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After preparing dinner with Joy, Miran left by 7:00PM despite Sungjae and Joy inviting her to stay for dinner.  Youngjae talked animatedly while they eat, making them laugh as he gave them an account of his day at school.  Sungjae felt he laughed more in the past hour than he did in the past years.  Joy just watched as the two Yooks talk.  She was amused by Youngjae's stories, and fascinated by the sound of Sungjae's laugh which she hears for the first time since she met him.  Come to think of it, today is also the first time I saw him really smile, Joy thought, covertly looking at Sungjae.  His face was brighter, making him look younger.  And more handsome, if that was even possible.  Youngjae, on the other hand, was beaming.  "Were those boys your friends?" Joy heard him ask Youngjae.  "Youngwoo and Youngwan? Yes. They're my best friends," Youngjae said.  "Those two are twins. Add this rascal here, they're known in school as THE TRIPLE THREAT," Joy added.  "You're bullies?" Sungjae asked in shock.  "No! Of course not!" Youngjae strongly objected, shaking his head.  "It's because they are the best players in the soccer team. Their triple play is legendary and is a threat to their opponents," Joy explained, chuckling.  "Ahh! Okay," Sungjae laughed, turning back to Youngjae.  "So what were you talking about earlier? You three kept looking at me. You're not plotting against me, are you?" Sungjae teased him.  Youngjae shook his head, avoiding Sungjae's eyes.  Having raised him, Joy knew he's hiding something based on his expression.  "What is it, Jaejae? Is it a secret?" Joy coaxed him.  Youngjae shook his head again, glancing at Sungjae.  "Can't you tell us?" Sungjae asked him.  Youngjae looked at Joy who encouraged him with a nod.  "Promise you won't get mad," he told Sungjae.  "I won't," Sungjae promised.  "They asked me if you're my appa. And I said yes," Youngjae replied nervously, not looking at Sungjae.  "YOOK YOUNGJAE!" Joy yelled.  Sungjae was thrilled to hear Joy calling Youngjae by his full name.  "Sooyoung. Relax. It's okay," he said.  Turning to Youngjae, he smiled to show that he's not mad.  "That's it?" Sungjae asked him.  Youngjae nodded, still avoiding Sungjae's eyes.  "Jaejae. Look at me," he told him, calling him by his nickname to prove he's not mad.  Youngjae lifted his head slowly to look at his samchon warily.  "It's fine. I'm not mad. You can even call me appa if you want," Sungjae said.  Youngjae's face lit up.  "Really? You'll be my appa?" he asked Sungjae who nodded his head.  Joy started to say something but Sungjae shook his head at her and mouthed, later.  After dinner, Sungjae helped Joy clean the kitchen while Youngjae went to his room to prepare for bed.  Sungjae offered to wash the dishes but Joy declined.  "I'll wash, you dry," she said, handing him a dish towel.  "By the way, I told ahjumma she doesn't have to come on Saturdays anymore. I can make dinner since I'm home anyway. If that's okay with you?" Joy told him.  Sungjae marvelled at the way Joy says the word home casually.  There goes that flutter again, Sungjae thought.  "Sure. But wouldn't that be too much trouble for you? I mean, you could use the weekend to recharge for school," he said.  "No. I love to cook. And I always bake on Saturdays, so it's fine," Joy told him.  Sungjae glanced at the jar when Joy mentioned baking.  "Speaking of which. We're almost out of cookies. Can you make some more?" Sungjae asked her.  Joy looked at him in surprise.  "How did you know it was me?" Joy asked him.  "Ahjumma told me. I thought she made it for me but it turned out, you made it for Youngjae," he confessed sheepishly making Joy laugh.  "Oh, so you're the one. I thought Jaejae's been sneaking midnight snacks," Joy said.  "Guilty as charged," Sungjae admitted.  Joy stared at him curiously.  "What?" he asked.  "Nothing. I just didn't peg you for someone with a sweet tooth," Joy replied.  "Anyway, I'll make more this weekend. What kind of cookies do you like?" she asked him.  "Anything. But chocolate chip's my favorite," he said.  "That's Jaejae's favorite, too. Wow! You two are so alike. You even like the same ice cream flavor and you eat it the same way, too," Joy said.  "So, could we pass as father and son?" Sungjae joked.  "Easily. Which reminds me. You shouldn't have let Jaejae call you appa," Joy said.  "Why not? You let him call you eomma," he argued.  "That's different. He's my unnie's son," she said.  "And he's my hyung's son," Sungjae contended.  "You might not be able to get a girl if they think you have a son," she warned him.  "And what about you? Aren't you afraid that you might not be able to get married if the guys think you have a son?" he debated.  "No. If they can't accept Jaejae, then they're not worth it," she declared.  "Same. You took the role of his eomma because your unnie is not here anymore. I'm doing the same for my hyung," he explained.  Joy started to argue but Sungjae cut him off.  "Aish! If I don't mind it, then why should you? Are you, by any chance, worried that people might mistake us for a couple?" he asked her.  "No! Of course not!" Joy vehemently denied.  "Then there's no problem. Right?" Sungjae said, pinning her with a look.  "Right. I'll go check on Jaejae," Joy said, flustered.  Youngjae came back to the kitchen just as Joy turned to leave.  "Appa, can you help me with my homework?" he asked Sungjae.  "Sure," Sungjae said.  He felt a thrill when Youngjae called him appa.  Wow! This must be how dads feel when their kid calls them, Sungjae thought to himself giddily.  "Appa? Not eomma?" Joy asked him in disbelief.  Youngjae nodded.  "Fine. I'll just check some papers then," Joy said, walking out of the room.  "Please don't be jealous, eomma," Sungjae teased her.  Joy stuck her tongue out at him, making the two boys laugh.

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Joy found the two in the living room when she came back with her students' essay test.  Youngjae was doing his homework, while Sungjae sat beside him looking over some documents.  He checks Youngjae's progress from time to time, pointing out things he missed or if he made a mistake.  Joy turned her focus on the papers in front of her and started grading them.  To an outsider, they look like a typical family about to end the day.  After an hour, she heard Youngjae close his workbook.  "Done! I'm going to bed," he announced.  "Thanks for the help, appa," he said to Sungjae then turned to Joy.  "Goodnight, eomma," he said, kissing her on the cheek.  "Sleep well," Joy said.  "No kiss for me?" Sungjae protested.  "Please don't be jealous, appa," Joy teased, throwing back his earlier words at him.  Youngjae giggled.  "Goodnight, appa," he said, shyly giving him a kiss on the cheek, before running to his room.  Sungjae laughed at his cuteness.  He turned to Joy when he felt her eyes on him.  "What?" he asked her.  "You should laugh more. It suits you better than the grumpy old man look," she said.  "Does it make me look more handsome?" he quipped.  "Pssh! You and Jaejae truly are alike. Too confident for your own good," she said, gathering her papers.  "But I do look more handsome when I laugh, right?" he said teasingly.  "Goodnight, appa," she sing-songed but didn't answer his question.  Joy wasn't sure if letting Youngjae call him appa is a good idea, but she can't help smile as she hear him laugh on her way to her room.  Meanwhile, Sungjae leaned back on the couch, still chuckling.  For the first time in a long while, he felt really happy and contented.

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Joy was still thinking about it when she met with Yeri and her unnie-deul at lunch the following day.  "Unnie! You'll get wrinkles if you keep frowning," Yeri said, breaking into her thoughts.  Sighing, Joy turned to Seulgi.  "Do you think it's a good idea to let Jaejae call Sungjae-ssi, appa?" Joy asked her.  "When did you tell Youngjae to call him that?" Irene reacted, almost spitting out her drink.  "I didn't. But that's how Jaejae calls him now," Joy said.  "Since when?" Wendy asked.  "Since last night," Joy replied.  "WHAT? HOW? WHY?" Wendy, Yeri and Irene asked her one after the other.  "Well, the twins saw Sungjae-ssi when he picked us up after school yesterday. They asked Youngjae if he's his appa. He said yes," Joy said.  "He knows?" Irene asked her, and Joy nodded.  "So, how did Sungjae-ssi reacted? Was he mad?" Yeri wanted to know, prepared to give Sungjae a piece of her mind if he was cruel to Youngjae.  "Jaejae thought he would be, at first. And frankly, so did I. But he was really cool about it. He was even the one who told Jaejae to call him appa if he wants. Which, of course, the little guy happily did," Joy explained.  "Youngjae's been missing a father-figure for a few years now but he would never consider just anybody. With Sungjae-ssi, he didn't hesitate. He trusts him not only because he is his relative but because he can feel it. Kids have that gut-feel," Seulgi explained.  "So, it seems they're starting to form a bond. Why are you worried?" Yeri asked.  "I'm just scared that Jaejae might get too attached to him," Joy confessed.  "And that's a bad thing?" Wendy wondered.  "It might be when Sungjae-ssi gets married. What will happen to Jaejae when Sungjae-ssi have his own kids?" Joy said worriedly.  "I've known Sungjae long enough to know that he wouldn't just cast Youngjae aside if ever he's got his own kids. He might seem cold at times, but family's the most important thing to him. Just look at how he is with his hyung-deul. To think, they're not even blood-related," Irene confidently said.  "Maybe Sungjae-ssi has no plans of getting married," Yeri commented.  "That's impossible. He's too handsome to stay single. Besides, he would need an heir to take over the company someday," Joy said.  "Wait! So, you think he's handsome?" Yeri asked Joy, catching on her words.  "Well, don't you?" Joy asked her back.  Yeri just smiled teasingly at her.  "There's Youngjae now," Wendy said, going back to their original topic.  "Minhyuk oppa said Sungjae-ssi has been talking about Youngjae with them since he found out about him. According to him, Sungjae-ssi already mentioned that someday Youngjae will take over the company. Unless Youngjae choose otherwise," Wendy disclosed.  Irene's ears perked when she heard Wendy referred to Minhyuk as oppa.  "Well, I hope you're all right," Joy said to her friends.  "Okay. Changing topic. You never told us that you and my cousin are a couple now," Irene said with a hint of accusation to Wendy.  "For real?" Seulgi said.  "Seriously?" Joy asked.  "Imagine my surprise when imo called me last night and asked me about you. When I asked her how she knew you, she told me that Minhyuk oppa invited you over for dinner last night. Take note, my cousin has never introduced any girl to the family, let alone asked her to dine with them. So, spill," Irene demanded.  "For the record, we're not a couple. I only met him a week ago during the discussion and then we only saw each other twice after that. And the first one was purely by coincidence," Wendy clarified then proceeded to tell them how she and Minhyuk started going out.  "Two dates and a dinner in a span of one week from the first time you met. Wow! That was fast," Yeri remarked.  "I guess, Minhyuk oppa is a fast worker," Joy quipped.  Just then, a student came in to tell Seulgi that a woman is looking for her.  "That must be Taehee's mom. I'll go ahead. And Joy, don't worry too much. Like what Irene unnie said, I don't think he'll just cast Youngjae aside," Seulgi said as she picked up her things and left.  "I'll go ahead, too. We're having an experiment so I need to prepare the materials," Joy said.  "Yeri. What made you think Sungjae has no plans of getting married?" Irene asked her as soon as Joy left the room.  "Actually, what I really wanted to say was, maybe he has no plan of marrying someone else other than her. But Joy unnie would've freaked out if I said that," Yeri explained.  "You caught that, too?" Wendy asked Yeri.  "Unnie. I have eyes. During the meeting, I can see the way he looked at Joy unnie when he thinks no one is watching him," she said.  "You think Joy living in his house is a mistake?" Wendy asked Irene and Yeri.  "I can assure you, Sungjae isn't like that," Irene said as Yeri nodded her assent.  "Peniel oppa said he would never force himself on a girl," Yeri added.  "Peniel oppa?!" Irene blurted at Yeri.  "Gotta go, unnies," Yeri said, running out of the room, quickly escaping the hot seat.  "KIM YERIM!" Irene shouted after her.  "Relax, unnie. You know how Yeri is. Everyone is practically oppa and unnie for her," Wendy appeased her.  "Yeah, but this has a different vibe in it. Anyway, I'm glad you're couple with my cousin and not some tramp," Irene said.  "We're not a couple, just constant companions," Wendy reminded her.  "Same difference," Irene quipped as she pulled Wendy out of the teachers' lounge.

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