Epilogue

5 months later…

Warmth enveloped your body and you unconsciously snuggled closer to the source of heat. A small contented sigh left your lips as you drifted off back to sleep. Your mind almost didn’t register the light chuckle that otherwise filled the silent room. The unusual noise alerted you awake as your eyes forcefully opened only to shut close just as fast with your hands shielding your eyes from the bright sunlight that was streaming in through the window. It took you several continuous blinks before your eyes adjusted to the brightness that engulfed your room. When you could finally take in your surroundings, you were able to pinpoint exactly where the noise came from – right above your head where you could feel soft puffs of air. Trying to lift your head, your eyes traced those familiar sharp features of your current boyfriend. He must have snuck into your room again when you were sleeping. Unlike most times, he had on a gentle smile as his eyes stared straight into yours before lightly pecking you on the head.

“Good morning, baby.” Kai greeted, his voice a deep baritone from having just woken up.

At the sound of the endearing term, your cheeks flushed pink. Still not used to being addressed as such. Clearing your throat, albeit awkwardly, you replied with a barely audible ‘morning’, earning another soft chuckle from Kai. Just as you were about to get out of bed, Kai looped his arms around your waist and held you firmly against his chest.

“Stay in bed with me.” He pleaded as he buried his face in your hair.

You would’ve turned down his request in a heartbeat if it was the usual erted Kai but this was the gentler side of Kai. In an instant, your body relaxed in his warm embrace and your hands unconsciously played with Kai’s fingers – a habit you’ve picked up over the months. This got you remembering the past few months ever since the incident with Minhyuk.

After you’ve recovered and was allowed to be discharged from the hospital, it was at the same time as when Halmoni finally awoke from her long comatose state. You had burst out in tears at the sight of her smiling at you. And miraculously, due to having been in that state for a long period of time, her condition had improved immensely. She was still in the hospital though undergoing further treatment that was fully paid by your samchons with no room for argument. Even your Halmoni seemed fine with the idea after learning about who they were and was even relieved that you could now spent your time on your studies instead of supporting her. Reluctantly, you had agreed to them.

As for how Kai became your boyfriend, that is a whole other story by itself. After the kiss in the hospital, you had gone all out in trying to avoid the tanned male. Just the mere sight of him got your heart racing. It was there before but you had ignored the feeling and hid it away but ever since the kiss, the feeling of having butterflies in your stomach had been more prevalent and prominent and it was getting harder and harder to hide your feelings away. Even a single thought about him had your cheeks reddening in embarrassment. You’ve asked yourself countless times if this was what they called love. You’ve never experienced it before. All your life, it was only filled with Halmoni, work, gangs, school and money. So it was a new experience when this new feeling came into play.

Kai obviously had gotten tired of having been ignored both at home and in school. So as you were lying in bed on a lazy afternoon, he had crept into your room and stood in front of your door, preventing any means of escape. You were unaware of his presence until he spoke up and gave you quite a scare, making you flinch in surprise.

“Until when are you going to keep avoiding me?” His voice was terse.

“I wasn’t avoiding you.” You replied innocently, trying hard to hide the nervousness of being alone in the same room as Kai while sitting up in bed.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Kim Hyeri. Ever since the kiss you’ve been avoiding me like the plague.” Kai retorted while advancing towards you.

Just as he reached your bed, he leaned forward and trapped you in between his arms and held your hands securely with his. The tight grip he had on you prevented no room for escape. The only thing you could do was look up into his eyes which were staring intently back at you. His touch and his stare had you faintly blushing. You were captivated and trapped by those brown orbs even when you wanted to look away.

“Listen to me, Kim Hyeri. And don’t even think of trying to get away this time.” Taking a deep breath, Kai continued on. “I love you, Kim Hyeri. And I would love it if you became mine. Will you? I know that I might not have been the nicest to you in the beginning. Actually, scratch that. I was one of the meanest and snarkiest, I admit. But over time as I lived with you, I couldn’t help but notice little things about you. Like the way you smile and the way you laugh at the most simplest of things like just watching EXO interact. And the way you’ve made me fallen for you. I can never look at another girl without thinking of you and it’s been driving me insane. I need you. But… I won’t force you into this relationship. After all, the feelings may not be mutual seeing as how I’ve treated you in the past. I won’t expect an answer from you now. You can tell me your answer any time. Just, not too long, okay?” With that, Kai surprised you with a gentle smile that was unlike his usual cocky expression before he softly pressed a kiss on your forehead.

You could feel your cheeks heat up and the butterflies in your stomach coming to life. Deep in your heart, you already knew the answer to his confession. Without uttering a word, you watched as Kai released your hands and retreated. He had only taken a few steps when your hand instinctively reached out to grab his, successfully turning his attention back to you.

“Yes?” Kai turned his head to face you.

You were speechless at your own actions and was at a loss of what to do next.

“I… The feeling is mutual.” You softly whispered but it was loud enough for Kai to hear.

“Really now? Of all things to say.” The tanned male chuckled and kneeled down in front of you.

“Urgh! I’m not good at expressing myself, okay!” Groaning, you threw your hands in the air in an exasperated manner.

“I know. I get what you mean. So you’ll be mine?” He confirmed as he cups your face, forcing you to look at him in the eyes.

“Y-yeah.” You managed to stutter out before Kai pressed his lips against yours in a soft and gentle kiss.

Somehow you were already anticipating the kiss and when he did kiss you, you closed your eyes and revel in the feeling of his soft lips on yours. Unlike the first kiss, this time you kissed him back with an equal force. Both your lips seem to mould with each other’s perfectly. What turned out as an innocent kiss grew more intimate by the second, leaving you breathless by the end of it. When you finally parted, Kai engulfed you in a tight hug and buried his face in your shoulder.

“I’m so glad you said yes. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you had rejected.” He confessed truthfully.

“I hope I’m not going to regret this decision. If I see you with another girl, you’re dead. You hear me, Kim Jongin?” You threatened the male as you hugged him just as tight. Said male chuckled and you could feel him nodding his head which brought a smile to your face.

“ing finally!!!”

The loud voice made your body jerk slightly in shock as your bedroom door slammed open and eleven grinning faces greeted you.

“Congrats guys! You guys took ing forever to get together.”

“Alright people, pay up!”

“My Riri! You’re a big girl now. I’m so proud of you.”

“You watch it, Kim Jongin. You hurt Hyeri, you die.”

“Congrats! Congrats!”

“Let’s have a party!”

“Don’t break my Hyeri’s heart, brat.”

“PAAAARTY!!!”

Eleven voices boomed different commentaries and you can only hang your head in both embarrassment and annoyance. Even with all the commotion going on, you could pick up Kai’s groaning as he buried his face even deeper into your shoulder.

“They just had to ruin it.” He hissed out through gritted teeth and you couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“That’s EXO for you.”

A sudden realisation must have hit Kai as he abruptly turned to and pointed accusingly at them. “You. Did you hear the whole ing thing?”

“Yup! I love you, Kim Hyeri. And I would love it if you became mine. Will you? Blah blah blah more chessy stuff here.” Chanyeol shamelessly imitated Kai as he cupped Baekhyun’s face.

“I… The feeling is mutual.” Baekhyun pretended to be shy as he covered his mouth with his hand while the other hand held Chanyeol’s chest, his body slightly turned away.

“More stuff here. And then comes the kiss.” Chanyeol leaned in to Baekhyun while making kissing noises.

“Cut it off already, you eavesdroppers!” You shrieked in embarrassment as your whole face reddens, covering your ears with your hands. Snickering and laughing filled the room apart from the exasperated sighs Kai was giving out.

“Alright guys, let’s leave the lovebirds alone. We’ll go out for dinner later to celebrate.” Suho, being the responsible leader, commanded as he shooed everyone out the room.

And that was how Kim Jongin officially became your boyfriend. You can still clearly remember the whole scene and every word he said. Just remembering it again made your face heat up.

Deciding that it was time to get up, you broke free from Kai’s embrace and shooed him out of your room before washing up.  You got dressed in comfortable jean shorts and a sleeveless shirt before making your way down to the kitchen where all of the boys were already gathered for breakfast, consisting of pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs and toast. You took a seat in between Kai and Sehun and eagerly filled up your plate with food before the bottomless pits could finish them all. As you ate, you glanced around the table and a fond smile made its way onto your lips.

You were undoubtedly reunited with the boys again and they were still living together with you. Not in your old house but in a mansion that your samchons had bought for all of you. They deemed all of you needed a bigger house to fit thirteen people and an additional one more when Halmoni gets discharged from the hospital. In the end, you probably couldn’t live without their company. They were your family now. Suho and Kris act as the appa of the family while D.O acts as the eomma. The rest of them were like your brothers with the exception of Kai who was your boyfriend. You can never imagine your life without them now.

“What are you thinking about, noona?” Sehun asked as he turned to look at you.

“Huh what?”

“What are you thinking about? You’ve been spacing out since just now, noona.”

By this time all of the boys’ attention was on your conversation with Sehun.

Giving him a wide grin, you patted his head. “Nothing much. Just how lucky I am to have you guys in my life as my family.”

“Ohmygod! Did you hear that? Did everyone hear that?” Chen spoke up loudly as he looked around the table with wide eyes while pointing at you.

“Did I just hear what I just heard?” Xiumin asked in shock with his mouth gaping.

“Someone record this moment! Hyeri is declaring her undying love for us!” Luhan ordered.

You heaved a sigh as you leaned back against your chair. “You just had to make it a big deal, didn’t you?”

“Awww~ Don’t be shy now, Riri. Give your Channie oppa a hug.” Without a chance to react, Chanyeol had pulled you off from your chair into a bone-crushing hug.

“Group hug!” Tao declared as he joined the hug, effectively making all three fall on the floor.

In mere seconds, all the boys got off their seats and piled up on the floor in a massive group hug. Well, except for one who was trying to get the boys off you.

“Yah yah! Don’t hug my girlfriend. Get off you fat pigs!” Kai was trying hard to pry the boys off you but to no avail as they only tightened their hug.

“Shut up and come here kkamjong!” Kris grabbed onto one of Kai’s arm and pulled him into the group hug.

You could only laugh at the boys’ antics and join them, making sure to give each one of the boys a hug. It took a total of ten minutes before everyone calmed down and went back to eating breakfast again. It wasn’t long before all the food was devoured and breakfast ended on a high note. You decided to help out with washing the dishes before heading back up to your room only to be stopped by Kai.

“Wanna go somewhere with me?”

“Where?”

“Somewhere. Come on.” Kai persuaded.

Hesitantly, you agreed and walked out of the house hand in hand with him. Just as both of you exited the front door, a loud voice boomed through the entire house. It belonged to none other than Chanyeol.

“Kai and Riri are going out on a date!”

At the announcement, warnings and death threats were thrown at Kai who looked about ready to kill. You, on the other hand, merely laughed.

“Aish, that hyung!” Groaning, Kai quickly led you out of the house to his bike.

Unexpectedly, the both of you ended up at the beach. Staring out into the horizon and enjoying the soft breeze, the both of you sat down side by side.

“Why are we here?” You asked Kai out of curiosity.

“I just wanted to spend more time with you without the hyungs and Sehun around. They’re ers.” The said male truthfully answered, his voice slightly laced with annoyance. Chuckling at his answer, you rested your head on his shoulder.

“Now that they’re not here, we can finally discuss our wedding and our future babies. I want to have lots of kids.” Kai blurted out of the blue.

At his statement, you sat up with a faint blush and stared at Kai who had a boyish grin on his face which changed to a knowing smirk. Glaring at him, you smacked his arm.

“Yah. byuntae! Don’t get too ahead of yourself. You don’t even know how long this relationship is going to last.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it’ll last till the end of time.” Kai grinned as he pushed you down so that you were lying on your back. He was about to lean in for a kiss when your ringtone went off. Pushing a dejected Kai away, you sat up and fumbled for your phone.

“Who is it?”

“Hm, Lay hyung.”

“Urgh great! Even when they’re not here they still cocblock us. I swear to god I’m going to murder all of them in their sleep.” Kai groaned as he ruffles his hair.

Shaking your head at Kai who was still whining, you answered the call and put in on speaker.

“Annyeong Hyeri-ah~ Oh, and Kai. I bet he’s listening too. Well anyway, just wanted to tell you guys not to come back home too late. We still need to pack for our vacation to Japan which is tomorrow. Don’t forget. That’s all.”

“Alright, oppa. Thanks.”

“Oh and Kai, don’t do anything funny to Hyeri. Have fun but not too much fun.”

“Yeah yeah!”

“Bye oppa. See you later.”

“You hear that, Jong~ In~ Op~ pa~? Don’t do anything funny.” You glared at Kai as he rested his head on your lap.

“Yeah yeah.” Smiling softly, he reached up to caress your cheek.

His actions would’ve made you shy and embarrassed months ago but you were slowly getting used to them. Running your fingers through his hair, you smiled right back at him.

“I love you, Kim Hyeri.”

“I… love you too, Kim Jongin.”

“I know you do.”

You had to roll your eyes at that.

“Let’s stay happy together forever, okay?” Kai reached for your hand and held it tight before placing a soft kiss on it.

“Yeah. Let’s stay happy together forever.”

“With the other eleven idiots too. The twelve of us and you. We’re a family. We are one.”

THE END

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It’s the end guys!!! After months of not updating. I’m sooorry!!! A bittersweet ending. This story has finally come to a close and I have no intention of writing a sequel. I’m sorry. I’m planning to work on my other stories and I have new story ideas that I would love to work on. I hope you guys will understand.

I swear, writing the last part almost killed me. *ugly sobbing* 

I know a lot of you Exo fans are suffering out there, including myself, but hang in there. We’ll get through this together. We’re a big family after all. If you need someone to talk to or rage or cry about this, I’m here. I feel your pain.

Thank you to all of you who has supported and loved Behind the Mask. Thanks to those who have subscribed, upvoted, commented, loved and patiently waited for updates. I love you guys! You guys are the best! It has been a wonderful experience working on my first ever fanfic. I think my writing style may have changed a lot over time and I’ve learnt a lot. I hope to see you guys in my other stories. This author loves you very much! ^^

Bye bye~ ^^