It was a three-story high mansion. The backyard is huge! The area consists of a golf course and there’s even a stable and a big field, leading right to the forest! There are nine bedrooms in the entire house, each floor having three rooms. Then there’s Pepsi, her very cute German shepherd dog. There’s also a swimming pool, and they have a limousine!

“Wow,” Dae Sung remarked once they entered the house and Pepsi the dog kept jumping on them, barking excitedly. It was all the usually-talkative guy could say. He, for once, was rendered speechless. He was really stunned. The walls were painted white, and there were two staircases leading up to the first floor. The floor was marble gold, like those really fancy houses.

TOP turned to Lia. “I don’t remember you saying you are rich.”

She shrugged. “I’m not; my parents are. My dad works as the Chief Police Officer and my mom is a lawyer. They earn a lot.” She gave them all weird looks as they were still gaping around. “Why are you guys all gaping like total monkeys? Don’t you go to parties at places like this all the time?” She waved her hand around.

“Yeah, but this isn’t a mansion, it’s a . . .” Tae Yang struggled for the right word.

“Bungalow?” Seung Ri supplied. He shook his head. “No, even that doesn’t describe this house.”

“It’s like a palace,” TOP said, “Although, in reality, it’d be the entire estate area.”

Ji Yong could see Lia was uncomfortable. “It’s just a mansion,” he said. “There are plenty of other people who are way far off than her. Stop acting like idiots already.”

Lia shot him a grateful look as the others all apologized. She rushed up to her room to clear any embarrassing things lying around. Luckily there wasn’t much. She sighed a breath of relief as the guys walked inside her room.

Ji Yong scanned the room and smiled. Her walls were painted light purple, her bed, carpet and windows were purple too. There was a walk-in cupboard on the right and the toilet door on the left. Her dressing table sat next to her window and her bed was near the toilet. It was a typical Lia room.

“Nice room you have,” he said. He went to a wall and looked at it. His friends followed behind.

There were pictures hanging on her wall. They were mainly pictures of her and Mark Wedloe, her cousin. There were lots of pictures of them: their eighth birthday; the two of them hugging each other at the beach; a picture of them acting like ninjas; another picture of them talking to each other in the hammock outside in Mark’s backyard, playing with a Labrador. There were a couple of pictures of them swimming by the lake, a jump-shot of them jumping into the late. Then there was a group picture outing of NMD and the Four Seasons at the park, having a picnic with their friends. Their failed attempt of doing cartwheels on the grassy field not to mention their fifteenth birthday bash. There were only a couple of pictures of the Four Seasons.

“How come there are no pictures of us up on your wall?” Dae Sung joked, back to his usual happy and joking self.

“Hey, you guys never gave me the pictures you took when I was in Korea,” she replied. “Maybe if you had them developed instead of posting up on Facebook, I can put them up on my wall.”

“Then come back with us to Korea.” As soon as those words left Ji Yong’s mouth, he wished he hadn’t said them.

Lia’s face turned stone as an awkward silence fell over the room. She looked out of her curtains. TOP went up to her, wrapping his arms around his little sister and murmured something to her. She just shook her head and her shoulders began to shake.

She was crying.

Ji Yong felt bad. “Ah . . .” He felt someone tugging on his shirt and he turned to see Tae Yang next to him.

“Let’s go downstairs,” he murmured. “Let them talk.”

Ji Yong nodded and he along with Dae Sung, Tae Yang and Seung Ri exited the room, leaving the siblings with some privacy.

“Mei, I know how you feel,” TOP said to his sister once they were alone. “But always remember this: you have the freedom to choose.”

“It’s so hard,” she sobbed.

“Shhh.” TOP caressed her hair gently. He pulled her close into a tight embrace. “I know it’s hard, baby. It’s okay. I’m here. I love you. I’m here.”

Lia suddenly went silent. In fact, she was silent for so long that TOP was scared that she had fainted or something. He was about to do something when he felt her grip on his jacket tightened and she pressed her head closer to his chest.

He hugged her even tighter, crushing her to him. “Jun Mei . . .”

“Oppa, don’t leave me.”

“Then come back with us,” he said. He didn’t want to say that, but he knew that deep down Lia really wants to go back. “I’ll ask your parents if you can. I’ll do whatever it takes to take you back with me.”

Lia pulled back, placing her hand on his chest. TOP looked at her worriedly. She didn’t know what to say. She looked at him, her eyes brimmed with tears.

He untangled himself and stood up. “I’ll bring Ji Yong in here.” He kissed her forehead gently before walking out downstairs to the living room where everyone was admiring the piano. Well, almost everyone. Ji Yong had his face buried in his hands, sitting on the couch.

“Ji Yong, she wants to see you,” TOP said and Ji Yong looked up.

He nodded and sprinted his way up the stairs two-by-two until the others could hear the closed door indicating that he was inside her room.

“How is she?” Tae Yang asked TOP.

TOP sighed, sitting down. But then he smiled. “I think it’s going to be a piece of cake,” he told them.

The others grinned.

Meanwhile, upstairs, the moment Ji Yong clicked the door shut; Lia looked up from where she was sitting on her bed with a pillow in her lap. She crumbled again and he was at her sight in no time. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, starting with a soft kiss but it grew into something deeper.

She closed her eyes and kissed him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck as one of his hands slid down to her waist to pull her closer.

He guided her gently down on the bed and soon he was on top of her, careful not to put his full bodyweight on her. His lips left hers as they trailed down to her neck. His hands began to wander around but she quickly pulled to a halt. She pushed him away gently and sat up straight.

“No, Ji Oppa, we can’t do that,” she said. “I’m not ready.”

“Ugh. You’re driving me crazy, Lia,” he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her on the neck again.

“Mmm,” she moaned contently. But then she gathered her thoughts. She pushed him away again. “Ji Oppa,” she said a little bit sharply.

He stopped, feeling a little hurt. “Sorry.”

Lia sneaked a peek at him and saw the hurt expression on his face. She cupped his face and kissed him softly. “I’m sorry,” she said.

He just hugged her and they both leaned back on her bed. Lia snuggled close to him, loving the feel of his arms around her. She closed her eyes.

She’d decided.

Wooooweeeee!” Seung Ri cried out once the plane took off, waving his hands up high in the air.

Tae Yang shook his head and noogied him. “You’re such a dork.”

“Yah! I’m the cute dork!”

TOP rolled his eyes. “Why do you always say that you’re cute?” he asked. “I’m cuter than you yet you don’t see me saying I am.”

“Yeaaaahhhh!!!!!!!!” Dae Sung suddenly hollered.

Tae Yang and TOP just shook their heads. It is going to be a long journey back to Korea with those two idiots, especially since they were on their own private plane.

While Seung Ri and Dae Sung were acting crazy, up in the front seats row, Ji Yong and Lia were sleeping peacefully in each other’s arms. Lia was leaning on Ji Yong’s chest. He had his arms around her as if he’s trying to protect her from the bad things.

“They look so sweet together, don’t they?” Tae Yang said, looking at the two of them.

Seung Ri turned to TOP. “Aren’t you worried? Isn’t hyung too old for her?” he asked him. “They are five years apart.”

TOP shrugged. “Age doesn’t matter when it comes to love, although I do get worried. But as long as he doesn’t hurt her, it’s fine. At this rate, I have a feeling that he really cares about her a lot. I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up together officially.”

“Do you know if they had done it yet?”

He shook his head. “Jun Mei told me that’s not how her relationship with him is like. She told me she’s not going to do it until marriage and I believe her.”

Seung Ri wanted to ask more questions but he didn’t because he was scared that someone might suspect his real feelings.

It was a long ride so eventually the others fell asleep. However, when they were asleep, Ji Yong and Lia woke up. They were surprised because they had expected the others to be up, joking around and making noise.

They exchanged glances and shrugged. Ji Yong smiled and leaned forward to kiss her sweetly.

“I’m so glad I came,” Lia said happily. She snuggled comfortably in his arms.

He tightened his grip on her. “Same here,” he said huskily, nuzzling her ear. He left a trail of kisses on her neck. The kisses sent a tingling chill down her spine. “Mmm?”

She giggled, looking up at him, grinning. He smiled back and gave her a peck on the lips.

I love you. The words came to Lia’s mind when she looked into those gorgeous brown eyes. But she was afraid to say it out loud. They were just dating, they weren’t officially together. He might freak out. What would she do if he does? She wasn’t willing to risk that.

Yet . . . her feelings for him were strong. She really dd love him in the short time she’s known him. Ji Yong made her so happy, made her feel safe when she was with him. She could be silly and crazy and it wouldn’t make him like her less. She felt she could confide in him about whatever was on her mind and he really understood her. Furthermore, just because he was a celebrity, he wasn’t stuck-up. Fame never got to his head.

That was why Lia loves him so much.