Chapter 4:

---

 

The six boys shouted in unison, they stood up and went on sit on the chairs. “Eh?” All of them were confused. Mrs. Kim let her go, but she was holding Ae Sook’s cheeks.

 

“Umma! Why are you touching a stranger’s face?”

 

“Because she’s very pretty, and I want to have a daughter just like her!”

 

“HUH?! Aren’t you contented to have a son like me?” Ki Bum complaints. This time, Mrs. Kim held Ae Sook’s and she signaled her to sit down. Taemin moved to the other side, in order to gave her his seat—beside Mr. ert. Ae Sook rolled her eyes and sat, she sigh as saw the food in front of her.

 

“Of course I am contented. You know I wanted a daughter as well. I even remember when you were young, you wanted to have a sister, that’s why, in the end, you and Yuri became close together.”

 

“OHHHH.” His other band mates started to look at each other and all of them enjoyed what they are learning about Key.

 

Key felt embarrassed. “That is history!”

 

“My. My. My. Ki Bum eat your breakfast now, so that you won’t be late in school.” Mrs. Kim walked over behind Ae Sook, she was her hair with her right hand. “So my dear Ae Sook, what are you feeling right now?”

 

“I’m hungry.” She whispered.

 

“The food is in front of you, madam” Jonghyun pushed the plate, containing viands closer to her followed by a plate of rice.

 

“Yeah, I know. I can see them. But I want boiled egg for my breakfast.”

 

“Picky.” Key murmured and stood up. Before that, he glared at Ae Sook first, and then he strides closer to the refrigerator. He gets two eggs and a casserole. He fills it up with water and placed it on a stove. The five guys were smiling at Ae Sook, like they were hinting something to her. She didn’t mind them. Weird boys. She allege to herself.

 

After a few minutes, Key slam the pan on the sink. It alarms them all. He place the eggs on the bowl, he walks back to his friends and slam it on the table. Ae Sook got frighten on the loud thump.

 

“Here’s your breakfast.” He said in ill tempered way.

 

“Thanks.” She replied, with irritate tone too. She grasps for the egg, and immediately let it go, for it was still searing.  She shakes her right hand and started to blow on it.

 

“Be careful.” Jin Ho said who just closed his mouth.

 

“Don’t be a scavenger.” Onew shook his head.

 

“The food won’t runway.” Minho said with a weird expression.

 

“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.” Again, she was irritated but her expression was much calmer and softer. “It’s just that---” her stomach began to growl. The six boys laugh thunderous.

 

“Aren’t you embarrassed to us? You’re a girl, we’re boys, and then your stomach rumbles that loud.” Jonghyun acquired.

 

“No. why should I? When you’re hungry, that won’t matter much. All you would think is: food. Food. Food.”  She uttered. Key picked one egg, and hit it against the table. The egg shell started to crack, he then, one by one remove it. Everybody fell in silence. 

 

‘Key is acting strange eh? Based on my observation, he WASN’T this kind and concerned to any girls, even to Yuri.’ Even though Jin Ho didn’t say it aloud and just kept it to his self, Jonghyun and Jin Ho also can feel it. When he was finished picking it out, he place it on Ae Sook bowl and started to eat his own breakfast.

 

“Wow…” she was dumfounded. “You really are lunatic.”

 

Key nods carelessly and say, “Thanks.” Then he enjoys munching his own food. Ae Sook held the unshelled egg. She divided it into two; she removed the egg yolk and placed it on the extra plate in front of her.   She swallowed half of the white egg and ate some rice. The boys were looking at her with wide mouth open. What a bizarre girl. Ki Bum got irritated; he didn’t control his self and ask, “Why aren’t you eating the yolk part?”

 

“Because I don’t like it. You can eat it, if you want to.”

 

“No, thanks.”

 

Even though the two of them bickered wildly, his mom was still in delight having a Ae Sook around. She never thought, having a girl around her house would be this fun. Though she knew Yuri ever since she was a toddler, Ae Sook seems different for her. She has a special characteristic that makes Mrs. Kim like her mom.

 

 “Hey…” Jin Ho called her attention, by saying it elongated.  “Ae Sook, I have a question.”

 

“What?”

 

“How did you get here? I mean, how did you fell asleep outside our house?”

 

“Seriously, I don’t know either.”

 

“Uhm…. Can’t you remember anything before that?” Taemin in and throw her a follow up question.

 

 “Of course. I just arrived at the airport…”

 

“Whoa! Cool!  So you’re not here from Korea?”

 

“Nope. I just came here to give my grandpa a surprise visit.” 

 

“I see… That’s why you can’t understand Korean and Japanese that much” Key gloated and murmured on the side.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Nothing”

 

She just shrugs as if she didn’t hear anything. “So, I was saying. When I got outside the airport, I took a cab, of course the time difference where extremely different, I fell asleep, when I woke up, that’s the moment I saw Jin Ho”

 

“That explains a lot.” Jin Ho added, nodding.

 “Oh my… why you little poor creature.” His mom suddenly hugged her head and give small kisses on her head. “Do you want to stay with us?”

 

“Uhmmm… I’m not so sure about that.”

 

“Okay! I’ll have that as a yes!” Mrs. Kim said with full enthusiasm.

 

“Umma!! Why are you deciding with yourself? You still did not ask for my opinion or appa’s opinion!”

 

“Well, umma is the one who always win. She always gets what she wants, and I want Ae Sook to stay with us! I want Ae Sook to be my daughter! And that’s final!”

 

“Ahjumma… Uhm… I won’t st---”

 

“No, No. No Ae Sook, you’ll stay with us. Okay?” Mrs. Kim eyes squinted. She had never felt this extreme bliss in a while. She faced the boys and said, “Okay, I’ll be going to the hospital now.” The boys nodded obediently then she eyed Ki Bum, “Treat Ae Sook as your sister, got it?” He nodded without saying a word. After a few minutes, when his mom was away, the house turned into a war again.

 

Ki Bum kept on howling and complaining straight at Ae Sook’s face who is busy eating her food happily. Onew, Jonghyun, Taemin and Minho tried to control him; they held Key’s shoulder until he finally composes his self.

 

“As I was saying, earlier, before ahjumma interrupted me… Our inevitable meaning explains a lot.” Jin Ho added, nodding. “But weird story. Then can you understand Korean?”

 

“A little.” She said, with one eye closed. “Don’t worry guys; I’ll pay you for all of the expenses you spent to me. And also, I won’t stay here, even though ahjumma forced me to, of course I would not like to be a bothersome in your peaceful family.” Ae Sook stands up and started to walk going to one of the rooms, until she realized. “ugh… where did you put my bag?”

 

“What bag? When I saw you outside last night, there was no bag or whatsoever, you’re the only one I found on the street.”

 

 “WHAAAAAAAT?????!!!!!” Ae Sook freaked out. “Oh my god! Oh my god! Everything was there! All of my stuffs! All of the important things! My passport! My visa! My hand phone! My! My! My! My cash! My phonebook! Everything!”

 

“Relax, okay?” Jin Ho walks closer to her, and held her shoulders.

 

“RELAX?! WHAT RELAX?! My life is there! What if I can’t retrieve it? Then I can’t go home anymore! I can’t contact anyone, because my phonebook is lost! Tell me, how can I RELAX?!!!”

 

 “Use your head not your mouth!” Finally, Key break his silence. He directly look at the trembling Ae Sook. “Then go to the police department and ask whereabouts your things. Maybe they have your bag.”

 

“Thank you Mr. Smart Pants, but in case you forget, I don’t have any money here to go to the precinct.”

 

“I’ll lend you my money, as long as you will be gone out of my sight. How much do you need anyway?”

 

“I need 30,000 won.”

 

“WHAAAAAAAT?????!!!!!” The boys shouted, harmonizing with each other.

 

“Are you crazy?!” Jin Ho shrilled.

 

“No, I’m not. Don’t worry; I’ll pay you immediately once everything is settled.”

 

“Alright! As long as you’ll be out of my sight.” Key walk inch by inch, very slowly, it seems like the gravity won’t help him go faster. 30, 000 won. 30, 000 won.  For this girl, I have to break my most treasured piggy bank. He reflects and closed his eyes. He started to walk normal towards his room.

By the time he reached it, he shut the door and went to his cabinet. He searched beneath his stuffs, when   he was able to get it, he held it and raised it above his head, he said.