Heard from the news that the chilly Autumn has officially started today. Just like how a new chapter of my life opened to me. A life I had been wishing for all this time—with a loving family, friends who accepted me, and oh well, the guy I love to top the list. 

I'm clearly having the best time of my life, I must admit. I almost have all that I needed—well it could be more than I needed, I guess. But one thing I can never change, and will never achieve is the normal high school life an average teenager like me dreams of. For one, I would probably still receive bullying in the future, minimally, of course since Kai was nice to tell them to back off, before. And second, now that I'm much more or less to say good-to-be labelled 'Kai's girl' above being friends with the popular kids, I feel like the girls who hate me will double if they find that out.

Thinking about that makes me cringe, that sometimes a part of me just can't wait to get out of Seoul High. But of course, a huge part of me don't. If only dad would change his mind about transferring me to another school then I would be glad to stay in Hell High—I mean Seoul High. But unfortunately, old man is a man of his words. He sticks to it till his hair turns gray. So, I can't oppose him. I won't be able to convince him. Anyway, I was at fault too for not saying anything to my parents. I was just too stupid that I didn't, but I don't regret it at all. If not, then he could have sued almost the whole student body for almost killing me and humiliating me—he's a lawyer, for Pete's sake. And if that happened, the school admin would probably find a way to get rid of me and trample on my family's pride. The rich gets what they want with weaker people, as much as that is bad news.

So much about my own issues. I'm so tired of it. But no matter how I tell myself to stop pondering over it, I always get back to square one and think of it again when I'm not distracted at all, just like now.

I sat on the chair in front of the piano—which my parents bought me when I started middle school and told them how I wantend to attend a Performing Arts college in the future to pursue music. They felt extremely elated then for me, maybe because I finally decided on a path after being so indecisive in my younger days. I was pretty much a fickle person, unlike my siblings, and that simple reaction I got from my parents excited me. Because I believed out of the three of us, I'm not their favorite because I don't stand out in any way. So, since then, I practiced and practiced playing the piano, till I tried other instruments and mastered them. For once, I felt proud of myself because I found something I'm good at, and I won't be compared with my siblings in that area because they don't do music. My parents continued to support me on my dream, paid for extra summer music classes which helped me a lot. And I was really happy that I was finally getting the attention I wanted from them.

But just when I was starting to think that I was finally getting all that I wanted, the greatest challenge of my life struck me. I became sick. I had leukemia. And that one thing stopped me from dreaming, I ceased on attending my music classes. I stopped playing the piano. I lacked the motivation I had, to pursue music. Even when I was finally healed and getting back in the life I missed, I wasn't as enthusiastic. Well, I listened to music a lot after meeting Baekhyun in the hospital, and that intensified after seeing him in high school. But when we broke up, it's like the world had crushed on me again. So, I lost interest again, and almost completely shunned music. If not for the few people who were helping me get over my troubles, then, I wouldn't even touch my guitar to play for the kids in the hospital.

And now that I'm staring at my piano again, the familiar sight of white and black keys, and the sweet melody it makes when I play them, felt so nostalgic. It brings me back to the days when I loved the idea of playing it a lot. That I had once dreamed of something.

"You're just here." I cocked my head to the side and found Kai looking so restless, but he still gave me a smile that made me return it.

He sat on the chair I was sitting on, shoving me a little to the side with his hips, and playfully grinning at me when he saw me furrow my eyebrows at him and purse my lips. "You're on my seat." I complained.

"Are you telling me to get off? Don't you want me next to you?" He inquired in a whiny way as he mimicked my expression.

I kept the expression on my face, pretending to be annoyed, before finally letting a sheepish smile escape my lips as he continued to pout adorably. "You're too hard to resist. How can I ask you to get away if you show me that face?" I told him while pinching his nose. But he quickly swatted my hand away, though his nose glowed into a shade of red already.

I chuckled at the sight. He just started to look so adorable to me after yesterday. Maybe, this is the effect of being in love on the both of us, or maybe he just preferred to let this side of him become visible to me. Either way, I am still happy and grateful because we're both opening ourselves to each other without restrain.

"That pinch hurts!" He whined, " maybe I should punish you for it?" He grinned in a very sly way, making me back away. But before I could even scurry away, Kai has already placed a quick kiss on my lips that made me gasp in surprise.

"Y-you... how could you do that again!" I complained , as my cheeks flushed but he only laughed at me.

"Hello," He says sarcastically while rolling his eyes, before pulling me into his embrace. "you better get used to it cause I really love skinship! And now that you are my girlfriend I think I deserve at least something like that." 

I pulled away from him abruptly and gaped. Is this really the Kai I know or is he possessed by a ghost right now? But he's talkative and annoying. The Kai I know perfectly despite being 90% grumpy. 

After the shock came, I crossed my arms and pretended not to be so affected by it and found an excuse to his recent actions. I mean, his being skinship maniac. "N-now that you mentioned that... I think you're mistaken with something here." I smirked mischievously at him as I had the perfect comeback to tell him, at the back of my head.

"Mwo?" He asked me, confused and annoyed at once.

I grinned and said, "I think... I'm still not yet your girlfriend, so you can't hug or kiss me again."

His jaw dropped, as he ran a hand through his hair, completely dumbfounded. "But we—"

"Have you asked and considered whether I really want to be your girlfriend?" I asked him while raising a brow and showing him my winning smile.

Finally closing his mouth, his adam's apple bobbed up and down as he studied my face. "Are you for real?" I just bobbed my head and shrugged.

Ignoring his presence, I started to press on the keys of my piano, trying to remember the melody I had been working on from not too long ago when I got the slim motivation to create something nice. Something I'd work on till I am satisfied.

"Hey, that song you're playing is really really nice but Nana don't make it hard for me like this. Now that I know your feelings for me, I just can't stand not holding you even for a second." He told me with a whiny tone while explaining it with exagerrated hand gestures, but I just ignored him, enjoying that he was looking so stressed about what I said when I was just partly kidding him.

"Okay'. Fine!" He exclaimed, "I'll really find a way to make you say yes to me!" He told me challengingly as he stood up and cursed softly to himself, when he realized how I wasn't going to budge anytime soon.

"Like say yes to what?" We both turned our heads to the familiar voice by the door and saw Mimi leaning on the front door frame with a mischievous smirk on her lips.

Kai & I exchanged confused looks, but just when he broke the eye contact first, I noticed how his cheeks flushed red and he self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck. 

"A-annyeonghaseyo noona." He uttered nervously as I watched him bow curtly to Mimi. Said girl strutted towards us and gave Kai a pat on his head.

"Nice make up you have on your face brother~" She teased Kai as he straightened up and received a pinch on the cheek from her. I saw him look more embarrassed than before because of the blue and black bruises on his face.

Mimi walked past us and scavenged for food in the fridge. "Nana, you cooked breakfast for Kai eh?" She asked when she noticed the still hot food laid on the table. Kai's ears perked up and he looked back at the dining table and grinned when he spotted the breakfast I prepared. He flashed me a smile and sauntered to the dining area to marvel the food. I felt my cheeks turn hot as I remembered his smile and slapped them to calm myself, but I guess that just worsened the blush on my cheeks no? Aigoo.

"Mimi, you forgot your bags in the car!" I heard my mom say, and gawked when I saw her strutting inside the house in her flowery summer dress, with dad lagging behind her carrying their bags.

"M-mom? Dad?!" I asked questioningly, befuddled how they came home earlier than we had talked about, and with Mimi?!

Mom looked up to me and smiled. "Oh hello, how are you and Kai during our absence?" I was gaping at how she had the guts to ask that so casually. 

Dad plopped down on the couch, tired. "Is it mission accomplish, hun?" He asked mom tiredly, but mom just shrugged.

"Maybe we should ask the boy himself." Mom uttered out, ignoring my presence.

Then there came Kai running past me, even bumping on my shoulder without saying sorry, just to greet mom and dad. "A-abeoji! Eommoni! It's nice to see you're back!" He grinned sheepishly at them while rubbing the back of his neck like the shy boy he wasn't. 

Heol. Why is he even calling my parents that, now? And since when have they been too close like this?!

"It's good to see you too." Mom cooed while giving Kai a light pat on his head. "But how did it go?" She asked, her eyes brightening with excitement and anticipation.

Kai shifted in his spot, looked at mom, dad, and then at me. He grinned sheepishly like a creep at me and turned back to my parents. "Almost there! I just need to make her say yes tonight!" He proudly beamed.