Sehun woke up the next day feeling like he was in need of strong caffeine. It’s ridiculous because he would usually crave something sweet in the morning, like bubble tea. When he ventured into the kitchen to make himself some, the coffee machine was broken and immediately his mood pummelled. Baekhyun walked in just as he was about to lift that thing over his head and smash it, and the elder was quick to snatch it away when he saw this.

“Whoa, there.” Sehun groaned when the coffee machine was taken from him. “What’s with you? What did this machine ever do to you, Sehun?”

“It’s broken, hyung.”

Baekhyun stared down at it. “It must’ve broke during the move,” he muttered and sighed. “Oh well, we can always get a new one. Why are you up so early anyway? Do you have a schedule too?”

The younger sighed. “No. I just woke up feeling desperate for coffee. Now the coffee machine’s broken. How is this even possible!?”

“Calm down, maknae. Why don’t you go out and find a coffee shop somewhere for coffee?”

“Can I do that? What if someone sees me?”

“Chanyeol says this neighbourhood is safe. Kyungsoo and I did wander around this place yesterday and even went to the nearby supermarket to buy groceries, and no one bothered us.”

“You guys wore masks.”

“Point,” Baekhyun nodded. “So wear a mask and go get your damn coffee.”

So that’s how Sehun found himself on the road with a black cap covering his hair and eyes, but he refused to wear a mask. He did, however, zipped his jacket all the way up to his chin so he could just duck his head to hide the bottom half of his face. The sun wasn’t too bright and the breeze was cool enough to lighten his mood, and Sehun whistled as he tried to find the closest coffee shop.

After turning a corner, Sehun saw a boy of his age – or maybe younger – walking towards him, mumbling something under his nose as he carried two bags of groceries in his arms. Sehun decided to risk it and approached the boy who stumbled when he almost collided into him.

“Can I help you?” the boy asked, giving Sehun a weird look. There was no recognition in his eyes which Sehun was happy for.

“Yeah, do you know where the nearby coffee shop is? I just moved here you see, so I don’t know the places well just yet.”

The boy cocked a brow at this. “You’re new? You don’t happen to have moved into house number 212, do you?”

Sehun froze. How did he know this?

“Why are you so frozen?” the boy snorted. “I’m your neighbour! I live right next door.”

“Next door? As in… Ga Young noona’s place?”

“I see you’ve met my sister. Anyway, you wanted to find a coffee shop right? There’s one by the supermarket. But I know another place that makes better coffee, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“You do? Where?!”

***

Ga Young should honestly be surprised when she saw Sehun in their kitchen, chatting with Kwang Soo about a game she’s never heard of, but she decided to ignore it altogether. She didn’t know how her brother met the guy in the first place, but she was sure that Kwang Soo had no idea that Sehun was a celebrity. The boys hardly paid attention to her as she moved about the kitchen, pouring for herself a mug of Kwang Soo’s grounded coffee.

“Oh, noona.” She turned to her brother at that. “Mom made some food, and she wants you to give some to the guys next door.”

“Ooh, can I have my share here?” Sehun asked, looking up at her. “I want to stay here with Kwang Soo.”

She sighed. “Sure.”

That’s how she found herself at EXO’s doorstep once more, although this time she rang the bell and did her best not to peek inside or make use of her spare key. Thankfully, the door opened after the second ring and she was met with the cold face of Park Chanyeol. Again, it seemed like she’d woken him up from his sleep.

“What are you doing here?” he asked grumpily.

Not like I wanted to be here, she wanted to say but smiled instead. “My mom told me to pass this to you,” she said and held out a plastic of containers containing the food Mrs Moon had prepared for the boys’ breakfast. “Don’t bother saving any for Sehun because he’s already pigging out in my kitchen.”

Chanyeol raised a brow at that. “He’s at your place?”

“I did say he was in my kitchen.”

He rolled his eyes at her sarcastic reply before opening the door wider. “Put it in the kitchen, or something.”

Ga Young blinked stupidly as Chanyeol turned around and made his way up the stairs, leaving her dumbfounded by the front door. Did he just told me to come in?, she wondered and warily stepped into the house. When she heard Chanyeol’s door closing upstairs, she sighed and made her way into the kitchen, the soft sound of her feet covered by house slippers quietly echoing in the huge house.

There was a bowl of fruits on the dining table and a plate of pancakes, and Ga Young frowned at it just as she heard something scraping against a pan coming from the kitchen. She silently made her way over and was surprised to see the sight of Kyungsoo cooking eggs by the stove.

“A singer–” Kyungsoo jumped and turned to her, eyes wide in surprise. “–a dancer, an actor and now, a cook. What can’t you do, Kyungsoo-sshi?”

Kyungsoo chuckled once he got over his surprise. “I can sew, clean and bake too. But I’ve been busy, so the only thing I can do at home when I have the time is cook.” Ga Young looked impressed at that while he switched off the stove and placed the scrambled eggs into a bowl. “So what do I owe you to be graced by your presence this morning?”

Ga Young snorted but answered, “Mom made breakfast and told me to bring some for you guys. And don’t bother to leave any for Sehun because he’s already eating our share in my kitchen.”

“What? He’s at your house?” She nodded. “No wonder I haven’t seen him all morning. He’s not really an early riser, not unless we have schedules so early, so it’s a surprise that he’s already someplace else at this hour.”

“Well, I don’t know how he became friends with my brother, but they’re already being all buddy-buddy in my kitchen.”

“Come join us for breakfast then, since Sehun is at yours. Baekhyun has a schedule this morning so he left already, and now it’s just Chanyeol and me. Join us?”

Ga Young really couldn’t say no at the sight of the heart-shaped smile.

***

“So, let me get this straight. You want me to become their cleaning lady?”

The two men who were actually EXO’s managers, nodded and so did her mother. She didn’t expect for her mother to call her to her office in Seoul and when she arrived, the two middle-aged men introduced themselves as managers for the boygroup living next door. She was suspicious to their presence, and when her mother finally told her, Ga Young felt like face-planting herself onto the floor.

“It’s just for a while, honey.” Mrs Moon said after the two men left. “Their previous cleaning lady had to quit, and they need someone to help them out for a while before they actually hire another lady.”

“But why me?”

“Because you’re not working yet. You have time.”

“I wanted time for myself, mother.” she argued.

Mrs Moon sighed. “Come on, do it for your mother. Or at least, think of it this way; as a cleaning lady, you get to walk in and out of the house as you please, just like how you used to before our neighbours moved in.” When she realized that Ga Young seemed to be considering her words, she smirked a little and continued, “You were upset when they were going to move in because it meant you can’t visit the house whenever you miss Chan anymore, right? At least, now you have a reason to.”

Ga Young rolled her eyes when she saw the victorious grin on her mother’s face. “Seriously, you’re evil. You just want me to do free labour.”

“It’s not like you don’t get benefits from the situation.”

“Urgh.”

Mrs Moon laughed, knowing that she’s won and that Ga Young had no intention of arguing with her anymore. “You’ll start tomorrow, okay? I’ll make a call to those two guys to inform them. And if you’re planning to stay in the office, go along and bother your dad. I’m busy.”

She rolled her eyes but left for her father’s office anyway.

***

The next morning, Ga Young found herself sweeping and mopping the floor of the living room in her neighbour’s place, accompanied by the silence. The members had left the house way before she arrived, and she assumed that they had gone to attend their schedules. They must be really tired with such busy schedules, she thought to herself as she arranged the pillows on the couch.

Ga Young may not be a fan of EXO, but she was well aware of their popularity and how often they travelled. There was once when she got stuck in the airport while waiting for her parents because hundreds of fans crowded the place, bringing banners with EXO’s name on it. She remembered she almost turned deaf due to all the screaming. She knew how busy they were too (Super Junior Leeteuk once mentioned this on a show) and she felt sorry for these boys.

After a while of cleaning, Ga Young noticed a folder with a few papers sticking out on the table, and she carefully flipped the file open to see music sheets. There were words – lyrics – written on them although it only filled half of the paper, and Ga Young realized that one of the members must’ve wrote it during their free time. She felt oddly amazed and proud of that thought.

She didn’t let herself wonder too long and continued cleaning the house, even cleaning the washroom since she’s on a roll, and by the time she’s done with the first floor and the basement playroom, it was almost noon. Still, Ga Young didn’t stop and continued making her way up the second floor where their rooms were.

She paused at the last step.

Which room did mom say not to enter again?, she wondered, tilting her head. Ah, Chanyeol’s room. But how the hell would I know which is his room?

Ga Young sighed. Her gaze stopped on the first door on the right, and that’s when she realized something. This was Chan’s room. Without realizing it, she’s already standing in front of the door with her hand on the knob, and for a moment she hesitated until a voice told her to just enter the room.

What if this is Chanyeol’s room? You’re not supposed to enter his room, another voice whispered in her head, making her stop.

But what if it’s not? And how would you know anyway? Just check and then leave.

Ga Young nodded to herself and carefully pushed down the knob before entering the room, and a melancholy feeling crept up her skin as she saw the interior of the room. Aside from the new furnitures inside, the room was the same. It hadn’t been remodelled with the rest of the house, like as if the Park’s purposely left the room untouched for Chan. Despite the sight of the instruments right front of her, Ga Young imagined a shelf full of toys and a white keyboard at the corner of the room where Chan used to place it.

“You’re the only person who’s allowed in this room,” she remembered Chan telling her once. “And grandpa, of course.”

“Why am I the only one allowed?”

“Because you’re special. And what’s mine is yours, so this room is yours too, Bunny.”

Ga Young smiled at the memory, her eyes going teary at the recollection of a smiling boy, her childhood friend. She walked over to the window by the door and pushed aside the curtains, staring straight at her own room. She chuckled when she recalled a certain memory.

Chan was sick, and he’s been sick for days so his grandfather wouldn’t let Ga Young come to visit him. The old man was worried that she would get sick as well, but all she wanted was to come visit him and take care of him. Chan knew she was upset so one day, he sat at the window, took a sketching pad and a marker, and wrote, don’t worry about me, bunny! I’ll come and play with you soon!, before sticking it to his window for her to read.

And that’s how they began exchanging messages through their windows.

Ga Young wiped away the tears that managed to fall down her face, and she sniffled a little as she imagined a young Chan standing right next to her, showing her younger self who’s standing her room across the window the words he’d written on his sketchbook.

I miss you, Bunny!

“I miss you too,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

Just then, someone walked into the room, and Ga Young lifted her head in surprise at the sight of Chanyeol. Her heart dropped to her stomach when her mother’s words suddenly echoed in her head.

“Don’t go into Chanyeol’s room. He doesn’t want anyone entering his room. Got it?”

And yet here she was, standing in his room, staring at him with eyes wide with surprise and fear while the other looked like a predator about to pounce on its prey. Ga Young literally felt her heart drop when he parted his lips.

***

“Ah, home sweet home!”

Baekhyun chuckled and fell onto the couch with Sehun. “Thank God the photoshoot was cancelled. Now we can sleep,” he said, smiling widely at the thought.

“Hyung, let’s play billiards instead,” Sehun suggested, looking excited at the idea.

“Ooh, shall we make a bet?”

Kyungsoo sighed as he stood watching s. “Seriously, enough with the betting. Suho hyung told us not make any more bets, remember?”

“But Suho hyung is not here,” Baekhyun responded cheekily, making Kyungsoo throw a pillow at him. “Ayy, stop that. Look how clean the house is already. I think that new cleaning lady manager hyung told us did come by this morning.”

Sehun looked around, noticed the cleanliness of the place, and nodded to himself. “Hmm, I think so too. Look at the floor. It’s actually shiny.”

“I wonder who the cleaning lady was,” Kyungsoo wondered just as Chanyeol’s loud yell could be heard from upstairs.

“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!!!”

The three froze, surprised by the yell from their member but they stood up in shock when they saw Ga Young running down the stairs and out the front door. They gawked at each other at first, too surprised to move, but Kyungsoo quickly snapped out of his stupor and ran out after her.

What he saw outside the door broke his heart.