it's been too long >< Long chapter for you guys though :)

I know for sure that Kai and I have our dad’s smile and skin color. Other than that, we resemble our mom more than anything in general. My dad has bright eyes and a practiced smile, that of a leader in charge of everything, radiating a general feeling of welcoming and control.

It’s ironic, though.

He appears sweet and fatherly, resembling a parent with try-hard humor that you can’t help but laugh at. What makes sense is he has no sense of consideration for those he’s closest to. Especially considering my mom, myself and Kai. He’s not even inconsiderate in rude ways; it’s just shocking how he can somehow sound so horrifyingly thoughtless and mean when making tasteless comments.

It’s not like there was ever anything that brought him to care less about us than he should, but I think his parents are to blame for. My grandparents are kind of harsh and old-fashioned; leading to our dad growing up with little to not care whatsoever.

And as he stands in the door of the dorm, eyebrow’s furrowed like usual and lips pulled in a tight line, his usual expression over the past decade, all the feelings of resentment that I’ve had for him all these years are flooding through me. But what’s topping all this is the realization that this is my only parent left now.

Times like these are when I’m unbelievably thankful to have Kai as my brother.

“Eunji,” He frowns, as if my sight isn’t anything but an inconvenience, “You look skinnier. Have you become anorexic?”

My jaw drops and I fight the urge to slam the door in his face. If I weren’t his daughter and were instead a bystander, I would have thanked everything that I’m not related to him.

But sadly, I’m not a bystander.

I swallow and take a step back, not answering his question. “Come in. I’ll… I’ll go get Ka- uh, Jongin.”

I turn to see D.O and Suho peeking around the kitchen door, eyes big and confused. They meet my eyes and I shake my head slightly, sighing as I swiftly hurry down the hall.

“Hello ahjussi!” I hear Suho greet my dad kindly. “It’s nice to see you-”

I open our bedroom door and see Luhan sprawled out on his bed, book over his head, while Kai’s got his hood over his head, earbuds shoved in his ears. His eyes are shut and his chest is rising easily with each breath. His lips are curled up slightly and his music is audible from the door. He looks so peaceful and happy right now. I really don’t want to ruin the moment for him.

Luhan smiles when he sees me and waves soundlessly. I wave back and sigh as I poke Kai’s arm. He twitches slightly, eyes opening and he smiles when he sees it’s just me.

“Whatcha need?” He asks sleepily, turning down his music slightly. I don’t reply, biting my lip. I don’t know how to respond without depressing the entire world.

He furrows his eyebrows when he sees my troubled expression and sits up a bit, pulling out one earplug. “Hey, what’s wrong?” His eyes suddenly widen, his feet flying off the bed and slamming against the bed. “Did Sehun insult you?! I swear to god-”

I chuckle. “No, Sehun’s fine.”
Kai relaxes, and I notice Luhan frowning in the corner of my eye.

“Then what happened? You look like you saw a ghost.”

No point in stretching this out.

“Dad’s here.”

In less than a second does his smile disappear and his eyes widen, shoulders drooping and jaw dropping slightly. He collects himself quickly and stands up, throwing his iPod his bed.

“Let’s go.”

We walk through the hall, Luhan peeking around the door curiously. Kai walks straight to the kitchen upon only finding a confused Sehun in the same spot on the couch.

Who is it? Sehun mouths. Appa, I mouth back, and his eyes widen instantly.

I hurry into the kitchen and find our dad sitting at the table, D.O making tea and Suho making kind small talk. I need to thank him later, for talking so sweetly and welcomingly to my unexpected dad.

My dad looks away from Suho and nods at Kai, his lips pulling up into what should be a smile. “Hello Jongin.”

Kai bows slightly, eyes foggy of any obvious emotions. “Hello appa, is there any reason you’re here? Eunji said you went to America.”

My dad grimaces and we gestures for us to sit across from him. We oblige, and Suho clears his throat as D.O places the tea on the table.

“Well, I think we’ll just clear out…” Suho says, but my dad shakes his head.

“No son, stay. I’d like to talk to all of you as well, if you could bring the other boys out here.”

Suho nods and bows, as does D.O, both of them scurrying away.

My dad sips his drink and I bite my lip. I know it’s just my dad visiting, but there’s something uneasy about such a random visit.

“How are you?” He asks us.

“Good,” I reply, and he nods.

We sit in awkward silence once again until Suho comes back in, a trail of guys following behind. Each one bows as they see our father and he nods his head slightly at each person. They sit down, filling up every seat at the long table.

“How are your activities going?” He asks, and Kai shrugs. “They’re doing well.”

“Is the dorm life working out for you all?” He surveys the boys, and everyone nods in stiff agreement.

He turns to me, “Are you comfortable living with so many boys? Aren’t they too rowdy for you to feel at home here?”

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “They’re not really rowdy. Just… unique.”

Some of the guys stifle a laugh and I bite my lip, feigning a smile.

My dad frowns at this. “So you’ve gotten along with them all?”

I nod, meeting eyes with the others, who nod as well. “Yeah, unless they all secretly hate me…”

“We love you, Eunji!” Chanyeol chirps, and everyone chuckles apart from my dad, who frowns further.

“You haven’t begun any romantic relationships with any of them, have you?” He asks, and I can feel a heavy weight pull down on my entire body. An air of hesitance sits over everyone except for my dad, who, thankfully, is slightly blind to the obvious.

I can see Sehun’s eyes widening from a few seats down from my dad. I’m about to open my mouth to reply when Kai opens his mouth first.

“You think I’d let her date anyone under the same roof as me?” He raises an eyebrow, maintaining a polite tone.

All thirteen of us wait for my dad’s reply, who chuckles lightly. “Yes, I forgot that you’ve always been overly protective of her.”
“I have not-“

“Are you sure you feel okay being here, Eunji? Do you have your own room, or are you with someone?”

“I’m with Ka-Jongin and Luhan, one of Jongin’s original roommates.”

“Which one is Luhan?”

Luhan raises his hand slightly, smiling. “I am, sir.”

My dad surveys him, nodding. “You seem like a classy young man. You haven’t tried anything on my daughter, right?”

Luhan blushes furiously and shakes his head violently. “N-No, I would never do anything like that!”

My dad takes a sip of his tea and nods, satisfied. “Who made this, again?”

D.O smiles awkwardly, that same smile that makes him look like a lost toddler. “Er, I did.”

“It’s very good. You’re Kyungsoo, right? I remember most of you, but there’s too many of you for me to remember all your names and faces in one seating.” He chuckles, and looks at me. “Eunji, how about you introduce me to them all, to refresh my memory. Maybe a little information on each person, that would help too.”

I nod, and point at Kai. “Well, this is Kim Jongin, he’s known to be extremely stupid-“

“Eunji,” my dad interrupts, “I’m aware of who my son is.”

I stifle a laugh and turn to my left. “Okay, this is Lay, one of the Chinese members in EXO-M. He’s a really good dancer.”

Lay blushes and I point at the person next to him. “He’s Kris, the leader of EXO-M. He’s cocky even though he at everything.”

All the guys laugh apart from Kris, who rolls his eyes. Tao next to him, I say, “That’s Tao. He’s the youngest in EXO-M, and he’s really good at wushu.”

“Next to him is Baekhyun. Baekhyun has a beautiful voice and was only a trainee for less than a year.”

Baekhyun bows, blushing. “No need to flatter me,” He jokes and I laugh.

“That’s Chanyeol. He’s extremely tall and I always feel like an ant next to him.

“Next’s Kim Minseok, he’s one of the two Korean members in EXO-M. He’s a good dancer and he’s the one that screams in the Chinese version of their song.

“Across from him is Suho. He’s the leader of EXO-K, and he’s really kind.

“Next to him is Jongdae, the other Korean member in EXO-M. He can hit high notes that bats can’t even get.” Chen chuckles, thanking me.

“Next is-that’s Oh Sehun.” I bite my tongue, not knowing how to describe him to my dad. “He’s… He’s the youngest. In EXO-K.”

I can tell all the guys feel awkward… as do I.

My dad has never been fond of the idea of me dating until I’m old enough to know where my priorities should be; and apparently, finding a boyfriend should come after I find a steady job.

I move on quickly, pointing at Luhan. “That’s Luhan. His voice is unbelievable and he’s an amazing dancer too.”

Luhan’s cheeks tint a deep red and I chuckle to myself. “Next is Kyungsoo, one of the singers in EXO-K. He’s the umma here. He cooks and takes care of everyone, and his food is almost as unbelievable as Luhan’s singing.

“Yep. Thaaat’s EXO.” I conclude, and Luhan claps once, hiding his face in his hands when everyone stares him down.

I expect our dad to say something along the lines of “I do not approve of these boys” or “You two are a disgrace to our family,” but instead he glances at his watch and stands up.

“I have to leave now,” He says, fixing his coat, “I have a meeting to attend to.” He looks at both Kai and I, “I’ll be staying here for a few days, maybe a week or two in a hotel a few streets down. If you need me then you can call me on my phone.” He nods in acknowledgment and Kris gets up, leading him to the door. I tag along behind and Kai does as well, the rest of the guys watching from the kitchen.

Kris opens the front door for him, bowing 90 degrees. “It was nice to meet you,” He says politely and my dad bows slightly in return.

“Goodbye kids,” He says to us and I mumble a “bye,” as he heads out the door.

I head straight for the couch the second the door shuts and fall back onto it, blowing my hair out of my face. Kai walks right back into his room, closing the door behind him and the others disperse to random places. Lay, Tao and Sehun come into living room, Lay picking up the remote and flipping through some channels carelessly. Sehun takes his spot next to mine and leans back, looking at me.

“Are you okay?” He asks, and I find myself nodding with a small smile. D.O comes into the room and surveys us, his hands on his hips, “I’m going to the market. If you want to come with, be ready in five minutes and wait near the door,” he instructs, walking towards another area of the house.

I make to get up but cold fingers wrap around my wrist, “Don’t go,” whimpers Sehun cutely, both hands clinging to my arm. I fall backwards and he wraps his arms around me, his head weighing my shoulder down, acting like a clingy teddy bear. I chuckle, attempting to pry him off me, “But I wanna go walk around.”

He looks at me with big eyes, “But I wanna be with you,” he says softly and I reluctantly sink back into the couch. He grins, intertwining his fingers with mine and he sighs contentedly. I chuckle and whack him on the head but he just takes it as an opportunity to kiss the back of my hand.

“I’m leaving then,” Tao wrinkles his nose in disgust and I laugh. He gets up to go find D.O and Lay settles on the other side of me.

Most of the guys end up leaving to go the store to get some fresh air. In the living room is only Lay, Sehun, me and Suho who’s sitting on the ground against the couch.   

“Put on Strong Heart,” Suho says and Lay frowns, “But I want to watch my drama.”

Suho’s neck cranes back to look at Lay, “But Dong Bang Shin Ki and Super Junior and SHINee are on it this episode!”
“I want to see Yunho,” Sehun adds and I chip in, “and Taemin and Eunhyuk! Lay, can you change it please? You can record your other show!”

Lay rolls his eyes but obliges, changing the channel – not before recording his other show. Eunhyuk and Taemin are at another dance battle and Yesung comes out of nowhere, beating the others out with his famous octopus dance. We’re all laughing, Sehun almost falling off of the couch and dragging me with him when Taemin falls out of his chair.

“You should bring your brother out,” Sehun tells me and I look at him, “I thought he left for the store.”

He shrugs, “Go check and bring him in if he’s here. He’ll love to make fun of Taemin later for that,” he adds, busting up again.

I get up and walk over to our room. I know Luhan went with and I assumed that Kai went with. I open the door, “Kai are you-”

I gasp, staring from the doorway. Kai’s still here, but he’s sitting against the wall on his bed, his legs pulled in and his arms wrapped around them protectively. His head’s resting on his knees and when I open the door he looks up, his cheeks red and stained with tears. His eyes are black holes, staring me down with such a depressed gaze that I almost break down, seeing him look so upset.

“Kai, what-”

“I miss mom,” he mumbles, a sob choking his words. My heart cracks and I crawl onto his bed, sitting next to him against the wall. He falls onto me right away and I hug him tightly as he weeps helplessly into my shoulder. I find myself crying as well, suddenly overwhelmed with emotions.

He finally cracked. 

haven't updated in way, way too long. I'm so so sorry, but winter break just started yesterday for me! So I will try to update much more over the next few weeks :D

Thank you so, so much for so many subscribers, comments, everything. I really am so thankful that you guys have stuck around with this story for so long. Really, thank you so much <3