“Wendy and I….” Chanyeol gulped. “Wendy and I are dating. Not for pretend. Uhm. We’re really dating.”

Wendy’s parents looked at the two, stunned.

“It’s true,” Wendy supplied. “Chanyeol is my boyfriend. For real.”

Chanyeol felt like he was going to faint.

“Oh my god!” Wendy’s mom said ecstatically. “Finally! I knew it! I had a feeling! Since when was this?”

“Mom—” Wendy loved her mom, but this was not the time for her to get this excited. They still didn’t know what her dad thought.

“Well if this isn’t a surprise,” Wendy’s dad pursed her lips, offering a small smile. Chanyeol gulped. He was pretty sure that wasn’t a good kind of smile.

“Dad—” Wendy was ready to give a whole speech on how it all happened, but Chanyeol interrupted her.

“Mr. Son, I’m so sorry. I know I promised you years ago that I wouldn’t let guys approach Wendy – it was difficult because everyone liked her – but, uhm, well, and, uhm, this is probably the last thing you wanted, and for that, I apologize. But I really can’t apologize for loving your daughter. She’s been my best friend for years now, and it just happened that we finally realized our feelings for each other after all this time, and I think the forced dating just hastened the process. If you don’t approve of me, I’d understand, but please do know that I truly love and care for your daughter, and I promise to keep her happy.”

Wendy wanted to scold Chanyeol – she knew they had to get permission from her parents, especially her dad – they were traditional and conservative, but what was all that thing about understanding if her dad didn’t approve? Did he mean that he wouldn’t fight for her? But all those thoughts got erased when Chanyeol started talking about how much he loved her, and she knew it took so much courage for him to say that to her dad. Wendy held Chanyeol’s hand tighter and looked at him with her eyes glistening.

“Well, Wendy, you had something to add?” Her dad looked at her, smiling.

“Uh… Well. I do love him. And he’s my best friend. And it would really, really, mean a lot to me if you guys gave us your approval to go out together. I mean, if you didn’t, well—I’d still date—"

“Oh, Seungwan,” her mom exclaimed, looking gently at her own daughter. “You never needed our permission. We want you to do the things that would make you happy! Always. You know that.”

“Your mother’s right,” her dad added. “We know you dated around. Don’t lie to me.” He paused to chuckle. “I still appreciate what you two did though, especially you, Chanyeol. I trust you, and I only trust a handful of people. Don’t break that trust. Don’t everbreak Seungwan’s heart.”

“I won’t, sir, I promise,” Chanyeol stammered, releasing a breath he felt like he held for the past ten minutes. “Thank you.”

Wendy felt emotional with what she just heard. She loved her parents, but she was usually soafraid of them, very different from how Chanyeol expressed his love to his mother. Wendy thought that this was a new stage in both her relationship with Chanyeol and her relationship with her parents, and she tried her best to keep the tears from flowing out of her eyes.

“Thank you, Mom, Dad,” Wendy finally said. “I really, really, appreciate it. Chanyeol makes me happy.” Chanyeol felt shy when she said that, but he smiled nonetheless.

“We love you, Seungwan, and we know we’ve been strict when you were much younger, but now that we’re older, we just want to see you and your sister happy,” Wendy’s mom said as she reached for her daughter’s shoulder. “But enough of that now, I want to know how it happened!”

“And that’s my cue to order more sake,” Wendy’s dad quipped, which earned a laugh from everyone.

Chanyeol went with the Son family as they went back to their hotel. Wendy’s father gave him a brief heart-to-heart talk again, of course, but he also made the effort to get to know Chanyeol more. He appreciated that Wendy’s dad really trusted him – and Chanyeol felt like he never wanted to disappoint Wendy’s father. As they neared the entrance of the hotel, he politely said his goodbyes and see-you-soons to Wendy’s parents, and the old, loving couple headed up to their room first, leaving the young pair behind.

Wendy and Chanyeol went to the more hidden side of the lobby – both were already wearing caps and masks (as soon as they left the restaurant, of course), but the two still wanted to make sure that no one saw them.

“Well, that was an experience. Finally introduced a boyfriend to them,” Wendy smiled teasingly.

“A boyfriend?A?One? Do you plan on introducing more?” Chanyeol’s eyebrows shot up. He wanted to pout, but he ended up smiling back at his girlfriend.

“I won’t if you behave,” Wendy chuckled.

“But I’m glad they trust me. I think.”

“They do. They loved you,” Wendy said, reaching for Chanyeol’s hand.

“I really wouldn’t go that far,” Chanyeol chuckled.

Wendy felt a different kind of bliss seeing her parents loving whom she loved. Sometimes, a thought would creep up Wendy’s mind – what on earth did she do to deserve the happiness she’s experiencing now? She wasn’t that extraordinary as a person. But Chanyeol always stopped that thought of hers, reminding her that it was unhealthy.

“You’re thinking again,” Chanyeol said as he tucked Wendy’s hair behind her ear.

“No, I’m just happy,” Wendy reassured him and flashed him a smile.

“Happiness just happens, remember? So do like, sad things. You don’t just deserve it or whatever. But if some did deserve to be happy, it’s you. So just… don’t think much about it. Be in the moment. You’ve been doing so well so far, yeah?” Chanyeol said.

“I know,” she replied as she put her arms on Chanyeol’s shoulders to hug him. “This is so cheesy, but I’m lucky I have you. Like, even as just a best friend.”

“That is cheesy. You’ve been hanging out with me way too much,” Chanyeol laughed as he rubbed Wendy’s back.

“Ugh, I know,” Wendy answered back.

“I had a really good time with your parents, and I can’t believe I just said that,” Chanyeol said. “You’re going back to Seoul tomorrow, yeah?” Wendy nodded. “I’m staying in Japan for a bit since Zico and the lot are coming to Tokyo.”

“Oh, right! Please tell them I said hi,” Wendy said.

“I will,” Chanyeol grinned. “See you in Seoul when I get back?”

“Yep,” Wendy beamed back. Chanyeol pulled her closer and kissed her on the forehead. “Thanks for today, Chanyeol. I’m serious.” Chanyeol rested his chin on her head and just smelled her hair, which reminded him of vanilla and fresh roses.

“You have nothing to thank me for, I’m mostly just relieved,” Chanyeol laughed, and Wendy playfully punched his stomach. “See you in a week, okay?”

Weeks passed, and while Wendy and Chanyeol messaged daily – as usual – they still haven’t seen each other. They were both fine with it, they had last-minute schedules that popped up, and they had to do their jobs, but it didn’t reduce the fact that they missed each other.

Wendy ended up hanging out at The Worst Café near their place, since no one ever really hung out there at night, and she trusted the server, whom she considered a friend.

Wendy had been feeling uneasy since she came from Japan, always sensing that there was something wrong in her environment. She thought that it was probably just some sasaengs following her, but she couldn’t take her mind off it. Maybe Dispatch hired more photographers to follow her since she kind of hit it big now, and she’s more in demand for OSTs and show appearances. Whatever that was, she’s been feeling uncomfortable—and she’s been doing well dealing with her worrying, being carefree, but this felt different. She was deep in thought when Chanyeol messaged her.

PCY: seungwan

Seungwanderer: hi

PCY: why r u still awake??

Seungwanderer: cant sleep

PCY: im just gonna get straight to the point

PCY: i miss you

Seungwanderer: i cant believe we made each other this cheesy

Seungwanderer: but yeah fine me too

PCY: are you in your room?

Seungwanderer: no im at the worst café

PCY: … its 12mn

Seungwanderer: i shld be saying that to you too!!

PCY: can u wait around 10-15 mins? ill be there

Seungwanderer: chanyeol its late get sleep please

PCY: no thanks see you

Wendy sighed. She wanted Chanyeol to take a rest, especially since he’s been booked for so many events the past weeks, but she wasn’t going to lie: she liked that Chanyeol still made an effort to see her. She did miss him. Thanks to Chanyeol, she briefly forgot about the uneasy feeling she’s been having ever since she was in Japan.

A few minutes later, Chanyeol – in his regular hoodie and track pants – came into the café subtly, easily finding Wendy in the secluded corner of the shop.

Wendy was playing some game on her phone and didn’t look up when Chanyeol was in front of her.

“Uh, excuse me? Your boyfriend a