"Why do I have to come along?" 

My older sister was dragging me along to a photoshoot she had. Oh yeah. I forgot to mention my older sister is a model. I've always had to put up with her being hit on everytime we went out. She's seriously pretty. It can be annoying but I love my sister regardless. Anyways, she wanted me to come hang out with her and our long-time friend: Cha Eunwoo. Cha Eunwoo is a Korean Actor, Singer, and Model. I believe he is in a K-pop group or something. My sister and him have been friends for a long time. They became good friends through modeling. 

You see my family and I recently moved to Japan. We were previously living in Oahu, Hawai'i but my dad had to relocate for a huge business opportunity so we moved. My sister moved to Korea after she graduated from high school. It's all because she really wanted to be a model. (That's probably around the time she met Eunwoo Oppa.) My sister found out, from our parents, that we were moving to Japan and so she told us that she had an opportunity to move to Japan as well. She talked to her agency about wanting to relocate and now we all live in Tokyo, Japan. Crazy stuff. 

"Oh come on. You haven't seen Eunwoo in a long time!" she exclaimed.

"That's true...but you know I hate being around a bunch of your other model friends. They are so shallow."

"Oh gees. It will be fun I promise. Plus afterwards we can go eat. You know you love food." she teased me.

"Ugh. Fine. Only if I don't have to pay for anything. I guess I will manage." I shrugged. She laughed then continued dragging me along.

We reached the studio. Ever since we moved to Japan (which has literally been about two and half months) my sister has been taking us to explore the city. She visited Japan a lot because of her career but now she has a small apartment and can live freely. My mom loves Japan. She always talks about the differences between Korea and here but she still loves it here. Dad of course, is used to being amongst his people.

"Hello~" My sister bowed as the staff greeted us back.

"Aiko! Right on time. Off you go to hair and make-up!" one of the staff members dragged her out. She mouthed to me that she was sorry. Meanwhile another staff member who I recognized noticed me.

"Oh. Aya! Here to watch your big sis at work?" 

"Yeah. It's nice to see you again. Um...where should I sit?" I asked her. She laughed.

"Oh yes come right over here sweetie." she moved her coat away and let me sit in her chair.

"Thank you!" she smiled then had to scurry off to help with the photoshoot.

I sat in the chair and embraced the scene in front of me. It looked like some sort of summer photoshoot. Well, then again it is only July. Ugh. That reminds me of how I will be starting school in September. It will be awkward because it is the middle of school year and I will be transferring. I tried to shake that thought from my mind. I didn't want to think about it anymore. Just then a familiar face came towards me.

"Aya! It's been so long!" he practically hugged me to death. I laughed but hugged back.

"Eunwoo Oppa. How have you been?" I decided to converse with him in Korean even though we can both speak japanese and english.

"Yes I am good. I'm here to shoot with Aiko. Heh." he rubbed his nape shyly. "I missed you..." he said softly. 

"Ayeee. If your fans heard you say that, they would be super jealous!" I . He scoffed then rolled his eyes playfully.

"Same old Aya." he then brought me in close to him so he could give me a nougie. I squealed.

"YAH! You are messing up my hair!" I whinned. He chuckled then stopped to fix my hair. Before we knew it, he was close to my face and my head as if I were a cat or something. He smiled his famous smile that makes all the girls swoon. I scoffed.

"Good girl." 

"Hmph. Meanie."

"So Aya, are you excited to go to school soon?" he pulled up a chair next to me. I groaned.

"Don't remind me...it's going to be so awkward! Everyone will already have friends and I will be the new transfer student."

"Oh come on. It can't be that bad. You're Aya. The toughest girl I know." he tried to encourage me. I sighed.

As we sat and talked for a while I told him about all my worries about moving to Japan and he tried to calm me down. He always knew how to make other people feel reassured. That's one thing I love about him. He was always my confidante. I was truly happy to see him. He then pulled out his phone to give me his new phone number. He explained that he would be in Japan for a while and if I needed anything I could always meet up with him. I also knew that he always had to change his number due to his crazy stalker fans. Just then, my sister came out in a summer dress and everyone's eyes were on her. She truly was so pretty. Ugh. Eunwoo Oppa had to go with my sister to shoot but he gave me his Nintendo Switch to play with as I waited for them. 

"That's a wrap. Thanks for working hard." the staff said.

I got so absorbed in my game that I lost track of time. The shoot came to an end and it was time to go. I looked up from Eunwoo Oppa's switch and saw the staff packing things up. I stood up and made sure I had all my belongings. I waited for Eunwoo Oppa and my sister to finish changing back into their regular clothes. I waited outside the building. Then they came to greet me. Eunwoo Oppa put his arm around me and my sister rushed over to my other side and held my hand.

"Where should we go for lunch?" my sister asked.

"Let's ask Aya. She loves food the most." Eunwoo Oppa teased. I pouted.

"Hmph. How about we go eat Korean food?" I suggested. They both seemed to find my response hilarious since they couldn't stop laughing.

"You moved to Japan and you want to eat Korean food. Silly girl." Eunwoo Oppa patted my head. "Fine. If that's what our Aya wants, then she shall get it." My sister just nodded along happily. I handed him back his Switch then smiled a bit. 

As we walked down the street I noticed my sister and Eunwoo Oppa catching a lot of attention. I realized that they were both such pretty human beings that other people are automatically starstruck. Then there was me: the potato following two gorgeous people around. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate myself or anything it's just I could get a little bit insecure especially if I am being compared to others. Although, my sister and Eunwoo Oppa never paid attention to those things. They loved being around me even if I am not a model like them. Knowing all that, reassures me.

We headed to a Korean Restaurant. Of course, we went to Korean Barbeque on a hot summer day. Eunwoo Oppa and my sister felt right at home since they both were used to living in Korea. We talked and ate a bunch. It definitely felt like old times. I got to spend more time with my sister and Eunwoo Oppa. They are usually so busy so whenever we can get together like this, it feels like everything falls into place.

We finished everything and I suggested that we go get dessert. My sister jumped excitedly at the idea. After my sister and Eunwoo Oppa paid for our meal I thanked them and then hugged them both. They were always happy whenever I was happy. Suddenly, my sister and I exchanged a look while Eunwoo Oppa wasn't paying attention. We then batted our eyes cutely to Eunwoo Oppa begging him to buy us dessert. He was caught by surprise but then sighed and rolled his eyes. He could never say no to us. 

"I swear. You both will be the death of me." he huffed. We laughed then hooked arms with him. I even laid my head on his shoulder as we walked to the nearest cafe. 

"Thanks for putting up with us Oppa." I said.

"Mmhm! Thanks Eunwoo-yah~" my sister added. (My sister and Eunwoo Oppa are the same age so they speak informally with each other.)

We made it to the nearest cafe and like he promised, Eunwoo Oppa paid for it all. We knew that deep down he enjoyed spoiling us. He never had any younger sisters so we were like a blessing to him. Aiko, on the other hand, always adored him. I snuck a glance at the two as they were sitting side by side. I smiled to myself knowing that they both looked really good together. I hope that they will always be as close as they are. 

"Aiko...you're sister doesn't wanna talk to me." he pouted and whined to my sister. She giggled then pet his head gently.

"My my. Is our little Eunwoo upset at Aya?" she played along. I rolled my eyes.

"Aigoo. I just don't want to talk about school, Oppa." I said matter-o-factly. He pretended to sniffle.

"Still! I'm like your big brother! You should tell me everything!~" he cooed.

"Gees. You're such a little kid." I . "Fine. I just don't know if I will fit in at school. I don't even know if I'll make any friends. People might treat me differently..." I trailed off. My sister and Eunwoo Oppa looked at me in concern. See? This is why I didn't want to say anything...

"Hey...Aya. You're gonna fit in. I promise. As your older sister, I can reassure you."

"You're sister is right. You are gonna do just fine. Just be yourself. Plenty of people will adore you like I do!" 

I rolled my eyes and chuckled a bit. Eunwoo Oppa was always a charmer. He could cheer anyone up with little to no effort. It always shocked me how he could do that. 

"I guess I won't worry as much then." I concluded.

Eunwoo Oppa reached across the table to ruffle my hair. I smiled back at him. Then I watched as he nonchalantly wrapped his arm around my sister's shoulder. She blushed and tried to hide it. Gees. These two are more childish than I am. 

"So...what shall we do next..?" I asked.

"Isn't getting late? Shouldn't I be taking you girls home?" Eunwoo Oppa said while checking the time. My sister and I groaned.

"Ohhh come on. It's summer. We can be out late. Right, sis?" I said while signalling to my sister. She nodded eagerly. 

"Aigoo. The ladies can never get enough of me, hm?" he teased. We laughed.

"Oh please. We just don't wanna go home yet." I said while bursting his bubble. 

"Fine fine. So what shall we do next then?" 

"How about an arcade for old times sake?" Aiko suggested. I clapped excited then looked at Eunwoo Oppa. He thought for a moment then finally agreed.

"Alright, but we gotta make sure Aya gets home by 6pm. She's under 16 so Japanese curfew."

I nearly forgot Japan had laws for minors. So we headed to an arcade place at about 2:30pm. We had plenty of time to hang out and have fun before curfew. I did feel a bit annoyed that I had to return home so early, but I live here now. I can't do much about it. As we headed inside the place I looked around for what kind of games were available. Alright. I can at least beat them at most of these games.

Eunwoo Oppa and I decided to play a lot of shooting games and fighting games. My sister watched since she wasn't into those sorts of games. Then we came across an area for racing games. My sister got excited so we decided to play altogether and see who would win. In the end, my sister won this one. She really loves playing Mario Kart games. She was an expert at racing games so it was a bit expected that she would crush us.

"Oh! Look over there!" I pointed at a Korean-style DDR game: Pump it Up. I got excited. Eunwoo Oppa smirked. He had the upper hand on this one. So I decided to play against Aiko first. "Aiiikkkooo. Dance with me please?? Whoever wins can then play against Oppa." I whined.

My sister agreed to those terms and conditions so we looked through the songs and saw some K-pop songs. I noticed some songs by Astro which was Eunwoo Oppa's band. Aiko and I danced to NoNoNo by Apink. I was playing in Hard Mode while my sister played in Normal Mode. As the song went on, we managed to bring in a crowd. People seemed to be impressed by how well we were doing. We even got a nod of approval from Eunwoo Oppa. Soon the song finished and we waited for our scores to appear. I got an A and my sister ended up with a C. The crowd cheered and clapped for us. Looks like I won...so now I have to play against Eunwoo Oppa.

"It's you and me kid." he said while removing his jacket. He handed it to my sister who watched us from the sidelines.

With my ego already boosted, I suggested that he pick the song this time. He, of course, chose Hide & Seek by Astro. Luckily, I memorized the whole dance to his debut song. I was about to crush him at his own song. The crowd clapped in anticipation. I chose Hard Mode again while Oppa decided to show off and chose Extreme Mode. I stretched a bit and then began dancing with him. We were pretty much dancing the actual choreo to his group's song. The crowd got so excited they took pictures and videos because we were doing so well. 

We finished big as the song came to its end. The crowd was hyped up. We waited for the scores to show up on the screen. I hoped to have beaten him but we both did really well. The results were in. I was ranked B while Eunwoo Oppa ranked A. The crowd cheered and I sighed in defeat. I clapped for him as he took the spotlight. I am not a sore loser so I just accepted my fate. He won fair and square. The crowd dispersed and I stuck my hand out to shake with Oppa. He was a Korean idol after all. There was no way I could have beaten him anyways. He pulled me in for a hug.

"Good game Aya." he said while my hair. I refused to hug back but eased up and gave in. 

Suddenly, someone approached us. It was a random guy. I thought maybe he wanted to talk to Eunwoo Oppa but he looked directly at me. Everyone, including myself was shocked.

"Wow. You danced really well. I'm totally impressed. Erm...may I have your number?" 

My mouth hung agape. What? He wanted my number? Wait. Did that mean he was bluntly flirting with me? I was a bit flustered but I didn't want to show my true emotions so I shook it off rather quickly. Before I had any time to respond, Eunwoo Oppa stepped in between us.

"Excuse me. Who are you?" he said coldly. The guy scoffed.

"What's it to you?" 

"I'm her brother. Back off punk." Eunwoo Oppa stepped in front of me as if trying to protect me. I stood there not really knowing what to do next. Then my sister stepped in.

"Come on guys. Let's go somewhere else." she dragged the both of us away. In order to clear the tension, she suggested we go to the crane games. "Eunwoo-yah~ Will you win us some plushies?" she was trying her best to lighten the mood. He snapped out of his previous state and came back to reality.

"Ah. Sorry. Were you scared?" he looked at me. I shook my head.

"No, I am okay. You didn't have to do that, you know."

"I know. Sorry. I don't know what came over me. I just suddenly got really protective over you." he rubbed his nape sheepishly. I pattted his shoulder gently.

"Thanks, Oppa. I appreciate it."

We all returned to normal and Eunwoo Oppa tried to win us some stuffed animals. He won my sister a cute bunny doll. Then he proceeded to win me a cute teddy bear. I guess I was happy that he was around. I honestly don't know what I would have done without him. He has always been such a caring older brother to me. He then looked at his watch and decided it was time for us all to head home. I pouted softly but followed them.

Eunwoo Oppa wanted to pay our parents a visit too so we all headed to my house. Aiko was gonna spend the night anyways so it all worked out. We reached the house. Mom was making dinner. I immediately headed for my room to put my new teddy bear in my room. Then I went back into the kitchen to help mom out with dinner. She was pleased to see Euwoo Oppa with us.

"Omo~ Is that you Eunwoo-yah? Whoa. You get handsomer everytime I see you." she welcomed him into a motherly hug. Since my mom is Korean it was easy for her to converse in her mother tongue. 

"Eomeoni!~" he hugged back just as warmly. *Eomeoni means mother in Korean* "Did you lose weight!? Eomeoni you need to eat more!"

"Aigoo. You really think so? It's a pleasure to have you here. Are you going to stay for dinner?" she pleaded. He thought for a moment then checked his phone.

"Let me call my manager and ask just to make sure."

He stepped away to call his manager while Aiko and I helped mom finish up the cooking. She was humming happily. She was always happy whenever we got to see Eunwoo Oppa. Mom always liked him. She literally became his fan after he met Aiko. She bought his albums and has some Astro merchandise. It's cute but also borderline weird. I mean I get that she thinks of Eunwoo like her son...but still. Mom dreamt of having a son but ended up with two girls. She still loves us but she still wants a son. She constantly insists that either Aiko or I should marry him. 

"I guess I can stay for dinner!~" Eunwoo Oppa cheered as he came back. Mom was ecstatic. She pulled up a chair for him and had him sit. While the rest of us finished making dinner.

"Aigoo. Let me help you guys." he insisted.

"Nonesense. You rest right there. We are almost done."

We finally finished making dinner after a few minutes. Just then, dad came through the door. He must have been done with work. He entered then set his briefcase down. He came over to kiss us girls on the head. Then realized Eunwoo Oppa was here. 

"Is that you Eunwoo?" my dad said in his awkward sounding Korean. Dad is fluent but you can tell Korean is not his mother tongue.

"Otousan! I am here!~" he hugged my father and replied in Japanese. Dad just laughed and patted his back gently. 

"Papa! Look what Eunwoo got us!" Aiko held up her stuffed animal for dad to see. He cooed at how cute the doll was. 

"Thank you for taking care of my daughters today." 

"Ayyyee. No problem at all. I love being around them. We had fun today, right?" he looked at Aiko and I. We nodded and smiled. It really was a fun day.

Dad sat down as Aiko and I followed him. We all were seated as mom pulled out a feast for us at the dining table. Mom made Japanese-style curry with rice and plenty of side dishes. She put out some Japanese side dishes like ginger and wasabi but also some traditional Korean side dishes as well. We were all pleased by the smell and appearance. We dug in to our meals and had small banter here and there.

After dinner, I helped mom clean up the dishes while Aiko and Eunwoo Oppa chatted with dad. Mom nudged me and leaned in to whisper so only I could hear her. I was still drying the dishes and leaned closer to her to hear her better.

"Did Aiko and him show any signs of dating yet?"

"No mama. I think he is still oblivious to how she feels about him." I whispered back. She pouted.

"Darn it. I was hoping they would be dating by now. I better have him as my son-in-law. He is absolutely adorable." she fangirled.

"I know mama. I'm sure those two will get together eventually." I assured her. She huffed as we finished up the dishes. 

Eunwoo Oppa soon had to leave. He hugged everyone and bid us farewall. Before he got to hug me, he pulled me to the side out on the balcony. It seemed like he wanted to talk to me before he left.

"Mhm? What is it?" I asked.

"I just want you to know since I will be here for a while you can always message me to hang out or talk. Okay? I am here for you."

"I know...thanks Oppa." I hugged him and he squeezed back. 

"That's my girl." he beamed a smile and pet my head. He leaned down to my height as he did so. I huffed a bit. 

"Tch. I am not a little kid."

"I know. You are growing up so fast. I just want to keep you as a kid forever." he chuckled. I nudged him and whined. 

We then headed back inside and Eunwoo Oppa went to put on his shoes and got ready to leave. Aiko hugged him once more and then pecked his cheek. He chuckled then waved once more to all of us. He then was gone. Mom pulled me to the side and whispered to me again.

"What did you talk about?"

"Oh. He just wants me to stay a kid forever." I pouted. 

"Forget Aiko. Even if the two of you fall in love instead, I would be so happy." she squealed in excitement. I rolled my eyes.

"Never going to happen, mama."

She sulked and walked away. I took a bath and then Aiko took one as well. Then Aiko and I headed for my room. Whenever she comes to sleepover she sleeps in the bed next to me. We are very close and I was sad when she moved away after she graduated high school. Well, actually I was more proud for her than sad...but still. 

"Kyaaaaahhh. Isn't he just the cutest??" she squealed and gushed about Eunwoo Oppa. I patted her and nodded.

"Yeah yeah. He's a dreamboat." I said with no emotions. 

We faced each other in bed and talked the night away. We giggled, told stories, caught each other up on things we missed out on. I even told her hilarious stories of our parents while she went away. We didn't keep track of time and it must have gotten pretty late. Mom came into the room and had to shush us while turning out the lights. We laughed then decided to turn in for bed. Man...what an eventful day. I hope I can adjust well to living here...

 

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