Purple = Korean

---

“Isn’t time for you to go home already?” IU asked irritatingly, interrupting their cheery conversation. Her eyes, shooting daggers, as she caught her father looking amused as he entertained her visitors with things she'd rather not know about.

“Jieun-ah, don’t be rude,” he said calmly, unaffected by her displeasure. His gaze shifted back to the group, who swiftly composed themselves as soon as his daughter appeared. Jihyuk felt entertained, seeing how IU could even have this effect on her friends. When did someone get so scared of her? “Stay,” he said, pulling back their attention to him. “I baked a cake, might as well taste it, right?” He cocked his eyebrows to the side, leaning forward towards their dumbfounded faces. “Does that sound weird?”

Bu then it was his daughter who answered, “Yes dad, a lot.” Well, it doesn’t take a genius to hear that the words businessman and cooking wouldn’t quite well go together.

He groaned. “Well, I’m pretty sure you already know why I had to learn,” he said in his raspy voice. But instead of agreeing, the boys looked at him curiously, –except for Luhan, and Yixing who was just sitting calmly at the side- not grasping the idea.

“You mean you guys don’t know the only flaw in my perfect daughter,” he asked surprised.

Before the situation worse, IU jumped in between them and her father. “Appa!” She said, stopping him on his speech, it was embarrassing enough that he was talking to them about her, and it’ll only make her feel worse, when he tells them things about her she’d rather leave unsaid. “Not another word,” she gritted her teeth.

“Arasso arasso,” he answered gently. “How ‘bout you lead them to the garden, while I’ll go fix us some snacks okay?”

Puffing her cheeks in anger, she raised on eyebrow at them, “Follow me,” she instructed them coldly. The three quickly shot up from their seat, not wanting to maker her mood worse, while Yixing stayed on his seat. “Have to use the bathroom,” he said at IU’s questioning gaze. Quietly, they went back leaving Yixing with her father.

The guys were amazed at how amazing their garden was. Potted plants were everywhere. Tulips, rose bushes and more. In the middle was a wooden table, with six chairs surrounding it. IU was thanking the gods for a cloudy weather, or else they would’ve gotten fried under the sun.

“Sit,” she said firmly, and again the three of them quickly obeyed. Cautiously not making any sound, they carefully and silently sat on their seats, their eyes not wanting to meet hers. It was very rare for them to see her angry, or rather, this was the first time they’ve seen her angry, so as this moment, they barely even know how to dispel her mood.

Being brave, Kris broke the silence. “IU,” he said her name gently, but the woman barely looked at her. Instead she was boring a hole on the table, with her fierce stare. “We’re sorry if we came like this, unannounced,” he said and the other two nodded. “We displeased you, so forgive us.. coming here it’s because..” he paused, feeling embarrassed on telling her the real reason why they came over.

“Because we wanted to celebrate with our dearest friend,” Tao said, continuing Kris’ speech. He held her hand that was on the table, “Maybe you don’t see us that way, but we think you’re already our friend IU. That’s why we came here,” he smiled, when he saw that she was already calming down from her anger. “We wanted to celebrate with our IU.”

She didn’t know to react to Tao’s confession, but one thing she knows, her heart is bursting out of joy. She was so moved by their words; she couldn’t help up but tear up. She was so happy. It’s been so long since she craved for friends, and now, her prayers were answered. Four people, in flesh and blood, see her that way. She sniffed. “Of course, you’re also my friends Tao, all of you,” she said, gazing down as she tried not showing them her blushing face.

“Awww,” Tao said, “Don’t cry IU,” he said, preparing to go over to hug her, but before his arm could even touch her, Kris immediately locked his arms, while Luhan was hovering in front of her, protecting her from Panda.

“WHY?! I was going to hug her,” Tao protested. “Let me go gege,” he said, trying to free himself from the taller man’s tight lock. IU peered behind Luhan’s back, not seeming to get what happened from the past few minutes.

“Not a move Panda,” Luhan said. “Those bone crushing hugs of yours are lethal, especially on her.”

“But gege..” he cried, as he tried to reached over to IU.

“No Panda!” Kris said firmly.

Just as he was getting out from the bathroom, something caught Yixing’s eyes. He approached the stack of frames displayed under the big mirror. It was full of IU's baby photo, and even a wedding photo, and something else. He hitched his breath as he stared at the frame, containing a photo of a woman. Other than her slightly larger nose, everything else about her looks so much like IU. Her eyes, her lips, her ears, even her smile. Her smile, looked so contagious, just like IU.

A sudden clearing of throat, made Yixing snapped back to reality. He glanced to his side, and there stood Jihyuk, “It seems you have found my wife.”

He bowed his head in apology, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to..”

He waved his hand, “It’s okay.” He smiled at him. “Want to come help m