Knock... Knock... Knock...

'Come in' Eric responded.

Eric could see his mum peeked inside his room while smiling mischievously. 

'What do you want mum? I know that look' Eric said and continued reading.

'Well...'

She took a deep breath and told Eric something he never expected, 'Jimin is coming here and I want you to bring her on a date' 

Eric stopped reading and looked at his mum horrified, 'What?! You can't just barge in and tell me last minute notice'

'I am your mother and I have the right to do so. So, get change and meet me downstairs' 

'No thanks. I'll pass' Eric shrugged his shoulder.

'ERIC MUN!! Don't you dare humiliate me! Come down or else...' his mum yelled and banged the door loudly.

Eric threw his book onto the fall furiously. Luckily, he still had some respect for his parents. So he dragged himself to get ready. Luckily, he had already take a good look at Jimin's picture because his mum showed it to him a few days ago.

(Flashback)

'Eric!' 

His mum called from the living room when she saw her son came back home.

'Yes?' he looked at where his mum at.

'Come here' she waved her hand.

'What?'  

'Come and sit beside me' his mum pulled his hand.

'I want to show you a picture' she said excitedly.

There was a picture of a girl in her early 20s. Pretty but wears a lot of makeup that covered her natural beauty. 

Brown wavy hair that is beautiful when it was shone under the sunlight.

Round eyes due to the contact lens.

Thick red lips that looks very kissable.

Fair skin that you know she managed well.

A nice body figure who went for a diet. 

For a second glimpse, Eric knew what type of girl she is because he encountered many girls like her. For a reason somehow, above all the characteristics that Jimin had, she cannot beat the one person called Shin Hyesung.

Milky soft skin like a newborn baby.

Pouted lips that look cute especially when he sulks.

Innocence look that would make you protect him.

'So?' Eric asked when his thoughts were cut off.

'So... Don't you think she's perfect for you?' Mrs Mun smiled brightly.

'The one who is going to be perfect for me is the one who I choose to love. And definitely not her'

'You are going to learn to love her!' Mrs Mun groaned in anger and stomped her feet to her room. 

She didn't know how to handle her 'stubborn' son.

(Reality)

As expected, Jimin was already waiting for him. She smiled sweetly at Eric but he just ignored her. He didn't have the time and the mood to entertain her that day.

'Hello, my name is Jung Jimin. Nice to meet you! Please take care of me' she introduced herself to Eric as they haven't met each other.

'Eric' he replied shortly. His mum who was there gave a light pinch on his arm.

Eric shrugged his shoulder and went to the kitchen to grab some drinks.

'Jimin-ah, I'm sorry for his behaviour. He is just tired of working late last night' she lied when actually Eric came home very early.

When Eric came back, his mum hurriedly said in a very sweet tone, 'Today, Eric will bring you wherever you want to go. He will treats you like a royal princess'

No way.

'Hehe, alright' she giggled softly.

'Have fun, you guys!' Mrs Mun said excitedly.

'Will do, aunty' Jimin said politely.

'Take a good care of her, Eric' she said but Eric knew, behind those words were threats.

Like I care.

They both went to the basement, to Eric's car. Jimin expected Eric to open the door for her as a common courtesy but he didn't. Instead, he went inside the car before saying,

'Get in'

Jimin was flustered by his action but still managed to keep her posture.

'Where do you want to go?' Eric asked after they got out from his house.

'Anywhere that you want, oppa' 

'Just pick one, will you. You were the one who wanted to go out' he rolled his eyes.

'Let's go to Apgujeong then!' she said happily.

Eric didn't reply as he drove them to the destination. 

'What do you want to do here?' Eric asked as soon as they arrived.

'Hmm, shopping?' Jimin blinked her eyes cutely.

Eric scoffed silently and muttered, 'As expected'

'Let's go here!'

'This shop is having sale!'

'It's been awhile since I've been here!'

Jimin literally went into every shop that they passed by. Within 2 hours, she shopped with 10 bags full in her hands. No, wait. In Eric's hands. She shopped at LV, Fendi, Guess, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Dior, Versace, Armani, Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, Chanel and Gucci. 

Luckily this girl is filthy rich. If not, I will be broke within a week!

As they were walking, Eric noticed a familiar figure in front of a bakery shop. His mood increased rapidly when he saw Hyesung. He leave Jimin to walk alone and walked towards the guy.

'Hyesungie!' Eric called happily.

Hyesung's eyes widen when he saw Eric waving at him.

'Eric-ah!' Hyesung waved excitedly.

'What are you doing here?' 

'I want to buy a cake for mum because mum loves cake. But...' 

Towards the end of the sentence, he sighed.

'But?' Eric tried to make him finished his sentence.

'I don't know what mum likes' he pouted sadly.

Before Eric could replied him, Jimin appeared.

'Oppa, where did you go?' she sulked when she realised she was walking alone.

When Jimin saw Hyesung, her expression changed completely. Hyesung who could sense a dark aura from her quickly hid behind Eric.

'Nowhere. Have you done your shopping yet?'

'Who is that, oppa?' she pointed at the scared Hyesung as she changed the topic.

'Oh, this is Hyesung. Hyesungie, meet Jimin' Eric reluctantly introduced themselves.

'Hi, my name is Jimin. I am Eric oppa's fiancé' she said with a fake smile and handed out her hand to shook Hyesung's hand.

Eric's eyes widen.

Since when did I say I'm going to marry you?!

Hyesung slowly reached out his hands and shook it. But he pulled away immediately when she squeezed his hands, not too tight, not too gentle. But that didn't go unnoticed by Eric.

'What is... Fiancé?' Hyesung blinked his eyes when he looked at Eric.

'Well, fiancé is...' Jimin started explaining.

'Nothing. Don't bother about it, Hyesung' Eric immediately cut her off.

He then looked at Jimin and said, 'You're done with your shopping right? I'll call Tom now and tell him to send you back home' 

'Where do you want to go, oppa?' 

'Somewhere' Eric didn't look at her, instead he stared at Hyesung when the younger guy nibbled his shirt.

'But we came here together... You cannot leave me alone with your driver... What would your mum said...' she started whining and it made Eric annoyed.

'You came... With Eric?' Hyesung suddenly asked.

'Yeah. Is there anything wrong about it?' Jimin's tone changed into a y one.

Hyesung tugged Eric's shirt softly and said, 'You should go with Jimin... You can't leave her alone... That's bad... Don't be a bad person, Eric-ah' 

'But then, you'll be alone' Eric's turn to whine.

'But I came here alone... So, it's fine... Plus, I have the beeper' Hyesung showed him the beeper that he always used.

'Fine then... But, I'll call your mum later just to make sure you're okay' 

Hyesung nodded and pinky promise with him.

'Stay safe... Always walk in crowded places... And...'

Eric wanted Hyesung to finish his sentence.

'And don't talk to strangers... If they tried to talk, run as fast as possible'

Eric smiled and ruffled his hair, 'Good boy' 

Jimin who was seeing the scene stunned because that was the first time she saw Eric genuinely smiling. After they bid their goodbyes, Eric started walking to the parking lot. And Jimin, on the other hand couldn't help but to feel curious.

'Who is that guy, oppa?' 

'Hyesung'

'How did you know him?'

'Can't remember' he lied obviously.

'He looks different. Is he okay?' 

Eric halted his steps and looked at Jimin with a slight anger. But when he thought about it, he didn't have the time to make her understand because he doubt she will. So, he just continued walking. 

'He is normal. Like us'

During the time on the road, they didn't talk. Only Jimin talked. Eric sent her at her house. When Jimin invited him to stay for dinner, he declined.

'Wae, oppa?'

'I'm just tired'

Luckily Jimin wasn't so stubborn to ask. She just smiled and walked inside her house.

(Eric's house)

'I'm home' Eric said even though he knew the people in the house won't respond.

As he was walking up the stairs, he heard a loud voice.

'Uncle!!' 

When he turned around, he grinned widely.

'DAEHAN!' he greeted happily and hugged his nephew.

'Long time no see, uncle!' Daehan said. 

Daehan is the only child of his sister and this year, he was 10 years old. A hyper but a nice kid.

'What are you doing here? Where's your parents?' he looked around to find her sister and brother-in-law.

'Mum and dad just wanted to visit. They are in the living room' 

Must be about Jimin and I.

Eric let out a silent sigh.

'Oh, alright. Play in the playroom ok? Uncle needs to go take shower' he ruffled Daehan's hair.

After taking a shower, Eric was contemplating whether he should just went to bed or see his parents. But thinking about his sister made him go. It's been a long time since he last saw her. Same goes to his brother-in-law even though they worked in the same company.

'Hey, sis' 

Eric greeted when he walked into the living room. He kissed her sister on her cheeks and shook hands with his brother-in-law. Then, he slumped himself in between them. The relationship between him and her sister's family is really close and he really acted like a 5 years old kid when he was with them.

'Yah, sit somewhere else!' his brother tried to push him away.

'No, I want to sit with my sister' he protruded his tongue and hugged his sister tightly.

His sister and brother could just chuckled at his attitude. How can this guy be 27?!

'Anyway, what are you guys doing here?' Eric asked even though he could guess.

'Mum and dad asked us to come' she said.

The three of them looked at Mr and Mrs Mun.

'We want to talk about your engagement day. You have met her just now and I'm sure that you find her attractive' Mrs Mun stated.

'We talked about this and the answer will be the same. No! I'm not going to spend the rest of my lives with someone who doesn't match with me' he protested.

'I don't care! I have set up a date for your engagement party. No buts, Eric' she hissed.

'Or do you have another person in mind?' Eric's dad asked.

To love someone is not in mind. But in heart.

Eric kept quiet as he himself didn't know, but later he shook his head slowly.

'Good then! No more excuses, Eric Mun! You'll know what happened if you disobeyed us' she threatened.

Eric clenched his fist tightly and both his brother and sister noticed it. His sister put her hand onto his, hoping that he would calm down a bit. When Eric looked at her, she smiled as if she was giving her full support.

'Whatever' Eric hissed under his breath and walked out from the living room.

'That brother of yours!' Eric's mum sighed in frustration.

'You cannot always force him, mum. He needs his own life too' Erica said cautiously.

'Erica, don't tell me what to do. It's for his own good' his mum responded.

Erica just sighed and walked out too to find her beloved brother. As expected, Eric was at the garden sitting on the swings.

'Hey there' she said softly.

'Oh, hey' Eric smiled weakly.

'You know, she might not be serious about it' 

'Ha ha, very funny' Eric said mockingly.

Erica sighed, 'You're right. Who am I kidding? It's mum we're talking about'

'Glad that you had your brain wire fixed' he said sarcastically.

'Yah!' Erica punched his brother's shoulder lightly.

'I met her once and she seemed nice'

'She is. But she's just not my type' Eric shrugged his shoulder.

'What part of her that made you not like her?' 

'It's not what part. I just don't see the future of us being and growing old together' Eric explained.

'If mum still insists, just marry her and get a damn divorce!' 

'Ha ha, you think that getting a divorce would be easy. I think that mum and dad would burn me alive. Not just that, they will bury my dead body into a 300 metres hole' 

Erica didn't know what to reply because what Eric said was correct.

'I wish I could have your life, sis' Eric sighed in jealousy.

'I'm sure that you'll have it one day' she said quietly.

Suddenly, Erica snapped her fingers and said, 'Speaking of which, do you have a girlfriend?'

Eric shook his head.

'Hmm, boyfriend?'

Eric's eyes widen and he looked at Erica in disbelief.

Hyesung.

At that point, he somehow thought about Hyesung but he quickly shook his head vigorously.

'Just because I'm friends with Minwoo, doesn't mean I'm like him' 

Erica laughed out loud.

'But you seem a lot happier these days. Even Jake said so' Erica commented.

'Really? But I feel the same' Eric shrugged his shoulder.

As they were walking back inside the house, Eric received a call and when he saw the caller ID, he quickly picked up.

'Excuse me, sis' Eric said before picking up.

'Hello, aunty. What's wrong? Is everything okay?' Eric bombarded her with questions.

Mrs Shin chuckled, 'Nothing's wrong, everything is fine. You really shouldn't be too surprised when I call, you know' 

'It's not that. It's just unusual. Usually, I would be calling first' he sighed in relieved.

'Okay, I understand. It's just that Hyesung wants to talk to you. He said that he met you with a beautiful lady just now' 

This brat! Calling other people beautiful, beautiful. Didn't he know that he's beautiful too?

'Okay, pass him on the line please'

While Mrs Shin called Hyesung, Eric whispered at her sister, 'I'm going to bed now. Goodnight' 

'Nightt' she kissed his cheeks.

'Eric-ah!' Hyesung said loudly.

'Woah, you don't have to shout, you know' Eric chuckled.

'Oh, I'm sorry' he said apologetically.

'Nah, it's fine. I'm not deaf yet. Anyway, what is it that you want to tell me?'

'Guess what cake I bought just now?!' he said excitedly.

'Hmm, I don't know. How about you tell me?' 

Little did Eric noticed, Erica was keep staring at his brother who was now laughing and joking with whoever he was on the phone with. His mood seemed to change 360 degree. And it was her first time seeing Eric so happy even when he was on the phone.

'I guess that you do have someone in heart, baby brother' she muttered to herself while smiling gladly.

'How can you be so happy all the time, Hyesungie?' Eric blurted out while he was on the phone with Hyesung.

'Why, Eric-ah? Are you feeling sad?' Hyesung asked with concerned.

'A bit' he nodded although he cannot see him.

'Mum said there's no time for us to be sad because there are other things we can so to make ourselves happy' he explained.

Eric was stunned because Hyesung just said those words with maturity.

'And mum would sing me a song whenever I'm feeling sad... Eric-ah... Do you want me to sing you a song?' he offered.

'Yes, please'

'Okay, okay! Listen carefully! This is my favourite song' Hyesung said excitedly.

'And, darling, I will be loving you 'til we're 70
And, baby, my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Well, me—I fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am

So honey now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart
I'm thinking out loud
That maybe we found love right where we are'

Hyesung was singing Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran and Eric wouldn't lie if he said he didn't expect Hyesung to sing like that. He was mind blown! Hyesung's voice was too good to be true and to be honest, he is talented. Specially talented.

'Are you still feeling sad, Eric-ah?' Hyesung asked after he stopped singing.

'No, Hyesungie. I feel so much better. Thank you' Eric said with his husky voice.

'Good that you don't feel sad anymore' Hyesung said and started to yawn.

'Guess that my Hyesungie is already sleepy. Go to bed now, I'll see you tomorrow'

Hyesung yawned one more time before saying, 'Okay, goodnight Eric'

'Goodnight, Hyesungie' 

Eric only hung up after Hyesung fall asleep. It was a habit of Hyesung to not end the call and so, it had become Eric's job to end it.