“WHAT?!” 17-year old Kyungsoo asked breathlessly, barging into the Parks’ front door that afternoon, and remembering to bring the only provision that he knew would realign Chanyeol’s world back to its exact axis again. “WHAT’S THE BIG EMERGENCY?”

He found his best friend on his family’s elegant beige couch (matching the classy interior of the family home’s lavish living room), his head bent down and clutched in his large hands. “I didn’t sign up for this!”

Kyungsoo bewilderedly sat down beside him, and saw that there was a letter addressed to Chanyeol bearing their high school’s official letterhead. He picked it up from the coffee table. If Chanyeol didn’t want him to read it, he wouldn’t have left it lying out in the open like that.

The smaller one tried to control his laughter, the sputtering getting more and more unrestrained after every word, until Kyungsoo eventually turned hysterical, outright laughing at his expense! “This is so worth postponing writing my biology report to physically come over here and find this out!”

“UGHH!!!” Chanyeol whined, plopping back to the sofa dramatically.

Kyungsoo’s chuckles dwindled a little, deciding to be a little more empathetic. He opened the food container he had brought for him—as peace offering, at least. “You could tell them you’re declining when you go to school tomorrow.”

“But it’s for charity,” the taller one pointed out plaintively, peeking in through his closed lids to see what food his best friend, the aspirant chef, had brought today.

The aroma of salivating squid takoyaki was too tempting to be ignored.

“Then do it,” Kyungsoo placated, shoving a takoyaki ball in Chanyeol’s mouth before another complaint came out of it. “Frankly, I think you’d make a very pretty girl and you might outbid everybody to raise money for the orphanage.”

Chanyeol chewed very quickly and gulped. Damn, that was one heavenly takoyaki. He almost felt way better already. “I don’t know why the guys have to dress like girls and the girls have to dress like guys. It’s a dating auction!”

“It’s supposed to be fun and funny!” Kyungsoo expressed in pacification. “Come on. It’s for a good cause. You’ll be a knockout, with your long legs, your big eyes, your smooth face…” His owlish eyes grazed over Chanyeol’s elf-like ears that had always stuck out—literally—a teasing smile forming on his heart-shaped lips. “Maybe… hide your ears with a wig?”

Chanyeol socked him on the arm. “I’ll be the prettiest crossdresser up there, Do Kyungsoo, just you wait!”

The smaller one was laughing as he rubbed the sore spot, getting only one takoyaki ball, out of the 12 he’d packed, pushing the container towards Chanyeol’s way. “I’m sure you’ll be.”

“I’ll be so pretty, you probably wouldn’t be able to help but bid on me yourself!” Chanyeol pouted, piercing another takoyaki with a chopstick, biting hugely into it. He hummed at the savory flavor bursting in his mouth, but resumed his petulant expression.

“First of all, it’s clear that you haven’t even bothered to read the letter in its entirety. The school chose you to be among the 5 male participants due to your popularity, moral standing and good looks. Secondly, only girls would be able to bid on you.” Kyungsoo couldn’t help but snicker. “Thirdly, you forget that I’m a student in our school due to my full scholarship, and therefore, I don’t actually have extra money to spend on something as silly as a dating auction, and bid on you…” Then he coughed, a particularly large morsel of takoyaki lodging on his throat that he had to down half a bottle of water. “… of all people.”

Not really appreciative of the joke, Chanyeol begrudgingly devoured some more of the squid takoyaki, when the front door opened and a beautiful young woman entered.

“Annyeong, noona,” Kyungsoo automatically greeted and Chanyeol’s older sister brightened instantly.

Yoora just got home from university and gave Kyungsoo a mesmerizing smile. “Annyeong, Kyungsoo-yah!” Then she went over and give a fond and gentle pinch to Kyungsoo’s very squishy cheek—which would normally drive Kyungsoo nuts—but whenever Yoora did it, Kyungsoo couldn’t help but blush.

Yoora sat down to the other side of her dongseang, whom she had completely ignored, by the way, and reached for one takoyaki with her bare hand to pop it into .

Chanyeol clucked his tongue. This was his takoyaki, made by his best friend!

Kyungsoo should have made more if he wanted Chanyeol to share!

Yoora noticed her brother’s sour expression and rolled her eyes at him. 

She turned to his cute and short (about the same height as her) best friend instead, who had been stuck to the hip with his brother since they were 14. “These are especially good, Kyungsoo-yah!  You should sell these!” She hummed at the savory flavor of the takoyaki, which she knew Kyungsoo would often bring Chanyeol.  “Would you be staying for dinner?” she asked him sweetly.

It made Chanyeol want to vomit in his throat, when he heard Kyungsoo giggling.

Kyungsoo… was giggling.

Like a girl.

Because of Yoora noona.

“Uh… aniyo,” Kyungsoo replied shyly, standing up to get his backpack. He bowed low in front of noona. “I need to submit a biology report tomorrow morning for class, anyway, so I better go. I just…”

Chanyeol was narrowing his eyes at him dangerously.

Kyungsoo’s laughter sputtered again, as he grabbed the dating auction notice from the table to quickly hand it to Yoora. “Chanyeol needs to dress like a girl, noona!”

Just as Chanyeol was about to lunge at him, Kyungsoo dashed to the front door—that flighty little imp!—calling out, “Please make him pretty!”

And then he disappeared.

As if Chanyeol hadn’t had enough humiliation in one day, he turned to face the onslaught of his sister’s inevitable tormenting, which he anticipated to be much worse than Kyungsoo’s.

However, he discovered that his sister was engrossed in reading the dating auction mechanics. The next thing he knew, his noona was dragging him by the arm to her bedroom upstairs.

Yoora rummaged through her closet to lend her younger, yet taller brother, some clothes that would make him look cute and not comical or clownish. She handed him a stretchy yellow tank top and a white denim shirt. “Would you be needing a bra?”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened in horror, his hands automatically gripping his flat, flat chest. “W-Would I? Wae?”

Yoora looked thoughtful and gave him one of her new, lacey white brassiere, with an extendable band at the back. “Maybe we shouldn’t let Omma and Appa know about this, huh?”

Chanyeol agreed vehemently.

“Yeol-rah, try them on,” his noona instructed.

The dongseang’s eyes observed the alien, feminine items in trepidation.

Yoora exasperatedly