"Trusting you is my decision. Proving me right is your choice."

 — Anonymous

"Yeodongsaeng! My sweet sweet little sister!" Su Min's brother tipsily yelled as she entered the room. He sprang to his feet and ran to hug her with arms wide open. "What took you so long? The guys and I have been waiting here, wondering where you sneaked off to," he complained.

"Oppa! Let go of me! You reek of alcohol!" she screamed while trying to wiggle out of his tightly flexed claws.

Refusing to let go, Kang Joon lifted her up from the floor and swung her side to side with ease. "Oh, but I missed you so much!" he countered playfully as he continued swinging, "It's not every day that I—"

He stopped midsentence just as Kai appeared in his peripheral vision. He gently put Su Min down slowly and faced the last member of EXO with a hard cold expression and a clenched jaw.

Just as Su Min prepared herself to interrupt whatever type of brawl was about to begin, Chanyeol butted in, placing a hand on her brother’s shoulder, "Hyung, this is Kim Jongin, our ninth member." Without pausing to examine Kang Joon’s reaction, he turned to Kai to do the same. "This is Su Min's older brother, Park Kang Joon," he told Kai casually, introducing the two to each other.

Kai calmly held out a hand, pretending quite well it was their first time meeting. "Nice to meet you," he greeted with a cool and steady voice.

Su Min remained silent and nervous, unsure of how her brother will react—especially since he was a little drunk.

There was clearly tension in the air and it was killing her. If only it was possible to just go back to South Bronx. She thought. She would rather take her chances there, than be in the center of this brewing storm.

This is it. She continued as she held her breath and waited for their great secret to finally be revealed.

But to her surprise, Kang Joon extended his hand and forced a smile. "It’s nice to meet you too," he replied with an amicable tone.

Her brother then turned to the rest of EXO, letting his smile grow wider and more sincere. "Well it's getting late. I should probably head home. Got some work cut out for me tomorrow. It was really nice meeting everyone. I hope we can do this again another time," he told them in a friendly manner. Kang Joon gathered his coat and faced his little sister once again with that ‘you’ve got some explaining to do’ expression written all over his face. "Walk me out?" he asked nicely.

Su Min flashed a half-smile and nodded obediently—she was fully aware that refusing him was not an option.

Without uttering a sound, they made their way to the lobby and out the door where his ride was waiting.

"So…I’ll take a wild guess, and say that Chanyeol still doesn’t know," Kang Joon started lightly, adjusting the watch on his wrist.

Su Min glared at him for a brief second then sighed. "And I’m guessing you already know the answer," she responded.

Her brother chuckled softly until a new thought entered his mind. "Don't tell me you and Jongin—again?" he asked, his voice somewhat stern.

She refrained from answering and lowered her head, pinning her gaze to the asphalt. What was she supposed to say? No, but yes? Yes, but not really? How was she supposed to explain her decision to give Kai another chance, when she was still trying to figure out the reason herself?

"Su Min," Kang Joon called as he eyed her.

"No, oppa. Of course not," she answered just to make him stop. Unfortunately, her voice projected an audible hint of hesitation, giving away her lie.

"Park Su Min…" he cautioned.

"Kang Joon oppa," she managed to say with a similar tone, warning him to drop the subject.

Kang Joon sighed and stopped on his tracks. He then turned to her and placed both hands on her shoulders, meeting her troubled eyes. "You're my little sister and I love you," he began, "It's your life, so I'm not going to tell you what to do or how to live it…But when that time comes—when you need to decide—I want you to choose the person who you're certain will make you truly happy. Don't base it on wavering feelings or contentment. Understand?"

Before Su Min could reply, he took her into his arms and hugged her gently, brushing the back of her head. "You know that I'm always here for you, right? And if you ever need me, just give me a call, and I will be on the next flight to come rescue you," he reminded her.

Su Min returned his embrace and laid her on his chest, feeling blessed to have someone like him for a brother. "I know. Thank you, oppa," she whispered.

"Good," he replied as he released her. He then ruffled the top of hair and flashed a final smile before disappearing inside the taxi.

As she watched the yellow car drive away, her brother’s advice played around in her mind. Don’t base it on wavering feelings (Kai) or contentment (Chanyeol). Choose the one who'll truly make you happy.

Kang Joon was right and his words were wise…but thinking about it, both Kai and Chanyeol made her happy. And if this was the case, then the question was no longer who could make her happy, but rather, what kind of happiness did she want?

|| One Month Later: Seoul ||

After delivering successful segment at the Music Atlas Festival in NYC, the eleven of them returned to Seoul, and without taking time to rest, they immediately jumped back into their hectic schedules.

With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, EXO was extremely busy with various shows and performances to last until December 22. Since they received a very rare opportunity to be free on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, all nine members decided go away for the holiday and spend some precious time with their families.

|| EXO's Dorm ||

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