After several hours of running and playing at the laser tag center, the kids arrived back at the Song estate in time for a specially prepared luncheon of different pastas, salads, and sandwiches.  Castia knew her charges would be hungry.  Despite any junk food eaten at the center, she knew they would not turn down her meals.

 - “Yah!  If you’re done eating, let’s go to my room,” HaNa announced.

Having successfully forced Jaejoong and Abigail to go off and explore the city or better yet - stay in their room at their leisure, JaeKyung took a break from work to have lunch with the kids.  Since she left earlier to run an errand and noticed all the cars still in the garage, she was certain her friends had opted for staying in.  Before the kids all scattered about the house, she had an announcement for them.  “Hajima!”  JaeKyung she shouted.  “Before all of you go off in different directions, HaNa Appa has a surprise for all of us tomorrow.  We’re spending two days at Astir Beach!”

The kids’ voices hummed excitedly as they quickly turned to their friends, making plans.  “Umma, chincha?!”  HaNa ran up to her mother, grabbing her hand they began jumping up and down.  “Appa jjang!”

 - “Greom!”  JaeKyung squealed along with her daughter.

HaEun and JeongHee looked at each other and laughed.  Their Aunt JaeKyung was like an overgrown teen herself.  HaNa parted from her mother and ran to her friends giving them the same treatment.  “Omo!  This is going to be so much fun!  Appa let us stay an entire month at the beginning of summer.  We rented a boat, went water skiing, and used jet skis.  Omo-omo-omo, it was so much fun!  Omo!”  HaNa gasped and gave her friends a worried look.  “Did you guys bring swimsuits?”

 - “Gueromyo!”  JeongHee and InSo eased her worry but HaEun was shaking her head.

 - “Unnie, Mianhae, I didn’t think about it.  Na didn’t have time to properly pack!”  Having had less than an hour to pack, there was bound to be something she and Jesse (Nana’s assistant) had forgotten to throw in her suitcase.

 - “HaEun brings her school work but forgets her swimsuit?  HaEun-ah, chincha?  Aish!”  She sighed.  “You really need to get your priorities in order.”

 - “Wae?!”  HaEun blushed at her friend's scolding. “Unnie knows Na can’t fall behind on my school work.”

 - “Ara, Ara...HaEun has her entire future planned out.  Can HaEun plan in some fun too?”

 - “HaNa-yah, stop teasing your chingu.  Dtal has enough suits, she can lend HaEun one or we can stop at the mall, deh?”

 - “Deh, Imo.  Kansamnida,” HaEun inclined her head in respect.

 - “Kaja,” HaNa grabbed HaEun’s wrist.  “Let’s see which of my suits looks best on you,” they began running to HaNa’s room as if they were leaving for Astir right that second.

InSo began to follow as well as the two younger girls.  JaeKyung stopped him.  “InSo-ah, hajima!  Let the yeoja have some alone time.”

 - “Waeyo, Imo?”  InSo gave her a perplexed look.

JaeKyung laughed and shook her head.  “Ahniya...ka!  Just don’t embarrass HaEun.”  JaeKyung shook “Those four are attached at the hip,” she thought.

 - “Anieyo, Imo!”  He would never do that to his friend, knowing how sensitive she was.

 - “Arraso!!  HaNa-yah, this applies to dtal too.  HaEun is not HaNa; don’t force her to wear something that makes her uncomfortable.”

 - “Dehhh!!”  HaNa shouted back while continuing to drag HaEun to her room.

 - “Yah!  JaeHyeon and I will come too!”  JaeWook suddenly had a brilliant idea on how to spend more time with his girlfriend.

 - “We will?”  JaeHyeon asked.

 - “Unnie!  Me too!  I want to come too!”  JaeIn, the youngest of the Kim children, was already jumping from her seat.

HaJin shrugged her shoulders.  “Count me in.”

HaEun began to panic but did not want to hurt anyone’s feelings.  “You’re all very sweet but I don’t need eight people to help me pick a bathing suit?” 

 - “Sure you do!”  Loudmouth JaeWook said.  “Ja-HaNa…” he’d almost called her “jagi” “...and I have a discerning eye for fashion and what will turn a guy’s head.”  HaEun opened to protest but JaeWook continued.  “As I was saying - JeongHee is our resident artist who has an eye for color, InSo…” JaeWook threw his arm over InSo.  “...has a discerning eye for you…”

- “Yah!”  InSo shrugged the arm off his shoulder while the rest were laughing.

 - “InSo-ah, chincha...InSo knows HaEun even better than Unnie and I do.”

 - “JeongHee Unnie, that’s not true.  Na Unnie-deul know me just as much,” HaEun defended herself.

 - “Now...what did HaEun say at her party?  Something about...able to do anything she puts her mind to?” JaeWook while throwing his arms over his brother and InSo’s shoulder (the latter of the two elbowed him roughly).  JaeWook, unfazed, continued before HaEun could even phrase a rebuttal.  “You need to practice.  How are you gonna handle all the guys ogling you on the beach if you won’t even let your friends see you first?”

 - “Andwae!!!”  HaEun protested in Korean as she always did when nerves set in. Her family scrutinizing her was worse than if they were strangers.

 - “I’ll beat up anyone who bothers nae gongju!”  InSo balled his fists already imagining connecting them to some random jerk’s face,

HaNa rolled her eyes at InSo.  “JaeWook Oppa has a great idea!”  HaNa clapped her hands and bounced on her feet, while winking at her boyfriend.  The small party gathered inside of HaNa’s room and quickly closed the door. Worried by her friend's excitement, HaEun’s brows dropped, making her normally rounded western eyes look much more Korean.  HaNa’s next statement confirmed HaEun’s need for worry.  “We’ll have a fashion show and our chingu can vote on their favorite look.”  While HaEun shook her head, “no”, the others liked the idea and boisterously agreed.  HaEun nervously twirled a strand of hair around her finger.  “Wae?!  HaEun-ah doesn’t trust her Unnie?”  HaNa always pulled rank whenever she needed HaEun to agree to one of her schemes.

 - “Ahnieya!!  Hajiman...Na can just wear shorts or a dress!  Deh?”

 - “Anieyo...this isn’t Seoul or even the states, you should wear a proper bathing suit or bikini top with your shorts.”  HaNa began rummaging through her drawer and handed JeongHee a pile of swimsuits.  “The rest of you wait out here,” HaNa grabbed HaEun’s wrist and dragged her into her bathroom.   

The Vouliagmeni community was not large nor an overly popular.  An upscale coastal town that drew in the wealthy (desiring a less touristy Greek experience) to cruise its waters in their yachts or sunbathe along its clear blue and white sandy beaches.  Astir beach was a place of summer socializing for both the corporate world and local elite.  Its calm waters was the perfect place for children to play and its water sports offered hours of entertainment for the otherwise bored teenagers.  Several plain-clothed bodyguards of varying nationalities hobnobbed with the locals while keeping their eyes on the F4 children and ready to dive into danger at a moment’s notice. In a sunbed reserved for the teens,

HaEun lazed alone.  Her friends were enjoying water skis and giving the boyfriend and girlfriend cover for their undercover romance but they could not persuade HaEun to get wet with them.  It was the perfect environment for her to recover from the remaining jetlag; a small nap and perhaps indulge in her reading of Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion wine looked promising.  Nap accomplished, she stretched lazily and took out her tablet to read.  Occasionally a local would come by and try to strike up a conversation with the shy girl but none had been able to get past her outer shell.

William, a fifteen-year-old UK model (vacationing with his family) had escaped their confines to wander the beach enjoying the view of nature and (to be honest) the sea of pretty girls.  “Dad!  I’m going for a walk!”  His dad and he had gone sailing but he was now itching to explore the beach on his own.  “Sweetheart, wear your shirt or reapply sunscreen.”  William rolled his eyes at his mum.  She was such a mom, even though she too was a model.

 -  “Listen to your Mum, Will.  I don’t want to be treating your blistered skin later.”  His dad was a doctor and when the two teamed up there was no getting around it.

Grabbing his shirt, he threw it on.  “Happy?”

 - “Much better, sweetheart.”

 - “I want to go for a walk with you, Will.  I’m so bored!”

Will cringed but could not say no to Sienna, his younger sister.  He was always working and rarely home to spend time with his siblings.  “Come on...but if there’s a cute girl, you make yourself scarce.  Got it?”

 - “Got it!”

 - “Hey!  What about me!”  Noah was stuck under a foot or more of sand, courtesy of his evil twin, Sienna. 

 - “Will!  Let’s run!”  Taking his hand in hers, she shrieked and took off running while dragging Will along.  Arriving at the water’s edge, Will turned his head, looking back toward their sunbed.  “He’s gonna be cheesed off once he gets free.  You’re an awful little sister, you know that?”

 - “Yup, but you love me anyway,” suddenly kicking water at him.  They had continued running until Will was ankle-deep in water and Sienna mid-calf.

 - “Hey, brat!!”  Will splashed back.  The more they splashed each other, the decibel level of his sister’s giggles got higher.  “Si-enna!!  My ears are bleedin’ with your laugh!”  This only made his sister stick out her tongue.  “I’m giving you a second to start running before I dump you into the ocean for the sharks or jellyfish to eat.”  The little girl screamed even louder and tried to take off running only to stop short when four kids and an adult on stand up paddleboards came onto shore.  Sienna had to stop quickly to avoid getting in their way.  “Sienna!!  Geeze!  You could have gone the other way instead of just stopping like that!”  Will crashed right into her back sending her onto her knees right into the water.  “You alright?”

 - “Yup!”  Sienna giggled, amused at their crash.

 - “Are you two kids okay?”  The adult of the group spoke up.  “I’m sure these kids will apologize for nearly running you down.  I told them to watch for people before coming in.”

 - “Uncle!!!  We did look!” Kim JaeIn, the youngest but friendliest and best mannered of the four, spoke up.  “Sorry guys.  Are you okay?  My dad is a doctor; I can run and go find him.”

 - “Yeah, we’re good.  Our dad is a doctor too!!”  Sienna spoke up.  “I’m Sienna, by the way, and this is my dumb brother, William”

 - “You...keep it up and I’ll disown you as my sister.”

Sienna rolled her eyes.  “Just ignore him, he always says that.”

JaeIn giggled.  “I’m JaeIn Kim.” 

 - “Hey, I’m JaeWon.  I know all about dumb little sisters,” JaeWon pointed at JaeIn.

 - “Hey!  I’m telling!”  JaeIn was quick to protest.

 - “Go ahead, I’ll tell mom you were pestering me.  If I get her chancla (flip flop), you will too!”

Their bodyguard had to remind himself of the generous salary he was receiving to put up with these kids.  “You two have a name, why don’t you be nice and introduce yourselves?”  He turned to the youngest Song kids who were more serious than their older sister was.  He was hoping they could strike up a friendship and let him rest from keeping them entertained.

 - “Uncle, that JaeIn was talking too much,” grumbled HaJun.  “I’m HaJun but you can call me Jun, and this is HaJin, my sister.”  At 9 years old, HaJun could transform into a mini version of his Father if needed.  “You’re cute, by the way,” he flashed Sienna a flirty grin.

 - “Hey kid!  That’s my sister!”

HaJin rolled her eyes.  “Don’t worry, he’s harmless.”

 - “I have a first-degree black belt.  I’m hardly harmless, sis.”

 - “And I bet I can still beat you up!”

 - “Let’s do it then!  Loser gives the winner their allowance for the rest of the year.”

 - “You’re on!”

 - “Enough!”  The bodyguard moved in between the Song brother and sister.  He needed to ask Mr. Song for a raise.  Chasing drug lords and terrorists was becoming more appealing than guarding kids.  “Keep it up and you can compete against me.  If you lose, I get to feed you to the sharks.”

 - “Um...hyeong...there aren’t any sharks in Athens,” HaJun answered,

 - “Yeah, but I’m sure the aquarium wouldn’t mind free shark food for the rest of the year.”

Will found the kids rather entertaining but they were more his sister’s age or younger.  He was hoping to find someone his own age to hang out with (preferably a girl in a bikini) or at least try his luck at the bar.  “Well...we should keep walking, right sis?”  He glanced at his sister and then the others.  “It was nice meeting you all.”

 - “Wiilll…I want to hang out with our new friends.  Please-please-please?!”

 - “Yeah!  Stay and hang out with us,” JaeIn jumped up and down, grabbing Sienna’s hands in hers.

The bouncy maknae’s energy was infectious and her brothers knew it was next to impossible to tell her “no”.  Neither could Sienna find it in her heart to turn the younger girl down.  “Hmmm...Will...can we stay?  Please?”

 - "Please?!!!!”  JaeIn gave her new friend’s brother the same puppy dog eyes that worked wonders on her own brothers.  Blinking a few times and protruding her lower lip, looking like she would start to cry any second.

 - “Please?!!!!”  Sienna joined in, creating a duet.

 - “Bah!!”  William could not compete.  “Let’s go get Noah and then you can stay.  No offense but I want to look around.”

 - “Okay!  I’ll be right back with my twin brother, Noah.  Do you guys want to come with?  We have tons of candy…?”  What self-respecting child would turn down candy?

 - “Candy?  Let’s go!”  Song HaJin led the way.

 - “Hey, what kind of candy?  Do you have any chocolate?”  JaeWon followed. Whoever said Doctor’s kids only ate healthily had never met Kim Jaejoong’s kids.  They enjoyed their indulgences like any other kid.

 - “Yup!  We brought some Aerobars,” Sienna had taken the two girls by the hand and the two boys and their bodyguard quickly followed behind.

 - “What are Aerobars?”  JaeWon asked.  The younger Kim children were more American than Korean or even Mexican.

 - “I can’t explain, you’ll just have to try them,” Sienna answered back.

William followed them for a little while but parted ways before arriving at his family's sunbed.  He was either working or studying and this vacation was the first downtime he had all year. He had already spent the first few days with his family, now he wanted to spend some time as a normal teenage guy.  Even though it made him feel a bit guilty for abandoning his siblings.  He walked among the rows of wood-beamed cabanas with billowing white drapes and blue and white, heading for the bar.  Eager to test his friend’s theory that the eighteen drinking limit was rarely enforced and taste his first Greek beer.  It would not be his first time having a beer; after all, modeling and acting is an adult’s world.  His manager tried to keep him out of trouble but inevitably, there was always someone around willing to corrupt young impressionable minds.  Everywhere Will turned, people of all ages were sunning themselves or generally standing around, chatting.  The atmosphere relaxed and friendly.  He liked it.  Pausing in his quest, Will surveyed the crowd, hoping to find a partner for his crime.  He had seen some people his own age while out on the water with his dad, but it seemed they had not come in yet.  He walked slowly trying not to look like a creep as his sunglass-hidden eyes peered into the cabanas.  At least three or four people were occupying the cabanas and while passing by it was difficult to see past one to its neighbor behind it.  Surprisingly, Will happened on two nearly deserted cabana’s right next to each other.  All but one of their occupants had left temporarily.  If he had not seen the first empty cabana, he would not have noticed the second one, and then he would have missed a girl with the most stunning smile.  Will stopped walking and gawked (to his embarrassment) unknowingly.

The adults had gone to the bar; leaving a bodyguard in their place in case anyone tried to trouble HaEun while they were away.  “Hey kid, are you lost?”  William heard a rustling or shifting around behind him, making him jump nervously. 

 - “Um...I was just on my way to the bar.”

The bodyguard decided to have a little fun with the teen.  “You’re obviously not old enough to go to the bar.”

 - “Ah well...um...my...dad sent me!  Yes!”

 - “Well then, get on with it.”

 - “Oh, right…” William’s eyes fidgeted between the adult next to him and the stunning angel with long legs.

The bodyguard waited to see if the kid would keep going or keep staring at his charge.  When William seemed as if he could not decide whether he should stay or go, he spoke again.  “I’ll let you talk to my niece but it will cost you.”

 - “Have you lost the plot (gone mad)?!

 - “An uncle has to make a living, you know.”

 - “What kind of uncle are you?!”

 - “The kind that knows he’s the uncle to a beautiful teen girl.  Now, you gonna pay up or leave?”  The bodyguard sounded obscene even to his own ears but he was having fun.  The poor kid did not know whether to laugh or run away horrified.  His mouth was set in a sort of grimace, in between smiling and scowling.

 - “I-I need to-to go...mmy dad is waiting for me.”  William began reluctantly walking away, while the bodyguard remained grinning to himself.  Had the bloke really gone mad?  Or was he really willing to charge someone for talking to his niece?  In addition, if he was, what else was he willing to sell?  William shook his head.  “Mind your own business, Will,” he told himself.  Dragging his feet to the end of the walk, he turned around, wanting to make sure the girl was safe and her uncle was not selling her off to the next wanker that walked by.  He sighed, not believing that the girl was so oblivious to her uncle’s scheming.  “What the hell?  Her uncle is trying to sell her off and she’s playing some instrument in her head?!”  William muttered to himself, running a hand through his sun-bleached hair while HaEun, forgetting where she was, conducted an orchestra in her mind.  Never had he thought himself the heroic type but for a looker like this girl, William would let himself involved.  Deciding he had to keep her company until the rest of her family returned, William walked around the row of cabanas to the other side.  This way he was not in direct view of her uncle.

Meanwhile, the bodyguard inconspicuously watched Will as he walked, hesitated, looked over at HaEun and at him, then walked again.  When his steps became decisive and quickly turned the corner, the bodyguard had a feeling Will would go around the other side.  Cursing himself for his stupid joke, the bodyguard left the cabana and crossed over to where HaEun was.  1) He would apologize for the bad joke and 2) he would make sure the kid knew if he messed with the girl, he (if not Mr. Song) would make his body a habitat for sea creatures.

 - “e!”  William did not expect to see the uncle intercept him a few cabanas away from his destination.  He received angry stares from people trying to relax and enjoy their day.

 - “Sorry!”  The bodyguard spoke to the inhabitants of the cabana next to them.  “You know kids these days.”  He gave Will’s upper arm a firm squeeze, warning him to be quiet and dragged him off to the middle of the walkway.  It would not be the truth if William said he was not just a little frightened.  The bloke looked twice his height and muscles spilled from his shirt.  “Look, kid, I really was joking about the whole charging thing back there.”  Will visibly relaxed.  “It was a stupid joke, for that, I apologize.  I will not stop you from striking up a friendship with her; however, you hurt her or disrespect her in any way your body becomes fish food.  Got it?”  William tensed again, swallowing nervously before nodding affirmatively.  “Great, glad we understand each other.  I will keep my eyes on you,” The bodyguard pointed from his eyes to William’s before walking back to his seat in the other cabana.  In an instant, William had gone from hero to average Joe.  Glad, he no longer had to slay the dragon to save the princess, he sighed heavily.  “Now what?” he mumbled, running his fingers through his blond hair.  The curtain hid his view, so he walked a few paces to peek around it.  Having borrowed InSo’s state of the art noise-canceling headphones, HaEun was in the middle of a symphony oblivious to the world around her.  Only her chin swayed from time to time and occasionally her hands assisted in conducting.  William stood frozen, stunned by the dark-haired beauty.  Her skin was flawlessly a perfect medium tan (like the cafe latte’s his manager liked to drink) and her legs enticingly long.  In the midst of his silent gawking, his mind thought to question if she was a model.  William groaned and face-palmed himself.  “Mate, you’re standing here like a total wanker!”  He scolded, forcing himself to move his body around to face the girl.  “H-hi!”  Silence.  “H-hello?”  Silence again.  “Do you speak English?”  Well, that was stupid.  Her uncle spoke English, why wouldn’t she?  “Unless he wasn’t really her uncle,” he thought aloud.  Sneaking a glance across, the uncle grinned madly, enjoying William’s predicament.  Glaring at the uncle, he turned back to the girl and finally his usually intelligent brain decided to turn on.  With her eyes closed and headphones covering her ears, she could not hear him even if she did not speak English.  Touching her would be too weird, not that he would not want to.  He was a guy, after all, but thankfully not a wanker.  Using the only way he could think of to get her attention, he gave two flicks of his fingers (a few seconds apart) to the earpiece of her right headphone.

HaEun opened her eyes in confusion.  Sitting up, she expected to see her friends but as she swept the cabana with her eyes there was only a boy she had never seen before.  “Omo!”  Startled, she quickly stood to her feet, looking for her uncles or the bodyguards that had been keeping them company.

 - “Hey!  Didn’t mean to startle you!”  Will waved his hands in front of her.

HaEun reached up to remove the headphones and just to add to her embarrassment, the sarong covering the slashed style bikini brief drifted to her feet like a feather.  HaEun froze with embarrassment, as her face turned a shade of pink darker than the coral lip gloss she wore.

William’s eyes unwittingly followed the flowy black material of her sarong.  “Her legs really are long,” he thought.  She was taller than he was by at least an inch or two.  “William, a lady has eyes, not just legs and s,” his Mum’s nagging voice echoed in his ear.  He snapped out of his trance.  “I-I’ll g-get it!”  Bending to grab the scarf was easy, getting a close up of her flawless legs made William glad his oversized tee went past his hips.  “Umm...here you go,” he let out his breath while handing her the scarf he had picked up.  He really hoped he was not blushing as much as she was.  He could not even meet her eyes, he felt so awkward.  “Smooth, Will, smooth,” he told himself.

 - “Th-thank you,” HaEun quickly covered herself again, silently wondering how she let HaNa talk her into a two-piece.  The ruffled bandeau bikini top went off the shoulder while slashes decorated the high waist brief along the hips.  Feeling more confident now that modesty was back, she waited patiently for the boy to say something.  William was too busy scolding himself to say anything and was wondering how stupid he would look if he ran away in the next second.  “Can...I help you?”  HaEun looked at him cautiously.

 - “Oh!  I was just…”  William came back to reality at the melodious sound of her voice.  What did he come over to her for?  He could not tell her about her uncle’s joke.  “Well, actually...I...was passing by...and… - don’t act like a wanker, Will - you were so in to your music I was wondering what you were listening to.”

 - “Oh!  I…” HaEun hesitated.  Most kids her age could care less for classical music.  Should she open herself up to criticism from a stranger?  “Actually...it’s just a playlist...of some...different type of music I came across.”

 - “Really?  What type of music?  What’s so different?”  Will sat down on the lounger without an invite.  A bold move; seeing the girls surprised face, made him realize he was a bit rude.  “I’m sorry...I just thought...I saw you...were-alone -do you mind if I join you?”  Slurring a few words together, he quickly and awkwardly apologized.  He did not know why he was suddenly acting like a socially awkward teen.

HaEun bit her lip nervously, not knowing what to do.  Not wanting to be rude and ask him to leave but HaNa was the one who usually drove the conversation.  HaEun was never comfortable talking to strangers.  “Well...my friends are out on wave runners and they might be back soon (she hoped)...”

With a disappointed look on his face, William stood to leave.  “I see, guess I’ll see you around.”

HaEun was horrified thinking she had rudely chased him away and nervously pinched the hem of his shirt.  Will felt the tug and turned.  “A-anieyo!!  I mean!  Please stay.  I mean if you really want to.  I’m afraid I’m actually pretty boring.”

Will turned to face her and smiled.  “A pretty girl like you can’t possibly be boring.”  Seeing the girl stiffen and turn her head nervously, he realized what had spilled out of his mouth.  “I didn’t mean that!  I mean – I meant the pretty part!  Ugh!”  The girl had tilted her head as if thinking.  He could not read her expression but thought her more confused than put off. “I mean, I’m not trying to give you a pickup line.”  A smile slowly formed on the girl’s face and he thought it magical.  “Hello, my name is William.  William Miller - and I promise I’m not as stupid as I sound,” he stuck out his hand hoping for the best.

HaEun laughed, her chronic shyness vanished in the face of his awkwardness.  “My name is HaEun. HaEun Yoon, nice to meet you, William,” she mimicked his greeting.

Her smile was contagious, and he felt his mouth stretching from ear to ear. “Hun?  I’m sorry,” he wrinkled his brow in concentration.  “Can you repeat that a little slower or I can just call you Hun.”

 - “Not Huuuunnn…,” HaEun bit her lip, trying not to laugh at his mispronunciation.  “...Ha-Eun but it comes out Han, it’s all in the placement of the tongue.  It starts with the “eu” and ends the “n”, but Han works.”  HaEun slowly and exaggeratedly repeated her name a few times.  HaEun concentrated on the way he scrunched his face up and stuck his tongue out trying to pronounce her name.  She did not have time to acknowledge that a boy had just called her “Hun”

 - “Ha-uhn, Ha-ehn, ¿Hain?  No...Ha-n...yes, that’s right!  Han, yes?”  He carefully mimicked her demonstration, not to mention she looked adorable slowly moving her tongue to show him.

 - “Yes, that’s right.”

 - “See, I told you you weren’t boring.  I’m already fascinated and I’ve only just learned your name.”  HaEun pressed her lips together in embarrassment as her cheeks decided to match her lip-gloss again.  “Damn, she’s cute,” he thought.  An awkward silence hung in the air and Will knew he had to do something about it.  “So, where are you from?  With a name like Han, chances are you’re not from here.  Or I suppose you could be?”  He shrugged.  HaEun was about to answer but realized it was not that simple and surprisingly no one in her fifteen years had ever asked her that question.  “Don’t remember where you’re from?”  He teased.

HaEun turned her face, shyly, before answering.  “It’s just...I guess I never thought of being from a certain place.  I’m from wherever my family lives at any particular time.”

 - “I can get that.  My family and I have moved around a few times.  In fact, I’m just in from the states having a holiday with my family and then we’ll go back to Melbourne but we’re originally from London.”

 - “Really?!”  HaEun smiled at the coincidence.  “I came from California.  My friends and I are visiting a friend that lives here in Athens.”

 - “California?  If you say you’re from Los Angeles, I’m going to drown myself!”

 - “Andwaeyo!!!”  HaEun’s eyes widened and her face paled in fright, lapsing into Korean as she always did when her brain suddenly needed an interjection.

 - “Huh?”  Will had no idea what she had just said.  “I was joking.”

HaEun had always been overly sensitive or as HaNa always called her - gullible.  The sting of tears threatening to fall made her turn away from him.  Taking a deep breath and then letting it back out, she spoke.  “That was a terrible joke.”

 - “Way to go idiot!  You made her cry,” William mentally scolded himself.  In his entire life, he had never made a girl cry.  Except maybe his sister when she was a baby.  “Bad joke.  I agree.  I’m sorry for offending you.”  Will took a seat cushion and placed it in her hands.  “Go ahead, hit me with it,” he said, meeting the puzzled look in her eyes.  HaEun was still upset at his words.  It made her heart hurt, reminding her of her poor Umma had twice thought that was her only option.  She frowned at William while he eagerly darted his eyes from the cushion in her hands to her face.  “Go on…give me a good smack and I’ll always remember to think twice before uttering a lame joke again.”

 - “Anieyo!!  You shouldn’t need a smack to remember not everything is a joke,” HaEun said softly while dropping the cushion. 

 - “You are right again.”  His dad always told him never to argue with an angry woman. HaEun looked a little angry and a little sad.  Accept the blame and ask for mercy, his dad always says.  William knew his dad was never in trouble with his mum for very long.  Stuffing his hands in the back pockets of his shorts, he looked down at the floor.  “Do...you...think we can forget about my stupid mouth and start over?”  He hesitantly lifted his eyes directly to hers.

HaEun heard his question and slowly turned her now serene poker face to study his.  He wore a hopeful smile on his warm and friendly face.  His light tan complemented his golden hair, and his striking blue eyes mirrored the ocean - clear and inviting.  HaEun was never good at making friends.  She did not need to, really.  HaNa, JeongHee, and InSo were more than enough, she also had her brother HaNeul and a select few she was comfortable with at Church and her ballet academy.  Hating to be on the spot, she shyly nodded “yes”, praying her friends returned soon.

 - “Nice!”  William immediately threw himself onto a lounger, making himself comfortable.  HaEun took a step back, a little intimidated.  William was about to ask her why she was still standing but his eyes caught sight of the abandoned headphones.  “What were you listening too?”  Lifting the headphones and placing them over his ears.

HaEun immediately frowned at his action.  InSo abruptly took her things all the time (sometimes even from her hands) but it never bothered her.  William was a stranger; shouldn’t he have asked beforehand?  HaEun was very reserved with her musical tastes.  Of course, she enjoyed the occasional pop song but for the most part, she was always on the search for music that would bring her violin to life.  The frown on Will’s face made her nervous; she was not in the mood to argue with a stranger over her choice in music.  “E-excuse me but the headphones belong to my friend. W-would you-you mind returning them?  He’s very protective of his things and wouldn’t appreciate me allowing someone else to use them.”  With a cheeky smile, he handed HaEun the headphones after carefully removing them from his head.  “Thank you,” HaEun stood and returned them to the case in InSo’s bag.        

 - “Interesting choice of music…different.”

HaEun timidly searched his eyes for any sign of mockery.  “He...was an American composer,” she practically whispered while busying her hands with the hem of her sarong.  “Actually…,” she perked up suddenly.  “His name was William...William Grant Still.”

 - “Ah...many famous dead people are named William.  Maybe I should change my name.”  He sighed dramatically, “I don’t want to wait until I’m dead to be famous.”

HaEun thought about her uncles who still made headlines but the saesangs have thankfully moved on to other targets.  “Must you be famous?”  It was bad enough having bodyguards around whenever she was with her friends and she would hate to be surrounded by mass amounts of people vying for her attention.  “Can’t one lead their lives fulfilling their passions without the fuss?”

 - “Then why bother?  An actor needs a stage to act, patrons to come watch his play, movie, or whatnot.  A musician needs ears to listen to their music, right?”

HaEun shrugged her shoulder and pursed her lips in thought.  Her uncle Hyun Joong always said that as long as he had one fan, he would be happy singing and creating music for them.   On the other hand, her Umma did not care that people came to listen to her sing; she gave up music entirely when her parents were in the accident.  Her Appa is a musical genius but never tried to become famous; it was an outlet for his grief.  She certainly had no desire for notoriety but then again, why push herself to be the very best?  “I don’t know…”

 - “I suppose you play an instrument and I gather from your choice in music you play extremely well.  Let me ask you, why do you play?”

That was an easy answer.  “It makes me happy, and makes Umma and Appa happy...and the little kids at my church love it when I play for them too.”

 - “Superb!”  William enthusiastically leaned toward her HaEun.  “So, it makes you and about twenty or more people happy.  What if you could make hundreds or thousands or even millions of people happy, would you?”

HaEun did not think there were hundreds, thousands, or millions that would be happy because of her music.  She half shrugged, her face coloring slightly.  Who would not want to give a little bit of joy to that many people?

 - “See...I’m right!”

HaEun shook her head.  “He’s a cross between HaNeul and InSo Oppa,” she mumbled to herself.

 - “I heard that!”  He laughed as her eyes stretched as wide as possible without popping off her face.  “Who are they?  Boyfriends of yours?”

 - “Anieyo!!  My younger brother and my best friend!”

 - “Well, now I know for sure that’s not English.”  She did look Asian, in a way.  Will studied her with one arm crossed against his chest and the other propping up his chin with his hand.  “Definitely American, since you said you lived there but also an Asian country…”  HaEun lowered her face as she felt her cheeks coloring at his scrutiny.  “Hey!  That’s cheating!  I can’t see your eyes if you lower your face.”

 - “I’m Korean and Spanish-Mexican,” she mumbled.  Anything to stop his scrutinizing.

 - “Wow!  I never would have guessed the second part.  Though I thought maybe French or some other European country, I was somewhat close.”

 - “So, have you been to Korea?”

 - “Mmm…,” she nodded her head.

 - “Are you really from Los Angeles?”

HaEun was a little exasperated and a little amused at all his questions.  He was almost like a boy version of HaNa.  He did not stop talking or asking questions.  HaEun found him a little daunting but did not make her uneasy or uncomfortable.  In short, she found him quite nice.  “William?  Am I being interviewed?”

William’s smile stretched across his face at the look on his new friend’s face.  Her lips were in a reluctant grin when it was obvious she wanted to scowl and one brow furrowed in curiosity while the other frustration.  “Yes, yes I am!  I want to be the interviewer, for a change, and ask all the questions.”

HaEun shook her head at this silly boy in front of her.  She could not be upset when faced with such an eager smile.  Her Oppa and HaNa did that to her all the time and no matter how crazy their schemes were, she could not scold them.  “Why?!  I already told you, I’m pretty boring.”

 - “Ha-n,” he spoke her name slowly to be sure of the pronunciation, “the more you tell me that you are boring the more inclined I am to believe the opposite.  Besides, I have to repeat my likes, family history, future plans, etc. all the time.  I want to hear someone else’s history.  And besides, you’re not fawning all over me, which makes you a perfect candidate,” he teased.

HaEun’s face turned the shade of her coral pink lip-gloss again.  What type of reply was she expected to make?  Unable to think of a suitable response, she busied her eyes on the hem of her sarong again.

 - “Never be silent or look away while being interviewed.  The interviewer will fill in your silence with all sorts of made up things.  You need to give the impression that you are at least thinking about your answer.  Like this…”  He furrowed his eyebrows and set his gaze on some far off point only he could see and gave a little “hmm…” while pressing his lips together.  “That’s a very good question...though I should be considering my future, I feel like I have been tossed into an adult’s world much too quickly and my youth is passing me by.  For now, I want to concentrate on balancing my normal teen life - spending time with friends and also academics – with my life in the spotlight.”  He returned the imaginary microphone he was holding to the imaginary interviewer.  “Tada!!  And that’s how you avoid a question you don’t want to answer.”

HaEun felt a grin stretching her previously serene face.  In fact, she had seen some of her uncles using those types of delay tactics.  Although, she was positive her uncle HyunJoong was truly searching his overfull brain for the best answer.  “Bravo!”  HaEun clapped her hands while giggling at her new overconfident acquaintance.

William abruptly stood on his feet in front of HaEun’s still smiling face.  “So, Miss HaEun – forgive me if I’ve completely forgotten your last name already - since you don’t have a boyfriend, be my girlfriend for the day,” Will extended his hand for her to take.

Turning in their jet skis, JaeHyeon read the advertisement for wakeboarding.  “Let’s do that!”

 - “We should go back for HaEun,” InSo said, with a worried frown on his face.  “She’s been alone for a few hours.”

 - “Gwenchana, InSo-ah,” So JeongHee gave him a placating pat on the shoulder.  “She knows where we are and most likely asleep or doing homework.  JaeHyeon-ah, I want to go water skiing.”

 - “Water skiing is for girls!”  JaeHeyon complained.

 - “Your point?”  JeongHee glared back at him. 

 - “JeongHee Noona, shouldn’t we check up on her?”  InSo could not keep himself from worrying.  His Geongju was too innocent and too pretty to leave alone for long.  Who knew what strange guys were lurking around ready to bother her.  He was sure the bodyguard could not protect her as well as he could.

Meanwhile, HaNa bit her lip and shared a meaningful look with her boyfriend.  “Guys!  Oppa and I want some alone time, can you cover for us?  Pretty please?”  HaNa brought her palms together, begging her friends to indulge them.

InSo scoffed.  “Like hanging out with us has kept hyeong’s lips from getting stuck to HaNa Noona’s?”

 - “Hmm...I like the idea of my lips getting stuck on yours, baby.”

 - “Me too!”  HaNa threw her arms around his neck and he picked her up by the waste, crashing their lips together.

 - “Go away!”  JaeHyeon covered his eyes.  “I can’t handle these kinds of displays anymore.”

JaeWook set his girlfriend back on the ground with a huge grin on his face.  “Thanks!  Let’s go get lost, baby,” giving HaNa a wink, he took her by the wrist before running off.

 - “Unnie!”  JeongHee shouted after them.  “Make sure to let us know where you go!”  HaNa waved back at her friends.

InSo sighed.  “Do you think we should leave them alone?  I don’t trust JaeWook.”

 - “InSo, you might not see hyeong’s brain under all that hair and hair product but he knows Uncle WooBin would literally kill him if he tried anything he shouldn’t with HaNa,” JaeWook rolled his eyes.

Jeonghee noticed JaeHyeong’s lack of honorifics and judging by the scowl on InSo’s face, he did as well.  “InSo-ah…,” she quickly hooked her arm through his, flashing him with her friendliest smile.  “HaNa’s black belt is higher than his; she’ll have him begging for mercy while she cuts off his air supply.”

 - “Well, hyeong recently earned another stripe on his belt but Mom’s slipper is an even higher degree, so I’m sure he’ll remember that.”  JaeHyeong laughed imagining his almost six foot tall brother, submitting to a beating from their mom’s shoe and then their uncle WooBin finishing what was left.

 - “Mollah!”  InSo shook his head.  “I’m going to check on geongju”

 - “Aniehya!”  JeongHee stomped her foot like a kid.  “I want to water ski and I’m older, the two of you have to listen to me.”

 - “I don’t listen to my own sister!”  JaeHyeong complained.

 - “One more hour - I get to water ski for a little while, and InSo and JaeHyeong can wakeboard afterward.  Deh?”

 - “Deh…” though InSo liked to be in charge, it was no secret he couldn’t say no to the three girls that he adored more than he did his own siblings.

 - “I guess that’s fair.”

 - “Jjang!  Kaja!”

The couple ran away from the water sports area, laughing hand in hand, neither stopping nor letting go until finding a particularly crowded spot for their clandestine romance.  “This way!”  JaeWook led HaNa right into water until they were submerged.  JaeWook had no worries about the water conditions, having made sure to take note of the color of the flag hanging from the lifeguard tower before dragging his girlfriend in.  HaNa was not as strong a swimmer as JaeWook but it was a perfect excuse to cling to his wonderful chest like a second shirt.  Once submerged, JaeWook swirled them around for a few seconds, not minding the cute little monkey in his arms.  It was not that giving his beautiful girlfriend mouth-to-mouth would be unpleasant but he would never deliberately put her in any danger.  Before she ran out of air, he brought them up.  As soon as their heads broke water and they caught their breath, his lips found hers.  Her lips tasted a little tangy and salty from the ocean water with a hint of what was left of her fruity lip-gloss.  HaNa’s case of the giggles ended up breaking their kiss.  “Wookie-ah!!!  That was so much fun!”  She wrapped her legs around his waist and went in for another kiss.

 - “Mmm...I’m completely...at my jagi’s mercy,” he panted slightly as he was swimming for the both of them now.

 - “Hmm, I like my boyfriend at my mercy,” she slowly peppered kisses all over his face but avoided his lips.

JaeWook was slowly towing them toward shallower water where he could touch ground.  He let his girlfriend have her fun until he was able to stop swimming.  Once his hands were free, he trapped her face in between his palms and captured her elusive smiling lips.  “Baby, I can’t get tired of kissing you.”

 - “You cheated!”  HaNa playfully smacked his chest.  “That’s ok, I can’t get enough of kissing you too,” she nuzzled his face with her nose.

 - “I just got to see you again; I don’t want to think about having to leave your side.”

 - “Then don’t.  Just kiss me again!”  She laughed against his forehead.

 - “Your wish is my command, jagi!”

 - “What are we going to do about your dad?”

 - “Gwenchana, Umma will be on our side.  He’ll have to agree.”  JaeWook’s smile left him and he looked away from the beautiful girl in front of him.  “Oppa?  What’s wrong?”  She cupped his face staring into his suddenly distant eyes with worry.

 - “Hm?  Oh...mollah…” he sighed heavily, making HaNa’s heart pound anxiously.

 - “Oppa?  Wae?  Tell me.”

 - “Well…” he untangled his girlfriend from his body and stared into her eyes, rubbing his hands down her arms, keeping her at a slight distance.  “Between the hair-raising rumors about your dad and your feisty mom, what kind of girlfriend am I getting?”  He pushed himself away and his mouth slowly stretched into a full grin, letting HaNa know that her boyfriend was pulling her leg.

HaNa gave his chest a strong shove.  “The best girlfriend!”

 - “Mollah…, how do I know, you’re the best?”

 - “Yah!”  She shoved him again, not realizing that her feet could now touch the ocean floor.  “Don’t get on my bad side, Mr. Kim!”

 - “I think Garcia-Kim is on our birth certificates but I won’t get technical.”  He tried suppressing his laughter in the face of her growing anger.  “Mariyah...just saying.  This relationship is a little hard for a fifteen-year-old, don’t you think?”

 - “What are you saying, Oppa?”  If she were a dragon, she would be breathing fire.

JaeWook had successfully backed them into shallow water.  “Anihya-anihya, saranghae!”  He blew her a kiss before turning and sprinting back to the beach.  “Catch me!”  He shouted.

 - “Yah!  Once I catch you, prepare to die!”  HaNa ran as if a tsunami were after her.  Her legs were not as long as her boyfriend’s were but she was no less agile.  The couple made their bodyguard earn his pay; thankfully, several guards combed the beach and were able to keep watch without making it obvious.

JaeWook could not afford to slow down and received many annoyed words and glares from beach patrons.  If he wanted to live to see sixteen, he needed to keep running until his girlfriend was too tired to murder him.  His long legs kicking up sand as if he had propellers instead of feet.  Thanks to his evil cross-country coach, he knew well how to run on sand.  He could see his girlfriend tiring but with the prospect of kicking his , she would not give up.  Once reaching the grove of trees near the marina, JaeWook slowed down and prepared his defense.  Certain that his girlfriend would be the offense.

 - “Kim JaeWook!”  HaNa approached with newfound adrenaline and propelled her body, ready to slam her foot right into his chest.

JaeWook successfully blocked her kick.  “Jagi...I was joking!  You’re going to get hurt!”

 - “Worry about yourself.  I’ll show you who HaNa Song is.”

 - “I know who my cute jagi is.  And right now she’s as cute as a Tasmanian devil,” he deflected another strike.  He really should not taunt her while she is in her angry bird mode, but it was so much fun.

 - “I’ll show you, who’s cute!”  HaNa tried every combination she could think of to beat her boyfriend.  They were both getting tired but he was always quick to block her kicks and punches.  “Kim JaeWook,” she huffed.  “Stand...still and let me...satisfy my anger.”

They were both panting hard from the run and the rush of their sparring.  JaeWook shook his head with a grin.  His girlfriend was adorable if she thought he would just stand idly by and let her hurt him.  “Jagi...you may have one stripe up on me...but I’m not a pushover.  I can have you on the ground under me in seconds...if...I wanted to.”

These were the wrong words to say.  HaNa suddenly smiled as if someone had just gifted her the mall and all her favorite stores.

 - “Jagi?  Are we okay now?”

 - “Guerae!”  HaNa smiled innocently and walked over to her boyfriend who was trying to decide whether to let his guard down.  “Kiss-kiss?”  She opened her arms wide, beckoning him to come to her.

He still did not trust her but complied anyway.  JaeWook accepted her embrace but kept himself to the side in case she chose to knee strike him.  “Mian, Jagi, I was only teasing you,” he said nuzzling her face.

 - “Mmm,” with a firm grip on the side of his head, she pulled his face toward hers.  Her lips teased his with her short and long kisses that she was sure drove him crazy.

JaeWook could not say his girlfriend’s pleasing body so close to his and his hands melting over her practically back did not affect him but the feeling of her in his arms was not the same.  It was stiff as if on high alert, when she usually felt soft and pliant like warm wax.  His mother liked having scented candles lit throughout the house.  When he and his brothers were sometimes bored, they would extinguish the flame and take the soft warm wax in their hands squeezing it until it was the perfect shape of their fingers.  That is how it felt to kiss his girlfriend.  She was the warm wax that he held in his arms until she perfectly fit in every crevice and indentation of his body.  Right now, she felt like a brand new candle:  smelled delicious but was stiff and cold, not having been warmed by the flame.

HaNa was enjoying the control she had over her boyfriend.  He had tried to release her hold on his head a few times but she would give his bottom lip a bite each time.  She lifted her face to smile at him (keeping eye contact) and subtly prepared to knee him in the stomach while he was distracted.

JaeWook would not go down so easily.  While she subtly shifted back, he subtly moved out one leg and before she could make her move, he hooked his leg around the back of her knee and pushed her to the sand beneath them.  Falling with her, so he could take the brunt of the fall, she landed awkwardly on top of him.

 - “Hello, jagi?” He smirked up at her once he was able to breathe from the impact.

 - “You!”  She fisted her hand and punched the stomach beneath her

 - “Ugh!” He coughed.  “Are you trying to rip my intestines and cause internal bleeding?”

Meanwhile, HaNa was shaking out her hand.  “Do you have rocks under there?!”

 - “Nope, daily swimming, pull-ups, burpees and letting your brothers punch you in the stomach until you get used to it.”  Laughing at her horrified face, he took her hand.  “Here...let me kiss it and make it better.”  Very softly, he grazed her knuckles with his lips and then, firmly massaged it from the base of the fingers down to her wrist and back up again.  “All better?”  He gave her arm a forceful tug until she crashed on top of his chest, giggling.  “Jagi owes me a kiss.”

 - “Do I?”

 - “Mhm…” his lips quickly found hers and his delicious candle began to soften and mold herself to his body.  Groaning, JaeWook stopped before he could no longer control his body.  While his girlfriend was still drunk from their kiss, he quickly rolled them over.

 - “Yahhh!!!”

He stifled protest by placing a barrage of kisses all over her face.  Her protest turned into uncontrollable laughs.  “Hajima!!  Hajima!!”

 - “Shh!!!”  JaeWook could not help but slow his attack and concentrate on her smiling lips.  The afternoon sun seemed to be rapidly melting the warm wax and making him burn as well.  “Is jagi ticklish?”  He asked, needing a breather from her intoxicating lips.

 - “No!”  She answered a little too quickly.

 - “Then jagi won’t mind if I poke her here?”  JaeWook made a quick jab at her exposed midriff.  Her abs twitched just a little but that was the only reaction he was awarded.  “Or here…,” he jabbed again at her side.  That produced more of a reaction, making him grin.

HaNa released her bottom lip from between her teeth, “see, I’m not ticklish.  Let me up!”  He was straddling her legs, just above her knees and she hoped to distract him from his mission.  “C’mon!  Move!  You weigh a ton!”

 - “I’m not even placing my weight on you!  Try knocking me off if you want.”

HaNa was free from her waist up as well as her arms but anything she tried, he would easily block.  “Guerae, as soon as I make a move, you’ll drop all your weight on me.”

JaeWook shrugged, as if saying “try me?”.  Actually, he really wanted her to attack first and he could tickle attack her in self-defense.

Not one to sit idly by, HaNa feigned a stretch.  “Oppa, my back is cramped, let me up.”  If she could get enough momentum, she could lead with her forearm and then push him off with the rest of her body.

 - “Arraso, kiss first.”  Lifting her torso, to comply, he immediately held her with one hand and began attacking her side with the long fingers from his other hand.

 - “You cheated!”  HaNa screamed while squirming to avoid his deadly fingers.  He had discovered her weak spot.  “Stop!  Stop!!  Wait...till I get my...hands on you!”

 - “I thought Jagi wasn’t ticklish?!”  He would probably get bruises from some of her punches but it will have been worth it.  It was not every day he could have the upper hand with HaNa Song.  JaeWook knew he would have to run for his life once he let her go, so he doubled his efforts while leaning back onto his feet.  Still trying to fight off his orangutan arms, HaNa did not even realize her legs were practically free.  JaeWook abruptly stopped his attack, jumping up and making a run for it.  “You need to work on your floor attack, Song!”  He shouted.

 - “You’re dead, Kim!”  HaNa was on her feet and chasing after him.

 - “Jagi needs to catch me first!”  HaNa did not waste her breath taunting him back and focused all her mind and strength on the chase.  There were too many people on the beach and eventually her boyfriend would have to slow down.

Five minutes later, a passing security vehicle blocked JaeWook’s escape.  That was all the time she needed to catch up.  Before he could pick up his pace again, she flew onto his back, stopping his escape.  “Help!!!  I’m being attacked by a flying monkey!!”

 - “What did you call me?”  She pulled his head back by the hair.

 - “The most beautiful flying monkey I’ve ever seen?”  He smirked, while she glared.

HaNa smacked him on the head.  “Back to our friends, now!”  She pointed toward the water sports area.

 - “Oh no!!  I think there’s a hurricane coming!!”  JaeWook had a firm grip on her legs as he drunkenly swayed while he walked.

 - “Ah!  Knock it off!”  HaNa scrambled to lock her arms around his chest.

 - “Hold on!  There’s a twister up ahead!”  He started spinning with his girlfriend on his back, her squealing laughs echoing on the beach.  JaeWook spun her around until he worried about dropping her.  He fell abruptly to his knees, she slid off ungracefully, rolling onto her back in the sand and he landed next to her with a grunt.

 - “Oppa!  That was fun!”  She said, once her heart rate slowed a little.

 - “Anything for my jagi,” JaeWook said next to her.

They both lay side by side, too tired to move.

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Ok, my loves!  I'm so sorry for the long delay in updating, I just do not have the time anymore.  I've cast more of my kiddo's so check the family tree's on the prologue page.  Please comment, vote, give me the strength to keep this story going.  :)