a/n, realized I have a bunch of things to focus on so I'll drop this right now and do those. I hope you enjoy the transitions, Jade and Kun and everyone's happy ending!

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Preparing for the trip to Shanghai was more than just a “pack and leave” and “learn what to say and not to say” kind of preparation. Kun was adamant that he would have to try to please his step-father. It was time he had to tell his family in China.

He’s a hard man to please, Rouge. The fact that we weren’t married might even make them ostracize us, Kun said. We aren’t pleasing only my step father but my grandfather. Han would have a grandfather and a great-grandfather and a whole family tree that branched out to different places in the world.

He had made amends with Jade, his step sister who in turn, had promised to be there for her brother. Today, however, my three-year-old son would go through some training. I was scared it would traumatize him but Kun insisted that he needed it.

We hired a pageant child coach. It was a sight, Han having to learn eating etiquette and how to walk. As a child who was three years old, Han was smart and he picked up fast, he just did not retain the memory… like three-year-old usually don’t.

It has been a year since Kun and I raised Han together and I watched as my son wiggle his back and forth when the coach told him to walk properly. One step in front of the other.

“Kun, he’s three,” I told Kun, my boyfriend watching his son struggle to maintain his balance. Back straight, eyes up front. “Maybe we should meet your family the year after the next. In two years.”

“I’ll be disowned by then. Rather get disowned now than get disowned later,” Kun told me as Han flopped forward. “Oh no, you did well. Don’t cry, Han. Try again, try again and we’ll get you more chocolate.” Kun lowered his voice. “We also need to brush up on his Chinese.”

I was scared of the pressure that Han would have to face but Kun insisted that he had no idea what was going on. Han stood up again, the pageant coach showing him one more time until we had to move to eating etiquette.

Han has always eaten with a fork and spoon. Kun said he had to learn chopsticks the way he did when he was young. We brought him a small chopstick trainer and for days he threw a fit. He had no idea why he couldn’t use his hands the way he usually ate.

That night as I fell asleep, I felt Kun’s arms go around my body to pull me close. I turned over to face him, my fingers dancing over his skin before I kissed his lips. He smiled, biting down on my finger softly.

“What if your step-father doesn’t accept us?” I asked and Kun hummed, scooting closer to me so our faces were right in front of each other.

“Then I’ll cut them off,” he told me softly. “Nothing matters more to me than you and Han, Rouge. We’ll live without any connection with my family in China. We’ll live as a small family and be happy on our own. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” I whispered to him. It didn’t matter what other people thought. “But we’ll try, won’t we, Kun?”

“We will,” he said, nodding. “But if it doesn’t work out, I’ll walk out of that place with nothing. All I need is you and Han.”

He pecked me on the lips, tucking me under his chin before he sighed. He told me that night that he would spend the remaining years of his life trying to make up for what he did to me. He told me that he’d love me tenfold of how I loved him.

Our goal together was just to have a peaceful family and the day had come when we would have to depart to Shanghai. Han had gotten his little suit of his own and we were picked up by his step-sister who came in her expensive sports car.

“Hi,” she said to me. Her hair was bunned up and it framed her pretty face. She smacked her lips and pointed at her lipstick to show that it was red. I put on the color rouge since I knew I’d be meeting you, she told me. “Xiaojun refuses to step foot in our family house, Kun.”

“Understandable,” Kun had grunted. Han had fallen asleep on his shoulder. “Rouge and I might follow his footsteps. Did you come to Shanghai alone?”

“Yeah, Xiaojun has an exhibit but he says goodluck. He bought expensive wine in the airport when he sent me to the airport in case you both would need it when you go back to Korea,” she said. “Han, Han…”

She had seen Han before and even with a child, Jade was wary of getting close to him. She didn’t like kids, Jade said to me one day. Han was different because he was her nephew but she didn’t like kids in general. She thought they were loud and annoying.

“I’m so worried about how he would walk. Han does not walk, he’s a child so he gallops,” Kun was telling Jade and she laughed, patting his sleeping back. “How many people are coming?”

“Everyone, but they are coming for late dinner. Rouge, you’re in for a treat. I did bring extra handkerchiefs in case you burst out into tears, though,” she told me and even if she said it jokingly, I dreaded meeting Kun’s family. “Don’t worry, we can always leave and get drunk somewhere.”

“Jade,” Kun said warningly.

“Right, sorry. I forgot you’re sober now,” she said to her step brother.

The first person I met in the hotel was Kun’s mother. She was a lovely woman and Han was energized by the time we reached the hotel, our son letting out a yell.

“Ahma!” he chirped, showing her his dinosaur band aids while she inspected him. She looked pleased, Jade in the room with Kun. I wondered what the siblings were doing and it wasn’t long until I realized that Jade was searching up a dress for me to wear. Kun had overlooked that tiny detail.

I was not able to converse much with Kun’s mother since I did not know Chinese but Han could. Kun’s mother was ecstatic that he could speak Chinese, the woman asking him what kind of dinosaur he liked and so on and so forth.

“Kun, I swear!” Jade complained before motioning me into the room. “You forgot the most important part! You forgot her dress!”

“I was so—”

“Well, brother,” she snapped sarcastically. “Your girlfriend will be the talk of the town just as Han is! Now, let me see. What size are you? God, where is Shanghai-jie when you need her?”

“Please, don’t call her. I can’t handle her and you in the same room together,” Kun groaned, massaging his forehead. Jade snapped a photo of me and texted someone on the phone. “I’m sorry, Rouge. It completely slipped my mind.”

I admitted that it slipped out of mind as well because I was so nervous of what was to come, Kun reaching over to hug me before he kissed my cheek. Jade made a vomiting sound.

“What are you, five?” Kun barked at his step-sister, the female rolling her eyes. “Sorry, Jade’s like that. She can be annoying.”

“I heard that! Ma!” she then said something in rapid Chinese to Kun’s mother. I found it cute how despite Kun’s mother being her step-mom, she was able to whine to her. “Okay, wait. I got it.”

Sometimes, I felt like Jade spoke better Korean than Kun, the female showing me pictures of dresses that were sent back to her. She told me to choose one and I chose a red dress, the female nodding in agreeance.

“This one, got it. It’ll be here in thirty minutes. Rouge, shower and make-up. Chop, chop!”

Kun just had to give his sister the authority because Jade knew what she was doing. Both of them were so similar yet so different and it wasn’t long before I was dressed up and she had practically bathed me in expensive perfume and curled my hair.

Han was in his little suit and bow tie. He found the shoes uncomfortable but Kun insisted he had to wear them until we could remove them. He began to cry, his grandmother trying to soothe him softly. My stomach was flipping back and forth and I felt a tingling sensation all through my body at how nervous I was.

“I’m so nervous, I want to puke,” I whispered to Kun in the car, my boyfriend reaching over to grip my hand tightly. Jade, who was driving, looked at me through the rearview mirror and smiled. She had gone through all this with Xiaojun, she knew what it was like.

“Just go with the flow, Rouge. If they hate you, they’ll have to face me and Kun. It’s best you talk to them first and then introduce Han to them.”

Kun’s family home was more than a mansion. There were courtyards and a massive swimming pool. Han ooh-ed and ah-ed wanting to play in the sparkling water without knowing the intensity of the situation we might face.

“My grandfather started an empire and we have a huge extended family,” Jade told me, noticing my expression. “My father does not believe in having children before marriage so we’re practically walking into a snake pit.”

“Oh no,” I whispered, Kun bringing my hand up to his lips to kiss it. It’s okay, darling. It’s going to be okay. We can leave whenever you want to.

“Besides, if Jade went through it, it most probably will be easier for us,” Kun said and Jade scoffed, parking the car.

“Please. Xiaojun and I paved the way for you, Kun,” she told Kun who stuck his tongue out at her. But Jade being there was good. I would witness her defend our honor in exchange for her lack of honesty. She has no problem lying, Kun told me. It’s Jade. She sometimes lies to get her own way, especially with family.

Kun led me towards the living room first and I found myself sitting beside him when his step-father came down the stairs. He looked like the epitome of the grouch himself, Kun standing up to greet him. Mr. Qian grunted and Kun sat back down.

His hands were sweaty, Jade taking a seat beside her brother when Mr. Qian looked at me as if to ask who I was.

Kun began to speak and I guessed that he said that I was his girlfriend because I got a disapproving stare from the man. Kun tightened his grip and for the first time, I was happy I could not understand what they were saying.

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“Music graduate?” Mr. Qian asked, raising an eyebrow at his step-son. “She has no prospects.”

Kun had to remind himself that this meeting was not to get to his step-father’s good side. It was to make sure that he simply knew of him and Rouge and the fact that he had a son. Han was still playing outside with his grandmother and Kun wanted him to meet Han once he got the gist of everything.

“I did not expect you to marry such a girl after what happened with your sister, Kun,” Mr. Qian quipped, Kun gritting his teeth. “And you, how dare you show up in front of my face after you caused us such dishonor by running away from your wedding in front of hundreds of people? How dare you—”

Mr. Qian cut himself off and Kun noticed the tremor in his hands. Kun decided to just say it, there was no turning back now.

“I have a son,” Kun said and Mr. Qian’s eyes widened. “It’s okay if you don’t accept him. I’m going to cut myself off from the family and never look back. You wanted me to be a doctor and I am now a doctor.”

“And I’m pregnant,” Jade announced, Kun glancing at his sister in shock. She blinked.

“You’re pregnant?” Kun demanded, the news new to him. Jade subtly shook her head. There she was, lying again. Lying to help him.

She shushed him before continuing to talk. “What are you going to do without your two children, Pa?”

Mr. Qian looked furious. His face was red and Kun nudged his sister, Jade giving him a look.

“Why the bloody hell did you say that you’re pregnant?” he whispered under his breath. Now his step-father looked like he was going to explode.

“I don’t know, I just blurted it out,” she whispered back, a hand going to press over her stomach. “No, I’m not pregnant, Kun. I ing hate kids but he doesn’t have to know that.”

“Now he’ll disown both of us,” Kun murmured under his breath, his sister rolling her eyes.

“I already beat you in that department,” she answered.

“It is your funeral, Jade,” Kun told her, the female shaking her head. He wanted to get it over with, Han being escorted into the room by his mother who looked smitten by her grandchild. Han’s big eyes settled on his father and he broke into a smile.

“PAPA!” he screeched and Kun winced. Then again, how could he expect perfect etiquette from a child? Han toddled over, seemingly forgetting every pageant lesson he had back in Korea as he stopped in front of Kun.

Mr. Qian was staring at Han. He looked a lot like Kun, Kun looking a lot like his mother. Han wondered why he was staring so intently at him, Mr. Qian clearing his throat and grunting once before he stood up suddenly.

“Dinner,” he said, not giving Kun’s little family one more look. Kun’s mother sighed, exchanging a glance with Kun before all of them walked towards the dinner table. Han was given a child’s seat beside his grandfather who sat on the end of the table, Kun right beside him.

The dinner was awkward to say the least, Jade playing with her noodles and Han struggling with the chopsticks when Kun decided he’d just give him a spoon and fork. He regretted doing that, Mr. Qian grumbling something under his breath about not disciplining the child the way he was supposed to.

What a failure as a father, Mr. Qian grunted. Kun kept it in, he didn’t want to go off the rails, the male hissing at Jade to control her temper as his sister gripped the chopsticks so hard her fingers turned white.

Han looked around, his legs wiggling back and forth. He was a sensitive baby and he figured out that sharing is caring. In his mind, there was a grumpy old man and whenever his Papa Kun was grumpy, he would smile whenever Han gave him something.

So Han reached for his bun of bread and place it on Mr. Qian’s plate, his small expectant eyes waiting for a smile. Across from his, Jade was eyeing the sushi that she could not eat because of her lie of her being pregnant. She had to stay in character and Kun could not help but chuckle at his sister’s expression despite the high tension that lingered in the air.

He looked back to see Han’s hand on the bread that was placed on Mr. Qian’s plate, Kun freezing. Mr. Qian simply nodded, Han going back to eat—very messily. Kun already made peace with it. He’d leave this house and not look back.

He simply knew how it’d end. Both him and Jade disowned by this part of the family.

He heard a chuckle, Kun looking up with surprise when he saw Han say something to his grandfather. Han had noticed a small detail about the old man in front of him. His hands shook when he held the fork and Han knew one thing, being the son of a doctor and all, that if something was not normal…. You put a band-aid on it. Bandaid’s fixed everything.

Han’s superpower was that he always had dinosaur band-aids on him. Han’s fingers struggled to rip off the band aid on his little picky. He stared at it whenever he felt like crying and he guessed it could fix an unusual trembling hand.

With that, he stuck the bandaid on Mr. Qian’s hand in hopes that it’d help.

Kun did not know what to say or do but much to his surprise, Mr. Qian broke into a small grin when Han smiled back.

“He’s smiling,” Jade pointed out softly to Kun. Rouge was watching the situation in front of him, asking Jade if it was a good smile. Jade nodded. “Sis, he never smiles. Even when I got my high honors, all he did was grumble and said “So what?”.”

Kun was ecstatic that his step-father was smiling. Kids were hard to hate, especially a child as inquisitive and as bright as Han.

“What is your name?” his step-father asked Han in Chinese, the young child smiling wider at the old man’s soft tone. He brushed a hand through Han’s hair and Han answered the question with pride.

“Qian Han. Three!”

It was the first time Han had ever said his last name like that. Kun would use ‘Qian Han’ when he was mad and if the younger child would do something that wasn’t to his liking.

It was different, hearing the last name coming out from Han’s mouth. It made Kun proud.

“Hi, Qian Han. I’m Ahkong,” Mr. Qian said, Han holding his thumb and giggling.

“I’m telling him the truth,” Jade said suddenly, realizing that Han was accepted by her father. There was no point lying about being pregnant. Kun shushed her, not wanting to break the magic.

“Don’t say anything, not yet!”

“I’m doing it,” she whispered to him, Kun trying to across Rouge to stop his sister so his son and his grandfather could converse.

“Shhh!”

“I’m not pregnant! I lied!” Jade spluttered out, her father glancing over at her for a moment before he processed it and nodded. He went back to giving Han his attention and Jade let out a breath, Kun bursting out with laughter.

“Maybe I do need to get pregnant,” Jade complained, not even bothering to lower her voice. Mr. Qian nodded at his daughter’s words.

“You do that and bring your child to me,” Mr. Qian said, turning to Han as his grandson let out a shriek of laughter. “Cute boy. Very cute boy.”

Jade watched her father make googly eyes at Han, Rouge finally relaxing.

“Where’s Xiaojun when I’m ovulating?” Jade asked, Kun smacking her arm and telling her to shut up.

“Don’t ruin this for me, Jade!”

“Shut up, Kun. I paved the way for you,” she reminded him.  

“Okay, thank you.” Kun looked at his girlfriend, Rouge smiling at how Han was blabbering to Mr. Qian about all the dinosaurs he knew. “I guess I’m not disowned.”

“Family is family,” she whispered. “Blood is thicker than water.”

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Han was the talk of the town. I was the second topic of the talk of the town. When Kun’s family members arrived from the extended family, I got to meet Kun’s grandfather. His grandmother had taken a liking to me, the female telling me that I looked “healthy” and “fit to have two more kids”.

“I can’t have two more kids, Kun! My uterus will give up on me!” I told Kun who laughed with his arm around me. Han was having the time of his life. Mr. Qian had told everyone about Han and people came, bearing gifts.

Such a handsome boy, they chorused as Han jumped from one lap to another. He was a naturally social butterfly so it was easy for him to feel loved with all the attention he was getting.

“Two more babies, two more,” one of them said to Kun and he translated it to me. Jade did not agree with the social pressure, the female blurting out another lie to save me.

“Kun will get a vasectomy!” she called out, her aunt’s and uncles gasping at the news. Kun turned red, this time actually smacking his step-sister on the arm before she howled.

“You’re so impulsive!” he snapped at her, Jade agreeing. Yes, she said. She is impulsive. Very impulsive, actually. That’s why she ran away from her wedding, she told him.

Then the family photos began and I was invited to take a photo with them, Han bouncing up and down on his grandfather’s lap. He beamed, his grandfather whispering words to him so he would look at the camera and smile.

“Cheese, Xiao Han, Chee