“Here Luhan! Welcome to our home!” Donghae sang happily opening the door the led to a stylish apartment in the midst of the city

“Thanks” Luhan smiled stepping gingerly into the apartment- never had Luhan seen a two story building, but today he saw thirty storied buildings left right and centre

“So make yourself at home!” Donghae pulled his luggage through the door into the living room- it was a bit cramped but it was Seoul, everything was compact here

Donghae was Luhan’s cousin- he was a first generation Korean- Chinese, he didn’t speak very fluent Chinese but it was enough- Luhan studied Korean very hard at his rural school in China, it was actually the reason he won a scholarship to one of the most elite high schools in Seoul.

“So where’s your roommate?” Luhan asked politely while Donghae made some tea

“Oh with his boyfriend” Donghae rolled his eyes “You’ll see them a lot”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Depends”

“Oh” Luhan pursed his lips “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“I have a ‘friend’ whether or not its official I have no idea”

“Who is he?”

“The most promising violinist in Seoul University”

“Who is?” Luhan asked waving his hands around

“Cho Kyuhyun! He’s a bastard and a meanie”

“Why’s that?”

“He thinks I’m a !”

“Well are you?”

“Umm… Maybe…?”

“Well then he has a right”

“You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“Well how can I if you just admitted it?”

“Look I really love Kyuhyunnie okay! It’s not like that!”

“Look Hae… I’m really not that good at this type of thing so…”

“Oh right I’m sorry!” Donghae looked sympathetic “I’ve just got no one to talk to about this! Anyway go upstairs and unpack I’ll start dinner”

“I hope you know how to cook”

“I may- or may not”

“I’ll come help in a second”

“Best cousin ever”

Luhan rolled his eyes before trudging up the stairs

----

“So what are you making?”

“Um rice balls?”

“Need help?”

“Can you cut up some seaweed and some vegetables that you want to put inside?”

“Sure thing!”

Just then Yesung walked through the door holding his boyfriends hand

“Oh my god!” Yesung squealed when he saw Luhan “You’re Donghae’s cousin! Welcome, welcome to our home! This is my boyfriend Ryeowook!”

“Nice to meet you, thank you for letting me stay” Luhan smiled awkwardly focusing back on the chicken he was preparing

“So what school you attending?” Yesung asked grabbing a bottle of beer out from the fridge and sitting down on the sofa

“Seoul International High”

“Ah good one, lots of students there”

“Ehh…”

“Don’t worry you’ll be fine!”

“Oh Yesung, did you go check out your throat today?”

“Yeah I saw Dr Kim again, he’s so nice”

“And young- he looks what? Our age?”’

“Yeah and he’s got nine children”

Luhan felt his jaw hit the floor for a moment, nine children? Already? How is that possible? Donghae saw his expression and laughed

“Not biological, he can’t have kids because; well because he’s married to another guy… So I mean not having kids is kinda… So he adopted! Nine of them!”

“That’s an awful lot” Luhan muttered shaping rice in his hand

“I know, I know but I mean its Dr Kim, he acts like someone ancient, well not like a grandpa just you know wise and father like you know?”

“No…”

“Yeah well… “

“Actually they’re in the same year as you!” Yesung piped in putting his arm around Ryeowook’s shoulder

“All of them?” Luhan asked curiously

“Yeah all of them- they wanted their kids to be friends kinda but they’re more…”

“More than friends” Luhan parroted “So like sibling connections?”

“No like MORE THAN FRIENDS” Donghae laughed harder “Innocent child honestly are all rural people like you?”

“I wouldn’t have a clue” Luhan rolled his eyes “So you mean dating kind of?”

“Yeah I guess you could say that”

“Not the youngest one though”

“Oh yeah Sehun” Donghae mumbled “Anyway dinner time! Enough talking about people we hardly know”

People I don’t know at all

Yet they intrigue me endlessly already

The man and his husband with nine children in High School, a man that’s barely twenty

Is that normal?

----

Luhan sat at the breakfast table alone- Donghae had dance practice early and Yesung went out for coffee with his boyfriend

And so Luhan sat dejectedly eating his cereal

Quietly he pulled on his school blazer and straightened his tie before slipping his shoes on and slipping out the door.

No one paid attention to him when he walked through those magnificent gates- no one spared him a single thought

Transfer and Exchange students must come in all the time

He wasn’t expecting to see ‘Dr Kim’s’ children so soon after entering the hallway but here they were standing right in front of him

My god they were beautiful

Luhan was never beautiful- being rural, it was an unfortunate life, he was lucky to be blessed with fair skin

He peered at them for a few moments when his eyes locked with one of them, elegant in posture he glared at me with narrowed eyes, Luhan saw them changed from gold to violet to black, no it must have been his imagination- people’s eyes don’t change colour right?

He stiffened and whispered something to a tall blond boy- with gold eyes; he glanced at me briefly while the other whispered some to him he gave a small nod before the shorter one stalked off- in a fast walk.

The rest of the group turned to look at him and he felt awkward quickly looking down Luhan darted off to the registration office where he fetched his timetable

----

At lunch he sat alone eating his rice silently- he plugged his headphones he glanced quickly at the table where the family sat- he didn’t know what to call them since they all had their own respective surnames.

The one he make eye contact with wasn’t there- Luhan felt himself be disappointed, he sighed while standing up quickly he headed to the library where he saw him again- he didn’t even know his name, Luhan observed his features more closely now he had sharp eyes and chestnut hair his eyes were a stormy purple colour he glanced up the boy quickly shot up and ran towards the exit

That boy will do almost anything to get away from me

What did I do?

Why does he hate me?

Do I smell bad?

Luhan drooped his shoulders before sitting down at one of the tables and getting out his novel.

The same thought going round his head

Why does he hate me?