Chae sat up, blinking blearily at her bedroom window as she started to wake up again.

 

Outside, the sky was beginning to darken, signaling that while she had slept for a while, she hadn’t slept all night. After Sanghyuk left and Chae had called her doctor’s office to set up an appointment for the morning, the girl had gone ahead to bed, the exhaustion of the day coming at her all at once.

 

However, something had pulled her from her sleep.

 

Chae blinked dumbly at her bed spread as the buzzer from the gate continued to ring through the house, annoying enough to wake her right up.

 

Chae huffed in annoyance, grimacing at the way her body ached as she gingerly swung her legs off the bed. She stood carefully, padding over to her window on slightly unsteady feet. She was lucky enough to have a corner bedroom, meaning that her personal space was large, had its own bathroom, and two large windows. One overlooked the backyard while the other opened to the side of the house.

 

Chae pulled the curtain back and opened the window, wincing as she pressed her hurt hands against the frame, forgetting the injury to her wrist. She breathed in shakily, letting the pain pass a second before she poked her head out the window.

 

“Just a minute!” she called towards the front of the house. “I’ll be right down!”

 

She heard a bit of a commotion from the front, then Chae saw a few familiar figures run across the street in front of her neighbors’ house.

 

“Chaeyeongie-ah~”

 

She nearly fell out of the window in surprise.

 

Sanghyuk had returned to her house with the rest of the boys in tow, all six of them scattered out across the street and greeting her with various levels of enthusiasm. Taekwoon eyed Hakyeon and Jaehwan like they were crazy, the other two third years bouncing around like sugar-high children.

 

Chae sighed in exasperation.

 

“What are you doing here?” she called.

 

“Hyuk said you were hurt! We came to check on you!” Hakyeon yelled back, moving closer to the wall around the yard.

 

“I’m fine! You should go home – it’s getting dark!” she insisted, knowing that the rest of the boys would be as stubborn as Hyuk about getting the truth out of her.

 

“Don’t believe you~” Jaehwan yelled, his voice going playful and nasally. “Chae-yeong-ie~ Open up!”

 

The other boys joined in on the pleading, all of them but Taekwoon raising their voice and causing a racket.

 

Chaeyeong saw her neighbor peek out their window at the noise.

 

She groaned in annoyance. “Fine! I’m coming down! Just give me a minute.”

 

The boys cheered victoriously.

 

Chae couldn’t help but smile at the sight of them dancing happily in the streets. Silly. Cute. She shook her head fondly as she pulled herself from the window and closed it.

 

She couldn’t make them leave easily, which was a bit frustrating, but Chae understood their intention behind the persistence. She didn’t want them to worry over her or pry at her secrets, but she couldn’t deny that their concern pleased her.

 

Chae tried to hurry down the stairs in case the boys started yelling again, but couldn’t help but pause every time the pain in her legs became too much for her to deal with casually.

 

She huffed in annoyance at herself – and at the girls who had caused her to become like this.

 

The memory of Moon Aera’s bloody nose came to mind and Chae relaxed a bit.

 

At least she had gotten in a hit to remind Aera of her as well – even if it hadn’t been intentional at the time.

 

Still, Chae did feel a bit humiliated when she couldn’t make it down the steps onto the walkway without whimpering in pain.

 

From his place outside the gate, Hyuk frowned, wrapping his hands around the wrought-iron bars and nearly pushing his head between them as he tried to survey Chae more closely.

 

The girl giggled at the sight, suddenly reminded of an overly curious puppy. She came to a stop in front of him, lips curled into a fond smile, and pressed a finger against his forehead gently, urging him back.

 

“Noona.” Hyuk pouted, eyes troubled.

 

Now that her injuries had been given the time to settle in on her body, Chae’s condition looked even worse then it had before. Hyuk couldn’t feel anything but regret at the way he had left her alone and all but ran away.

 

“So,” Chae began lightly, quirking a brow at him playfully. “What happened to coming tomorrow?”

 

“Hyuk is a baby.” Jaehwan jumped in, Hyuk barely twitching as the elder all but threw himself onto his back. “What does he know about first aid anyway? As your caring and kind oppas, we’ve come to check you out for ourselves.”

 

Chae felt a guilty rush at Jaehwan’s phrasing.

 

Yes, please check me out~, a traitorous part of her mind invited.

 

Stubbornly pushing that thought down, Chae grinned a bit, tilting her head towards the rest of the boys. “You know I’m older than both Hyuk and Hongbin, right? My birthday was in March…”

 

“I’m bigger than you, though.” Hongbin countered, grinning at the annoyed expression that passed over Chae’s face.

 

“A baby.” she said flatly, moving away from the gate to unlock it. “I can take you. Say something about my height again, Lee.”

 

Hakyeon slapped a hand over Hongbin’s mouth before he could, the glint in the younger man’s eye betraying his eagerness to take on Chae’s challenge.

 

And, while he wasn’t as familiar with Chae’s personality, the oldest boy was certain she would try to take Hongbin down.

 

(Oddly enough, he also had the strangest thought that she could succeed.)

 

“Children,” Hakyeon said mildly. “This is a visit for love and healing. Love and healing, Hongbin!” Hakyeon emphasized his words with a quick hand chop to the neck.

 

Hongbin yelped and staggered off into Wonshik’s arms.

 

Chae giggled at the spectacle and Hakyeon felt a bit better at the sight of her in good spirits.

 

There was a redness on her face that resembled the shape of a hand. Her face was a bit swollen on that side, but the damage didn’t seem too terrible. In fact, Hakyeon thought that most of the puffiness in her face could be attributed to the sleepy air that lingered around her in combination to the natural roundness of her face.

 

Chae’s knees, however, looked terrible.

 

Hakyeon had seen worse. Much worse – done to him and his boys. Had felt pain so intense that he went numb and out.

 

But he had always healed fairly quickly with the power of the magic that flowed throughout him.

 

But Chaeyeongie. Despite her fighting spirit and stubborn personality, Chae seemed so small to Hakyeon. Fragile even. It made him angry to think of someone trying to break her down.

 

Even so…

 

Chaeyeong beamed at him as he lead the way into the yard, the girl’s eyes disappearing into crescents with the force of her smile. Her feet were planted firmly beneath her, as bruised and bandaged as they were her legs were strong, and she seemed steady enough.

 

She didn’t falter, didn’t loose a single spark of the light she seemed to radiate around them.

 

Hakyeon smiled fondly down at her, his grip gentle as he pulled her into a hug.

 

The girl fell into him easily, eager for the contact, and the boy felt his heart clench at how touch-starved she always seemed when he caught hold of her.

 

Hakyeon held her a bit more firmly, humming into her hair. “Chaeyeongie-ah, won’t you let us make sure you’re alright?”

 

If someone asked Hakyeon what made Chae cave and say yes to letting them stay, he might claim that it was because of his charming and sweet personality. In reality, it was the effect of his bear hug that turned the girl into a puddle of content teenager. It was a secret fact that Jeon Chaeyeong was a cuddle junkie. If letting them stay meant that she didn’t have to break the hug, then the boys could move in for all she cared.

 

“Since you came all this way an’ all…” she mumbled against his chest, feeling her previous desire to go back to bed returning.

 

Hakyeon saw her eyes drooping, felt her relax even more against him, and continued humming quietly. He ran a hand over her hair, petting her lightly as he moved towards the house, carrying most of Chae’s weight as he went.

 

The girl barely noticed, too affected by the hug.

 

Chae was, Wonshik realized in bemusement, rather similar to Taekwoon in a lot of ways. They were both shy and awkward and similarly affected by love and praise. It was nice to see her being babied for once, instead of her babying the others.

 

Speaking of babies…

 

Both of the maknaes were watching their oldest hyung practically carry their female friend inside, jealousy written all over their faces. Whether it was Hakyeon or Chae they were jealous of was hard to tell.

 

Wonshik smiled sympathetically.

 

He could relate. He was still feeling jealousy simmering under his skin too. He was just dealing with it better now that he wasn’t bottling everything inside anymore.

 

Wonshik jingled the bag he held in his hand, not enough to disturb the dishes inside, but enough to make some noise as a distraction. “C’mon. I know my way to the kitchen. I’m hungry! Let’s go in before it gets cold!”

 

Hongbin rolled his eyes at the whiny tone Wonshik’s voice took on and moved towards the house, still clinging to him. Hyuk and Jaehwan hurried after them, overtaking the clingy couple and beating them to the door.

 

Behind them, Taekwoon silently went to close the gate and lock it back. He didn’t see a chance of them leaving any time soon – if at all that night.

 

Hakyeon, as demonstrated, could be very persuasive. And even Chae wasn’t immune.

 

Inside, Chae found herself being manhandled onto the couch, the girl startled out of her hug-induced daze as Hakyeon deposited her onto the cushions before proceeding to swaddle her up in one of the throw blankets lying around the living room.

 

Chae blinked out of her blanket burrito at him in bemusement.

 

Hakyeon beamed at her, clapping his hands together excitedly as he and the other boys surveyed the living room. “Wah – you’ve got a nice house, Chaeyeongie-ah! Oh, it’s a baby you!”

 

The oldest boy practically squealed in delight as he spotted Chae’s baby pictures on the mantle. Chae flushed red. Taekwoon, who had entered the room last after following the rest of the boys inside, made a beeline to the mantle as well.

 

“Cute.” the reserved third year mumbled quietly, looking over the pictures with an expression that made him seem like the softest boy on earth.

 

“I know where her baby album is.” Wonshik whispered as he passed, heading for the kitchen with his bag of food. “Chae, I’m helping myself to your kitchen!” he called, loud enough for everyone to here that time.

 

Chae tried to squirm out of her blanket, freeing one arm before she spoke. “Ah, I’ll help you.”

 

Jaehwan and Hongbin threw themselves down onto the couch on either side of her, each throwing an arm over Chae’s shoulders to hold her in place.

 

“Wonshikkie’s a big boy. He can find his way around a kitchen to dish up pre-made food.” Jaehwan said dismissively. He snatched up the TV remote and squinted at it for a moment. A happy noise escaped him and he switched the television on, flipping through the channels at a lightning fast pace. “Do you have a favorite show? I like watching Spongebob – I’ve been practicing how to draw him too. I think I’m pretty good at it.”

 

“Oh, you’ll have to show me –” Chae began excitedly, happy to learn something new about her friend, then realized that he was trying to pull the same stunt that Hakyeon had. She fixed him with a pointed look. “Later. Anyway, this is my house and you’re my guests. The least I can do is help serve the food that you brought.”

 

“Why?” Hongbin asked lazily, eyes fixed on the TV as images flashed by. “Wonshik can actually reach the cabinets – now you don’t have to find a footstool to reach.”

 

Chae spluttered, effectively distracted, and resumed her squirming, freeing both her arms and lunging at her best friend.

 

Hongbin fell away from her with a yelp, yelling in surprise and shaking with laughter as Chae tried to wrestle him down and attack him with a throw pillow.

 

Jaehwan burst into laughter, pausing only a moment in his glee as he got a pillow to the face himself.

 

Hongbin smirked at him smugly as Chae continued to smack him with her pillow, giggling as he tried to fend her off weakly and retaliate between attempts at tickling her into submission and grabbing for her wrists to throw off her aim.

 

Jaehwan joined in, grabbing another pillow and backing Chae up in her pillow assault.

 

Hakyeon watched them a bit anxiously, nervous about things accidentally getting out of hand or Chae getting hurt again or irritating her already-there wounds.

 

Taekwoon didn’t even spare them a look.

 

From the hallway, a walking mountain of pillows and blankets emerged. Chae’s white comforter slid off the top of the mountain to reveal Hyuk beneath. The boy’s arms were full of her soft pillows and the decorative bolsters from her bedroom.

 

The maknae rolled his eyes at the trio and stepped over the comforter, continuing forward until he was just behind the couch, and dumped all of the pillows on top of Jaehwan’s head. They bounced off his head and onto Hongbin and Chae, startling all of them out of their play-fighting.

 

Hyuk grinned down at them.

 

“Pillow fort, anyone?”

 

Chae brightened at the idea and slipped out from beneath the boys and out of the blanket, nearly tripping over the coffee table. Hakyeon jumped at the sight, a whine building in his throat, hands fluttering as he hurried to catch her if she did fall. Chae didn’t seem to notice, easily catching her balance and hurrying to gather up her comforter and assist Hyuk in building the fort, happily talking about getting more throw blankets and her extra comforter from the laundry room.

 

Hakyeon let out a quiet huff, half annoyed, half amused.

 

Jaehwan rose from the couch as Hongbin joined the fort builders.

 

The oldest boys congregated around the fire place, watching the youngest three kids argue with each other about armchair placement and whether or not to use the cushions from the furniture.

 

“Hyuk said that she’s being bullied.” Jaehwan said after a long moment of silence between them.

 

Hakyeon crossed his arms and rested against the wall behind him, glancing over the mantle at all of Chae’s childhood photos on display. “She doesn’t act like someone who’s being bullied.”

 

“We get our life examples from the TV.” Jaehwan snorted. “We don’t exactly know what we’re dealing with here.”

 

Hakyeon hummed in acknowledgment at their lack of knowledge about human affairs, especially that of the youth. He didn’t know the real signs, couldn’t tell if something was truly wrong or not.

 

“A few third year girls were bothering her at practice that day Ravi and Hongbin had their fight.” Taekwoon announced. Jaehwan and Hakyeon looked at him in alarm. “There was one girl I recognized from some of my classes. She looked like the main problem. She almost called Chaeyeong a .:

 

“What?” Jaehwan gasped, eyes wide.

 

“And someone filled her locker with mean notes.” the normally quiet boy continued, eyes lowering away from watching the maknaes to stare at the floor. The memory of a trash can filled with cruel words and warnings came to mind. “Someone called her a .”

 

Hakyeon looked stricken. “Because she’s close to the kids?”

 

“You think it’s because of us?”

 

“Girls have male friends too, don’t they? It doesn’t seem that strange that her friends would be boys. Why should they take it as more than it is?”

 

“I don’t see her with other girls too often. Chae’s too sweet to make enemies for something petty. Could it be because the other girls are jealous?” Jaehwan asked worriedly.

 

“Then it would be our fault.” Taekwoon murmured.

 

“But it’s not like any of us are sleeping with her. Let alone all of us!” Jaehwan rolled his eyes. “Chae’s private life – our private lives! – shouldn’t matter to anyone else! Who you sleep with is your business. It’s bull. Those girls are hypocrites! They’re out there, trying to talk the kids, and us, into joining their little clique because they think we’re new and interesting and attractive. And they’re ing with Chae because she’s managed to get close to what they want by being the complete opposite of what they are.” Jaehwan’s ears and neck were flushed, brow furrowed in anger.

 

Taekwoon and Hakyeon each took one of his hands in their own and squeezed reassuringly.

 

“We’ll have to watch out for her more.” Hakyeon declared. “She’s our first and only human friend. Making life hard for her isn’t in our plan for ‘being human’.”

 

Taekwoon looked back up at the maknaes, eyes tracking Wonshik as he came to call everyone to dinner.

 

No, Chae wasn’t sleeping with any of them. But that didn’t mean that there wasn’t anything churning beneath the surface of their friendships with her.

 

Chae had been enveloped into the fold by the youngest two boys as quickly as Hyuk had been by the rest of the boys when he was created. Granted, the situation was different, and their initial intent was friendship over romantic relationship.

 

At least, there hadn’t been any romantic intent.

 

Now, however…

 

Wonshik had finally crumpled and joined the ‘Jeon Chaeyeong Fan-Club’, however reluctantly, and the hard wall that he had built the keep the girl at arms length from the group was now gone. And Hyuk, with his obvious crush, stubbornness, and being the maknae with his ‘everyone thinks I’m adorable and gives me whatever I want’ privilege… well, Chaeyeong almost had a clear shot to a place in their relationship.

 

Taekwoon closed his eyes at the thought of a girl joining their relationship, memories of Saetbyeol’s influence coming to the front of his mind. He put a hand on the mantle to steady himself, but flinched as a stray piece of wood pierced his skin.

 

He let go of Jaehwan’s hand to tug the wood from his palm, watching his blood trickle out with morbid fascination. Taekwoon wiped it away, his palm whole and unmarred, a slight stain of blood the only indication that he had been hurt at all.

 

Yes, Chae almost had a straight shot into the relationship.

 

But they had many secrets.

 

The biggest of which was their darkest…

 

And the most dangerous.

 

 

The dining room had never had more people in it. In the years since moving into the house, few guests had been given the chance to pass through the doors. Even Chae's few friends from middle school had only come over a handful of times and even then, not a single one of their get-togethers had been as energetic as that night was turning out to be.

 

Chae, who usually at her meals at the kitchen island or in the living room, found herself sandwiched between Hongbin and Jaehwan again.

 

Across the table from her, Hyuk was nagging anyone who got too messy, attempting to force wet wipes up Wonshik's nose when the older boy decided to mess with him by sticking his barbeque covered fingers all over the maknae's face.

 

Chae's shoulders shook with laughter at the sight.

 

Hongbin and Jaehwan were talking to each other over her head, playing some sort of word game that had them cracking up. They high-fived each other over Chae's head and got swatted when their own sticky fingers got too close to the girl's head.

 

Most of their chopsticks had been abandoned in the spirit of enjoying their food.

 

Taekwoon, unsurprisingly, was the quietest of them all and happily stuffed his face. Hyuk nearly got an elbow to the face from him when his and Wonshik's antics threatened the food.

 

At some point, Hakyeon went to retrieve Chae's cellphone so they could make their own chicken commercial. Jaehwan attempted some body gags. Hakyeon scolded him for not being funny enough ("Boring!"). Wonshik pretended to fall asleep.

 

Chae thought Jaehwan redeemed himself by doing a cute dance for them.

 

None of the others seemed to agree.

 

"Since our Jaehwannie was so bad at being funny… I vote we leave the dishes to him!" Hakyeon announced.

 

There was an enthusiastic agreement from everyone for that apart from Jaehwan, who protested for obvious reasons, and Chae, who actually found his gags to be funny.

 

Everyone ran out of the dining room, Chae being carried between Hongbin and Hyuk amid protests, and Jaehwan was left alone to yell and whine about the injustice of it all.

 

Construction of the blanket fort resumed with everyone sans Jaehwan, who was sullenly cleaning up, and Taekwoon, who excused himself to help when it became evident that there were too many people building the fort.

 

Chaeyeong and Hakyeon took it among themselves to arrange the pillow pile, making sure that they had enough floor footage covered so that everyone could sit comfortably. With all of the furniture stripped of their cushions, there really wasn’t a choice as to sitting in the fort with everyone else or not.

 

“Will Taekwoon-sunbae be okay with sitting here?” Chae worried, looking over the space apprehensively. It looked fairly big at the moment, but seven people were about to cram themselves into it – six of which were rather large teenage boys.

 

Hakyeon patted her shoulder. “He’ll be fine. He doesn’t mind you as much as you seem to think he does.”

 

Chae thought about the few interactions she and Taekwoon had shared. The memory of him running her bullies off for her came to mind, her lips curling up at the memory of how cute he’d been. “Ah, I think… Taekwoon-sunbae’s really nice.” She turned her smile on Hakyeon, seeming a bit shy. “He’s a nice senior to know.” Chae flushed, hands coming up to cover her face. “Ah~ That sounded so awkward! A ‘nice sunbae’. Ahhh…”

 

Hakyeon burst into laughter at the sight, raising a hand from the cushions to pet her hair. “Aigoo, how cute~”

 

“Yah! Are you two canoodling in there?” Jaehwan whined, flapping the blanket over their head a bit. “There are children here, y’know!”

 

Hakyeon and Chae poked their heads out of the fort, wearing identical looks of unamusement.

 

“Are the dishes done?” Hakyeon asked, wanting to make sure that they weren’t leaving the house in worse shape than it was when they arrived.

 

Taekwoon mumbled an affirmative, too quiet for Chae to understand, but Hakyeon seemed satisfied with his boyfriend’s answer.

 

“So everyone’s ready now, right?” Chae asked, eyes bright with excitement. She was eager to share her favorite movie series with her new friends, especially Hongbin. “Then let us begin this Harry Potter movie marathon!”

 

Hongbin laughed at her exaggeratedly posh tone and ducked under the blanket canopy to join her, the girl scooting to the back to accommodate everyone else. She had seen the movies several times over and didn’t mind a potentially bad view. Chae wanted to watch the boys’ reactions more, since Wonshik was the only one who had even seen one – if his reaction was anything to go by, watching the others would be entertaining.

 

Wonshik, being familiar with where Chae kept her movies and how to work her Blu-Ray player, hurried to put the first movie in. He headed back to the fort only to duck back out to grab the forgotten remote. He collapsed onto Hongbin’s lap, stuffing himself into the fort with everyone else.

 

Chae tried to pay no mind to the fact that she had somehow ended up squished again, this time between Hyuk and Taekwoon, both boys’ close proximity making her uncomfortable for different reasons. Jaehwan stole one of the bolsters from the side and put it against Chae’s shins and laid back, tilting his head to grin up at her.

 

“Hi~”

 

Chae giggled, patting his forehead gently. “Hi there! Ready to experience the magical world of Harry Potter?”

 

Jaehwan laughed lightly, a secretive gleam in his eyes. “Bring it.”

 

Chae grinned, taking the remote control from Wonshik and starting the movie.

 

The movies seemed to be a hit with the boys, everyone watching intently and occasionally making noises at certain moments. Even with her love of the movies, Chae joined Hyuk and Hongbin in jeering at the early CGI effects.

 

Beside her, Taekwoon was silent, but the way his side was pressed against hers let Chae feel his every jump and surprised twitch, every quiet gasp and noises of delight and displeasure. During Harry and Ron’s escape from the spiders in the second film, Taekwoon even grabbed her hand when he got scared.

 

Chae flinched at the sudden jolt of pain from where he pressed on her bruises. Taekwoon dropped her hand like it burned him, a quiet but sincere apology falling from his lips. Hakyeon peeked over his shoulder at her in concern.

 

Chae patted Taekwoon’s hand and offered him a smile, unconcerned, and turned back to the movie.

 

Around the time the third movie was starting, sleepiness began to affect the teenagers.

 

Hakyeon was the first to fall asleep, the exhaustion from the past few days catching up to him. Between work, school and trying to handle all of the problems in his household, the oldest boy was exhausted. Faint dark circles had appeared beneath his eyes and Taekwoon tucked him in closely against his side, letting him sleep undisturbed.

 

Hongbin and Hyuk fell asleep about the same time, the maknae’s head making a steady descent onto Chae’s shoulder as he fell asleep. Hongbin was twisted awkwardly over Hyuk and Chae’s laps, his own legs still straight and pinned in place by Wonshik.

 

Finally, Chae herself fell asleep, head resting on top of Hyuk’s, her breath making his hair flutter with every exhale.

 

Wonshik turned to look at his boyfriends and snorted at the sight of Taekwoon trapped in place between the sleeping Hakyeon and Chaeyeong.

 

Taekwoon glared at him, leaning away from Chae slightly. “Shut up.”

 

“I didn’t say anything.” Wonshik snickered.

 

Jaehwan turned to see what they were talking about and frowned at the sight of the three youngest kids. “Is this something we should worry about?” A note of jealousy crept into his voice.

 

Wonshik considered him. “You, the one who’s gone on an ice cream date with her and wants her to call you oppa…”

 

Jaehwan pouted at him. “Still.”

“Dude, you’re laying in her lap.”

 

“I’m laying on a pillow.” Jaehwan countered defensively, looking away. “Does… it bother either of you as much as it bothers me?”

 

“Yes.” Wonshik answered without hesitation. “It does. But it is cute and I’m tired of being jealous and angry all the time. Besides, I do like Chae so I don’t want to hate her, even if one of my boyfriends has a crush on her. Being angry at her for being herself doesn’t help and just makes me feel guilty.”

 

“But it still bothers you.” Taekwoon pointed out, watching the younger boys carefully.

 

“Yeah. But, not because I dislike Chae. I do like her. And appreciate her.” Wonshik looked over the sleeping girl. “More than some people it seems…”

 

“Oooh,” Jaehwan looked interested at the tone in the younger boy’s voice. “Who are you throwing shade at?”

 

“Throwing shade?” Wonshik blinked in confusion before just letting it go. Apparently he was still behind the others in being a ‘teenager’. “I’m just saying… Chae’s a nice kid, yeah? Polite, friendly, good student. If you had a kid like that, don’t you think you’d wanna be home to be a parent? There’s dust in her dad’s room. He hasn’t been home in ages…”

 

“What about her mom?” Taekwoon asked.

 

“She died. Years ago.” Wonshik frowned. “And she’s been left all alone… It’s not right.”

 

“Even good people don’t have perfect lives.” Taekwoon murmured, petting Hakyeon’s hair, brow furrowed.

 

“Yeah,” Jaehwan panted, rolling over onto his stomach to look at Chae. “I know I’m doing a complete turn around from ‘jealous ’ but… look at that face! Who’d leave behind such a cute kid?”

 

Wonshik laughed at him.

 

Turnaround indeed.

 

“If you think she’s cute now… you oughta see her baby photos. The good ones in the album downstairs.” Wonshik said slyly, watching Taekwoon’s expression.

 

As expected, the elder’s gaze sharpened at the suggestion. “Baby album?”

 

“I know where it is~” Wonshik teased.

 

“Go get it.”

 

“I wanna come!” Jaehwan whined, sitting up abruptly. Above him, the blanket bounced a bit when his head bumped it. “I wanna explore too!”

 

“It’s in the basement…” Wonshik said hesitantly.

 

To his credit, Jaehwan only froze for a moment. Taekwoon flinched, pulling Hakyeon closer. Chae felt the movement and squirmed, turning to cuddle into the soccer player’s neck, the rest of the maknae’s following her even in her sleep.

 

Wonshik and Jaehwan shared a laugh at Taekwoon’s expense. The deer in the headlights look on his face was priceless.

 

He looked uncomfortable, but remained still.

 

“C’mon,” Wonshik snickered, slapping Jaehwan’s playfully. “Let’s go get it real quick. If you don’t wanna go downstairs, you can wait by the door in the kitchen.”

 

Jaehwan looked relieved by the suggestion and bounced out of the fort and after Wonshik.

 

Taekwoon huffed at being abandoned so easily and turned his attention to his arm, unsure of what to do with it. The arm not holding Hakyeon was behind Chae and an uncomfortable feeling was beginning to form in his shoulder. The logical solution would be to wrap an arm around Chae.

 

Taekwoon didn’t like the logical solution.

 

He settled for resting his arm on the couch behind them, trying to avoid touching Chae as much as he could, and threaded his fingers through Hyuk’s hair, combing through the dark strands affectionately.

 

Even though they were trying to be quiet, Wonshik and Jaehwan’s voices carried from the kitchen and into the living room.

 

The longer Wonshik lingered in the basement, the louder Jaehwan got, anxiety coloring his tone and making his pitch rise towards hysterical.

 

Taekwoon tensed, ready to go to him, before Wonshik’s baritone re-entered the mix, quietly comforting his older lover.

 

Taekwoon relaxed back into the pile of sleeping teenagers. Hongbin rolled over fully to lay across Hyuk’s legs, the flower boy’s arms reaching across Chae’s legs to grasp Taekwoon’s pant leg. Taekwoon bit his lip.

 

So cute…

 

“When did Leo get so popular?” Jaehwan asked, squinting suspiciously at the older boy.

 

Taekwoon glared at him.

 

“Our soft and squishy pillow-hyung.” Wonshik teased, crawling back into the fort after Jaehwan, a photo album in hand.

 

Taekwoon carefully reclaimed his arms to hold his hands out for it, a silent demand clear on his face.

 

Wonshik collapsed in the opening of the fort, giggling. He left looking over the album to his older lovers and turned back to the movie, rewinding to where it was before he stopped paying attention.

 

Jaehwan continued in further, carefully climbing into Hakyeon’s lap so he could look at the album with Taekwoon. The oldest boy was accustomed to being crawled all over by everyone and only woke up for a moment to grumble before going back to sleep. Jaehwan snorted in amusement and kissed Hakyeon’s temple before settling down.

 

“So, you don’t think this is an invasion of privacy or something?” Jaehwan asked teasingly.

 

Taekwoon opened the album defiantly. His cold expression crumpled at the sight of a red-faced, newborn Chaeyeong. “I want a baby.” he declared immediately.

 

“I’m not getting pregnant.” Jaehwan protested at once.

 

Beneath him, Hakyeon mumbled something about a soccer team.

 

Taekwoon smacked Jaehwan, ears red from Hakyeon’s reminder about one of their previous conversations. He continued to flip through the album.

 

Chaeyeong had been a really cute baby, all big, dark eyes and chubby cheeks – both of which had carried through to her teenage years. She looked a lot like the tired woman from the pictures, the twenty-something woman cradling her daughter to her chest with a weak smile. They had the same smile and eyes. Chae’s nose was like her father’s though, alone with the soft shape of his face.

 

Chaeyeong’s dad looked nice and very much filled with adoration for his infant daughter.

 

When did that feeling fade enough for him to disappear for so long?

 

“Eun Jeongsun. Jeon Daehwan. Jeon Chaeyeong…” Taekwoon read the caption beneath the first photo with Chae and her parents.

 

“They looked happy…” Jaehwan remarked.

 

Taekwoon sighed, closing the book and handing it to Jaehwan.

 

From beneath the pages, a folded and yellowed slip of paper fell onto their legs.

 

Jaehwan quirked a brow and picked it up, the paper crackling as he carefully unfolded it.

 

Something like an electric current tickled his fingers, making goosebumps appear on his arms. He shivered.

 

“Huh. Seems like there is a touch of magic in our Chaeyeongie.”

 

Taekwoon and Wonshik frowned, the latter pausing the movie and rolling over to face them.

 

“What?” Wonshik asked in bewilderment.

 

“Do you think a normal human would be so comfortable with us?” Jaehwan challenged, eyebrows raised in disbelief. “Hyuk said that he’s felt a stirring from her before when he got curious. Now we know where it comes from.”

 

“A family member?” Taekwoon asked curiously, looking at the letter too.

 

“A grandmother?” Jaehwan squinted at the faded, loopy writing. “A great-grandmother!”

 

“So whatever magic in her family line would be faded out by now.” Taekwoon prodded the letter curiously. “Feels weak.”

 

“Then we should definitely keep an eye on her until those ‘animal’ attacks stop.” Wonshik sighed. “They feel too odd to be normal. And you know how it goes – magic attracts magic. Even if it’s just a hint.”

 

The three of them shared a look, the rest of the teenagers around them continuing to slumber on, peacefully oblivious to the tense air in the living room.

 

 

Tan, not being a major city, didn’t have a stop for a bullet train, despite being almost smack-dab in the middle between Busan and Gyeongju. It wasn’t strange. Tan wasn’t close enough to the water to be an ocean-side city (there was a town between it and the beaches) and wasn’t terribly large like its neighboring cities. There weren’t any major tourist attractions either.

 

And yet, despite not having a bullet train and being much closer to Busan than Seoul was, it still took the same amount of time to get to Tan as it would Seoul. At least, for Chae’s uncle it was.

 

Chae jolted out of her little bed in the hospital, blinking blearily as her uncle pulled back the curtain. A quick look at the clock on the wall told her that it had taken him nearly two hours to get to Tan.

 

“Uncle,” she yawned in greeting.

 

Jeonyeong smiled sheepishly at her as he waved her discharge papers to show her. “Hey there, Princess. Sorry I’m late. I had to wait for another train.”

 

“It’s cool. I wasn’t planning on doing much today.” Chae smiled at him, reaching up for a hug.

 

It was partly true.

 

However, it didn’t mean that she had wanted to stay in the hospital for so long.

 

After her visit with her doctor, Chae was unable to sign herself out without a guardian to take her home. It posed a problem for sure. Her father was in a different country (which one it was, she couldn’t remember) and rarely answered her phone calls (Chae liked to think it was just the time difference and leave it at that), making contacting him for a digital signature impossible.

 

Which left Chae to call her uncle for help.

 

Fortunately for her, Jeonyeong had been right to argue her father into making him Chae’s secondary guardian after his sister’s death.

 

When Chae called, Jeonyeong came running. It had taken him longer than she expected, but he was here, a little pale and nauseous looking, but full of concern for her.

 

A strange sense of relief flooded her chest. Having an adult, a family member, who loved her be near made the tension she didn’t even realize she was carrying recede from her.

 

“Aigoo, Princess.” Jeonyeong hissed between his teeth, taking in the bruises that littered her body. “What happened to you?”

 

“Cat fight.” Chae shrugged, folding her coat over her arms as she slid off the bed to stand beside him. He wasn’t much taller than her, a strange contrast from the rest of the men in her life.

 

“A cat fight?” Jeonyeong asked in disbelief. “You got into a fight? You?”

 

“And I’m pretty sure I won, too.” Chae said casually, moving past him. She was ready to get out of the hospital.

 

“Jeon Chaeyeong!” her uncle gasped in horror, chasing after her. It wasn’t difficult to catch up to her. She was still limping. “What in the world did you fight someone over?”

 

Chae pursed her lips. She didn’t want to tell him that it was over a boy. She could be more honest with him than she was with anyone else, but something told her that revealing that piece of information would get her labeled as a foolish teenage girl. She was more than that and so were her motivations.

 

“A matter of honor.” she said eventually.

 

“Honor? Hey, Princess Zuko – how is that any sort of reason?” Jeonyeong asked, anger creeping into his tone. Chae eyed him warily, recognizing the same signs in him that were in her mother right before the woman started shouting. “Who did this? I want to talk to your principal about it!”

 

“I didn’t say it happened at school.” Chae deflected, still stubbornly refusing to bring the school faculty into her fight with the Somi-Aera Ring.

 

“Then let’s go file a police report!”

 

“Don’t wanna.”

 

“Jeon Chaeyeong!” Jeonyeong snapped.

 

“I got a hit in of my own, y’know!” Chae shot back, the same irate expression on her face mirroring her uncle’s. “I hurt someone too! You want me to get in trouble with them?”

 

“Self-defense –”

 

“There’s no proof of what went down.” Chae huffed. “My word against a whole group – what kind of standing would I have with that? My problems are mine to deal with.”

 

“You are not an adult, Chaeyeong.” Jeonyeong said coldly, pulling her to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. “If you’re having problems, then it’s up to the adults to step in and help you with them. And if your dad isn’t here to make sure that you’re not getting hurt, then I will.”

 

Chae stared at him, feeling oddly vulnerable.

 

“I won’t say.” she said eventually, tired and quiet.

 

“And I won’t let this go so easily.” Jeonyeong said stubbornly.

 

Chae sighed, shoulders sagging. “… the first time we see each other in ages and we start things off with a fight.”

 

Jeonyeong snorted, the sound not seeming very amused. “It’s strange – I feel as if I’m arguing with Jeongsunnie. You look like her when you’re angry.”

 

“So do you.”

 

The uncle and niece considered each other warily, unsure of how to proceed without their usual, light-hearted relationship. They had never fought before, and Chae usually welcomed Jeonyeong’s parent-like behavior, but she had grown too accustomed to being her own adult to let herself be ordered around so easily.

 

Chae felt like she could handle things on her own.

 

Jeonyeong didn’t want her to have to even consider going at life without someone to have her back.

 

Jeon Daehwan was going to be in so much trouble the next time he saw his brother-in-law.

 

“How did you get down here?” Jeonyeong asked after a moment of walking in silence.

 

“… I took a taxi.” Chae answered quietly, watching her uncle carefully for a reaction.

 

“Oh.” his voice cracked.

 

Taxis weren’t really his vice. Or cars in general. After his sister’s death, most of his nightmares were about car accidents. He’d taken a taxi to the hospital to pick up Chaeyeong, but he didn’t enjoy a second of it.

 

He shifted his hold on his suitcase, considering the walking distance between the hospital and his brother-in-law’s house.

 

He could do it.

 

“There’s a bus that’ll take us to the neighborhood.” Chae suggested, aware of her uncle’s aversion to cars.

 

Buses were more acceptable, however…

 

Chae was limping and, while she was putting on a brave face, Jeonyeong knew that she was terribly uncomfortable. It would be best for her to just get home and avoid walking such a long distance.

 

Jeonyeong tried to take a calming breath. “Let’s catch a cab, shall we?” he tried for a light-hearted tone and failed. His face went a little green as he moved towards the street to wave down a driver.

 

Chae smiled fondly at his back.

 

Jeonyeong’s reactions to riding in the taxi were the same as someone who was riding a roller coaster.

 

He jumped with every bump and his stomach seemed to churn with every sharp turn. Chae was able to ease his panic a bit by telling him about anything and everything she could think of.

 

About funny things that happened during Hyunwoo and Taekwoon’s soccer practices, about the Song Twins’ latest arguments about silly things, about Hongbin’s disastrous cooking class adventures at school.

 

Both the driver and Jeonyeong were laughing at her last story by the time they pulled up in front of the house and some color had returned to Jeonyeong’s face as he ushered her towards the gate. While he paid the driver, Chaeyeong went ahead and unlocked the gate, heading inside first.

 

A jolt of panic went through her at the sight of one of the boys’ forgotten blazer on the back of the couch.

 

Chae hurried to hide it in the washing machine before her uncle came in.

 

She didn’t want to explain that.

 

“Did you have a sleepover last night?” Jeonyeong asked from the living room.

 

Chae poked her head out of the laundry room, snagging a hoodie from the dryer as an excuse for being in there. She muttered a vague affirmative as she pulled it on.

 

Jeonyeong shook his head at the sight of the blanket fort. “You’re a cute kid, Chaeyeongie. Do you mind if I reclaim the sofa? I don’t know if I’d be able to make it back on my feet if I got in there.”

 

“By all means.” Chae waved him forward. “My friends and I meant to take it down, but they were running late for school.”

 

Not that the boys had cared.

 

Chae doubted that they had been on time to their first class after all the time they spent fussing over her and arguing with each other while they tried to send her off to her doctor’s appointment. Never mind the fact that they had to go home to change clothes before going to school.

 

“I’m surprised that they stayed over on a school night. Their parents are more lenient than mine were.”

 

“But… Mom said that Dad stayed at your house all the time when you were in school.” Chae squinted at him, doubting his word about her grandparents’ rules.

 

Jeonyeong stopped short at the reminder of his past friendship with Daehwan. “Well… that was different. It was a difficult time for your dad.”

 

Chae’s paternal grandparents had gone through a messy divorce when her father was in high school, leading the then-teenager to spend most of his time at his best friend’s house to get away from the fighting.

 

It was a bit surreal to remember that Jeonyeong and Daehwan had been as close as brothers even before her parents were an item. Or that the men had ever been close at all, considering the current state of their relationship.

 

The rift that had formed between Chae and her father had affected more than just the father-daughter pair.

“This is mine.” Chae mumbled awkwardly, folding her comforter to fit better in her arms. “I’m… just gonna take it upstairs. The rest of these are throw blankets. Most of ‘em belong in the laundry room.”

 

Jeonyeong nodded without looking at her. For some reason, their relationship was a lot easier to maintain when they were in different cities. “I’ll put them away. Uh, do any of these pillows belong upstairs too?”

 

Chae quietly pointed out what belonged in her room and Jeonyeong followed after her with them stacked in his arms. She was glad that she wouldn’t have to make another trip to collect them herself.

 

Jeonyeong paused outside Daehwan's empty room, his jaw clenched.

 

“Chaeyeong-ah,” he sighed, seeming older than he was in that moment. “Doesn’t it get lonely here?”

 

Chae stopped outside her door, thumbing at the doorknob, the metal cool beneath her fingers as she tried to organize her thoughts.

 

A bitter smile curled at her lips. “Sometimes. But, y’know… I’m not sure I know how to live with him anymore.”

 

In all honesty, Chae’s father had become a stranger to her.

 

And the most peculiar part of that was that she wasn’t entirely sure if she really missed him or not.

 

Jeonyeong scowled at the door to the master bedroom.

 

“I think it would be best if I stayed here for a few days.” the older man said quietly, anger boiling beneath the surface of his skin. “Until you’re better. I don’t like the idea of you being here alone and all beat up.” Or before I find out who hurt you.

 

Chae offered him a bright and sincere smile.

 

“I think that’s a great idea!” her eyes sparkled at the thought. “It’d be nice to show you around the city, too – maybe even find you a wardrobe that doesn’t scream ‘hopeless bachelor’.”

 

Jeonyeong pouted, looking over his clothes in confusion. “What are you talking about? I look fine!”

 

Chae fixed him with a dry look. “Ten bucks says there’s a Hawaiian print shirt in your bag.”

 

Jeonyeong floundered, unable to say anything in defense against that (without losing his money anyway).

 

“Yah! Have some respect for your elders!”

 

Chae burst into laughter at that, the sound ringing through the house.

 

 

Chae tapped her pencil against her clipboard, trying to ignore the weight of her boss’s gaze.

 

The three of them – Chaeyeong, Mari and Kyuhyun – were supposed to be taking inventory while things were slow, but Mari seemed more interested in her youngest employee’s new facial decorations than the store’s stock.

 

After too much time had passed without the old woman barking out orders, Chae finally looked up to meet her eyes.

 

“You wanna ask what happened, don’t you?” the teen asked, quirking a knowing brow at the older woman.

 

“What happened.” Kyuhyun droned before Mari could ask, his tone dull and uninterested as he scrolled through the website they ordered some of their stock from. “How many vials should I order, by the way? We were understocked last month. Old Man Gong was pissed when I didn’t have anymore to sell him.”

 

“Thirty will do for this month.” Mari grunted, hobbling slowly down the isle. “I have someone bringing in some home-styled herbs next week. We shouldn’t need to make much of them here. Order some more rose quartz too – the usual amount. Fluorite, jade, kyanite… Those sold well this past month. Lots of negative energy going around… Here, wear this – it’s useful.”

 

Chae murmured a quiet thanks as Mari shoved a simple leather and turquoise bracelet into her hands. She tried to recall the purpose of the stone, something she had learned as part of her ability to pitch sales.

 

“Turquoise is good for strengthening bonds, dream interpretation, boosting confidence…” she recited, squinting at the bracelet a bit.

 

“Wisdom and warding off evil.” Mari reminded her, pulling out one of the books about crystals to show her a reference page. “You’re getting better at remembering. Just keep studying.”

 

Chae nodded, flipping a couple of pages before closing the book and storing it beneath her clipboard to hold onto so that she could read it later when they were finished taking inventory.

 

“Wards off evil, huh?” she hummed, slipping the bracelet on. “How about teenage girls with attitude problems? Because that’s my problem lately.”

 

“Oh? You’ve been fighting with other girls then? Over a boy, I assume.”

 

Chae made a face. “It sounds stupid, I know. Those girls though – they need to be brought back down to Earth. They’re ridiculous.”

 

“It seems stupid to some people, yes. But it’s nothing new. I got into a few fights over the matter of teenage boys when I was young.” Mari patted her forearm reassuringly. “My advice it to be sure of what you’re fighting for. Don’t do anything for someone who’s not worth it. The boy this was about – is he someone worth suffering over?” Mari fixed Chae with a piercing gaze.

 

“My friends are precious to me.” Chae said firmly, not flinching beneath the woman’s powerful stare. “That’s something worth protecting, in my opinion.”

 

Mari frowned. She seemed disappointed.

 

“Well, whatever the case,” Kyuhyun drawled, pulling their attention back to him. “Fight whoever you want to. That can be your thing. Just don’t come to me and expect me to help you out if the guy turns out to be a douche. I’m not that kind of sunbae. I don’t give out advice – especially not about romance.”

 

“The bitter, single guy doesn’t give relationship advice?” Chae snorted, giving him a judging look. “No surprise there, Kyuhyun-sunbae. Don’t worry – the only advice I’d go to you for is how to run someone off.” She offered him a large, fake smile.

 

Kyuhyun spluttered.

 

Mari rolled her eyes at them, shooing Chae out of the way so she could head behind the counter.

 

“Play nice, kids. Chae, give Kyuhyun a moment to get over himself – he’s not used to trainees not quivering in fear of him. You can go outside and answer that phone call if you want.”

 

Chae blinked at her in confusion. “What?”

 

Her cellphone began ringing, the device vibrating wildly in her pocket.

 

“Go on.” Mari urged, looking over the counter displays.

 

Bewildered, Chae did as she was told and went outside to answer her cellphone.

 

Her boss was kind of cool, but sometimes Mari really freaked her out.

 

Chae shook her head and swiped her finger over the screen as she lifted it to her ear. “Hello?”

 

“Chaeyeongie-ah!” Hakyeon’s voice rang out through the speaker, crackling a little over the line.

 

She smiled at the sound. “Hakyeon-sunbae! What’s up?”

 

“We wanted to make sure that everything went well today. What did the doctor say? Was anything worse than it looked?” The concern in his voice was evident.

 

Warmth blossomed in Chae’s chest at that. “It’s all good. My wrist wasn’t even sprained – just sore. I’ll be back to normal in no time~”

 

Hakyeon hummed. “That’s good to hear. I’m glad. Did you go just go home after your appointment? The kids didn’t see you in class…”

 

“I did. My uncle actually came to town to take me home. He’s decided to stay for a few days too! I’m excited~”

 

“Wah, that’s awesome! It’s nice to know that there’ll be someone at home to watch over you.” Hakyeon didn’t say anything, but Chae got the feeling that he disapproved of her being left alone in the house all the time.

 

“He’s a cool guy – our personalities are similar, too, so we get along well. I think it’s going to be fun having him visit.” Chae leaned against the outer wall of the building, nodding at a classmate she recognized as they wandered through the shopping center. “Did you make it to class on time? These past few days have been a little hectic – I hate to think that you might get in trouble for being tardy or something.”

 

“It’s fine, Chaeyeong-ah. Sometimes you just have to take time to deal with personal problems. Things like school shouldn’t get in the way of taking care of yourself and your problems.” Hakyeon said wisely.

 

Chae murmured an assent. “It’s getting late. Have you eaten yet?”

 

“We just had dinner. The kids have been bugging to call you all day. Actually, I waited until Hongbinnie and Hyuk went to get ready for bed to call you. Those two would have hogged the phone and I wouldn’t have gotten a word in.” Chae could tell that Hakyeon was pouting on the other side of the line.

 

She laughed. “I’d be careful if I were you – they seem like the type to tackle you for the phone.”

 

“You know them so well,” Hakyeon sighed. “I’m the hyung though! I shouldn’t have to sneak around to make a phone call. Those kids…”

 

“I’m glad I had the chance to talk to you, then.” Chae scuffed the toe of her shoe against the pavement. “It was a little lonely today.”

 

Hakyeon made a sympathetic noise. “Are you coming back to class tomorrow? Bean and Wonshik say that your friends were fussing over you today.”

 

Chae startled. “Really? I didn’t think that me missing a day would be noticed.”

 

“… Chaeyeong-ah, there’s a lot of people who noticed that you were gone today. Please don’t think that your friends don’t care when you suddenly go missing in the middle of the day and then don’t show up the next. That would have anyone worrying – especially friends.”

 

Chae flushed, feeling rather chastened. “I understand.”

 

“Good.” Hakyeon seemed satisfied. “Now, I’m gonna hand over the phone before the maknaes come back and I get body slammed. Jaehwan and Wonshikkie wanna talk to you next.”

 

Jaehwan’s loud, nasally voice and Wonshik’s deeper, calm tones drifted over the line after Hakyeon passed over the phone. Their conversations covered most of the same lines that she had talked over with Hakyeon.

 

Chae could feel her mood lifting the longer she talked with them, a bright smile pulling incessantly at her lips until she couldn’t control her face anymore.

 

By the time that Hongbin and Hyuk arrived, the boys’ end of the line was in chaos, the youngest pair and Jaehwan yelling over and at each other as they all tried to carry on a conversation with her at once. Hyuk and Hongbin took turns stealing the phone from the other boys, each trying to carry on broken conversations with her with little success. They’d start talking about one thing and then have the phone stolen from them before they could finish. By the time they got the phone back, the subject changed to something else.

 

Hakyeon and Wonshik joined the fray, yelling over each other and trying to calm the rest of the boys down.

 

Chae couldn’t help but laugh, the force of it making her stomach ache and she doubled over, leaning heavily against the wall as she continued to listen to the boys whine and bicker with one another.

 

“Guys!” she tried to interrupt in vain. “Guys, please – I’m at work! I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah? Hello? Helloooo?”

 

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Chaeyeong-ah.” Taekwoon’s quiet voice came through the speaker unexpectedly, startling Chae. “Have a good night.”

 

“Y-You too, sunbae…” she stuttered.

 

The soccer player murmured another goodbye before hanging up.

 

Chae looked at her phone in disbelief, a quiet laugh falling from her lips.

 

Those boys were something else. A little strange, a lot loud and very entertaining.

 

Chae wouldn’t trade them for the world.

 

She straightened up, taking in a deep breath and tilting her head back to look at the night sky above.

 

Yes, her friends had become something very precious to her. And they were something she would gladly continue to fight for.