My eyes widen at the scene before me. Never before had I seen such beauty...

"Aika, stop breathing on the food." Mama scolds me, but she's smiling.

I lean away from the picnic table, as Mama unpacks her home-made sushi.

Grandma tuts beside me. "I hope you show your father the respectable, sensible girl that I raised," she mutters grumpily, in Japanese. She was probably feeling a little left out, as Mama and I had been conversing in English all morning.

"I will, Grandma," I reply, also in Japanese.

"And just when does my granddaughter's father plan on arriving?" Grandma doesn't stop complaining. "You'd think he'd show up on time for at least this, considering how long it's been."

"Kaa-san, please," Mama says, exasperated. Grandma huffs to herself.

I anxiously play with my hair, and I can feel my excitement growing. Today is the first time in 18 years that I will be seeing my father! When I was a baby, my father moved to China to focus on business, and gradually him and my mother drifted apart. One day, they decided to move on with their lives, and went their separate ways.

It's never bothered me once that I never really knew my father. I've been happy growing up in Japan, with Mama and Grandma. Grandma never approved of my parents' decision to separate, but there was little she could do about it. Even so, Mama thought it would be right that we meet up with my father, for my sake anyway. Father agreed to meet up, and today is the one day out of his yearly schedule that he can come and see me! Not only that, but he will also be bringing his son - my brother - to meet us as well!

I wiggle in my seat, excitedly. I've secretly wanted a brother for a very long time, and today not only will I be meeting my father, but my brother as well!

"Mama, I'm so excited!" I can't contain my happiness. Grandma rolls her eyes.

"That's good to hear, Aika," Mama smiles, but I can tell she's quite nervous.

Our picnic table overlooks the whole of Seoul. We'd decided to meet in an isolated place, on the outskirts of Seoul, high up on a hill. We have Seoul in front of us, and a forest behind us. No one else is around, and it's a lovely place to sit and relax.

Mama finishes unpacking the last of the picnic, and Grandma stretches her neck to look past her.

"Oh, it looks like they're finally here," she comments.

I stand up from my bench, just in time to see two figures come up over the crest of the hill. My heart pounds faster, and I clasp my hands together, happily. I can't stop smiling.

Father and Mother greet each other politely. They both look a little nervous to be seeing each other after such a long time. Father wears a businessman suit, and seems a little tired.

My stomach feels strange, like there are too many butterflies inside it trying to escape. After only seeing Father in photographs for this long, it's surprising to see him now, talking and moving. His face looks a little different from the photos, too; then again, that's to be expected. It has been nearly 20 years.

I glance quickly at my brother - or half-brother, I suppose. He's partly hidden behind my father's figure, and is talking politely with mother. He's tall, and wears smart but casual clothes, with the biggest pair of sunglasses that I've ever seen.

I wait patiently until finally, father turns to me. I catch my breath - this moment has been one that I've been looking forward to for so long.

I feel like I can see some of myself in him. Our eyes are very similar, and the way he smiles makes me want to smile, too. I try my best to contain my excitement - Father is a reserved businessman after all, so as much as I want to throw my arms around him and embrace him, it might give me a bad image.

He smiles and nods at me. "Aika," he acknowledges.

Kyaah! He said my name!

"Hello, Father," I answer in Chinese, as I smile and bob my head.

"It's wonderful to see you," he answers. "You've grown into a beautiful young woman. I can tell you make your mother proud."

"Thank you very much!" My smile grows wider. Grandma sighs loudly beside me, and I suddenly remember she's there.

"Oh, sorry Grandma!" I clap my hands together, and turn to Father and Mother. "Um, would it be okay if we all speak in Korean? I believe it's the one language we can all speak. Grandma was married to a Korean man for many years-"

"Aish!" Grandma bats at me, and I sit down heavily on the bench beside her. "Don't bring up such memories for me now, child."

"That's a good idea. My son and I can speak Korean well." Father looks at me, as if waiting for me to catch on to something. I blink, slowly. I wasn't sensing anything strange at the moment.

We all sit down to eat. Mama had really outdone herself with her home-made Japanese delicacies. Mama and Father seemed to be getting on pretty well too, despite Grandma's ominous presence. Mama even laughed at something Father had said, and I'm glad they'd successfully broken the ice.

"Aika, you seem to speak many languages," Father glances at me. "It's very impressive, and a useful talent to have."

I poise my chopsticks and nod happily. "Yes, I speak Japanese and English fluently because of Mama and Grandma. I speak Korean well, since we moved to Seoul, and Mandarin is handy to know, too."

"That's excellent," Father nodded his head in approval, and I feel a warm glow inside me. "Bilingual individuals are much sought after in the business world. So, Aika, what have you accomplished over these past years? I'm sure you have much to tell me."

I pause, and Mama looks at me curiously. I'm not too sure how to answer. The last time I saw Father, I was barely two years old. Should I give him my life history? Then again, my history isn't something I particularly want to go into right now...

I smile, and laugh nervously. I turn my gaze to my food.

An uncomfortable silence is just starting to fall over the table, when my half-brother suddenly reaches over, and taps my wrist.

"I like your bracelet," he says.

I glance down at my EXO-L bracelet. "Oh, this!" I laugh. "It was pretty cheap, so I couldn't resist. Thanks."

He laughs back, and turns back to his food. For the first time, I look at him properly. I'd been so swept up in the happiness of being reunited with my father, that I hadn't really given much attention to my new brother. He's pretty handsome, from what I can see of him.

Everyone starts talking about father's recent business expeditions, and I feel an uneasy feeling creep down my spine. The longer I look at my brother, the more I feel the strange feeling.

I wish I could see his eyes. He had his hoodie pulled up over his head, with his sunglasses taking up most of his face. But there was something about the way he moved... and the way he spoke. His movements were refined, respectful; polite even. And his voice... What was with his voice? He has a slight Chinese accent, but speaks Korean perfectly.

This is going to drive me crazy. He really does remind me of someone.

Father must have noticed me staring, as he places down his chopsticks and gestures to us. "I'm terribly sorry, you two. I completely forgot to introduce you."

I laugh nervously, and shake my head. "Aniyo. No need to apologize."

He turns to my brother. "Aika, this is Zhang Yixing. Yixing, this is Aoki Aika, your half-sister."

I smile. "Nice to meet you."

Yixing smiles back. "Nice to meet you, too," he echoes.

Zhang-Yi-Xing. Nice name. It's nice to hear, and nice to say. I spell the name out in my head, in alphabetical letters.

Zhang Yixing.

Yixing.

YIXING.

I jerk my head up to look at Yixing. Everyone else at the table is oblivious, happily finishing up the last of Mama's picnic.

Yixing looks back at me. Slowly, he reaches a hand up to his sunglasses, and pulls them down a little, revealing his eyes.

I scream and jump in shock. My knees crash into the picnic table, jarring its contents. I clutch Grandma's arm, and stare at Yixing in disbelief.

Yixing hurriedly pushes his shades back into place, and Father catches the movement.

"Ah," he smiles. "Aika must be a fan of EXO."

"EXO?" Mama stares at me, worriedly. My breathing is coming out in short gasps. "Aika, what's the matter? EXO? Oh, that boy band Aika likes? Aika? What's wrong?"

I blink rapidly at Yixing. Yixing finishes the last of his sushi, eating away as if nothing happened. He glances my way for a moment, then nods and waves at me.

"Ahh..." I tentatively push myself away from Grandma. "Ah. Ah. Ahh. Ahh-"

"Aika, what's wrong?" Mama says, shooting me a disapproving glance.

"My son, Yixing, is an international celebrity," Father explains. "We were both wondering on our way here, whether or not he would be recognized by you or his sister."

"Ahh. I'm sorry. Ahh. Ahh." This can't be happening. "Annyeonghaseyo," I nod my head in Yixing's direction.

Yixing gives a small smile. "Annyeonghaseyo."

I can't believe this. Without make-up, he looks only a little different, but now that I look closely...

"AH." He's sat just across from me. If I stretch my foot out, I could touch his leg under the table... "I'm sorry for my reaction." I blurt out. "Ahh. Um. Ahh. Ahh..."

"Really? Is that true?!" Mama looks between me and Yixing, smiling. "Wow, what a coincidence! Aoki Aika, calm down and behave yourself." Mama scolds me, and I nod vacantly.

"I apologize for my behavior," I say, automatically and a little breathlessly. I can't believe this. This isn't real. This isn't happening.

Father looks up at the sky. "Hey, it looks like it's about to rain, soon. It would be a shame to finish this reunion early - shall we head into Seoul? I know a wonderful restaurant, it's in a quiet area too."

"That sounds good. What do you think, Kaa-san?" Mama says, turning to grandma. Everyone else agrees, and they begin to start packing the picnic away.

"Aoki-sama, would it be okay if Aika-chan and I went for a short walk?" Yixing takes off his shades and hangs them on the collar of his shirt. My eyes grow a centimetre wider.

Mama smiles at Yixing for using the Japanese honorifics. She casually glances at me. "Of course, that should be fine. Don't be too long now, the sky doesn't look very happy."

"We won't." Yixing stands up from the bench, and indicates for me to follow him.

I inhale deeply, and hurriedly get up. My knees shake a little. Mama catches my eye, and gives me a "behave yourself" look.

This isn't real. This can't be happening.

Yixing takes us down the hill, away from the others. My heart pounds in my ears, so loud I can't think straight. I want to speak, but the words won't come out. What was wrong with me?

Was I on camera? Was this all for some prank TV show?

I can't believe this is happening.

There's no doubt about it that this is Zhang Yixing, Lay of EXO. He stands tall, his movements are smooth - he's been trained to perfection.

I've never felt so small and imperfect before.

He slows down when we reach a dirt path, and we're out of sight of the others. He turns around to face me, and I swallow the squeal that wants to escape my throat. Be sensible, Aika. Why must you be so awkward at a time like this?

"Aika, there's something you need to know, and I'm sure you're aware of it anyway," Lay says. I try to focus on his words and not his voice or eyes.

"I need you to listen carefully to what I'm saying." He puts his hands in his pockets. "I wanted to tell you this away from your mother, so she doesn't hear and overreact. There's no reason for her to be worried, but I think you should also let her know, in a way that doesn't frighten her."

I nod, quickly.

He continues. "If you tell anybody - even your best friend, or family relative - that you are my sister, it will be dangerous for you." He looks at me with a gaze so serious, I'm scared to look away. "You will be stalked, you will be followed, and you may even get hurt." He continues. "There are many people in this world who are not nice people. And even though some of them may standby your side and protect you-"

"Sasaengs," I interrupt, nodding my head fast. I can see where he's going with this. "I know. I know what they can do. Yes."

He leans his head back and looks at me with his trademark sleepy eyes. "I'm glad you understand. Well, then. That's really all I had to say. It's my duty to let you know." He stares past me and starts walking away.

Well. That was quick.

I feel an unexpected burst of confidence. "Please don't get me wrong," I speak up. I take a few deep breaths, just to steady my voice. The surreal feeling of disbelief hasn't left me yet, and I'm starting to feel a little dizzy and lightheaded. "Yes, I've respected and admired you for many years, but I'm not a crazy fan. I'm not careless. And I will protect my friends and mama."

He stops beside me, and raises an eyebrow.

I carry on. "You are one of the most talented people I know. I respect you for that, and not once have I even thought of invading your privacy, or tracking you, or marrying you-"

He chuckles, and his smile temporarily empties my thoughts. I hurriedly pick them up again.

"And, as your sister, I would never sell your phone number, or tell anyone anything secret about you." I don't stop for breath. "You're my biggest life inspiration, and thank you for doing what you do, and I'm honored to be your sister. Um." I shuffle my feet. "That's all I wanted to say. Yeah."

There. I said it. I had spoken the words that I'd rehearsed so many times in my head. I'd never actually thought that I would get to say them. I never imagined it would be like this - but I'm proud that I got them out.

My cheeks are burning, and I suddenly feel very stupid and uncomfortable. I lean from one foot to the other, and slowly look up at Lay, almost scared to see his reaction.

He's laughing. He's holding a hand to his mouth, and he's quietly laughing.

I look at him strangely, and he takes his hand away, grinning widely. He reaches for my shoulders, and I inhale sharply. Suddenly, he pulls me in for a hug.

What's happening. What have I done.

"Aika-chan, I am honored to have you as my sister too." I can feel him smile into my hair, and he hugs me tight.

"Ahh. Ahh. Thank you. I promise I'll do my best." I hug him back. Don't panic, Aika. Stay calm.

He pulls away, and pats my head, leaving his hand there. I stare at him, stupidly. His hand feels so nice. I can see why kitties like to be patted, too.

"Aika?"

"Hmm?"

He smiles. "You've stopped breathing."

I blink, confused, before realising I hadn't inhaled in a while. I take a deep breath, and exhale loudly.

"Sorry," I apologize. "I'm sorry. It's just... a lot... to take in."

"I know. I'm sorry you had to find out this way." He gives my head one last final pat, before dropping his hand to his side. "I doubt that we'll see each other often, but I hope I can be a good brother to you." He looks up at the sky. "There are more clouds now. Shall we go back to the others?"

I nod rapidly, and I follow him as we slowly walk back up the grassy slope.