“Tao, if you do not stay out of the kitchen I am going to throw this wok of hot oil at you.” Aera was so irritated that she was about to snap on him, wolf style. It was almost noon and Aera had made over a hundred dumplings. Tao was helping her, but he kept eating everything and drooling over the food, so she banished him from the kitchen.

    “I’m so hungry.” That was his catch phrase for the day.

    “Then eat something for goodness sake! No one told you to fast buddhist monk style!”

    “But I want to be able as much food as possible!”

    “Then get out. Go for a walk. Something. I am tired, I smell like oil, and I’m not even done. I have two more hours before people arrive.” Aera had her hair in a ponytail, although half of it was sticking out or sticking to her sweaty, moist skin. “Did you clean the bathroom?”

    “Yes. The toilet bowl is squeaky clean.”

    “Soomi said she and Xiumin will be here early with stew and rice cakes.” she was more talking to herself than telling him.

    “Where is Lay ge?”

    “He said he had a meeting to attend. He will be back in an hour or two with drinks.” There was a knock on the door. “Get that.” she commanded Tao as she took out a batch of dumplings from the boiling oil.

    Tao opened the door, not expecting Chen instead of Xiumin and Soomi to be standing there. He had two plastic bags in each hand and a goofy smile on his face.

    “Hey.”

    Tao eyed the bags. “Is that the kimchi?”

    Chen looked down at his hands and raised them to hip level. “Twenty-five pounds.”

    “Don’t tell Aera, but I think I love you.”

    He looked at the hungry Tao oddly and stepped into the house. The smell of ginger and pork filled the air.

    “That smells so good.” he commented.

    Tao groaned. “I know. I haven’t eaten since last night.”

    “Why not?”

    “I want to eat as much food as possible!” he whined and stomped upstairs to his room.

    Chen shook his head and went into the kitchen. Platters of dumplings, both raw and fried, were all over the place. He barely had a place to set down the kimchi.

    “Babe?” Recently, he had been using cute pet names for his girlfriend.

    “Hey, you’re early.” she only glanced at him before tending to the food.

    “You’re making so many.”

    “Yeah, all from scratch.”

    “Holy crap.” he set the kimchi in the fridge. “You made the wraps and the filling?”

    “It doesn’t taste the same if it is premade.” Her tone was dull and distracted.

    “Do you need help?” he asked.

    Aera turned around with pouty lips. “Yes, please. Put all the done dumplings on serving platters.”

    Chen chuckled and slipped off his jacket. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt while she wore black leggings and a loose tank top that wreaked of oil.

    “You can change your shirt if you don’t want to smell like oil later.” she told him.

    He shrugged, not really worried about it. “I’ll put on another one. I know for a fact that you have at least five of my shirts.”

    “You smell nice.” she pointed out cutely.

    “You look good in them.” he remarked. “Especially if that’s the only thing you’re wearing.”

    She laughed softly. “If I weren’t all tired and greasy I’d be in the mood. I need a shower.” she sighed.

    “Mind if I join?”

    “You are relentless.”

    There was another knock on the door and both of their hands were dirty making them unable to answer the door.

    “ZITAO ANSWER THE DOOR!” she yelled in Mandarin.

    Chen flinched at the volume of her voice. “Jeez!”

    “Sorry.” she apologized softly. Tao came down the stairs with slumped shoulders.

    “We’re here!” Soomi came in like a ball of energy. Her eyes widened when she saw all of the dumplings. Xiumin was right behind her with a big pot in his hands. “Are we feeding the army?”

    “We have eleven guys here and most of them are athletes. Tao has been fasting all day.” Aera told her.

    Xiumin shook his head. “That doofus.”

    “How much do you want to bet that Sehun doesn’t bring enough rice?” Soomi joked as she set the box of rice cakes on the table.

    “That’s why I have some already made.” Aera pointed to the rice pot on the counter. “Xiumin!” she pointed him out before he could sit down. “Bring this to Tao.” she held out a dumpling at the end of her tongs.

    “Just one?”

    “Trust me, he’ll be thankful. Take a picture if he cries.”

    Soomi helped clean the counter space and set up the food that would be served. “Mind if I put the spicy fish stew on the stove to simmer?” she asked Aera.

    “Of course.”

    “So, how is it?” she seemed to be asking both her and Chen.

    “How is what?”

    “Being a couple.” she eyed both of them playfully.

    “Great.” Chen replied without hesitation.

    “Oh?” Soomi and Aera looked at him in awe.

    “Because I get to do this.” he leaned over and pecked his girlfriend’s lips. “All mine.”

    “I take it he’s the possessive type.” Soomi assumed.

    Aera looked at her with a roll of her eyes. “You don’t even know.”

    ‘If there is even a thought of Suho he goes insane.’ she thought to herself.

    “I can understand that. Aera attracts boys left and right, like that one guy from the ramen shop.”

    Aera’s face paled, but she kept a content face. “Ah, yeah.”

    “He was so cute!”

    Chen raised a brow. “What guy?”

    “Ugh, he was this cute guy that started talking to her at the ramen shop. Soohyun? Sungho?”

    Aera took a deep breath before saying, “Suho.”

    Soomi clapped and pointed at her. “That’s it!”

    Chen looked at Aera with intense eyes. He wasn’t mad but he was not happy. She turned to him with apologetic eyes. “It was months ago.”

    “It’s fine.” he exhaled to calm himself. Now that Aera was his he definitely could not tolerate Suho trying to get her and control her.

    It was quiet for a while before Aera let out a cry of relief which made Soomi and Chen jump in surprise. “Last batch!”

    “I’ll take o