MINKWANG: Trip to Japan

Chapter 7

       It is still dark when they woke up. All of them prepared themselves much earlier as they are traveling to Kyoto for their last day in Japan.

     Changsub is the first one to reach the lobby. He is always the last one to sleep but the first one to wake up. Because, he has little sleeping hours, he could not help but doze off in between.

     It is a while  when the other members of the family came down so Changsub fell asleep on the sofa at the hotel lobby.  Hyunsik and Ilhoon came down together after their parents.  Sungjae followed after a few minutes. Peniel always seems to be the last since he is always playing with his bubble baths.  

  Sungjae got bored of waiting and sees Changsub sleeping. He took out his mobile phone and with a laugh decided to pull a prank on him, placing his mobile phone against his Hyung's nape with the vibrator on.

   Changsub's eyes opened in shocked. He became wide awake all of a sudden. All his younger brothers laughed at him especially Sungjae who laughed the loudest.

     "Don't you show me respect?" Changsub demanded to Sungjae. "You are really annoying."

     "You annoy me more." Sungjae said with a face to Changsub.  "There is dirt in your eyes."

      Changsub cleaned his eyes then and took out his eyeglasses to wear it. "I look like a professor when i wear this."

      "No." Sungjae protested. "No professor looks like that!" Sungjae looks over his hyung from head to foot. "Hyung! You don't look good in the clothes you are wearing."

     Changsub faced Sungjae and answered back, "You think you look good in your clothes? Your hair and your glasses looks bad on you too."

     "Okay!Okay! Enough!" Minjoo stepped in between her eldest and youngest. "You both stopped it!"

     Eunkwang got Minjoo's handbag and rummaged through her things inside. In a few seconds, he got one of Minjoo's lace ribbons that she usually ties her long hair with.

     Eunkwang got hold of Changsub's right hand since he is left handed and tied  one end of the lace to it. He got Sungjae's left hand and tied the other end of the lace ribbon.

     "What is this?" Changsub asked his Appa.

     "You both made your Eomma upset." Eunkwang glared at them both. "You two are always arguing! Give it a rest will you!"

     Ilhoon stepped forward and tried to look serious, with a stifling a laugh, "In that case, you must hold hands like this!" he tried to make Changsub hold Sungjae's hand.

     "I hate it!" Sungjae shrugged Changsub and Ilhoon's hands.

     "You can't do anything about it. You cannot untie that until you both will shut up and stop bickering!" Eunkwang told them.

     In the train, the two brothers continued their arguments.  

     "This is all your fault." Sungjae whispered angrily to Changsub. He placed their tied hands in his pocket so other people would not see it.

     "Get it out!" It's uncomfortable!" Changsub complained. But Sungjae just ignored him. "Okay! I've had enough."  Changsub then started to keep on lifting their hands much to Sungjae's embarrassment.

     "Aish! When will they stop fighting?" Eunkwang said to Minjoo still observing both boys .

     Minjoo just  smiled at Eunkwang then turned to study her other sons. Ilhoon is asleep, his head leaning against Hyunsik's shoulder. Hyunsik is reading a new book he bought. Peniel who is seated on the next seat beside her is absorbed with his phone, grinning from ear to ear. "What's wrong with Peuni?" she asked back, not answering Eunkwang's question.

    "You're up early."

    Peniel read Amber's message. He rolled his eyes. He knows that Amber is worried about his health.

    "We had to leave for Kyoto early. I had enough sleep so no worries." Peniel sent a message back and added a winking emoticon.

     "You did not tell them about us, did you?" Amber sent a message to Peniel again. Amber agreed to go out with him only if he would not tell anyone that they are dating.

     "Of course not." Peniel messaged back. " I have to go. The train is stopping." Peniel locked his phone.

     "Hoonie! Hoonie!" Minjoo tapped Ilhoon's shoulder.

     Ilhoon sat up, half-awake. "Eomma?" He yawned. Minjoo pulled him up to make him stand. Ilhoon leaned heavily against her, his arm around her.

     "Will you please wake up!" Minjoo struggled with his weight. She smacked Ilhoon's shoulder.

     "Aw!" Ilhoon made a jump. That surely wake him up.

     They got off the train and boarded a bus to go to a temple. Inside the temple complex, there are stalls selling food  and some memorabilias. 

     Changsub sees Peniel examining some items in a stall.

    "Sungjae-yah!" Changsub eyed Peniel.

     "What is it?" Sungjae asked. Changsub pointed to Peniel who is looking over some pendants. "I don't see anything, Hyung."

     "You know, Peniel's best friend is a girl, right? I think he is dating her." Changsub whispered.

    "Oh!"Sungjae's eyes grew wide. "Wait! Amber llama?" Sungjae asked again.

     Changsub nodded and pulled Sungjae towards Peniel. "I know what's happening here. " He pointed to the couple pendant that Peniel just recently bought.

     "What?" Peniel asked confused but quickly hiding the jewelry out of sight.

     "You are dating Amber!" Changsub and Sungjae said in unison. The rest of the family turned to look at Peniel who immediately turned red.

     "Really?" Hyunsik asked. Ilhoon stood behind Hyunsik and shoved his hands in Hyunsik's armpits to warm them up. Ilhoon wanted to tease Peniel at the moment but he is just too cold and could not think of anything to say.

     Peniel is dumbfounded.  Amber would not like this since he could not lie to his parents who are waiting patiently for him to answer. "Yes." He knows that they are going to find out about it    later on anyway somehow.

    "Since when?" Minjoo asked curiously.

    "Three months before I went to the States."

    Eunkwang nodded and made some mental calculations. "It looks like you've been seeing her for a while. Haven't it crossed your mind to formally introduce her to us?"

     "Appa, she wanted it to be kept  a secret. She said that she might not be accepted since she is a foreigner and she does not like to be teased by these dorks. " Peniel looked around his brothers.

     Minjoo gave  an understanding smile. "It's alright, Peuni." she hugged him. "Tell Amber not worry. Your Appa and I like her.  Please invite her sometime over to our house to join us for dinner."

     "Is there anymore secrets that you should tell us or anything that we should know?" There was resentment in Eunkwang's voice.  Peniel shook his head in response. "I don't want anyone of you keeping secrets from your Eomma and me, understand?" He then lead his family to a food stall that sells onigiri.