It was the weekend, and Sehun and Chanyeol were taking some welcome time off. The rest of the cadets had all gone home so the two were temporarily free of their duties. 

But something was bothering Sehun that just would not allow him to relax completely. He eyed his tall cousin out of the corner of his eye, taking a sip of his drink before slowly lowering his glass. 

"So...," he cleared his throat. "You and that cadet..." he started, unsure of how to broach the topic. Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. 

"Cadet? You mean Chaeyoung?" He asked obliviously. Again, that itch of irritation appeared in Sehun's chest. 'They've dropped honorifics already?'

"Yeah. Her. The weak one," he nodded, his tone turning a little condescending. Chanyeol gave him a disapproving look. 

"She's not that weak. She's trying her hardest to please your pessimistic , you know?" he replied. "She's also a very nice person, once you get to know her. She always tries to help out others, even if they treat her like . And she's super cute - God, I don't know how I didn't notice earlier, but she reminds me of a kitten. You kind just get the urge to ruffle her hair sometimes, and-"

"Okay, now you're starting to sound like a creep," Sehun wrinkled his nose at how Chanyeol was practically gushing about the cadet. "You like her that much?"

The taller shrugged. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't judge her so harshly just because she's not the perfect soldier-"

"Of course I'm going to judge her because she's not the perfect soldier. That's my job," Sehun intervened, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not here to become her friend. I'm her drill instructor - I'm trying to make sure she'll survive on the battlefield. You seem to forget that we're in the military, Chanyeol. I don't have time to be nice and make friends. I want to make sure they won't die the minute they step onto the battlefield. I want perfection from them, which is what is expected."

"But is insulting and humiliating everyone the way to go?" Chanyeol retorted. "You know, a little bit of optimism here and there isn't going to kill you."

"What, you want me to mollycoddle them?" Sehun asked sarcastically, taking a sip of his drink. "Real life is harsh - the battlefield even more so. They need discipline, and indulging them isn't going to give them that."

Chanyeol sighed, turning to face Sehun. The latter was surprised to see Chanyeol looked completely serious and a tad exasperated. "Sehun, I'm obviously not telling you to mollycoddle them. But people learn in different ways and sometimes, a little positive encouragement can do a lot more than constant criticism. Have a little flexibility in your approach, you know? You can't always be so unyielding and demanding - one day, it'll backfire on you," the taller rolled his eyes and Sehun blinked. The irritation was back, which caused him to scowl, but with it was something else. Chanyeol had never criticised his harsh teaching methods before, and it left him feeling a little...odd. He wasn't hurt, but he suddenly felt a teeny, tiny bit uncertain. 

Maybe... Chanyeol had a point?

'One day, it'll backfire on you.'

Psh, as if. 

Shaking his head to rid himself of this sudden doubt, he frowned and eyed Chanyeol. "Backfire on me? I don't think so."

Chanyeol shrugged uncaringly, the brief moment of tension passing like the wind as he took a swig of his drink. "You never know. But anyway, I forgot my wallet today, so I'm afraid you're going to have to shout this one," he grinned shamelessly, causing Sehun rolled his eyes in exasperation. Regardless, he allowed a tiny, amused smile to lift his lips. 

No matter what their differences were, he knew he'd always be able to count on Chanyeol. 

**

From then on, Chanyeol became Chaeyoung's partner for all group activities in training. They were on their way to the mess hall when another senior officer approached them. 

"Chanyeol-ssi," he nodded casually in acknowledgement to the taller captain. 

"Heechul-sunbae," Chanyeol nodded back respectfully. Heechul then turned to Chaeyoung, who immediately saluted. 

"Sir," she smiled politely and despite his rather serious countenance, the eldest allowed a small smile in return. He had seen and heard many things about this particular cadet, but her friendly, kind personality was one he had personally observed many times. 

"Cadet Park, I was asked to pass along a message to you," he said, surprising her. "You have been assigned as Sehun's personal assistant for the next two weeks. You are to report back to him after each day of training."

"Me?" Chaeyoung blinked. 

"Yes. All Cadets are rotated every month and it seems like this time it's your turn," he replied. "Now, if you don't mind, I have some work to do, so I'll be off first."

Nodding in acknowledgement, he strode off. Chanyeol glanced at Chaeyoung, whose eyes were still wide with surprise. He poked her forehead. "You okay?"

Slowly, she nodded. "Mm. Just surprised."

The taller chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine. You know how Sehun is - just do what he tells you and you'll be fine."

"But what if I fail?" she hung her shoulders. "What if he ends up hating me even more."

"Aw, come now. Where's the cheerful, optimistic Chaeyoung I know?" he ruffled her hair playfully. "He doesn't hate you. He just acts like he does to everyone because he's a jerk. Not your fault at all."

"Easy for you to say," she mumbled under her breath, causing Chanyeol to raise an eyebrow. 

"Young lady, is that a hint of attitude I see?" he teased. "Is that any way to speak to a superior?"

She rolled her eyes, but an amused smile lifted her face, banishing her previous moment of gloom. "Well it depends on your meaning of superior," she retorted.

Chanyeol pretended to groan and hooked an arm around her neck, wrestling with her playfully. "Aish, this girl. I'm being too nice to you, aren't I? Making you think you can start rolling out the sass like that," He smiled as she yelped and giggled, struggling out of his hold. She merely stuck her tongue out at him. 

"Last one to the mess hall is a rotten egg," she sang, before bolting towards the dining hall. 

"Yah! You got a head start!"

**

"Sir? This is Park Chaeyoung, reporting back to you as your new personal assistant," Chaeyoung stood outside the door to Sehun's office, patiently waiting. In all honestly, her heart was beating a little nervously insi