I felt warmth on my face and fidgeted, flipping to face the side where I wasn't facing the source of the warmth and the light that was seeping through my lids. My back began to feel warm and I got up, slowly and reluctantly. After throwing my feet off the bed, I headed towards the door when I heard a voice outside.

"Teppei is such a lucky boy, aren't you?" a familiar voice cooed and I heard Teppei laughing. Naturally, I smiled.

"You remind me of my daughter, you know?" I heard a sigh and frowned. Daughter?

That means...

"I wish I could turn back time, Teppei. I'm probably the worst guy ever."

I heard the cute child babble some things and Kris replied.

"You think I should? If you think that I should forgive myself, then I will listen to you, okay?" Teppei squealed in glee.

"Well," I heard Kris standing up. "Let's wake up your noona so that we can have breakfast together, okay?" Teppei started to gargle some baby language and I hurriedly threw myself on the bed as quietly as I could to feign sleep. A knock on my door was heard, followed by the sound of the doorknob turning. I pretended to sleep,and felt my bed sinking for some reason. Someone's body heat was radiating off him and I could feel it.

"I know that you're awake."

I opened one eye and realised that Kris' face was hovering on top of mine. Shocked, I pushed him away and sat up abruptly. My bed began to move a little and I realised that Teppei was on my bed. I forgot all about Kris and carried Teppei in my arms.

"Teeeeeeh-paaaaay," I greeted and kissed him on the forehead. "How was sleep with Kris hyung, hmm?"

Teppei babbled in his baby speech and I nodded, pretending to understand what he's saying. "Is it?" I asked Teppei. "You slept well,didn't you?" Teppei giggled.

"Oi,I'm still here," Kris waved his hands and I turned to give him my attention. "Time for you to wash up and change so that we can go down for breakfast." He reached out his arms and carried Teppei away from me before pushing me to the toilet to wash up.

---

I was ready, and the three of us left our apartment to go for breakfast. Kris was playing with Teppei as if he was Teppei father, and seeing that, I felt warmth swelling in my heart. Teppei has never received proper paternal love ever since he was born, and since Chanyeol at impersonating Teppei's father, I never did find anyone who could show Teppei the love from a father, since I could no longer trust males. Therefore, poor Teppei had spent the past 6 months without love from a dad.

I think Kris caught me grinning at Teppei and him,because he asked me if there was anything wrong.

"Nope, not at all," I answered him while shaking my head. "you two just look like a pair of father and son, that's all."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Kris gave a sad smile. "I'm glad."

We trudged on silently, only hearing the sound of our footsteps and the occasional rustling of the leaves. We lived in a quiet neighbourhood, and hardly anyone leaves their apartments at 10 a.m. in the morning, since most of the people living here are from the working class and some are students who would lay in bed until 1 p.m. before they started to stir.

Glancing up at the trees, I thought about what Kris said in the morning, about Teppei reminding him of his own daughter. I desperately wanted to know more about Kris, but I didn't feel like making things awkward by asking him about his past, since he walked out of the door as I was tending to Teppei yesterday. I kept battling with myself,wondering if I should ask Kris about it.

"You...I heard what you told Teppei in the living room just now..." I broke the comfortable silence in the end and Kris turned to glance at me before pursing his lips and turned to look at the road again. Seeing that Kris ignored my statement, I mentally punched myself in the face for saying that out loud.

"Let's talk after we're done with dinner and after sending Teppei to the nanny." Kris finally answered me after 10 whole minutes of silence. I grunted as a response as we started eating our breakfast in silence.

---

After sending Teppei to the nanny, Kris and I headed home together, neither of us said anything. I wanted to know about Kris' past,about his daughter. I was burning with curiosity.

I desperately wanted to know if he used to be like Jun.

The deadly silence became even more deafening as time passes. Many questions were running through my head about Kris and I focused my attention on the ground, until Kris spoke.

"I did have a daughter."

I spun my head to face him. "What?"

Kris sighed. "I said that I did have a daughter."

"Oh." I replied lamely and then there was a long pause before I continued. "So...where's your daughter now?"

"She died. With my ex-girlfriend."

I widened my eyes in shock. "What happened to them?"

"My girlfriend died while in labour, and my daughter died a few hours after being born, as I was told."

"Told? Weren't you with her when she was in labour?" Kris shook his head.

"I was too scared. I was only 15 when my girlfriend was in labour. Besides, I was banned from seeing her until I was 16."

We reached our apartment and headed into the house before settling down on the sofa together.

"Kris," I started. "Can you please tell me what happened from the beginning to the end?"

I was only 14 when I got her pregnant.

At 14, I should had been out with my male friends enjoying being a teenager, be a little more rowdy, play street sports with them and have fun.

But no, I got my girlfriend pregnant with my child. At 14.

"Abort the child." I heard myself say coldly to her, who was two years older than I was.

"No..." she cried, clutching her still-flat tummy. "It's our child. Don't you think that it's cruel to just kill it?"

"Then what do you want me to do? Be a father at 15 years old? I'm not even of the legal age yet!" I boomed at her and she stumbled backwards.

"Don't you love me anymore?" She sobbed.

I put my hands over my forehead and frowned, in a deep breath of air before continuing. "I love you,but without the child."

"But you planted your seed in me," She argued between sobs. "How can you not love the child?!"

I clenched my fist and punched the wall,and she let out a loud gasp. "You refused to take precautions, and you even told me to not use a . You wanted to have , and so I gave it to you. You planned the whole thing even though I didn't want it,so why do I have to take the full blame?!" I screamed at her. She started to wail again, and I closed my eyes, bringing my hand up to my face and covering it.

"Look," I started to speak, my voice a little calmer than before. "keeping the child may be an option,but only if..."

"If?"

"If you don't leak out to the public about me fathering the child. I'll ask my dad to fund you, and I'll occasionally see the child as well."

"That's not the whole point of me wanting to keep the child!" she cried and I stumbled back in shock. "I'm only keeping the child because I want to be with you! I want to be your lawful wife! I want to be married to you!"

"That,is not an option."

I turned around to see who was the owner of that voice, and the person I saw standing there was...

"爸¹ (ba) ..." I spoke in shock.

My father's firm footsteps came closer and closer towards me and her, before he stopped right in front of me and placed his huge hands firmly on my shoulder.

"Please do not ruin his bright future by clamping him down," My father spoke to her in a polite yet intimidating tone. "Keep the baby, if you must, but please do not ruin Kris' future by exposing to the public that he has a child before marriage, at 14. If you really do love him," Father began to steer me towards the car that has come to fetch me. "you'd allow him to work on his future." 

And then,I was forcefully pushed into the car. As I was being driven away, I took a glance at her from the window. Her face was clearly pale with shock, to the point that there was not a single drop of tear rolling down from her cheek. Her gaze, filled with anguish, met with mine, filled with mixed emotions. I felt relieved but, at the same time, guilty.

Who wouldn't feel guilty anyway, leaving a pregnant teenager alone at a secluded back alley? My conscience was hitting me hard,but I was powerless to do anything. When beside my father, I'm just like a tamed dog. He had an air of authority around him that one would have no choice but to heed his orders, in the form of requests. That's my father, a major tycoon in China, the head of the company "Desklabs" and the research and development centre, "Bio-chem Research Labs". His 'requests' are actually orders,except being put in a nicer way.

"You are not to see her again until you are 16," My father spoke to me in a calm tone. "by then,you would be more matured. Young,but mature. That is how you will be brought up, being born into a wealthy and strict family."

I hung my head, not speaking a word and not even bothering to retort. My father's words were absolute.

"I will transfer you to a school in Singapore to prevent any unwanted contact with that girl. It will not be a prestigious school, although making you attend a prestigious school would be a better choice, since it will bring you nothing but the best knowledge you will receive in Singapore."

"So why don't you put me in a prestigious school, Father?"

"Well," Father fidgeted and scratched his head. "your mother thought that if you attended a school under your social status, you'll be able to see the world in a different light."

"Okay."

"I will inform you of the girl's progress while you are in Singapore.I will do what I deem necessary, and you are to do as you are told in Singapore. Do not," My father emphasised. "get another girl pregnant again. I will forgive you this time round, but I will not tolerate another of such situation."

"Yes, Father."

----

"Kris."

"Yes, Cao." Cao was my butler back in China. "What is it?"

"She, your ex-girlfriend,unfortunately died in labour." I lost my balance and crashed onto the wooden tiles in my apartment.

"I'm sorry, Cao,but could you please repeat that? I think that I may have heard it wrongly."

"She died in labour." So...I didn't hear it wrongly?

"and..." Cao continued hesitantly. "the child died a few hours after birth."

"That's basically it," Kris said gloomily.

"Then...if you're rich, why are you staying in my house? Don't you have your own apartment?"

Kris scratched his head and squinted one eye. "Too big,and it's boring living alone.At least being here is entertaining."

"Don't you see something very wrong in the picture here..? An unwedded teenage girl and a teenage guy who are not related to each other by blood living under one roof is bound to have some rumours coming up. In fact, the Aurora incident is one of it." I gave Kris The Eye. "So,I want you to move out and back to your apartment by the end of this month."

"Don't wanna..." Kris tilted backwards and lay on the floor with a thud. Just as I was about to ask him to sit properly and not lie on the floor, someone rapped loudly and quickly on the door .As I opened the door, I saw a panicking Mrs. Kim, Teppei's nanny, outside my door.

"Teppei...Teppei...boy...he...Teppei..." Mrs. Kim babbled, and I felt a sense of fear.

"Where's Teppei?" I asked, concerned, and Mrs. Kim started crying.

"I'm sorry...so sorry...as I was bringing Teppei out for our usual walk at the nearby garden, a teenage boy came to talk to me and asked me about Teppei..." I tensed up. "He knows...he knows about Teppei...and then...he snatched Teppei and ran off...Called for help,but no one willing to help...I didn't bring my phone either..."

Teppei.

Teppei was kidnapped. Probably by someone I knew.

I dashed out of the house without wasting another second. Tears began to well up and my heart lurched. Teppei could be in danger, and if I had to, I would sacrifice my life for him.

Teppei is someone I must never, ever lose.

Because Teppei...

Teppei is the closest kin that I have.

1; That's the mandarin character for Father,and it is pronounced as 'ba' (similar to the pronunciation of 'bar' without the 'r' sound),with the 4^th tone (I think it's called tone).

FINALLY AN UPDATE :D

I haven't been updating recently because I was busy preparing for my exams, although I did come online to check on the account once in a while(s).

I don't know how to make this cliffhanger better.Meh.

Question for this chapter: Who do you think is the kidnapper of Teppei?

Actually, I think the answer to this question is pretty in-your-face.I'm putting my bets on Jun as the kidnapper. I haven't planned the next part of the story yet, so I don't know how will the story progress. I don't have a single clue T_T

Anyway,here are my guesses:

a) Jun

b) Chanyeol

c) New OC

d) Jovonne  (unless Jojo is secretly a cross-dresser, but it would freak me out if the story progresses and I find that Jo is really a cross-dresser.)

I don't think that there will be any teacher here reading this, but anyway, Happy Teachers' Day! LOL.

To all Singaporeans (I don't know if today is Teachers' Day for the rest of the world), happy holidays and enjoy yourselves! Don't forget to take care of yourselves!

To all taking their 'N' levels after the term break, good luck! Ganbatte! Hwaiting! 加油！

To all taking their 'O' levels this year ,let's persevere until our last paper! It's just 40+/- days,so let's just push ourselves beyond our limits so that we can graduate without regrets.

To anyone taking their major exams (or exams in general), I wish you all the best and good luck!

Take care, and I'll see you after I run across the rainbow to move on to the next chapter.

Bye! *waves* :B

-L