Min Ra spent her following week balancing her packed schedule. Being a trainee of the school band as well as a computer club member wasn't an easy task. Min Ra had to attend the club practices on Wednesdays, her own practices on Tuesdays, and her private tutoring from Seohyun-unnie on Thursdays (Yes, the elegant beauty had asked Min Ra to call her 'unnie' when she first taught Min Ra about the basic of being a band keyboardist). In the other hand, she had to leave Friday free from her band activities since that day was reserved for computer club.

Beside practices, the band also required their trainees to have cleaning duty. Therefore, on lunch break or after school Min Ra, and the other trainees would often meet each other as they clean the almost always messy club room. However, instead of being a burden, the task made them became closer to their sunbae as the older generation regularly paid the club room a visit on their free time.

Min Ra had gone to only one club practice, but it left quite an impression on her. Although he was a very gentle leader, Suho turned out to be quite strict when it came to music. He wouldn’t hesitate to reprimand s when they weren’t playing their parts right. His perfectionist trait made it even more difficult for the band to please him. Min Ra secretly felt thankful that she only needed to watch the Wednesday club practice because of her trainee status; she might shrink if she had to receive his scolding.

She couldn’t imagine how her fellow trainee, Kai-ssi, tutorials went with the handsome but stern sunbae. Kim Jongin-ssi, better known with his nickname Kai, was accepted in the band to fill in Suho position as the guitarist of the band. He was a tall and skinny guy with a healthy bronze complexion; his huge eyes and full lips were the strong features of his handsome face. However, the said guy seemed to have a pretty strong mentality that he never appeared damaged by Suho harsh teaching. Or maybe it was because he rarely said or expressed anything at all; Min Ra couldn’t really tell. Her own tutorial session with Seohyun was very pleasant. Unlike his boyfriend, the gorgeous unnie was very kind when she gave lessons. She would share a tip or two and encourage Min Ra to explore her ability more. Therefore, Min Ra had grown to be very fond of the always calm unnie.

It was a dark Thursday evening when she finished her first official tutorial from Seohyun. When Min Ra went out from the practice room, she saw the dark blue velvety sky through the window, indicating how late it was. Chanyeol and Suho were both chatting on the couch. Min Ra knew that Suho-sunbaenim was waiting for his girlfriend who tutored her, but what was Chanyeol-sunbaenim doing?

The two boys looked back when they heard the door opened.

"Let's go." Chanyeol-sunbaenim said as he stood up. Min Ra was bewildered to hear his call. She believed that she had never asked or planned to go home with him that night. Therefore, his sudden invitation to go home together surprised her. Min Ra looked left and right confusedly--she wondered if he probably wasn't talking to her--before she asked bedazzledly, "Me?"

Chanyeol rolled his eyes. "Yes, you. Who else? Seohyun-noona already had Suho-hyung taking her home," he motioned at the couple who were picking up their stuffs on the table, "so I'll accompany you home." He gestured her to come quickly.

Min Ra blinked. What?

"It's already very late, so it's dangerous for a girl to go alone. Come on." Chanyeol explained, reading her confused expression.

"Hurry up! We don't want to miss the train, right?" He added while walking toward the door.

Min Ra blinked a couple times before obediently following the older guy.

They chatted about school subjects, the band, Taeyeon, the band again, and other miscellaneous stuffs during their walk from the train station. Min Ra wasn't really paying attention on the conversation, though. A bigger question was formed in her head, why was he in the club room this late?

It couldn't be that he waited for me, right?

Min Ra shook the thought off.

No way, no way. He might just have something else to do until this time. He only accidentally met me in the club room and decided to walk me home since we're in the same direction.

Min Ra nodded at the thought.

"Hey. Why are you nodding and shaking your head on your own?" Chanyeol asked her curiously.

Min Ra shook her head. "Nothing. I was just.... thinking about something." She answered softly.

"I was talking to you, you know." Chanyeol said to her, a little irritation was hinted in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Sunbaenim." Min Ra bowed apologetically.

"No need to bow," he added hurriedly. "I'm just disappointed that you wouldn't share a piece of your mind. Well, we're going to work as a team, so I'd like to know more about you. I hope we all can act like a family, like how I am with the hyungs and Seohyun-noona."

Min Ra didn't know how to response so she just looked up at the tall sunbae. Puzzlement was obvious on her pale face. They continued to walk side by side while chatting randomly until they reached the alley to Min Ra’s house.

"This is my leave. Thank you, Sunbaenim."

Chanyeol tapped her back while she was bowing. "No need to be too formal. Just loosen up. You can call me Oppa too."

Min Ra frozed in her place. Oppa?

Chanyeol blushed madly as he realized the double meaning of his previous statement. He had just asked a girl to call him 'Oppa'.

"Aaah... I didn't mean it that way. What I meant is, like Oppa-dongsaeng thing, you know, similar with hyung-dongsaeng or noona-dongsaeng kind of calling. What I’m trying to say is that you should make yourself comfortable with calling us oppa and unnie. Ah, that is if they don't mind. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Ah, I will ask them. Oh, no, maybe they will ask you." Chanyeol ended his jumbled explanation with indecipherable mumblings.

Albeit the scarlet color that rose on her cheeks, Min Ra felt a smile crept on her face. As odd and awkward the guy was; he was simply trying really hard to make me feel comfortable with the band.

She nodded. "Sure." However, she still refused to call him 'Oppa'.

Min Ra was already halfway walking on the alley to her house when she heard footsteps following her. She quickened her steps, and the steps following her became faster as well. She almost ran when a hand tapped her back. Startled, she looked back to see Chanyeol was tailing her.

"The alley is quite dark. I think it will be better if I accompany you until your front door."

To be honest, his sudden appearance scared the hell out of her more than the dark alley itself. However, being a courteous girl she was, she smiled at the sunbae. They walked side by side until they reach her house.

"This is my house." Min Ra stopped in front of a white-gated two story house. And please leave, Min Ra added on her mind.

"Nice house. Are your parents at home?" He asked nonchalantly.

Huh?

Min Ra peeked at her wrist watch. "Uh, only my Mother is home, I guess."

He nodded. "Aren't you going to push the bell?" He added casually.

After you leave, Min Ra answered in her thought. Nevertheless, she pushed it.

"Great. I want to greet your Mom."

Min Ra's face went blank. You have got to be kidding me.

When her mom came out to open the gate, Min Ra smiled awkwardly beside the ever cheerful sunbae. He bowed enthusiastically at the older Park woman.

"Annyeonghaseyo. My name is Park Chanyeol. I'm her friend from the school band."

Min Ra's mother greeted back graciously. "Thank you for walking my daughter home." She added.

"No problem, Ma’am. I live around here too. You can trust me for whenever she is late because of the school band." He assured her.

Min Ra's mother chuckled merrily. "I will then. Thank you very much. She hasn't gotten many friends, much less a boyfriend, so I'm very relieved to hear that she has found a good friend like you." She giggled and emphasized at the word boyfriend and friend, much to Min Ra's dismay.

Oh no.

Chanyeol express his amusement politely. "I'm sure Min Ra-ssi will get many friends now that she is in the school band." He told her. "And maybe a boyfriend too." he added cheekily.

Min Ra's mother giggled happily. "I really like you, Chanyeol-ssi. Care to join us for some snacks, maybe?"

Min Ra eyes went wide. Please say 'no', please say 'no''.  She chanted in her mind.

"It's a very interesting offer, Ma’am, but I'm afraid I have to go home now. I can't possibly make my parents worry about me." He declined.

Min Ra felt her insides sighed in relieve after hearing his refusal to her mother’s offer.

"Next time, maybe?" Min Ra's mother invited.

"Sure. I'll take my leave now. Thank you very much. Annyeonghaseyo." He bowed respectfully.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Her mom asked Min Ra nonchalantly as they walked inside the house.

"No. no, no, no. He was just a sunbae." Min Ra answered quickly while shaking her head vigorously. Her cheeks, however, betrayed her like always by turning into a deep shade of red.

When Chanyeol took Min Ra home again on two consecutive Thursdays, she was pretty sure that he did wait for her on purpose. Therefore, when he walked her home the next Thursday, she mustered the courage to affirm her suspicion.

"Sunbaenim," she started, "could it be that you waited for me whenever Seohyun tutored me?"

Chanyeol looked at her, baffled.

"Of course. Didn't I tell you that before? It's too dangerous for you to go home alone at such time." He explained matter-of-factly.

Min Ra was surprised at his answer. For her, the idea was peculiar. Who on earth would wait for hours only to accompany someone you barely knew?

A kind person like Chanyeol-sunbaenim would, a voice inside of her head stated.

Well, it wasn't that they were complete stranger anymore; she had frequently seen him in the past few weeks, if not too often. Beside the Thursday night walks, she also met him in practices, in her cleaning duty at the club room, and in days when she accidentally bumped into him and Taeyeon on their way home--which was almost on daily basis. They had talked about various stuffs; Min Ra thought that currently he had known her better that most of her classmates and she had learnt more about him and the pretty unnie than she ever learnt about most of her other acquaintances.

Min Ra watched the guy who was walking next to her. He was tall, next to her dwarf-like height he appeared like a giant. His skin was a healthy shade of tan, a contrast to her pale complexion. The dark sky made it difficult for her to see his face clearly, but when the road lamp shone on him every once in a while, she could see his strong and handsome features.

Did she just mention him as being handsome?

Min Ra flushed at the thought and quickly shook it off. 

No, no, no, no. Stop it. I must've seen him too often, she told herself; ignoring her currently reddened cheeks.

"Liking what you see?" Chanyeol winked as he caught her staring at him.

Min Ra was speechless but she shook her head hurriedly; however her cheeks turned into a deeper shade of red.

"It's okay, I'm kidding," he ruffled her hair carelessly. A grin was plastered on his well sculptured face.

"You are the oldest child, right? I know there're a lot of burden in being the oldest. You can tell or ask me anything; just think of me as your oppa. I've always wanted to have a little sister, too anyway." He added, his hand was still on her head.

Min Ra looked up at him; wondering if she should ask him what had been bothering her since the first time he walked her home. She decided to ask.

"Why me?"

"Eh?"

"Why are you always taking care of me? Why are you taking me as your little sister? We've just meet each other a few weeks ago."

Chanyeol scratched his un-itchy-back of his head. He pondered for a while, his eyes were looking at the darkened sky as if he was searching for an inspiration.

"Well, you're my junior in the band; we live in the same neighborhood too, so, why not?" His grin widen; his hands ruffled her already messy hair once more.

Being an optimistic guy, it was so typical of him to ask 'why not?' rather than explain a reason. It reminded her to their first meeting, when he gave her the same question as he offered her to join the school band.

"Besides,  the school band is a one big family. It's our motto. I think I've already told you before, but Baekhyun, Taeyeon, and I call all our seniors hyungs and noonas. Since you're now part of the family too, it's natural for you to be my dongsaeng, right?" He reasoned while smiling at her gently.

An oppa, huh? Being a first born, she never had an older sibling figure to share her thoughts with before. Both in elementary school and junior high, she was never close with her sunbaes. For her, sunbaes were only people that she need to respect, never the ones she would probably be close to. The novel idea made a smile escaped her lips.

"Thank you, Oppa."

"Don't mention it."

Since that day, Min Ra had learnt to call him 'Oppa'.

TBC

AN: I finally uploaded a new chapter ^^

Please tell me what you think about it ^^