Baekhyun's parents and Serie's father were all gathered in the living room. Serie, feeling shy because of earlier, kept her gaze fixed on her feet.
Sensing her discomfort, Baekhyun's mother decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Actually, we wanted to give you guys something," she revealed.

This caught Baekhyun's attention. "You said that earlier, what is it?" he asked, curious and intrigued.

Serie, hearing this, looked up from her feet, her curiosity piqued.

With a warm smile, Baekhyun's mother handed Serie a large velvet jewelry box, accompanied by several smaller boxes on the table. The anticipation was evident on Serie's face as she eagerly accepted them.

Baekhyun's mother grinned, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "I know you guys might be expecting something grand, but these are precious. Baekhyun's grandmother gave them to me when I first joined the Byun family as Sang Hoon's wife. These beauties have been in the Byun family for generations, passed down through the years. It's like a tradition."

Baekhyun's father also nodded in agreement, emphasizing the significance of the family heirlooms. Serie's heart swelled with gratitude as she realized the depth of trust and acceptance she was being shown by her new family.

Baekhyun's mother continued, "The necklace, my dear, has a unique pattern, a symbol of unity, love, and endurance. It's not just an accessory, it's a piece of our family's history, and now it's a part of yours too."

"Thank you so much, Mother. They are really, really beautiful," Serie exclaimed, her eyes shining with appreciation as she looked at the exquisite pieces. She couldn't help but feel a deep sense of connection to Baekhyun's family, cherishing the meaningful gesture.

"And I have something too," Serie's father chimed in, his eyes twinkling with nostalgia as he handed her another box. His voice, imbued with the weight of cherished memories, carried a sense of profound significance.

"These earrings belonged to your mother," he explained, his smile warm and genuine. "I've kept them with me all this time. They're more than just jewelry, your mother wore these earrings on our wedding day." 

"I wanted to give them earlier, but when they told me about the tradition in their family, passing down the jewelry to you, I thought it would be perfect to give it to you at the same time," Serie's father explained.

Serie's heart swelled with emotion as she carefully opened the box, her fingers trembling slightly. She gazed upon them, feeling the love and history they held within their precious metal and sparkling gems.

The jewelry, once worn by her mother and now gifted to her by Baekhyun's family.It was a beautiful symbol of love and acceptance, strengthening the bond between her and her loved ones.

Baekhyun, who had been silently observing the exchange, finally broke the silence.

"But hold on, you guys said something to give US," Baekhyun emphasized the word 'US'.

"So?" Baekhyun's father replied.

"These are all for Serie, nothing for me," Baekhyun said with an exaggerated sad tone.

"You guys are a family now, what belongs to Serie is also yours," Baekhyun's mother said.

"Mom, I can't wear jewelry, if you noticed," Baekhyun playfully remarked, aiming for some light teasing.

"Baekhyun, son, is there anything you want?" Serie's father asked, concerned about Baekhyun's feelings.

Baekhyun's father, sensing the tension, stepped in to reassure Serie's father. "Oh, he's just teasing us, don't worry too much." 

Baekhyun chimed in, flashing a comforting smile. "Yes, father, it's just a joke. No need to take it seriously."

"Is that so? But if you have something in mind that you want, just tell me, son, so I can thank you for taking care of my Serie," Serie's father offered.

"Of course, I would take care of her, father. She is my wife, and I don't need any rewards for that," Baekhyun said with a warm smile, his eyes fixed on Serie.

"Okay, okay then," Serie's father chuckled, his concern easing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the  breakfast, Serie, Baekhyun, and Serie's father went their separate ways, Serie and Baekhyun to the office and Serie's father back to Busan, declining Serie's request to stay a little longer.

"You know, I thought they were going to give us a yacht or something when they were all serious and said that we have something to give you guys." In the car on their way to the office, Baekhyun playfully remarked. 

"Baekhyun, you're being so rude. Didn't you see how excited they were to give that to us?" Serie scolded him lightly.

"Baby, those were just jewelry," Baekhyun replied casually.

Serie felt a bit upset, "I know, but they have a value that can't be measured with the money value, Baekhyun. The one that your mother gave was something passed down through generations, and my mother's jewelry is really precious to me."

Baekhyun sensed Serie's seriousness and realized he had unintentionally touched a sensitive topic. He regretted his choice of words.

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry. I didn't think that much. I really don't care about stuff like jewelry, that's why I said it like that. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Baekhyun apologized sincerely.

"It's okay. I know you're not serious. Just remember to be thankful when someone gives you something, you little brat," Serie said, the last part playfully.

Baekhyun chuckled, relieved that Serie wasn't upset about his remarks. "Okay, 'MOM,'" he teased.

Serie giggled at the playful tone, appreciating the light-hearted way Baekhyun diffused the situation. Their car ride continued with a more cheerful atmosphere.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day unfolded in its usual rhythm, with Serie growing more comfortable in her workspace and bonding with her team. Baekhyun and Serie found themselves immersed in their respective tasks, barely catching a glimpse of each other throughout the workday.

When they finally finished their work and headed home, the day's weariness clung to them. The familiar scent of home enveloped them as they entered.

"Ah, home sweet home," Baekhyun sighed dramatically, collapsing onto the nearest couch with kicking off his shoes a groan. "My energy level is officially on strike."

Serie let out a peal of laughter. "You and your dramatic entrances," she teased, kicking off her shoes and letting them fall with a soft thud.

Baekhyun grinned, playfully flicking his ankle at her. "someone has to bring some entertainment around here." He swatted at her playfully, yelling, "Tag, you're it!"

Serie dodged his attack with a nimble roll, rolling her eyes playfully. "You're such a kid sometimes, Baekhyun."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the kitchen, Baekhyun took on the task of chopping vegetables, showcasing a surprising culinary skill. Serie managed the stove, the clinking of knives and sizzling sounds filling the air as they bantered and enjoyed each other's company.

During their playful exchange, Serie couldn't help but admire Baekhyun's cooking abilities. "You know," she remarked, "you're way better at chopping veggies than I thought."

"I have hidden talents." Baekhyun shrugged with a grin. 

Their banter continued, transforming the kitchen into a lively space filled with love and laughter. The sounds of utensils and sizzling ingredients created a symphony of affection in the heart of their home.

After cooking together for the first time, they settled at the dining table, their legs brushing against each other beneath. They ate in companionable silence, savoring the flavors of their meal. 

"So, how was your day, really? Anything bothering you?" Baekhyun asked eventually breaking the silence. 

Taking a sip of her drink, Serie met his gaze. "It was fine, just typical day jitters," she replied. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Aaa, I wanted to ask you – Sehun, Jong In, and the others in my team, have they been friends for a long time? Did they work together before?"

Baekhyun chuckled, nodding as he took a sip of his drink. "Didn't I tell you? They've known each other for a long time. They've been with me since the beginning, just like Jun-myeon hyung."

"Hmm, I can see they're not just work colleagues. They fool around a lot, but surprisingly, they get the work done on time too," she observed, chuckling along with Baekhyun. 

After finishing their meal and chatting more about Baekhyun's friends, who were now becoming her friends as well, they cleared the table together and prepared their bedroom for sleep. Once settled in bed, they cuddled close, their bodies intertwined once again.

"Baby," Baekhyun began, his fingers gently tracing circles on Serie's back.

"Hmm?" Serie hummed in response, her eyes reflecting the glow of the bedside lamp.

"Actually... I forgot to tell you something," Baekhyun sheepishly scratched his back, a sheepish smile playing on his lips.

"What is it?" Serie asked curiously, tilting her head slightly.

"I, uh, have a work trip to Australia for two weeks," Baekhyun admitted, his eyes searching for her reaction.

Serie looked at him with surprise, her eyebrows raising involuntarily, and Baekhyun observed her reaction, feeling a twinge of guilt for not informing her earlier.

"When do you have to go?" Serie inquired, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern.

"The day after tomorrow," Baekhyun replied sheepishly, avoiding direct eye contact.

"And you're telling me now?" Serie said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Sorry, baby, I really forgot about it," Baekhyun apologized, offering an apologetic smile.

While Serie felt a bit disheartened about not knowing earlier, she understood that with Baekhyun's workload, it was likely an oversight. Her expression softened, showing a mixture of understanding and affection.

"Hmm," she sighed, her gaze lingering on Baekhyun's face. "Is it Mr. Shang's project?" she asked, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Yeah, it's important project for us baby, so I thought it'd be better if I also go there with the team," Baekhyun explained, his eyes meeting Serie's.

"So, you're going with Mr. Jung's team?" Serie sought clarification, her gaze steady.

"Yes, and baby, please stay with my parents. I don't want you to be here all alone," Baekhyun urged, his eyes expressing a genuine concern for her well-being.

"It's fine, Baekhyun, I can manage," Serie insisted, her eyes reflecting a sense of independence.

"No, no, we still didn't get a security guard, so it's better if you stay with my parents," Baekhyun stated a bit sternly, his tone conveying a protective undertone, and Serie knew he wouldn't change his mind.

"Fine then," Serie agreed, her expression showing a blend of acquiescence and a playful eye roll.

Baekhyun smiled at her and hugged her. Serie snuggled closer to him, and the familiar warmth enveloped them like a comforting blanket, lulling them into a peaceful slumber. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, after a tiring workday, Baekhyun and Serie entered their home with exhaustion evident on their faces. They decided to order dinner from a restaurant and settled down to eat, discussing the highs and lows of their respective days.

Once they finished dinner, the couple moved to the living room, where the soft glow of the TV illuminated their cozy space. Serie and Baekhyun, both in casual attire, sat on the couch.As they cuddled on the couch, Serie nestled into Baekhyun's side, the hum of the television provided a soothing backdrop.

"This is perfect," she whispered, her eyes reflecting contentment.

Baekhyun smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Couldn't agree more."

The movie played, but Baekhyun found himself stealing glances at Serie, marveling at the way the flickering light accentuated her features. Serie noticed and playfully nudged him. "Enjoying the movie or just staring at me?"

"Can't I do both?" Baekhyun teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Serie smiled and shifted her position, lifting her face from Baekhyun's