IMPORTANT NOTE: I do not own anything
CHAPTER 14: Becoming a member of the Kazama family…is it really a good idea?
Japan, Osaka…
Kazama Residence…
Asuka Kazama rubbed tiredly her brown eyes…Indeed, her eyes were still puffy. Good thing she was still on her bed rather in front of a mirror. Well, it wasn't like she cared in a big degree but…Anyway, she wasn't Lili Rochefort to make a fuss over the slightest imperfection on her face or any part of her body. As she made this thought of how the younger blonde woman would react in the sight of her own puffy eyes, she remembered that she actually wasn't here…A sigh escaped her lips and pulled the blanket above her head, only to stop midway…Someone…a certain someone was here in the same room with her. With the help of her arms she pulled her upper body up and looked at the floor, where she had set for him the futon…The futon was right there…but empty…
"Where the hell did this idiot go?" she wondered scratching the back of her head… "I believed that he wasn't the early bird." Suddenly, her eyes widened… "Wait! Could it be that I'm lucky enough and he got the hell out of here?" her enthusiasm didn't last long, though…"Based on past experiences, I better not be too excited before the confirmation."
She nodded to herself and slowly started getting up…
…
The female leader…or the actual leader of the house, Kazama Yuko wasn't an easily pleased woman. She wouldn't accept anything less than she considered perfect. The first to know this was obviously her husband. She still remembered how much he tried to win her over. The whole seduction issue lasted, to be specific, for ninety three days and two hours. After that she gave him the opportunity to take her on a date and then she would think about taking him for a boyfriend. Yes, this man had some patience…Imagine how much captivated he was by her. But deep inside his wife knew why she did this to him…Well, she decided that it was better if she actually never told him…
Since Hwoarang stepped inside their household her mood had changed drastically. Was she really happy that her daughter got herself a boyfriend or did she have something up her sleeve? It was true that she enjoyed her daughter's new expressions. Asuka maybe wasn't aware of it but her mother knew that something around her daughter's aura started changing. She didn't have a clue if Hwoarang was the cause or something else but for now she decided that she needed to have a more serious conversation with her. The older woman realized that she did a mistake and since it was still early, she could fix it…Was it a good chance now that both Hwoarang and her husband were out? She shook her head. She had to think carefully on what to say in order to make her understand. The woman nodded to herself, while humming one of her favorite songs, and returned to the kitchen after cleaning up the table, leaving only a few dishes for Asuka's breakfast…
…
Asuka rubbed her eyes and opened her bedroom's door walking outside. She sighed in the inside as she heard her mother singing again that old song. She remembered when she was singing it to her as a lullaby before going to bed but all Asuka was doing back there was cry. It wasn't out of imagination, anyway. She walked the stairs down and made her way to the kitchen…
"Mom?" she called in a low tone. Her voice was still raspy…
The older woman smiled and turned to see her… "Oh honey, good morning!" she answered in a cheerful way and returned to her previous business. Asuka raised an eyebrow and leaned her body on the wall…
"You're suspiciously happy…What happened?"
Her mother closed the faucet and washed her hands with a towel, which was resting on the counter behind her. She tilted her head and asked innocently…
"What do you mean?" she sighed… "How do you want me to be? My daughter brought yesterday the perfect potential husband in our house." Asuka closed her eyes and pursed her lips. She should have known that it would be because of him… "He's so nice, handsome and strong." She said in a voice full of pride and then turned to her daughter… "What else can a mother want from your husband?"
"Actually…Lots of things…" she stretched and walked to the table to eat her breakfast… "And he's not going to be my husband…He's not even my boyfriend to begin with." She added and thought in the inside as soon as she grabbed her chopsticks… "Hey!...Why does this make me feel so disappointed?" she raised an eyebrow… "Fucking weird…I hope it doesn't turn out as I think it will…He somehow confessed to me but…I definitely don't want to go on with it." Asuka shook her head to dismiss the disturbing thoughts from her mind…
"Whatever…Dad is at the dojo as usual…Where is he?" she asked watching her mother sitting opposite her. The woman smiled mischievously…
"Where…is…who?" Asuka pursed her lips knowing what her mother was trying to do and a faint blush appeared on her lips. However, she wasn't intending to fall into her trap…
"The auburn haired idiot, who stayed with us yesterday."
Her mother shook her head hopelessly and crossed her arms… "Hwoarang-kun said that he had something to take care off and he'll be back."
Asuka's eyes widened… "He said what?! What do you mean when you say that he'll be back?"
"But we're having dinner together…I mean before you two leave." Asuka decided to ignore the last part of her mother's words…
"Why do we have to feed him again?!"
Her mother placed her hands on her chest… "How can you talk like that about your own boyfriend?" she, then, mumbled… "Did you two have a fight yesterday?"
"My own what…" she suddenly came to a realization… "Oh yeah! My b-boyfriend…We don't…I mean…He wouldn't like to inconvenience you."
The older woman looked away guiltily… "Believe me…Your father is the one inconveniencing him." She muttered to herself and Asuka titled her head confused…
"Did you say anything?"
"Uh…N-No…" she mumbled… "Let's go shopping now, ok?" she said and laughed at her daughter's annoyed expression…
…
Kazama Dojo…
Hwoarang finished with putting on his taekwondo uniform as he fastened the belt around his pants. He walked in front of the mirror and took a last good look while smiling to himself… "Who are you handsome, guy?" he touched his chin… "I'm the one and only Hwoarang…No one like me." He blinked his eyes several times when he realized what he was doing and soon enough, a disappointed sigh escaped his lips…
"How I wish for a certain someone to say these words to me?" he mumbled to himself…
Suddenly, his attention took a man, who entered the room he was inside. Seeing who it was, he bowed in respect and then raised his gaze to meet his… "Is it time already, sir?" he asked and the man shook his head…
"Not yet but soon…Say…Do you remember what I told you yesterday?"
The younger man looked away momentarily as he recollected the previous night…
Yesterday…
"Here…Change into this." Said Asuka's father as he handed him a pair of pajamas. It was true that he regretted his decision of allowing Hwoarang to stay here…Correction! They were…exclude Asuka…a very hospitable family BUT a young man of his kind, who seemed to be able to have control over his daughter, was going to stay into the same room with her. Her bedroom…He remembered when he was carrying her there into his arms as a little girl whenever she would fall asleep while watching cartoons and, then, tuck her in…He pursed his lips. 'What is this man going to do to my child?' he thought to himself...
Hwoarang took the pair from the man's hands and thanked him with a nod. He stayed still watching the man looking at him upside down…This is so awkward…He thought… "Umm…Will you watch me while I'm changing?" he tried to say in a soft tone…
The man raised an eyebrow casually… "I won't see anything I don't possess…And it's not like you're taking off your underwear now." He blinked his eyes several times… "I mean not TODAY! Got it?"
The younger man took a defensive step back and raised his hands… "I wasn't intending to…anyway."
He nodded… "I have to admit, though, that you have a nice physic." He said and Hwoarang flinched…
"Is that so…"
Asuka's father sighed and shook his head… "Nevermind…Listen. Tomorrow, you'll come with me to the dojo."
The man opposite him tilted his head in confusion… "Not a word to Asuka, ok?" he said again and Hwoarang agreed.
He turned to leave but stopped midway… "I'll wake you up early…And something else." This time he gave him a sharp glance… "You can touch her body, except a certain area. A man of your age, I bet knows." The younger man swallowed hard and pursed his lips…
"Of…course. I would never do anything without her consent."
After these words of his the man left finally the room and he sighed in relief…
…
Today…
"Yes, sir. Beat you up." The man saw the determination in Hwoarang's eyes and he flinched…
"Beat me up NOT kill me. What's wrong with him? Did I promise him anything without realizing it yesterday?" he shook his head after remembering that this was not the case… "Ok, boy…To get to the point. I'll need you to help me prove something to a certain number of people." Hwoarang raised an eyebrow… "They are here because I'm going to fight you and…"
"You're not on good terms with them?" the younger one interrupted him…
"Please, don't interrupt me, ok?" he asked and Hwoarang nodded… "Do not question whatever I say to them…Trust me." The Korean smiled in the inside. It's been a long time since someone used these words on him. It wasn't a bad thing coming from the man opposite him. Well, he did want to make love to his daughter after all. A sudden blush covered his cheeks…M-Make love? Did I really say THAT? No, no…There was no way I used this characterization… "Hey, boy!"
He blinked his eyes several times. Damn! He wasn't paying attention at all… "Y-Yes?"
The man sighed… "Yesterday I allowed you to date my daughter…But today…Umm…You're here as her fiancé."
"I'm WHAT?!" he said surprised. Where did that come from? No, there was a chance that he misheard…
"Why are you so surprised?" he asked him. It wasn't like he asked him to marry his daughter for real? He tried to read him until Hwoarang gave him a determent nod…
It was true that the younger man was cautious about it but only at first. Where was the bad thing? The man believed that they were dating, is it a problem to say that they were engaged? He shrugged his shoulders. No need to worry about something, HE didn't make up.
"Anyway…All I want from you is to be respectful towards me…If they ask you something, try to act as an arrogant and stuck up person. You got it?"
Hwoarang bit his upper lip in order to stop himself from laughing… "Really…T-Try? I'll try to be my SELF?!" … "Consider it done, sir."
The person opposite him frowned and crossed his arms… "You seem pretty confident." He said and Hwoarang scratched the back of his head…
"You think so?"
Asuka's father gave him a nod… "Yeah!" and then, he smiled catching Hwoarang off guard. It was the first time he saw him smiling. He always had a frown above his eyes. "Ok, then! Let's show them my son-in-law's true power." He added and dragged him by the arm…
…
As they left the back room in order to find themselves inside the dojo, the older man placed a hand on Hwoarang's shoulder. The latter raised an eyebrow… "I'll walk inside first. You stay two steps behind me, ok?"
"I was already two steps behind you though." He thought after giving a quick nod and the man started walking again. The only thing Hwoarang hoped, though, was for Asuka to not suddenly appear. She would blow everything up.
Without realizing it, he found himself inside the dojo noticing the place, which was full of students and some middle aged men. Asuka's father was probably talking about them. Thankfully, people couldn't see him yet since the older man was steps in front of him. Hwoarang pursed his lips when he heard the man starting to say…
"My dear friends…" he paused… "Some of you had told me that you wanted me to allow your son's to date my daughter."
His deep brown eyes widened as he heard that… "H-Huh? They did what?" he mumbled and the older man glared at him momentarily making him stop…For now he decided to let it slide…
"Well, to be honest…the matter started bothering me, so I ignored my daughter's wishes and asked from her fiancé" he pointed this word… "To come and meet you."
The men opposite him stayed silent until one of them said making the others ready to state their own remarks…
"Where is he then?" Then, another one was heard…
"Hah…I bet you didn't want for us to see him because he is probably a weakling, who will bring shame to the Kazama name, right?"
Hwoarang covered his mouth to suppress his laugh… "Don't worry, old man…Someone has already done the deed. Asuka's family can't go any lower than they already have."
"Yeah…These days, women are much more forward and like the idea of protecting their boyfriends." The oldest one of them said…
However, her father didn't give an answer to any of their questions… "Could you please let me speak?" he asked in a gentle tone… "Sorry, to disappoint you, gentlemen, but my son-in-law will surprise you…" This time he stopped and stared at the crowd around him. All of them were listening silently at him. That was good… "However, first things first…I invited a man to have a sparring session with me. I want for my students to watch how to fight a person with another fighting style."
His students' eyes widened. For their master to choose him he must be already a pro. One of them gathered all his courage and asked him… "Master, I hope we won't be the one to fight him."
He rolled his eyes irritated by being interrupted and answered… "No way! I still want students to teach…I will fight him." He turned his head back to the older men, who were waiting impatiently and smirked… "Now…then." He mumbled and looked behind him… "Hwoarang, come inside, boy."
The auburn haired man walked confidently further inside from where he was standing behind Asuka's father and ran a hand through his hair. A cocky smirk crossed his lips when he heard some girls fawning already over him…
"He's so hot!" they, all, agreed with each other and nodded their heads, until an unimpressed male voice was heard from behind them…
"How do you like a guy like him? He's like a gangster."
Hwoarang was trying to maintain his confident facial expression… "Who was that weakling, who just said that?! If only, I see him…"
Then, the older man next to him spoke making him blink his eyes several times… "Children, this is Hwoarang and he's from South Korea…" the man paused and placed his hand on Hwoarang's shoulder to make him look at his direction… "He lives in Seoul and he's using Taekwondo. He was kind enough to accept my invitation…You are going to learn a lot from him if you watch closely. He really is a talented man."
"Yes, sensei." The students murmured and bowed respectfully…
The man walked to the other side of the dojo and pointed for Hwoarang at the opposite side to do the same… "It's time. Let's make a good fight out of this."
Hwoarang remembered what the man asked from him to do. He clicked his tongue and rubbed the back of his head… "Old man…I won't go easy on you."
Once again feminine shrieks were heard from the background… "He's so cool!"
"I know I am…There's no need to say it out loud." However, this was an honest arrogant thought. He said so himself. For now he could be once again «the real him»...Even for a small amount of time…
Meanwhile…
Osaka, Downtown Market District…
A sigh full of guilt escaped a middle aged woman's lips. It was loud enough to make the younger girl next to her question it… "Mom, what's with you all of a sudden?" she asked and the woman sighed again… "You look so out of it." It was true since they hadn't stepped inside a store for the last five minutes, when every other time, she would enter the stores one after another…
Finally, the older woman glanced at her daughter… "Asuka…I promised him…but…"
Her mother's expressions appeared very suspicious. She bit her upper lip and took a breath… "What are you talking about?...Promised? What?"
She rolled her shoulders and passed all the bags towards Asuka. At least she wouldn't be able to attack her before leaving the bags on the ground giving her time to make a run for it…
"You see…Your father…He is introducing Hwoarang-kun to his friends and students."
Asuka's eyebrow twitched and she dropped the bags on the ground. Without waiting for her mother she started walking to her family's dojo direction… "Wait for me!" her mother was heard but she didn't stop…
Kazama Dojo…
With a final kick on the stomach, Hwoarang finished the fight against Asuka's father. He thought of going to his side and check him out but then, he remembered what they talked about. However, the man seemed in real pain. Well, it had been quite a lot of time since he had faced a worthy opponent, so he might have overdid it in a way. A sigh escaped his lips and dropped his shoulders. He walked towards the man and helped him up. The older man thanked him with a nod and patted him on the shoulder…
"I'm very proud of you, son…" he started saying and all of them looked at him… "I expected nothing less from my daughter's fiancé."
Nothing was heard for a long amount of time that the two men exchanged confused glances. Everything went according to plan. Were they that shocked?
"He's Asuka-chan's fiancé? That…kind of…m-man?"
Hwoarang gritted his teeth and made a few intimidating steps towards the one, who talked… "Why, old man? Aren't I good enough for you?" he paused and smirked… "Not that I care anyway."
A grey haired man next to him frowned and tightened his fists… "He's so intimidating! How did you allow to such a rude punk to date your own daughter?"
Asuka's father closed his eyes momentarily and hit playfully the back of Hwoarang's head… "He's respectful and kind to me and my wife…The rest…It's not like we actually care. If she's happy…" he stopped and smiled… "So we are."
All the men inside the dojo were exchanging gazes and murmuring with each other about what they just witnessed. The students were still awed from the fight before all of this started and the girls kind of disappointed since…Hwoarang was taken and by whom? Asuka Kazama. Their nightmare…
Suddenly, the dojo's main door opened…
Her dark brown eyes widened when she found out that she was actually very late… "Damn it! I was too late. I'll kill them all!" she mumbled to herself and lowered her gaze on the floor…
"Oh Asuka, baby? You're here?"
The young woman shook her and tried her best to act cool…but to no avail… "Dad! Why is he here?". Asuka pursed her lips when her eyes fell on her injured father, who was leaning on Hwoarang for support. With quick steps she made her way there ignoring all the eyes, who were looking at her upside down… "And what's wrong? What did YOU do to him?" she asked him accusingly…
He rolled his eyes. Keeping it a secret was a stupid idea after all. She would find out eventually, so why did her father wanted to keep it from her? Hwoarang tried to position the man better on his body and turned to walk him inside the changing room… "He asked for it." He said in a low voice as a matter of fact…
"Why…Why would he do that?"
He stopped and glanced at her… "Ask him later." Then, he lowered his head and talked to the older man… "Sir, I'll take you inside."
"Uh…Y-Yes…I just need to wash a little my face."
Hwoarang quickened his pace wanting to avoid Asuka and her questions for a brief time, since he indeed didn't know how to answer… "Yeah…just a little."
…
The moment they walked inside the man's changing room, Hwoarang helped him sit on one of the chairs and rubbed his own shoulder. The older man was of some weight after all. His eyes widened when he heard the slightly injured man chuckling…
"Hehe…Our plan had success, my boy." He said enthusiastically making Hwoarang sigh. Of course, he would enjoy that, too, if only Asuka didn't make her appearance. She was going to blame everything on him and he was right to believe so…
"A little bit too much…I think…" he checked his bruises and turned to make his way to the small fridge at the back of the room… "I should get some ice."
However, the older man stopped him with his voice… "No, no. These bruises are proof to everyone , including me, that I'm leaving my daughter in good hands." Any other time, Hwoarang would be thrilled to hear something like this but right now…Not really. Why? It wasn't because, he wasn't actually a couple with his daughter but something else…Lately, he realized that his confession to Asuka was a very selfish thing to do. He should have been more careful with that. Well, he failed so there was no point in thinking about it anymore…
He shook his head and returned his attention to the man… "Still, sir…It looks bad."
The man smiled widely… "It's just a bruise. I've had worse." Hwoarang didn't know if he should have been relieved or insulted. What did that mean? Was there someone else stronger than him? No, there's no way this is happening…
"You're as stubborn as your daughter." He murmured dropping his shoulders…
"Hehe…Take good care of her, alright?" He titled his head finding strange the fact that Hwoarang didn't give him an answer. He expected something like «Of course, I will!» . He exhaled as he watched the Korean man being lost in his thoughts… "In the end, I'll take that ice." Thankfully, this time he heard him and made his way to the fridge…
The younger man opened the fridge and placed some ice cubes inside a towel. He tied it in a way to resemble a small pouch and as he was ready to take it back to the man a loud voice startled him making him drop it…
"DAD!"
"She's here!" the two men thought in unison…
Asuka walked towards her father who was massaging his left wrist. He didn't raise his head to meet her pressuring gaze, instead he focused on his hand. She rolled her eyes and looked towards Hwoarang, who found himself next to her father with the ice in his hand…
"Why did the two of you fight?" she asked and the two men exchanged glances…
"According to your father, honey, the reason is pretty important." A female voice was heard from behind them. The middle aged woman walked closer to them and examined quickly her husband's injuries. This old man had to realize already that he should retire but she knew that there was no way to argue with him about a futile matter like this. He was never going to admit anything when it came to age and time…
"M-Mom…You even know that?!" she tightened her fists… "You three were laughing behind my back all this time?"
"Quit talking nonsense, Asuka, and apologize to your father and Hwoarang-kun." Said her mother with a frown above her eyes… "As I said, your father considers it very important, so you should listen to him."
Asuka clicked her tongue and turned to make eye contact with her father… "Dad, I'm waiting." The older man looked at his wife, who gave him a nod, and sighed…
He looked at his daughter and pursed his lips… "Fine…I'll tell you."
Kazama Dojo…
Some days ago…
The students bowed to their master as soon as he walked them outside the dojo. It was a good thing that they were making progress and he wouldn't have to ask Asuka to help them catch up. Not that she would listen to him. She rarely got out of her room these last days. After that stupid tournament ended…No swearing, no junk food eating…and most importantly no fighting. She was so depressed. His wife believed that, maybe, failing her exams had something to do with her condition but no…He knew her better.
The man let out a desperate sigh…What was he supposed to do with her? Should he leave it upon his wife to deal with it or wait for her to snap out of it on her own…
"Oh Kazama!"
A man close to his age called him and he blinked his eyes several times. He rolled his eyes when he saw, who it was. What did this idiot want? «What does this fool want again?» he mumbled… "Good afternoon. Do you need anything with me?"
The other one shook his head dismissively… "Not really…Uh…You see, finally, my son got a job in a company."
«See if I care, you jerk!» he said in the inside…
"Did you say anything?"
Her father exhaled and shook his head grabbing the wooden broom, which was resting next to the main door… "Don't mind me…Rumblings of an old man."
The one opposite him chuckled… "If you're old, then what am I?"
"Just older I guess." He mumbled and shrugged his shoulders when the other laughed…
"Your sense of humor is as good as always."
Asuka's father raised an eyebrow. "I was just stating facts…" he paused and started swiping the sidewalk in front of his dojo… "…and it's not like I have a good sense of humor. I am aware of that." As he spoke these words all he was thinking inside his mind was what the hell was this guy trying to do. He stopped sweeping the sidewalk and looked straight at the man… "Will you tell me what you want? I need to close the dojo and go home."
"I understand…" he answered and gave him a nod… "Well…Asuka-chan has finished with school this year, right?" he asked her father, who was starting to get on his guard…
"That's what we've been told." He muttered… "What of it anyway?" it was his turn to make a question and his eyes narrowed…
The man laughed slightly. It was true that he noticed the annoyance inside the man in front of him even just from his face expression. However, it was true that he actually visited him on purpose… "I think that it's a good idea for her to consider marriage. That is all."
'Cough, cough!'
"Asuka and marriage?!" he asked not believing what he just heard… "My daughter's name and the word "marriage" cannot exist in the same dictionary."
The other seemed unfazed from his reaction. A lot of girls in her age were married or at least engaged. Why was he so surprised? "I think you're overreacting. I'm sure she would make the ideal pair with my son. Don't you think so too?" he asked and placed a hand under his chin… "Should I ask what Yuko-san is thinking, too?"
"Stop…just stop!" he shouted startling him… "This is the most stupid thing I've ever heard considering my daughter…and, anyway…" He needed to say something fast since it seemed that this guy was actually serious. And not to admit that if this bastard was to ask his wife, she might have been positive about it. In the end, though, he thought of something to distract him for the time being. If only he knew…
"Even if I was ok with this foolish idea…My daughter has already…a boyfriend." He regretted it the first second he said it. Why was he so impulsive some times?
"WHAT?! Since when?"
However, his face lit up slightly when he noticed the irritation on the face of the man in front of him. Served him right. But now what? What was he supposed to say and it wasn't like Asuka would be the first girl anyone could picture having a boyfriend…except from…He got it… "She met him in these tournaments she's participating. She's very enthusiastic and seems to be very in love with the guy." A fake sigh escaped his lips… "Imagine what kind of man he must be since he tamed this monster…no….uh…I mean my daughter."
The man made a few steps behind and crossed his arms defensively… "Is that so? Then, I'd like for you to introduce him to me."
Her father raised an eyebrow in question. This idiot was so persistent… "Why would I do that?" However, what he heard next left him dumbfounded and ready to explode…
"You knew I was already eyeing Asuka-chan for my son."
With his hand he grabbed him from the collar of his shirt and said angrily… "You weren't eyeing her for your son but for you…YOU TWISTED PERVERT PEDOPHILE!"
He shook his head multiple times trying to deny this… "That's not true at all!" he tried to say as he managed to release himself from the stronger man's grip…
"Like I believe you, scum…" the man bit his upper lip and released him… "But…since I want to brag about him…I'll let you meet him." I'm so screwed, he started thinking while watching the other man nodding in agreement…
Present Day…
Asuka's mother sighed when she noticed the surprised faces both her daughter and Hwoarang wore. Of course, it was understandable, even she was, when her husband first told her…
"As you have already guessed, kids… You were actually godsend, Hwoarang-kun." She said and thanked him with a small bow…
However, the Korean man wasn't truly surprised. It was obvious that Asuka had the "right" body proportions to be desirable. But, of course, that didn't mean that it could stay forgivable just because it was understandable. Suddenly, he kicked angrily the chair next to him…
"Tell me, sir…" he started saying moving closer to the man… "Who was the one who was having his eyes on my woman!?"
"I'll show him to you, boy!" he answered and stood up determinately… "Let's go!"
"Not yet, you two." Said his wife touching each one's shoulder. She, then, frowned and walked in front of the younger man… "Hwoarang-kun, you're really not bothered by this?"
He smiled softly at the concerned woman trying to reassure her… "Well, even if I wasn't her boyfriend already, I would gladly play the part." He said and the woman smiled relieved… "Who knows? Maybe, this charade would be the cause of our fateful meeting."
"STOP SPOUTING BULLSHIT!" Asuka was heard from behind him being already grossed from what she was hearing the entire time…
"Anyway…" the older woman said grabbing the bags from the floor… "Asuka and I will be going now. When you're finished here come home immediately."
…
Osaka, Kazama Residence…
A few hours later, the two men returned from the dojo. Both of them were tired. The man because of the beating he had and the younger boy because he thought that it was a nice idea to stay on the Japanese man's good side. As they walked inside, his wife welcomed them inside the house and led them to the dining room. It was filled with lots of Japanese traditional dishes. Hwoarang smiled secretly to himself. This scene felt so heartwarming. It was true that even though he considered Baek his own family, they never shared moments such as this one. The older man glanced at him and raised an eyebrow being confused in a way about the Korean man's face expression. Truth to be told he never asked him anything about his family. However, something in the inside told him to not pursue this subject tonight. And that was the right decision…
Asuka's mother appeared in front of them once again, holding two other dishes at each hand. She grinned slightly at Hwoarang and tilted her head… "Here, here…Asuka helped too." The younger one nodded enthusiastically while taking a seat, in contrast to the other…
"She did?! Why did you let her, Yuko?" his wife made a step back surprised by her husband's exclamation. She knew that he only trusted her when it came to his stomach but…he wouldn't even try his own daughter's cooking? That's preposterous! How did he expect from her then to get married, if her own father didn't trust her?
"Yamato!" she shouted and opened her mouth to scold him even worse…however, Asuka interrupted her as she placed angrily some glasses of water on the table…
"That was so damn rude, dad! How could you?"
Her father sighed… "Fine, fine" he mumbled and the two women walked once again inside the kitchen. When he made sure that they were gone, he whispered to the younger man… "Boy, I won't let you suffer. I'll eat the part she helped in."
Hwoarang glanced in the kitchen and then returned his gaze to the man next to him… "Umm…Why? Is it really that bad?" he asked and the man nodded a few times…
"I'll tell you this…" he began… "When she was younger and still a little cute, she decided to make a cake for me…Anyway, what I wanted to say is that I didn't find any small parts of eggs."
The one next to him raised an eyebrow… "Well…Isn't that…good?" he asked…
"Hell no!" the Japanese man said... "I found three untouched raw eggs."
"Three eggs?!"
He gave him a nod… "Yes. She put them inside the recipe just like she took them outside the fridge."
Hwoarang sighed with a smile… "I see…" then, the man gave him another determined nod…
…
"What are you two talking about?" Asuka looked suspiciously between them but rest her gaze on her father… "Dad!?"
The man coughed… "Nothing, sweetheart. We're just…talking."
She raised an eyebrow having a very bad feeling about the whole situation. Hwoarang started to get really involved inside her family's affairs… "About what?"
The two men exchanged glances… "Random…stuff…"
"Like what?" she asked crossing her arms...
Then, she heard someone chuckling next to her and felt a man's hand on her shoulder… "Like how I'm going to make…"
"Gyah" Asuka's cheeks flushed and she shoved him away before running inside the kitchen…
…
Thankfully, the dinner passed in peace. No perverted comments from Hwoarang or those "one of a kind" from her father. Maybe, because the food was good. Yes, the older man was sure that in the end Asuka didn't help at all. The only thing his daughter was better than her mother was in preparing tea. Even though her mother never wanted to teach her, her father, on the other hand, used the tea ceremony as a punishment whenever she disobeyed him as a child. Since, she was better than his wife, we come to the conclusion that Asuka wasn't from the children, who were taking their parents' words to heart…
"Yamato, where did Hwoarang-kun go?" asked the concerned woman while looking at her left and right… "He left and didn't say anything? How disappointing?"
Asuka rolled her eyes. As expected…He obviously had enough of her parents. Even she would find them sometimes bothersome…Well, as we said…sometimes…She placed satisfied the remaining dishes on the tray she was holding but stiffened when she heard her father's voice…
"Someone called him and went outside to pick up the call. He'll be back."
"Phew…That's a relief…" The woman's face lit up in an instant. What the hell?! Just how much did she like him? Thought Asuka… "It was impossible for him to be so thoughtless right?"
"Weren't you saying before…" Asuka opened her mouth but her mother ignored her as she always did with everyone whenever she was on the wrong…
"The tea's ready." She mumbled and walked with hurried steps back to the kitchen…
…
There were some seconds of extreme silence. Unusual, indeed…Asuka started feeling nervous for a reason. Did her father say anything strange to Hwoarang or did the opposite happen? These two men were so difficult to read. Maybe, that was the reason they seemed to be on good terms…for the time being. If her parents were to learn that they are actually nothing to each other how were they going to react?
"It seemed important." Her father muttered in a stern voice…
"W-What thing?" she asked warily…
The man sighed and sipped some water… "The call he received…His whole expression changed."
Asuka nodded. She didn't have a clue either, however, as his "girlfriend" she supposed that she had to say something… "Well, it's true…" she started while scratching the back of her head… "…that he's the one, who mostly follows the old man Rochefort around. He didn't go to the USA because of that." In the end, she nodded as she felt proud of the explanation she gave…
"And why didn't you go in the end?" he wondered…
"That's a question that I have no clue how to answer…I can't neither lie nor tell you the truth." She answered and shrugged her shoulders…
Her mother's footsteps were heard once again and this time Asuka started walking towards the front door…
"Hey, where are you going?" her father asked…
"Check out what he's doing obviously. I'm so damn curious. What's with him being in a serious mode whenever he feels like it? He confuses me." She answered casually and closed the door behind her…
…
"Aw…I was worried for a moment…" the older woman brought happily her hands to her chest… "In the end, she does get jealous."
Her husband frowned knowing what kind of child he managed to raise… "No, Yuko…That's our daughter being nosy as always."
The woman shook confidently her head… "I don't think so. They are a couple. So, they should share everything. Happiness, sadness and worries." However, her man managed to get her back to reality…
"Where's the tea?" he asked uninterested making her tighten her fists…
"You weren't always so insensitive!"
…
Osaka, Kazama Residence, Front yard…
Hwoarang exhaled some smoke and looked at the night sky. The stars were slightly visible…
"If it's gonna be like that, it will be too much…" he muttered and waited for the caller's response. He frowned sadly… "I understand what you mean but, please, listen to me…You need to listen to me just this once." However, the caller dropped the call making him grit angrily his teeth…
"What's wrong?" he heard a genuine concerned female voice that startled him momentarily until he realized who it was…
He turned his head and smiled softly… "Indeed…Something is…completely wrong."
Asuka tilted her head and crossed her arms… "Uh…I don't think I get what you're trying to say."
The older boy gave her a nod. Of course, she didn't. She didn't have to understand, even though that would save him some time later. He dropped the cigarette and stomped on it. He walked towards her and touched her shoulder…
"There are things I want to tell you…or ask you…"
She nudged his hand away but her gaze remained on him… "I hear you."
He wanted to tell her…Like right now. Here! But he couldn't…
A sigh escaped his lips but smiled playfully once again… "Come on. Let's have a ride."
Her eyes widened and she glanced towards his bike. It seemed tempting and the night breeze would feel good on the skin, too. Oh no! What kind of romantic bullshit was she thinking of? Gross! She shook her head and Hwoarang made a step back…
"You don't want to?"
Asuka looked at him again… "I don't mean that! What I want to say is…like…Right now?"
"Where's the problem in that?" he asked and then lowered his head to whisper something in her ear… "Will you let them know? Well…" he chuckled… "I can easily kidnap you…If you're into it."
"Tsk…Fine, I'll tell them…" she said loudly and shoved him away… "Wait for me here."
"If it's you…for all eternity, my darling." He muttered just for her to listen…
Asuka scoffed at him and turned away making her way inside her house… "This idiot!"
…
He watched her walking away with a painful smile…
"What am I gonna do?" he whispered to himself… "I'm just…so…tired…but I don't want to lose her."
Thanks for reading!