Imagine - CNBlue

Chapter 7: Twists.

“You live with the rich and handsome bachelor?!”

Jaera’s eyes were wide as saucers as she stared back at Baekhyun and Chanyeol with a horrified expression. Lu Han, on the other hand, furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. He was sure he already saw the two somewhere before but he just can’t figure out where.

And then it suddenly hit him. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were the two guys that live in the unit right next to him, room 419.

“Oh Jaera, you know them?” Lu Han asked, looking at the girl beside him calmly.

Jaera nodded hesitantly before swallowing hard. “I-I work at their Italian restaurant.”

Lu Han kept a calm look as Baekhyun and Chanyeol approached them.

“Hey Jaera, answer us.” Baekhyun said, giving Jaera a suspicious look before giving Lu Han a look of disbelief. “You live with the bachelor?”

Jaera swallowed hard. There’ll only be two choices that she could take: it’s either she deny living with Lu Han or just lie. The former’s a bit suspicious, seeing as the two already saw them together on the way to the elevator. The latter, on the contrary, was a better option. She could just also lie to them about Lu Han being her cousin for they wouldn’t possibly know the truth.

But that said, Jaera wouldn’t want to make Lu Han act in front of others again. She only asked him to act in front of her adviser, Suho. Pushing it further would only be a bother to Lu Han, and Jaera doesn’t want to be a bother even more than she already is.

Jaera hesitantly shook her head and gave out a very awkward smile. “N-no, I was just—“

“Yes, it’s true that we live together.”

Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jaera’s mouth immediately fell upon hearing Lu Han, but he just gave them a gentle smile, nonetheless. Lu Han then nudged Jaera’s side discreetly while still smiling at Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

“Y-yeah, he’s my older… cousin.” Jaera said reluctantly before introducing the three men to each other. “Baekhyun-oppa, Chanyeol-oppa, this is Lu Han-oppa, my cousin. Lu Han-oppa, they are Baekhyun-oppa and Chanyeol-oppa, the owner of the restaurant that I work for.”

“So Jaera works at your place,” Lu Han said, putting out his right hand for a handshake. “Thank you for taking care of Jaera all the time.”

“Ah yes,” Chanyeol said, taking Lu Han’s hand while giving him a fazed look. “It’s no problem.”

Who knew that Jaera has a rich and handsome man for a cousin? But then again, during the times that they’ve become neighbours with Lu Han, they never saw Jaera visiting him.

“We rarely get to see each other before since I’ve been so busy with my work and Jaera with her school.” Lu Han said, feigning a look of disappointment as Baekhyun and Chanyeol turned to look at each other, still having some suspicions.

Another thing is, if Lu Han really is Jaera’s cousin then why did Jaera have to work herself to death for her rent? They don’t really know the reason why Jaera rents a room by herself, but they do know that the reason why she works is because of that. Though that’s the case, couldn’t Lu Han just give Jaera some money instead of letting her work?

“I used to tell Jaera that she doesn’t need to do those part time jobs and that I could just give her a monthly allowance, but she kept rejecting my offer.” Lu Han chuckled, shaking his head playfully. “And now that she got kicked out of her old apartment, whether she likes it or not, she has to stay at my place. Her parents entrusted her to me and I wouldn’t want to disappoint them, neither do I want for my baby cousin to suffer.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol turned to look at each other once more, but this time, out of astonishment. It’s like Lu Han read their minds and immediately explained the situation to them. Not only is he rich and handsome but he’s also quite smart—not that it’s really associated with mind reading. Now their admiration for him dramatically rose up.

 “You sly kid, you didn’t tell us that you have a rich and handsome cousin.” Baekhyun whispered, leaning in towards Jaera with a cunning smile. “You didn’t even introduce us to him before.”

“Things just… happened…” Jaera trailed off, smiling forcefully towards Baekhyun before turning to look at Lu Han, who was talking to Chanyeol about some things—probably about how the two met Jaera and such.

Jaera was watching Lu Han as he chuckled and converse with Chanyeol in a very dignified manner. He looks so respectful and the aura he emits is practically the epitome of every woman’s ideal man. Anybody would be attracted to him. The way he makes eye contact to the person he’s talking to, the way he speaks in a gentle manner, and the way he reacts to people’s words—all of it shows just how well mannered and distinguished Lu Han could be.

“Is that so? Jaera must be so lucky to be your cousin.” Chanyeol commented, giving off his infamous creeper smile.

Lu Han chuckled and turned to look at Jaera, catching her gaze. He then smiled gently and patted her head. “Actually, it’s the other way around. I’m the one lucky to be Jaera’s cousin.”

Upon hearing Lu Han’s words, the blush on Jaera’s face suddenly appeared. She doesn’t know if he really means what he said, but she got to admit that Lu Han indeed has a knack for acting.

 The three men burst out in laughter, making Jaera blush even more.

“Ey, our Jaera’s being all shy and embarrassed!” Chanyeol said, ruffling Jaera’s hair as she continued to look on the ground, avoiding everyone’s gaze.

“But seriously, you can just tell us he’s your cousin. We were worried last Friday, you know.” Baekhyun said, smiling goofily. “No offense Lu Han-ssi, but we actually thought something inappropriate happened to the two of you since Jaera didn’t come back, neither did she tell us what really happened.”

Hearing Baekhyun’s words, Lu Han and Jaera froze on the spot as the two lovers continued on laughing by themselves. It’s like they were brought back to that exact night that the images of what really happened suddenly came flashing by in their minds. Cold sweat ran down Jaera’s forehead, unsure of what to reply. She timidly looked up at Lu Han and got surprised to see him smiling naturally, unfazed by Baekhyun’s accusation.

Except for his ears, which have turned red like tomatoes.

“But of course, that wouldn’t happen. You’re Lu Han-ssi.” Baekhyun continued, chuckling together with Chanyeol as Lu Han did the same.

“Oh, can we call you hyung?” Chanyeol asked, beaming at Lu Han. “You’re older than us by two years, right?”

“Sure, we’re neighbours after all.” Lu Han said with a small smile. He then rested an arm on Jaera’s shoulder and pulled her closer to him snugly. “Friends of Jaera are also my friends.”

Chanyeol beamed in excitement. “Isn’t this great, we’re going to be neighbours now!”

 “Aw, I actually wanted to call him oppa.” Baekhyun blurted out, earning him a surprised look from Lu Han and Jaera while Chanyeol just gave him a stern look. “What? I’m just saying.”

Walking up to their unit, Lu Han kept a calm look while Jaera kept being nervous. Baekhyun and Chanyeol went back to the wet market to find another plastic bag that they forgot, so they immediately bid goodbye to the two. Jaera and Lu Han acted normally afterwards and though the atmosphere was silent, it wasn’t very awkward—for Lu Han, at least.

It’s just that Jaera’s really ashamed for Lu Han. Not only does he have to act