New Home

A Place To Stay

Chapter 1 - New Home

 

It’s to be left alone when a celebration season was approaching. Minjoo saw it coming when her mother became so infatuated with her new husband that she literally became the forgotten child, though she wasn’t entirely forgotten.

Her mother left a week before Christmas with her husband to New York and were planning to stay there for a good one month, leaving the poor child alone. Minjoo heaved out a long sigh, and she hated her mother’s guts, though the only good thing about this temporary parting was she left her with a full allowance during her mother’s one-long month absence.

Minjoo opened her fridge to get a cool drink down on after sending her parents at the airport. When she put the bottle back in and closed the fridge door, she just noticed a post-it note from her mother.

I had contacted Hyewon’s father and he agreed to let you stay with his family for a week at his new home, from Christmas until new year. I got the address, so there you should go to spend the holiday. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Tsk, eomma, you should’ve told me face-to-face than leaving me a note like this!” Minjoo grimaced but she was excited nevertheless. The thought of spending the holiday with her beloved sister again after a really long time made her happy.

***

She was so nervous, because she just remembered now that Hyewon’s father had remarried not long ago. How Minjoo would face them knowing she’d live in a house with a few strangers that might cause her discomfort, she didn’t know.

Minjoo pulled the luggage with her, with a complete package for a week stay, thus the bigger capacity. When she arrived in front of the doorstep and halted her steps, she took a deep breath and put her hand on her chest. Her heart was beating really fast, her hand was trembling. She was really anxious to the point that she couldn’t move at all, and she stayed outside for a good ten minutes before her courage to ring the doorbell eventually came.

She pressed the button and waited for the door to be opened.

It was opened, and greeted her sight was a girl around her height with a slightly red-dyed hair with a green sweatshirt that perfectly fit her thin body.

“H-Hi,” her lips quivered and almost couldn’t form a proper sentence to greet the girl in front of her. “I’m Kang Hyewon’s sister, Kim Minjoo,” she bowed before forgetting her manner and introduced herself.

The stranger with red hair (Minjoo wanted to say she was really pretty as if she met an angel but held herself back before she embarrassed herself) nodded and turned her back on Minjoo. “Hyewon unnie, your sister is finally here!”

Had they actually waited for her that long?

A loud stomping footsteps (probably running down from upstairs) was heard as if she was about to crush the house down. Hyewon appeared in a lightning speed and before Minjoo could comprehend everything, the stranger had already gone and she was dragged to the second floor in the upper level (with Hyewon told her to leave the luggage alone because someone else would be picking it up).

***

“She’s Chaewon,” Hyewon shortly introduced when Minjoo took a look at a family framed photo on the older girl’s bedside table. That was the same stranger with red hair that Minjoo had seen earlier. So apparently, that was Hyewon’s new, step-sister.

“That was when she graduated middle school. She looks good with her black hair, right? I miss her on that style.” Minjoo heard her older sister sighed and turned to her.

Although their parents just got married within this year, Hyewon’s father had dated Chaewon’s mother some time ago and they managed to gather on the girl’s graduation after the frequent meetings for bonding purpose between the two families.

A few gentle knocks on the door interrupted the sisters’ moments for a while. Chaewon emerged from behind the door with Minjoo’s luggage that had been left forgotten and rolled it in inside the room. “Eomma called. She said dinner is ready.”

Her words were short and curt, but her voice was heavenly. Like an angel. Had Minjoo said she looked like an angel before?

“Okay!” Hyewon beamed excitedly and held her younger sister’s hand. Chaewon had left first leaving the pair alone. “Come on, let’s eat!”

***

“Eat more dear, don’t hesitate to take more food,” Chaewon’s mother happily offered the food she cooked to her guest, which the young girl took gladly. Hyewon was pleased to see Minjoo enjoying the meals.

“Chaewon’s mom is a really good cook. I don’t think I’ve met anyone that could match hers, even our mom!” The sisters snickered after Hyewon low-key insulted their mother’s cooking skill. They were sitting next to each other which made it easy for Hyewon whispering anything to Minjoo.

“Honestly, what is your mother thinking leaving you alone for holiday with her husband? And he’s not her first after we parted, she should really come to her sense by now!”

Minjoo stopped chewing the meat in and she suddenly lost her appetite. Chaewon who sat in front of her glanced up briefly but continued eating her food nonchalantly.

“Oh yeobo, let’s not ruin the mood while that poor girl is eating! That’s our Hyewon’s mother you were talking about too!” Mr. Kang’s new wife scolded him realizing he had made Minjoo uncomfortable with the topic of her mother and her marriages with a lot of guys post their separation.

“I’m done eating!” Chaewon stood up which made her chair screeched to the back before heading to the sink with her bowl and utensils.

“See, even Chaewon is upset now!” The woman continued to scold her husband which caused the man to timidly mumble his apology. “Sorry~”

It’s only the first night and Minjoo already felt like lifting her feet to flee out from the house.

***

“You know dad always runs out of good words when it comes to mom.” Hyewon sat on the bed and took her phone to play some games that became her addiction nowadays. Minjoo bitterly smiled and joined her sister on the bed. The both of them, though they shared a mother but had different fathers which made them half-sisters, always had a close relationship with each other that only themselves could understand.

“Yeah never mind, he’s always grumpy around me so I’m not surprised anymore,” Minjoo said with a small voice, almost inaudible.

“But you’re disappointed,” Hyewon guessed.

Minjoo nodded timidly and kept it brief. The girl was playing with one of Hyewon stuff toys’ collections and hugged the huge teddy bear. “Unnie, I think your other sister doesn’t like me that much!” she began while staring blankly ahead of her.

Hyewon’s fingers stopped moving on her phone’s screen and thought of Minjoo’s words seriously. “Other sister? You meant Chaewonnie?”

The younger bobbed her head and lied down while still hugging the teddy bear.

“No way, Chaewon is kind like an angel, there’s no way she wouldn’t like someone, especially you, knowing how special you are to me!” Hyewon shrugged it off with a laughter and a little compliment for her step-sister.

‘But you don’t see the way she looks at me as if she’s disgusted, I bet her attitude is really !’ Minjoo arranged the sentence inside her mind but never dared herself to say it out loud in front of Hyewon who seemed to adore this Chaewon girl a lot.

“Dad likes her a lot too, though they’ve never spoken significantly to each other because Chaewonnie doesn’t talk much.”

The younger sister let the topic died there so Hyewon could stop talking only nice things about her new sister, which started to irritate her nerve. “I’m going to sleep now. Goodnight unnie!”

“Alright, goodnight Minjoo!”

***

Christmas was good this year. Although her mother was away, Minjoo loved how she got to spend this special celebration with her beloved sister, whom she hadn’t get to celebrate with for the past six years after Hyewon moved out.

They decorated the house together with Christmas tree, balloons and other decoration sets. It was fun, although this wasn’t exactly her family, it eventually made her felt at home. Hyewon’s step mother was really nice the entire time and Minjoo felt so comfortable living there. She even combed her hair and added some new style for her. She offered to dye her hair a little too, but Minjoo kindly declined because she was worried of her own mother’s reaction if she dyes her hair.

Everything was fine during her stay in the house with the exception of that Chaewon, to be honest. Like Hyewon said, Chaewon didn’t talk much and kept sealed most of the time. If she were to say more than one word, they’d still be short and curt.

It was safe to say Chaewon was emotionless, almost like a robot.

Or she just chose to not talk much around her.

Minjoo meant it when she said Chaewon could have not liked, or to be precise, hated her. It was nothing like the red-haired bullied her or something, but it was mostly her facial expression that practically screamed that.

Anyway, Minjoo still put up with her attitude and pretended to be okay with everything for the sake of everyone. Hyewon wasn’t kidding when she said Mr. Kang adored Chaewon. He practically babied her like she’s his own child. Even Minjoo never got that much love nor attention from him. She was envious of that girl somehow.

Hyewon’s stepmother made hamburg steak with rice ball for lunch. Minjoo was astonished at how skillful the woman was with her cooking, and her black pepper sauce was really good too. It tasted nice with the rice ball, not forgetting that the meat instantly melted inside .

“She’s a freaking hairstylist but she looked like a professional chef with her cooking skill~” Minjoo whispered to her sister who sat next to her.

“Hehe,” Hyewon giggled. “I told you she’s a great cook!”

The younger nodded and did a thumb-up. “Ahjumma, this is really good! I feel like I can eat this all day!”

The elderly woman was pleased by her compliment and beamed proudly. She resembled Chaewon a lot and at the moment she forgot that it’s actually Chaewon who took after her mother’s look, not the other way around.

“Thank goodness you like it! Don’t hesitate to eat a lot, okay?”

Minjoo was excited that she smiled really brightly, but her wide-stretched lips slowly narrowed when she felt a cold glare was directed towards her.

She looked up and found Chaewon’s intense gaze, but the other girl instantly moved her eyes away when Minjoo saw her.

What was this unsettling feeling?

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seofanyluv
I change the story cover photo because I need to incluce Hyewon in the poster, this story is not possible without her hehe :))

Comments

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Chaeyoungslaugh
#1
Chapter 4: what is wrong with chaewon
person416 #2
Chapter 13: Great story author-nim. Thank you for the fluffy epilogue
Kailoverexol #3
Chapter 12: Great fanfic(´。✪ω✪。`)
I want sakura and irene fanfic plzzzz(〜 ̄▽ ̄)〜
Kailoverexol #4
Chapter 12: Great fanfic(´。✪ω✪。`)
I want sakura and irene fanfic plzzzz(〜 ̄▽ ̄)〜
Kailoverexol #5
Chapter 5: I’m fine with jinjoo too ??
NaritaPark21 #6
Chapter 13: what a great story! i love it. ?
_toxic
#7
Chapter 1: What id chaewon is jealous of minjoo because she doesn't het enough attention from her own mom
Memejas #8
Chapter 13: Wow!!!! Great story, it really made my eyes flood.
Jjoyul1 #9
Chapter 13: Awwwwwwwww happy ending :D
Thanks for wrote this beautiful fics

Wish u write more any 2kim ;)
LittleMina2003
#10
Chapter 13: I’m gonna miss this story so much it was so good and that was funny at the end tho XD