Five:

“Come on, Dahyun. Wear something decent, will you? A hoodie is not considered to be a formal outfit.” Baekhyun made a ‘pretty please!’ face and I shook my head.

“You never cared about my appearance before.” I raised a brow and began brushing my hair instead.

He was wearing the cleanest and shiniest white shirt from his wardrobe with a pair of black trousers. On special days like this he would style his hair to a side and look slightly mature than his age. But this was anything besides special for me. It was the dreaded Sunday I was mentally avoiding all this while.

“You look like you’re not interested to meet him. And that’s not a good impression to someone who is going to be your family soon.” Baekhyun explained and I rolled my eyes.

“Look, I’m too lazy to put on a dress on weekend morning. Besides, if he won’t like me at my worst then….maybe he’s not going to be a good stepfather either.” I said as a matter-of-factly.

“You’re not happy with this, are you?” Baekhyun’s voice said that he had seen through me. I didn’t reply as a confirmation.

Before he could continue, Mom knocked on the door and opened it slightly to peek in with a grin on her face. “He’s here.” She said softly and Baekhyun told her we’d be down soon. She looked so beautiful with that amount of joy on her face. Except that I just couldn’t bring myself to like the reason behind her joy.

“I don’t know about being a good stepfather, however, he’s definitely a really good person. Please don’t think too much about this for now.” Baekhyun patted on my shoulder and flashed a smile, kissing the top of my head.

When we reached downstairs he was chatting with Mom in the living room. He got up to greet us, smiling and embracing Baekhyun in a hug. I only put my hand forwards for a handshake. Well, I’ll admit he was handsome. But not as good looking as my father, for sure.

“I’m Choi Siwon. A cardiologist and your mom’s long term colleague. Forty-two and widowed. A daughter named Nayeon and a dog named Bugsy. Nice to meet you.” He said in one go and grinned. “And don’t worry, I’m bad at dad jokes so I won’t even try to make any.”

Mom and Baekhyun cackled. I cringed inside my mind. He was witty too. But dad was still better at humor.

“I came here right after waking up. Not entirely, I took my time to look nice, ofcourse,” Mom laughed again. “But I skipped breakfast. So what are you serving us today?” he clapped his hands and began walking towards our dining table.

“I’m sure Mom has prepared a feast.” Baekhyun said, sitting next to him and I sat across my brother.

“I still have to see what your Mom’s food tastes like.” He smiled.

“Oh, horrible.” Baekhyun laughed. “No, just kidding. She’s an amazing cook.”

It was obvious they’d get along well. I thoughtlessly played with the spoons and plates. Mom brought pancakes with blueberries and raspberries, banana bread, chocolate pudding and two different fruit juice. She had also ordered an Indian subcontinental sweet called Kheer from a nearby restaurant. A feast like breakfast, sure.

They talked about work and our school and changing climates. About the 90s movies and how Siwon had met his first wife at a college field trip. About how Mom and dad were introduced through mutual friends and didn’t actually like each other at first. About Baekhyun’s first kiss turning into his unwanted fan for half a year and the conversation almost drifted towards my first kiss mishap but I kicked Baekhyun under the table to shut up.

“But compared to me Dahyun’s slightly better at studies.” Baekhyun changed the topic and gave me a ‘happy now?’ smile.

“Don’t you talk a lot, Dahyun?” Siwon asked and I looked up.

I looked at Baekhyun for help but Mom interrupted. “No, she’s very talkative while eating. I don’t know why she’s so quiet today.”

I looked back down, trying to keep my cool. I didn’t even want to be here at the moment. “I’m just sleepy.” I said instead.

“Did you sleep late last night?” Siwon asked smiling again. I shook my head. “Umm…t