𝐌𝐫. 𝐊𝐢𝐦

26

Your head was throbbing, and just as you were about to unwind, a knock emitted from the door. You groaned, irritated that your silence had been broken. You didn't bother lifting your face, but you were scowling as the couch pillows muffled your voice. You had no doubt that whoever was on the other end had clearly heard you.

"Someone you've missed dearly." You recognized the voice, nearly sprinting to the door with a small laugh.

You swung the door open and were immediately engulfed in a powerful and comforting hug.

"Nice to see you, too, big sis." You laughed as he cradled your head to his chest like a baby until he let go. Only to inspect your face while holding you at arm's length.

"How are you?" He asked, smiling down at you.

"You just got here and the first thing you ask me is if I'm okay?" I scoffed, stepping aside and letting her into my apartment.

"Well, I've got to make sure everything is okay since you haven't responded to any of my texts." He makes himself at home and heads straight to your fridge for a bottle of water.

When he was done chugging, he wiped his mouth and placed himself on the counter.

"That's good water," Sunho mumbled, swinging his feet nonchalantly. "Seoul definitely has good water. I can taste the luxury."

"Luxury my ass. Water tastes the same to me." You muttered incoherently under your breath and sat on the barstool beside him, crossing your arms over your chest as you looked him from head to toe.

The latter narrows his eyes at you. He notices something unusual about you that he hasn't noticed before. It could just be the time you spent away from your family that he misses or the natural glow on your bare face.

"Yeah, because you're getting old and can't distinguish between flavors." Sunho chuckled.

You hiss and hurl a paper towel roll towards him. He easily catches it and sticks his tongue at you. "Ya, Park Sunho! We haven't seen each other in months and this is how you treat me?"

He places his backpack on the counter. "I'm just playing, Noona. You know I missed you."

"Doesn't seem like it."

He moves towards you with a boyish grin. You don't remember him being this tall, though. His hair is long and falls just below the base of his neck. His style has evolved significantly from the gothic clothes he wore at the start of high school. He now only wears button-down shirts and trousers.

"So, back to what I was saying..." he begins. "Why have you been ignoring my texts? I called mom and dad, but they said they hadn't heard from you since Kim's dinner."

"You mean they haven't returned any of my calls?" Your shoulders sag as you replay your father's words in your head. We don't want you anywhere near the Kims. Especially Kim Namjoon. That was the last thing he said to you before Namjoon took you out on that Yacht date, and you haven't told him anything else.

It's not exactly something you want to indulge in. Your family had already formed their opinion about your boyfriend even before his parents made the glib proposal in the middle of the casual get-together. Even if you and Namjoon didn't seem to think of it as a big deal, your father has morals and pride.

"What else happened at that dinner?" Sunho asked. "I was right, huh? I told you people with that much money are as—"

"Sunho," you finally snap. "You're being unreasonable. The Kims aren't anything like that. You would know if you actually met them."

"How am I being unreasonable? I'm just saying... people like us don't fit in their world."

"People like us? This isn't the first century. Not everyone wealthy will throw money in your face. So stop with the stereotypes, because they are far from snobby. Namjoon isn't like that."