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Part 13: Was it you?

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“She is your cousin right?” Jonghyun asked as they made their way to parking lot. He was carrying a sleeping Chunhee in his arms while Kibum held SpongeBob, the teddy bear and the balloon that was given to Chunhee a while ago.

They ate dinner together after going around the mall some more. The little angel asked them to watch a movie next. However, she fell asleep towards the end.

“Yeah, she’s the daughter of my dad’s sister.” He replied as he looked at Chunhee’s face.

“O? Where are her parents then? She said she’ll be spending Christmas with your family.” Jonghyun asked as he glanced at Kibum.

“Her uhm...mom died giving birth to her...and well her dad was...can’t move on...” Kibum was looking down, trying to avoid Jonghyun's searching eyes.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Jonghyun whispered sincerely. Kibum looked at him and gave a faint smile.

They continued the walk silently. When they reached Jonghyun's car, he laid Chunhee on the back seat with SpongeBob as her pillow. Kibum kept the teddy bear to himself and cradled it on his lap as they drove home.

“By the way...” Jonghyun was the one to break the silence. Kibum hummed, telling him to continue whatever it was. “Where did Ki umma came from?”

Kibum blushed and looked down on the teddy bear on his lap, playing with its soft arms. Jonghyun glanced at him then back at the road chuckling lightly.

“When she started talking she can’t really say my name correctly, thus she just called me by the first syllable of my name, Ki. She really called me Ki oppa before but one morning when she went in my room to wake me up, she didn’t jump on my bed or screamed ‘Ki oppa, wakey-wakey!’’” —Kibum mimicked Chunhee’s voice and flailed the teddy bear’s arms as he did it —“she just lied on her stomach beside me. I woke up because she was tracing my face with her index finger.”

Jonghyun stepped on the breaks, it was a red light and he took that chance to stare at Kibum again. But the other was still looking down on the stuffed toy on his lap, a small smile gracing his pink lips as he told the story. He was not able to stop himself from mirroring the smile.

“When she realized that I was awake, she cupped my cheeks and gazed at my eyes. Then she suddenly said ‘Ki umma, yeppeoda.’” —he held the bear’s paws on its cheeks and made it wiggle  slightly— “She was just two years old then. My parents were also surprised when she called me umma in front of them.” Kibum shrugged his shoulders when he ended the story.

“See, even the little kid thinks you’re beautiful. They don’t lie.” Jonghyun said as he turned the corner.

“Yah!” Kibum slapped his arm, he was blushing a deeper shade of red. Many people already told him that and that’s actually a fact, but it felt different when it came from the other male.

“Hey I’m driving!” Jonghyun moved his arm away, preparing for another slap from Kibum but it didn’t come. Thankfully. “Besides, I’m just telling the truth.”

“Whatever.” Kibum looked away, trying to keep a smile.

In a few more minutes, they were in front of Kibum's gates.

Why do I feel like this is happening too often? Should I get used to this already?Kibum thought to himself as he closed the car’s door. Jonghyun was already walking ahead of him, carrying Chunhee again.

“Bummie, do I still have to invite you in your own house?” Jonghyun called over his shoulder.

“Coming!” Kibum almost skipped his way beside Jonghyun.

They walked the remaining steps and Kibum opened the door. Jonghyun went in first.

“Good evening Mr. And Mrs. Kim.” He greeted with a small bow.

“We’ll put Chunhee to bed first, mom.” Kibum said before his mom could say anything. He didn’t want her to interrogate Jonghyun while he was holding Chunhee.The two adults just nodded and Kibum led Jonghyun up the stairs towards Chunhee’s room.

Jonghyun laid her on the bed while Kibum put the stuffed toys in a corner with others of Chunhee’s toys. When Kibum turned back to the bed, he saw Jonghyun sitting on the bed while gazing softly on his sleeping cousin. He walked towards the foot of the bed and observed.

“I didn’t know that you like kids.” He said afterwards.

Jonghyun tore his eyes from Chunhee and looked at Kibum, smiling a little. “I didn’t know too.” He said. “She’s so... I don’t know. Pure? Reminds me of someone.”

Kibum sat on the other side of the bed, across Jonghyun. He Chunhee’s hair away from her face.

“You raised her well. She only cried once.” Jonghyun continued.

“Is that a compliment or what?”

Jonghyun chuckled a little too loud and Chunhee shifted. He looked at Kibum, panic written in his eyes. An imaginary light bulb illuminated in Kibum's head and he just shrugged his shoulders. Chunhee let out a soft whimper before she sat up and started crying. Kibum stood up from his spot on the bed and moved away, leaving Jonghyun more confused on the bed with Chunhee still whining.

“Y-Yah! Bummie-ah, ottoke?!” Kibum almost burst out laughing. Who would have thought that a little child’s cry would make the other loose his cool?

“I don’t know. You’re the one who woke her up.” He faked his innocence but Jonghyun was not really able to notice that because by the time he was about to ask another question, she crawled onto his lap and hugged him resting her head on his shoulder.

Jonghyun froze. He had his arms awkwardly extended in front of him from the surprise he got when Chunhee crawled on his lap. He looked at Kibum questioningly and was just replied with a warm smile. Jonghyun didn’t really know what to do, he sure did play with other children but this little angel was just so different. Not to mention that another beautiful being was standing a few meters from him. He tentatively hugged Chunhee back, caressing her back lightly. Her crying tuned down to soft sobs and Jonghyun was relieved. Slightly. He rocked the both of them back and forth as he sung a soft lullaby that his mom used to sing to him when he was Chunhee’s age. And when he finished that song, Chunhee was back in dream land. He tucked her in again. It was only then when he was really really relieved.

“I’m impressed.” Kibum said softly but still with the air of his usual diva-self.

Jonghyun frowned at him, and it turned into a very cute pout not long after. Kibum laughed quietly and walked towards Jonghyun who was still sitting on the bed. He petted the elder’s head. “You did well, really.” He said afterwards.

The pout on Jonghyun's lips slowly became a playful smile but Kibum was not able to see that because of the dim lighting in the room. As the younger continued to pat and play with Jonghyun's hair, enjoying the softness under his touch, Jonghyun suddenly pulled him on his lap. Kibum bit his lip so as not to make any sudden noise that would wake Chunhee up.

“Do I get a price because of that?” Jonghyun asked as he looked in Kibum's eyes.

“You want one? Hmm. Let’s see.” They had this staring contest. Kibum brought his right hand towards Jonghyun's face and suddenly flicked the elder’s forehead. “You erted dino!” he slipped off of Jonghyun's lap and stood by the foot of the bed again, maintaining safe distance.

“Aren’t you being mean again?” Jonghyun rubbed his sore forehead. It was not that painful, but he was sure that it would be red.

Kibum meronged him before walking towards the door and going out. Jonghyun followed right after until they were then seated opposite Kibum's parents in their living room.

“I’m so thankful that you took care of our little Chunhee when you found her.” Kibum's mom said, she was smiling and Jonghyun knew where Kibum got his facial features.

“It’s nothing Mrs. Kim, I did enjoy my time with them after all.” He replied sincerely.

“By the way, how did you found her? You didn’t know of her before right?” it was now Kibum's dad who asked. And Kibum was also curious about that.

“Oh. I was just hanging around that area of the mall ‘coz I’m bored at home. Then I saw her walking alone. When she walked the same circle, I knew that she was lost so I approached her. She was crying but kept herself strong. She kept on talking about her Ki umma—“ Kibum stepped on his foot and good thing the coffee table was there for cover. “—and that was when Bu—Kibum came.”

“That was so kind of you dear. Ah! Would you want to eat or drink something?” Mrs. Kim offered.

“No thanks Ma’am.” He declined politely, “Maybe I should get going too.”

“He’s right, mom. It’s also getting late.” Kibum said standing up and Jonghyun copied him.

“Maybe you really should. We shall see each other some other time.” She said; sadness evident in her voice.

“We will Mrs. Kim.” He replied bowing again.

“I’ll just walk him to the gate mom.” Kibum said before they walked towards the door.

When they were a few steps away from the closed wooden doors, Jonghyun spoke.

“Your mom was really worried.”

Kibum looked at him before he replied. “Well, she almost lost me before with that same way. And she blamed herself for that. You know how mothers are.”

Jonghyun chuckled lightly. Kibum opened the gate and they stepped out.

“I was lost when I was little and my mom blamed herself for almost loosing me.” Kibum said, looking somewhere distant as if he was viewing that far off memory.

“Then, how did they found you?” Jonghyun asked, looking at the other.

“A friend kept me company. Then they found us eventually.”

“Same thing happened with me. Though, I was the one to help a friend.” Jonghyun commented.

“You got lost when you were little too?” Kibum asked turning his gaze on Jonghyun.

“Well, yeah. Who doesn’t, right?” he replied, shrugging. They were leaning side by side against the side of his car.

Kibum just nodded and they stayed silent again.

“But she sure is nice.” Jonghyun spoke first. Again.

Kibum snorted. “She adores you, don’t you know?” he added almost sarcastically.

“E? How about you?” Jonghyun turned completely to face the other boy beside him.

“What about me?” Kibum asked, totally confused.

Jonghyun smirked. He leaned closer to Kibum until their faces were only a few inches apart, personal space totally forgotten.

“Do you adore me too?”

“I...” the younger looked away, trying to avert the searching eyes of the other. But Jonghyun was stubborn and he took Kibum’s chin and turned his face to look at him.

And as if time stopped like every cliché thing that happened in those chick flicks that Kibum watched. Jonghyun leaned in slowly and carefully as if a wrong move would make everything break into pieces. Kibum just stayed frozen there. If not from the frantic beating of his heart, he would think that he was dead, even his breath was caught in his throat.

And then he felt the soft brush of Jonghyun's lips on his. Ever so slowly their lips mould with each other and Kibum's hand slowly found their way on Jonghyun's shoulders while Jonghyun's encircled the younger’s waist, pulling him closer.

Who would have thought that the sappy chick flicks could really happen in real life? The kiss was innocent but sweet; no tongues just lips pressing together.

But they were in real life so time didn’t really stop and they need oxygen. They parted but they kept their foreheads touching.

“I take that as a yes.” Jonghyun said, his breath ghosted on Kibum's skin and there was that mint-chocolate scent again.

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a/n: how long has it been? sorry i was being lazy again xD and i also had to attend to some needs in my university...and speaking of that. i'll have classes soon. on June 8 to be exact and i'll be in a dorm so idk if i could update every week or so.
so yeah...please be patient everyone ^^

ah, btw...there are words there that could not have a space in between. idk how that happens b'coz i just copy-paste from my doc. and i've beta-ed this there....it's 4:30am here and my eyes hurt already so, sorry about the errors and mistakes.

my eternal thanks to the readers and subscribers :)) let me know your thoughts if you'd like :)

photo by:  Tupb @deviantart