Secrets and Lies

2.

"Unnie, buy me ice cream." Ahri pulled at the sleeve of her uniform. The five-year old kid was pouting when Jiyoo changed her focus towards her younger sister. Unfortunately had the girl not brought any money with her. It wasn't like she'd expected that she would have to pick up Ahri at the kindergarten. There had been a few months since Jiyoo had done so.

"Sorry kid, I don't have any money. You'll have to talk oppa into buying one for you once we get home." the two of them had just exited the subway station and was heading down the road towards the apartment. She knew for a fact that Yongguk was going to be home, and that because he'd been out the night before. Much to her dismay had the older male not been able to bring any money with him. He'd only come in second place at the music competition he had attended.

Yongguk was lazily laying the couch as the they entered. Ahri did instantly hurry over to her oppa, "Oppa, buy me ice cream, please." the five-year old showed him the puppy eyes. Ahri knew very well how he couldn't resist it. "You little brat." Jiyoo watched, smiling, how her boyfriend pinched the kid's nose. Her father weren't too fond of Yongguk as he thought that the high school dropout was nothing more than a total failure.

Jiyoo was aware that her boyfriend was maybe not the most educated person, still, she also knew that he worked hard and was passionate towards everything he did. "Ice cream, should we?" the boy sat up and gave her a hurried glance. "YES." Ahri jumped in her place, the young girl was excited beyond anything else. "Then go put your shoes on." Jiyoo let out a low laugh as her sister darted off towards her shoes.

Though, as soon as Ahri was out of reach Yongguk turned to his girlfriend, "weren't you the one who argued with me this morning about money and now you want to buy ice cream for your sister." he truly liked having the girl visiting, but with that did also additional costs appear. Jiyoo's mood dropped significantly, "I'll just skip lunch for the rest of the week then." she would gladly skip the lunch at school just to be able to see Ahri happy. Her younger sister was the only one within her family whom she cared for. Jiyoo treated her like a real sister, and that despite that they were only half-siblings.

"There's another competition on Thursday night. I promise you that I'll bring some money home." the girl heaved a sigh. It was the second time in a row that her boyfriend had said the exact same thing. Two weeks or so had passed since he last brought home some money. Jiyoo loved him, she did. But their relationship was starting to head downhills because of the financial problems they were having. "Unnie, oppa, come on." Ahri announced that she was ready to leave. Another sigh rolled of her tongue, it'd been a long time since they last lived like they were doing. Jiyoo couldn't remember that they'd ever had so little money to get around with as they did that at moment. It was a struggle they had to get past.

"Unnie." a five-year old begging for ice cream could be really bothersome sometimes. "Wait a minute Ahri." her eyes lingered on Yongguk whilst she answered her sister. "Are you coming or are you going to stay here?" Jiyoo was a bit frustrated at him, nonetheless, she still wanted him to come to. The older male leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips, and just like that was the question answered. A blush formed on the girl's cheeks as he brought her into his warm embrace.

"I love you. You know that right." he kissed the top of her head. Showing affection was something the older boy was an expert on. Yongguk would never seize to amaze her when it came to love. Her boyfriend was never afraid to display how much he actually loved her, whether it was in public or not didn't matter. "I love you, too." Jiyoo snuggled closer so that her cheek rested against his chest.

"Unnie, hurry up, someone might buy all the ice creams." the kid was starting to get slightly desperate. "We're coming." she couldn't help but to smile at how those two acted. It was during those few seconds of her life when she truly felt happy. To have Yongguk and Ahri by her side was the only ones she needed. Though, that answer would've been different a couple of years ago. At that time she disliked Ahri as well, she'd felt as if her father had replaced her with another child. But those feelings were long gone. Jiyoo was even ashamed over how she'd acted towards Ahri back then.

"Oppa, why is your head on fire?" the question caused Yongguk to wriggle his eyebrows in confusion. From what he knew his head was most definitely not on fire. Jiyoo cracked a huge smile as the three of them walked to the supermarket she worked part-time at.. It'd taken Ahri a short while to notice Yongguk's new hair color. To the young kid it really looked like his hair was on fire, especially since had such a bright red color to it. "Fool, I dyed it like this." the older male ruffled Ahri's hair lightly, an action that caused the girl to laugh aloud. "Oppa will you buy me lots of ice cream?" Jiyoo shifted her full attention towards her boyfriend. Of course would the younger girl not understand the problems that Yongguk and she faced.

Still, Jiyoo was determined to always show her best side in front of Ahri, she wanted to be a person that her sister could look up to and be proud of. "Oppa can buy you one this time and I'll buy you another the next time you come and visit, alright?" Ahri eagerly nodded, something that gave Jiyoo some sort of relief as that saved them some money. "Go and get the ice cream you want, okay?" she let go of her sister's hand the second they entered the supermarket. Yongguk turned to his girlfriend once Ahri was out of hearing-distance.

"Did something happen with Ahri?" he was curious to why the kid wasn't at kindergarten or with her parents. It was a quite an unusual sight for him, to see the two sisters together. "She got into a fight with a boy. The kid had apparently called her ugly and that resulted in that she gave him a punch in the stomach." Yongguk couldn't keep himself from smiling widely, "seems like the violence is in the DNA after all." Jiyoo punched him lightly in the arm, the matter was serious and all he did was to laugh it off. "I don't want her to grow up like I did, fighting with everyone and ditching school." a sad face became evident as she remembered the past. The girl seemed to have too many bad memories. Luckily had Yongguk entered her life just in time before she did something ridiculously stupid.

"Who knows, maybe a boy will come to her rescue as well." the older male nudged her side playfully. Jiyoo's past wasn't exactly a topic they often included in their conversations. "With that father of hers I highly doubt it. He'll probably lock and store her away so that no boy can step into her life. I bet he's regretting that he didn't do that to me." she heaved a deep sigh, and that just as Ahri returned with an ice cream in her hand. Jiyoo cleared her throat before speaking up, "Did you find what you wanted?" Ahri showed the ice cream whilst nodding, "I want this one."

"Oh, dongsaeng, aren't you supposed to be in school?" a male co-worked of hers gave her a bright smile as they reached the cashier. Jiyoo gave him a small smirk, "I would've, if this little troublemaker hadn't made a fuzz in kindergarten." she looked down at Ahri, the girl was sticking her tongue out, as if to declare that what she'd done had been necessary. "I see." the male laughed as he scanned the melting treat, "that'll be a 1000won." Yongguk fished the bill from the pocket of his jeans before he handed it over.

"Say thanks to oppa now, he paid for your ice cream." she finished off the sentence by giving her sister the cold treat that was beginning to slowly melt. "Oppa, gomawo." Ahri stuck her tongue out once again before walking ahead, and that whilst Yongguk cried after her, "Yah, yah, where's that yo?I'm older than you." Jiyoo watched how her boyfriend began to chase after Ahri, "tsk, tsk." she shook her head, a smile growing on her lips as she did.

Though, that smile did instantly drop the second she saw that Chinese boy staring right at her. What the hell was the problem, first that blond dude and now him, too.