Now my life is sweet like cinnamon
Like a fuckin' dream I'm livin' in
Baby, love me 'cause I'm playin' on the radio

-radio (lana del rey)

69. radio

When Yoon Jaehun woke up the next day, he immediately got on his feet and ran his numb hand through his hair. His body was still aching and somehow sore from all of the last night's shenanigans, but to his relief - to his utter relief - he was glad he did not proceed with the horrific act of killing himself. 

There was still so much he wanted to do in life, and more than that, he really wanted to give his noona a warm hug. She had saved him twice, and this time, he was going to be on his absolute best behaviour and make her proud. 

With a determined smile, Yoon Jaehun walked out of the cozy room and entered the hall with his small smile etched in a grin at the sight in front of him.

There were two figures on the sofa-bed instead of one, and they both were entangled with each other in such a way, that it was easy to mistake them as one. Jaehun had to rub his eyes and pinch himself to see whether or not he was seeing things right.

Famous popstar and known face of Starlight - Han Seojun - was cuddling his sister? He was dressed in his sweatshirt, and his long arms were wrapped around Soojin's figure that seemed to be buried in his chest. His head lay on her head, his hair strands messily falling on his face and a sense of calm washed through his handsome face.

Kang Soojin on the other hand was completely hidden out of the view by her head cocooned in Seojun's arms, and her right hand wrapped around his waist. She was asleep, her long hair playing with wind of the table fan kept nearby. 

Jaehun smiled with a sigh of pleasure, walking to the asleep duo and pulling the sheets over their entangled bodies. He didn't want to wake them up, given how much they were both tired from all of last night and all of last week, so he tip-toed out of the house in search for some breakfast for them. 

Han Seojun stirred softly at the soft sound of the door being shut, his eyes droopy and hands refusing to let go of the girl wrapped around him. 

At once his sleep vanished and Seojun looked at the asleep Soojin in his arms. She probably turned in her sleep last night which led them to sleep ever so intimately together. Seojun smiled, pulling his head back to glance at the beautiful girl that lay so sound asleep in his arms.

Not a girl, rather a woman.

The last Seojun had seen Soojin so closely was when had their dating phase back in high school and she'd teach him lessons in the easiest manner. Those were the only memories Seojun had that helped his survive the war in his life. Each time he felt alone, Soojin's cold rough hands and bruised lips reminded him that somewhere in the world there was a girl who was fighting for her life and he had to stay alive to see her again.

That was what he had planned, anyway.

Seeing Kang Soojin was the second to last thing in his list before he proceeded to end his life. He knew she worked in the HFA, he knew about her little life in the outskirts of Busan, and he knew that it would get ten times harder to leave if Soojin decided to stay. 

Even then, Seojun had to see his petty princess atleast once before he died. 

He thought she probably moved on from him and wouldn't bother with his sad life. But Seojun had forgotten just how adamant and stubborn Kang Soojin could be at times. And here he was, a decade later, in the arms of the woman he once wanted to hurt and destroy. 

A petty revenge scheme could work wonders.

Seojun's smile remained etched on his face. He forgot how easy smiling was, and how peaceful he felt without the need to put on a facade.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" 

Seojun looked down at the woman who pouted, her droopy eyes and tired yawning simply made him pull her closer. 

"I am staring at the most beautiful woman I have ever met." 

Soojin melted, shutting her eyes and soaking in the Godly scent of the idol. 

"Aww - "

"IU."

Soojin gasped when she turned to see Seojun holding a picture of the K-Pop Singer popularly known as IU to her fans on his mobile. She frowned at the smiling Seojun who showed Soojin the picture she clicked with him during their idol meets. 

"Look at how pretty she is!"

"Fuck you, Han Seojun." 

Soojin pushed herself from the sofa only for Seojun to pull her back on him and chuckle softly at her reaction. She was easily overpowered with his strong arms keeping her pinned on the hard fabric of their sofa and Seojun almost got on her. 

"I was kidding, Soojin-ah. Waah, look at how red your ears are in pure jealousy!"

"ANI!" Soojin squealed, trying her best to get Han Seojun's overwhelming weight from her but failed. "I am not jealous!"

"Then why are you so red?" Seojun teased her, still holding her captive under him. "Omo, omo, is it because I called IU pretty? Or is it because you thought the compliment was for you?"

"LET GO OFF ME!"

Seojun laughed in response and pinned her hands above her head and leaned closer - their noses touching. Soojin stopped struggling under his hold and froze, Seojun entangled his long legs with Soojin's and took a moment to admire the flushed girl.

"Seojun - " 

"Would it be such a bad idea if I kissed you right now?" 

Soojin met Seojun's eyes, the light in those dull eyes was returning and for once, Soojin saw a tiny ray of hope in them. She gulped, realising how Seojun's lips were just inches apart. 

"Seojun..."

Before Seojun could close the tiny distance between their faces, the noise of keys shuffling from the door broke their trance and before Jaehun could enter, Soojin pushed Seojun off the sofa. The singer groaned in pain when his body hit the cold floor and Jaehun gasped, watching the duo be the best chaotic version of themselves.

"Mian-" Soojin winced, shutting her eyes when she looked down at Han Seojun who was holding his arm in pain. "Sorry!"

"My arm!" Seojun groaned aloud.

"Stop being extra, the sofa is not that far off from the floor." Soojin rolled her eyes, getting up from the sofa and looking at Jaehun who held brown bags of warm food. "And this is for not acknowledging me in front of the media." 

Seojun lay down on the floor, dramatically as he sighed in relief at Soojin's statement. While he lay dead, Soojin greeted her brother who smiled sheepishly at the woman, awaiting a hug from her. Instead, he got a punch to the shoulder, and now it was Jaehun's turn to groan in pain.

"Noona!" He yelled, keeping the bags aside and holding his side, Seojun sitting on the floor and watching the duo with an amused smile on his face. "What was that for?"

Soojin grabbed the thick pillow from besides her and aimed it at Jaehun. 

"That" *smack* "was" *smack* "for" *smack* "scaring" *smack* "the living daylights out of me!" *smack*

Jaehun winced in pain each time Soojin smacked him and before she could use her hands - Seojun dashed in between them, shielding the boy from the danger of Soojin's karate chops. 

"YA YA -" Seojun said raising his arms to stop Soojin from hitting Jaehun, "Stop! Soojin-ah, he is just a little boy."

"LITTLE?" Soojin placed her hands on her hips, "he is not a little boy. And why are you taking his side!" 

"Why am I taking your side?" Seojun leaned behind to ask Jaehun the same question and Jaehun leaned forward to whisper in his ear. 

Soojin narrowed her gaze, trying to lean closer to hear what the boys were talking in hush voices. 

"Well, it's because only I can calm the beast inside you."

"BEAST?" Soojin gasped, fisting her hands and ready to punch Seojun who immediately apologised for the error. "YA!"

"I meant, calm you down, love. OMO KANG SOOJIN! Why are you scarier than before, sheesh."

"Before?" Jaehun peeked his head to ask Seojun questions, "do you guys know each other from before?"

"Oh yes. I know your sister when she was tiny and walked around with flying kicks and mean girl aura." Seojun leaned closer to the floating head of Jaehun's, "disclaimer, she gets scarier when she's angry!"

"I can vouch for that."

"I feel sorry for you, poor bub. How did you live with her for so many years?"

"I feel sorry for you too, Hyung. How did you survive?" 

Soojin rolled her eyes at the dramatic duo and instead retreated her steps from the men. She picked the bags that lay unkempt on the sofa and headed to the kitchen. 

"If y'all are done being dramatic, go freshen up while I put something on the plate for the two of you!" 

"Arasseo Ssaem!" (Yes, Ma'am) 

The trio soon freshened up and brought their tired selves on the tiny table placed in the living room. While Jaehun brewed them coffee, Soojin readied the sandwiches and re-heated the hotteok and tteokbokki and Seojun readied the dining table. 

They sat comfortably around the table, seated on the warm floor which was heated as per the temperature required and warm mattresses placed on them. The trio ate and they ate, as much as they could - silently for the first ten minutes. They were all hungry and rightfully so, after all that happened in the matter of days. 

The issue at hand still prevailed, something Soojin worried would trigger both her boys. They were both in their dark phases, and Soojin hated how she could not be of any help to either of them. She looked at Jaehun who was eating the last night's sticky rice with the tteokbokki (something he loved) and Soojin placed the last rice cake in his bowl.

Jaehun looked at his sister and sighed. "I am sorry."

"I know." Soojin smiled, and he reciprocated. 

They ate their breakfast in peace, saying nothing but the tension in the air was still evident. But for now, they had each other, and that would suffice. 

"There is a mandatory counselling and community service which you have to do, Jaehun." Soojin said at the end of their breakfast to which Jaehun nodded. "Mr. Choi settled the fees and worked his way to get your name off official records, so it should not affect your academics in any way." 

"Thanks, Noona."

"Let me know when you want to talk, okay?" Soojin assured Jaehun with a kind smile. "I'll be here, waiting." 

Jaehun nodded, it was still a triggering matter, and he needed time until he could tell everything that went wrong with his life but for now, he needed to chill. 

Seojun smiled at the dynamics between the two. Soojin fit in the role of an elder sister so smoothly and easily, like she was made for it. He remembered why he felt that Jaehun's name sounded familiar - it was because it closely resonated with baby Kang. No wonder Soojin saw a sibling in Jaehun and vice versa. 

"When does the community service starts?" Seojun enquired, finishing his food. 

"After two weeks, why?"

"So not immediately, right?"

Soojin shook her head. "Seojun, what do you have in mind?"

Seojun smiled. A small smile, but God did Soojin missed him smiling and goofing around. The little chaotic chase they had in the morning, the sofa encounter, the teasing and the banters - Soojin missed all of it dearly. 

"How can you read me so well even after so many years, Soojin?"

Soojin smiled. "What is in your head!"

"Let's go out on a vacation. Jaehun needs a break and a mental reset, with the KMF in two weeks, I could do with a break and of course, you desperately need one vacation since the last one you had was two lifetimes ago." 

Soojin frowned. "Vacation? What about you? Did you forget how famous you are!"

"In Korea, yes. Not outside the country, love." Seojun smiled, looking at the duo who were now in complete shock at the reveal. They looked like little kids, surprised and excited for their trip. "Us three, and of course, the old gang." 

Soojin was about to reject the proposal but stopped when she saw how excited Jaehun looked, and more than that, Seojun was smiling again. The KMF was in two weeks, which meant she had only two weeks to stop Seojun from dying. And if a weeks' vacation could bring them closer, maybe, just maybe, he'd change his mind. 

The old friends, a break from the routine life and fresh air would do both her boys some good. So Soojin agreed, which made Jaehun pump his hand in the air in delight and Seojun immediately got on his phone to make the required arrangements. 

Soojin sighed, eating the last morsel with a heavy heart. She had a week where Seojun would be with her without paparazzi and their cameras, or crazy fangirls and their squealing, without managers loitering around them and without anything to worry about. 

This vacation would do them all some good.

Seojun excused himself and called the only guy who could arrange everything for them. He explained the details in short to Lee Suho who sounded happy at the prospect of taking a break and a much-needed vacation. 

"This sounds really good, Seojun-ah. I am telling Jugyeong and Suah right away."

"Make sure to ask Chorong and gang too. Them and of course, your 'best friend' Taehun."

Suho seemed happier at the response. "Of course, let me make the arrangements. When do we leave?"

"Right away! I have only two weeks, so we need to make the most of what we can."

"Seojun - " Suho's excitement dropped immediately, his tone carried the hint of sorrow and anger, but Seojun shrugged it away. 

"What? I told you before, Suho. KMF is the only thing that remains in my list and once that's done, I am done. So, let's not talk about it anymore and ruin this vacation." 

There was an uncomfortable silence on the call, Seojun gave Suho the much-needed time to calm down.  

"I'll make the arrangements. I hope we have the best time this week." 

Seojun turned to look at Soojin who was smiling at something while talking with Jaehun. She looked so pretty in her baggy clothes, her hair messily tied in a bun, her eyes sparkling with light despite being so tired and the warmth returning to her cheeks. 

Seojun smiled.

"This has to be the best week of our lives, Suho. It has to be."

_

a/n who tf is still waiting for an update!