A couple of days later, after being dragged shopping one day and then to an amusement park the next, Ha Neul was ready to just relax. Of course, she should have known that would not be the case. It started at nine o’clock in the morning, when she got a call from JYP himself asking her to come to the headquarters as quickly as possible.

            He sounded pretty urgent, so Ha Neul rolled out of bed and quickly changed from her pajamas. Running a brush through her hair, she pulled it back into a ponytail and then grabbed her purse and was gone.

            At the other end of the line, Jin Young-hyung let out a breath and turned to the person he had least expected to see in his office. Though everything made sense to him now. Ha Neul had this look that he had seen before that had escaped him, but now he knew very much where it came from. Because technically she would be his niece since the estranged sister of his soon-to-be ex-wife was standing before him, smiling like he had seen Ha Neul do before.

            Jae Hwa had no intention of coming to Korea so soon, but then she heard about her daughter’s new job. After contacting her brother-in-law, someone she had never met in person, but kept in contact with throughout the years, had been very surprised to learn he hired his niece.

            “Omo, Jin Young, how strange is this, hmm?” Jae Hwa sank into a chair. She was in her forties though she had a young look to her, which sometimes led people to believe Ha Neul and her were siblings rather than mother and daughter. “When Ha Neul called to tell me she met 2PM and JYP, I almost died,” she told him laughing. “On her second day, no less.”

            “I had no idea that was she Yoon Ha Neul; she used her father’s surname.”

            “Not a surprise. Aigoo, I called her the other day when she was with Taecyeon. They were heading to a noraebang, I think.”

            “Chincha?? Ok Taecyeon willingly went to a noraebang? How long did they stay?” Ok Taecyeon was not the biggest fan of going to noraebangs. Then again, he had quickly become infatuated with Ha Neul, so he could hardly be surprised by this.

            “When I called her, they had been there for a few hours already and she said she wasn’t done yet. I heard him singing a ballad in the background. Apparently they all had gone, but Ha Neul wanted to stay longer while everyone else except for Wooyoung went to a club. Is she dating Taecyeon?”

           “I don’t really stay involved with my talent’s personal lives,” JYP responded, idly shuffling papers on his desk. Jae hwa rolled her eyes and leveled a look at him that clearly meant she did not believe him.

            Jin young-hyung shiftily looked around the room and then leaned towards his sister-in-law. “Okay, you didn’t hear this from me, but…”

            “Ahjusshi, I’m here!” Ha Neul announced running into the room. “Omo, umma,…why are you here?” She narrowed her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. “Umma, if you’re here because you’re trying to get me to marry one of the 2PM boys…”

            Jae Hwa met JYP’s shocked gaze and waved off her daughter’s words with a laugh. “Is it so wrong for a mother to want her daughter to marry such virile young men?”

            “None of the members are ready for marriage yet. I swear after hearing about Shindong’s engagement…” JYP shook his head and clicked his tongue in annoyance. SM would do anything to rile him up.

            “Umma, what are you doing here then with Jin young-ahjusshi???” Before her mother could answer, the door to JYP’s office slammed open and in bounded Taecyeon. He was wearing a violently coloured bright purple T-shirt, covered a wide array of coloured raindrops and a yellow hat on his head. Ha Neul and her mother jumped at his loud entrance while JYP rolled his eyes. To him, this signified why this member in particular was not ready for marriage.

            “Hanna!! I thought I saw you come in here! Why is hyung being weird and inviting you to his office alone?” Taecyeon then took a moment to survey his surroundings. JYP was staring at him blankly and Ha Neul was smiling ever so faintly. There was a third person in the room, an older woman with a pair of merry-looking brown eyes that seemed faintly familiar. She was dressed neatly; her hair pulled into a low ponytail much like Ha Neul’s. He couldn’t help but notice how similar she looked to Hanna. His mouth opened into an “O” as it all made sense. Ha Neul had been right about her mother coming soon.

            Taecyeon immediately bowed deeply to Ha Neul’s mother. “I never knew I would get to meet my jangmonim so soon! Wow, you’re so beautiful, just like Ha Neul.” Ha Neul, who had never heard him say that to her, turned her head away in embarrassment. “Oh yeah! Ahnyong haseyo, Chonun Ok Taecyeon imnida!” He bowed again, much to Jae Hwa’s amusement. She let out a cheery laugh and patted him on his shoulder.

            “It is very nice to meet you too, young man. Omo, you’re so tall. Your mother must be very proud of you.” The idol grinned at her praise.

            “Aish, I hope so. But why are you here, jangmonim?”

            “Jae Hwa nuna has past skill in this business and is going to help on the movie.”

            “Past skill? Umma, what is he talking about?”

            “Oh, yes, well, I suppose you’ll want to know. I was in a few movies when I was a trainee.”

            “A what?”

            Jae Hwa laughed nervously. “I used to be a trainee, but then I got married. You know I have a background in the Arts.”

            “But I never assumed…hmm, that explains a lot.” Ha Neul thought back to her childhood and her teenage years. Her mother always seemed to know more about idol happenings than her daughter, which she never thought strange. She considered it a Korean mom thing, like telling her she was fat, but then not letting her leave the table until she finished eating. And all those times she went to Seoul alone, she must have been meeting with old friends.

            “Is that how you know ahjusshi?”

            Jae Hwa bit her bottom lip nervously and then announced with a grand smile, “He’s your imobu.”

            Ha Neul did not understand this word at first, having never used Korean words for extended family.  Taec whispered the translation in English and she gasped.

            “My uncle?” she asked aloud in English.  JYP and Jae Hwa nodded in reply. Ha Neul sighed deeply. “This is just way too weird. Yikes!” She continued in English.

            “I’ll be sharing a suite with Jin Young will in Jeju and you’ll be staying with the other kids. Omo, with the girls, of course,” her mother smiled slyly.  “I hardly think it’ll be appropriate to stay with your boyfriend here.”

            “Nor do I want fan girls storming the shoot. The amount of shows this kid is on with Yoona sends enough hate letters to me, thank you very much. I don’t need any more. I have a pile of letters from that Caribbean Bay MV...” JYP let out a heady sigh, be his talent and the made-up scandals they seemed to fall into.

            Ha Neul cast Taec a look of obvious annoyance at the topic and turned to her mother. “Umma, Taecyeon-oppa and I don’t have that kind of relationship,” she protested, waving her hands in denial. “Besides,” she began, shooting him a scowl, “His other idol girlfriends wouldn’t like that at all.”

            Taecyeon rolled his eyes at her childish behaviour. In his heart, he took this as a sign that she really did like him, even if she wouldn’t say it. She had no problem making out with him, which of course he did not mind. And his Hanna did not seem like the type to just kiss any boy she came across.

           Jae Hwa raised an eyebrow at her daughter, smiling faintly. “Hmm, is that so?” She hopped out of her chair. “I have a hair appointment soon, so I should head out. Ha Neul, we’ll get dinner later, okay? I’ll talk to you later, Jin-young. And I suppose I’ll be seeing more of you, Taecyeon.” She pulled her daughter into a tight hug and kissed her cheek. “It’s so good to see you again, my darling baby girl.”

            “I missed you too, umma. Just call me when you want to eat later. I have no plans for the evening.”

            “Have a good day.” Jae Hwa bowed to the room and strolled from it, humming happily. Ha Neul coughed awkwardly and then nodded her head once.

            “Well, I guess I’ll head out now.”

            “You have no questions for me?”JYP asked, his voice tinged with disappointment.

            “Ahh, what’s there to ask, imobu? There have just been too many things happening at once. I do not know if this is the best year ever or the worst. Mianhamnida.”

            “I understand.” JYP reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He fished around and pulled out some bills. “Hey you, come here,” he called to Taecyeon, who shuffled over to his hyung immediately. “Take Ha Neul to get breakfast and try to avoid the press and your many girlfriends.”

            “Hyung! You know I don’t have any girlfriends!” he whined, turning to look at Ha Neul. The girl was intently focused on the floor, her gaze absolutely intrigued by the carpet.

            “Treat her well, Taecyeon. Also, tell the rest of 2PM that they’ll need to meet here packed for a month by two o’clock tomorrow. I’ll let the girls know, so don’t worry about that.”

            At his mention of the girls, JYP felt he forgot to tell Ha Neul something about them, but he couldn’t remember. Oh well, he thought, it couldn’t have been that important.

            “Ok! You can count on me!” Taec exclaimed. He saluted to JYP and then bowed deeply. “Kahmsahmnida, hyung.” Ha Neul repeated the sentiment from behind Taecyeon. As they left, Jin Young heard Ha Neul’s voice grumbling though he couldn’t detect the words.

            “This is not happening,” Anna seethed, dropping the handle of her luggage. It toppled to the ground with a thud. Nichkhun, who was nearby, picked it up silently and loaded it into the van.

            “My thoughts exactly,” echoed Ha Neul. She was attempting to heave her own bag into the van with the ease that Nichkhun had done Anna’s, but it was not working quite so well. Nichkhun took over and she thanked him. “Oppa,” she began addressing him, “Why did the other girls leave?”

            “I think it had something to do with previous contracts for assorted fashion designers.” His angelic face pulled into a frown and he patted Ha Neul on the shoulder. “It won’t be so bad. Maybe you two will become good friends at the end of everything,” he told her. Both girls scoffed at the thought. Anna climbed into the vehicle and settled next to Junho, who was seated at the very back. Taecyeon tossed his bag into the back and then grabbed Ha Neul by the hand, pulling her some distance away from the group.

            “That’s completely unnecessary,” she groaned, snatching her hand away.

            “Why are you avoiding me?”

            “What are you talking about?”

            “Ever since yesterday in Jin young-hyung’s office, you won’t even hold a conversation with me.”

            Ha Neul kept her lips closed tightly. Taecyeon ran a hand through his hair and let out a groan. “Hanna, I know we don’t know one another very well at all, but I care about you and I want you to talk to me, okay? I’m your oppa.” At the end of his speech, he grabbed her hand again, but this time more gently squeezed her smaller hand in his.

            “It’s just as I said yesterday…things were weird enough as it was and then to find  out JYP is my uncle though estranged…”

            “Babo, just go with whatever is thrown your way! You can’t change any of it, so live happily.”

            “When’d you get so wise, Taecyeon?” asked JYP, walking by.

            “Seriously good question, hyung,” Junsu agreed from the back of the van. He had sat next to Anna. The brunette looked slightly out of sort in-between the Jun bros. They both greeted her cheerfully and responded with possible half the excitement. Her blue eyes roamed to where Nichkhun was sitting, two seats ahead of her in the front bench. It provided him more room for his long legs. She was not sure what to make of the enigmatic Thai prince. For the most part, he would not say anything unless he was addressed or he felt his opinion was needed. He talked the most to Wooyoung and Anna could see that their bond was not for show. Most fans she encountered on her hourly trolling of news websites just trashed the boys for their disloyalty and betrayal. Taec’s tears at the guerilla concert were called fake. Junho was too cocky. Wooyoung was faking his innocence. It went and on and on. Anna felt for these boys even if she knew them best through the computer screen. And now, meeting them in person, she felt the injustice done to them. In her eyes, both 2PM and Jaebom had moved on from this incident and continued with their lives, yet the fans would not let it go. And when it all came down to it, it was fan opinion that counted.

            In some ways, Anna could understand why JYP wanted to film this movie, though she hardly doubted 2 hours of half- 2PM could really repair the damage. A sermon from Jaysus would certainly calm the disciples, but she doubted even JYP could sneak him into Korea without fan notice.

            Wooyoung slid into the middle seat and spread his legs out on the seat. He turned his head to Anna and the Jun Bros., but was instead looking past them. Taec had Ha Neul’s hands in his own and they were just staring at each other. Finally, Ha Neul rose to her tip-toes and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. The beastly idol nearly melted there on the road. Wooyoung was being continually surprised at the malleable goof ball that was his hyung.

            As Taec ran into the building to quickly use the bathroom, Ha Neul crawled into the van and slid next to Wooyoung.

            “Ha neul-ah, are you really Jin-young-hyung’s niece?” He sounded very confused and even weirded out that he was asking this question. He thought Ha Neul to pretty to be any part of JYP’s family.

            Ha Neul laughed at his question and the fact that as usual whatever was happening with her grabbed everyone’s full attention.

            “Yes, apparently Taecyeon-oppa cannot keep his mouth shut. But, not by blood, through marriage.”

            “Though still a niece,” Junho clarified. He turned his head to address Junsu. “Taecyeon-hyung must have a thing for nieces. Remember Idol Army with SNSD?”

            Junsu laughed loudly and slapped his knee. “Omo, I forgot about that! You’re right! He sang that ballad and was being totally greasy.”

            Anna noticed that Ha Neul’s face tightened at their words. Her eyes narrowed infinitesimally. For reasons she did not know, Anna felt open and words spill out, “Isn’t that the same episode where they played that joke on you and you almost cried?”

            The Daegu joker’s mouth closed and he looked at her in amazement. Junho thought this was very funny, however, and applauded her effort. Ha Neul stared at Anna in surprise. Did she just defend her indirectly? She had no time to reflect because Nichkhun drew their attention elsewhere.

            “Oh, look!” He called out in amazement, pointing outside the van. Chansung and Taecyeon, both who had used the bathroom, were now racing each other to the van. They were playfully shoving one another as they ran. Right before they reached the door, however, Chansung delivered an elbow to his hyung’s side, which caused him to stumble. This mess-up gave the maknae the extra time he needed to leap into the van safely into the seat beside Ha Neul.

            Wooyoung let out a breath and said under his breath, “Uh-oh.” Rubbing his side, the losing beast heaved himself into the van and collapsed next to the prince.

            “Ya, maknae, you’re such a cheater,” he huffed angrily. Chansung just shrugged in his seat and greeted Ha Neul. She smiled back at him.

            “Ha Neul, I think you’re vibrating,” Wooyoung said, pointing to her pocket. Ha Neul pulled out her phone and checked her messages. She smirked, not surprised to find it was from the boy sitting in front of her.

      Taec: maknae’s a cheater. ㅠ_ㅠ

      Ha Neul: kekekeke, you let a child beat you.

      Taec: you’re so mean to me, chagiya.

      Ha Neul: mianhae, are you ok?

      Taec: I’m fine. ^_^

      Taec: Sit by me on the plane.

      Ha Neul: wae???? What if I already promised someone else?

      Taec:  you didn’t. And because I want to sit by you.

      Ha Neul: o.k. sheesh you’re so sure of yourself

      Taec: (>^_^)>

      Ha Neul: <(^_^<)

      Taec: yay!

      Ha Neul: oppa’s so weird

      Taec: ~~~~~>_<~~~~~

      Ha Neul: kekekekeke