"Hi everyone, nice to meet you. I'm Ji Chang wook, Ji Hyun's boyfriend."

The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Or in this case, a metal fork clanking to the floor, thanks to her Appa, who seemed to have lost his grip, not just on the fork, but permanently. His pinched fingers was still spastically suspended in the air where the fork used to be, his eyes rounded into huge circles and his mouth hanging open like a human flytrap. She's pretty sure she heard him squeak too. Apparently squeaking ran in the Nam family.

"Hi, Chang Wook ssi. Nice to meet you." As expected, her omma was the first to recover, a polite smile plastered on her face as she stepped closer to address him. She also gave her Appa a sharp nudge in the ribs with her bony elbow, and the man gave a noticeable wince.

"I was in the area. Jihyun said she's having dinner and I thought I should come in and greet her family," he said smoothly, flashing a winning smile at her mother, who, for all her smarts, wasn't immune to his charms. Her answering smile said it all. Taking in the still-shocked faces around him, he added apologetically, "I'm sorry I showed up unannounced."

He ran his fingers through his touseled hair, while the party watched, transfixed by his every move. His presence was too large, his aura too strong and imposing for their small dining room.

To anyone, he probably seemed calm and collected. Self assured even. But having spent the last three months observing and obsessing over his every move, she knew enough to know that he's rattled. His fists were balled up behind his back, tension rolling off his skin in subtle waves. And the of lips. That's an immediate giveaway. His nervous tick.

She longed to touch him, comfort him, so she did. She made her way to where he stood and rested a hand on his arm soothingly. When he turned to look at her, she flashed an encouraging smile, which he returned with a slight smile of his own before they turned to face the roomful of spectators together, as a united front.

++

Dinner was awkward. As awkward as it could be with a bunch of crazies who couldn't stop staring, and a man who was trying to ignore the crazies and their blatant staring. Only her Omma was vaguely normal, making polite conversation while subtly elbowing her father, who was completely oblivious. It's like his soul had left his body and little birdies had taken up residence instead, if the squeaking sounds he made at random intervals were any indication.

Dong Ha oppa had wisely begged out of this dinner earlier on, like any sane person would. Especially after her Oppa shot him an eerily friendly smile and asked what he was doing at his girlfriend's house, which sounded like a thinly veiled threat to her, the way he had emphasized on the word "girlfriend". She made a mental note to send an apology to Dong Ha oppa later, for what she had unwittingly put him through, when all he did was be a Good Samaritan.

If only she could quit this dinner...except it would be too cruel to throw her boyfriend to the wolves while she ran away gleefully, so here she was, stuck at this painfully unproductive engagement.

Catching her mother's eyes while she was picking at her rice during another one of those dreadful lulls in the conversation, she saw Omma shoot over a pointed look and mouth something through her gritted teeth. Her mother was best at non verbal communication, but it's either she's not particularly expressive today or Ji Hyun's just off form, because it took her a while to decipher her intentions, while her mother grew increasingly agitated with each second that passed. "Ssay...something"? Ah ok, she wanted her to say something! As her mind raced to find an appropriate conversation topic, her trusty sister rose to the occasion, because she blurted, "What's your skincare regime?"

Facepalm. She felt a twinge of pity for her sister as her omma directed her blazing eyes at her. There was enough voltage in that electrifying glare to shock a bird. Not that her Unnie was affected, because she bravely protested, "I'm just saying!" Then sticking a hand just inches from his face, she exclaimed, "See how his face is glowing!"

Her Oppa, to his credit, did not show any outward discomfort. The years of training as an actor must have paid off. He merely blinked and said calmly, "I exercise a lot. And I drink water. Maybe that helps?"

"How are you going to protect your beautiful skin when you're in army?" Another mindless question from her sister, who's still shamelessly studying his face like he's some fascinating exhibit at the gallery.

She saw her Appa's fist tighten around his spoon. Army was a sore topic for him. It jolted him from his self-induced trance, as he finally opened his mouth, his chin lifted challengingly as he fired off questions in rapid succession, "Yes, army. What are you going to do about army? What took you so long to enlist? What about our Ji Hyun?" Then as an after thought, he darted his eyes to Unnie and added unnecessarily, "Good question, Ji Min", as if they were in the same line of defence.

Unnie cringed at the unsolicited praise. Realising her mistake, she muttered a "sorry" to Ji Hyun, which she ignored. She was too busy bouncing her eyes between the two men at the table, her heart thundering so loudly in her ears, it was deafening. She was about to step in to mitigate the awkward situation when her Oppa spoke.

"Sir, you're right. I could have enlisted earlier. It's my responsibility to the country," Oppa acknowledged, his eyes fixed on her father, who stared back with his arms crossed. He lowered his eyes to consider for a moment, before refocusing his attention on her Appa. "But I'm not sorry that I'm only enlisting now, because I've responsibilities at home too. My mother needed me. Our family wasn't doing well and it's only in the last couple of years that we've managed to turn things around. In fact, I'm still not sorry if I never h