“Is there any reason why you can’t tell your friends about your relationship?” Baekhyun asked curiously as they walked to class.

“Hmm…” She hummed in reply as she absentmindedly greeted people who threw them greetings.

“Is he older than you?” Baekhyun casually asked her giving a wary glance to which Kina only nods. “He’s um… already working?”

“Yeah.”

“Office worker?”

“Not really…”

“Is it some work where you got to be careful regarding relationships?”

“Um… I guess?”

“Oh…” He nods looking grim, “So that’s how it really is.”

“Yeah…” Kina nods absentmindedly, “but that’s okay. Once this semester is done, I am going to introduce him to everyone.”

Baekhyun scowled at that, “Do you really have to do that?”

“Yeah,” She smiled happily, “I’ve planned out everything! We’re going to Jeju and stuff like that. It’ll be mad fun.”

Best Friends

“Isn’t it funny that Jongin Oppa’s IG account has more photos of Jason and Jihye than his photos?” Kina giggles as she scrolls the professor’s account.

“My babies, my drama king…” Kina reads out the captions even making Sehun laugh.

“Jongin’s account is more likely a fan account for my niece and nephews.”

Kina hums and continued scrolling while her other hand worked the spatula.

“Aren’t you going to finish baking now?”

“Nope,” Kina sighs plopping down from the top of the Kitchen Island where she had been seating. Sehun was seated in a chair doing some work as Kina worked the cakes. “I am making a cake for Mom and dad… as well as Uncle and also your parents. I’m sending some to my grandma as well… Might as well make some for my friends…”

“Kina…” Sehun sighs and speaks up in a warning tone. “What’s happening?”

She purses her lips at that and stopped her work to give him a worried look.

“Have you heard about the um… rumors in college?”

He scoffed a little at that, “And since when did you start caring about the rumors?”

She turns down her gaze and stared at her feet for some moments before turning to look at him with a scared expression making him uneasy.

“They-um… the people are saying… um… there’s a rumor about a student going out with one of the professors and its making rounds.”

For a good moment, Sehun’s heart rolled in his chest.

“We’ve never even had a talk in public in College,” He mutters. “Maybe it’s about some other people. I am sure it’ll be some other people. We’ve been careful… I think.”

Kina nods but unsurely.

“But what if they had seen me come to your office more than once? Or like they saw us together in the library that one time… or I don’t know… seen me looking at you?”

Despite her fearful appearance or the nature of the topic, he couldn’t help smiling at her. “You look at me in college?”

Kina of course rolled her eyes and frowned again. “I mean… of course?”

Sehun lets out a giggle at that and comes to ruffle her hair.

“Don’t worry. I am sure it’s not about us… Just worry about our vacation and our anniversary plans. And stop making so many cakes.”

Kina sighs a little and looked outside their window where winter rain was pelting down.

Another year had already flown by. Just some months from now on, Kina need not worry about her status with Sehun anymore as he would be leaving the college for office work and just that thought made her giddy with excitement. They could finally go out together in public, maybe go on dates and upload pictures together… not like the two of them had much social media presence… but still.

“Oh! Remember how we went to this neighborhood for fund-raise for the J Orphanage home?” Kina asked, shaking the cake mix to let out any air inside before she threw it in the oven.

Sehun nods as he resumed his work on his laptop.

“Jason’s school was just around the corner. He saw me there selling cookies and screamed ‘Noona’ at the top of his lungs nearly making his teacher cry.”

Sehun stops his work and laughs. “That’s Jason.”

“Then he ran towards me and literally jumped on top of me. I nearly dropped all the cookies had it not been Baekhyun.”

Sehun stilled his laughter at that and turned to look at Kina who was busy pressing buttons on the oven. “Anyway, I don’t think Jason liked Baekhyun much.”

Sehun nodded his head as though that was obvious. “The kid refused to even let Baekhyun talk to him. I wonder why. Baekhyun’s such a sweetheart.”

Kina and Baekhyun had made up or more like Baekhyun does not remember anything that night and so it was not so weird between them anymore.

Kina was uneasy at first, of course, but that boy could charm anyone in due course of time so they were now as thick as thieves again which honestly miffed Sehun.

“You know,” Kina beamed as she stood there with hands on her hips, “Talking about Baekhyun, he’s been going out on dates recently.”

“He has been?” Now Sehun was interested. Kina nods happily and took a seat next to him.

“He’s been going on several dates with this cute girl from the biology department and they’re so cute, oh my gosh!”

“Do they look like they’re serious about each other?”

“Absolutely!” Kina claps her hands making Sehun smile at her, “The girl’s been crushing on him for some time apparently and so he agreed to go on a date with her and he says she’s cute!”

“You seem more excited than him,” Sehun laughs at her excitement and bumped her head with his. Kina scowls at that and rubbed the spot.

“I mean of course! You’d be happy too if one of your best friends finds someone nice. I know the girl too. She’s the sweetest.”

Sehun hums and resumed his work sighing a little at the amount he has to do.

“Jennie and I are finally meeting tomorrow,” Kina had already stood up and started doing the dishes. Sehun hums again and checked the files mailed to him. Apparently, Jennie and Kina always seem to have plans clashing one another making them miss out on their planned meetings. “We’re both finally free from the shackles of college so we’re having tea tomorrow.”

“Sounds good,” Sehun replied as he clicked on another mail. God. There were just so many things to do. He tunes out his wife who was talking something along the lines of Minah being weird these days and tried to finish his work which was increasing daily.

* * *

Jongin watched Kina laughing happily as they cooked together. They were cooking at his girlfriend’s place for Christmas Night.

He sighed a little after her laughter had died down over the fact that both Sehun and his girlfriend was missing again.

“Don’t you feel angry that your trip got canceled?” Jongin finally addressed the elephant in the room. This question had been nagging him for quite some time since Sehun called him up last week to tell them that they will be spending Christmas here due to the amount of work that had cropped up the last few weeks.

Part of him was happy that they could spend time together but part of him felt bad for the couple. Being rich never came easy.

This was the case for his girlfriend too, unfortunately. Rich people organize millions of parties every day during the holiday season so Hyorin was barely even home.

Yesterday night, at least for Christmas Eve Jongin had taken Hyorin home where they had their first family Christmas Eve together, and it had been blissful, but she was gone again for a party that even Sehun was attending tonight.

“I guess I am kind of disappointed but honestly, it is not so bad. Last night, we were with the entire family, and so it was very warm. Tonight everyone’s gone to that party so it feels lonely, but it’s not so bad.”

Kina suddenly chuckles. “You know, I’ve got you here and we’re cooking our favorite meals and waiting for our significant others. Life couldn’t get better… I…” She sighs and played with the string of her apron. “I used to spend my Christmas all alone before… so honestly, this is far more than what I could ask for.”

Like always, Jongin felt a bang in his heart over the girl. She had been so lonely before so she treasured any sort of relationship she had with anyone right now and that sort of made her feel so warm to be around with.

He clutched his heart and dramatically fell over the counter as support. “You make my heart sad!” He laments making the girl laugh out loud in an annoyed manner.

“I swear you never change.”

Jongin laughs at that but sobered up pretty quickly making the girl raised her eyebrows at him. “I think I’ll be all alone next year.”

“Why?”

“You’ll be attending that party as well… Look at me. All lonely. Ah! What a pity!” Kina rolls her eyes.

“Just get back to cooking, drama king.”

With more laughter and dramatic antic, they resume their cooking.

* * *

Sehun smiled and joked with some old acquaintances as they drank wine and discussed business. He was not having much fun but if what could he do right now? He was birthed into this after all.

A small figure joins them some more talks later and Sehun is surprised to see Jennie there.

“Oh hi, Jennie,” Sehun introduced her to his acquaintances and was not surprised when they were already familiar with one another.

“If you don’t mind,” She smiled at him, “Could I take a moment?”

In a way, he was glad to be rid of those people. They were nice but they only talked about business. He wished people could come together and discuss how Genghis Khan captured almost all of Asia. That would be fun. There was so much to talk about in such a matter. Be it the strategy or the life of the emperor, the life of the people, the political situation… even business situations would be so fun.

History had so much to offer. People just don’t get it.

“It’s nothing much,” Jennie’s smile remained intact as they got a standing table all to themselves in one corner. She places down her champagne flute and looks across the room. “I just haven’t had the time to talk with you even after knowing you married Kina.”

Her never faltering smile was now creeping him out just a little bit. They were cousins but they hardly ever talked. Jennie had been out of state almost all her life and she had rely some years back. Besides, they were of different ages so naturally, they did not click.

“True. I’ve heard a lot about you through her,” He decided to add and she smiled a little wider before coming back to the same smile.

“That’s nice to know,” She simply says and takes a sip of her drink. She turns away from him and swept her eyes across the hall. “Did she say anything about our hang out that day?”

“Yeah,” Sehun sort of wished he could get away from this block of ice. “She said it was a lot of fun.”

“Hmm? She said that?” Jennie had turned to look at him again. “Did she mentioned the boy who rudely interrupted our hang out?”

“What?”

“Hmm… thought so,” She chuckled as though she had just cracked a funny joke, as though she had been right over something.

“A kid came over. Wild and fresh,” she explains, her grin even wider than before but her eyes remaining stoically neutral. “He was cute but definitely someone from the... um… common blood.”

A bitter taste suddenly crept up at the back of his throat. He took a moment to take a sip of his sweet red wine. It did not take a genius to guess who the ‘wild and fresh and cute’ kid was.

She continues nodding, as though happy at his grim expression. “That boy saw us walking together, came up to Kina, and literally took hold of her arm. That boy begged like a dog to make her stay with him so I left.”

Sehun frowned even deeper at that. Why would Kina not tell him about this?

“Anyway,” She stopped smiling and look up at him with a bored expression. “I just wanted to tell you that. Thought you ought to know.”

He mumbled a soft thanks to her and remained in his spot as she took her leave. Why wouldn’t Kina just tell him about that? Why?

Unless she had something to hide… they shared everything with each other. Isn’t that what marriage was about?

* * *

“You drank quite a bit,” Kina clicked her tongue disapprovingly at the male who had just sauntered in. Jongin glanced at Hyorin who just shrugged her shoulders. She had reached some good hour back.

Sehun did not seem to be in a good mood as he brushed past Kina who looked surprised. Sehun never liked office work and anything related to the office but bringing that to their gathering seemed a little out of character for him.

“You alright there, bud?” Jongin called out from the kitchen. He and Kina had been clearing up the kitchen after their dinner. They had been too hungry to wait for