“Is it the ?”

“What? No! Oh my God, Eli!” Summer yelled at her older brother. She was appalled. How dare he ask a question of such intimacy? It was her love life, why pry into details? This wasn’t even their topic of conversation!

“Hey, I’m just asking. Maybe you’re bad at it--” her brother told her nonchalantly. Bad at ?! Seriously?! How did they even get to this discussion?! Her cheeks were blushing furiously at this time because 1) it wasn’t something she talked about lightly unlike her brother and 2) it was her brother talking about her having . Is there nothing wrong with that?? Because all she wanted to yell was ‘Why the hell are we even talking about this?!’

“I don’t want to talk to you about this!!!” She finally yelled. Embarrassment definitely washed over her.

“Well, you’ve got to talk to somebody.” She calmed herself and finally had enough composure to look at her brother square in the eye.

She let a breath out.

Eli Park. Second born out of three, only male heir of the Park family, and future owner of the Kanghan Group Industries, also known as Eli, her annoying older brother who didn’t know a thing about respecting his younger sister’s privacy.

She hated how her brother spoke so casually about this, but he was right. She needed to talk to someone about it. Summer would have preferred talking to her older sister Dawn, the eldest among the three of them, but she was busy assisting her husband in running one of his many hotels and taking care of their kids at the same time.

“Remind me, Eli. WHAT do I need to talk about, again?” She asked her brother in defeat, and he smiled knowing fully well that his sister did need him. He liked feeling needed, but it mattered more when it was his sisters who needed him. He felt he should be of greater help to them since they were family.

“Why are you here?” he asked her with one brow raised.

She looked at him and held the mug filled with hot chocolate in her hands for warmth. “It’s my house,” she reasoned out.

“Noooo, it’s mom and dad’s house. You’re always only here when they’re out of the country. Why are you here?” he asked again.

“…because I wanted to see you?” She said, trying to sound all cute and though she was cute, Eli wouldn’t fall for it.

“That’s sweet and all, but no. If you wanted to see me, you’d have asked me out to dinner or something.” He told her knowing full well the techniques his sister had come up with over the years she decided to move out of her parents’ house.

“Dawn--” she was about to start with another reason when Eli cut her off.

“Dawn is married and has twin babies to take care of while juggling the workload that her husband gave her. You would have called her but seeing that you’re here right now, she bailed on you. So, let me ask you again. Why are you here?” He told her, finally becoming serious.

Earlier, she told Eli that Jiyong had been going out on the weekends and that they haven’t really spent enough time with each other anymore. Then Eli started making the jokes but if you think about it, it has been a while since they last…did it. The last time was the weekend when he wouldn’t tell her where he was going or who he’d be with, and that was about…a month ago.

This time, since he was going out again, she asked Jiyong if she could just go to her parents’ house and they’d just have lunch out the next day. He said yes, of course and that they’d just see each other at the restaurant itself.

She knew her parents were out of town since her dad would still keep in touch with her and she took this as an opportunity to go back to the life she was not so accustomed to anymore. She paid a visit to her dear older brother who as annoying as he is, was still a good person and was someone she could definitely count on.

“I honestly just wanted to see you. I feel kinda bad we haven’t seen each other in a while.” She told her brother with finality. It was partially the truth, and so he better accept that so called excuse of hers.

“Thanks, sis. I missed you too,” He told her and kissed his sister on the cheek. She laughed, feeling like a kid again, because she remembered when Dawn and Eli would always sandwich her with a kiss on each cheek.

“Anything else, though?” He pestered her, knowing there was more.

She nodded.

“Do I have to ask or are you just going to---” Eli questioned her but was cut off from an abrupt yell that came from Summer.

“I WENT ON A DATE YESTERDAY AND HE DID NOT CARE, OKAY? WELL, IT WASN’T REALLY A DATE, DATE. BUT STILL! HE SHOULD CARE! IS HE THAT BUSY THAT HE DOESN’T CARE? OHMYGOD. You know, he rarely plays with Gaho either! Since when?! He never does this!! What’s wrong with the world, Eli?!---” And that was only the start of everything she wanted to rant about.

“…I mean, I know we’re fine. We’re fine, okay? We’re fine. But seriously!! Why does he have to be like this? A slave to his job, really. I’m going to punch him for picking work over me! Do I look too drab? Am I boring? Do I not excite people anymore? Am I not…wanted? What do you think? Am I…GASP. Am I old?! Is my prime in beauty and career over?! Holy , I’m---”

“WHAAAT. Are you crazy?” He asked her. That was when Eli cut her off. No way in the world would he let his little sister belittle herself, but he’d tell her in his own way.

“Speaking as your brother, you cannot be unattractive. We have the same genes, and as long as I’m getting the girls, you’re getting the guys, which means we both still have looks because I am getting girls.”

“…idiot, you’re not getting girls because you already have a girlfriend.” Summer laughed. She knew the dynamics of the relationship between Eli and his girlfriend. They liked to pretend they aren’t together, but really, the last voice they want to hear at the end of the day would be each other’s.

“That’s true and we all know how very, very y she is. And one very, very y girl is equivalent to 50 regular girls. You’re a smart girl. Do the math, sis.” Her brother told her smugly.

He liked to make light of situations like this because he never wanted to be the serious one when it came to relationship talks. He didn’t like getting his younger sister paranoid, and he never ever wants to see her hurt. Honestly, Eli was a kingka at school. Popular, smart, athletic and well respected. He was only goofy when he needed to be, and he needed to be goofy now for Summer. Yet, he wanted her to be prepared for the worst, which was why he was saying this, subtly, now.

“Summer, I’m going to tell you something, but I’m not saying it’s true for everyone. Okay?” He began.

“Okay,” she said.

“Guys, they get bored after a while, which is why they cheat. At times you meet the ones who are truly faithful, they’re the ones you end up marrying. And then there’s the cheater, but we don’t need to elaborate on that. Then you have the regular guys: decent, they know it’s wrong to lie, and so they tell you that you’re over before things get complicated.”

She was quiet, and chose her next words carefully. “I trust him, and I think that’s enough for me. But if he does cheat on me, then he does, and I’ll end it. I’m a big girl, Eli. I can take care of myself, too. But thanks, bro.”

Eli nodded and gave her a faint smile. His little sister came a long way. She was raised to be the perfect wife and so by the time she was 18, she was put up on the list of eligible trophy bachelorettes. Suitor after suitor came, but she never said yes to any of them. She wanted her own life, and that’s what she got, all by herself, without her mother’s support. He knew she was strong, but a person could only take so much before he or she cracks, and Eli was afraid that Jiyong would be the last straw his sister could take. Also, from the stories that he heard from his sister, he liked Jiyong. He hoped that his gut feel was wrong because if he did find out Jiyong was cheating on his little sister, he’d make sure Jiyong got the punishment he deserved.

He decided to believe in Summer though and trust she’d do the right thing if what he did say was true, so for now, he’d go back to the wise-cracks.

“But did you guys ever…” Eli asked, with all honest curiosity.

“…yeah.” She answered knowing fully well her brother was mature, and was most probably like her anyway. He’d have done the same things too; he already knew she was grown up, anyway and they were being honest right now.

“You know what? Never mind waiting for him to screw up. I’m just gonna go kill him right now. Excuse me,” Her brother stood up from the chair he was seated on and walked out while she laughed like she hadn’t laughed in a long time.

Eli left her in the kitchen when her phone rang. It was her sister Dawn.

“Hey--” she was about to greet when Dawn beat her to it.

“Is it the ?” She asked.

Summer just wanted to hang herself then. There was no denying it, Dawn and Eli were siblings; they thought alike, looked alike, spoke alike. How or why she got born into this family, she didn’t know.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?!” She whined exasperatedly into the phone.

“Because, there are four rules in life. 1) Don’t take crap from anyone. 2) Stand up for yourself. 3) Always have a contingency plan. 4) . Is. Necessary.” She liked rule one. She lived by it, that’s why she was so independent now.

“Oh my God, can we just not talk about this? Eli wouldn’t stop giving me about it either, Dawn. I can’t take this from you too!” she told her older sister.

“Heeey, I’m just saying. I mean, don’t you two practically live together?” She was referring to Summer and Jiyong. ---ish. They practically lived together, ish. Ever since they hit their first anniversary, they’d live in each other’s place for the weekend. Weekdays, not so much because they needed to focus on school, then at work when they graduated.

“Yes,” Summer replied cautiously.

“Not to be mean or anything, but what if he’s sick of you already?” her sister asked, no malice intended, just pure curiosity, and caution.

“What?! No, he isn’t!”

She was outraged. He wouldn’t do that. “Jiyong wouldn’t hurt me.” She told her sister.

“Okay, okay. Whatever you say, little sister. I’m just trying to look at this in all possible angles.” She told her sister calmly, soothingly. She never meant for it to come out that way, but like her brother, she never wanted to see Summer get hurt. She only wanted to prevent bad things from happening to her baby sister.

“We just don’t…really talk anymore.” She said, honestly feeling sad for every time they were together, she knew he was physically present. She just didn’t know if he was actually there with her.

“Hm, I heard about that date you were on yesterday.” Her sister started.

“Wow, Eli told you already?” She asked, trying her best to sound sarcastic and mean. Was that why he left and stood up earlier?

“Give him some credit, Summer. He’s just worried about you.”

“I know,” she said.

“But you really wanna hear my take on it?” Her sister asked.

“Yes, yes please.” That’s all she wanted to know. Maybe if her sister said something, she’d know to be worried or not. Her sister was after all happily married. She was lucky, the person Dawn fell in love with was actually the person her parents arranged a marriage with.

“A jealous boyfriend is a faithful boyfriend. If he doesn’t care that someone else has your attention, it’s most probably because someone else has his.”

a/n

This is just a transition chapter and yes, she has siblings. lol. Drama's coming up soon, oooh.

Thank you so much for subbing! :')