The next morning was wild, to say the least. I woke up groggily, wondering what time it was. One quick check of the alarm clock next to me showed that it was barely nine in the morning and I sighed, before nuzzling my head back into my pillow. I didn't have any work to do that day (luckily too because of my family's untimely visit), but the thought of having to take care of them and Jongdae may be a handful - especially when they're all variations of the same annoying personality (though they weren't exactly annoying, only Jongdae was).

After letting out a long groan and staying in bed for an extra five more minutes, I finally rose out of bed and trudged to the connecting bathroom. My reflection in the mirror was a complete mess and I had never looked more exhausted, which only made me want to lie in bed for another hour, but knowing Jongdae, he's probably up and ready to bother everyone around him.

After doing my usual morning routine, I stepped out into the hallway quietly, wondering if everyone was still asleep. There was a slight humming from the kitchen (or at least I assumed), so I wandered over to see if my mother was awake, but as I peeked over the corner, I made eye contact with Jongdae - unsurprisingly.

He flashed me a warm smile and waved with a spatula in his hand.

"Good morning, Hayoung! I'm making breakfast right now, you should sit down. Sehun's awake, er, I think, but I think your mom's in the bathroom right now," he informed and I stared at him suspiciously.

"You seem awfully chummy right now," I commented offhandedly, before popping a stray grape into my mouth.

"What can I say? I just have a knack with families, especially yours," he replied wryly, and I rolled my eyes.

"Well that's not much of an achievement, considering that my mom accepted my last ex too," I retorted and Jongdae feigned hurt on his face, before clutching at his chest dramatically.

"Oh really?" He groaned. "Your ex from high school?"

I blushed red with embarrassment. "I've had exes after high school, thank you very much. I don't know if I can say the same for you though," I replied, unwilling to be insulted by Kim Jongdae of all people.

"Hm, I'll do you a favor and not break your heart," he joked, and I narrowed my eyes before settling on the chair next to the dining table. "You seem awfully comfortable in my house."

"Yeah, you already know I have free reign in here, it's like we're dating!"

"We are not dating," I replied immediately, shooting him a glare. He didn't seem to notice or perhaps he pretended not to, as he continued to hum a tune that seemed more like a series of random notes, rather than a cohesive song.

I sat there, taking it all in before staring at him questioningly. "Is this what you meant when you said that people called you Chensing Machine? Cause I don't see the appeal."

He merely blushed with embarrassment before whining loudly, "Hey, how do you remember that? That's such an embarrassing nickname..." I couldn't miss the way he awkwardly swiped at his nose before continuing to cook.

"Well, I mean, you did tell me about it before," I shrugged and he sputtered before making a coherent response.

"Okay but like... I didn't think you'd actually remember the stuff I told you! You literally look disinterested in me 24/7, though I know that's not the case now because heh, you actually know some things about me," he raised his brow as a way to insinuate something and I scowled back at him.

"It's not like I purposely want to impress you with my memory," I scoffed back, "I just remembered that small detail you told me."

Jongdae nodded thoughtfully before he glanced back at me and said, "Remember when you used to call me Chen? I didn't even notice when you transitioned into calling me by my real name."

I stared back at him, puzzled.

"Why? It's weird calling you Chen, in my opinion. I don't even like using nicknams in the first place."

"Oh I don't know, I just think that my name rolls off your tongue nicely," he said pleasantly. "Plus, it just happened naturally for you. I didn't even have to ask you to do it."

"I think you're just finding all these random excuses to fall in love with me now," I mumbled back, not really taking him seriously.

"Hm, I'm not sure about that," he said simply. "I've been in love with you."

I looked up in shock and this time, Jongdae wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Er, you're not serious... Right?"

He scratched his head awkwardly, as if he didn't know what to say (which was a first), but opened his mouth hesitantly.

"Well... I-"

"Sehun, are you seriously still in bed?!"

We both flinched at the faint sound of my mother scolding my brother, and stayed quiet, unwilling to talk about such things around other people (especially people related to me). We could hear Sehun whining back, before a loud huff sounded throughout the house. Not a second later, my mother shuffled her feet into the kitchen and blinked in surprise as she saw us, before coyly smiling.

"Oh? You two are up early, and Jongdae, are you making breakfast?"

He nodded proudly, showing off his pan and spatula.

"I have to feed the people that I'm trying to impress!" He said playfully, and my mother laughed, before nudging me with her foot.

"Oh honey, you've gotten yourself a catch... You're welcome!"

I rolled my eyes and popped another grape into my mouth, choosing not to acknowledge her statement. Afterall, was it really a blessing to have such a strange person in my life?

If my mother noticed my silence, she surely didn't comment on it as she peered over Jongdae's shoulder and marveled at his speed. "You're a very good cook," she observed, nodding happily. "Perfect for my daughter."

He chuckled in response, and a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "I sure hope so," he replied and I already wanted to crawl back into bed in embarrassment.

Before long, I saw Sehun trudging tiredly to the seat next to me, his eyes still half-lidded. "Mornin' sis," he yawned loudly, barely covering it with his mouth.

"Morning," I ruffled his hair affectionately. "You're awfully sleepy today."

"Blame it on Jongdae!" He said increduously. "He was rolling around and playing with me until three in the morning!"

"We know," my mother interjected wryly. "We all heard you guys roughing it out last night. I couldn't even count how many times I heard you yelp, Sehun."

He blushed bright red in embarrassment as he slumped his shoulders, mumbling something about how it wasn't his fault, but I barely paid any attention to him as I noticed Jongdae bringing plates over to the table.

"Oh," I stood up to help him. "What do you need me to do?"

He glanced over at me and smiled brightly. "Oh nothing, you can just sit tight, it won't be too hard for me to bring everything over."

Even though I opened my mouth to protest, he pushed me down on the chair gently and turned to get the other plates and I tried to ignore my mom and Sehun as they sent me suggestive smiles. Sehun even had the sheer audacity to let out the fakest sounding cough ever, and I hoped that Jongdae didn't think too much of it.

Finally, the entire table was set and Jongdae sat right next to me, discreetly placing his hand on my knee underneath the table. I tried swatting it away, but as if he were a fly, he remained stuck there, refusing to move.

With a sigh, I allowed his hand to stay there (for now), and began eating with the rest of my family. Even though all we did was bicker that morning, there was a strange sense of warmth that I had never felt before whenever I was with them - and I didn't want to chalk it up to Jongdae's presence, but as much as I'd like to deny it, there was just something about his whine and infectious laugh that made everything feel complete.

And honestly... I really didn't know how to feel about that.