Yuri's POV

One night when my family and I were helping Umma cook dinner, suddenly Joon spoke up from where he was peeling the onions. “Ahem,” he said and everyone looked up to him from where he was chopping the vegetables. He shifted his seat uncomfortably. “Well, you know Bi-sunbae had been training MBLAQ very hard, right?” he said.

We all nodded.

“We were thinking, since Mir had finally graduated, maybe we could all move in to one dorm,” he said. “That way it’ll sort of be convenient for all of us to meet up at J.Tune Camp every day.”

Appa nodded. “I think that’s a great idea. It’s about time you start finding a place to live for yourself. Time to spread your wings.”

Everyone looked at him.

He shrugged. "You know what they say. When will you be moving?"

Joon shrugged. “Molla, maybe next month," he said with a frown. “I mean, we’ve found the perfect place. It’s not too far from here, nor from J.Tune Camp. It has a reasonable price and it’s really nice. It has quite a number of bedrooms and it’s quite spacious enough for us to live in.” He looked at me. “We even have a spare for Yuri just in case she wants to spend the night with us — so she won’t be in the same room as Mir to keep from doing naughty things.”

“Mehrong!” I poked my tongue out at him and he laughed.

Appa nodded approvingly. “Just in time too,” he mused, glancing over at Umma who nodded. “Don’t you think so, yeobo?”

“Oh yes,” Umma agreed.

“Just in time with what?” I asked curiously, looking back and forth between my parents. What are they on to now?

“Ah, we were thinking of renovating this place,” Umma explained as she fried the pork. “So we were wondering where the two of you would be staying because Appa and I have to go to Busan.”

“Wae?” Joon frowned.

Appa grinned. “Sometimes we need to get away from you kids, you know. We’d like to have some peace and quiet without the two of you breathing down our necks.”

“Appa!” Joon and I exclaimed, appalled.

He cackled evilly and Umma just rolled her eyes. “Oppa, are you done with beating the eggs up?” she asked. “I can’t cook without them.”

“Ah, neh, yeobo.”

My brother and I hid our giggles as we gave Umma our bowls of food and she began to cook. Joon went to use the bathroom as Appa sat at the counter, eating an apple. I was stuck with the washing duty.

“Ah, Yuri-yah,” Umma said, “later go back upstairs and change into something nice.”

I looked down at my singlet and shorts — what I always wear at the house — and looked back up to my mom, bewildered. “Bwoh? Wae?”

“We’re having guests over for dinner tonight. Why do you think that I'm making more than the usual?”

I shrugged. “I thought it was extra food for me to eat tomorrow for lunch since you and Appa would be working, Joon would be training and I’d be left alone in the house.”

Umma whacked my bum for my cheek. “Silly. This is even too much for tomorrow!”

I shrugged again. “So, who are the guests?” I asked curiously. Was it some business man from Appa’s company? We usually only have clients over for dinner, or my friends or Joon’s friends.

“Your god brother and his family are coming,” Appa replied.

I frowned. “I didn’t know I had a god brother. You didn’t tell me. You don't tell me a lot of things,” I accused.

“Well, now you know,” Appa said from the counter. He grinned.

I made a face. “Wait, what am I supposed to call him?” I panicked. "Does he know about me? Umma, I’m not used to the customs just yet! I mean, I don’t call Joon ‘oppa’ or whatever yet! Only at times, when I’m using my aegyo on him!”

“Well, it’s a high time you learn it,” Appa said and Umma nodded in agreement.

I rolled my eyes, grumbling as I scrubbed the dishes. “Tell me more about my god brother. I'm curious,” I said.

Umma shrugged. "He really likes football. He's a year younger than your brother. He's really handsome. And he's also a trainee too, but at another company. I cannot remember which company, though."

“How did he become my god brother? Like, what are my relations to him other than the fact he’s my god brother?” I persisted.

Appa came over to me and ruffled my hair. “Always needing to know the answers to everything,” he teased.

“Appa!” I whined, fixing my hair, and he just laughed.

“His mom and I have been friends since we were kids,” Umma explained. “We’ve always kept in touch. No, he doesn’t know about you. This is the only secret I’ve ever kept from my best friend. But it’s time we start letting people know.”

“No , Sherlock,” I muttered under my breath low enough so Umma and Appa wouldn’t catch me swearing.

Umma eyed me over. “Okay, now go on upstairs and change into nicer clothes.” She checked the wall clock. “They should be here in half an hour's time. Chop, chop.”

“All right.” On my way up, I bumped into Joon. “How come you never told me we had a god brother?” I demanded.

He shrugged. “You never asked,” he replied and went downstairs, already dressed in a nice collar T-shirt and jeans.

I walked into my room and opened my closet, looking for something appropriate to wear. I don’t get why we have to dress up. If they’re so close to us, they wouldn’t care how ugly we look, right?

But then again, Umma and Appa firmly believe in the ‘making impressions no matter when, where or how — just make sure we leave a good one’ principle. Aish, so fussy.

What to do?

After debating between two sets of outfits to wear, I settled down into a printed tee and nice shorts before descending down just as the doorbell rang. Hmm, what a nice timing.

“I'll get it!” Joon cried, rushing to the door. “You should go to the kitchen and help set out the plates like the good girl you are.”

I made a face and whacked him on the shoulder. “ist,” I remarked but listened to him anyway. I went to the kitchen to help Umma bring the food out. She told me to stay in the kitchen.

“Annyeong, Aunty! Annyeong Uncle!” Joon said ever so politely from the doorway. He seemed really cheerful.

Just as I had finished setting the plates, Umma and Appa were in the living room talking to the couple. If I could only peek but Umma told me to stay in the dining room until she called me out.

“We have something to tell you," Umma was saying. “I know that we’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember and that we have never kept secrets from one another but this secret, I had no choice.”

“What are you talking about?” a woman’s voice said from the living room. I'm assuming that it’s my god brother’s mom.

“Yuri-yah!” Appa called.

I walked into the living room to find a woman, a man and a young man slightly younger than Joon looking to me when I entered. I bowed politely at our guests who were looking at me with intense curiousity. “Annyeonghasaeyo, Lee Yuri imnida,” I said.

“This is our daughter,” Appa explained and couple’s jaws dropped down. My god brother looked at me with interest.

Together, Umma and Appa once again explained to them the story about me. Joon shrugged helplessly when he caught my eye. He knew I didn’t like being looked over like a bug under a microscope. It made me feel weird and like I was being stripped as they all observed me.

“Jasmine, I can’t believe you kept this a secret from me,” the lady said.

“Oh, HaNa, you know I didn’t have a choice,” Umma said, waving her hand offhandedly.

Aunty HaNa looked at me and I was grateful when I saw the warmness in her eyes. “I’m glad to meet you, Yuri dear,” she said sincerely. “I do hope you and my son get along like how Joon had.”

Joon slapped high fives with my god brother whose name I still don’t know yet.

“Well, let's not waste time,” Appa spoke up. “Let’s go to the dining room to eat the delicious meal my wife had prepared for you.”

Everyone stood up and began walking to the dining room. My god brother held me back. He smiled warmly at me. “Annyeonghasaeyo, Yoon Doo Joon imnida,” he said. “I hope we can be close in the future.”

I smiled. “I hope so too, Doo Joon-sshi.”

“Call me Oppa.’

I nodded. “Neh, Doo Joon Oppa.”

Joon’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding. You’ve just met him and you’re already calling him ‘oppa’ yet it took you months to call me ‘oppa’?” he screeched. “That’s so unfair!”

I shrugged. “Aish, sikkeuro,” I commented and Doo Joon raised a fist, shoving it to his mouth to muffle his laughter as the two of us left my brother staring agape as us, walking inside the dining room.

Hmmm, having another ‘oppa’ wouldn’t be that bad, I guess, I thought as Doo Joon and I effortlessly chatted away. He was really interesting to talk to. Joon, Doo Joon and I engaged into our conversation during dinner while the grown-ups did their business. Umma looked really pleased that we were getting along so well.

During a silence as we all munched on our food, Appa spoke up to Aunty HaNa, “HaNa, you know that Jasmine and I will be going away on holiday at Busan next month?”

She nodded. “Neh. . . .”

“Well, we were wondering, since we wanted to renovate our house at the time, if you’d like to come and keep an eye on the workmen?” Appa suggested casually. “Especially since Chang Sun here would be training and living in the dorm with his fellow friends and Yuri would be staying with them too. I thought maybe since you’re not working you could keep an eye on things for us.”

Aunty HaNa smiled, delighted. “I’d be glad to do so,” she said happily. “You have my word that I shall watch over it. Doo Joon can help me whenever he’s not busy with training himself. We’ll take good care of it.”

So this is why Umma and Appa had invited them over: to ask them to take care of the house while all of us were away.

An hour later or so, Aunty HaNa decided it was late and got up to leave. “I should go now,” she said and all of us jumped to our feet as well.

We walked them out to the front door. Aunty HaNa and her husband hugged all of us. When she turned to me, she smiled, “I’m glad to have a goddaughter.”

I smiled back as Doo Joon walked out of the door but not before hugging me first. “I’ll see you soon,” he said cheerfully, waving goodbye.

My family and I said goodbye as we watched them drive away.

Joon turned to me and smiled. “Another brother?”

I shrugged. “The number just keeps growing — it just doesn’t seem to stop, eh?” I laughed.

It just doesn’t seem to stop.

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keke, another 'oppa' for Yuri. And this time, it's Doo Joon from BEAST! :D hahaha. You'll find out why I added him. Soon. Or later. :P