Author's note: My first (and only, probably) non-tragic fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken characters, but the story has an OC.

Chapter 1

Secrets

"Are you joining us to Okinawa for winter?"

Xiaoyu's reading was interrupted as she looked up at Asuka.

"Lee and his crew are going, too! Isn't it great?" Asuka continued.

Xiaoyu could easily imagine her jumping for joy. "Lee, huh? At least you could get a chance to know him there," she collected her books "also; I'm not sure about taking holidays."

"You're not sure?" Asuka frowned.

Xiaoyu then threw her rucksack to the shoulder, and Asuka led out of the library after her.

"I'm looking for a part-time job," Xiaoyu said.

"But you could have saved some money before it, right?"

"It's impossible! Our holidays will be in three weeks and I can't get so easily a work."

"Sorry to hear that," Asuka sighted.

Xiaoyu took her by the shoulders. "Cheer up! Isn't Lee going to Okinawa? I bet you a frothy cappuccino that he'll be your next boy less than a month."

"You're totally wrong!" Asuka said mockingly and she gave a hint of a mischievous smile.

Xiaoyu had always admired Asuka's flirting ability; her striking appearance didn't go unnoticed anywhere. Xiaoyu, however, couldn't help her sheepishness and the lump in her throat as boys approached her. Yet, she always looked on the bright side of life, which was a great gift. Nothing was dire enough to upset her.

The radio was turned on as Xiaoyu hummed, laid on her bed. She was leafing though a newspaper and circling some announcements that she pondered as good possibilities for job.

Waitress- She loved being friendly with people.

Singer- She had learned too many songs by heart, but honestly, her voice wasn't the most tuneful.

Choreographer- She had enrolled in dancing academy when she was a young girl.

Photographer- When she took photos on holidays, they never looked blurred.

Babysit- Perfect! She loved looking after her next-door neighbor's nephew.

Before Xiaoyu wrote down the phone number, she noticed the family last name was Korean. Since Chinese and Japanese were the only languages she had learned, she seriously hoped the child spoke the second one at least.

Just in case, Xiaoyu searched essential words in Korean on the Internet such as anhnyeong haseyo, anyong, dangsinul saranghee yo, annyeonghigaseyo. She then crossed her fingers to wish herself good luck.

It took too long before an ashy-haired man opened the door. Nervous, Xiaoyu waited outside, not caring about the rain.

"Ahnnyeong haseyo," she said sheepishly, waving at him "I'm here because of your announcement in the newspaper. Do you still need a babysit?"

A puzzling look was the answer. Then she wondered if there truly was a child living with him, since he seemed to be a loner and he wasn't the kind of friendly father that she expected. But when she was about to make an excuse for leaving, he moved his head, inviting her to come in. Xiaoyu followed him inside the house, which was modest and with the same lonely air. In the lounge, a tribute gave longevity to someone even after death on a wooden table. She realized the woman in every single photograph had once been married to that loner father. Her almond eyes, prominent cheekbones, and sunset hair were the only things shinning, like the moon in a sky with no stars around.

"Very well," the Korean man cleared his throat "you should know our hours are not flexible. My younger son studies during the evening, he has dinner at eight o'clock, and he sleeps at ten. Don't let him watch television more than one hour, which would promote his idleness."

"All right," she said softly.

"Tell me, Miss, have you worked with children before?"

"I used to look after my neighbor's nephew once in a while. How old is your son?"

"He's six. Eighteen years younger than my other son."

Xiaoyu heard the man calling him in Korean at once. A sheepish, freckly child came down the stairs and he stopped right behind his father, attempting to hide from her.

"Yeon doesn't like to speak but he does understand Japanese, so you don't have to worry about learning Korean." The man said. Clearly, he had noticed her beginner pronunciation in Korean.

"I see…" Xiaoyu nodded as she met Yeon's curious eyes, he gave a hint of a gentle smile. She didn't know why naturally returned the gesture. That child inspired her a special emotion.

Words in Korean are greetings like hello, goodbye, how are you?, etc. No big deal.