The smell of home-cooked meals and freshly baked cookies hit her as soon as they entered the house. Sehun placed a hand over her lower back as he led her further into the foyer, the sound of her heels clicking on the floors accompanying their arrival.

“Honey, is that you? Did you stumble across your brother?” Mrs. Oh’s familiar voice rang down the hallway and Jinri smiled at the nickname she had chosen for her youngest son.

“Not exactly.” He answered his mother. The next moment, heels sounded down the hallway and Mrs. Oh appeared. There was a smile on her face when she made eye contact with her son but when her gaze fell on the woman he had brought along, she froze.

“Jinri. You’re back.” Mrs. Oh gasped and the young woman barely had time to smile before she was engulfed in a sudden, warm hug.

“Yes. I really am.” She smiled widely, eyes filled with tears.

“Sehun, go away. Go find your father. Leave us alone.” His mother commanded without even sparing him a look. Jinri laughed at his expression. He was about to protest but one glare from his mother made him rethink his decision. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he grumbled something under his breath and left the room.

“How are you, honey?” Mrs. Oh pulling her into the living room and take a seat on the couch with her.

“I’m fine.” She smiled.

“You came back. How?” She breathed disbelievingly, touching her cheek.

“It’s a long story.” Jinri laughed, shaking her head.

“But you’re back for good, right.” She said, wanting to make sure.

“Yeah. No matter what, I am staying by his side.”

“Thank God.” Mrs. Oh murmured, looking at her with such an affectionate expression, something that her own mother had never done and it was enough to bring tears to her eyes. “I know it’s been a hard couple of years. But I want you to know that we are your family.” She cradled her to her chest, her hand smoothing over her hair in a gentle, soothing gesture.

“Come on, wipe those tears away. I have to check on the food, I’ll be right back.” She stood but hesitated before leaving the room. “If you cry while I’m gone, I’ll know.” She warned, making the young woman laugh. In the meantime, the front door opened and Luhan walked in with his long-time girlfriend, Yoon Sohee. His eyes widened at the sight of her but an understanding smile pulled at his lips. Jinri was off the couch and hugging him around the neck before her brain could even register the action. Luhan hugged her back, one hand over her back, the other smoothing over her hair, reminding her of her own brother that she nearly broke down right there.

“Oh, you’re all here. Right on time. Dinner’s ready.” Mrs. Oh’s voice came from behind them. Jinri sniffled as she let go, turning to face her briefly. “What did I say about crying?” She demanded, making her laugh as she stretched to hug Sohee in greeting. Sehun chose that particular moment to make his appearance, his father following close behind him.

“What’s going on?” He demanded at the sight of her tears, frowning in confusion.

“Nothing. I told you, she likes me more. She didn’t cry when she saw you, now did she?” Luhan pressed, innocently. Sehun looked as though the only reason he was holding back a couple of colourful words was the presence of his parents. Jinri’s eyes darted between the two brothers almost incredulous yet delirious with happiness.

“Boys.” Mrs. Oh rolled her eyes.

“Stop goofing around.” Mr. Oh backed her up, speaking for the first time since he entered the room. When his dark gaze slid to her, Jinri froze. Her breath caught in and her heart stopped beating.

“Jinri. Welcome back.” He acknowledged.

For the rest of the evening, Jinri gained a true understanding of what it felt like to have a family. She had never had the opportunity to see all the Oh’s family reunited in such a relaxed atmosphere before but she was grateful that she did now. Their interaction was amazing to watch and it left her with a warm, pleasant feeling.

She had always believed Mr. Oh to be colder than her husband. She had been wrong. They were similar but in a different way. Their personalities were alike. Their sense of humor was the same, their smirked at the same time and grunted in the same places. Mrs. Oh was the light of the family. She was different from everybody else, so cheerful and so happy to have her there, that she pampered her the entire evening, smothering her with attention and even sending a pouting Sehun one seat further down the table so that she could have her next to her.

Luhan was the one who resembled her the most. He was calmer and smiled more often, rather than simply smirked. While Sehun was different that she had thought for a moment that she knew how amazing a man he could be. Everything was different now; his attitude towards them was different.

“Jinri, come with me, I need to show you something.” Mrs. Oh said in a rush, rounding the table from where she had been standing behind her eldest son to reach her side. Before she could even begin to make sense of her words, she heard Sehun groaning beside her.

“Stop complaining.” His mother chided, smacking the back of his head lightly. Across the table, Luhan smirked, provoking yet another glaring contest with his little brother. Still frowning, Jinri stood. Mrs. Oh grasped her hand in an instant and led her across the room and out on the door.

“You have to see little Sehun. He was such a sweet child!”

Later that night, the youngest member of the Oh’s family found himself outside on the porch, gazing out at the snow-covered backyard with a blanket around his shoulders and a warm glass of wine in his hands. He had just taken a sip of the hot liquid when the door slid open behind him and familiar footsteps approached him.

“Hey.” His wife greeted as she lowered herself to a sitting position next to him, wrapped up in her red coat.

“Hey. Why are you here? I thought I left you in good company.” Sehun answered, placing his glass beside him on the floor.

“You did. But then I realized you were missing and I got curious. By the way, has anybody ever told you that you were the cutest child ever?” Jinri said, leaning into him in search for more warmth. He allowed her to snuggle in the crook of his arm without protest. “Why are you out here?” She asked, changing the subject.

“I needed some time alone, I guess.” He shrugged.

“Is there something you want to talk to me about?” She asked after a moment of silence, hesitant.

“Not really.”

“You know, I feel so insecure that it’s seriously creeping me out. Back in New York, everything felt so right when you came after me. But I can’t help but wonder: was this the right choice?” She started, breaking the silence. Sehun blinked in surprise because of the fact that she had spoken them. She never used to share information so willingly before.

“I hope it was.” He replied bluntly.

“I know it was. Deep inside, there’s something holding me back, you know?”

“You’re scared.” He hesitated before giving his answer.

“Possible. I don’t want to screw up again. But we’re not thinking about ourselves anymore. We’re thinking about us.”

“We never did that before.” He ag