Ding-dong!

"Shoot!" I cursed under my breath, frantically trying to comb my wild mess of hair to make it look presentable. "I got it!" I called, running down the stairs. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door, and there he was.

Tao.

He seemed so different than when I had last seen him - more reserved, and a heck of a lot taller. His dark, mussed-up hair swept down to just above his eyes, which were the same dark eyes that I remembered. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans, and he casually wore a studded leather jacket over a plain white t-shirt. He was so handsome. However, I caught on to something different about his gaze; it lacked that warm, caring feel that I had remembered. His mom and dad stood behind him, smiling warmly, and I was surprised to see that his manager - what was his name - Hyunkyun, had come along as well. I wondered to myself why on earth he would've come all this way with Tao; didn't he have work to do elsewhere?

"Come on in," I said with a smile. Opening the door wide, I ushered them into our home. I greeted his parents, who were just so kind and loving, with a hug and kiss on each cheek. "Good to see you all again," I said warmly. Out of respect, I politely bowed to Tao's manager. At this point, my mom emerged from the kitchen, still wearing her apron. My mom led Tao's parents and Hyunkyun into the kitchen, chattering away excitedly about something having to do with potatoes and soy sauce, l