Onew had put on a beautiful light blue suit, slim fit, made of pure wool. He had brushed his hair back, put on some perfume and other good smelling lotions. He walked down the alley and entered a beautiful flower shop. The bell above the glass door rang when he opened it. As he walked in the dreamy smell of a variety of flowers enveloped him. He smiled cheerfully as he brushed his fingers over some tulips and lilies. He crouched to look at colorful potted plants.

“Oh, hello young Sir!” the florist, a woman in her early twenties greeted him with a bright smile.

Onew flinched and quickly turned around. He accidentally knocked over a pot and immediately picked it up. Luckily it was not broken into pieces. He bowed repeatedly as he felt sorry about it. The florist shook her hands mid-air and told the clumsy student that it was not such big of a deal. Onew bowed apologetic twice more, and then he asked the florist for a bouquet of red roses.

“I see, do you want to surprise you girlfriend?” the young florist asked curiously and laughed slightly, then she withdrew some ruby red velvet roses from a vase, “Are these to your likings?”

Onew nodded quietly with a cute smile on his face. The florist giggled and put together the roses with some tiny white flowers with wispy stems stuck in between them, and then she wrapped the bouquet in cellophane.

“Here you go.” she said proudly of her work.

Onew bowed to her again, handed her the money, and he took the bouquet, satisfied with the outcome of the florist’s ability. He then bowed again all politely and left the flower shop. The bell rang when he opened the door and stepped outside.

꧁༺ ༻꧂

Taemin frowned at the teen-aged girls staring at them all baffled and shocked. Kai swallowed dry all irritated about what had happened just seconds ago. Some older guests got up, threw their money on the table without wanting to get the change and left the café in disgust. One of them accidentally, or not, bumped her foot in Jungah’s back, while she was holding the pushed and now crying girl on the ground. The reactions of her guests broke her heart and Kai’s sister no longer could hold back her tears. The high-school girls shrieked, some started to whisper and whimper in sadness and heartbreak because their beloved hot waiter had been kissed by another hot guy. One of the girls held up her phone with both her hands and approached Kai. She made him step back because her device was too close to his face. Taemin hissed angrily, grabbed her wrist, and twirled it to make her drop it.

“No ing filming.” he said with a deep and sharp voice and a stare that could be the one of death himself.

The nosy girl winced and whined. Jungah finally let go of the crying high-schooler on the floor and stood up. She walked to the handsome senior, and suddenly she slapped him. It echoed in the entire room and made Taemin flinch and let go of the whining girl’s wrist. This was the second time she had slapped him. Her fingerprints could be seen on the handsome player’s cheek which had turned red. Kai’s eyes doubled in size as he had not expected this reaction at all from his sister. Yet it was only a matter of time, and now that the guests had left Kamong in disgust and anger one by one, she could not remain calm anymore. The teen-aged girls snapped pictures and took videos of the slap too and immediately shared the footage with their sisters, friends, and other people they knew.

“Get out!” Jungah yelled at Taemin with tearful eyes, “I said, get out!”

The handsome player knit his brows, , and bit his lower lip and turned to his left, facing the sun-kissed waiter for a second, and then he passed him without further ado. Kai caught a glimpse of Taemin, his sad face. His red cheek. Kai was still like paralyzed. He had become pale. His heartbeat raced and his hands shook in distress and anxiety. Jungah cried on her feet, staring at the handsome player who left the café with heavy steps. The bell rang twice as the door got opened by Taemin and closed on its own. The group of girls gathered and quietly left the place one by one. The high-schooler, that had put her phone into Kai’s face, picked up her device from the ground, glanced back at the baffled waiter, and then she hurried outside. Kai could not face his sister. He felt hurt and bad about what had happened. Jungah clenched her fists and turned to her little brother. She approached him with rapid steps, rose her right hand and was about to slap him, but she stopped before her palm touched his pale cheek. Kai’s breath caught, and he shut his eyes quickly in shock. He formed his hands to firm fists, as fear overtook his body. Tears appeared in the corners of his closed eyes.

“You!” she yelled at him too, “Go home, right now!”

Kai flinched to her loud voice. He had never been yelled by her like this before. Well, it was about time she did. Maybe she just could not handle the situation. Her brother trembled all over his body, gulped and bowed slightly to her. Then he exited the café through the backdoor and approached their home with fast steps. Right in the moment when Kai had left, the door to the café was pushed open once again.

Onew entered Kamong with a confused expression. He wandered his glance from left to right, then he noticed Jungah who still cried on the spot. She looked up from the ground, where her teardrops found their way on, and glimpsed at the well-dressed student. The bouquet of roses fell out of Onew’s hands when he quickly walked up to her and wrapped his arms around Kai’s sister. He held her tightly. Jungah cried into his chest silently. Her shoulders went up and down every time she sobbed. Onew slowly put his hand on her head and patted her softly.

“Shh…” he consoled her, “Shh… everything will be alright…”

Jungah could not stop her whimper nor her tears. She felt horrible about what had happened. She did not care for the reputation of Kamong, she worried for Kai’s safety. If the neighborhood found out about her brother’s ual preferences, he would definitely get hurt by some people. The guests from today would spread it all around. She was not against her brother liking the handsome player, she was against Taemin’s reckless behavior. The senior would put her little brother in a lot of trouble, if he kept being like this and that was what she could not stand about him. Onew carefully led her to a chair and made her take a seat. He then pulled a napkin from the dispenser on the table next to the chair Jungah was sitting on and knelt in front of her. He gently dabbed the tears on her cheeks, while he tightened the grip on one of her hands that he had grasped on her lap.

“What happened?” Onew asked, as he lifted his brows in worry, “I- I came across Taemin… He seemed very anxious and stressed…”

Jungah shook off his hand and wiped the tip of her nose with the back of her shivering palm. She took a sharp breath and fidgeted with her fingers nervously. She shook her head in anger and despair.

“I really- I really- They kissed- They kissed here- Infront of everbody!” she stuttered and sobbed, “I wanted to protect him so much- But- But- I- I failed. I failed as a sister- It’s my fault… I couldn’t teach him better…”

Onew shook his head fast from left to right and then again, he hugged her, while she was sitting on the chair.

“Jungah… It’s not your fault, nor is it his fault…” Onew assured her and sighed deeply, “Jongin is naïve… he doesn’t know better… Taemin is the one to blame…”

Jungah put her hands on Onew’s back and buried her face in his chest again. Her tears soaked his light blue suit. Onew patted her