Eunbi stared straight at her mother, who in turn were looking at Yixing from across the table. Now when she thought about it. All of them were keeping their gazes set on Yixing, everyone except Sehun. The latter had even refused to greet Yixing, and it was safe to say Eunbi disliked the situation. Moreover, she was embarrassed by the way everyone were behaving. And it sure didn’t get better as her mother began to fire several questions at Yixing.

“Do you have any plans for what you’re going to do after you graduate high school? Work or more studies?” Eunbi became flustered and she understood then and there how dinner was a bad idea. She should’ve spared Yixing the awkwardness. She shouldn’t have let him face her mother and the interrogation Eunbi was certain the older woman would turn the whole dinner into. That neither her step-father, Luhan or Sehun interrupted made it worse, for it meant her mother could continue.

“What do your parents do?” if yesterday was a disaster, this was the whole ing world going under. It was so embarrassing, Eunbi wanted to drag Yixing away from there. The latter was too well-mannered to object though, and that made Eunbi feel even worse. More so since Luhan added on with the burden when he butted in. Her oldest step-brother sort of demanded Yixing to answer, which in turn caused Eunbi to snap.

“Can’t you keep quiet?” she glared at Luhan. She didn’t want to hear his voice. In fact, she wouldn’t have minded if he left the table and did whatever he normally did on a Saturday evening. Eunbi saw no need with Luhan or Sehun around, especially as they brought nothing to the conversation. Well, at least Sehun kept his mouth shut. Unfortunately that didn’t last long either, for the latter voiced his opinion a second or two later. And that after Luhan had spoken once again, saying something about how this was his house and that he could do and say whatever he wanted.

“Shut up all of you.” Eunbi wasn’t entirely sure why she smiled at Sehun’s outburst. The behaviour was typical him and she found herself a bit relieved that he’d spoken his mind even though it wasn’t how people normally acted around a dinner table. Then again, the Oh brothers weren’t like anyone else. Eunbi must’ve been the only one though, who treasured Sehun’s blunt statement, for both her mother and stepfather reacted. They both complained about how rude it was to curse in front of a guest. But just like usual, Sehun couldn’t care less. Sure. She could somewhat understand that her mother wanted to know who Yixing was and how he was as a person. Every parent were probably like that. Being interested in their child’s boy/girlfriend. Still, her mother didn’t need to be so forward. It was almost intruding in a way.

“I want to eat. Not listen to someone else’s life story.” Sehun’s words were once again the start of yet another argument about manners. One that wouldn’t change a single thing as Sehun turned his attention to the food on his plate and thereby ignored the two adults. Not knowing what to say, Eunbi heaved a sigh, gave Yixing a look that said it all, and then glanced over and met eyes with her mother. Eunbi hoped the older woman could understand how bothersome the whole situation were. How incredibly embarrassing it was that Yixing had to face such an dysfunctional family. But her try of making her thoughts known were left unnoticed, and Eunbi did instead listen to her mother’s voice, one that were filled with disappointment. The older woman was far from pleased as to how Sehun acted and ordered him to leave the table. A decision that sparked reactions all over, not to mention from Luhan, who showed his approval by waving his hand at his brother.

“Yeah. off you too.” Sehun flipped his middle finger at Luhan, his usual stoic expression visible, before he, much to Eunbi’s surprise, gave her a hurried glance and then walked out off there. The sudden turn of events was a clear indicator as to how ed up their family was, and Eunbi realized pretty quick how none of it would get better. How the situation would end up in disaster. It wouldn’t matter whether her mother tried to fix it either, because the damage was already done. They’d all made fools out of themselves in front of Yixing, who’d not even gotten a chance to say anything. Moreover, he seemed rather uneasy, which was far from a surprise seeing how he’d probably never been in a situation like that. With family members yelling and cursing at each other.  

“Okay. Where were we?” her mother pondered the question all the whilst Eunbi gawked at the woman. She couldn’t believe how her mother could continue on like nothing happened. It was as if Sehun’s exit was of no importance. Once more, Eunbi found herself dumbfounded. The lack of understanding and the fact that the problems were still so obvious were yet again a reminder as to how bad the two adults were tackling the obstacles. Eunbi spared Yixing a quick glance, only to feel even worse when she saw how he tried to mask his uneasiness with a smile. It wasn’t sincere though, and she decided then and there that it was enough.

“We’re leaving.” without further ado, she latched onto Yixing’s hand, stood up, and then waited for the male to follow. She wanted to get him out of there before it got completely out of hand.

“Eunbi. What’s going on with you? Why are you acting like this?” she wasn’t entirely sure how to react. Not when her mother still acted clueless. It almost felt as if the older woman thought everything would resolve itself. That Sehun and Luhan would start behaving like they should in the blink of an eye. Effort was obviously needed from both adults, but none of them were showing any of it, which in turn didn’t help for Luhan and Sehun wouldn’t change so easily.

“Me? As far as I’m concerned, I haven’t done anything. It’s you who’re being unreasonable and too much.” it wasn’t very often that Eunbi expressed what she truly felt. But it eased her mind every time she did. And it was no difference this time around. Well. Not unless one included the fact that her mother got offended, something that didn’t happen very often. Mainly because Eunbi tried to restrain herself from enraging her mother, as the woman was someone who couldn’t stand being wrong or doubted. A feat that’d caused trouble for Eunbi a few times.

“What have I done this time? Please, do tell me what I’ve done wrong?” the harsh tone, the intense stare, and the body language did all display a reality Eunbi despised. She truly hated how her mother put all the blame on her like she was the problem. Then again, it was probably easier like that. Really, the ignorance and lack of self-awareness was unbelievable. It simply showed how her own mother was someone she couldn’t count on. At least not until something was done about their family situation. And as if that wasn’t already bad enough, Luhan interrupted the ongoing argument.

“This is getting exciting.”

Fed up by the whole situation, Eunbi flashed her middle finger at Luhan. A rather bold move considering Yixing was there. But the person who reacted the strongest wasn’t him, but rather her mother. The latter could barely believe the sudden change in her daughter’s behaviour. Not that Eunbi cared. She really didn’t. Not anymore. So with that, she dragged Yixing towards the hallway and their outerwear. No words were enough to describe how sorry she was. Eunbi became even more speechless once they got outside and Yixing started to chuckle. It was so unexpected, especially since she’d thought he would be annoyed. The relief of having escaped that nightmare hadn’t been long lived and Eunbi were quick to apologize for her family’s behaviour. To her surprise, Yixing said it was alright. That it wasn’t her fault and that he’d in fact enjoyed it. How that was possible made no sense, but she was forever grateful that he’d endured the horrid situation.

“Still. They shouldn’t have behaved like that.” not only had they disrupted dinner, but also made it a lot more difficult for Eunbi, who was immensely embarrassed for their sake. They hadn’t even managed to eat anything because of the arguments and one thing was for sure. She would never again bring Yixing to her home.

“Well. It could’ve been worse.” he didn’t care so much about what’d happened. How her family acted was of no importance as long as Eunbi was by his side. The girl however, thought Yixing took it a bit too well. It wasn’t like she doubted his words or anything. It was more that she found it astonishing how he could be so calm and composed.

“Why don’t we head home to me?” Eunbi nodded, her heart fluttering at the suggestion. She didn’t even think it over before following him back to his house. None of them mentioned the dinner incident during the way over, and instead let the conversation be filled with school related stuff, the upcoming winter break, and the trip to the ski resort. That she’d not yet asked for permission was something Eunbi paid any attention to. Her mother could say whatever she wanted because Eunbi had already made up her mind. She was going and that was definite. What she hadn’t thought about though, was the fact that Ahbin lived right next to Yixing. An ordeal that increased the chance of running into the other girl. A chance that became reality as soon as the two of them stood at the gate to Yixing’s house.

“Eunbi? What are you doing here?” there was an obvious sense of surprise in Ahbin’s voice and Eunbi felt bad for not having told her friend anything. A fact that was about to change seeing how Ahbin had caught them together in front of Yixing’s house. Eunbi dreaded it and thought she’d betrayed Ahbin. Then again, she’d always known this moment would’ve arrived sooner or later. And so it just happened to be now. Still. That didn’t mean it was any easier.

“I’m -eh…” Eunbi was so worked up that the words clogged in and therefore made it impossible to form a coherent answer. She was somewhat scared of how Ahbin would respond when the truth surfaced.

“We’re going to hang out at my place.” Yixing answered instead. A reply that was met with mixed reactions from both Ahbin and Eunbi. The latter blushed even though she felt apologetic towards her friend, who in turn nodded. Albeit a little confused. It made no sense to Ahbin, why Eunbi would hang out at Yixing’s place. At least not all alone.

“Oh. Well. I guess I’ll see you at school then.” Ahbin bid a hasty goodbye and left before either Yixing or Eunbi could say anything. The expression upon Ahbin’s face when she left etched itself into Eunbi’s memory, and the sudden turn of events was an instant reminder to the said girl, who realized just how much Ahbin must like Yixing. How he hadn’t noticed the feelings Ahbin harbored for him was beyond Eunbi. But it sure made her feel awful. Moreover. Eunbi couldn’t help but to feel like she was stealing Yixing from Ahbin.

~~~

Author’s Note

Sorry for taking so long to update. Will try to get better at that.
And I’m just wondering. Is there anyone who’re going to VIXX’s showcase in Stockholm next month?