It took almost a week for Chan Yeol to stop finding tissues littered around the house, courtesy to Ji Eun's situation. The Park family were having a quiet dinner, grilled meat and fresh salads decorating the table, appetites quickly being satisfied from the varied meal his mother had cooked. Chan Yeol was eternally grateful that his mother had great cooking skills.

The atmosphere was slowly getting back to how it had always been, albeit Ji Eun's physical appearance needed some extra time to recover. 

"Goodness, Ji Eun," Mrs. Park placed the spoon down that she was holding. "What on earth happened to your pretty face? Your eyes look more swollen than your father's. Come, let me see."

"Hey," their father protested weakly at the insult.

Some might find it weird, but due to the conservativeness of the Park's family, both Ji Eun and Chan Yeol had decided to keep her relationship a secret from their parents. It was too much of a hassle for them to be interrogated by their elders when they barely ad appropriate and satisfying answers to be given that fit their parents' standards.

"Nah," Ji Eun tried putting on her brightest smile. She didn't want her mother to worry about anything, she was too tired to try to please someone else when she could barely figure out herself. She couldn’t tell her mom she wasn’t feeling well because of a boy, especially one that broke her heart. "It's just, I haven't had enough of sleep, I guess. Don't worry mom."

Mrs. Park gave a sigh of relief and finally turned to smile at her husband. "Honey, do you think its time for us to tell her now? She's bound to find out sooner or later. I've just gotten a call from Mae Ri-ssi, and she said she was disclosing the news to her son today." 

Chan Yeol almost dropped his cup on himself, his thighs narrowly escaping being scalded by hot tea. "Now? What do you mean now? I thought we agreed to tell her on her 18th birthday? I thought we wanted to wait?" He asked in a frenzy.

"I agree with your mother, Chan Yeol-ah," Mr. Park nodded, rubbing the back of his wife’s hand. "Since Mae Ri-ssi is telling her son today, why don't we tell Ji Eun today too? It’s for the better, you know." 

"You mean, better for you-" Chan Yeol rolled his eyes, obtaining a frown from his mother. "... your daughter Ji Eun haha. Yeah, yeah, for Ji Eun."

Smooth.

"I'm confused." Ji Eun said, eyeing at everyone seated around the table. "Stop beating around the bushes and just spill it. What are you guys planning to say?" Ji Eun could feel her nerves building, the half-chewed honeydew sticky on her fingers, distracting her.

Mr. Park beamed at his daughter. As he was opened his mouth to speak, his wife cut him off and launched off into the talking excitedly, hands clutched together on the table. "You have a fiancé, baby! And he's none other than your brother's best friend too. What was his name again? Baek- Yeah, it's that sweet little boy, Byun Baek Hyun."

Chan Yeol cringed at his mother's enthusiasm.

"WHAT?" Ji Eun scattered out of her seat. "Byun Baek Hyun? Oppa's rude best friend? No," Ji Eun took a second to collect herself. "Okay, no, never. No, I'm never agreeing to this. What were you guys thinking? Break off the engagement!" She rambled.

"But why?" Mrs. Park looked at her daughter in surprise. "He's such a nice guy. A perfect son-in-law, even. Isn’t that right, honey?"

"Yeah, you mother's right," Mr. Park winked at his wife. "Baek Hyun isn’t only your brother's best friend, but his father was my high school sunbae-nim too. What a great coincidence, right?"

"Please," Ji Eun rolled her eyes chomping on her honeydew vigorously. "Coincidence? More like a fairy-tale. Dad, why don’t you change your job from a lawyer to a writer instead? Fits this family's dramaticism perfectly."

"Ji Eun-ah, just respect their plans for you, alright?" Chan Yeol said, voice warm, to calm his sister down. 

Ji Eun was taken aback by her brother’s sudden changes in words. In her entire life, she knew she could count on him to take her side. They were a team. So why was he taking their parents' side now? Is he planning to chase her out of the house so he can change her room to the game room he wanted? She squinted at him. She was so going to put dog biscuits in his food bag tomorrow. 

Say, if her parents had somehow arranged a marriage for her, with a guy who was tall, fair, and handsome - with a great personality, and maybe even with a great sense of humour that would exceed her expectations, Ji Eun would have considered the proposal. Min Hyuk is damned, this would be a good opportunity for her to show him and everyone else that she was doing okay, great even, after the breakup. But instead of getting a guy with all of these attributes she'd treasure, she's being forced to be stuck with someone who barely had one of these characteristics, and was the epitome of rudeness.  

Did she break a mirror or something for the gods of luck to hate her so much? God, he'd probably be the worst husband material for any girl.

"Oppa, how could you?" Ji Eun whispered angrily at him. “No, you can't betray your sister like this. You're supposed to love me, you idiot, not plot a plan to throw me out of the house. I hate you, I can't believe you agreed to set me up with that midget friend of yours.”

"Park Ji Eun!" Mr. Park stormed at his daughter’s immatureness. "You, young lady, better listen up. From today onwards, Byun Baek Hyun is your fiancé. It's been made official, and there's nothing you can change about that. He'll be picking you up and dropping you off before and after school, and if you ever, young lady, even try to misbehave or dare to utter a word about breaking off this engagement, your words about us throwing you out of the house might as well become true. Do you understand me?" Mr. Park ended his words firmly.

Chan Yeol would be lying if he said he wasn't taken aback from the seriousness of his father's tone. He looked at Ji Eun to see her face glowing an angry shade of red.

Oh well.

" You'll regret this one day, I swear you will!" Ji Eun shouted, and stomped her way to her room. Her parents damn well accept her dramatic antics, she bet they'd know she probably got them for their genes. 

Chan Yeol considered following his sister to give her some comfort but decided, nah, it was about time for her to accept the harsh reality of the adult world, and behave like the mature lady she was bound to become. Even so, he had to carry out his big brother duties, so like the good older brother he is, Chan Yeol turned at his parents and sighed. "Aren't you guys being a little too harsh on her? Ji Eun's seventeen. It's given that she's going to be a little dramatic about finding out that she's asked for her hand in marriage at this age."

Mrs. Park shook her head and smile at her son. "Do you think I would've married your father if he didn't have his charms? Your father knows what he's doing, Chan Yeol."

"She'll be heads over heels for him as time goes by," Mr. Park took a sip of his coffee and laugh silently. Trust me.

"Yah," Baek Hyun barked through his phone, and this may be the first time Chan Yeol hears the former shouting this angrily. "How can you be pretending like nothing is happening? This is a very serious issue Park Chan Yeol. Don't you dare tell me you didn't know anything about this engagement? You should've told me earlier so I'd prepared myself," he whined.

"What did I do?" Chanyeol giggled hard.

"Don't act all innocent, you tree!" Baek Hyun roared. "Do you know what my mom said? She said 'You better go along with this, or stop dreaming about getting your allowance and staying in this house'". Baek Hyun imitated his mom's nagging voice. "She put my allowance on the line, hyung! How can she do that?"  He cried.

Chan Yeol laughed even harder at his friend's distress. "Mrs. Byun sure is something, huh? What should I call you now? Brother-in-law, maybe?" He teased.

"Quit it!"

"Alright, alright!" Chan Yeol placed a heavy hand on his stomach that was hurting from his laughter.

"But," Baek Hyun continued. "It's hard to imagine that your sister's my fiancée. Thinking of it makes my body feel... feel gummy."

"What's wrong with feeling gummy? You had fat- crush on her when we were young." Chan Yeol tried to recollect their childhood memories. Oh, those precious memories. "I remember how you used to go on and on about her hair, and some about how her laugh brightened your day. Oh, and-”

"Alright, we were all young and dumb and dramatic, okay? I wasn’t in my right mind back then."

"Oh, is that so?" Chan Yeol asked, voice lilting in a teasing manner. "What about now, do you still like her?"

Baek Hyun paused for a moment like he was caught red-handed. "Hell no! Do you think I'm crazy?"

And with that, Baek Hyun rapidly jabbed at the red button to end his call.

“Hello," Ji Eun spoke almost in a whisper, her eyes trained on the floor, not daring to face him.

"Uh, hi," Baek Hyun greeted back, eyes darting everywhere but on Ji Eun.

Baek Hyun had come to pick Ji Eun up for school, just like how their parents had arranged for him to do so, and though Baek Hyun had whined at his mother when she directed him to do so this morning, Mrs. Byun was sure she saw her son blushing a shade of pink, the same shade as the cupcake she had packed for him to be given to Ji Eun.  

It was pretty awkward for Baek Hyun to be scuffing his shoes in front of Ji Eun, and they both stood in palpable silence until Chan Yeol came out of the house and pushed Ji Eun right into his friend in the pretense of looking for his shoes.

What an .

The two were by then turning an unhealthy shade of cherry, scrambling to move away from each other.

"Yah!" Ji Eun pushed Baek Hyun away. Baek Hyun stumbled over the steps behind him and damn nearly fell down. 

"Hey guys," Chanyeol smirked at both of them. "Why are your faces red? Were you guys, perhaps, thinking of kissing on my parents' porch?"

"No." Baek Hyun screeched, and Ji Eun almost swung her bag into her brother's face.

Chanyeol smirked again, giving them a look to ask if they were sure. "Well then, I’ll be going ahead first. See you guys in school." He winked. Baek Hyun frowned at his back.

Baek Hyun scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Hop in the car. I'll drive you to school."

"I can walk myself, it's fine." Ji Eun walked passed him. 

Well, saves the strawberry cupcake for Baek Hyun then. It's her loss anyway.