As much as I’m trying to prevent this from happening, I should know that this is about to be like this anyway. In the end, I have no choice but to sleep with Taemin on his bed. Maybe it will work for the both of us if we use separate blankets and pillows. Like really, only bed and the room will be shared and then we’ll have each of the rest. I start taking out another pillow and blanket that I’ll be using from now on. The bed is huge and wide, though. It will definitely fit the both of us without having to have any skin contact at all.

In the middle of fixing the bed, I receive a message from him:

“I’m on my way home with my friends.”

Oh. I am a bit surprised that he’ll bring his friends over. This is the first time since we started living together, and this will also be the first time I’m seeing his friends. Oh, except of course for Dr. Jinki who is helping Dannie out with coping to her trauma and adjusting to her new life. I’m thankful to him. He really is a nice guy, very different with Taemin who is always full of himself. I reply asking if I should cook them something for dinner for which he replies:

“It’s okay. It’s safer if we eat REAL foods.”

Oh seriously. I can’t end a conversation with him without being pissed off. Why is he always like this? Why does he always have something negative to say to me? Okay. Granted. I’m not really a good cook. Duh?! I don’t do that regularly at home, okay?! Is he like expecting me to cook like how his friend Key cooks? Does he expect me to have such skill? To have a cooking ability which make a food business successful? Sometimes, I think he’s just unbelievable, and though I try so hard not to be irritated, I always end up to be – which is more irritating. Ugh! So irritating!

Fine. Then I don’t have to care. He can do whatever he wants in his house anyway. I’ll just stay here in this room and let them do whatever at the living area.

I am about to ignore their arrival until Taemin opens the door and peeks in, “Come out. I’ll introduce you and Dannie to my friends.” He says to which I have my eyebrow raised up. Why do I need to be introduced?? “Come on, Dannie’s excited to meet her uncles. You don’t want to spoil that.” He shrugs before closing the door again.

He always wins the argument when he uses Dannie as an excuse, which is, again, another irritating thing about him. I can always reject him all the time, but when Dannie’s involved, I know I have to give in.

I sigh before standing up and putting on my slippers. I really need to go out and meet his friends.

OH. MY. GOD.

I didn’t know it was actually possible to have five a real life F4 – oh, except with the fact that they’re five and not four. Oh my, these guys are seriously flower boys! How on Earth did these handsome men got to be together and be friends?! Are these really Taemin’s friends or was he actually a part of a KPOP group? These people are so handsome and bright, and I’m not even exaggerating.

“Hey, Rae In! Long-time no see!” One of the three guys excluding Dr. Jinki and Taemin greets me as if we were really close, but to be honest, I don’t know him and I haven’t seen him before. “I might have gone more handsome the past months, you probably can’t recognize me. It’s Jonghyun!” He says and I get it finally. Taemin already briefed these people about acting out in front of Dannie.

“Oh, hey, Jonghyun-ssi… Jonghyun-ah… Jonghyunnie, it’s nice to see you again!” I fail on calling him in a comfortable way and I end up sounding so awkward. I am trying to act like I’m close with him, too, but I guess I’m not really good at that.

“Hey, hyungs, I should formally introduce you to our cute daughter!” Taemin utters excitedly and carries Dannie on his arms. “Babe, meet your other uncles. This is Uncle Jonghyun, Uncle Kibum, and Uncle Minho.” He introduces and glances over me, as if introducing them to me as well. It’s a good think I’m good at memorization. I am able to get their names with their faces right away! “And Rae In, my wife. I know you know her well. You’ve seen her a lot of times all these years.” He says and the four guys chuckle like they’re agreeing.

“How’s Taeminnie as husband, Raeinnie?” The guy whose name is Kibum asks me with a smile. He has a really fair skin and though I haven’t touched his face, I know it’s really soft. His hair is blonde, while the other one whose name is Jonghyun even has a silver hair. Jonghyun is the human rights lawyer, if I could clearly recall, but he looks like a celebrity rather than a professional lawyer. I don’t get it. These businessmen/professionals look like a group of Korean Idols in my eyes.

“Oh… he takes care of us really well… as expected.” I say randomly to which they laugh.

“As expected?!” They guy named Minho blurts out in a rather funny way, as if he couldn’t believe it. “I’m glad you expected him to be nice to you. We thought the other way around, though.” It is a joke but I see Taemin glaring a bit indifferently over Minho, as if asking him to stop fooling around. “By the way, can we settle the foods already? I’m so hungry.”

“Oh yeah, I’ll set the table for a while.” I quickly move to get the foods they bought. However, Kibum takes some of them, too, as he smiles.

“I’ll help you set the table.”

“Thanks.” It still uncomfortable talking as if we’re real friends but I manage to do it anyways. Actually, it is even harder to do it when you have to deal with these handsome young men.

“It will really help a lot if you can manage to feel closer with the four of us.” Kibum speaks when we enter the kitchen. I look at him and only smile. I really don’t know what to tell him, to be honest. “Actually, we are not surprised that he did this for a child he only met at the orphanage. Taemin’s heart for orphans is really that big, maybe because he is one of them, too.”

His boldness surprises me.

“He only shared this thing to the four of us. I think our friendship our strong enough for him to share something he actually wants to forget already. He told this to us few months before he graduated, and that was only few years ago.” He sighs and smiles at me gently, “I know you don’t know about it. I doubt he’ll share it to you anytime soon, but me and the other three guys decided that we should tell you, thinking that in the kind of situation you entered, you are forced to be bonded and to understand each other at all times.”

Actually, I already feel about it, that he’s an orphan, though I really don’t ask him about that because I know he doesn’t want to share it with me. That’s why it surprises me that Kibum over here is actually sharing this information to me.

“We also know that you are his greatest enemy during highschool, that’s why I think that this setup is so funny, and we know the both of you will only end up fighting at all times. We’re worried about how it will affect the child, though, and worse, your petty arguments will get Dannie out of your lives and back to the orphanage. I hope you don’t find us as an intruder. We only want to help.”

“I understand.” Slowly, I’m having an impression that these guys really aren’t just bunch of guys who think like Taemin. In fact, they are a lot matured. I am a bit dumb to underestimate these handsome people.

“Taemin might irritate you a lot of times. Heck, we’ve been together for so many years. We could already read him like an open book, that’s why we know it will be so hard for you to deal with him, especially since you were enemies from few years back. But, Rae In ssi… we’re actually thinking you could help him change.”

“I can?”

“Yes, you can, since you’re the first girl who boldly shows great disinterest towards him. We don’t know you that much, but we’re positive you can affect him in such a way you wouldn’t expect of yourselves. Well, I might be talking too much but I just want to say one simple thing…”

I stare into Kibum’s eyes. He really sounds and looks so sincere.

“Taemin is not just what you think he is. He is more than that. But in order to understand him better and to know him well, you must open up to him more and let him know he can trust you.”

“Hey, do I really need to do that? I’m stressed enough with taking care of Dannie, why does it sound like I should take care of him, too?!” I say a bit loudly because I am surprise. It seems like he’s asking me to take responsibility of Taemin!

“You’ll understand what where I’m coming from once you get to open up more to him. I’m hoping you could that. Taemin is actually a complete opposite of how he’s trying to be outside. Uhm, well, this one last tip is really a necessity for you to do.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t let any girl come closer to Taemin. He’s just a chic magnet. He can woo anyone with just a simple smile… and a simple “hi” could make any girl go with him to anywhere he wants. You’ll understand it, too, once you know him more.”

I really don’t understand… why this guy over here talks to me as if I suddenly have the biggest role in Taemin’s life. For sure they are aware that we married out of the will to get Dannie. I hope he’s getting that to be honest, I really don’t care about anything involving Taemin.

But actually, I get curious with the “Taemin is not just what you think he is” part. Hmm…