"Sunny side up. Over easy." Jae Hee repeated when Eun Hyuk just stared at her like she was talking in an alien language.

"Egg? You want me to fry an egg?" Eun Hyuk scoffed. Jae Hee promised she’ll forgive him if ever he enlists his help in the kitchen for one day. He would have invited her to a whimsical first date but he didn’t think Si Won would take it lightly. Not to mention Jae Hee herself. So there he was, in his much-anticipated day off in a hot, greasy professional kitchen being ordered to fry an egg.

"Yes." She replied solemnly. "Give me a perfect sunny side up egg and you’re off the hook." She placed a huge stack of egg trays beside the stovetop, a ramekin of Kosher salt and an oil shaker. "Remember, over easy." She propelled her hip onto the stainless counter, arms akimbo.

"Why don’t you just say that you don’t want me here and you wanted to kick me out as soon as you can?" He tsked.

"Why don’t you just do it and let’s see what happens?" She retorted.

"Fine." He picked a couple of eggs from the stack and put some oil in the pan. He cracked the first egg using just one hand like he always saw on TV. Half of the shells landed on the egg. He tried to pick it up which broke the yolk completely, scattering it from all directions all over the pan. He glanced at Jae Hee only to see her shaking her head, eyes narrowing.

"One down." She mused.

She didn’t even bat an eyelash when she said, "Even my dog won’t eat that." when he ruined the 62nd egg.

"You don’t have a dog.” He said, distracted. Jae Hee raised an eyebrow. “How can this be so difficult?! It’s just an egg!" Eun Hyuk wanted to knuckle his own head. He burnt, dehydrated, smashed, and over-salted countless eggs already to no avail!

"Oh, believe me, that’s what they always say." She said, rolling her eyes heavenward. She picked up an egg and motioned for him to move so she can rule the stove. She produced another pan from the cupboard and greased it when it was hot enough. She then cracked the egg slowly in the middle of the pan and salted it lightly. They both watched as the egg whites turned from translucent to an edible opaque. The yolk was a perfect bright yellow ball in the middle and it amused Eun Hyuk how it wobbled slightly when Jae Hee slid it to the plate. "I got chased out of the biggest restaurant in New York just because I can’t cook an egg, you know?"

"Huh? Isn’t that a little. . .cutthroat?"

"Was it easy for you?" She asked instead, turning the heat off and proceeded in cleaning up the mess. "Everything we do takes a certain skill. For you it’s just an egg but for others, it means everything. Their dreams, their future maybe. So I hope next time you’ll be served breakfast, just think on how much effort some people had put in order for you to have your favorite ham and eggs."

Eun Hyuk had absolutely no idea why she was telling him these things but he saw the sadness lurked behind those deep-set eyes. "I like bacon and eggs better. Does this mean you won’t forgive me?"

"No, this means you’re stuck here for the day. Mop the floor, scrub the pans and pots." She smirked. "And oh, follow me." She picked up the bowl of the eggs Eun Hyuk cooked (those edible ones even if it’s ugly) and trudged toward her own work station. She dumped the eggs into the industrial food processor and it turned it on until it was mostly the size of peas. "No food allergies?"

"Me? Uh, no." He shook his head.

"Not just you. Super Junior?"

"Uhm, I think Ki Bum’s allergic to lobsters. Other than that, I don’t remember anything."

"Good. Get me the mayo, mustard, chives, pickles and salami." Again, Eun Hyuk just stared at her. "What are you waiting for? Move!"

"Yes, Chef!"

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“Won’t you let me in?” Behind Ye Jin were two burly bodyguards in uniformed suits. They made a slight bow when she opened the door but their stance told her they didn’t have any intention to be inside her flat but to wait outside for the precious First Daughter. And Iris could tell there were many others at the parking lot or around the vicinity of the building. She opened the door wide and left it that, proceeding to the kitchen to get some tea.

“Whatever brought you here?” She asked when she turned around; perfectly knowing her sister followed her there and had been watching. 

“I didn’t even make a noise.” She shrugged and didn’t elaborate on that, setting the tea set on the table. She performed the elaborate Chinese tea ceremony like the back of her hand. The sweet scent of lychee tea she brought over from Shenzhen wafted in the air. “Well, I am here to convince you to go home.” Ye Jin said as she handed her the cup.

“You could have called. It could have saved you from the trip.” She replied tonelessly.

“And also to let you know about things you should be pondering on.” The younger continued like Iris didn’t say anything. She sighed, not really at all in the mood for a confrontation but her little sister didn’t look like she would let it go. Iris always thought they’re very similar. Ye Jin were opinionated, strong-willed and decisive. Only, Ye Jin was a Daddy’s girl. And she didn’t like her for that. Not when their father was very keen into showing Ye Jin was the favored one. “First of all, it was Appa that approached Si Won-oppa and not the other way around.” Si Won-oppa? Were they that close? Another of the things that Si Won kept from her? He’d been fraternizing with her family when all she wanted was to sever ties from them?

“I think, that as much, I know.” She said easily.

“No, you don’t!” Ye Jin’s voice raised a fraction. “You don’t even know anything! For years, you believed what you wanted to believe and you were happy to do just that.”

“Weren’t you happy as well when your father threw me out of the house?” She asked, unperturbed. She was happy to see Ye Jin. They had been very close. When they were still innocent little girls. Like how sisters were supposed to be. But that had been a distant memory. And she didn’t like were this conversation was heading.

“You don’t know anything.” Ye Jin repeated, bitterness laced her voice. “I miss you, Unnie.” Iris was taken aback from the sudden turn around. She thought she had a whiplash. “Appa had been sick and it’s not looking good. He summoned for Si Won-oppa so he can tell him to take good care of you--not for anything else. And your guy was clear to say he’s not interested in politics at all. He would also love to see Han Kyung-sshi but he already left the country. Appa might not be the best father in the world but he looked after you--in his own way. Even in those days that you thought you were alone. At the breakfast table, he would tell me stories about what you were doing in Japan and how you were doing a good job on your own. He’s very proud of you and everyday he would tell me how things could have been better if you’re with us.”

Iris didn’t want to be listening because everything Ye Jin said made her so weak, so gullible. Oh, how she wanted o believe everything but the painful memories of her young self running behind the limo that brought her to the Wudang Temples was excruciating. After two years, their father sent a man to pick her up, not giving her a chance to even say goodbye to Han Kyung. He forcibly took her to Korea to witness his father’s wedding to a woman she hadn’t seen before. He told her that he knew how difficult it was for them not to have a mother so he married her. She told him she wanted to study in Japan and she never returned home since then. Whatever scheme his father pulled.

Yeon Hee, the woman her father married and the current First Lady of South Korea seemed like a nice woman. Judging on how Ye Jin was brought up. But she wasn’t her mother and she can’t replace her. Ever. 

“Oppa wanted to tell you. It was his dilemma every time he visits the Blue House but you found out first and you blocked him off since then.” She overheard him talking to her father on the phone, addressing him with no less than Mr. President and she was floored. Totally floored. She had run to Italy, stayed a couple of hours in the airport waiting for the next flight to Beijing. She stayed with Han Kyung’s family for three days while arranging her stay in Wudang. There, she relieved the days (and nights) that she cried over her deceased mother, her father who hated her enough to throw her into God-knows-where and a younger sister she had left alone.

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It was another of those chilly evenings that he hated the most. He got inspiration from hot summer nights and humid afternoons. He wasn't sure why--maybe because he was born and raised in Heilongjiang where Harbin winters were legendary and the temperature was normally low all throughout the year. Or maybe because he had arrived in Seoul sometime in the first quarter of 2002 and it wasn't only freezing, it was intimidating and unfriendly to those who didn't speak the language. Or maybe because it was one cold evening when Ah Yoo had left him in the middle of the skating rink where he had proposed, broken and numb from a false revelation. 

But not today. He was thankful it was unforgivingly cold and most of the people opted to stay in the warmth of their houses. The airport was in its usual midnight hustle where most of the people were waiting for a certain someone to emerge from the arrival gates if not rushing to their designated immigration lanes. He managed to get past a few paparazzi lurking in a corner waiting for a juicy scoop.

He pulled the hood of his jacket even lower to his face and hailed a cab. "Park Memorial Hospital, Ahjussi." The driver eyed him briefly through the rearview mirror, probably wondering why he would want to go to a hospital when it was way past the normal visiting hours. But he shifted the gears without a word and sped through the midnight Seoul traffic.

He had not said a word but the lone nurse in the topmost floor of the hospital seemed to know who he was and not only gave him the room number but led him there as well. “Ms. Park left a few minutes ago to get something for Jin. We’re expecting you Han Kyung-sshi. It’s vital that we get a bone marrow sample from you right away.”

“I. . .I want to see. . .him--if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.” She pushed a door at the right end of the hallway. It was incredibly empty not only because it was in the wee hours of the morning but because only three suites in total apart from the nurses station and a couple of offices occupied the whole floor.

She was about to pull the door close when he called her, “I am ready whenever you are for the sampling.” He said slowly, almost inaudibly. 

She nodded and gave him a small smile. “We’ll have it arranged first thing in the morning, Han Kyung-sshi.” And she was gone. He didn’t know how long he was standing by the door, taking in the luxurious receiving area but not really seeing anything. Ever so slowly, he moved for the door that opened to an inner suite, it was bathed in warm yellow lighting and the walls were painted not the sickening white but a bright apple green. On one side of the wall facing the bed was a mural of a scene lifted from the animated movie Shrek.

His tired eyes searched for the small figure on top of the bed. Thick printed quilt covered him from the waist down. IVs were attached on his pale arm and his head was covered by a knitted beanie. His shallow breathing was almost inaudible beneath the whirring of the breathing machine and heartbeat monitor. His heart lurched at the sight. An intense feeling he can't put a name into gripped him.

He crossed the gap between them in slow, unsteady steps. He didn't know how long he was standing beside the bed, stunned at how a life was in front of him and how similar they were. Iris was right. Jin was his. It was like staring at his own breathing childhood photo. From the thick dark lashes to the huge pointed nose to the prominent cheekbones to the bow on his upper lip. He didn't need an expensive DNA test. Only, he was a healthy child. As far as he can remember, he was never in a hospital. Or at least not for long periods of time. He was an active boy, ever the first one to participate in sports or dancing contests. He raised a hand up to touch him but his eyes fluttered open before he can do so. And yes, it was the same eyes he saw everyday in the mirror.

Again, he was gob smocked staring at the smaller version of himself as Jin appraised him. “Who are you, Ahjussi?” The two year old asked him in a firm, sure tone like a grown up. He smiled, willing the tears away.

“I-I’m,” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m--”

“Are you my Papa?” He asked and Han Kyung froze. Not only because Jin asked himthe question but also because he had asked him in Mandarin no less. “I really hope you are,” He continued when he was still too shocked to say anything. “Because Umma had been telling me he’ll come but it’s been a while.”

Han Kyung lowered himself until he was kneeling on the floor so he was on eye level with Jin, wetting his small arm with his tears. “Sorry if I kept you waiting.”

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A/N: Whew! Sorry it took so loooooong! But I am drafting the next chapter and it will be up soon! It would be for Henry, EeTeuk, and Ryeo Wook. And finally, a scene in Si Won's POV. It's just that it's difficult to chop it in different chapters when things are supposed to be happening all at the same time.

Next, it would be for Ye Sung, Hee Chul, Shin Dong, Kang In and Kyu Hyun. And possibly Dong Hae.

I would need help in something though. I have never read a story about Zhou Mi wherein he's not a fruitcake. So I really can't picture him as a straight guy. I know, worse than Hee Chul! Any suggestions? Promise, I'll try to accommodate it. Thanks! Remember, comments are appreciated.