Glittering gowns, fluttering 'dos, and classy women and men. That's how it is for Heong Ri's Monday night. One awful Monday night.

All she could ever think of is the comfort of her room — the plush toys that surround her bed, the warm embrace of her blanket, and the hot cocoa that awaits for her. Having to attend these kind of event might be a dream for others, but for Heong Ri, it's a nightmare. A six hour long nightmare where you can only smile through the discomfort that you're feeling. If it wasn't for her precious mother (no sarcasm intended there), then she wouldn't be here.

A tap was felt on her shoulder and she slowly turned her head, awaiting for her father's furrowed eyebrows as to indicate his disappointment, but was gladly met by the warm smile of her mother.

"Mom—"

"Come on, let's go. I think you're tired already," her mother's voice always sounded so smooth, like honey. One of the traits Heong Ri never had.

"Oh okay," she hastily stood up from her seat and felt the stinging pain from wearing her 5-inch heels for almost 5 hours now. Her legs wobbled for a bit at first, but regained her strength when her mother held her by her arm. Heong Ri kept wondering how can her mom survive a dreadful night like this where you have to be forced for all the reasons.

As they walk down the hall, she suddenly remembered her father who might be somewhere talking about stocks and statuses. She turned her head from side-to-side, almost bumping herself to others. It was that for a few more seconds until she landed her eyes on her father. But something else was different.

Her father had a woman, maybe a few years younger than him, clinging around his arms in the dimly-lit section of the hall. As fell agape, she frantically turned her head to her mother who kept leading the way.

And she swore she saw a tear fell by the right cheek, but she kept silent.

•••••

Work hasn't been entirely great for Chanyeol. He was all around the building for a few days straight. Callouses on his fingers have started to resurface once again and his voice has been straining bit by bit.

He was about to open the can of coffee when his cellphone rang in his pocket. He huffed and fished out his cellphone, the brightly-lit screen made him squint his eyes.

Heong Ri

His eyes widened. What could have made Heong Ri call him?

"Heong—"

"Hey, can I come over at your place?" Heong Ri's tone was rushed like she ran a mile or so. "I-I really want to see you too. It has been a month since I last saw you and," Heong Ri cut herself off from that sentence. Chanyeol bit his lip, processing the situation. What could have gotten Heong Ri this frustrated?

"Are you okay love?" Chanyeol asked slowly. He heard a sniff from the other end of the line and it finally clicked him.

It's her bastard of a father again.

When it comes to Heong Ri's relationship with her father, it was always a dangerous topic to talk about. Thin ice, that's what others would say. Chanyeol knew this from the very start when he started seeing Heong Ri years ago.

"Y-yes, I mean... I don't know. Yes! Wait, I—"

"Calm down love. Yes, you can come over by evening. I just need to finish this song, okay?" Chanyeol spoke smoothly and soothingly as he comfort her. Heong Ri sniffed again on the other end of the line.

"But you'll be home, right?" Heong Ri asked, like a meek child. Chanyeol subtly smiled at Heong Ri's tone.

"Of course I will," Chanyeol spoke. "The key's where it has always been. Just unlock the door, okay?"

"Okay."

"And no outrageous Porsches!"

"And no outrageous, hey! Ok, that was one time Yeol! One time!" Heong Ri playfully defended. Chanyeol laughed which made Heong Ri giggle. The memory of Heong Ri driving up to the neighborhood where Chanyeol lives still made them laugh. It was a hilarious one — Chanyeol's neighbors were whispering from left to right and nosy ahjummas kept gossiping. They suddenly became curious as to who is Chanyeol's girlfriend. Chanyeol— who still lives in that apartment, who's only just a songwriter and a musician (not a true singer, as they say), whose works are being sung by other singers, whose car is still an old Honda Civic. The Chanyeol that the neighborhood knows of is far from having a girlfriend who owns a Porsche, let alone a girl who steps out looking like she's about to buy the whole town with her bag and shoes.

"Ok, I'm hanging up now. I need to finish this song." Chanyeol looked up at the ceiling as he replayed the notes on his head.

"Sure, ok. I love you." Heong Ri said in a hushed tone, like it was a secret.

"Mhmmm, see you love. I love you too." Chanyeol felt his cheeks heat up once again. He's excited on seeing Heong Ri once again and for sure, it's a night filled with cuddles and laughters.

•••••

Heong Ri has been waiting for Chanyeol for almost 2 hours already at his apartment. It was already past 10 and usually he goes out of the HQ by 8.

She occupied herself by folding Chanyeol's washed clothes from the laundrymat. She also tidied up his bedroom and washed the dirty dishes by the sink.

As she plopped down in the sofa, she instantly thought about her father once again. What an honorable man, she scoffed at her words. It wasn't an entirely a surprise to her if her father finds someone else along her parents' marriage. What bothered her the most would be the display of affection that was shown last night. She wondered how can her mother be so strong on the outside.

Her train of thoughts were disrupted when she heard the shuffling of the keys and the heavy footsteps. Finally, Chanyeol has come home.

"Heong Ri!"

"Coming!" She sprinted out as fast as she could, only, it took her around 20 steps just to get at the front door to see Chanyeol.

A hug is an understatement of what happened at their mini-reunion by the door. In fact, Heong Ri went straight and crashed her lips onto Chanyeol's soft ones. Chanyeol was taken aback by the sudden action, but melted right into Heong Ri's small embrace. It has surely been a month after they saw each other.

Heong Ri pulled away and Chanyeol felt a bit of disappointment, but was washed away when Heong Ri smiled brightly at him.

"Jagiya," she softly spoke that it sent chills down Chanyeol's spine. "I really missed you!"

"I missed you too, love." Chanyeol tugged a loose hair strand under Heong Ri's left ear. Unexpectedly, Heong Ri was in sweats and an oversized shirt. "But I like the get-up tonight, what's the theme?"

"It's called 'I'm-lazy-and-I-just-ran-out-to-see-my-baby-and-probably-stay-a-night-here look. I really thought this out well." Heong Ri joked.

"Well I sure want to hear about what made you wear these, but the word 'baby' really got my attention. Can you say it again, please?" Chanyeol smirked as he nudged Heong Ri's side. She squealed at the contact and so Chanyeol started tickling her. The room erupted with laughters and giggles, and footsteps running around the room. It only died down when they were already both on the ground of the living room, Chanyeol on the ground as Heong Ri tackles him down.

"Ok! Ok! I need to breathe Heong Ri!" Chanyeol both held Heong Ri's small hands. Heong Ri pouted at the action, but surprised her when Chanyeol both kissed her hands. Chanyeol had missed these kind of moments, where it seems like they were the only people in the world. They do not need any fancy dates nor trips to other countries — just the comfort and love from them makes up all the missed time that they have.

The next thing that they know, they're huddle around a Scrabble word board. Obviously, Heong Ri is leading when it comes to creating formal words but Chanyeol surely is the one lighting up the game as he create weird and out-of-this-world words.

"What on earth is waka?" Heong Ri bursted out with a smile on her face. Chanyeol smirked at her comment and threw in a letter 'd' next to the funny word. Heong Ri just shook her head and continued to get tiles from the bag. Chanyeol took this opportunity to ask one thing that has been bugging his mind.

"What happened back home Ri?" Chanyeol drew out the words in a slow motion, careful on not stepping on thin ice. Heong Ri momentarily stopped at her actions, but Chanyeol heard her small scoff.

"Same old, same old. Dad messing it up once again, leaving me and mom trying to fix this mess." Heong Ri counted the tiles on her hands. "He brought a woman at the gala event and had the guts to invite every single person we know to show it off."

"A woman?"

"Some lady who works at the company. Crazy how she turned from a mere clerk to Dad's second secretary." Heong Ri's eyes are now blazed with anger and disappointment. As she works her way on the Scrabble word, she decided to put hate on the boardsheet. Chanyeol knew better not to push the topic further.

"Oh," Chanyeol then thought of the right words. "How about if I cook you some ramen tonight, would that ease you?"

Heong Ri's stiff posture relaxed and looked up at Chanyeol, "Definitely. Make it a bit sweet and spicy ok?" Her tone was back to that sweet and loving tone of hers. Chanyeol smiled to himself and went to the kitchen to cook some ramen.

Minutes later the aroma from the ramen filled the apartment. Heong Ri felt her stomach rumble, making her clean up the Scrabble board sheet. As she finishes up, her cellphone lit up with a notification. Her curiosity got the best of her and went to the table top to see what's the notificati