A few weeks after that incident, Ji Yong kept dreaming a lot of things. Most of it seems familiar but he didn’t know what they meant. It was on the tip of his tongue.

And Lia had withdrawn herself from him too. She wouldn’t look at him, always keeping her head down, and would immediately go in her room whenever she comes home after her work shift ended or after classes at college.

Ji Yong tried to find answers but without Lia, there was nothing he could do. He can’t ask his friends because they don’t know about the dreams — the dreams seemed like only Lia can answer.

But then one morning Ji Yong woke up at six in the morning. Lia usually wakes up at six-thirty to start on the chores before she leaves.

That day, he decided to help her. So he got up and began cleaning. He took the broom and swept the floor before mopping the floor. Then he took a cloth and wiped the shelves. By the time he was done, it was seven.

Lia still hadn’t come out yet.

When seven-thirty rolled by, he was getting slightly worried. He decided to check up on her. Maybe she was too tired and overslept. Or she was sick. Or she was just too upset to come out from her room.

His mind was filled with so many thoughts as he opened the bedroom door hesitantly. “Lia?” Ji Yong called out.

The bed was empty.

Ji Yong gasped. He rushed out of the room, out of the house, up the stairs to Big Bang’s dorm and pounded hard on the front door, not caring if he woke the neighbors up.

He banged until Seung Ri opened the door, all groggy and tired. “Hyung, what —?”

He rushed into the apartment to find Dae Sung and Tae Yang sitting around the dining table, eating their breakfast. “Lia’s gone! She isn’t in her room!” he cried out in anguish.

Dae Sung frowned. “I don’t think —”

“What if something bad happens to her?” a frantic Ji Yong went on.

“Ji, calm down,” Tae Yang tried.

“How can I calm down?” He groaned and punched the sofa. “Why do I feel like this had happened before?”

Seung Ri and Dae Sung exchanged glances, both of them thinking: Could hyung possibly be talking about time she ran away from home when she found out he was the father of the baby just days before his wedding with Soo-Jin?

Tae Yang sighed, exasperated. He went up to his friend. He didn’t want to do this but he thought he ought to. He slapped Ji Yong. “Lia went to live with her parents,” he replied.

Ji Yong gaped at him. “What?” he gasped. “Wae . . .?”

“I think it’s good for her,” Dae Sung said out loud. He looked at his hyung. “I mean,” he went on, “it’ll give the two of you some space to sort out your feelings and maybe give you some time to remember. Plus, Lia gets to spend time with the triplets.”

“Shikkeureo,” Tae Yang murmured warningly to Dae Sung.

“TOP hyung drove her today,” Dae Sung continued, not hearing Tae Yang. “They left this morning. Right?”

“No, it was last night,” Seung Ri snorted, folding his arm. He glared at Ji Yong. “Lia was too upset to be near you. We all thought it’d be good for her if she stayed away from you. And especially after what you had done to Soo-Jin, I think TOP hyung is furious.” He didn’t tell him that everyone — SHINee, MBLAQ, and even the rest of Big Bang — were furious with him as well.

Why didn’t Ji Yong hear them leave last night? And why did she go without explaining to him? Without even saying goodbye? That doesn’t sound like the Lia everyone talked to him about.

“King went with her,” Dae Sung added.

Tae Yang sighed and just turned around to go back into his room. “I’m going to get ready for our schedules today. Ji Yong, you still have a month left before you can come back.”

Seung Ri and Dae Sung nodded and went to their own respective bedrooms to get ready as well, leaving Ji Yong alone.

Even though they didn’t say it out loud, he knew. The message was clear: they were all mad at him for hurting someone they dearly care about.

Lia sighed with relief the moment she saw the familiar house. It was good to be back.

The moment she got out of the car, three little kids came running out of the house to her with loud shrieks and happy smiles plastered all over their faces, overjoyed to be seeing their mother again.

“Umma!” Eunhye cried out with glee, her outstretched arms reaching for her mother. Lia laughed, bending down and opened her arms out to her.

“She’s here! She’s here! Umma is finally here!” Kwan Yong and Seunghyun exclaimed as they ran into her welcoming arms. “Umma! Annyeong! Bogoshipo!”

The three kids showered their mother with lots of kisses. They really missed their mother just as much as she missed them.

“Hey, don’t I get my hugs and kisses too?” TOP joked.

Eunhye ran to hug her uncle. Kwan Yong giggled, bowing down, before ramming head-first into TOP’s knees.

TOP picked him up and carried him with one hand while scooping Eunhye up with the other free hand. Seunghyun looked up and saw that there was no space for him on his uncle’s arms and scowled, turning away.

TOP noticed the look and put the two kids down almost immediately.

“Awww,” they both chorused in unison, the disappointment in their voice crystal clear. But that disappeared as they ran back into their mother’s arms while TOP tickled Seunghyun, whose scowl turned into a bright, toothy-grin.

“Umma, where’s Appa?” Eunhye’s high-pitched voice asked.

Lia cringed inwardly, trying to think of an excuse. “Appa is very busy so he cannot come this time,” she lied.

Kwan Yong frowned and pointed to TOP. “So why is he here?”

She laughed, causing Eunhye to giggle as well. Kwan Yong laughed as well. Seunghyun was the only one who didn’t laugh.

“Well, someone has to fetch your mummy here or else you can’t see her,” TOP said, his deep voice rumbling.

Lia stood up. “Come on; let’s go inside. I want to say hello to halmeoni.”

TOP picked up Lia’s luggage and they all walked inside the house. Mrs. Choi came to hug her daughter.

“Annyeong, Umma,” she said softly.

“My darling,” her mother murmured. “You are home again.”

TOP sighed. What is he, mincemeat? Better yet, invisible.

Mrs. Choi chuckled, noticing her son’s deep frown and pulled away from her daughter to give him a tight hug. “Goodness, you seem to be getting taller!” she gasped.

“Halmeoni, Umma is going to live with us from now on!” Eunhye beamed.

Mrs. Choi laughed a merry laugh.

“Jun Mei?” a voice croaked from inside the living room. “Is that you I hear?”

Lia hurried to the living room with TOP just right behind her. “Appa!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around her dad. “How are you? I hope the kids haven’t been driving you up the wall.”

“He’s not up the wall!” Kwan Yong pouted and TOP ruffled his hair lightly. He grinned at all the adults.

They just laughed.

TOP checked the time on his wristwatch. “I should go if I want to make it back in time for my schedule,” he said.

Lia hugged her brother. “I’ll see you soon,” she said.

He hugged her back. “Take care, Mei Mei. I’ll call you if anything comes up. But don’t be sad. Just treat this like a little holiday.”

“Well, I do have a week off from college,” she joked and he smiled.

He kissed her forehead. “Saranghaeyo,” he whispered before he left, making sure to give the triplets an equal amount of hugs and kisses so none will be jealous that one got more than the other.

Lia put her bags in the guest room. She was grateful her mother didn’t put her in the room where she and Ji Yong always stay in every time they come for a visit.

When she came out of the room after she had unpacked, she found the triplets sprawled about in the living room floor, coloring. Lia had to laugh.

She looked at her mom. “You always said it was healthier to get our fingers dirty with all the crayons than to keep our eyes glued to the television,” she remarked, sitting down next to Mrs. Choi on the sofa.

Mr. Choi was in the kitchen preparing some light snack.

Mrs. Choi nodded, smiling softly at her. “I want to know how you are,” she said.

Lia’s shoulders sagged as she put her arms around her, pulling her close. She closed her eyes and smelled the familiar, warm fragrant of her mother’s shampoo. A single tear fell and she quickly wiped it away, making sure that the children didn’t see.

“Why don’t we talk about it upstairs in your room?” Mrs. Choi asked.

She nodded. “Neh.”

They both stood up and the little children looked up to them, wondering where they are going.

“We’ll be back soon,” Lia promised them. “Your grandfather will watch you. Make sure you don’t do anything naughty.”

“Umma, why did you look at me when you said that?” Kwan Yong complained.

Seunghyun lightly whacked his shoulder. “You’re always naughty.”

Kwan Yong was about to protest when little Eunhye spoke up, “Wae are you fighting?”

The two boys immediately shut up. Lia just shook her head. The two brothers always fight for their little sister’s attention except Eunhye would rather have her father’s attention than to pay attention to them.

Right now, she turned back to her picture and mused to herself, “I want to color the sky in pink and the sun in blue.”

Kwan Yong grabbed the blue crayon while Seunghyun grabbed the pink crayon. Both of them the crayons in their sister’s hands and she blinked in surprised. Then she made a move to grab the yellow and the red crayon.

Both boys’ faces fell; they had been rejected by their sister.

Meanwhile upstairs, Lia was sobbing into her mother’s arms, upset about everything that has happened between her and Ji Yong.

“It’s okay,” Mrs. Choi murmured, her hair. “It’ll be fine. You just stay here and just forget about him for now, arraso?”

I miss you, Ji. When will you come back?