The living room looked sparkling clean once Ga Young was done with the dusting and vacuuming, and she moved to the kitchen to clean the dining area and spotted Kyungsoo’s half bent body from behind the kitchen counter. She snorted to herself before a wicked idea popped into her mind, and she tiptoed to him before quietly leaning down a little to his side.

“What are you doing?” she asked, and Kyungsoo’s reaction was just as she hoped for.

The man yelped, jumping a little in surprise which resulted him into bumping the top of his head against the counter. She laughed as he hissed and peeked up at her while rubbing the aching spot. Kyungsoo paused, the pain suddenly gone as he took in the sound of her laughter and the happiness in her eyes, before standing up to stand next to her.

“That wasn’t nice,” he muttered, rubbing the spot again.

“Sorry, but I just had to.” Ga Young said without sounding apologetic at all. Kyungsoo didn’t mind it though. “What were you doing down there anyway?”

“I was just rearranging the pots and pans in the cabinet.”

“You didn’t have to, you know. Could’ve just told me so I could do it. It’s part of my job anyway.”

He chuckled at that. “It’s fine. It’s not like it’s a difficult task to do. Plus, I consider the kitchen my working station so I have to keep it clean, don’t I?”

“I guess you’re right,” she nodded before turning to move to the dining area, grabbing the vacuum she’s left by the wall. “So what do you plan to do today?” she asked without turning to him.

“I’m not really sure,” he replied, scrunching his face a little as he rearranged the spices by the stove. “When I’m endlessly working, I hope for a break. And now that I got one, I don’t know what to do.”

“That sounds sad,” she commented.

“It is, actually.”

Their conversation hung in the air as Ga Young started the vacuum cleaner and moved around the room. Kyungsoo watched her for a while with a smile on his face before going off to wipe the counter. He had been able to use the space again after so many days of working and the members had all enjoyed the meal. Even Ga Young had joined them and she had expressed how much she loved his cooking with a wide smile.

Kyungsoo paused when he suddenly recalled something. This morning, Chanyeol had come to sit with them for the meal as well, something he had been avoiding if he knew Ga Young would be joining them at the table. Not only was he present for breakfast, he had voluntarily slipped into an empty chair right next to her although he didn’t speak to her throughout the meal at all.

“Turns out that Chanyeol is Park Chan, the little kid I grew up with.”

Ah right, he has no reason to run away from her anymore, he thought as he chewed onto his bottom lip. But why did Chanyeol hide his identity from her in the first place?

Kyungsoo belatedly realized that it was too quiet around him then which snapped him out of his thoughts, and he glanced at the dining table to see Ga Young on the phone. But there was a deep frown on her face and she looked really annoyed at whoever was calling her.

“How did you even get my number?” he heard her asking the caller. Ga Young rolled her eyes at whatever the caller had said before snapping at him. “Look, I don’t know what you want but don’t bother calling me again.” She paused to listen to him and the frown deepened. “No, I don’t want to go anywhere with you.”

Ga Young face had turned red with rage by now and her grip on her phone had tightened as well, and Kyungsoo figured that it’s best for him to step in and make her get off the phone. But someone else beat him to it just as he took a step towards her.

“Well I don’t want to fix things between us, Minhwan. There is nothing to fix. I–”

The phone was suddenly gone from her grasp and she turned around to find Chanyeol hovering over her with her phone in his hand. Before she could register what was happening, Chanyeol placed the phone to his ear.

“Yah, listen to me. From now on, I want you to stay away from Ga Young and never bother her again.” Ga Young blinked once, twice, thrice. Chanyeol sounded angry as he spoke.

“Who the hell is this?” she could hear Minhwan shrieking from the end of the line.

“Her boyfriend.” Ga Young felt her jaw drop at that while Kyungsoo’s hands curled into fists on his sides. “Now delete her number and stop bothering her. You’re dead if I ever find out that you called her again. Understood?”

The moment he finished talking, Chanyeol pulled the phone away and ended the call, glaring at the device like it was at fault. He lifted his gaze to a stunned Ga Young and scoffed before shoving the device back into her hand.

“If he calls again, don’t answer it.”

“Uh, okay.”

“Seriously, Ga Young. Of all guys, you chose someone like that? I’m the one who feels insulted for you right now,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Well, I’m sorry but he wasn’t a dickhead back then,” she barked back, rolling her eyes as well before stuffing the phone into her pocket. “And you… why did you say that?”

“Say what?”

“About that boyfriend thing, duh.”

“What’s wrong with that? Were you upset because you didn’t want him to think you’re seeing someone else?”

“That’s not it!” Ga Young argued, groaning a little. “Chan, it’s a fact that I’m not seeing anyone right now. I didn’t have to lie to an idiot like him just to keep him away from me.”

“Whatever. He’ll back off with that said anyway.” Ga Young sighed and shook her head, looking like she’s given up trying to argue with the other. “Seriously though, couldn’t you have done better?”

“Like I said, he wasn’t like this back then. Maybe he was but he wanted to win the bet he made with his friends so he acted all gentlemanly around me.”

“Why do you still answer his call then when you knew how much of a he is now?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because he was my first love? I’m not sure anymore,” she said, sighing.

Chanyeol scoffed at that. “Don’t make me laugh. He’s not your first love, Bunny.”

Kyungsoo frowned at the nickname. Bunny?

Ga Young looked confused as she tilted her head to her friend. “What are you talking about now?”

Chanyeol suddenly leaned close to her and Kyungsoo had to hold his breath from where he stood, still undetected by his fellow member and obviously forgotten by Ga Young. She leaned back a little at that but the distance was hardly there.

“Have you forgotten? I was your first love, Ga Young, not that idiot. It was me, Park Chan, whom you confessed to and kissed on my birthday.” Ga Young’s eyes widened but it was Kyungsoo who had frozen like a statue from where he stood, feeling like he had just been hit by lightning. “I was your first love, and you were mine.”

***

Baekhyun walked into Kyungsoo’s room with his phone in hand only to halt by the door when he saw the latter walking back and forth with a frown on his face and eyes burning hole to something invisible. He looked around the room, noticing the sudden eerie feeling in the air before turning to his friend again, and Baekhyun almost jumped when he realized that Kyungsoo was now glaring at him.

“Uh, Kyungsoo… is everything okay?” he asked hesitantly, swallowing when the guy narrowed his eyes at him.

“Baekhyun-ah…”

“Y–Yeah?”

“What are the probabilities for two childhood friends who happen to be each other’s first love to get together in the end?”

Baekhyun frowned at that. What the hell is he– He sighed and tilted his head at his friend before finally closing the door behind him and daring himself to step closer to the other.

“Okay, let’s pretend I understood that. What’s going on with you?” he asked, staring at Kyungsoo in concern.

“Just answer my question,” the other snapped at him and Baekhyun suddenly feared for his life.

“Uh… minimal?”

“Are you guessing or answering me?”

“I don’t know! Like, I don’t understand you at all. And how would I know that anyway? I mean, anything can happen so there’s no clear answer for that.”

Kyungsoo sighed and finally turned away, releasing Baekhyun from his so-called ‘evil glare’. “Damn it,” he muttered as he began pacing again.

“Seriously, Soo. What’s going on? Why are you suddenly like this?”

Kyungsoo stopped pacing and took a deep breath before slowly turning to face the other. Baekhyun looked worried and anxious for him which made him smile a little before he turned his gaze away and sighed again.

“I’m… I’m going to ask Ga Young out.”

Baekhyun blinked, frowned a little and then shook his head. “I’m sorry, I think I heard wrongly. Can you repeat that?” he asked, taking a step closer to his friend.

“I said I’m going to ask Ga Young out,” he repeated, loudly and clearly this time. He saw the surprise in the other’s eyes and smiled. “Yeah, I like her. It’s been a while since I find myself being attracted to someone, and I really like her, Baek.”

“Since when?”

“Since we got here? I’m not sure,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “I just really, really like her. And I’m going to ask her out.”

“Wait–”

“You know what, I’ll go ask her now.” Baekhyun blinked when Kyungsoo suddenly walked pass him without waiting for him to finish talking. “Better to ask her personally then text her, right?”

“Kyungsoo, wait!” Baekhyun yelled as he rushed after the other, barely catching up with him until the last step on the stairs. “For heaven’s sake, stop! Listen to me first, will you?”

“What is it, Baekhyun? Can’t it wait? I need to go now before I lose all this determination.”

“She’s not at home!” Kyungsoo paused upon hearing that before slowly turning to Baekhyun with a confused look. “She’s not home, Soo.”

“How do you know that?”

Baekhyun sighed. “She went out an hour ago,” he told the other who began to frown, no doubt that his head was filled with questions which only one he knew the answer to. “She went out with Chanyeol.”

***

Apparently, it was eighteen years today when the Moons first moved to the neighbourhood from Incheon, which marked the eighteenth year since Chanyeol and Ga Young first met. Her parents had mentioned the fact to her a week prior, but she didn’t remember it until Chanyeol mentioned it to her.

She wasn’t sure what was more surprising – the fact that Chanyeol remembered or that he asked her out to celebrate. She was, however, delighted because it’s been ages since she last hung out with the guy, so she quickly agreed to the idea.

Halfway to wherever Chanyeol was taking her, the situation finally dawned on her and she began to worry about him being seen in public with her. Since Chanyeol didn’t have his car with him at the moment, they’ve taken hers and the guy was currently behind the wheel, driving her to the city centre where the probability of him being spotted by his fans or paparazzi were high.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked as she glanced at him.

“It’s fine, Bunny. Trust me.” Chanyeol assured her with a smile. “The place where I’m taking you is secluded and no one would be able to find us there.”

“Where is it?”

“You’ll see.”

Ga Young sighed and turned to look out the window. Chanyeol had been giving her the same answer for the whole ride whenever she asked, and she figured it was pointless to keep asking. She almost shrunk in her seat when the car stopped at the traffic light but then she sat up when she realized that her car was tinted so it would be hard for anyone to see Chanyeol through the glass.

Ten minutes later, the car came to a stop and Chanyeol gestured her to leave the confine of her vehicle. The man himself stepped out without bothering to cover his face at all, and she was about to scold him for it when she realized that they were parked in a secluded area with hardly any other cars around.

“Come on, Ga Young.” Chanyeol called and took her hand in his, and she glanced down at their hands in surprise, too distracted to stop him from dragging her in his excitement. He led her to a single door that seemed to be the back door of some restaurant before pulling it open and gently pushed her inside. “Welcome to De La Casa.”

“Wow,” she gasped as she took in the sight.

Chanyeol had indeed led her through the back of a restaurant. They’ve just stepped into a garden of some sort and although it was small with walls around them, it was beautiful. There were lights hanging above them too and Ga Young smiled in awe as she tilted her head up, admiring the lights underneath the night sky.

“This is beautiful,” she said as she turned to Chanyeol. “How did you find this place?”

“It belongs to a friend of mine,” was all he said before leading her to a table. Someone appeared out of nowhere, surprising her, but Chanyeol merely greeted the guy before gesturing to Ga Young. “This is my date for the night. Ga Young-ah, meet my friend, Ki Joon.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ga Young-sshi.”

Ki Joon was the owner of the restaurant and was super friendly. Since Chanyeol needed the privacy, he handled the orders and delivered the food to them personally. The spaghetti carbonara and steak they ordered were delicious too, and Ga Young found herself forgetting everything else and enjoyed their dinner.

It felt weird yet familiar to be able to laugh and talk freely with her childhood friend again, and as Chanyeol rambled about the one time his sister caught him throwing away the horrible cookies she made when he was a child, Ga Young stared at him with a small smile on her face. She was too caught up with her feelings to realize that Chanyeol had stopped talking at some point and was staring right back at her, and when she finally did, she laughed away her embarrassment and ducked her head.

“I missed you,” Chanyeol suddenly said which made her lift her head again. “And I’m sorry for not coming to see you sooner.”

She smiled and shook her head. “It’s fine, Chan. I’m just glad we’re here now.”

“Me too.”

They sat gazing at each other in silence, lost in the feeling of being together again with smiles on their faces. Despite having so many things to say and talk about, they were content with the silence and being able to be in each other’s company. Ga Young allowed herself to drown in the sudden swirl of emotions the night brought to her before breaking eye contact to chuckle to the side.

“Come on, Chan. I think it’s time we leave,” she suggested although deep down, she didn’t want the night to end.

“Already?” he asked, and she blushed at the obvious disappointment on Chanyeol’s face. She nodded though which made him sigh. “You’re right. I have a whole day full of schedules to attend tomorrow too.”

With a reluctant sigh, Chanyeol got up and reached for her hand, pulling her up from her chair before pulling her back to the where they came in. She stopped when she recalled something and frowned at him.

“Wait, aren’t you going to pay for the meals?” she asked.

Chanyeol chuckled. “Don’t worry about that, Bunny. Let’s go, okay.”

She nodded, not wanting to question him further, and allowed him to lead her to the car. On the way back, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling and leaned back against the seat, singing along to Kyuhyun’s Love Again on the radio as Chanyeol drove.

Eventually, Chanyeol let one hand go from the steering wheel and lightly took her hand into his, and Ga Young stared down at their hands before interlacing their fingers together, blushing when she heard Chanyeol chuckling in amusement. She threw her gaze out of the window and continued to hum to the song, their clasped hands feeling light yet heavy on her lap.