“I was worried. You weren’t calling me or responding to my text messages…” Dara said as Donghae suddenly rushed out at the front gate demanding why she was there.

“How did you know I was here? How did you know where my grandmother live? How—“

“You’re Donghae oppa’s girlfriend?” Donghae was cut off as Chaerin suddenly appeared from behind him with a big smile on her face.

“Not now Chaerin. Go back,” Donghae said putting his arm out on the gate to block Chaerin but Chaerin nudged him off, rolling her eyes and walked towards Dara.

“HI!” Chaerin put her arms around Dara for a hug.

“HI!” Dara greeted back though feeling awkward as Chaerin hugged her.

“Oh my gosh, everybody’s so excited to meet you!” Chaerin said. “I am so excited to meet you. I never had a sister and I know we would be bestfriends. Did you know that this is the first time Donghae had brought a girl? And to grandma’s house! You do know what that means, do you?”

Dara had her smile frozen as Chaerin rattled on. She shook her head at the question not really sure if it was a rhetorical one.

“I didn’t brought her here,” Donghae vehemently denied. “And she’s going home.” He started to put a hand on Dara’s arm intending to lead her out to where his car is parked but Chaerin swatted it off.

“Grandma is waiting for her. You’re going to disappoint her again,” Chaerin said then pulled Dara but Donghae had his hand on Dara’s other arm.

“Ooohh no,” Donghae said already thinking what it will mean once Dara gets inside the house and met his grandmother. He’d be compromised for life! His grandmother wouldn’t care if the girl is a psycho as long as he’s got a girl to introduce her to. “No no no no.”

“Yes!” Chaerin looked at Dara. “You’re his girlfriend, are you not?”

“Yes,” Dara answered liking the way Donghae is already panicking.

“No,” Donghae answered at the same time.

Dara’s eyes flashed then bowed her head, looking so hurt. Chaerin was outraged on her behalf. “Way to go, Donghae. Way to go.” She reprimanded Donghae.

“I’m sorry,” Dara answered in a small, voice. Hurt dripping all over her tone. “I never should’ve gone here. I was only worried about him and i… I’m sorry.” She started to turn back.

Aish! She’s doing it again! Donghae pushed his hair back in agitation as Chaerin put a hand over Dara’s shoulder stopping her while glaring at him.

“Is this what you do to your girlfriends?” Chaerin said. “She’s just worried about you. Come on, let’s go inside.” She led Dara on the way in.

Ah ! Donghae jogged over to the two and blocked them. “Okay, I’m sorry,” Donghae said to them. “Yes, she’s my girlfriend. But tonight’s not the time to let her meet grandma. Or the family. She’d be a livestock there for the family to feed on!”

“Oh shut your dramatics,” Chaerin said. “This is my birthday and I’m inviting her.”

“You know they’ll be all over her,” Donghae said to Chaerin desperately thinking of ways to stop her from letting Dara in the house. God knows what will happen next. He couldn’t tell his grandma to move residence. “She’d be too overwhelmed and I don’t want her to leave me because she got scared of the kind of rowdy family I am from!”

Chaerin bit her lip thinking that their family is a little overwhelming, yes and can be a little scary if gathered together. But before she could think it through, Dara put her hand on Donghae’s face, it.

“Aww… I didn’t know you care so much,” Dara said sweetly and Donghae’s mouth twitched. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll walk through the shadow of death for you. Meeting your family would be an honor. And hey, if I would be part of your family might as well start to meet them now, right?” She laughed a little too manically which made Donghae’s mouth drop open. Part of his family?

Chaerin on the other hand didn’t notice Dara’s crazy laugh nor did she gave any thought on the look of horror on Donghae’s face as he stared at her in disbelief.

“That’s the spirit!” Chaerin said. “I like you already. Well, I’ll like anyone who have a strong stomach for enduring my cousin.” She led Dara on the way in and Dara turned her head to look at Donghae’s horror-stricken face. She smirked at him before letting Chaerin lead her towards the house.

No no no no no! Donghae could literally see himself screaming, his vocal chords getting strained but his mouth is frozen as he watched Chaerin walk with Dara and the latter giving him that crazy smirk. She knows! She knows exactly what it would mean when she meet his grandmother. She’s crazy! Now she wants to be a part of his family. The length a stalker would do. He ran to keep up trying to stop them one more time. This time, he would tell Chaerin the truth and that Dara is not someone he wanted to spend his eternity with just because his friends decided to pick her to be a target on their bet. He wouldn’t care if Chaerin would be livid once she found out but there is nothing more worse than having his grandmother meet Dara.

“Chaerin, listen—“ he started.

“Hi Grandma!” Chaerin waved.

Donghae whirled around and felt his world shattering. His grandma stood there at the front door as welcoming as ever, not even realizing there’s a psychopath they would be letting in the house!

“This is Dara,” Chaerin introduced Dara.

Dara suddenly felt nervous. There was something so intimidating about the old matriarch, standing there and scrtunizing her, eyeing her from head to foot. Wouldn’t this be a twist in their lovestory? His grandmother refusing to accept someone like her for her grandson and demanded her to leave. Oohh she could go from there, maybe telling them she would never leave Donghae no matter what they say. She could just see Donghae bashing his head on the wall if that happens. She tried hard not to snicker at where her thoughts are going. The image is so vivid, she really wanted to laugh.

But the matriarch smiled warmly. “Hi Dara, welcome to my humble home.”

“Grandma,” Donghae started again. “Dara is tired and she’s about to go home, she’s—“

“Have you already eaten?” His grandmother asked Dara as she led her inside, completely ignoring him.

“No, I’m so famished,” Dara answered.

His grandmother laughed. “Donghae did good finding you. I can never endure girls these days, always dieting all the time. I like girls with healthy appetites.”

“Grandma! I’m one of those girls dieting!” Chaerin complained.

“Except you dear,” the matriarch commented as they went inside.

Donghae was left immobilized standing on the front steps. He brushed his hair back again, his fingers threading through his hair wanting to pull it off his head. Ah ! This can’t be. This is a dream. A dream! How can I salvage this situation? He paced in panic. Okay, he needs to calm down. The time for panicking would be when his grandmother would be discussing wedding gowns with Dara. And that is something which screamed Danger. He would have no other choice to but to tell the truth. He can endure his grandmother’s anger but not a life with that crazy person. Yes, that’s right. Okay, he needs to calm down. He breathed in and breathed out. Okay. He can still get away with this. It’s not like his grandmother would actually like Dara to be his wife. He shuddered. Just the word is giving him goosebumps.

After a minute of trying to calm himself, he walked inside the room and found Dara seated between Charin and his grandmother eating with a plateful of food. His cousins all listening raptly, some with amusement, some with a grimace, as Dara prattled on. One thing Donghae had to thank god for is that his mother isn’t in the room. Probably somewhere with the rest of his aunts and uncles playing somewhere.

“So, he was like, begging me to go out with him and I was thinking, someone of his stature could never be interested in someone like me. I had my doubts but he had proved himself to be absolutely honest,” Dara said. “And… I had to give in.”

Donghae stopped in his tracks.

“Donghae really did that?” Chaerin asked one of her eyebrows raised. “He must’ve been really serious with you. Normally, he wouldn’t endure a day of waiting for the girl to say yes on a date. He would instantly look for someone else.”

“That’s why I know he was serious about me. He had given me so much,” Dara said then caught sight of Donghae standing near the bookshelf who was rooted to the floor as he stared open mouthed at her. She couldn’t help but smirk as she stared Donghae down. “And I would never let him go even if it means I would go to the seven pits of Hades.” Then turned back to the people around her, all looking up at her wide eyed at her declaration. She laughed. “Of course that was just an expression.” She laughed heartily and Chaerin laughed with her. Pretty soon, his grandmother is laughing with them then excused herself to get something in the kitchen while all his cousins are just looking at Dara like she’s really weird.

Yes, the guys can relate to him. They can see something wrong with Dara! He strode over to them and Dara smiled at him.

“Donghae, I was just about telling them how you had asked me for a date,” Dara said as she put a spoonful of rice in , a look on her face like she was challenging him to deny everything she had told them.

“I will admire anyone who can stand to be with Donghae oppa for more than 24 hours,” Chaerin announded. She patted Dara’s shoulder. “I salute you.”

“We will build a shrine for you,” Jackson added wearing the usual smirk he always have since he was born.

And pretty soon, all Donghae’s younger cousins are adding comments on what they will do for Dara for dating Donghae.

“You know what I’m so excited about?” Chaerin said ignoring the laughter among the younger boys. “That I finally have a bestfriend! It’s so hard to be the only girl to ever been born in this family. I mean, isn’t really weird? All of my cousins are guys and I only got 2 nieces. From my guy cousins! And they were only 2 years old. So I am so starved for a sister!”

Donghae mentally took note to persuade his aunt, Chaerin’s mother, to ship her immediately back to Paris.

“Where did you meet him?” Chaerin asked.

“Oh, he was my schoolmate in high school,” Dara said.

“You go to Lee Tuk High?” Chaerin asked then scrutnized her a little too obviously. Probably wondering if she was some kind of heiress who only likes to dress shabbily.

“Well…” Dara said genuinely feeling uncomfortable now. How does she say they went from riches to rags.

“Wait a second!” Chaerin exclaimed as she studied her, recognition dawning on her face. “Don’t tell me… are you Sandara Park?”

Donghae straightened up, his brain shouting Danger. And that is Danger if Chaerin unknowingly spilled something which will tick Dara of the bet.

Chaerin laughed when Dara nodded. “You’re Sandara Park? Oh my god, you were the girl Donghae and his friends keeps on laughing about in hgh school.”

Now it was Dara’s mouth’s turn to twitch. Chaerin continued tactlessly, “He was always going on about how you’re always against him and his friends but you always lose or some—“

Donghae had walked over to put his hand on Chaerin’s mouth. “Word of advise, Lee Chaerin. Shut up.”

But Chaerin pushed his hand off her. “I was just saying how cute it turned out that you end up with her. That was in no way offensive. You were saying nothing the world has to offer would ever make you go out with someone like Sandara Park. No offense Dara.” She turned to Donghae again. “Why the sudden change?”

Donghae had to the urge to zip his cousin’s mouth shut. Hell, if his grandmother isn’t there, he would’ve done so.

Dara looked at him, one of her eyebrows slightly raised. “Yes, Donghae, baby. Why the sudden change?” Her eyes are pointed and unblinking. “Something the world offered you that you couldn’t resist?”

“Wh—what do you mean?” Donghae stuttered, his mind coming up blank.

“It means, what did you like about her,” Bobby said exasperatedly. “Ugh this conversation is making me wanna kill myself.”

The banter started again among the boys but Dara is watching Donghae sweat as he stand there clearing his throat. What a total ! It kinda hurt her pride a little that he can’t even some up with a lie to say something that made him liked her.

But before the conversation can continue, the door opened and Donghae exclaimed in elation. “Jaejoong!” He was saved! “You prick! What took you so long!” He strode over to him to give him a fist bump.

Jaejoong was puzzled at Donghae enthusiastic greeting. “Got holed up in a meeting.” Then he strode over to his grandmother coming out from the kitchen with a plateful of food. He kissed her on the cheek. “Hey Grandma.”

“What took you so long?” His grandmother admonished. “Come and meet Donghae’s girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Jaejoong looked at Donghae who in turn closed his eyes praying for some kind of eathquake or snow avalance to override the news of him getting a damn girlfriend!

Dara felt her smile and triumph falling as she looked at Jaejoong, not understanding at first. Then it hit her. Kim Jaejoong is Lee Donghae’s cousin. They are cousins. In that span of a minute, she finally get it She turned back on her plate as her rage slowly build inside her. They are cousins. She put a spoonful of rice in , her breathing suddenly becoming heavy as her anger boiled.. It’s not a coincidence Jaejoong happened to meet her at a store. It’s not even a coincidence that Kim Jaejoong suddenly became their client or something or even offering to treat her coffee that morning. Kim Jaejoong was included on this ing bet that his cousin and his friends orchestrated. Donghae knows he’s already losing and he probably administered the help of Kim Jaejoong so he could win the bet. And what really really pisses her off, is that she was caught unguarded. She felt betrayed. She realized she had already started to trust Kim Jaejoong but he turned out to be an . Just like his cousin. Now they are both working against her. One thing she really hates is to be blindsided. Her instinct is totally off. Now she have to work with Kim Jaejoong with the pretense of being Donghae’s sniping girlfriend everytime he comes in the office.

“Happy birthday squirt,” Jaejoong greeted as Chaerin stood up to greet him.

“Where’s my gift?” Chaerin said and let out a whoop when Jaejoong gave her the book. Then his eyes flicked over to Dara.

“Dara?” He asked in surprise.

Dara gritted her teeth before she forced herself to look up at him. Now she can’t even force herself to fake a smile. Especially seeing Jaejoong’s smiling, kind, fake face. He’s such a good actor just like his cousin! A better actor than his cousin.

“You knew Dara?” Chaerin asked.

“Yeah,” Jaejoong said smiling. “She works in CSW.”

Chaerin laughed incredulously. “Oh my god, Dara works under Choi Siwon oppa?” She turned to Donghae. “You guys have really changed.”

Dara turned back to her food unsmilingly, her ears deaf from Chaerin’s unremarkable tact as she tried to get a rise out of Donghae. Jae