ONE: You might want to watch this for a certain part of this chapter :)

https://youtu.be/NRozldXYBpc?list=PL15EBBC3899C5503A

(It's KAI's official teaser during MAMA Era--him dancing to "Angel")

TWO: Half way through you might also want to listen to the full audio of "Angel" for the fullest experience ~ thank you *_*

"Checkmate." I grinned as I landed the last move pretty well. Feeling very ecstatic, I bit my lower lip and forced myself not to smile in front of Jongin's father, as I triumphed on our fifth and final game.

Mr. Kim smirked and leaned back on his expensive looking chair as he eyed me with restless eyes. "I should have known that you're just giving me a chance in the beginning." He clucked his tongue and chuckled while shaking his head at me.

"You totally out win me with 3 out of 5 games in your favor. How can a young girl like you win over a more experienced chess player like that?" He chuckled again and sighed before showing me a content smile.

I scratched the back of my head and shyly smiled at him, "Well, I guess, the countless times I played chess with my father until I was 14 paid off well today, Mr—I mean, abeonim." I uttered out, as-a-matter-of-factly, and shrugged while offering him a small smile that escaped from my guard unconsciously.

The man stifled an unrestrained laugh that sounded like bells in my ears, and clapped his hands for me. "You never failed to impress me, Nana."

I sighed and bobbed my head curtly at him, feeling contented to hear a compliment that was rare to come out from his lips, as the women of the house had told me several days ago when I visited. "It was not my intention to impress you, but I am happy I was able to play chess with you and have fun." I told him my honest opinion and fiddled with my hands.

He sighed loudly and stood up. The old man sauntered towards the large window across from his seat and wordlessly looked at the view outside, "I'm keeping my word." I heard him say.

"I will allow Jongin to do whatever he wants, including dance." A wide smile tugged on my lips as I heard that.

"I've long thought about it anyway. It's just that I never heard him complain even if he looked like he was already about to, all the time." He uttered out, his voice was calm and with a tinge of concern.

"I was not really against him dancing... now." My eyes widened at what he said, and I consciously followed his figure with a hint of wonder. "I just kept pushing him to the limit because I thought that was the best way to teach him how he would be able to decide for himself. How he would learn to speak up and object me." By this time, he had turned around, his eyes were on me as a small smile graced his lips.

"You know already how he's not a great kid." He cocked an eyebrow at me as he showed a playful smirk. "He had proven you countless of times before, right?"

"What do you—"

"He bullied you." The sharpness in his tone caught me off guard, and I found myself gaping at the old man. How did he know?!

"I kept track of his every move that I learned about that. You could say I'm quite a stalker to my own son. But I did that only because I was concerned about his welfare. Jongin's worse when he was in his previous school, so I couldn't be blamed for my actions." As a child myself, I wouldn't be judging him and saying that he's being such an overprotective father. I guess he just went to such extent because he cared so much for Jongin, albeit the stalking part is still bothering me. Just that, if I am in the said boy's shoes, I guess I'd react defiant towards my father too because he was not leaving me any space to breathe.

"I do agree with you. You're actions are justifiable. But for what reason are you telling me all this, s-sir?" I mentally slapped myself when I unconsciously called him in a formal way again, but tried to look composed and unaffected.

He chuckled as he noticed me pull off a straight face. My blush was instantly evident as I dodged his probing eyes, but being a little curious about the old man in front of me, I looked up and felt like I'm another open book to him as his smile never left his lips. Just like how I am to Jongin. They surely share something in common—they are mind readers.

Damn mind readers!

"I'm just saying, that maybe you've got a huge part, in him finally standing up to me." He smiled sheepishly to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Because of you, my son came back to being his old him—fearless, reckless, careless, but brave, dedicated and passionate. He finally showed more emotions. He finally has his mind on the important things for him. He finally has something and someone he wants to protect. He's not just following my orders without voicing his complaints now. And that's what I want to make of him. A person who stands for his word. A person who can stand up for himself and the things or people precious to him."

"And you know what's funny?" He asked as his eyebrows furrowed furiously, whilst an amused smile graced his lips. I silently asked him in my head what he was talking about and he answered me in no time as if he actually read my mind again,

"I wasn't the person who made my son change,

...but you."

My eyes rounded at what he said, and I tried to feel whether there was a hint of disappointment in his voice in any way, but there was none. I looked at his face and I see nothing but forming crescents that had wrinkles visible at the ends of his slits. He looked pleased and genuinely happy.

"I don't say this a lot, but thank you." My eyes grew wider than an owl's when I heard that another surprising remark from the old man, and as if by instinct I waved my hands in front of me to tell him that it wasn't something he should be thanking me for because as far as I know I did nothing special about Jongin's so-called 'change'.

"I didn't do anything." I blurted out anxiously, "Jongin made the change for himself, with his own will. I didn't do anything special so please—"

"You didn't have to do anything special, actually." He blurted out, making me feel a bit shaken and flustered, "You're mere existence in his life triggered the change in him."

My eyes trembled as I stared at his dark brown orbs that showed sincerity that very moment. His words lingered in my mind and played in my ear like it was hanging in the air like a pleasant song I couldn't stop listening to. The way he said it made me feel that I am special... to someone. That I did something good... for that someone.

"But have you told him?" I was instantly pulled away from my own reverie when I heard the very vague question from the old man.

Told him what?

"Have you told him that you're transferring?" I felt shivers run down my spine when he divulged the truth that many didn't know. Now, another one added to my list of people-who-know-I'm-transferring and I’m starting to get more worried that this man knows about this. He probably stalked his way out with me too, no questions with that. I'm just worried whether he's finally the black hole that will blow my cover to Jongin.

For Pete's sake. Please. No.

"By the looks of you, I feel like you haven't?" He pressed, his eyebrow raised at me, and his smile long gone.

I gulped as I continued to stare at him with a clearly frantic beating heart. "I haven't."

He nodded and sighed. "And I feel like you're not planning to, right?" Shoot. This man is better at reading me than his son.

"You could say so." I uttered out with a monotonous voice, my face flat with any expression as hurt tugged on my heart.

He sauntered going to his desk at the other side of the room and sat on his swivel chair, his nose on the documents he started scanning.  "I don't know your reasons, but I wish you all the best. I won't tell Jongin." He told me even without looking, and without any further questions.

I nodded even if he couldn't see me, and I was grateful that he wasn't looking, because I was admiring his figure from my spot. Just that, looking at his lone self that looked rigid on the outside made me smile somehow, because even if he's like that, deep inside he is very warm. His words were very comforting, and I invested all my emotions and hope in it. That I will experience the best like what he said.

I slipped out of his study as the man started to get quite busy with his own stack of paper works. But before I could even escape from his lair, he asked me to still play chess with him if I have the time and I agreed without any second thoughts. Getting down the stairs to finally take a break, I was met by Mrs. Kim who had a tray with a cup of tea for her husband. I greeted her and I was asked with many questions about our games, including how it went and who won.

"Ah! You're really amazing, Nana!" She squealed when I told her that I won three games over her husband.

“I’m not!” I denied as I was scratching my temple.

“No! No! Even if I don’t know how to play that, I know how good my husband is! And if you beat him in that thing, I guess you’re really good in it! Congratulations! I hope you would come often to play chess with my husband. He had long wished to play that game with one of our kids but unfortunately they never learned it, saying that it was boring.” She jabbered out as she paused on a level of the stairs above me.

I nodded and smiled genuinely at her. “It would be my pleasure.”

She smiled back at me and opened to speak as her eyes brightened, “Oh, and if you want to see Jongin, he’s in his room. It’s the second door in the third floor.”

I smiled sheepishly at the information she told me and bobbed my head curtly. “Thank you, eommonim.” And she sauntered happily going to Mr. Kim’s study.

Today’s a Saturday, and basically I came early in the morning in the Kim Residence just to finish the match that Mr. Kim and I had agreed upon. Jongin’s not really a morning person on weekends as I have observed, so him being in his room just meant that he’s still sleeping and he doesn’t really know that I’m here.

I skipped my way going to his room, wanting to surprise him. And when I found the second door in the third floor, I wiped my palms on my jeans and twisted the knob as cautiously as I can as to not wake him up. My eyes rounded when I slipped inside and scanned the room. It’s five times bigger than my own room, and I am not kidding! He has his own bathroom, a walk-in closet, and there’s a door leading to another room near Jongin’s bed. His walls are painted in a fusion of black, white, blue, and his furniture are picked in the same hue as those. He has a couple of shelves containing books, and he has a drums set at a corner of his room opposite his closet. But what fascinated me the most is how neat and organized his room is. The fact that he’s a boy and that his room is neat just doesn’t match, considering that I always see him in school before looking unkempt—and I don’t mean it in a bad way, because even if he has a messy hair and a shirt with a couple of buttons undone, he still looked godly.

I sauntered going to his bed whilst still marveling the whole room. My eyes scanned every inch, making sure that I would be able to memorize the little details that matters about him. And when I finally let my eyes land on the figure covered with a duvet all over him on his bed, I gulped as I took one last step and halted just right in front of him. I looked down and giggled softly at his covered ball-like figure and sat on the mattress carefully, making sure that he won’t notice my presence.

I cleared my throat as I finally poked him, the duvet still covering even his face and called him, “Jongin.” But he didn’t even move.

I poked him for the second time. “Jongin.” And he stirred a little, letting the duvet reveal his bed hair.

Poking him for the third time, I was feeling quite amused at what I was doing, because it’s a rare opportunity to actually see him asleep like this. “Jongin, wake up.”

I smiled when I saw him stir in his sleep again, and his arms finally stretched out as he yawned. He looked so tired, and seeing him snuggle back to sleep made me feel a little sorry that I was actually waking him up. Should I just go home? I frowned when I looked back at his sleeping face. The bags under his eyes are quite visible, and his chapped lips are as bothering. He has been practicing with his teammates for their upcoming soccer match and after always sending me home, he would go to his studio to practice dancing for the upcoming talent show in school, both happening two weeks from now.

“I guess, I should just go home.” I muttered to myself as I pursed my lips and started his fluffy hair that partly covered his eyes. It had grown longer than before, but it still looked nice on him. He’s just so beautiful.

How I wish, I can love him longer.

Before getting up from his bed, I pushed his fringe to the side and gave his forehead a soft kiss to bid him goodbye. I pulled away when I was finally satisfied with what I did, and stood up from the soft material underneath me. I was about to walk away from him when I felt an arm wrap around my waist and pull me back down to his bed. I was a little surprised that I wasn’t able to react properly when another arm wrapped around my waist, and he engulfed me into a hug, my back pressed against his warm body. His head was leaning on mine, while he was obviously sniffing my hair and leaving feathery kisses on it.

“Good morning.” He greeted me with his sleepy croak, and rested his chin on my shoulder.

“G-good morning.” I greeted him hesitantly as I cocked my head to the side and saw him groggily smiling at me.

“And what brought you here, beautiful?” He asked me sheepishly, making my cheeks flare at the unexpected compliment h