Little Steps;  --------------- Step Seven         Sandeul marched towards his temporary room that night with heavy steps and an exaggerated pout on his face. They just arrived home from the after party and he was not amused.




Not amused at all.




Back to the after party, people immediately crowded the band members as soon as they stepped inside the after party venue, people kept on approaching them. Others were congratulating the band for the successful concert while others shamefully flirted with them and of course, his daddy was one of the victims and Sandeul didn't like it a bit. With a determined look in his pouty face, he decided that he wouldn't leave his daddy's side that night. He threw everyone, girls and boys alike, a deadly glare every time they came a foot radius close to his daddy.




Some of them, those who really wanted to get Kyuhyun's attention (and probably get into his pants too) got second thoughts in approaching the vocalist every time they saw the glare and judging look the kid, who had his arms crossed over his chest, threw at them. They didn't know him. They didn't know what his relationship to Kyuhyun but there was one thing they were sure of, the kid might look cute and squishy but he looked scary and dangerous that moment.




One of the things that made Sandeul really irritated that night was when he saw Kyuhyun taking a sip of alcohol while talking and laughing with a tall guy. He dragged his little feet towards his daddy's direction, nose flaring, eyes glaring. He reached out a hand and gave Kyuhyun a hard pinch on his side earning an unmanly squeak from Kyuhyun.




"Ouch! Do you really have to pinch me that hard?" Kyuhyun had complained.




"Daddy! Why are you drinking alcohol again? I told you it's bad for your health!" The kid hissed, hands on his waist as he scolded his daddy after Kyuhyun excused themselves from the tall guy. His name was Zhoumi, Sandeul found out.




"What are you, my mother?" Kyuhyun tried to joke but stopped when he felt that it wasn't really a good time to joke around. "I just had a bottle, no need to frown and pout like that." He assured Sandeul.




"I don't care," came Sandeul's reply, still pouting. "You still drink. You just waste all of my efforts a while ago go. I bought you milk and got lost for nothing." The kid continued to sulk and Kyuhyun immediately felt guilty. What Sandeul said was true. He went through all the troubles of buying them milk so they wouldn't have to drink alcohol and now he disappointed the kid.




Kyuhyun sighed before kneeling in front of him. "I'm sorry okay? No more drinking tonight, I promise." Kyuhyun patted the kid in his head. "No more sulking and no more duck face. Now come and let's get you an ice cream," he said and took Sandeul's hand on his. "if there's any ice cream here." He added and smiled when he saw the kid's face lighted up a bit at the thought of ice cream. Sandeul was really easy to please. Just bribe him with food and he would be happy, just like Sungmin.




Sandeul thought that his night will go smoothly after that.




But he was wrong.




Why is he with us? he silently asked himself when he saw Zhoumi getting inside Yesung's car while still talking to his daddy. He didn't notice that he said it out loud until Yesung answered him.




"Your daddy invited Mimi dude over, you didn't know?"




"No!" Sandeul squeaked as an answer, immediately frowning at the thought of Zhoumi accompanying them that night. How dare his daddy to invite someone in his apartment when he knew that he was there to spy over him?




"Aw, baby dude is jealous because his daddy is spending his time with other people." Yesung childishly only to cry out in pain when Sandeul bit him in his arm. "Ouch! That's bad baby dude, that's bad!" The guitarist scolded the kid like he was some kind of puppy who just chew his favorite pair of shoes.




"You started it!" Sandeul said in an irritated voice. He wasn't really in a good mood right now.





"Relax baby dude, relax. Mimi dude is just a friend of Kyuhyun and they're just catching up. No need to be paranoid and violent. Geez." Yesung explained while still rubbing his arm. "Your weird family is full of violent and short tempered people." He mumbled as he followed the grumpy and moody kid to his car.




Yesung swore that Kyuhyun's family was a threat to the whole mankind.





xxx


  Sandeul felt like a bipolar. He finally admitted to himself that he didn't like Zhoumi for stealing his daddy's attention from him, but then again, he also couldn't help but to smile every time the tall man opened his mouth. Sandeul found Zhoumi fascinating, he also found his way of talking funny. He also liked how cheerful he was. Zhoumi was like a ball of sunshine. But then, Sandeul would start hating him again every time the colorful rainbow disguised as a human being, who was sitting beside Kyuhyun, started getting touchy with his daddy.




Somehow, Zhoumi reminded him of Siwonnie the horsie.





Zhoumi was still clinging to Kyuhyun when they arrived at the apartment, making Sandeul more antsy. And so with heavy steps, he just decided to go to his room and sulked. That didn't escape Kyuhyun's eyes of course. He noticed how moody Sandeul was a while ago and he was sure that it was his fault... and maybe Zhoumi too? He realized how much of a jealous baby Sandeul was. But Zhoumi was a dear friend and he just came back from China. Kyuhyun thought that there was nothing wrong with inviting him for a talk and catch up with each others life.





But why was he still feeling guilty?




Oh come on Kyuhyun, stop worrying about little things and just enjoy Zhoumi's company for the meantime. Stop being guilty over nothing because you are not doing anything wrong. There's nothing to be guilty about, he told himself. Then why did he feel like he was cheating on Sungmin when he wasn't doing anything bad at all? They weren't even in a relationship. 




It's because you have Sandeul with you, you idiot! His brain screamed at him.




"Kyuhyun, you okay?" Kyuhyun was brought back to reality when Zhoumi shook him a bit.




"I'm fine, Zhoumi. Just thinking of something is all." He dismissed but Zhoumi wouldn't have any of that, being the worry wart that he was.





He leaned closer to check up on Kyuhyun. He touched his forehead and sighed in relief when he felt that his temperature was normal.





"Zhoumi, you don't have to check  every part of my face to see if i'm okay. I'm fine, really." Kyuhyun whined at Zhoumi whose face was still close to his. That scene was quite natural for the two since they were close and both of them know that there wasn't wrong in what they were doing.





But that would be another story to Sandeul who caught them in that position.





Sandeul stood there dumbfounded as he watched. He decided to go out of his room to check up on his daddy, to see if Zhoumi already went home. But the thing he saw was Kyuhyun and Zhoumi kissing, or were they really kissing? Because they looked like they were kissing, especially in the view where Sandeul was standing.




"EHEM!" Sandeul faked a loud cough, effectively surprising the two people sitting on the couch. They immediately scrambled away from each other, looking guilty in the not-so-amused Sandeul's eyes.




"Am I disturbing something?" He asked innocently, looking at the two.




"No, no of course not." was Zhoumi's calm reply.




"It's not what you think," was Kyuhyun's defensive reply, immediately earning a judging look from the kid. "Hey, don't look at me like that." Kyuhyun complained as Sandeul continued to give him a piercing look.




Why am I receiving all Sandeul's wrath? It wasn't me who was being touchy at all? 




"Why are you being defensive then?" Sandeul asked like he was interrogating a murder suspect. He sat and forced himself between Zhoumi and Kyuhyun, making himself comfortable in there,




"I am not being defensive. I'm just saying the truth." Kyuhyun continued to deny though it was obvious that he was really being defensive.





Why was he worrying anyway? Why was he defending himself? It wasn't like he was doing something wrong. He'd done something more than this before. He always brought random people in his apartment and had his way with them without feeling guilty or scared or having a need to explain himself to anyone. This wasn't the Kyuhyun that he knew. The old Kyuhyun would be scolding Sandeul by now for interfering him and Zhoumi. The old Kyuhyun would have been out that moment, drinking, drowning himself in alcohol and engaging himself in a steamy make out session or more. But the old Kyuhyun was gone. The old Kyuhyun was slowly turning into a much better Kyuhyun, a softie Kyuhyun, and it was all because of one kid.





"You can judge me all you want but I know that i'm not doing anything weird with Zhoumi. Doing something with Zhoumi is like... eww. I don't even want to think about it, no offense there, Mi."




"No offense taken." Zhoumi assured him while smiling brightly before asking Kyuhyun to make him some tea. He was still a guest after all. Kyuhyun grudgingly stood up to get his request, leaving the kid and the ball of sunshine alone.





"So~" Sandeul started, stealing some glances at the man beside him. "Are you really just friends?" He asked straight to the point, hoping that they were only friends or else, it would be hard for him to get his mommy and daddy back together.





"Don't worry, that brat and I were just really friends and nothing more." Zhoumi's smile got wider when he saw the skeptical look on Sandeul's face. "I won't like him even if he's the last man here on Earth. I'd rather date an alien than to date your father to be honest. And I won't force myself to him too if I happened to like him since I don't want to be a home wrecker or something." Zhoumi assured him. He looked over the kitchen and leaned closer to Sandeul when he saw that the coast was clear before whispering, "And I, myself, likes Sungmin to end up with your daddy too. Your parents look good together. How can I compete with that?" Zhoumi gave the now gaping kid a wink.





"H-how did you--" Sandeul couldn't even finished his own sentence. How did Zhoumi know that Sungmin was his mother? How did he even know that Kyuhyun was his father?




"Oh come on dear, how can I not know the Vincent Lee when he's the best model of my favorite clothing line." Zhoumi told him, admiration in his voice. "And he's one of my favorite people too because he's so adorable and cute and y and he can pull off any look though I must admit that i have a little problem with the way he dressed himself. Your mommy is one hell of a fashion terrorist I can't even!" the tall male exclaimed.




Sandeul grinned. He was proud. He felt proud of his mommy. He was aware that his mommy was famous but he didn't know that his mommy was that famous in Korea  It was really a good thing that his daddy and his band mates didn't know a thing about his mommy's career  or else he wouldn't have the chance to execute their plans. Thank Shisus for their many schedules and lack of interest in fashion.





"I like you already, Mr. Zhoumi. Sorry if I didn't like you a while ago." Sandeul apologized for all the ill thoughts he had for Zhoumi. First impression never lasts for Sandeul.




"I like you too dear, you're an adorable, smart kid. And you can just call me Mimi hyung or whatever because from now on, we're already BFFs."





"Okay then, Zhoumimi hyung. BFFs?" Sandeul stretched his hand for a handshake.





Zhoumi took Sandeul's hand eagerly. "Bff." he said with a blinding smile.





"Zhoumimi hyung, I have this very cool and pretty uncle and I'm one hundred and one percent sure that the two of you will get along really well. His name is mama Chullie." Sandeul said with a wicked grin on his face.




When Kyuhyun came back after making a tea for Zhoumin, he was surprised to see Zhoumi and Sandeul chatting like they were long lost best friends.




"What did I miss?"




xxx




Sungmin was lazily flipping the pages of the magazine in front of him while waiting for his mother to answer her phone.





"Mom!" Sungmin chirped when he finally heard Leeteuk's voice on the other line.




"Sungminnie, how are you? When are you going back? I'm already excited to see my pretty baby." his equally happy mother, asked.






"Soon Mom, very soon. I already miss you and Dad and Ryeowookie and of course my baby Sandeullie."





"We miss you too, especially Ryeowookie. He misses you so much that your brother won't even shut up about it." Leeteuk reported, shaking her head though Sungmin couldn't see it. Sungmin smiled. He misses his baby brother too.





"Tell Wookie that I miss him and his kyakya too." Sungmin laughed. He knew how his brother hated it when he about his laughs and emoticons. "Oh by the way Mom, I called you because I can't contact Heechul hyung and Sandeullie again. Is Sandeullie there with you Mom? I want to talk to him."




"Oh they're not here. I think the both of them are at a concert or something right now. That two only visited us once and..." Le