Lines Crossed - Volume 1 Chapter 29 29

Present Day

I walked into the house a little hum and skip in my step.

“Hyung!”

I smiled as the familiar voice blared loudly, echoing across the large house at me.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to yell across the house at me? House rules and all, Yah brat. It’s been three years already you would think you know how to act.” But I was chipper, and it filled my voice with a light, happy hum.

ChangWook walked up to me, his eyes flashed mischievously. His dark hair was fluffy and unruly from the oversized fluffy sweater he had pulled over his head. He was the type who, despite the environment still hadn’t changed.

His hair was most likely uncombed by anything other than his fingers after pulling something to wear on, and his light jeans stressed his long athletic legs. On his feet wore a cute frilly pair of fluffy pink house slippers and bare toes tucked inside them.

“Did you steal Miss Wu’s slippers again?” I asked him and shook my head.

“Ahhhh.”

“Just for today.” He said cheekily, giving me one of his killer grins.

I rolled my eyes. If I had been a girl or even some men that would have worked on me. But I just squinted at him, peering playfully.

“I’ll buy her new ones soon. Pepper ate mine again.”

“Wook, I told you to find someone who can train Pepper not to do that anymore,” I said. But my heart wasn’t in being upset over trifling things. I turned and grabbed a magazine, threw myself down on the couch, and started flipping through it quickly. A slight hum in my throat.

“Oh, brother, you are in a good mood. I sense something happened? Did that little vixen who saved your life finally admit defeat and agree to go on a date with you?”

“I asked her only once before this so don’t make it sound like I get rejected so often.”

“Hyung, Me? Never! I would never do that. How would I have the guts to? You are a lady killer, what woman in their right mind says no to you..” He paused.

“So did she agree?”

I said nothing, but gave him a look.

“Oooo you did, you got her to agree!” He pointed at me and hopped up and down with excitement, then he leaned over the back of the couch and shoved his face in my view.

“Do you know where you will take her?” He asked me, his eyes twinkling with amus.e.m.e.nt.

“Wait, what kind of date is this going to be? Maybe Chevrons the fancy Italian place, American cuisine or a Korean place, Do you know if she is a traditionalist or does she like something fresh and in, maybe Asian fusion?”

“Oh, I got it, you want to take her to that great Siate, the French Cuisine place. If you do maybe you can see some action fina”

“Ouch.” He yelped in response to my smack on the back of his head, which had hit him hard enough that his hair bounced.

He grinned sheepishly.

“Was I being too much?” He asked cheekily.

I rolled my eyes at him. ‘Of course, it was too much, we had just met and…’

Well, it wasn’t like that. She was pretty, but that was beside the point she had saved my life and I owed her more than a bit of gratitude. I wanted to help her somehow, as she had helped me. I wanted to pay the kindness forward.’

But this kid had an infuriating desire to see me get hitched and was always commenting on my lackl.u.s.ter, non-existent love life.

And when he was really bored, he would even try to do something to fix it, that was the worst because those girls were so far from my taste.

“Want some help to get ready?” He asked me.

“Sure, as long as you don’t make me look like some pimp or drug lord like the last time you surprised me with a blind date.”

“Hyung, I would never! Don’t you trust me?” He gave me mock sympathy.

“You’re here right,” I said icily. My happy mood wearing a little thin, I reminded myself ‘Calm, with him, always calm, he is just a kid after all he is only twenty-one now.’

Getting a quick handle on my mood, he became proper and sweet, instead of annoying as he resting his hands over his belly in proper humility towards his elder.

“Of course, Hyung is the greatest and most trusting brother in the world.”

I shook my head in amus.e.m.e.nt, this kid never tired, but he was thoughtful and caring. I set the magazine down, reached into my pocket and really quickly threw the contents of it at him.

He reached up and caught the item with insanely fast reflexes, then looked at it confusion on his face.

“Congratulations,” I said and laid back, closing my eyes to rest.

“Huh?”

I could almost feel his confusion. I tried to hold back my pleased smile.

“It’s a present,” I said, waiting for him to figure out what day it was on his own, but he just wasn’t puzzling it out.

‘Oh jeez, this sweet thick-headed boy I can’t live without.’

“Congratulations on being born today,” I stated.

“Uhhhhh, it’s not my birthday. You know tha” he stopped and his eyes widened.

I opened my eyes to peek at him.

“Yes, today three years ago you were reborn as my brother, congratulations, and thanks for being born,” I said nonchalantly.

I watched his face mush in an arrayment of feelings before settling on whimpering like a happy dog.

‘Honestly, this kid’

“You’re giving me this these keys to the Sesto Elemento Lamborghini with interior suede from Italy? A rare car that there are only one hundred models of in the world!”

“Mmmm.” I nodded, then closed my eyes again.

“Ahhh,” I yelped in surprise as a large weight smothered me.

My eyes flashed open to see Chang Wook had jumped over the edge of the couch and was leaning all of his weight on me. Killing me with the sudden change as he launched his body over the couch and laid on top of me to hug me tightly.

“Yah what are you doing?” I said incredulously.

“Hyung, I love you.” He said happily.

“Gross,” I scowled at him playfully, then shoved him off of me. He grabbed my hands, knelt in front of the couch and stared into my eyes deeply.

“Hyung If this girl doesn’t fall for and marry you, I will be your wife for the rest of your life I swear it.” He said throwing both hands across his chest to hold the keys against his heart while shouting his promise into our living room.

“I will cook and clean for you Well, maybe not clean for you we have Miss Wu to do that for us, and you don’t want me to clean Miss Wu says when I do I make things three times worse but I will do whatever you say, honestly. Whatever you want, I will be your slave boy for life.”

He blinked at me earnestly.

“Eww… Go away. It’s a car, not a marriage proposal.” I shoved him off his knees and he fell to the floor dramatically. I sneered at him playfully, then threw a pillow at him and it hit him square in the face. He ran out of the room laughing.

“Hey, where do you think you are going you promised to help me get ready for my date tonight!” I yelled after him.

“I can’t right now I have a car to show to my friends Ah as for the date, you can do it Hyung, I believe in you.” He shot me a little heart and then ran out of the house faster than I could catch him.

“You ungrateful dog,” I shouted after him, his laughter poured back at me before the sound of the front door clicked shut.

It had been a great three years I thought happily.

I looked at the door with deep affection, then closed my eyes.

“Happy Birthday Mom, I think I am close this time.” I thought happily.