“Oh my gosh Chan, you're amazing!” Choyoung happily squealed as she pulled Chan into a tight hug, “I can't believe you actually got these for me!”

Sitting on her desk was a box of Smile Tokyo Macaroons that Chan's dad had bought specifically by Chan's request. Smile Tokyo Macaroons weren't just any macaroons, they were treats that you could only get from the Haneda Airport in Japan. Chan's dad had visited Japan due to a choreographing job, and before he went back home, he called Chan asking if he wanted anything. Since Chan didn't really want anything, he decided to ask Choyoung what she wanted.

“Well it's the least I could do really,” Chan rubbed the back of his neck, watching her admire the packaging of Tiroru chocolates he had also added in with the macaroons, “I don't have much of an allowance to buy you expensive gifts like Soonyoung hyung does,”

Peering over his shoulder, Chan watched as the older boy looked up from his History book and at the two first year students. He still couldn't believe that Soonyoung had actually joined their Finals study session just to supervise them. Snickering, Chan smirked at the Soonyoung who looked like he was going to break the tip of his pencil by pressing down on it too hard, “Isn't that right, hyung?”

“I thought you guys were going to study for biology,” Soonyoung turned his attention back to his History textbook as he continued to jot down notes for his study guide.

It really ticked Soonyoung off that he had stupidly mistaken Chan and Choyoung's conversation for something else. After hours of begging, Choyoung had finally allowed him to stay with them in the room. He promised himself that no matter what, Chan wasn't going to do anything to Choyoung. But the moment Chan walked into Choyoung's room, he immediately took a seat on the pink beanbag near the door, while Choyoung resumed her position on the bed, lying down on her stomach with her laptop open in front of her. What's more was than now, he realized that the 'stuff' wasn't what he imagined it would be.

The first hour and a half of studying for biology was pretty quiet. They didn't really talk to each other, only once every five or ten minutes to ask what section they would find a certain topic on. The only time they ever got near each other was when Choyoung excused herself to go to the bathroom and she passed by where he was sitting. She wasn't even wearing revealing clothing like most girls in television shows did when a boy was over at their house. In fact, it was far from revealing. Unless you consider a plain white t-shirt, sweatpants, and electric blue socks to be revealing.

But now, Chan and Choyoung were sitting on the floor across from Soonyoung, busying themselves with eating. Choyoung had been craving those macaroons years after she had left Japan for vacation. She's only ever had them once and almost every single day she begged to go back to the Haneda Airport just to buy the snack. Crawling over to him on her hands and knees, Choyoung looked over his textbook, blocking his view with the back of her head, “What are you studying for?”

“History,” Soonyoung closed the book on her, accidentally getting the end of her nose while he was at it, “Anyway, are you two done here? It seems to me like you don't want to study anymore,”

“Oh no, I do,” Choyoung rubbed the end of her nose before sticking her tongue at at Soonyoung. Returning to her spot on the bed, she pulled her laptop back onto her lap and forced a smile on her face, “Are you happy now, Soonyoung?”

“Don't you call anyone 'oppa'?” Chan asked form his spot on the beanbag, grabbing the attention from the other two. He looked at Soonyoung then at Choyoung, wondering what was so wrong with what he said, “What? Did I say something wrong?”

Choyoung shook her head, and smiled down at her laptop. People always asked her why she didn't call older boys 'oppa'. It wasn't because she didn't like sounding flirtatious or anything, but she preferred to just keep her relationship with most boys at a friendly level. If she had started calling someone 'oppa' then it wasn't fair for the other boys who she already rejected calling 'oppa'. Back in elementary school, she used to call older boys 'hyung' but she stopped when she realized that it was abnormal for girls to call older guys that unless they were boy-ish. She certainly wasn't boy-ish enough to call boys 'hyung'.

“You guys haven't earned it yet,” Choyoung lied, trying to make things a bit more interesting between the three of them. Honestly, the room was a bit too drab and quiet for her to enjoy studying, so she figured that it would be fun to mess around with the two boys' heads. Soonyoung and Chan exchanged glances and both crossed their arms over their chest, “Hey, what do you mean we haven't earned it? We're totally deserving of being called 'oppa'!”

“And need I remind you we were almost dating?” Soonyoung reminded her.

“Key word, almost,” Choyoung flashed the cutest smile she could muster at him, making him roll his eyes while Chan grinned in the back. Giggling, Choyoung reassured Soonyoung that she hasn't made a decision yet and that he should take it easy on himself. Unfortunately, their conversations ended as quickly as they started. Soon enough, they were back to sitting in silence. Again, no one said anything unless it was a simple question about note-taking or whatnot. Sighing, Choyoung called Chan over, “Hey Chan, come here for a sec. I need your help with something,”

Soonyoung's head snapped up when he saw Chan plop down on the bed next to her, looking over her shoulder at the textbook at an incredibly close distance. Gripping his pencil, pressing it hard against the paper, Soonyoung watched Choyoung naively proceed to ask her question about cancer cells without even flinching at how close Chan was sitting. How engrossed could she be in her studies to not even pay attention? Then again, Chan had been friends for a longer time than he had been with Choyoung. Maybe this was normal for them, but is sure made Soonyoung jealous than ever.

Clearing his throat, Soonyoung called out to Chan with a rather irritated tone in his voice. At least, it sounded irritated; he was trying his best not to sound envious, “Excuse you sir, but until our conflict is settled neither you or I are allowed on her bed, you got that?”

“I'm sorry, Soonyoung hyung,” Chan started to slide off the bed, but then stopped halfway, “Oh but wait, I think I have every right to, don't I? You've both slept on the same bed more than once, so sitting here like a good boy isn't going to hurt anyone, right?”

Cheeks flooding with color, Choyoung and Soonyoung stared at each other, mouths wide open, then back at the smirking Chan. Neither of them had any idea how Chan could have found that out, and to have him use that against them was pretty odd. Choyoung bit her lip nervously and returned to looking at her notes, trying to hide back a smile. Honestly, she wanted to burst out laughing because by the way Soonyoung reacted, he was definitely dying from embarrassment. On the other hand, she was scared to otherwise Soonyoung might get mad.

“I-I...” Soonyoung stammered, making the other two erupt into a laughing fit. Crossing his arms like an elementary school kid who just had a lollipop taken away from him, Soonyoung stuck his bottom lip out into a pout, “Alright fine. You win this round, Lee,”

“Hey ladies,” Mr. Kwan rapped at his daughter's white bedroom door when there was clearly a DIY paper 'Do Not Disturb' sign she had taped in the front, “How are you doing in there? Nothing inappropriate, I'm hoping?”

On the other side of the door, Soonyoung was out cold with his head lying against the top edge of his English textbook while Chan and Choyoung were quietly talking through an episode of Pokemon. They were both sharing Choyoung's pair of earbuds but Chan had to hold his in since they kept falling out of his ears. Oh, and unfortunately for Soonyoung, Chan had snuck back onto her bed after finishing his biology study guide. They were both lying down on her bed on their stomachs when her dad opened the door.

When Chan heard her dad's voice, he tapped the spacebar to pause the video, “Don't worry, Mister Kwan! Wouldn't dream of it!”

“Alright then, I'll leave you alone again,” Mr. Kwan chuckled from behind the door and turned around to leave. He never doubted those two. After knowing Chan and Choyoung for a long time, he knew that Chan wouldn't try anything funny. The boy had respect, which he found as a plus factor. He was also a family boy; someone that would make a great, and friendly father figure. Of course, he didn't expect a well-behaved boy to like an always-complaining daughter like his.

Taking the earbud from his ear, Chan slipped off Choyoung's bed and bounded to the door. Choyoung raised an eyebrow up at him and asked where he was going. Peering over his shoulder, Chan opened the door and stepped out, “I need to do something real quick, okay? “I'll be back before you know it! You can keep watching without me,”

Closing the door quietly behind him so he wouldn't wake up Soonyoung, Chan darted after Mr. Kwan who was already halfway down the stairs. Mr. Kwan had just finished up all the paperwork for the upcoming game the company he worked for was going to release and it was now just up to his wife to finish the rest on her end. Which he figured wouldn't be very soon seeing that she was too preoccupied in watching this new Taiwanese drama she had been obsessing over. Chan caught up with Mr. Kwan when he sat down on the living room couch, “Mister Kwan, is it alright if I can speak to you?”

“Oh Chan!” Mr. Kwan looked up at the boy, surprised that he didn't realize that he was being followed, “Why sure you can, boy. I wasn't going to do anything important anyway. What's on your mind?”

Taking a seat in the armchair across the sofa Mr. Kwan was sitting in, Chan sat upright with his hands folded in his lap. He had been dying for the opportunity to talk to Choyoung's dad man-to-man for a while now, but never had the time to because of school or just bad timing in general. He never really considered approaching her dad when he was younger, but now that he was a fifteen year old boy in high school, he felt that he was starting to step into the world of manhood. Besides, he had already started his journey to manhood a few months ago since his voice was cracking in every which way.

“I would like to talk to you, man-to-man, about Choyoung,” Chan looked Mr. Kwan straight in the eye. His serious manner immediately transitioned into a nervous schoolboy on the day of his entrance exams when Mr. Kwan just looked at him blankly, “If that's alright with you, of course,”

“I don't see why not,” Mr. Kwan smiled at Chan, hoping to lighten up the atmosphere. Even though he kept a friendly expression, he was pretty tense inside. This was the first time anyone had every come to him to ask about Choyoung. Maybe his assumptions with Chan and his taste in girls were wrong. He motioned for Chan to continue. Straightening his back, Chan started again, “You see, for a while now I-”

Before Chan got to say anything else, the two of them heard squealing coming from the kitchen, quickly approaching them. Turning around in his seat, Chan's eyes widened when he say Mrs. Kwan charging at them in full speed with a tablet waving in her hands. Mr. Kwan let out a deep sigh and moved a little to make room for his wife as if this was normal behavior. Mrs. Kwan flopped onto the sofa, holding the tablet out to her husband, “Honey look, why weren't you like this when we were younger? You were so lame!”

“Miryeong, we have a guest,” he calmly pointed out to her while moving her hand away from her face. Startled, Mrs. Kwan quickly turned off the device, fixed her dress, and sat like a proper lady should sit like as she flashed a smile at Chan. She apologized for having witnessed her at her fangirling mode, and immediately changed the topic, asking how Choyoung, Soonyoung, and him were doing in studying.

Smiling back, Chan said, “Choyoung, and I are finished with our study guides. Soonyoung hyung is finished as well, although he's kind of napping right now,”

“So Chan, you wanted to say something to me?” Mr. Kwan resumed their conversation, gesturing to his wife that they were going to have a private talk. When Mrs. Kwan got the hint, she started to excuse herself but Chan stopped her, “Ah Mrs. Kwan, I'd prefer if you stay here actually. That way I can say it to you both rather than at different times,”

“Rise and shine, Princess Soon,”

Soonyoung's eyes quickly flickered open, doubling in size almost twice as fast as they opened when they were greeted by Choyoung's narrow, sharp-ended lines for eyes. Quickly backing away from her, he found himself against a wall and on a surface much softer than the floor. Looking down, he realized that he was on his bed, and his uniform shirt and blazer were no longer on him – just his plain white undershirt. His arms quickly covered up his chest even though he was wearing a shirt over his body, “What did you see?!”

“Don't worry, I didn't see anything. I just figured you might want to sleep in something more comfortable and less hot,” Choyoung pulled away from him and seated herself at the other end of her bed.

She knew from previous accidental walk-ins that Soonyoung wore undershirts underneath all his uniform layers so she didn't hesitate in removing the first two layers of clothes. She giggled at his shocked expression as he tried to remember what happened in the last few hours. Right. He had fallen asleep. Everything else was black after that. His eyes darted around the room wondering where Chan had went. As Choyoung moved her books from her bed to the floor, she winked at him, “Although I must admit, it was very tempting,”

“Oh okay, good. You didn't see anything – not like there was much to see in the first place!” Soonyoung uncovered himself and cleared his throat, “Where's Chan by the way?”

Choyoung crossed her legs and shrugged her shoulders. Chan had been gone for a good ten minutes now and she already finished the remainder of the Pokemon episode they were watching. Soonyoung didn't understand what she as getting at. Pointing her nose towards the door, Choyoung gestured to Soonyoung that Chan had left the room, “Either he went downstairs or he's having major stomach upset in the bathroom. I'll go look for him,”

“No, I'll do it!” he offered sounding a bit too eager, making Choyoung raise her eyebrows up at him. He didn't want her to get so close to Chan because that would totally ruin his chances of ever getting back with Choyoung. Or at least, almost getting with Choyoung. They never really dated so it's not like she officially belonged to him. She hesitantly gave her okay. And Soonyoung groggily walked out of her room with strands of his hair poking out in every direction, “I have to clean up anyways,”

Running down the stairs two steps at a time, Soonyoung found himself in the main lobby in less than a minute. The bathroom was upstairs but he decided that he could go there later. Finding Chan was his first priority. Even though he believed Chan was a moral guy, that didn't mean that Soonyoung trusted Chan enough to let him out of his sights. From the other entryway of the main lobby, he could hear voices. Tiptoeing his way over there like some ninja of sorts, Soonyoung laid his back against the wall and craned his neck just enough so he could see who was talking. He immediately pulled his head back when he saw that Chan was engrossed in a conversation with Choyoung's parents.

“Mister and Missus Kwan, I would like your permission to court your daughter,” Chan said, twiddling with his fingers as he asked them, “I've developed feelings for her over the years and I would like to know if it is okay with you for me to pursue Choyoung,”

Soonyoung's heart stopped; what the heck was Chan doing? He lightly slammed his fist against the wall, not hard enough to actually catch anyone's attention. He knew exactly what Chan was doing. It was what Jihoon had done a few years back with his latest ex-girlfriend, except instead of asking to pursue his crush he asked her dad for permission to date her. After breaking up with her after two months though, Jihoon revealed to Soonyoung that the trick was super old school and that parents would fall for it every time.

Fathers loved it when a guy would ask permission to woo their daughters, especially if the father really cares for the girl. It makes it seem like the girl they're trying to pursue is really important, so it makes the father feel like his time of raising her was worthwhile. It also made the guy look better in the eyes of an adult because he seemed more mature. It wasn't a very common thing in Korean culture, but it was something commonly done by most Chinese and other East Asian cultures. Or at least, that's what he's observed and heard from his Chinese classmates.

“Lee Chan,” Mr. Kwan started, making Soonyoung sick to the stomach as he anticipated for the answer. What was Soonyoung going to do if Chan was given permission? That would throw everything out of line! Soonyoung could feel a lump in his throat forming when Mr. Kwan continued, “You are a very charming boy, intelligent, and a pleasure to invite to our home,”

Screw, Lee Chan. That should be him right now, not the other way around. Soonyoung let out a deep breath, trying to contain himself from running over there and asking permission from them to date Choyoung, but that would only make Choyoung mad at him. Plus it would make him a terrible friend who couldn't keep a promise. He was going to stick to his plan about waiting for Choyoung. She would come to him eventually if she really did love him back. Soonyoung just had to wait. In pain. Enduring all the hardships. And Chan.

“And if you were to have any plans about having Choyoung marry into your family,” Mrs. Kwan added in, causing Soonyoung to choke on thin air. If there was anything more that he hated, it was listening to his dream mother and father in-laws say good things to his rival. Chan was at the edge of his seat wondering what she was going to say next; the suspense she was putting into this was killing him. To his relief, Mrs. Kwan happily smiled at him, “Then I would have no objections,”

Soonyoung felt as if a thousand fast-balls were pitched in his face in a professional baseball game when Mr. Kwan finally told Chan his decision, “On behalf of Choyoung's mother and myself, I happily grant you permission to court Choyoung,”