"Jonginnie hyung! Wake up! It's time for school!" a soft voice called, two hands shaking Jongin's shoulder gently.

Jongin groaned and shook off the hands, muttering, "No...Go away..."

"Hyung, come on. Umma's going to yell at you again if you don't get up now," Hyunwoo urged, shaking him harder.

Jongin grunted and slowly sat up, feeling every ache and pain in his muscles and back. He grimaced, and Hyunwoo noticed this. Looking concerned, he asked, "Are you okay? You came home so late last night after practicing..."

"Do I look fine?" Jongin asked sarcastically. "The debut's coming closer and closer, and that means longer and harder practice for me and the other eleven members..."

Hyunwoo rolled his eyes and tugged on Jongin's hoodie, "Well, you still need to attend school, hyung. If you don't hurry up, I'm going to leave without you!"

Hyunwoo quickly left for the bathroom, leaving a half asleep Jongin still sitting up in bed.

*Aish...Why did Minkwang teacher have to make us practice until 12AM last night?...I'm so tired...* Jongin thought, mentally cursing his choreography teacher.

He dragged himself out of bed and slowly got ready. He took a short shower, dried his hair, pulled on his yellow school uniform, and slung his backpack over his shoulder. When Jongin went downstairs, Hyunwoo was already ready to leave, a piece of toast in his hand.

Jongin made a face at the food, "So American."

Hyunwoo shrugged, taking a large bite out of it, "Grandpa's American - some of his Americanness probably rubbed off on her as she grew up."

Suddenly, behind Jongin, a pair of light feet running down the stairs sounded. Daeun's sweet babyish voice called out loudly, "Oppas! Where's umma? She needs to take me to school!"

Jongin turned around and stared at her, pointing to the kitchen, "In there. And stop running around - you'll crash into someone."

Daeun frowned at Jongin, "I'll run around if I wanna. I'm telling umma you're bossing me around." With that she scurried away to their mom.

"Ugh, what is with her and her tattletaling! Even you didn't do that when you were her age!" Jongin complained, looking over at Hyunwoo, who was smiling an amused smile.

Kai came out of the kitchen with casual clothes on. He looked a bit tired from working all night and picking up Jongin from the SM Training Academy so late, but he still looked handsome and clean.

Kai jerked his head towards the door, jingling the car keys, "C'mon, boys, let's go to school."

The two brothers followed their dad to the nice luxurious car that they had got just last month, and hopped in.

When they arrived at school ten minutes early, Jongin could already see the group of girls waiting for him outside the building, phones and cameras in their hands.

"Ugh. Do they still bombard you every morning?" Kai asked, shaking his head at the girls.

Jongin nodded, "Yeah, they do. Ever since the article was released about our debut."

"I'll ask the principal if there's any way that you can walk around school in peace - I won't let you get hurt from all these crazy fangirls," Kai frowned.

"Okay, thanks, appa. Are you picking us up later?" Jongin asked, opening the door.

Kai nodded, "Yup. Text me first though."

"Bye, appa! Have a nice day!" Hyunwoo said with a smile, slamming the door after he got out.

Immediately, all the girls started squealing and ran over to Jongin and Hyunwoo, snapping pictures with their phones and cameras.

Feeling extremely annoyed, Jongin held onto Hyunwoo's arm and pushed inside the building.

*I can't wait until I debut and I don't have to go to school anymore...* Jongin thought.

 

-------------------------------

 

It was break time. Jongin sat alone at his desk in the corner of the classroom. As soon as the bell had rung, throngs of girls rushed into his classroom and crowded around him, asking for pictures together and asking for autographs.

Jongin couldn't do anything but to just do everything they wanted with a grim smile, not wanting to ruin his reputation already - just before his debut as a K-pop idol.

As soon as the girls all left after getting what they wanted, Jongin sighed in relief, slumping down futher into his seat.

He closed his eyes, but he heard soft footsteps coming up to him. He opened his eyes again, expecting to see another fangirl, but to his surprise, Son Naeun was standing in front of him, giving him a curious look.

Jongin quickly sat back up and tried to look calm, but in reality, his heart was beating like crazy.

She smiled at him. "So - getting more and more famous by the day?"

Jongin cleared his throat and answered cooly, "Yeah. I guess so."

"When are you debuting?"

"Sometime next month. We're practicing a lot nowadays," Jongin tried to show off how hard he was working - he just hoped she would be impressed by that.

She smiled again, a good sign that she was. "Oh, that's so soon! Good luck with that! Are you going to have time to come to school after you debut?"

Jongin's mood suddenly shot down, remembering that reality in the moment. "Oh...Yeah, I won't be able to anymore..."

Naeun sighed and nodded. "That . Once you get super famous, don't forget me! Talk about me on variety shows and interviews and stuff."

Jongin blushed and nodded, "S-Sure, I'll do that."

Naeun gave him one last final smile before turning around. As she was leaving, Jongin started to panic.

*If I don't confess to her now, I'll never be able to get this off my chest!* he thought, starting to sweat.

"Wait!" he blurted out without thinking. Naeun turned around, a surprised look on her face.

Jongin sighed and walked over to her with as much confidence as he could muster, and stopped right in front of her. He pretty much towered over her, no matter how tall she was, Jongin was much taller. He observed her wide, brown eyes and long lashes. He could feel butterflies flying around in his stomach - this was the first time he was so close to her.

"Son Naeun. I like - " he was saying, but suddenly, Hyunwoo flew into the room, a wild look of distress in his eyes. Jongin jumped back a foot away from Naeun, his heart hammering in his chest. Annoyed, he snapped, "What?"

"Hyung! I - " he started to babble, but he stopped suddenly, realizing that Jongin and Naeun was in the middle to talking.

"Come on! Talk!" Jongin said, frustrated that his big chance was ruined because of Hyunwoo's little emergency.

"Umma called - she said Daeun's missing from elementary school. The teacher can't find her anywhere," Hyunwoo tumbled on, looking extremely worried.

Jongin raised an eyebrow, "So? This happened before - she was hiding in the closest."

Hyunwoo shook his head, "She's not hiding anywhere in the school - her bag is gone, too."

Jongin's eyes widened. Sure, he thought Daeun was really annoying, but he didn't hate her that much to not be worried about her if she was missing.

"What the heck are you doing standing there? Let's go!" Jongin urged, running out of the room with Hyunwoo following close behind.

Kai was waiting in the car outside with Sukyung in the passenger's seat, crying her eyes out. The boys jumped into the car and Kai sped off.

"How can this happen? What if Daeun was kidnapped? What if she's hurt? What if she's in trouble? What if - " Sukyung sobbed, blowing her nose.

"Aish, stop crying woman! Your bawling won't get us anywhere! And you're giving stress to the baby!" Kai shouted, making Jongin jump. He was used to his parents fighting over small things, but this wasn't a small thing and his dad had never sounded this serious before with his mom.

"Yah! Do you think I wouldn't be this worried if my baby daughter is gone from elementary school out of nowhere?!" Sukyung shouted back, crying more tears.

Jongin glanced over at Hyunwoo - he was sitting there quietly, staring off into space, chewing his bottom lip, his brows furrowed. Hyunwoo looked like he was about to faint.

"Where does she go to if she gets mad? She always runs away from home when we don't let her do something," Kai asked aloud.

Jongin thought for a moment, and a lightbulb blinked over his head. *Of course. Why didn't I think of this before?*

"Appa - drive to SM Training Academy. I have a good guess at where she is."

--------------------------

Jongin burst into the practice room, looking around to see if his little sister came here. He only saw Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Wu Fan sitting on the floor in their training outfits, listening to music. They looked up when he came in, a bit surprised by his sudden entrance.

"Have you seen Daeun? Did she come by here?" Jongin asked, panting.

"Oh, you didn't know? I thought she had your permission to come here," Baekhyun said, blinking at him.

"Where is she?" Jongin asked persistently.

"Kyungsoo and Wu Fan took her out to a dukkbokgi place down the street - you know the one we always go to. She was whining and crying, so those two eventually took her out to quiet her down," Tao replied.

Without a word of thanks, he ran back out, out of the building and dashing down the street, feeling extremely drained of energy.

*I swear, Kim Daeun. Once I find you, you're dead meat for making me run this much in one day,* Jongin seethed.

He arrived at the dukkbokgi restaurant and stumbled inside, the place almost empty. He looked around and saw Kyungsoo, Wu Fan, and Daeun sitting at a table. She was happily eating spicy hot dukkbokgi, while Kyungsoo was wiping with a napkin after every bite and Wu Fan saying something that was making Kyungsoo frown in disapproval.

"Hyung! Stop teaching her weird things! Daeun-ah, Wu Fan oppa is lying - he doesn't really own a pet unicorn," Kyungsoo said, glaring at Wu Fan.

Jongin walked over to the table and loomed over the three people. Kyungsoo and Wu Fan looked up, a bit surprised to see Jongin with a dark aura standing there.

"Oh, Jongin-ah! You came for Daeun? She came to the practice room about an hour ago, crying and - " Kyungsoo started to explain, but Wu Fan cut in, "We wanted to shut her up so we brought her here. Food solves everything when it comes to kids."

Kyungsoo gave him a disapproving look, but Wu Fan shrugged, "It's true."

Jongin shook his head, glaring directly at Daeun, who completely ignored him. "Daeun-ah. Look at me."

She ignored him, still eating happily. He tried again in a more serious tone, "Daeun-ah. Do you know how much umma and appa have been stressing out over you? Umma was crying in the car - are you fine with that? You made umma cry!"

Right at that moment, Hyunwoo ran into the restaurant, followed by Kai who was supporting Sukyung with his arm around her waist. Once Sukyung laid her eyes on Daeun, she freaked out.

She went over to Daeun and hugged her tightly, crying all over again, "Oh, my daughter! Daeun-ah, umma was so worried! Are you okay? Why would you run away from school like that!"

Kyungsoo's eyes were the size of golf balls, while Wu Fan sat there, befuddled by what was going on. Kai realized that the two boys were very confused, and he sighed, "Daeun ran away from school for who knows what reason. Did you boys take her out to eat here?"

"Yes, she came in crying and she wouldn't stop, so we - " Kyungsoo explained again, but Kai cut in, "Brought her here so you can shut her up? Good job, Kyungsoo and Wu Fan."

Kyungsoo stared dumbfoundedly at Kai. Wu Fan just smirked and rolled his eyes.

"Thank you for taking care of Daeun. I can trust you boys when it comes to these situations," Sukyung said, patting both their heads. Wu Fan looked a little uncomfortable because she was leaning into him, her baby bump pressing against his back.

"Um, *ohmunnim, please be careful with your...baby..." Wu Fan trailed off, feeling embarrassed. (*polite or formal way of saying "mother")

Sukyung realized what he meant and she leaned back, Hyunwoo supporting her by holding her arm. She laughed in embarrassment and apologized, "Oops! Mian~"

"Okay, time to go home now, Daeun-ah. You've caused enough stress for us today," Kai said, picking her up into his arms.

She reached out for the food on the table and whined, "Appa, my dukkbokgi!"

"No. We're going home," Kai said firmly. He turned to Jongin and Hyunwoo. "You guys going to stay here? If you are, then just take the public bus home."

Hyunwoo nodded and waved as the three family members left. Jongin collapsed into a chair and laid his head on the table.

"She's so annoying..." Jongin muttered.

Kyungsoo laughed and slapped his back, "Yah, at least you have a sister. Having a brother is pretty tough by itself. Sisters give aegyo and stuff."

"Not Daeun. She's a little devil in a sheep's costume. Please take her away from my family if you want her. No charge," Jongin groaned, rubbing his head.

Wu Fan smirked, "Perks of being the oldest of now four kids. C'mon, it's getting late already. We need to go back to the practice room and practice before Minkyung teacher arrives."

"I'll be heading home, hyung. I'll see you after you're done!" Hyunwoo said, waving as he left the restaurant.

*Lucky...I wanna be in bed right now...* Jongin thought enviously. But he kept his mouth shut and followed the other boys back to SM, another long night of hardcore practice ahead of them.

--------------------------------

It was 12:49AM when Jongin came home, sweaty, exhausted, and aching all over. Practice was getting more and more vigorous, and all the other members were as tired as he was.

He chucked his bag onto the floor of his room, making Hyunwoo jolt up from his bed. Still half asleep and realizing it was only Jongin, he laid back in bed without a word, falling back asleep.

Jongin showered, dressed in his hoodie and pj pants, he climbed into bed, not doing his homework or studying for upcoming tests - all he wanted was a good rest.

*I sometimes wonder if all of this is worth it...* Jongin thought before falling asleep.

-------------------------------

One month later...

 

Jongin bit his bottom lip and hopped up and down, feeling antsy and nervous.

"Jongin-ah, stop moving - the tape won't stick to your cheek," Kyungsoo scolded. Jongin stopped moving so Kyungsoo could properly fix the tape so that his mic wouldn't fall off.

Jongin's hair, makeup, and clothes were all done - he just needed to wait for the remaining members to be ready.

Joonmyun glanced up at the nervous older maknae in the mirror and smiled a little. "Jongin-ah! Don't be too nervous - our debut stage will be totally fine. We practiced our butts off for this to be perfect, so don't worry so much!"

Sehun, who was getting the final touch-ups on his hair, piped up, "I'm not nervous at all - be like me Jongin-ah." He said this in a teasing manner, making Jongin smile a little bit, but he immediately felt the wave of rushing anxiousness coming back at him.

Five minutes later, just before it was Exo-K's time to shine onstage, a text message came. Jongin checked it, and to his utter surprise, it was from Naeun. He secretly opened it and read, I'll be rooting for you! See if you can spot me in the crowd of your fans ^^

Jongin's heart skipped a beat. *She came for our debut stage? To see me?*

"Exo-K, go up for sound check!" the PD said when he popped his head in the waiting room.

"Okay guys, gather around," Joonmyun said. The six members got into a circle for the last pep talk.

"Don't be nervous - our fans are cheering for us and we're going to give them the best performance they've ever seen. Exo will become the best K-pop group in Korea. Okay?" he said with confidence. Jongin could feel his words giving him more strength.

"Ready? Exo! *Saranghaja!" the group shouted, putting their hands in the middle and throwing them up with spirit. (*Let's love!)

Feeling pumped up, Jongin and the others walked down the hallway and went up on stage, a deafening roar of screaming fangirls blasting him away. He looked out into the crowd of fans - they all waved, holding silver balloons with their EXO symbol on it, and many fanboards of their biases. Jongin could see many "Jongin" and "Kai" fanboards scattered across the audience. He could still remember the day when Lee Soo Man had asked Jongin what he wanted his stage name to be. The first thing that had popped up into his head was "Kai" - after his dad. And Kai it was - Jongin on stage and on TV was now known as Dancing Machine Kai.

He remembered to scan the crowd for Naeun, and sure enough, he spotted her right away - she was in the middle of the audience, right in front of him, holding up a large fanboard that said, "Kim Jongin - I love you!"

Jongin gaped at her. She only smiled and gave him a thumbs up, mouthing "Hwaiting!"

*Does she really mean it? In that way?* Jonging wondered, feeling giddy.

He got into position in the choreography and knelt on the ground, his dark blue sparkly jacket catching the light and making him feel special.

*I won't let anyone down anymore - my family, the Exo members, the fans, or Naeun. From now on, things are going to be different,* Jongin thought, smiling to himself.

As soon as the music started, Jongin turned into Kai, the new face shown to all of Korea. The product of his parents' romance over ten years ago - Kai and Sukyung.

Who knows? Maybe his parents' romance would repeat with Jongin and Naeun?...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SO. Did you guys like it? >< It was prob boring...not the best that I could do, but there was some romance involved and some funny moments :P

Thank you all for reading and commenting and subscribing to "SSL"! I LOVE YOU ALL~~~~~~

-supergirl14