[CONTENTID1] In the mood for solacing… [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

Pancakes.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. (SOURCE: allrecipes.com/recipe/21014/good-old-fashioned-pancakes/)

Eunjoo was a person whose sense of smell was the strongest among her other sense. The sweet aroma definitely woke her up. It was the best wake up call ever.

Half asleep, her eyebrows started to meet in the middle.

She knew her mother very well despite her mother's busy schedule and frequent absence. Eunjoo's inability to cook wasn't her choice, in fact, it was inherited.

Eunjoo stood up abruptly, sprinting as soon as she realized her mother was finally cooking. For once she was proud because only she knew how many failed attempts her mother has made with just frying an egg.

Her smile faltered when she heard male voices in the kitchen.

Eunjoo's steps slowed down, but she heard her mother call out to her saying that breakfast was ready.

When Eunjoo reached the kitchen, she smiled again, seeing two familiar and slightly identical boys fixing up the table with cut fruits and maple syrup.

"Good Morning, Joo~" Baekhyun greeted, his lips stretched out into a wide smile.

Older Brother Byun turned around, a pan in hand with a perfectly cooked pancake in it.

Figures how she was woken up with delicious aromas. Older Brother Byun was mentioned to be training as a chef. "Good Morning, Eunjooie!"

"Hyung, it doesn't even sound nice! Admit that I chose a better nickname for Eunjoo!"

A clap stopped the older Byun from even arguing, "How about we eat first before the pancakes get cold? Eunjoo loves fruity pancakes, thank you for stopping by, loves."

The Byun brothers sat down on the table, Eunjoo following soon after wedged in between her mother and her best friend. "Let's dig in!"

They all eat in silence, though occasionally the brothers slipped in a joke or two. The breakfast was going smoothly with short reminisces and a few catching up with Eunjoo's mother and Baekhyun's brother. Eunjoo particularly liked that moment where she was somewhat free of controversies from school.

That was until Baekhyun decided to spill the beans.

"Oh, Joo!" Baekhyun moved his hand up to his mouth as he remembered he just spoke with a mouth full of cooked canned beans and pancakes (Yes, he claimed it was very delicious). He took his time to swallow, gaining the attention of everyone on the table. Taking one gulp of his favorite orange juice, he coughed and continued.

"I saw your boyfriend a while ago when hyung and I went here. I tried to invite him over, but he said - hmph!"

Eunjoo practically lunged at Baekhyun when she saw her mother turn her head towards her. The mother's scrunched up eyebrows was not a good thing for Eunjoo.

"Shut up, Baek." Eunjoo hissed, her hand clasped around Baekhyun's mouth and their faces just inches from each other, but the boy's eyes were wide with surprise as the girl glared at him.

"A boyfriend?" Eunjoo stiffened and fearfully turned to face her mother. From the corner of her eye, she saw Older Brother Byun with a worried face.

She had a reason as to why she didn't tell her mother about Jungkook. And that's...

"How come you never told me you had a boyfriend? I thought we were best friends, Eunjoo? More than you and Baekhyun are, of course! What's his name? Is he your classmate or is he from another school? Older? Younger? Is he nice? Handsome? Ugly? Omo! Is he a gangster? Kyaa! How cute! How long have you been together? I should have been the first one to know this! Did he find you cute at all? Did he tell you you were beautiful? Did he..."

"Mom..." Eunjoo whispered, moving away from Baekhyun and then moving to engulf her mother in a tight hug.

Her mother doesn't actually forbid her from dating. In fact, her mother coaxes Eunjoo to start taking interest to boys.

Seeing her mother gush about her love (not really) life, was making her very embarrassed. But everything went down the drain as her mother's eyes turned glossy and watery, reminiscing something from her romantic golden days.

"Did he ever hold your hand so carefully that he claims he didn't want to break your fragile heart? Did his eyes sparkle when..."

"Mom..." Dad's gone, she wanted to say, but of course she can't. Whatever comfort she was giving to her mother was intensified when the Byun brothers got up to hug and pat her mother from behind.

Her mother teared up. A salty tear dropped occasionally until it started to pour down continuously. Although Eunjoo rarely saw her mother, it still hurt her when she sees her breakdown like this.

But although she's a bit mad at Baekhyun for bringing up the ‘Jungkook topic’ and causing this havoc, she still appreciates the way he held her and her mother in a warm easing embrace as she broke down as well.

+++

The breakfast drama ended when older brother Byun decided to lighten up the mood with a very lame joke. He earned a light punch from the three other people.

Eunjoo's mother solemnly approached her daughter, quickly having changed in her professional attire and looking as if she wasn't crying over her dead husband. "I'm sorry I have to go this early, Joo."

Eunjoo was used to waking up with her mother already off to work. Her mother didn't have to apologize. She shook her head, silently telling that it was alright. A kiss and a hug later, Eunjoo's mother was already out the door.

Older Brother Byun left afterwards, dandy in his posh chef uniform - a black & white plaid pair of pants and an ed chef blouse with an apprentice's neckerchief hanging untied around his neck.

Eunjoo was descending down to the hallway when she witnessed Baekhyun saying farewell to his older brother. She found skinship normal between siblings, but something about the older's hand patting the younger's encouragingly seemed off. If only she had witnessed the solemnity and pity in Baekhyun's brother's eyes directed at the latter.

"We're good to go, Baek." Eunjoo said as soon as she had slipped on and fixed her dark oak brown knee-length socks. She looked up and saw him waiting for her by the door in his uniform and his hands shoved in his trouser pockets.

They quietly exited and locked up and afterwards went to their usual walk to the bus stop.

Eunjoo noticed how Baekhyun changed physically and ... socially?

Having gone from a fever, he seemed thinner than he was before. He claimed he like that because then he'd gain abs easier.

B