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Lay spent way too much time in front of the mirror, trying out one outfit after another. He even tried different hairstyles and ended up looking like a sleepy sheep. Somehow his hair didn’t want to stay in place. He could hardly choose a proper outfit, couldn’t find his Nike sneakers he wanted to wear, and even tripped over his bed.

“Come on universe! I’m not a teenage girl, don’t go hard on me.” He growled and let out an exhausted sigh.

After what it seemed like forever, he was ready to go; checking the time, he gasped.

“Oh, please no. If I’m late again, Hyejeong will kill me with her sharp nails.” He rushed his movements. “I’m going out mom!” since he’d moved to Korea with his mother, he didn’t want to live in a flat alone or with friends like other guys in their twenties. He was perfectly fine with his life this way. He missed his father and brother so he was more than happy to live with his mother. At least he has one family member near him.

“Hmm, you rarely used this cologne. Special occasion?” She asked with a warm smile.

“What? No. Just hanging out with the guys you know.” He put on his shoes and took his jacket. Nights are cold.

“Are you going to that bar? Wonder or what it is?”

“Yep.”

“Going anywhere else?”

“Just to grab some dinner before the party.”

“When are you coming home?”

“Don’t know Mother.” He murmured “Depends on the mood.” He was desperately looking for his keys. These little things usually hide when people are in a rush.

“Who is the pretty girl? You look especially handsome tonight.”

“Well, her name is Halley, and she is Kris’s cousin you know. We picked her up today at the… Oh…. Oh, you’re such a sly woman. Ah, never mind. Bye.” He stormed out of the house as he realized his mother’s tricky plan, but he heard her sincere laugh even after he closed the door.

Hyejeong wasn’t pleased when she saw Lay. He couldn’t arrive in time after all. He was exactly eighteen minutes late. He had to apologize to the girl more than ten times, then she let him sit down.

“Finally, we can eat!” Sehun leaned back in his seat and took a sip of his beer. “That crazy chick said we can’t eat unless everyone is here and guess who we were waiting for?”

“Sorry.” Lay apologized again. He knows he’s clumsy and often late. Still, old habits die hard.

“It’s not a big deal, Yixing. Sehun is a whiny , that’s all.” Halley’s voice was like a soft music to his ears.

“Hey! This whiny will kick your , face!” Retorted Sehun harshly.

“Oh, come on! Stop being a jerk just for one night. Is it too much to ask for? Both of you. You!” Kris pointed at Sehun. “You are an annoying childish brat. Be a man for once and shut up! And you!” Then he pointed at Halley. “You’ve just arrived. Stop with your snappy remarks and act like a lady. Thank you very much. You both stress me out, dammit.” Kris raised his voice and massaged his temples.

The girls ignored him and started blabbering about girly things, Sehun frowned and shifted his attention to Baekhyun instead. Lay patted Kris’ shoulders. He knows Kris feels stressed nowadays. Work is really piling up around him. He tries to help him here and there, even though law isn’t his cup of tea. Junmyeon is a better choice considering he is a law student too. Kris and Junmyeon are attending a doctoral program at SNU. Beside this, Kris is helping his parents in their law firm, and managing the dance studio. Must be tough. 

Eventually, the meat was ready, and they started eating. They were having a great time together, their laughing echoed in the small restaurant making it vibrant. The owner willingly brought more food to their table and smiled at the cheerful young adults.

“… Nah… I think it was horrible, but Taehwan said it was okay. He was so pale. I’d thought he would faint. Hosung really did his best to surprise his dad.” Halley chuckled when Lay turned his head into her direction to peek at her lovely face.

“Wait wait wait. What? What did you just say?” Sehun stopped mid-sentence and looked at her concernedly.

“Well…” Her shoulders visibly tensed because of the sudden interrogation.

“You saw him? Why? When? What were you thinking?” Sehun’s voice was louder than it should have been. There was a lot more tension in the air like in the car before.

“I had to Sehun. I had to take Hosung to see his father. But let’s not talk about this here, okay?” She gave him a weak smile. The other nodded nonchalantly.

“I think we should go.” Hyejeong clapped her hands to loosen up the mood. “Come on!”

The group began walking to the direction where the bar called Wonder was located. They visit the place frequently in summer. Not all of them, of course. It’s a rare occasion when Kris and Junmyeon are spending the night with them. Both are busy thanks to school and work. Lay is working part time at the dance studio but he has a class full of 6-10 years old kids so most of the time he can hang out with his friends. Other times he doesn’t feel like going out and