“Nara….” Ae Ra gently shook Nara’s shoulders. “Get up, you should eat something. Look, unnie made your favorite oyster porridge.” She tucked her sister’s hair to her ear and smooth it down. “It’s not like everyday unnie makes this, don’t you wanna have a taste?”

One of Nara’s addictions in this life was, Ae Ra’s cooking dishes.

Ever since Ae Ra came back from Paris, all she could do was trying to put some life into Nara’s lifeless soul and body. The girl just laid on her bed and cried, silently or loudly, and tired herself off to sleep. It’s been 3 days. Works weren’t what Ae Ra worried, since she could handle that, but it’s Nara’s health and spirit Ae Ra was worried about. She didn’t dare to leave the apartment, fearing Nara might so something stupid, or something would unexpectedly happen. She had to ask their secretary to bring the works for her and managing things from their apartment, meanwhile trying to make Nara eat something. All the broken-hearted girl took was just water, and all she did was crying and sleeping.

“What happened?”

“He said….” Nara hiccupped in Ae Ra’s arms. “...that we didn’t work anymore, he was...tired, and he wanna stop.” Her tears wet Ae Ra’s shirt, and with each sob she went weaker. “He...he could not forget the past with you, and he could not accept the fact that we’re sisters...he didn’t have any courage to face you now.”

Ae Ra bit her lips tightly, cursing quietly. “ing stupid.” She set Nara straighter. “But you also wasn’t right here, Nara. Why didn’t you stop being childish?”

“W-what…?” Nara looked up, eyes were all puffy and red and swollen, teary but also showing confusion. “Unnie…”

“You’re as stupid as him, Nara.” Ae Ra said sternly. “I told you before, stop dragging me between you two. He would come around when it’s time, while you have to keep staying mad at him?”

“This is not just about you unnie!” Nara protested, strongly removed herself from Ae Ra. “This is about him, about our relationship as well! Can’t you understand? It’s about how much he could be honest about his feelings to me!”

“What do you want him to do anymore? Forcing him to apologize me isn’t….”

“His love for me isn’t enough to ignore his ego!” Nara shouted angrily, stood up from the couch she was sitting with Ae Ra. “He doesn’t care about our relationship! If he does he would have tried his best to work things out….”

“You’re being too much Nara.” Ae Ra said disapprovingly. “You pushed him too far, that’s why….”

“What do you know about relationship unnie?” Nara cut in. “You know nothing about it, so stop telling me what to do!”

With that outburst, Nara stormed off the room and locked herself for the rest of the day. She also refused to talk with Ae Ra ever since then.

Nara was a stubborn girl, that was not something new.  She’s exactly how your younger sister should have been: noisy, annoying, dramatic, lovely and adorable. Ae Ra was always grateful that even though they didn’t have parents to lead, somehow she could take care of her sister without any serious trouble. Nara was a good kid, a good girl, and Ae Ra never stopped being proud of her.

Even though Nara was mad at her, she didn’t reject Ae Ra’ arms when she pulled her in whenever she saw Nara cries in her room. Ae Ra didn’t think too much on what they argued about anymore, now she just wanted her cheerful Nara back to life.

“Soo Joo unnie asked about you.” Ae Ra said out of the blue, smoothed her sister’s hair don absentmindedly. “If you want, we can visit her and go back to Paris for a break. How does that sound?”

“But...what about work?” Nara said while sniffing loudly.

Ae Ra chuckled. “Since when you become such a workaholic like this?” She turned the girl around, smiling even though the girl’s face was all puffy and red because of crying too much. “Just see it as we’re going for a business trip, finding the inspiration, market research, whatever. We can also go back to London to visit uncle and oppa.” She winked. “Thanks to oppa’s generous behaviour, I used his private jet to go back here last week, don’t you know?”

“Really?” Nara laughed weakly, started to get up. “Isn’t he always so mean to me?”

Ae Ra rolled her eyes. “Please, he spoiled you too much so that you went blind, right? The moment I told him that you might be crying alone here, he ordered me to go back to you immediately.  So bossy.”

They talked more for a while about their cousin in London, and Ae Ra managed to coaxed Nara taking 2 spoons of her porridge before she shook her head and refused to take anymore.

“Hey, try some more?” Ae Ra tried again. “You haven’t eaten anything for days.” She said with worry.

“It’s ok unnie.”  Nara took the tray from Ae Ra’s hands and set it on her bedside table, then she turned around and took both the sister’s hands in hers. “Unnie, I’m really sorry for what I said to you the other day.”

It would be lame and awkward if Ae Ra pretended not to know what Nara was talking about, so she just smiled, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “Then eat up your food.”

“No~...” Nara whined, but she was stopped in the middle when their doorbell rang.

Both the sisters looked at each other confusedly. It was 11PM already,  who could have come at this time?

“I’ll get it.” Ae Ra said and left to the door.

She froze when she looked at the monitor screen. “What are you doing here, Youngbae-ssi?” She asked through the intercom, surprised.

“Can you let us in, Ae Ra-ssi?” Youngbae asked politely. “It’s not good for us to stand outside your door like this.”

Us?  “You don’t have to come here.” She stated matter-of-factly. “We have nothing to talk about, don’t we? Please leave.”

“Miss Shin, we need to talk. Please open the door.” Ae Ra’s throat went dry upon hearing that calm voice. Through the monitor, he could see him, under sunglasses and having a frown on his face.

Even Ae Ra could not explain for herself, but she let them in. Youngbae walked in and smiled briefly at her, with Jiyong followed right after him.  They all wore sunglasses and wore dark suits, both having cap and hat, made them looked completely disguised.

“Well…” Ae Ra cleared . “What can I help you?” She crossed her arms and asked them calmly.

“Yah, what are you doing out there?” Jiyong turned around and walked back one step, his voice sounded cold and stern. “Come in.” Extended his hand, he dragged a shy Seungri stumbled into the apartment.

Ae Ra’s face stiffened. “Get out.” She said coldly.

“Ae Ra-ssi...”

Youngbae started but Ae Ra just shoot her dangerous stare at Seungri. “I said get out. You’re unwelcomed here, Seungri.”

Scared, but Seungri still slowly stepped forward, he didn’t dare to look up at Ae Ra though. Keeping his head down, he mumbled in a small voice. “Noona, I’m sorry….”

“Listen, Miss Shin, we know he’s stupid.” She seriously wanna tell Jiyong to stop with all the empty Miss Shin he addressed her. “We punished him enough, just let him….”

“I SAID GET OUT!” Ae Ra lost her temper, and she didn’t care if that startled Nara in the other room. “You don’t have the right to stay in one place with her! After all the things you did, how dare you to come here again?”

“Noona, I’m really sorry. Please...forgive me.” Seungri came closer to Ae Ra, tears already welled up in his eyes. “About 3 years ago, I’m sorry, really. I was wrong, deadly wrong.” He said emotionally, his voice was pleading. “I should not have treated you like that. I should have not said those hurtful words to you, I am really sorry.” He made a grab onto her hand but she didn’t let him.

“Why just now you come to find me?” She shouted angrily, landing her palm on his cheek strongly. Suddenly felt emotional, Ae Ra fought not to let her tears roll down. “She hasn’t eaten anything for 3 days, do you know?” She whispered hoarsely.

“W-what?” Seungri asked, a pain look on her face.

“All she does is just crying. I feel so helpless. I don’t know how to help her. I don’t know how to make her stop crying. I don’t know how to make her understand that she should not cry over a stupid jerk like you.” Ae Ra tried to keep her voice steady.

“How is my Natalie now?” Seungri looked past Ae Ra, around the apartment, as if to expect he could see Nara right at this moment.

“What is Nara to you, Seungri?” Ae Ra asked him sharply, momentarily ignored the other two in the room. This was what more important now.

“She…” Seungri was back to look at her, but now there was an empty sorrow in his eyes. “She’s my everything .”

“Then why you broke up with her?” Ae Ra was quite surprised hearing his answer. “If you really loved her that much, why did you call off your engagement?”

“I thought that was better for her.” He whispered, his voice was full of bewilderment. “But I didn’t know my heart would hurt this much. I feel like dying for the past 3 days noona.” He looked up at Ae Ra and she could see he was being honest.

“Idiot.” Ae Ra smacked Seungri’s shoulders really hard. “Stupid. You’re even dumber than Daesung in Family Outing.” She continued hitting him. “Do you think a proposal is a joke? How could you call it off like that? It is very important to a girl, don’t you know? And what, you broke up with her? How could you go all stupid like that?”

“Unnie…” They all snapped their head to where that weak voice was from. “Stop hitting him. He’ll get hurt.” Nara said in a small voice, leaned herself onto the door frame.

Ae Ra was about to come to her sister, but Jiyong already walked fast past both her and Seungri, quickly came to Nara’s side and asked with worry. “Nara, are you ok?” He even took off his sunglasses to take a better look at Nara, peeked here and there and touched her forehead. “You look awful.”

Ae Ra was speechless. What was this between Nara and Jiyong she didn’t know? Yeah she knew they were pretty close, but this…

Was she feeling jealous?

“Yah Seungri! See what you did to her?” Jiyong fumed loudly. “I think I should punch you again.”

“Jiyong…” Youngbae said quietly. “Behave. We’re in Ae Ra-ssi’s apartment.”

Ae Ra glanced at where Youngbae stood, he looked awkward and uncomfortable.

Ae Ra sighed, turned back to Seungri and glared, then did the same to Nara. “You two, talk. Be honest to the other and to yourself. I don’t wanna see you cry over stupid acts anymore. Please grow up, it was like I’m stuck in the middle of a fight between two 5-years-old kids.”

Ae Ra glanced and saw that Jiyong was casting her a judging look.

Ignored whatever that might mean, she made to leave to the living room when she saw Seungri shyly followed Nara into her bedroom with a scared expression on his face. “Let them talk.” She talked to no one special, avoided to look at either Jiyong or Youngbae. “Please take a seat, I’ll be back.” She then disappeared to the kitchen to bring them some water.

When she was back, Jiyong was sitting very comfortably with crossed legs on the sofa, while Youngbae was more uncomfortable. Frowning slightly, Ae Ra sat down far away from them but said nothing.

“Now I understand why Seungri was that miserable ever since you appeared.” Jiyong started, and Ae Ra didn’t miss Youngbae’s annoying look for his best friend under that sunglasses.

“And that is?”

“You are the problem.”

“Yah Jiyong!” Youngbae really scolded this time. “I told you to shut up.”

Ae Ra was too speechless with Jiyong’s remark to actually react anything. She just sat there and tried her best to keep composure.

“I furiously wondered how could Seungri act stupidly like that, broke up with Nara and called off their engagement. Now I understand. Because her sister was being a drama queen.” Jiyong ignored Youngbae’s protest, still not taking his gaze off Ae Ra’s face.

“E-excuse...me?” Ae Ra stuttered.

“It’s not Nara who stubborn. It’s you. You keep holding what in the past against him.” He said with accusation. “I thought since you’re Nara’s sister, you would be resemble her in some way. But it seems you aren’t as what we thought.”

“Shut up Jiyong!” Youngbae said loudly, throwing a dangerous glare to his best friend. “We came here to fix the misunderstandings, not to create new ones.”

“Of course not. But….” Jiyong replied his friend annoyingly. “I read some old articles, and even though I don’t believe half of them, the other half still told me some facts right? It was understandable for Seungri to behave like that, since all our life always lives in doubts and uncertainty like that. I myself don’t know why Miss Shin here stayed by my side even though she was fully recovered.” Jiyong turned back to Ae Ra. “I mean no offense, Miss Shin, but from an outsider’s objective, it didn’t look normal.”

Ae Ra’s heart was beating fast in her chest. She seriously felt hard to breathe. The unknowing pain in her chest was back suddenly.

“Jiyong, stop.” Youngbae tried but Jiyong ignored him again.

“I just wanna point out how unfair for Seungri to suffer all this by himself.” He continued. “I don’t need to know about your reason, you had yours, Seungri had his. What important is, it’s all in the past now. Please accept Seungri in your sister’s life, they truly love each other.”

“W-what...” Ae Ra found her voice back hoarsely. “Jiyong…” Unconsciously, she slipped his name off her biting lips.

Both Jiyong and Youngbae were taken aback with how Ae Ra addressed Jiyong so intimately like that. The friends briefly glanced at each other while Ae Ra bit her lips.

“Sorry, that was…” She trailed off. “I just don’t get what are you getting at, Mr. Kwon.” Fine, if he was that determined to be all formal to her, then let it be.

“Your presence dangered their relationship, don’t you see?”

Too flabbergasted by Jiyong’s words, Ae Ra’s mouth opened then closed for more than once. Youngbae just let out a deep sigh before he decided that he could not save the situation anymore, slumped back to his seat defeatedly.

“I know it sounds harsh, but…”

“Before he also said my existence was unacceptable to people around you…” She cut in sharply, now too angry to be shocked or feel the hurt anymore. “Now you’re saying my existence poisons my own sister’s life, aren’t you?”

“Unacceptable?” Jiyong repeated. “Who would…”

“I’ll you this only once, Mr. Kwon.” Ae Ra stood up and said with all the strength left in her to act serious and solemn. “Nara is my sister. I don’t control her, but I also don’t ignore. Whatever their problem is, it has nothing to do with what happened 3 years ago. It affects, yes, but not because of it Seungri called off their engagement, not because of it they broke up!” Ae Ra suddenly could not hold herself back, she spoke loudly. “It’s because they’re two biggest idiots two silliest dumbers in this world who run around and avoid to face their big ego!” She shouted.

She heard Nara’s room’s door bursted open, her sister whispered scaredly. “U-unie...what’s going on?”

But Ae Ra ignored that. “Yes! I myself don’t know why I stayed with you even I already recovered 3 years ago! And now I am sorry, I really am, since because of that, everyone is suffering right now!”

“Noona...what are you talking about?” She heard Seungri asked her softly from behind, but Ae Ra also ignored him.

She held her angry gaze to Jiyong, who looked half surprised half bewildered by her sudden outburst.

“I was just…” Ae Ra suddenly lost it, her anger. Now an unbelievably big sadness crept up to her chest, making her hard to breathe again. She gulped, closed her eyes momentarily before started talking again, calmly. “Mind your own problems. Let them grow up, you can’t help them forever.” She said quietly with finality to Jiyong.

Then she turned back and faced Seungri and Nara. Surprisingly, Nara was half leaning in Seungri’s arms. Ae Ra wanna smiled, she really did, but couldn’t. “You two aren’t kids anymore, don’t act like ones. Think carefully before doing anything, especially marriage.” She looked at Seungri, the kid looked back with remorse and guilt, but she could feel his honesty with her this time.

“Seungri-ssi…” She called out.

“Yes noona?” She didn’t know when, but ever since Seungri stepped into this apartment tonight, the word ‘noona rolled off his lips so naturally.

“3 years ago, I don’t care anymore, whatever it was.” She said tiredly. “I hope you do the same. If you really love my sister, be good to her. That’s all I care.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Alright.” She cut in. “Started from now, I don’t wanna hear you saying sorry to me again. I mean it, don’t bring up 3 years ago again.”

“Yes noona.” Seungri nodded.

She threw another brief glance at the other two in this living room. Youngbae looked like he wanna say something, while Jiyong just had a poker face. Before she could not take it anymore, she went back to her room.

“Unnie…” Nara called out worriedly.

“I’m tired. Do whatever you want, don’t mind me anymore.” She said without looking back, quickly sped off to her room and closed the door behind her back.

She collapsed to the cold floor and started crying.

___

“If one day we’re having a baby, what do you want for her name?”

“Her?” Ae Ra laughed richly. “Why are you so sure it would be a girl?”

Jiyong smiled wickedly before turning on his side, used his arm to support his head and looked at Ae Ra with amused eyes. “So you’re planning on having babies with me?”

“Yah…” She scowled shyly before frowning. “What? Babies? Not a baby?”

“Oh…” Jiyong grinned again. “So you’re also planning on having more than one baby with me, too?”

“YAH KWON JI YONG!” She shouted and shoved him off her face, turning to the other side. “Cheater.” She mumbled embarrassedly.

He laughed heartily and soon she felt his arms wrapped around her back from behind. “That’s cute, don’t you think?” He chuckled while whispering into her neck, entwined their fingers together. “How much alike we think.”

She didn’t say anything, just squeezed his hands back.

“Hmmmm?” He nudged her with his legs. “So, what is the name?”

“So we settled it as a her?” She chuckled this time, shaking her head.

“Yes, I so badly wanna be a daughter-fool.” He whined like a child, then pecked her neck which made her shiver from head to toes. “A little girl who I can spoil and pamper…”

She blushed, and he could feel the heat coming from her neck. “I don’t know…” She said quietly. “What do you think?”

“Why you asked me back?” He chuckled and kissed her neck again, and nuzzled his face in her hair, inhaled deeply her scent to his nostrils. “Nevertheless, I would like Jin Ae.”

“I’m thinking about Young Ae.” She admitted, playing with his palm.

“Then it’s Jin Ae and Young Ae.” He tightened his hold around her waist and shifted his legs between hers. “We will have more than two, don’t worry.”

“Kwon Jin Ae… Kwon Young Ae…” He mumbled with a smile, eyes closing. “Daughters of Jiyong and Ae Ra…perfect.”

Jiyong’s eyes shot up in the middle of the night. He quickly sat up and switched on the lamp, sweats decorated on his forehead. He glanced around. It was his room, not a strange room with sky-blue curtains. It was Hye Young who was sleeping soundly next to him, not some strange woman he didn’t know.

But there was a name.

Ae Ra

What the was that?

______

A/N:

Hi :)

I am inspired a lot by this story these days. This chapter had been written since I published the previous one, and only completed just now! Each day I spent on editing and writing new ideas into it #lovethat i hope you guys like it :) 

please give me some of your thoughts <3 

I may update another one this week(end), or else it would be 2-week hiatus since i'll be busy next week. so, please comment so that i can have more inspiration to write quickly! 

thank you so much for all the comments and sub for the previous chap(s). They mean A LOT! 

*start writing the next chapter*

Love

Rosie.