“Whoa! Who is he?” Eloise’s friends as she looked at Lonnie who was serving the customers.
“He is my son in law”
“Son in-law? Is Lani getting married?” Her friend asked.
“Not yet, but he is signing up for it”
“But why is he wearing a face mask?”
Eloise looked at Lonnie and smile. “He is so handsome and I don’t want him to be seen by someone else”
“Judging from his physical appearance, I am sure he is very handsome, but did you have to bring him here?”
Eloise sighed and touch her heart. “I just want a man who is ready to do anything for my Lani, when I am no longer here”
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t be on earth forever. Lani is a softie, she cries over little things. She is not strong and get hurt easily, I want a man who will love her more than I have loved her”
“Is he the perfect one for her?”
Eloise looked at Lonnie again and said. “I’m not sure yet. I am still observing him”
******
•NIGHT•
Eloise sat on the bed watching a documentary about the life of women in their late 60s when Lani entered the house.
“Good evening grandma” She greeted sitting beside her.
“Where have you been?”
“At Dami’s place. It surprising you are home at this hour. You’re always at the restaurant at this hour, what change?”
“Broomstick helped out”
“Lonnie! What did you made him to?” Lani asked, standing up.
“Nothing much, I just asked him to wash the dishes and serve my customers”
“How can you do that to him? He is not used to this kind of hard chores!”
“It wasn’t a hard chores. I was training him to to be strong, cuz he is too weak for my liking”
“You’re so unbelievable grandma!” Lani said and rushed out of the house.
“Why did I do wrong? I was just training him because you can’t do any house chores”
***
Lonnie opened the door of his house and he smiled when he saw Lani.
“You came. I didn’t see you the whole day”
Lani didn’t say a word but stare at him with misty eyes.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Lani walked closer to him and hugged him, making Lonnie wonder why.
“I’m sorry” She finally spoke up.
“Sorry about what?”
“I just found out that my grandma turned you into a slave boy in her restaurant”
Lonnie smiled and hugged her back. “It’s nothing Lani”
“What do you mean it’s nothing? I know everything about you, you have never done any chores in your entire life”
“It was not a big deal” He said, hugging her tightly.
Lani broke the hug and Lonnie quickly hide his hands behind him.
“Why are you hiding your hands?”
“It’s nothing”
“Then show it to me” She demanded.
“I am perfectly fine, Lani”
“Since it’s perfectly fine, I want to see it. Give me your hands”
When Lonnie was hesitating to bring out his hands from behind, Lani forcefully took his hands and she gasped when she saw the different cuts in his fingers.
“Did this happen because of the chores my grandma gave you?”
“It’s all fault”
“How is it your fault!”
“I suck when it comes to chores, if I was good at it, then I’d have done it without cutting myself” He said, smiling.
“Why did you do it? Judging from the kind of person you are, you should have said no. People don’t force you into what you don’t want to do, so why? Why did you listen to my grandma?” She asked, crying already.
*It’s because of you, Lani* He said inwardly.
“Why, Lonnie?” She sniffled.
Lonnie hugged and her head rest on his broad chest.
“Don’t cry, I am fine”
“I know you’re lying”
“I’m not”
“Don’t do it again. Anytime she tells you to do a chore, don’t do it. She doesn’t ask me to do any chores so why will she ask you to do it?”
“I don’t regret doing it”
Lani hits his chest, lightly. “Why do you always have something to say?”
Lonnie smiled and hugged her again. “That’s because I am your Lonnie”
“I am also your Lani, right?”
Lonnie chuckled wrapping his arms around her slender body. “Yes you’re my Lani”
Lani blushed.
***
“Wait!!” Lonnie screamed when Lani tried to treat his wounds.
“Are you scared of treatment?”
Lonnie looked at the surgical spirit in her hand and nodded his head. His hair fall to his forehead, giving him a baby face kind of look. He can be a hottie, handsome or cute guy depending on the facial expression he is making.
This is one of the reasons why he the most popular member in his group. He is good with facial expressions and his face always flows well with the concept of their song.
Lani looked at the baby face he was making and she laughed.
“Should I give you a mirror to look at your face right now? Cuz you look like a day old baby”
She tried applying the surgical spirit in his wounded fingers, but Lonnie folded his fingers, preventing her from applying it.
“It’s just a surgical spirit, Lonnie”
“It stings a lot” He puckered.
“Do you want me to believe that you are a broomstick? I’m not strong, but I can withstand treatment”
Lonnie took in his button lip and he slowly unfolded his fingers.
“Do it gently okay”
“Sure I will. I can’t deliberately hurt my Lonnie” She tried applying the surgical spirit, but Lonnie withdraw his hand again.
“C’mon Lonnie, stop acting like a girl”
Lonnie pouted before allowing Lani to treat him, and it took god’s grace before Lani was able to finish the treatment on him.
“Will you be free tomorrow?”
“Why?” She asked.
“It’s Saturday tomorrow, let’s hang out”
“I’m sorry Lonnie, but I have a birthday party to attend”
“A birthday party?”
“Yes. He is a friend of mine”
“He?” Lonnie asked, not liking the idea that he was a guy.
“Yes”
“I thought Rory was the only male friend you have?”
“No. Sean is also my friend, and he is a very friendly” She said, smiling.
“Friendly?” Lonnie muffled, backing her.
Lani smiled and tapped him, but Lonnie scoffed.
“Are you jealous?” She asked with a smile and Lonnie turned to look at her.
“I’m not jealous okay. It’s just that you said I am your Lonnie”
Lani smiled and cupped his face while Lonnie looked at her, making a cute face.
“Of course you’re still my Lonnie. Sean is just a friend and nothing more than a friend. I promise him that I’d be at his party, so it will be very bad of me to turn him down”
“Are you going there alone?”
“No. I’m going with my friends. He invited them too”
“Okay. I will be waiting for you to come back”
“I am going to make it snappy and come back to my Lonnie” She said, caressing his hair.
Lonnie smiled.
He tried kissing her, but stopped halfway through and hugged her.
“Thank you so much”
“For what?” She asked.
“For coming into my life. I thought my life will be meaningless without my voice in singing, but you prove me wrong. Thanks to you, I can smile brightly”
“Then am I your knight in shining armor?”
“You are more than that to me” He kissed her hair, before hugging her again.
******
•SEOUL, THE UNBEATABLE MANSION •
Sage came out from her room and sees Miles resting his back on the wall close to her room door. He has been waiting for her to come out. He’d have knocked, but he was scared to do so.
Sage tried walking without talking to him, but he blocked her path.
“Move”
“Can we at least talk?”
“We have nothing to talk about Miles?” Sage said, making an attempt to leave, but Miles held her hand.
“Let go of me”
“Why do you h@ťě me so much? I know I am not handsome as Lonnie and Camren, but I was the first guy in your life. We were so close Sage, what changed?” He asked heartbreakingly.
“Are you seriously asking me that? You were the one who changed! Did you know the countless times you bullied Lonnie during our trainees days?”
“I was just jealous” He replied and tears falls down from his eyes.
“Jealous? I started hating you right from the day you push Lonnie down from the stairs. He was just 14 years old back then, but you pushed him, so that he won’t debut with us, but despite that, he didn’t resent you and still pleaded on your behalf that you should be part of the debut, but what did he get in return for his kindness? Hatred from you!”
“I want to change. Give me a chance and I promise to change”
“Don’t change because of me, because I won’t reciprocate to your feelings. If I wanted to love you, I’d have done that a long time ago” Sage took her hand from him and walked away.
Miles fall to the ground, crying like a baby.
He loves Sage a lot. He became a trainee when he was 10 years old and debuted when he was 15, he is already 25 years old, and not once has he stopped loving Sage.
Sage is his first love and she came into his life at a time when he needed a shoulder to cry on.
“Sage” He called her name crying with a broken heart.
******
•HADONG, COUNTRYSIDE OF KOREA, THE CHOI’S HOTEL•
The hall was well decorated by experts in the world of interior designers. Just a glance at the hall, you’d see that it was well lavished with money.
The Choi family is the richest family in the countryside and they have lots of businesses under their name, and they’re well respected by the people breeding in Hadong.
Sean could be seen looking at the people who were entering the hall through the entrance door. He was dressed in an expensive multicolor suit and everything about him was screaming money. No doubt he is a handsome gentleman cuz he is a carefree guy.
“Your eyes might fall off if you don’t stop” Palmer said, and Sean looked at her.
“Are you waiting for Lani?”
“Yes. She promised to be here”
“I won’t be surprised if she doesn’t show up. Stop crushing on that girl. Find someone else much more beautiful than her”
“If you don’t have something useful to say, I’d suggest you leave me alone, or better still help me welcome my guests”
Palmer frowns and walked away from him
“What’s with the frown?” Opal asked.
“I wonder what he finds interesting in Lani? She is dumb and don’t even know what she wants for herself. I feel like she is using my brother and I don’t like it”
“Then confront her about it”
“I can’t do that. I’m a peaceful person ok. I just want the best for my brother and that’s all” Palmer said and took a glass of wine from the waiter who was serving the drinks on a tray.
Lani entered the hall with her friends, and Sean almost lost it when he saw her.
She was putting on the dress and heels he got for her, and it was if it was made for her, cuz it suited her perfectly. Even without makeups, her cuteness didn’t hesitate to show itself. If cuteness was a person, then it’d be Lani.
“Rory is so handsome, I wish I could kiss him right now” Opal said with a flirting smile looking at Rory who was with Dami and Posy.
“Stop being obsessed. I think you should rather focus on your studies than drool over a guy”
“Sorry, but I am not a bookworm like you” Opal continued looking at Rory.
Palmer eyes fell on Lani and she smiled a little. “She might be annoying, but she is cute” She walked up to Sean and tapped him.
“I thought you have been waiting for her? So why are you making her stand?” Palmer asked.
“You never wanted her here, so why are you bugging me?”
“I don’t h@ťě Lani neither do I like her, I just want the best for you”
“Thanks, Palmer” Sean smiled at her, before walking up to where Lani was standing.
***
Lani’s eyes were on her phone, she was looking at her phone, hoping that Lonnie is going to call her.
“Are you enjoying the party?” Sean asked with a smile.
Lani dropped her phone inside her bag and the moment she dropped it inside her bag, Lonnie called her, but it was on silent, so she didn’t hear.
“Yes I am. Thanks for inviting me”
“I am glad you came” He winked at her, but Lani just smiled at him. If it was Lonnie that winked at her, she’d have felt something, but she didn’t.
“I have an announcement to make”
“What announcement?” Lani asked.
Sean smiled at her, he stood and walked up to the stage. His parents were also in the party too.
He took the microphone and flashed a smile at the crowd.
“I want to say a big thank you to everyone who took out a time from their busy schedules to come here just to celebrate with me. As the heir to the Choi’s family wealth, I say thank you all for coming”
A round of applause was made for his speech and he continued after the applauses died down.
“I also want to use this opportunity to introduce someone very special to me. Lani Han, please come” He said with a sincere smile.
Lani points at herself with surprise all over her face, and Sean nodded his head.
“What’s he is trying to do?” Posy asked.
“Maybe he wants to give her money” Rory answered .
“We can use it to hangout tomorrow” Dami added and the three of them giggled.
“Hey Palmer, what’s your brother up to?” Opal asked, but Palmer said nothing, cuz she was confused too.
Lani went to the stage, and Sean held her hand.
“Everyone I want you all to meet my girlfriend, Lani Han”
Dami, Rory and Posy choked on their food.
“Girlfriend!” They said at the same time.
“What’s that fool saying?” Palmer muffled.
Claps filled the hall making Lani confused, all eyes were on her, and she didn’t know what do it. She always gets tense when a lot of people is looking at her when she didn’t plan for it.
“She is so beautiful, right?” Sean smiled at the crowd who were still clapping.
Lani could hear the beating of her heart as all eyes were on her. She wanted to run out from the hall, but she couldn’t because Sean was holding her, and her feet were shaking on the ground.
“Lani is phobic with lot of people staring at her when she least expected it, let’s help her out” Dami said.
The door of the hall opened making Lani’s friends halt their feet.
Lonnie entered the hall with a face mask and all eyes fell on him as he walked up to Sean.
👥 Who is he?
Lonnie took Lani from Sean when he got to where he was.
“Who the heck are you?” Sean asked.
“I’m here to take my baby home, got a problem with that?” Lonnie asked. He carried Lani in a bridal style, and walked out of the hall.
……
TBC