Chaeri’s POV

I laid down on my bed, trying to get my head straight. Now that I have nothing much to worry about other than our upcoming trip and JMA’s midsummer party, I can think. What even should I be thinking about?

I find Sehun attractive. That’s it. Nothing more to it, right?

“Why am I acting ignorant and stupid?” I groaned to myself. I know exactly what this feeling is.

I’m kind of starting to like Sehun.

I sighed to myself, trying to think on when and how it could have had started. I’m not gonna lie, I kind of expected this to happen somehow sometime along the way. I mean, we live under the same roof and I get to see him almost every day, every hour, every minute. I get to see a different side of him that, if not all, most people probably don’t get to see because the home is a private space and we do share one home. It’s probably no surprise to anyone that at least one of us would catch feelings and, knowing how I am, I probably expected that I’d start liking him at one point. He’s not as bad as I made him to be in the beginning. Sure, it was frustrating and confusing with this arranged marriage thing still likely going to happen in the next year; but then, with that out of mind, getting to know Sehun and having the opportunity to spend some time with him really put things in a better light. It painted a picture, for me, that maybe it would not be as bad and Sehun’s actually a likable person.

Everything at this point is arbitrary.

Still, this shouldn’t affect the fact that I still need to find a way out of this. I know in my heart that going with this might make one, or both, of us unhappy in the long run. As much as I’d want to keep my dad’s promise and fulfill it by marrying into the Oh Family, I’m starting to doubt if it’s really the correct way of doing things just to reach an expected outcome.

“Why is this so difficult?” I sighed, rolling myself over to the other side of the bed, staring at the family portrait from almost two decades ago.
“What should I do, dad?”

I sat up from the bed and stretched a bit, trying to put my mind somewhere else. I’m still so unsure how to go about a lot of things regarding this matter but, I guess, for today’s thinking session at least I know that one thing is for certain: I’m starting to like Oh Sehun.

“I need some fresh air.” I sighed, for the hundredth time today, and went to the bathroom to get changed. Maybe a little retail therapy should keep me from overthinking this whole situation. There’s a Costco sale again and maybe a few snacks would help a bit. I called in Mr. Choi to take me to Costco. It would take him a while to get here since he’s probably at the company where he’s waiting for mom to end her day. I sat in the living room, feeling the quiet of the day. Sehun’s not around today. He mentioned something about spending the afternoon with his friends. I scrolled through my phone and saw some pastries on Instagram, remembering that it has been a while since I last baked something. Maybe I should make something. That should be a good avenue to pour out feelings.

It took about ten minutes for Mr. Choi to come get me and in no time, I’m pushing my cart through the majestic isles of Costco. I passed different snacks and grabbed some that I wanted to eat. I mentally took note of the items at home that we’re running out of like juice and cereal. In no time, my cart was full and I was already at the check out lane waiting for my turn. I felt my phone vibrate, indicating probably a message. It was from Sehun.

‘Are you home?’
’Nop. Went to Costco 🛒 ’
‘Ooh. Bring home pizza?’
‘Ok 👌’

I got my groceries and the pizza for dinner tonight then headed home. I got home and Sehun was already there, looking like he just arrived as well. He went towards me and helped me with the things I was carrying.

“What did you buy?” He said as he looked through the bag of groceries he had with him.
“Things.” I said and he just accepted my answer in silence with a small chuckle.

Grades are coming out tomorrow which I totally forgot about since I’ve been spending the past days either thinking or packing for our upcoming trip in two days. I’ve heard from a friend who’s TA for the department dean that they’ve updated the list of those who reached the minimum GPA for Laude and, as expected, he made it. I’m kind of excited for him to find out and know that all his hard work paid off.

We both sat across each other with the pizza in the middle on the dining table. As usual, if we’re not having a conversation over dinner, we’re usually on our phones. I scrolled through my phone, smiling at the thought of coming through with this recipe I’ve bookmarked for a while. He deserves a small reward.

I hope he likes it.

Sehun's POV

Grades are out tomorrow and I’ve been on my toes since I’ve submitted the last of my last requirements days ago. I know I did well and I hope it would be enough to secure the minimum GPA this semester. If not, I’d just have to grind more fo