--- One year later ---

"Taemin, hurry up!"Jonghyun's voice echoed trough the house.

He was already in his suit hurriedly making breakfast in the kitchen. It was their routine. No matter how late Taemin and he were, they would always eat breakfast together like a family. Jonghyun made that promise.

"Taemin!"he called again slowly loosing patience.

Finally light steps were heard down the coridor indicating Taemin was coming. Jonghyun's frown disappeared into a warm smile when the seven years old kid entered the room.

"Good morning appa!"he squeaked while rubbing his eyes and yawning cutely. The brown curly hair was a mess along with his clothes.

"You will be late for school again."Jognhyun straitened his son's shirt "When did you go to bed last night?"

"I don't wanna go to school!"ignoring the question Taemin pouted.
He sat on the table in front of his eggs and bacon and sniffed demonstratively

"I'm sick!"

Jonghyun laughed at his son.

"Eat you breakfast!"

Giving up but still pouting Taemin stuffed his mouth with eggs.

After half an hour they were both in Jonghyun's car.

Jonghyun was driving a little faster than usual since they were late.

Taemin was sitting on the backseat, smiling happily to the sun outside and squeezing his yellow rucksack tightly. It contained his books, his lunch made by appa, and his most precious treasure which he could bring to school only on this very day.

The kid's grin widened thinking what day it was. At the same time Jonghyun's eyes moistened thinking the same.

"Should I pick you up from school?"chasing the thoughts away from his head Jonghyun asked the little boy.

Taemin shook his head.

"Yuki-chan and I want to go to Hyu-chan after school. He promised to treat us ice-cream."

"Is that so."

'Hyu-cha'was a man who owned a newly opened pastry-shop near Taemin's school. He had become Taemin's friend since about a month. Jonghyun himself had only met him once but it was enough to see why all the kids in the neighborhood loved him. Except for the ice-cream of course.

The car stopped in front of the school and Jonghyun quickly got off helping Taemin out of it. For his age the kid was still too small.

He squatted and enveloped him in a tight hug. One more part of their routine.

"Have a nice day, Taeminnie. Love you!"

"I love appa the most!"Taemin jumped.

Jonghyun couldn't help but giggle.

"Don't forget we promised to visit grandma today. Now go before the teacher gets really mad."he shooed him gently.

With one more kiss on appa's cheek Taemin run toward the school tossing his backpack side to side.

/at work /

"Mr. Kim you have a visitor."Becky, the assistant, called trough the telephone's speaker.

That was rare. Jonghyun was a newspaper redactor and normally when someone needed him she or he would call, not go to his office personally.

He stood up curious  who it might be and opened the door. The first thing he saw was Becky - sitting on her desk with rather annoyed look. Then his look shifted to the taller woman beside her. She was standing upright with her hands interweaved on her lap. Her black hair was wrapped into a tight knot only few tufts falling freely like usual.

"Umma!"Jonghyun's lips broke into a grin.

She looked at him and too smiled a dazzling smile which made him feel the familiar creeps in the stomach.

In wasn't his own mother of course. His parents lived in the country for more than ten years. It was Kibum's.

Not that anyone can mistake her for someone else, her son was the spitting image of her. Same feline eyes, same heartwarming smile, same milky white skin, same grace and beauty. The only difference was that the man was always smiling and she ... well, she hasn't been for the past year.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Jonghyun. You must have a lot of work.", she spoke quietly looking at her son-in-law.

He just shook his head indicating it's ok, and offered the woman a seat on the couch.

"How are you?"sitting beside mother he asked. It wasn't hard to notice her slightly red eyed and shaking hands.

"I'm ok, I guess."she offered one more smile - this time a little weaker "Well, you know how it is. With the commemoration I didn't have much time lately."

Jonghyun nodded understanding where it was going.

"I'm sorry I didn't go yesterday."

"N-no it's alright. I know you hate all this people in the graveyard."

It was true. He hated it. It reminded him of that hot day a year ago. That day when he couldn't let go and in the same time - couldn't cry because the crowd made it look so less ... real. The only thing he was feeling at that time was the small soft hand of Taemin, desperately squeezing his.

"I too don't like it. A they suffocate him. But it's duty. I guess..."

Jonghyun knew very well that she wouldn't let him see the tears. No way. Like Kibum wouldn never let Taemin to see him cry.

"Someone would thought by now it should be better. Maybe at least hurt less. But it's somehow even harder. When I went today ... I ... I thought of this again ... Why this had to happen ..."

Tears stung into Jonghyun's eyes as well but he stayed silent as she kept murmuring. Right now the woman needed comfort, not one more child to take care of.

They stayed like that for about ten minutes - he squeezing her hands and she - speaking. When she finally looked up again her eyes was redder than before but the smile has returned.

"What time will you and Taemin come tonight?"

"Right after work. I'll just pick Taemin and we will come to you."

"You better be there." she said standing up ready to leave "Appa is making his famous stuffed mushrooms. You wouldn't want to miss them!"

"Who would!"

/after school /

"Kyu-chan you are here again?"

Taemin looked up at the man standing in front of the pastry-shop. It was his music teacher or Kyu-chan as the kids called him. He was rather awkward with the kids thus not their favorite but still he was gentle and had really beautiful voice. He was also one of his umma's closest friend.

Lately they have been meeting in a very unusual place - Hyu-chan's shop. Sometimes outside it, sometimes inside - on the table most near the counter. Taemin thought it was strange. If not anything else he thought the man didn't like sweets so much. Definitely not as much as umma and he like it, and definitely hit enough to come for a cake every day.

Kyuhyun tensed hearing the little voice. Has he been caught in act?

He looked down only to meet with the hazelnut eyes and a finger pointed accusingly at him. No red hair around. Not a glance of big dark eyes.

The man let out a sigh.

"Hey, little creatures."he eyed the two kids grumpily "You shouldn't strain your years so much!"

"I'm not little!"Taemin cried out and puffed his cheeks to showed his anger. The teacher always about being a short. Ever since he can remember.

"Kyu-chan is a meany!"  Yuki took part in the argument wanting to defend her friend.

It made Kyuhyun smile how cute was his students. He was going to tease them again of not for the soft voice interrupting the 'argument'.

"What's going on here?"

A skinny man was standing in the frame of the now opened door. His red hair was tossed aside by the wind as he was looking inquiring at the scene before him.

"Oh, h-hi Hyuk."all of a sudden 'Kyu-chan' was stuttering. Yuki noticed it and chuckled but Taemin was too excited by his 'Hyu-chan's' appearance.  

"Hyu-chan!"

"Hey Taeminnie, Yuki! How are my most important customers?" Hyu-chan, or Hyuk, let him into the store.

The other young man just stood outside wondering if he should go in or go home after all. Maybe today was not a day for love.

"Taemin keeps boasting with his treasure."the little girl chattered happily while waiting for her ice-cream.

"Treasure?"Hyu-chan's head appeared behind the counter curiously looking at Taemin. The boy blushed.

"Yeah but it turned out to be nothing more than a childish book with pictures!"Yuki announced in triumph. She was really disappointed when Taemin had showed her his 'treasure' today and now was taking revenge.

"It's not just book with pictures! I told you - it's how umma will come back!"Taemin yelled in desperation. He took out the book and opened it on the last page pointing at the text.

"See! It says that after a year umma will come back to Taeminnie and appa."

"I can't see it!"Yuki teased "Maybe you can't read so well."

Taemin shut up. His eyes was yelling with tears because of the mean girl. Usually Yuki-chan was very kind but today she was mad. The boy didn't understand why. He showed her his treasure.

"Now, now Yuki-chan, don't be a meany to Taemin."  Hyuk putted two bows of ice-cream in front of the kids.

"But it's true! It's not a treasure. The pictures are not even pretty!" the girl soldiered on. "And the story is stupid! No human can go back from the death!"

"My umma can!"

"She can't!"
"Yes HE CAN!"
"CAN NOT!" Yuki chan shouted so loud that even the curly man still outside was shocked.

Taemin begun to cry. Everyone kept telling him that - humans can't come back from the death. Appa told him that, grandma told him that, now even Yuki - his friend, told him the same lie.

'Umma can come back! Umma will come back! He didn't lie! Lying is bad and umma is the best person in the world. Just wait and see.'

"He can!"with one last shout he run out of the store, crushing into Kyuhyun and bypassing him.

He kept running till he realized he was in the park near home. It means that was one reeealy long run!

The little kid dragged his legs to the near swing sitting on it and crying.

'Yuki-chan is a meany, saying umma won't come back. He wrote it in the book he gave Taeminnie. He promised they will be together again!'

The cry got louder and louder till the people started looking around for the source. Taemin didn't care.

"What are you crying about little mushroom?"a soft voice asked as someone sat on the swing next to him.

The boy immediately looked up meeting with a pair of feline eyes.

"Umma!"