TWENTY THREE

“Will this really work noona?” Jae Joong asked while stealing glances towards his wife’s direction. 


Bom followed his worried gaze and sighed. Their Ssantoki was at it again, she’s building her walls. Again. Dara was looking blankly ahead while hugging her knees. She was smiling but they could tell that her mind was flying elsewhere. “Don’t worry brother in law. A house warming won’t be complete without games. Just trust me on this.”


“Okay noona.” Jae Joong nodded in agreement. He took a deep breath and plastered a smile on his face as he followed Bom towards their living room.


Bom loudly clapped her hands. When Dara, the maknaes and the wanna be maknae named Leeteuk finally looked at her with question marks hanging over their heads she grinned. “Let’s play a game.”


“Great! I’m in.” Leeteuk exclaimed jumping up from his seat. He smiled towards Bom but the girl just nodded in acknowledgement. I shouldn’t have stopped her from buying two more bags of corn. But before the night ends I’ll definitely have your number bunny Bom.


Dara squinted her eyes. She knew that grin too well. “What are you planning now Bommie?”


Bom walked towards the suspicious Dara and smiled sweetly while tilting her head left and right with a sweet smile. “I’m bored Ssantoki. Look Minki’s starting to drool.”


“Unni!” Minzy exclaimed, her cheeks flaming. 


“Ya!” Dara playfully slapped Bom’s arm. “Stop embarrassing our maknae. She stopped drooling since the day~”


“Unni.” Minzy flew next to Dara and clamped shut with her hands. She smiled shyly at the amused boys and shot their laughing leader a pleading look. “I don’t drool.”


“That’s enough unnies. Our maknae’s all grown up now.” Chaerin teased.


“Arasso.” The alien unnies chorused. They looked at each other and yelled. “Jinx!”


The boys watched the girls with amusement. How easily they get sidetracked. Min Hwan who badly wanted to play the game to relieve the tension cleared his throat. “Bom noona what are we playing?”


“Oh right.” She laughed before revealing the mystery game with a huge smile. “Spin the bottle!”


“No way!” Dara protested. She started shaking her head while waving her hands in front of her face. “Let’s play other games. Just not spin the bottle.”


“Why?” Jae Joong asked as he settled on the floor next to his wife. He frowned when he felt her stiffen. “What’s wrong with that game?”


“Nothing.” Dara mumbled.


Chaerin giggled. “It’s because Dara unnie’s really unlucky with that game brother in law. The bottle would always point in her direction.”


Bom and Minzy nodded. “And she always manages to pick the worst punishment.” Bom leaned in closer towards Dara. “Scared Ssantoki?”


“No. Why would I be? Let’s start the game.” She said as looked up to meet Bommie’s teasing stare. She gulped. Maybe it’s a wrong idea to play this game.

Did she just think that playing the game was a wrong idea? She was dead wrong. It was probably her worst decision to date.

Bom, the self appointed game master, motioned for them to sit in a circle in the middle of their almost empty living room. After spending hours designing their house, Bom pleaded Jae Joong to temporarily put the couch and centre table inside their now overly cluttered bedroom. Jae Joong being the nice loving husband readily agreed making Dara’s brows arch. She could tell that something was not right with the picture.

“The rules for this game are quite simple.” Bom started as she placed one empty bottle at the centre of their little circle. “Someone will spin the bottle, Dara will do the honours first,” She said making Dara scrunch her nose, “The lucky person that the bottle points to will pick one dare,” She revealed a clear bowl filled with folded papers making the participants nervous, “And that very lucky person will HAVE to DO the DARE or SUFFER the CONSEQUENCE.” She finished with a smirk.

Dara groaned. “Bommie are you sure that the dares you wrote are doable?”

“Ssantoki, stop making me sound like I’m a weird girl. Of course the dares can be done.” She replied as she sat opposite Leteuk. “I can guarantee you that it won’t be easy.” She laugh making even the guys nervous. “Enough with the long talk. Let’s start! Dara go ahead and spin the bottle.”

All eyes shifted to Dara as she hesitantly spun the bottle. She gulped, her hands cold as ice as she followed the bottle’s every turn. As the bottle slowed down, her heartbeat raced harder. 

Bom squealed in delight. The maknaes sighed in relief. Leteuk slumped on his back in relief and started laughing. Changmin grinned and Min Hwan flashed the lucky winner a smile. Jae’s eyes dilated, he gulped a good amount of saliva before looking beside him.

Dara had gone pale. “Ya!” She suddenly exploded jumping to her feet. “That was really unfair Bommie, you planned all this.”

Bom only grinned back. She wordlessly pushed the bowl towards Dara who was now pouting. “Pick your punishment Ssantoki.”

Dara sighed. She will forever hate this game. “Why do I always get picked?” She wondered as she reluctantly chose a paper. Before reading her punishment she looked at Bom’s direction with her puppy eyes. “What if I can’t do the dare?”

“It’s okay. The consequence would be to kiss your husband.” She nonchalantly said making Dara flush bright red. Jae Joong could only look at Bom in complete shock. His face warm and red. Bom ignored then and continued to munch on her corn. “Your choic