table. Luhan owned a nice condominium in the suburban area with more securities and privacy. He worked as a hacker at the moment so he did not have any physical office except for his small, but comfortable bedroom.

                  When Luhan was concentrating on the garlic butter chicken, Jongin quickly pulled me into the bathroom and shut the door quietly. I furrowed my eyebrows and crossed my arms defensively, “Seriously, Jongin? Dragging a girl into the bathroom with you?”

                  “I don’t see any other choice,” He coldly replied.

                  “Well, if Luhan knows what you are doing right now, he will go ballistic, and trust me,” My eyes held a dangerous glint as the corner of my lips quirked up in anticipation, “You do not want to see an angry Luhan. He literally breathes fire and will screw you over until that handsome face of yours goes unrecognizable.”

                  “He does not scare me,” Jongin firmly pressed his lips together, his tone frosty. He seemed a bit agitated, and for the first time today, I was worried that perhaps I had gone too far with him.

                  “Jongin, spill it.”

                  “I don’t have a good feeling about that man. Just who the hell is he?” He leaned onto the door and stared at me, waiting for an explanation. I supposed I owed him that much because I dragged him to another country without saying much.

                  “Luhan is a cousin of ours, though he is not registered officially,” I sighed in pity. I became strong because I chose to be, but Luhan was not like that. He never had any choices. His entire life he had to hide the fact that he was a member of a well-known clan because of his grandmother’s affair. Poor Luhan struggled a lot growing up.

                  “So we are just visiting him,” Kai sounded unsure, as if he was lost somewhere in the conversation. His tone mocking as he added on, “All this trip just to visit him while Seoul’s in chaos? Are you running away, Princess?”

                  Strangely enough, I was not even hurt by his sentences, just a bit annoyed that he was quick to accuse. I guess his straightforwardness was both a blessing and a curse. “You’ll see, Jongin. I do not need to explain myself to you. Now step aside or I’ll scream my head. When I do,” I smirked and stood up, “Luhan will be grilling your meat for my dinner today.”

                  “Are you guys together?” He really stepped aside when I asked him to, but I was so weirded out by his question that I considered punching him in the face just for once. His question was downright nasty and… wrong.

                  “Of course not. He is my brother!”

                  Jongin bit back a smile and muttered low enough for me to hear, “I bet he would love to disagree with you.”

***

                  “Why can’t you just stay with me and let that protector of yours return to hotel?”     

                  I stole a glance at Jongin and he was very smug about this. I rolled my eyes at his silly accusation because there was no way Luhan would ever see me past a little sister. He acted way too protective and unreserved to be seen as attractive to me. Kim Jongin was just being foolish.

                  “Actually, I’d love that idea too, but Jongin stays with me wherever I go,” I leaned onto the chair and lazily picked up my chopsticks. Luhan was a decent cook, at least times better than myself. Before Jongin could begin hoarding those chickens, I put some of it to my plate and began eating.

                  Strangely though, Jongin appeared to have lost his appetite because he ate very slowly. He had not eaten for the entire day so I was wondering why he was acting strange. Or perhaps he was just not used to strangers yet.   

                  “Are you guys close?” Luhan suddenly asked. Being the skinny prick he was, he never eat too much and never gained weight. He put more vegetables into my plate. I had never looked too much into his actions because I always saw Luhan as a very affectionate person. Besides, he saw me the way I saw him. In this cold world, I was the only person he cared about. So he spoilt me rotten.

                  “We are as close as a leader and a protector should be,” My answer sounded too diplomatic so I gave Jongin an accusing glare, “But me and him? Bleh. He is so mean. I like Sehun better.”

                  “Ha!” Jongin scowled, “Well, it up, Princess, you asked me to be here.”

                  “Shut up!” I frowned at him and crossed my arms. “I hate you.”

                  “You two sure fight like kids,” Luhan commented and put down his chopsticks. He filled the glass with water and gave it to me. I took and drank it all, and only then did I notice that Luhan had not eaten anything yet. He was just observing silently and sharply, throwing occasional glances at Jongin as Jongin did the same to him. “Drink or you will choke.”

                  It was actually time to break the awkwardness Like Jongin, Luhan must have questioned my random decision to come to Singapore when things weren’t so good back in Seoul. Everyone probably thought that I was here for Joonmyun, but that was only part of the truth. As I set down my glass and chopsticks, I signaled Jongin to stop eating too, not like he had eaten much anyway.

                  “Luhan, I think it’s time that I tell you why I’m here.”

                  Luhan grew alarmed, “Do you trust him that much to spill it out now?”

                  No, I did not trust Jongin, but I had to try. Besides, I would know if Jongin spilled out something to the Elders or someone else. And I punished betrayer very, very badly. Though I was wary, I was not worried. I gave him a look and he returned it with a confident gaze that set my heart at ease.

                  “Luhan, I need a favor from you.”

                  Luhan, being the kind person he was, did not hesitate even for a bit and nodded firmly, both his fists clenched at the side as a sign of determination. He seemed so sure of me even when I was not sure of myself, and that honestly scared me a bit. “Of course. Anything you ask for, I will do it for you.”

                  I replied without a pause, without a moment of hesitation, “Then come back to Korea with me. I need you.”