Softener [OT23] (updating)

♡ 24 ♡

sofia's biological parents divorced when she was only three years old, thus she never did grow up with a normal family. her mother had a full custody so she never visited her father. seven years later, her mother married a man he met at a wedding. her step father had two children before marring her mother, one girl and one boy. her step sister is six year older than her and the other is older than her by four years. they too had been separated from their mother for quite years.

when sofia moved in with her new father, it was a huge adjustment for her. different house, different room, different rules, and different life. as if the only life she has ever known suddenly turned upside down in a click.

sofia's mother made many changes to her lifestyle as well, some that affected their relationship. the time that she used to spend with her mother became the time that she would spend with her new husband and kids, also involving their needs. her mother adjusted herself more quickly than she did, she didn't know exactly why, maybe because she keen to interact with them on a daily basis while sofia rarely open herself. plus, just because two people loved each other and marry didn't mean a happily ever after and rolled the end credits.

having siblings was something completely new to her while the two of them were accustomed to each other. their life was their life and she happened to come in to their side when her mother said i do. especially when sofia's oldest step sister, seulgi, often wanted nothing to do with her and at first treated her harshly.

at first, it was quite uncomfortable to have someone around all the time but later it was fine. seulgi used to dislike sofia very much but time healed her painful thought and accept sofia to the family. however, even if sofia kept on receiving those sinister stares, she didn't give up on approaching her older step sister. she tried accepting the fact that she needed to live with them, including seulgi, for no matter how long.

the girl first moved in when she was ten years old, seulgi was sixteen and kun was fourteen years old. the two older siblings used to bicker a lot because of sofia's presence, they thought that the youngest couldn't understand their harsh conversation when she actually did.

on the other hand, nobody could describe how much kun means to sofia's life. her biggest reason to stay was by having kun stood on her side. as a step sibling, he was a truly great guy, very protective of her and it was something sofia has never been used to. it felt special. In fact, he himself was special in sofia's heart.

when kun was a student, he never snuck snacks in class. he was a diligent student, loved by his teachers and friends. once he promised to settle down any misunderstanding whenever sofia got caught in a trouble like that one moment where sofia stole a lollipop from a candy store, she ended up sitting two hours hearing kun's lecture.

one of the most memorable things kun had ever said was that he promised that he would still scold sofia until she got married with the perfect person. whenever he thought that she could've had better attitude than what she had done, he would guide her and behind lots of their bickering, he just really loved her very much.

kun always held her hand on the walk, whether he escorted to school or just a simple walk around the house. Sometimes, he showed her his glow in the dark dinosaur collections and bragged how beautiful his singing voice was.

sofia most memorable childhood birthday was when kun bought her a full tea set for her fourteenth birthday party, the first present she always treasured. she immediately turned to be the happiest girl in the world each time she spend her time with a such loving brother.

little kun would always treated the small sofia as his one and only princess while he was her only prince. their usual schedule was having a tea party every afternoon. he said that he wanted to become an astronaut and obtain a pilot license, but sofia found it cute since she wanted him to get a degree in the master chef competition instead.

he was also known for being responsible and reliable, also sofia's most favorite place to cuddle before sleep. he loved singing lullabies, gently caressing sofia's head and gave her a light kiss on the forehead after the little one dozed.

" hands off. " said kun with a fierce look in his eyes.

the flashback quickly ended as the room temperature heated up. " why? " jaehyun pulled his hands back, fixing his tie before turning his gaze towards the older brother.

sofia was not happy with this whole arrangement, as she didn't believe in arranged marriages. when the day finally arrived for her to meet jaehyun, she was both feeling nervous and apprehensive. as soon as jaehyun walked into the room, she felt a wave of dislike wash over her. jaehyun was tall, handsome, and had an air of arrogance about him that somehow put sofia on edge.

jaehyun, on the other hand, was not impressed with sofia either. he thought she was too plain and simple for his tastes and couldn't understand why his family had chosen her for him.

sofia and jaehyun found themselves teasing and goading each other throughout their first meeting. the girl would make fun of jaehyun's expensive clothes and fancy car, while the man would mock sofia's lack of sophistication and her small town upbringing.

their banter continued over the next few hours. as much as arrogant jaehyun was first seemed, he was actually quite intelligent and witty in sofia's eyes. jaehyun, in turn, actually appreciate sofia's kindness and humility, and he found her simplicity to be refreshing.

still, there was tension between kun and jaehyun, one full of anger while the other gazed back mischievously.

" listen, you're not her husband — "

" yet. " jaehyun finished kun's word, giving his signature smirk at the pathetic sibling.

the man looked at his watch and gave a simple code towards the bodyguards standing stiffly behind. " we shall continue this conversation tomorrow. " jaehyun left the house, his subtle voice went through sofia's ear as he whispered in, " listen to my order and just be a good girl, okay? " he mischievously smirked and walked out the room.