[Ren's POV]

                Kris' mother was so touching about almost everything. She absolutely doted on him. Even though she was his only parent, I envied him so much; it was one more than I ever had.

                We had managed to hold off the talk about me until the next morning after I had caught up on some sleep. Only when I woke up, Kris wasn't there with me. I managed to get out of the bed and rummage through my suitcase in search of something presentable before heading out to the kitchen.

                The house was quite small, but if it was just the two of them, it looked like it was very comfortable for them. As I walked, I noticed a lot of pictures from Kris' childhood and teenage hood. Kris mentioned that there were very little photos of him from his childhood, but it was a lot more than I expected.

                "He's handsome, isn't he?" his mother's voice appeared.

                I almost jumped out of my skin because her voice came so suddenly.

                "Oh, yes," I said, smiling. "He is."

                "Please, sit," she said, offering me a seat across her from the bench. In front of me were a plate of dumplings and hot tea. "Please eat. It's been cold. You must be hungry."

                Taking up the offer, I pulled myself a bowl and a pair of chopsticks and made way for a dumpling. It was delicious; exactly like a mother's home recipe.

                "It's really good," I said, happily.

                "Really? I'm glad you like it," she said. "Kris just went down the road to get some more rice and milk. He should be back soon. Can you cook?"

                "Not much," I admitted.

                "It's OK, I can teach you. But Yifan tells me you cook well."

                "I don't cook much though. Just basic things. I hope he hasn't told you too much."

                "Oh, he tells me everything," she said, brightly. "He spoke nothing of you over the past couple times he's called. Partially because I keep asking. But he's so happy when he talks about you. I knew that I could trust the first woman that would make him that happy."

                Suddenly, I felt a bit burdened. I had never been given this kind of hospitality in a home before. I barely had a home before going to Korea, but even then, I still hadn't made myself a home.

                "Kris tells me you never met your parents."

                Her voice was softer now. She noticed that I was beginning to look uncomfortable.

                "They died when I was young," I said. "I don't remember them. I've been in foster homes until I got into uni. Now I'm on my own."

                "And you've survived on this income as an idol?"

                "And some insurance money. It was in a trust fund for after I turned 18. Now I'm 23, so..."

                "Oh, I'm sorry. You poor thing..."

                "I'm fine now, uh..."

                I realised I hadn't asked how to address her. Since she wasn't Korean, it didn't seem right to call her mother-in-law, but she had been so nice; I wanted to treat her right.

                "You can call me 'Ma' as well," she said, softly. "You are my daughter now. And I want to you to be comfortable with me. You've made my son happy. You deserve to be taken care of."

                My body warmed up. I had never called anyone my mother before and I had never been a daughter to anyone. This was a big deal for me. This woman had only just met me, but she was opening up her whole house and home to me.

                "Oh, my dear; you shouldn't feel burdened. You've been through a lot. So has Yifan. But I knew that was something you both could talk about. That's why I know you two will work out."

                My eyes suddenly began to water.

                "My darling, what's the matter?"

                "I'm sorry," I sniffled. "It's just...I've never had a mother before. And...I just feel so sorry that...I'm sorry that I can't offer anything more to you or to Oppa. I came from nowhere and I have nothing to give."

                "My darling, Ren! You have nothing to apologize for!"

                Running around the bench, she pulled me into a hug. Luckily, she was about as tall as I was when standing up.

                "Oh, my darling. You're a fighter! That is something I will always cherish and respect. But you have to be more confident in yourself. I know you love my son; and I love him for bringing me home a daughter. There are so many things I want to show you and teach you. And if you are willing to learn, I will always be here for you. This is your home now. And it's been a long dream of mine to finally welcome you here. I've never had an opportunity to dote on a girl. Let me do that for you. Let me make you my daughter."

                I couldn't stop crying. But I managed to nod my head in acknowledge. I finally knew how it felt to be in a mother's embrace; to feel that you will always have someone there to look out for you and make sure to ease the fall whenever she can. It was a beautiful feeling.

                "I love nothing more than to be Oppa's wife but...I may have done something to betray you," I said.

                It may have been the wrong time to say it but she had been too honest with me, that I couldn't hold it in.

                "You have been nothing but loving since the moment I arrived, but I can't keep secrets for you," I said. "If you are to be my mother, I want to be honest with you."

                "Of course, but what could you have possibly done?"

                I gathered enough breath to speak clearer. "I was...I was pregnant not too long ago. But I lost it about two weeks later. Oppa was in Beijing at the time I found out."

                Her face suddenly went pale. "He never told me about this."

                "No one else was meant to know," I said. "If word got out, we'd be ruined!"

                "Of course, of course, I understand that but...are you OK? What happened?"

                "I'm fine now but...I don't know what happened. But I promise you, I didn't do it on purpose. In fact, if anything, I would've...!"

                "My darling, I'm not angry! I'm worried! We can't help these things. But as long as you're all right now..."

                "You're not angry?"

                "Of course not. Since I can't have another child myself, I'm more than happy to have a grandchild. You just need to take of yourself and raise a good child. But my darling, you never need to feel ashamed to tell me anything. I love you for who you are and the person you've made my son become. My darling daughter..."

                Falling into pitiful tears again, I rested my head on her shoulders, completely oblivious to Kris who had finally made it back with a bag of rice at his feet. He just smiled warmly.

Since it's been ages since my last update...DOUBLE UPDATE!!
And i'm so sorry for the delay but it's been hectic and i should've known better than to start another story whilst still in the middle of one ><"
anyway, the bigger is upcoming soon ^^ i'll work on it more thoroughly though, so it may be another while before another update =(
but i hope this was adequate xP