I fell in love with you.. Because it’s you..

Luhan took another deep breath, playing with his hands in nervous as he looks aimlessly outside from the big window frame. Gulping down the water from the glass on the table to cool down his self, Luhan felt that his heart beat faster by the times passes. Its18 degree Celsius inside the house but it wasn’t enough to cool down the hot feeling he felt inside his body.

“What’s your name, young boy?” A voice spoke up making Luhan turn his head instantly toward the direction at the middle age man who sit across him at the living room. He gulped down his own saliva for the thousand times in nervous before answering the man question before.

“Luhan. My name is Luhan.” Luhan can see the old man nod his head slightly a few times toward his answer.

“Your name is quite unique. Are you a Korean?” The man spoke again, turning all his attention to him making the boy shiver when their eyes meet. Luhan immediately turn his gaze elsewhere, afraid to meet the old man gaze.

“I’m a Chinese actually.” Luhan answered with his head down. The tension is killing him.

“Are you living here with your family?” The man questioned him again, showing no sign to stop.

“No, I’m not. My parents were both in China.” Luhan added with a small smile, trying to break the tension atmosphere. To his disappointment, the old man remains with his cold face making the boy smile disappear immediately.

“So, you’re living here alone then?” The man continued with his question.

I live with my other friends now. They were also Chinese.”

“How many sibling you got?”

“I’m the only child.”

 “What the reason for you to come here, to Korea?”

“I’m coming here to continue my study.”

“How did you know my daughter?” The last question from the man silence Luhan for a minute, wondering his thought what is the best answer to answer the question.

“I….” When he finally decided to open up his mouth to answer the question, their attention being disturbed by a sudden voice from the end of the stairs located not too far from the living room they are currently in.

“Appa!” A girl voice echoed throughout the big house. Luhan thanks in mind to her presence as he saw Chorong walk her steps lightly toward them. She wears an ocean blue mini dress with a ribbon belt hugging her slim waist matching with a hair band on her long hair. For moments, Luhan was captivated with her.

“Are you messing with my friend now?” Chorong questioned with her eyes fix to the old man before taking the empty seat beside Luhan casually. Luhan moved a bit toward her action, increasing their gap when he can felt the intense glare from the man across them right now.

“We’re just in the middle of getting to know each other process. Am I right?”Mr. Han defended while looking straight to Luhan to agreeing with his words.

“Right.” Luhan spoke with a slight nod, biting his own lips in tension.

“Park Chorong. What are you wearing right now?” The man voice makes Luhan turn his head to him before moving to the girl beside him. Their eyes meet for moments and Luhan can feel the weird feeling inside him. The effect only she can manage to do.

“Where you staring at right now, young man?” Mr. Han spoke up again, directed to him as he looks back in total confused.

“I….I just….” Luhan totally lost for any word to utter.

“Appa! What is wrong with you today? What about my dress?” Chorong cut in before him in frustration with her father sudden outburst.

“You’re asking me what is wrong with your dress? Are you kidding me? It’s too short. Go back upstairs and change into something more appropriate.” The man instructed.

“This is what I normally wear in daily life but today it’s suddenly become appropriate? You’re the one kidding me right now.” Chorong protested, rounding her eyes in anger. Meanwhile, Luhan remain silence at his sit, afraid to say anything at the moment.

“You never wear it inside the house before. We’re not going anywhere. Change into something more comfortable. The one you always wear in house.”Mr. Han instructed again with more firm voice.

“Is that wrong to wear it sometimes, inside the house?” Being the stubborn one, Chorong still doesn’t want to lose to him.

“Don’t try to start with me right now. Do as I said.” He said again after calming himself down.

“I’m starting it? It’s you who start this.”

“Park Chorong. Upstairs and change. Now.” The old man directed for the last time.

“No!” Chorong replied with the most firm tone Luhan ever heard from her.

“You should change. Besides, it’s look too formal to me. We’re just having dinner, right.” Luhan finally spoke up after gathering his courage, cannot bear to see the two fights endlessly. Both of them turned their attention toward him, completely forget about his existence here for the moment.

Chorong look deeply into Luhan eyes with indescribable expression as if she’s trying to find something inside it for a few minutes before she finally turn her head.

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” Chorong stated, returned to her usual bubbly tone of voice while walking toward the stairs leaving both Luhan and the old in shocked.

“She is my daughter yet just one sentence from you, she immediately agree.” He commented making Luhan completely lost for any word to reply him back.

++*****+++*******++

The three of them were in the middle of having dinner after Chorong finally come back from changing her clothes. She is now just wearing an extra big green t-shirt and a short pant after 30 minutes of arguing with her father which resulted in more than 4 times of changing clothes.

Luhan sit uncomfortably at the dining table with Chorong beside him. Meanwhile, Chorong father took the seat at one end of the table. Somehow, he can still feel the tense atmosphere from before. Luhan aimless mind return back to reality when he felt something being put inside his dining plate. He look down to his plate then switch it to face the smiling Chorong.

“I know you like meat. Eat a lot.” Chorong said happily, showing her white teeth.

“Tha.. thanks..” Luhan replied hesitantly when he felt the glare from the man sitting at the end of the table toward them. Chorong didn’t seem to notice the tense growing between the two man as she keep pouring Luhan plate with any food she can grab on the table.

“What about me?” Mr. Han asked upon saw his daughter action.

“It’s right in front of you. Take it yourself.” Chorong replied mindlessly without even bother to turn her head to him making the old man pouted in disappointment. Luhan cannot help but to let out a small chuckle seeing the man reaction. It’s amusing him to see an old man trying his best to get his daughter attention, meanwhile, the daughter doesn’t seem to notice anything at all.

“Is it my birthday or him?” Mr. Han questioned again, not satisfy with her reaction. With that, Chorong finally turned her head to face her father.

“If you’re going to keep being like this, I’m going to run away from home and move in with him then.” Chorong threated the old man without any single playfulness on her face as if she stated the truth making Luhan choked on his food.

“She is joking.” Luhan managed to utter the word after gulping down the whole water from his glass, shock with her sudden outburst. Luhan already feel that there is a big hole on his body from the man intense stare toward him.

“Eat up.” With those words from Mr. Han mouth, they continue eating up with the most awkward feeling Luhan had ever feel on his life. He pray in mind so the dinner time will come to an end quickly or he will definitely die at the end of the day.

++*****+++*******++

“Appa! Happy birthday!” Chorong announced happily, hugging the man tightly on her embrace making the old man smiling happily when they settle down on the living room once again after dinner. This is the first time of the day Luhan saw the two of them at one place without having to fight each other.

“Thank you so much, my dear sweetheart.” Mr. Han replied happily, kissing the girl forehead lovingly while his hands steadily hugging the girl. Chorong just let the man action while she is too, enjoying the feeling right now.

Luhan lips curled upwards seeing the scene in front on him, making his mind wonders around remembering his parents that is far away from him for the moment. He himself cannot remember the last time he got the chance to hug his parent like she did right now.

“By the way, this is your present.” Chorong said, handing a small rectangular box of present to her father. Mr. Han gladly receive the present as he hurriedly tries to open the wrapping, revealing a red box inside it. He opens the box and finally, his eyes were greeted with a black luxurious pen.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you, sweetheart.” Mr. Han thanks with his whole heart.

“It is, isn’t it? Luhan choose it for you.” Chorong declared beaming with happiness. Luhan smile a bit, scratching the back of him neck hearing him name being mention. To their surprise, the old man wide smile before died in an instant. Luhan mentally slapped himself, removing the smile from his lips.

“On second look, it wasn’t that fancy.” Mr. Han commented bluntly making the girl yell in irritation.

“Appa!”

“Okay. Okay. It’s pretty. Thank you too, Luhan.”Mr. Han thanked him half heartily, trying to play nice in front of his daughter.

“It’s nothing, sir.” Luhan replied cautiously, afraid to get another glare from the man.

“Uncle.” The two men turned their head to Chorong, hearing her word.

“You should call him uncle. Right, appa?” Chorong continued spoke to Luhan before titling her head a bit with those glittering innocent eyes toward her father.

“We’re not that close….. yet.” Mr. Han tried to avoid the topic she brings up. Chorong face immediately turns back to serious mode. Her intense glare was getting a murderous aura making the old man gulped down in nervousness. If the two fathers and daughter were having a glare competition, Chorong will win it for sure as Luhan can see now that the old man also in the state of nervous from his daughter dead glares.

“Then, should he call you father-in law then?” Chorong commented, still wearing her murderous face.

“Uncle sound good to me.”Mr. Han surrender, cannot bear the intense glare from his daughter anymore with a slight nod and one awkward smile. Luhan too is faking a smile to avoid the tense situation.

Without realize the times passes, they had been chatting for almost 2 hours as Luhan learn many new things about Chorong, especially with her father. He learns the new side of her today. The side of being a daughter to someone, Chorong can be quite childish and stubborn at times. It’s slightly different from when she was with him but Luhan still like it. Luhan know, he can cheat on his own heart. He likes her, whatever she is. 

“It’s getting late. I should get going now.” Luhan announced finally, looking at the clock hanging high on the wall. It’s almost past midnight to his surprise as he can’t really felt the time that passes by.

“Are you leaving?” Chorong asked, pouting her lips in disappointment.

“It’s late. He should get back home now.” Mr. Han added, trying to pursue his daughter to let him go when he himself finally realize the time.

“I’ll get an extra jacket for you to wear on your way back home.” Chorong stated before stood up from her sit, heading toward the stairs leaving them behind. There were few moments of silence between them when finally Mr. Han spoke up.

“She is childish, isn’t she?” He asked with his eyes still on the stairs like he still can see his daughter that disappears into one of the room upstairs.

“Sometimes, but that is what I like about her. Her stubbornness yet childish acts.” Luhan replied back, pouring his most honest thought mindlessly. He bit his lower lips in embarrassment with what he just said before when he realize he just said those words out loud when he only intend to keep it in his mind only. To his surprise, a loud hearty laugh caught his ears. He look up in surprise.

“My baby is too cute to grown up.” Mr. Han added, wiping the tears of happiness from the corner of his eyes. Luhan felt his mouth hanging open seeing the scene. This is the first time today he saw the man in front of him laughing his heart out earnestly.

“Take good care of her.” Mr. Han words make Luhan switch his attention toward him in shocked.

“Don’t get us wrong. We’re just friend.”Luhan mouth tried to defense but his heart said otherwise. He can feel his rapid heartbeat from the man words.

“I’ve live long enough to know what is the real relation between a boy and a girl just by looking on it. You can’t lie to me.” The man continued, cutting all the boy excuse.

“Luhan. Thank you.I owe you a lot.” Luhan knitted his eyebrows together in curiosity toward the man sentence.

“She keeps smiling nowadays, more than the past 18 years of her life that I remember.”

“Chorong never was a bubbly girl since her childhood day, not even when her birth parents still alive.Her smiles disappear completely when they were dead in a car accident. It took me so many years to put back a smile on her face, but it’s not the genuine one. I don’t even remember when she starts to learn to fake a smile to hide her true feeling from other people, even to me. But thanks to you, I get to see those brightest smiles of her once again.” Mr. Han finished with a smile, remembering back the memories of his daughter from before.

“I… don’t know she was having a hard time growing up.” Luhan managed to say after some times of silence, shock with what he just heard. Not even in million years he would imagine a bright and bubbly girl he met a few months ago is actually having a real hard time growing up. Never once, she showed it up to him. 

“I hope it won’t change your feeling toward her after you hear all of these things.” Mr. Han fake a smile with his own comment.

“I won’t.” Luhan replied almost immediately, assuring the old man his promise.

“I know you won’t. I trust you. Take care of her as much as I do.”

++*****+++*******++