"Changmin... Promise me you won't tell your sisters."

BOOM.

Changmin opened his eyes with a start, pushing himself up from his bed to look around him. The neighbor's old rickety station wagon fired again, causing him to wince at the loud boom and then sigh as he sunk back into his sheets. He rubbed his temple slowly, trying to block out the voice from his dream the night before and opened his eyes slowly as its words replayed over and over again. Promise me you won't tell your sisters.

There's not much to tell, Dad, he thought as he slid off of his bed and bounded towards the bathroom. Changmin rubbed water over his face and looked at his reflection in the mirror. There was no change from what he looked like from that night and today – he still had his clear dark eyes and straight lipped mouth; he still didn't say much (or at all, if he really thought about it) and he was still living with his sisters in their home. Sure he had gotten a little older (six years older to be exact, he mused--noting the light stubble on his chin) but he was still the same quiet boy that came into the Choi family's lives.

"Gosh damn it!" Changmin rolled his eyes as Kwon Yuri's loud exclamation fleeted from downstairs and into the third floor where his room was. Deftly, he pulled on a shirt hanging from his door and padded downstairs, taking two steps at a time with his long legs. He found her mouthing profanities at an open stove and some strips of bacon while her boyfriend toppled over in silent laughter by the couch. Yuri looked up from her cursing and grinned sheepishly at her older brother.

"Good morning, oppa! You didn't hear me curse too loudly, did you?" she asked, fluttering her lashes sweetly as he moved towards her with a slight yawn. He shot her a look and snatched the spatula from her hands. "O~kay, so you did hear me. Hehe, sorry!" She said, putting a hand to her face and bowing before slapping her boyfriend's shoulder, "but in my defense, it was Minho's fault. He didn't tell me that bacon sizzles and pops when there's too much oil."

"It's supposed to sizzle and pop occasionally when it cooks, Yul." Minho called from his seat, shaking his head at her. She made a face at him and laughed when he pulled her into a small kiss. Changmin only rolled his eyes at their display of affection. He easily removed the bacon from the pan and set it on a plate before gesturing for Yuri to get them and some bread. She followed, skipping as she carried the plate off and popped a piece into .

"Oppa, we were thinking of visiting mom and dad's grave later before going over to Sooyoung-unni in the hospital... want to come with us?" Yuri asked, taking a big gulp from her juice. Minho shook his head at her, squeezing her hand. "Don't," he warned, frowning at her but she ignored him. She stared at her brother's back intently as Changmin moved around the kitchen and waited for him to react. When he didn't turn to face her, she let out a loud sigh and leaned back by balancing the chair by two of its legs. "We haven't gone in awhile... well, at least you haven't."

"Oppa?"

Yuri turned to look back and found the kitchen empty. She clicked her tongue, shaking her head while her boyfriend sighed into his juice. "I told you not to push it," He said, holding out a fork with a piece of bacon from its end. "You know he doesn't want to." She opened and took the meat between her teeth and shrugged.

"Well... at least I tried."

"When will I meet this mystery man, eh?" Mr. Im said, settling himself comfortably on his bed and looked up from his book just as Yoona arranged new flowers on his table. She shrugged, dusting the flower petals lightly with her finger and smelled them. "At least describe him to me!"

"He's tall and very quiet. Quite literally, actually."

"That's not much of a description, my dear. I need more than that. Information like, is he handsome? Or is he smarter than a fifth grader? Or does he have some sort of foot fungus?"

Yoona shook her head, wrinkling her nose at him and his lame attempts in humor. "Ha ha, very funny. You sounded just like sis, Dad. And believe me, it won't be any fun if you know all the facts before you even meet him." Heck, I don't even know any yet... except for the name. She sat down softly on the bed and grinned at him. "Give it some time. You'll meet him soon."

Mr. Im huffed and clicked his tongue, waving a finger at her face. "Later, I hope? You can't keep me in the dark forever, you know. I haven't got much time left."

"Don't say that." She argued, her smile dropping into a frown at his smiling face. She took a deep breath, held his hand in hers and squeezed. "Just because you've refused treatment in a hospital doesn't mean you won't get it at home."

He nodded, patting her hand with his free one. "Of course, Yoona. I was only kidding." They smiled at each other. "But I still have to meet the man who makes my youngest happy in this lifetime."

Yoona laughed softly (feeling slightly guilty for the non-truth of it all), brushing his face with a hand and kissed his cheek. "You will, I promise."

"So Siwon-oppa said that you agreed on letting me stay here for a little longer for tests--my question here is: how the heck are we going to pay for it?" Sooyoung exclaimed, stabbing her red jello into in between words. Changmin shook his head at her before deftly taking the cup from her hands and setting it down on the table.

/ Don't worry about it. It'll be fine. / He wrote, patting his sister's head comfortingly. I made a pretty good deal considering I don't know much about the girl who offered aside from the name. She rolled her eyes at him and shook his hand off.

"I'm not twelve anymore, Changmin and that measly construction job of yours and our music store barely covers our daily expenses! We can't afford any more days here! What are we going to do? Are you going to go to the red-light district and sell your body? Oh my God, please no!" Sooyoung exclaimed, covering her eyes at the very thought and thus earning a hard smack on the forehead.

She looked up to see him glaring at her and nervously let out a laugh. "I was kidding, oppa. Hehe, I'll stay for as long as I need to. As long as you say--I mean, write that you can pay for it, okay?"

/ Good girl. /

Sooyoung sighed, leaning back against her pillows and reached for the jello once again. She grinned, taking a small bite. "The bright side is that I get to see Siwon-oppa a little longer, right?"

Yoona took a deep breath as she opened the car door and stepped into the light. "Thanks, Sunghyun-shii. I'll call if I need a ride back." She said, bowing slightly at the driver in front. The driver nodded, tipping his little hat slightly before edging away from its stop on the street and onto the main road. Yoona brushed her hair back with a hand as she entered the park – where they had agreed to meet to... iron out some details.

"I wonder if he's here already..." she mused, tugging her blouse neatly on her shoulder. Yoona thought of the night before and smiled, remembering his nonchalant expression when he held up his name on a whiteboard in front of her eyes. It was almost cute how he seemed so incapable to say no to a crying girl when he looked and acted so tough and aloof. She grinned, walking through the green grass and soft afternoon breeze. "Still, he's a guy after all."

Suddenly, a hand grabbed hold of her wrist and she gave a shout in shock. Changmin winced at the sound and rolled his eyes at her – holding up the whiteboard, / You're late. / Yoona gave him a hard slap on the shoulder, folding her hands across her chest and frowning.

"You scared the heck out of me!" she complained, bringing a hand on her chest. He only shrugged in response and wrote again, / Are you just going to stand there? / He gestured on a tuff of grass next to him and raised an eyebrow. She scoffed, muttering under her breath before carefully folding her long skirt under her legs and sat down.

They fell silent for a moment, watching people jog and walk past them. Yoona pursed her lips, considering her words before letting out a long sigh. "So... we agreed to meet today to iron out some details, right?" She started, the edge of her light blue skirt. She stole a quick look at his stoic face and whiteboard. "We should probably get to know each other first before I introduce you to my dad. I can't not know my own 'boyfriend' after all. Uh..."

Just as she opened to speak again, the whiteboard was pushed towards her. She blinked at him for a moment before reading the words on its surface. / Quick question: How are you going to pay for a quarter of a million? /

Yoona bit her lip and pushed the board back to him. She waved a hand in fr