"  My life is like a red rose; It may be beautiful now

But the closer you get, the more I'll hurt you  "

       Standing at the edge of the couch, far across from his daughter who is in the middle of finishing her piles of homework - mathematics specifically, Ryeowook fiddles with the hem of his shirt lightly, slightly nervous. He then grasps the back of the couch, forcing the words to come out - words that he rehearsed earlier in the bathroom - but none reaches his hearing range. Feeling defeated, Ryeowook sits on the couch, trying to relax his tense body.

       Ryeohyun lifts her head only to see that her father has a small smile plasters on his face. She grins back, showing the dimple on her right cheek before carrying on with the schoolwork.

       For a moment, the designer neither moves nor speaks - just minding his own business in his little world. For what seems like an eternity for the male, except it is five minutes in real world, he manages to voice out whatever he's been thinking all day long.

       "Do you want to spend the summer break with, with...him?" Somehow, he can't vocalize the particular male's name.

       The girl asks with a full knowledge whose him her father trying to say, "Who's him? And why would you send me away?"

       "Because he deserves you like I deserve you, that's why."

       Not raising her head from the schoolwork, she plainly states. "Again, I don't know him. So why should I?"

       Ryeowook knows that his daughter wants him to say his name but he can't. He doesn't want to.

       Closing the book gently, she looks at his father. "I said that I don't know him. So, why should I?" Softly, Ryeohyun says, in English, while at the same time, standing to her feet and pacing towards the young father.

       Abruptly standing up, Ryeowook steps backward, a warning for his little girl to stop advancing towards him. Thankfully, the girl pause her steps. But, it only lasted like 30 seconds before she chases down the male around the living room.

       It should be the stronger opponent wins, right? Sadly, the male knocks over the leg of the coffee table thus, ends up flying over to the couch, face-landed. The designer groans as he turns his body to his upfront, he thinks he hurts his ankle. Great! Just Wonderful! 

       The girl smirks at the little victory. She calmly makes a way towards the injured, lying male on the couch before crawling and sitting on the latter chest.

       Perplexed, Ryeowook eyes the girl frantically, with a tinge of fear in his brown large eyes. "Where did you learn this? What are you doing?" His voice is thick with anxiety.

       "Judo," She simply answers. "Well, you won't tell me who is this him is. So, shall I make guesses?"

       "No. Get off me."

       "Why?" She whines cutely, annoying Ryeowook to no ends. "You said he deserves me like how you deserve me. Who is it? Donghae-Appa?"

       "Ryeohyun. get off me." Ryeowook says with a firm voice.

       Not budging an inch, the girl continues playing with her finger on the latter's side. "Hmm, Hankyung-Appa or Shindong-Appa? Ah, I know, Siwon-Appa, right?" The designer squirms uncomfortably when the tiny little fingers start tickling his side. "And it's impossible if it is Heechul-Appa or Kibum-Appa. So, who is left?" Ryeohyun racks her brain as if she's thinking for any possibilities.

       "Please, just...stop. I can't...breathe." The male breathlessly whimpers. How the girl easily overpowers him, he has no idea. Again, he's not going to win over the childish act with someone who barely passes half of his age.

       "I will, if you tell me who is he." She emphasizes each word one by one. Nevertheless, she stops his tickling act when she sees the flustered male, red in face. Observing the male fondly, she brushes the fringe out from his eyes.

       "Why can't you say his name? You've done it before, saying his name, once - back when you told me about him in Paris. So, why you can't saying it now? Is there any differences, now that you actually saw him few times already?"

       Shutting his eyes; the designer mutters under his breath softly, "I can't. I just...can't." Opening his eyes slowly, he asks again, with his soft voice, "So, do you want to spend the summer break with him?"

       Getting off from the male, Ryeohyun crouches down and inspects the twisted right ankle. "I'd be lying if I said I don't want to. But, I don't want to leave you here, all alone." Kissing the injured spot, she faces Ryeowook. "Can't you spend time with me too?"

       He knows where this talk leading to, he knows what his daughter is trying to trick him to. "I don't know if I can..." With a slight crack in his voice; he mumbles, "...It's hard."

       "Fine. How about we make a deal? How long you want me to spend my summer break with him?"

       "A week?"

       "It's too long. You're going to miss me like crazy. Two days." Yes, Ryeowook knows that.

       "Four." Ryeohyun sceptically stares at him. "He has a shift to take care of."

       Not believing that his beloved father is trying to coax her into something that she convinces that the male is not realizing any means behind this conversation, she settles with, "Okay, three days max. Case closed."


       So, after recovers from the twisted ankle, Ryeowook plans to visit his parents first before sending his little girl to Kyuhyun. And apparently, he does fuel-cost savings when he meets the Cho at his parents' house.

       Initially, he thought that those expensive cars outside his house are belongs to his father's friend or his relatives, as they love to come over his parents' house, to pay a visit once in a while - they said. Shrugging like this is not the first time he encounters the massive guests coming to the house, the young designer politely bows to the guest and walks straight to the kitchen without paying attention to the guests.

       Ryeohyun, who recognizes Kyuhyun's silver car, silently follows Ryeowook but she halts his step halfway to the kitchen. She can hear gasps everywhere in the living room upon seeing the designer walks heedlessly ahead.

       While the male too busy to notice that his little daughter not trailing behind him, Ryeohyun seizes the chances to walk over Kyuhyun and plops down next to him. Everyone, including Taemin is in utter confusion when the sight of the lanky male smiles affectionately towards the girl reaches their field of vision.

       Although, the young doctor seems to be nervous the moment he catches the petite's side profile, the anxiety vanishes to the thin air once he sees the beautiful smile frames the girl's face. On the other hand, Ryeowook panics when he sees Mrs. Cho is chatting animatedly with his mother while occupied with the task in hand - taking out the cookies from the oven. He blankly stares at the mothers before moving his body and gaze towards the crowds on the living room.

       Peeking over the kitchen doorstep, he discerns his grandfather's silhouette, who is sitting next to his father. Sporting the brown, long and wavy, braided hairstyle, Ryeowook recognizes the lady - Ahra noona. She has becoming prettier. Walking absentmindedly back to the kitchen, he silently sits at the kitchen counter, watching and waiting for his mother aware of his presence.

       And things are not going to stick according to the designer's plan as Mrs. Cho spots the young male first when she retreats from the cabinet where the salt and sugar is located.

       "Oh, hi young man."

       Quickly, he rises to his feet and bows to Mrs. Cho slightly, before walking over to the fridge where her mother is trying to take out the packs of ice cubes and helping her instead. The young designer then busily takes over the chores in the kitchen. After done making a drink for the guests, he efficiently walks towards the oven, takes the rest of the cookies out and places them on different small plates before moving to sink after collecting the used, dirty utensils and begin to wash them.

       Speechless, the mothers watch the young male without blinking. For a moment, the clanking sound is the only sound that emerges from the kitchen.

       While the young male hopes that the mothers will leave him alone on the kitchen, deep down he knows they're never going to let him escape unnoticed. "Done." And just like that, his mother drags him to the living room, meeting the Cho.


       By the time they had lunch, everyone already knows about the fact that the two young males had met before, so does the little girl of theirs.

       They're having a lunch at the garden. The plentiful, different delicious dishes are served on the wooden table outside, as they eat at the family garden. And everyone scatters everywhere to sit with ease but still able to chatting themselves away.

       Ryeowook chooses to stick close to his mother throughout the lunch, albeit that Mrs. Cho and Ahra try to distract him every here and there. Surely, Ahra's oldest daughter doesn't make the designer's life much easier. After finishing the meals, Ryeowook cleans the table once all the dishes have been brought back into the house. Momentarily, he seems to forget the lanky male's presence at the garden.

       Watching silently the other male hums softly, the young doctor realizes that the designer is still the old Ryeowook he married to, but more mature now. Although, the biting-lips-when-nervous habit doesn't die down, at least the designer seems more composed, more confident.

       Once done cleaning, the petite turns himself around. Despite that he is taken aback by the doctor's presence, he makes no movement to run away from the latter, instead he opts in sitting on the bench across the four-post gazebo, where Kyuhyun settles in.

       Noticing that the petite male is not flinching from him though there is some distance between them, at least the slender male confronts Kyuhyun willingly, for once.

       In actuality, the smaller male has to work on his all willpower to face the lanky male face-to-face, alone. Dreading, Ryeowook wishes that the doctor will say something because he's quite sure that he doesn't want to lead the conversation.

       Stillness wraps around the two males. Debating whether to speak or not, finally the lanky male asks tentatively, "Why?"

       A short, impactful word, and the smaller male knows precisely the question mark is regarding the summer break.

       "There's no concrete reason behind it."

       Knitting his eyebrows, Kyuhyun questions the smaller. And the language transition adds another line of frown across his face. "You've thought this before. Thoroughly, I know. You have every reason for everything you've done. So, what is it?" Kyuhyun uses his soft tone.

       Not answering, the slender male plays with the roses, ignoring Kyuhyun and his question or rather statement.

       A bit disappointed with the smaller, the lanky male paces slowly towards the slender male - as to not make the designer runs away like the last time, in front of the smaller house, the other night.

       "I think I deserve to know your not-so-concrete reason." Kyuhyun speaks with a low, serious tone of him. He's done playing nice with the smaller male.

       Shocked upon hearing the smooth velvety voice very closed to him, Ryeowook all of a sudden rises to his feet, scratching his fingers in the process. Blood trickles down on the fresh green grass but the smaller male doesn't really register the wound yet as he is trying to get away from Kyuhyun. He hates when the lanky male invades his personal space.

       Widening his eyes, Kyuhyun remains standing at the bench. He looks over Ryeowook carefully, sensing if the smaller feels any pounding around his right hand before he advances towards the smaller and grasp the blood-smeared hand lightly - washes it gently under the steady water from faucet nearby.

       Blankly staring at the red-stained, the smaller weakly opens his mouth, "I just thought you need her more than I do."

       Tensed, Kyuhyun continues cleaning the wound again and again. He then closes the faucet off before asks calmly, "Do you feel any pain?"

       Nods mildly, Ryeowook retreats his right hand from Kyuhyun's slowly. "Thanks. Can you call my father outside?"

       Stubborn Kyuhyun doesn't want to comply with such order but he has no choice when the smaller says the next word, barely audible.

       "Please."

       Standing up, Kyuhyun help the smaller rises on his feet before sitting the slender male down on a wooden chair next to the mahogany table where the dishes' are earlier.

       "Wait up here and don't fall asleep. I need you wide awake, Ryeowook. And I'm sorry."

       Fastening his pace, the young doctor request for Mr. Kim to attend the injured Ryeowook while he remains at the living room - explaining the whole situation to everyone presents.

       "I'm sorry for the cut. I didn't mean to startle him and injured him in the process." With sincerity, Kyuhyun apologies towards everyone, especially to the smaller male's grandfather.

       And everyone seems to understand the lanky male thus, they forgive him - though, they don't say it out loud. Not that it is the young doctor's fault to begin with, anyway. At some points, one of them will end up getting hurt - physically and mentally. How everyone wishes that both males don't end up getting insanely lost in the complex, intricate labyrinth with only one way out, as turning back is no longer an option.

A/N: I noticed that the font has changed, and I think I'm going to use that font till the end. I think it's better if the font is smaller. My eyes feels like it went big when reading the big-size font. . Though I don't like the different types of fonts everywhere when reading, I think I'm going to change my mind about it then. 

Enjoy reading. :) And also Happy Anniversary for Kyuhyun/ Ryeowook. I can't believe I forget to mention that. Though it's kind of late, I know every day is a day for them. Thanks to them, too for the lovely picture in SMTown Concert.