You slept with difficulty that night because you were on foreign bed in a foreign place.  You had to admit though; the bed was super comfortable than the creaky one you had back in your old home.

Your new room was quaint little room that actually had light that didn’t flicker every 5 minutes.  And on top of that, you actually had your own mold-free bathroom.

Your stepfather owned a middle-class house; it wasn't that big or small.  It was just perfect for a small family to live in.

You knew that you had to feel happy and grateful to your stepfather for giving you and your mother a great place to live in, but stubbornness was one of your strong traits.

You are one ungrateful idiot, Yoon Rayi.

The next day, you woke up quite early in the morning.  Walking groggily to your bathroom, you were kind of taken aback by how clean it was.

Right.  I’m in a new house now.  Get your facts straight. You told yourself as you went cleaned yourself up.

You got changed into a fresh set of clothes and walked down the stairs only to see an amazing sight; your mother cooking breakfast at 8 in the morning.  Your mother never cooked breakfast, let alone at 8 am.

“Mom?” You called out in confusion as you walked over to her.  She was humming a tune until she turned to look back at you.

“Oh, Rayi.  Did you sleep well last night?  I’m sure you did.” You mother answered her own question, as she scooped out a spoonful of rice into a bowl.

You ignored her comment as you stared at the food she handling which actually looked appetizing right now.  Your mother seemed to notice you looking at the food, and she laughed a bit.

“Just go and sit.  I’ll bring you your breakfast.”  Your mother said.  You listened to her as you took a seat down at the table.

You were still staring at your mother while she was frying an egg.  This scene wasn’t so foreign to you when your father was still alive.  You remembered as a little child how you would also stick to your mother’s side whenever she cooked, only because you knew she would sneak you bites every now and then.  Now, those were just memories that you wanted to erase.

Your mother walked over to you and placed your breakfast in front of you.  You eyed your breakfast and then turned to look at your mother. 

“Sunny-side up eggs?” You said aloud.

“What?  It’s not as if I’ll forget how my daughter likes her eggs.” Your mother retorted as she walked over to the sink.

You looked at the sunny-side up eggs with a soft smile on your lips.  Thanks mom.

As you started eating your breakfast, you noticed how your stepfather hadn’t even came down the stairs yet.  “Where’s Mr. Kwon?” You asked.

Your mother, who was now wiping the counters clean, gave you a funny look.  “You never ask about Jungwoo.  Why would you want to know?”

You just shrugged your shoulders and replied, “Just curious.”

Your mother still continued to give you a strange look as she answered, “Well he had work early this morning at 7, so he already left.”

You just nodded your head in response as you bit into your fried egg.

Your mother started packing some kimchi into a container until she let out a noise as if she remembered something.  “Ah!  Yes, you are going to be starting school next week.  Jungwoo already paid for your school bills and bought your uniform and school textbooks.  It should be arriving by tomorrow.”

You groaned at the thought of school.  Your mother shot you a glare at your behavior.  “You are going to school, even if I have to throw you out of this house with my bare hands.”

“Besides, you are getting free education because of Jungwoo.  You should start opening up to the fact that he is your father now.” You mother continued with a hand on her hip.

“He is not my father.  I have no father.” You declared as you stood up from your seat.  “I’m going out for some air.” You muttered as you took your leave.

“Omo, this girl.  Are you not going to even finish your food?!” You mother called in anger, but you just opened the front door and slammed it behind you.

Immediately, a gust of fresh air blew towards you.  You inhaled deeply and exhaled, as if you were trying to calm yourself down.

Might as well go exploring now.  You bent down to tighten your worn out Converses and headed out, not having a destination in mind.

Meanwhile, in the house just right next to yours, there was a boy looking at you from the kitchen’s window.

“Mom, did we get new neighbors?” The boy asked his mother, still looking at your back that was fading into the distance.

His mother looked up from the cookbook she was analyzing, and she peered at where her son was looking at.

“I don’t think so.  I’m pretty sure that Jungwoo-sshi is still living in that house.  It’s probably just his close relatives visiting him.” His mother guessed as she returned to her cookbook.

Close relatives, huh? Zhang Yixing thought, and he returned back to stirring the soup that was boiling on the stove.

author's note

Okay, I am super excited now that Lay has finally made his appearance.  I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far.  :)

I'm in my first year of college, which means I have tons of college assignments to complete, so I ask for your understanding if I don't update in a while.  Homework can be a pain in the but hey, at least you're learning something (not really...  xD).  

Once again, thank you guys so much for your support.  I love you all and peace out~