Sehun heaved a deep sigh as he swayed the door close and placed his keys on the cupboard near the door. After taking off his shoes, he went to the kitchen first reaching for the refrigerator. Pouring the glass into the water, he suddenly thought of what Haneul asked earlier before they both decided to get in.

‘Are you okay?’ she asked, her eyes were full of wonder and there is a glimpse of worry that he realized as well.

‘Yeah.’ He isn’t, honestly but why would he ever tell Haneul about it? It’s not like it would ever bother her. But he was quite surprise at how alert Haneul is noticing his current emotion despite of how oblivious she can be at times.

Sehun was known for his amazing pokerface expression. His friends always said that he is lazy at moving his face muscles and always trying to make something came out of his face but nothing really works. However, knowing his bunch of mischievous friends, they never gave up and found it fun to keep doing that to him. That does annoy him to death but he was grateful having them around sometimes. Like what Haneul has said before, they are family to him.

‘I care about you too.’ he wasn’t expecting that coming from Haneul at all but he guess Haneul is trying to be the same like how he is being to her. He didn’t really want anything back and he seriously didn’t need it for the sake of manners just because he did so. Nevertheless, that means quite something to him having her saying that.

Despite that his parents have passed away, he still has a family. Only now that when he has gotten in the university, he actually can live independently without having any of his relatives to look after him. Sehun hated the most the time when he was still in high school. Especially when he just lost his parents. He hated the feeling seeing his aunts faking about how they don’t mind taking him in when they actually don’t really sincere about having him at their house. He wanted to live by himself so bad back then but he can’t.

Until at one moment, he ran away from his aunt’s house who is an older sister to her mother and went to his grandparents house in Daegu. His grandparents were long gone but his youngest aunt live there starting when his late grandfather got sick and needed someone by his side.

After the siblings had a meeting about who should be his guardian later, his youngest aunt decided to take him in as he found that Sehun was more comfortable living here with her and she knew so well how her older sisters were like.

Sehun thought that he wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore after that. He was wrong. Now, they are making such a big fuss about some inheritance matters. This is not the first time he’s dealing with them about this but it just came out again after awhile.

He never thought of them as family. At all. He hated the most when they talked bad about her mother. How she didn’t deserve any of the inheritance from his grandparents and got into a big chaos about getting much less than she is when they are much older than she is.

Now that she’s gone, of course all of that inheritance went to him as he was the only child. And as he now has a complete responsible on those, they are trying to convince him, thinking that he was such a fool. They are the fools. Fools for money.

‘I miss my dad. I want to meet him but I can’t.’ Haneul muttered. ‘I know the reason why I wasn’t allowed to and I totally understand that he did that because he wants to make sure that I’m safe but…’ she swallowed as her voice started to crack. ‘I can’t help but feeling disappointed, you know.’

‘At least you could still see him eventually.’ He murmured to himself when that scene flashed back inside his mind. No matter what I do, I can’t still meet my parents even when I miss them. Maybe except for killing myself. He stared at the photographs of a family picture of him and his parents when they went for a winter trip at the ski resort Sehun demanded to go. That was when he was 14. The time when he would have never imagined things would turn the way it has been.

‘Sehun.’ His mom called for him when she saw her son is rushing towards the exit from the kitchen. ‘Have a breakfast before leaving, honey.’

‘I’m late.’ He answered as he was putting on his shoes.

‘At least have a bite.’ She replied, still trying to make him have his breakfast.

‘No.’ he answered shortly, not really in the mood of talking. He knew that the more he talk, there is going to be more possibility of him going to spit some angry words to his mom. He didn’t want his morning to ruin more because of that.

‘Sehun.’

‘I would have if you wake me up early. I told you I’m late for school!’ he snapped and shoved the door aside without bidding his mother goodbye.

***

‘I have dance ritual this Saturday. It would be nice if you-‘

‘Is this why you’re struggling at school lately?’ she asked, a frown plastered on her face.

‘Honey, give him a break.’ His dad asked his mom to calm down.

‘I can assure you it’s not. It’s got nothing to do with dancing. It’s just that the syllabus got harder and I have lots of things to catch up-‘

‘Maybe it’s time for you to focus more on your academics.’

‘I am. This is something I’m doing when I’m free.’ He protested his mom’s statement.

‘I don’t think so. You have to think of the future, Sehun. What are you going to do after graduated? You need to ace really well to get into the best university. I don’t think dancing is something that you want to-‘

‘If you let me, I want to.’ he cut her off.

‘I don’t think that’s the best for you-‘

‘No one knows the best for me more than I do, okay? Why are we even talking about this? All I asked is for you to come to watch my performance. You don’t even give a chance to see how am I doing and you just decided that I’m not good at it?’ he huffed. ‘It would be nice if you come. Seeing my friends having their  parents came and support and here I am all alone felt kind of , you know?’ he said lazily not really having anymore expectation coming from his parents.

Like usual when they had disagreements, he would listen at how his dad would persuaded her mom to understand the situation. His dad had the same opinion like his mom, but the way he approaches it is a total different from his mom. He’s the type who would go with a calm, mild way that you would have no idea he’s trying to do exactly what his mom is doing.

‘He’s a growing up kid. That’s completely normal for him to behave that way.’

A knock on the door before it was opened and faint steps coming in was already enough for Sehun to know that his dad came in to sort the matters out with him. He knew yet he lied on his bed facing the walls on the other side, not really intending to welcome him like he always does.

‘I heard you have a lot of girls swooning over you at school.’ His voice is getting clearer and clearer as he made steps towards his bed. ‘You lose your cool sulking around like this after having a fight with your mom, do you know that?’ a weight slumped onto his bed.

‘I’m not sulking.’ He protested as he gave in and sat up right next to his dad.

‘That’s why you stop your piano lesson?’ he asked and Sehun nodded in return. ‘I didn’t know. I thought you just want to focus on your studies.’ He muttered lowly. ‘This midnight is your mom’s birthday. So get up early tomorrow morning and make her a breakfast. Apologize to her as well. I don’t want you to ruin things when things are going good.’

‘I got that.’ Sehun answered irritatingly. ‘What are you going to do for her?’ he asked, now recovered from the anger he had earlier.

‘I’m just going to need my trained fingers and a little bit of my voice.’ His dad cleared his throat.

Sehun groaned. ‘You guys are too old to do that.’ He whined.

‘You just go to sleep and don’t be bother by it. Your mom falls head over heels for me back then when I’m on piano. Girls like that.’ His dad reasoned.

‘Would she still like that? She probably get embarrass having you doing it with me in the house.’

‘She’ll love it. Reminiscing good times are the best birthday gift.’ He protested. ‘I’ll sort the matters out with her so I can assure you, she’ll be there. We will.’ He started making his way out.

Sehun smiled widely when he heard his dad said that. ‘Abeoji.’ He stopped his dad from continuing his way out.

‘Thank you.’

‘Are you sleeping?’

It was already surprising enough to see Sehun’s name on the caller id but it’s even more surprising when he actually asked if she’s sleeping or not.

‘Not yet.’ She answered. Last time when she received a text message from an unknown number, she was just guessing that came from Sehun and saved that number under his name. But she was right. That really is his number.

‘How about you?’ Haneul asked trying to keep the conversation alive.

‘I’m stuffing in.’ he replied.

Haneul chuckled quietly. He must be eating the spicy rice cake she bought for him. ‘How was it?’ she continued.

‘I’m the one who recommended the place, why are you asking me how does it taste? It actually tastes better when it’s hot.’

‘It really does.’

‘Then probably, we should go back there again sometimes.’

‘I’d love that. Minus the bicker that we’ll be having.’ Haneul heard sounds of light laughter when she said that. She rolled herself facing the ceiling now sensing that the phone call would take quite some time.

‘I can’t promise you that we won’t be having that.’

‘Of course, I wouldn’t expect much actually.’

No reply coming from him after that. They had a silent atmosphere without any of them voicing out despite they were still on the line listening to each other’s breath. It wasn’t that awkward but Haneul felt like there was a presence accompanying her. She likes it.

‘It’s late. You should go to sleep.’ He spoke up after that utter silence. ‘I’ll leave this on for few minutes… because you said you used to listen…to-y-you know, the thing you said earlier. ‘ he said stumbling on his own words.

‘That’s alright act-‘ she stopped when she realized that Sehun was probably not on the phone anymore as there is music playing on the line instead.

She felt familiar with the song. Just until the lyrics were muttered throughout the so