Groaning, Han rolls over and looks at the time on her alarm clock, it reads 4:08am. 

 

“What the are you calling me for? Do you know what time it is?” she mumbles into the cellphone she’s just picked up.

 

open the door

 

“What?” Han replies, still half asleep.

 

I’m at your door. I’m here to talk, my plane just landed like, an hour ago or something.

 

“Y-Yixing?” Han is suddenly more awake than before. She hangs up and stumbles out of bed towards the hallway. Turning on the lights as she makes her way through the apartment, she reaches the front door, and swings it open.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“You gave me 2 days, but I needed to explain as soon as possible. I didn’t want you sitting with all your emotions for days, confused, and getting angrier with each passing hour.” explains Yixing in a pleading voice. “Can I come in? Can we talk?”

 

Han steps aside to let him enter, “You’re so lucky Krystal is sleeping over at Jongin’s place tonight.”

 

Yixing follows her to the kitchen, hesitating at the doorway until she motions for him to sit at the island. Once he’s seated she turns away from him, and starts to make a pot of coffee.

 

“Don’t start talking until I’ve had at least one cup of coffee please.” Han requests turning to look over her shoulder. Yixing nods, silently complying.

 

A handful of minutes pass, and Yixing can feel the tension in the air increasing slowly as the silence continues.

 

“Mmm.” Han sighs contentedly tipping her mug back, “ Okay, you have 5 minutes before I cut you off.”

 

“Find me an elf.” Yixing says calmly. 

 

“Excuse me?” Han blinks at him, slightly bewildered. 

 

“That was the first thing you ever said to me.” Replies Yixing, “It was around Christmas and we were both at that local toy store. I remember I was looking at the tree-toppers, and you were digging through the toy bin quite angrily. Frankly, I was a bit taken aback when you turned and talked to me, but you seemed slightly desperate.”

 

“I was late to my bakery’s annual ugly elf exchange, and I was elf-less.” defends Han, “You were the only person near me.”

 

“What about the store clerk?” questions Yixing, one eyebrow raised.

 

“I don’t know, maybe he wasn’t close enough.” Han shrugs, “It doesn’t matter anyway does it? Things just happen sometimes. Yixing, what’s the point with all the questions?”

 

“That’s exactly my point Han. Things just happen sometimes. For me, years before I met you, things just happened and they happened in a way that lead to me being involved in organized crime.” Yixing explains, head hung somewhat defeatedly. “It wasn’t initially my choice, but it’s my life now.”

 

“Yixing, I don’t accept that kind of life.” 

 

“But you accept me, Han, right? For all the years we’ve known each other I was involved in a gang, but you still liked being around me.” Yixing looks into her eyes with sincerity, “You don’t have to accept how I live, but please accept who I am.”

 

Han looks at him silently, almost suspiciously. After what seems like hours to Yixing, she finally nods at him. Crossing her arms, she breaks eye contact, “Fine, but I don’t want anything to do with whatever illegality you’re involved with.” 

 

“Deal” smiles a visibly relaxing Yixing, “but I would like you to at least meet the rest of the guys.”

 

“Deal” replies Han, placing her empty mug in the sink, “but I’m not promising to be friends with any of them. Now go back to the living room, and you can sleep on the couch. I’ll bring you some blankets and a pillow.”

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

“Hey, get up sleepyhead. Lay said you usually don’t function well until you’ve had your coffee, so I made you some.”

 

“God is that you?” Han mumbles with her eyes closed.

 

There’s a quiet chuckle, “It’s Minseok, actually, but God works too”

 

Han sniffs the air, eyes still shut, “Do I smell coffee?” 

 

“Open your eyes, silly. It’s right here.” Minseok grins as he holds the mug of coffee closer to Han’s face.

 

Han’s eyes snap open as she simultaneously sits up and grabs the coffee from the strange man in front of her. She eyes him in suspicion, “What the ?”

 

“Hi,” greets the smiling man, “I’m Kim Minseok, one of Lay’s friends. Everyone’s here, and brunch is almost ready.”

 

Han looks at Minseok blankly, “Lay?”

 

“Oh, sorry,” he says quickly, “Yixing.”

 

“That damn liar” grumbles Han sipping on her coffee. “Whatever, food’s mucho importante, where’s the food?”

 

“In the kitchen, but we’re eating in the dining room.” answer Minseok, extending his hand, “ready to meet the gang?”

 

Han ignores the offered hand, and walks out of her room, down the hallway, and into the dining room. Minseok follows her, stopping short when Han does. She stands frozen in place, taking in the scene before her. 8 young men, plus Krystal, sit squished around the dining room table. Krystal is quietly eating, and the rest are bickering and laughing.

 

“Hey, I wanted that piece of bacon!” yells one guy.

 

“Too bad, bacon!” yells the other who victoriously shoves said bacon into his upturned mouth.

 

“Yah, I hate that nickname, Chen! Who the hell even came up with it!?” bacon-guy sits back and sulks.

 

“It was Suho!” pipes up a skinny blonde guy

 

“Hey, stop snitching, Sehun!” complains a shorter man a few seats away. He turns his head in Baekhyun’s direction, “It was a funny joke Baekhyun, It’s a clever play on words. Your name sounds like the english word bacon.”

 

“All of you shut up!” shouts a man with round eyes.

 

Chanyeol raises his hand, “I second what Kyungsoo just said.” 

 

“Well,” sighs Minseok, heading over to the already crowded table, “You already know Kai and the bossman, Chanyeol. There’s all the rest, and that’s probably the best introduction you’ll get.”

 

Minseok is right, and after a long and loud brunch, everyone gathers in the living room, and sits where they can. 

 

“So, explain to me one more time please” says Han from her seat across from the 9 boys in front of her, some on the floor, some on the couch, and some on chairs taken from the dining room. 

 

“It’s simple really,” begins the round-eyed one named Kyungsoo.

 

“Theres 12 of us in total.” pipes up Chen, “6 of us work here, in Korea-“

 

“and the other 6 work in China,” the one named Baekhyun cuts in.

 

Chanyeol starts counting off on his fingers, “I lead the Korean half, Kai, Kyungsoo, Baekhyin, Suho, and Sehun.” 

 

“Tao leads the Chinese half” continues Yixing, “That’s me, Minseok, Chen, Luhan, and Kris. Luhan you’ve kind of met, but you should meet both him and Kris in person soon. I think they’re supposed to be flying in from China within the next month or so”

 

“We’re really just normal people” supplies Minseok.

 

Han turns to look at Krystal, who just sighs as she watches Sehun try to push Baekhyun out of his chair.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

It’s early evening, and most of the gang has cleared out of Krystal and Han’s apartment in search of dinner either in town, or back at their own home. Krystal left with Jongin a few minutes ago for a date, and Han was left to wander aimlessly around the apartment straightening up whatever she could. She sighed to herself as she straightened up the living room pillows, and put the dining room chairs back. Deciding she was hungry enough for dinner, she walked into the kitchen and grabbed some yogurt from the fridge, a can of soup from the cupboard, and filled a glass with water from the sink. After putting the pot of soup on the stovetop flame, she turned to walk to the eating nook and almost dropped her water and yogurt.

 

“Jesus Christ, Kyungsoo! How long have you been there? You’re so quiet, I didn’t even notice you.”

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t look up from whatever he's doing, “The guys were too noisy so I came here, have they gone?”

 

“Yeah they all left awhi- hey, are you drawing? Can I see? I draw when I can, well more like design clothes and stuff, but it’s still art. I love looking at other people’s work!”

 

Kyungsoo snaps his binder shut and stands up. He looks at Han and smiles slightly, “If everyone’s left then I should too. Sorry for overstaying my welcome.”

 

“No, it’s okay. You can stay!” Han sits across from where Kyungsoo was just sitting, and parts the space across from her. “Come sit back down please. The soup is almost done and I can’t eat it all myself. Besides, you haven't eaten yet, right?”

 

He stands there holding his binder and pencils, regarding Han with what can only be called slight curiosity. After a few more seconds of this he sits back down, placing his pencils in his binder, and his binder on the seat next to him. 

 

“Only if you’ll show me some of the stuff you’ve designed.”

 

“I’d be happy to! Just watch the soup please, and turn the fire off when it bubbles, I’ll be back in a sec.”

 

Han gets up quickly from her seat and leaves the room. She goes to her room and pulls open a drawer containing her various sketchbooks. She opens one after another until she finds her most recently filled one. Smiling happily, she returns to the kitchen to find two bowls of soup steaming at the table, and Kyungsoo looking in a cupboard. 

 

“Oh, you found the bowls. Are you looking for a glass? Do you want some water?” 

 

“If it isn't too much trouble” Kyungsoo says sitting back down at the table.

 

“No problem at all, here you can start looking through this sketchbook while I get your drink. I have a drawer full of design notebooks, but this is my most recently finished one, here” 

 

Han hands him her sketchbook and turns to open the cupboard next to the one Kyungsoo was looking in earlier. She runs the water until it gets cold, and fills the glass. Placing it down in front of Kyungsoo, she sits back in her seat and watches him look through her various designs. For awhile there’s only silence broken every minute or so by the sound of a page turning. 

 

“Hey, hey, you’re making me nervous. I didn’t know you were gonna study them, most people who look at my designs just flip through and return it to me.”

 

Han fidgets nervously while Kyungsoo ignores her and keeps looking at Han’s designs carefully. Another 8 minutes pass by in nothing but silence and page flips. He reaches the end of the sketchbook, and closes it with a smile on his face. 

 

“You’re quite talented. Have you ever studied design before, Han?”

 

Kyungsoo hands the sketchbook back to her, and they both begin to eat their soup.

 

“No, I’ve been designing since I was really young though, so I’ve had years of practice. You never showed me what you were drawing though, can I see?”

 

“It’s nothing. Maybe I’ll show you when it’s done, but not before.” Kyungsoo says, “Good soup by the way.”

 

Han rolls her eyes, and smiles, “Thanks.”

 

The rest of the meal passes quickly, Han and Kyungsoo exchanging small talk until both bowls are empty and Han has polished off her yogurt. Kyungsoo offers to do the dishes, but Han refuses, and walks him to the front door. They wave goodbye to each other, and Han closes the door as Kyungsoo, binder in hand, turns the corner towards the elevators. She walks back to the kitchen to return her sketchbook to her room, and sighs upon returning to the kitchen. Maybe she should have let Kyungsoo do the dishes after all.