"Ahh, hyung~! What are you doing! I told you we just tidied up around here." Chanyeol groaned as he watched the trio turn on the tv and jump up and down his couch to the beat of Crayon pop's Bar Bar Bar. 

 

Haera came down the stairs with an amused smile on her face as she watched the boys joke around with each other. 

 

12 boys under one roof. 

 

Well this was gonna be one hell of a day. 

 

They had made their special appearance at 7 am in the morning on a weekend, and the couple was not expecting guests this early in the morning. 

 

"Dude, it looks like a bird made a nest out of your hair." Kai chuckled as he slapped Chanyeol on the back.  The latter immediately grabbed him and caught him in a headlock for pissing him off so early in the morning. 

 

"It's too early to be making jokes." Lay yawned as he dragged himself through the threshold. 

 

"Lay you forgot your housewarming gift for Chanyeol." Kyungsoo reminded and the said boy widened his eyes. 

 

"Oh no!!!" he groaned as he slid down to the floor and sulked. 

 

"I told you we shouldn't have trusted Lay hyung with the gift." Tao laughed as he flopped onto the couch. 

 

Sehun and Baekhyun sauntered in with Suho and Kris following suit. The two leaders bowed at the hosts in respect and eagerly smiled. 

 

"Thank you for inviting us today, the boys were really looking forward to it." Suho smiled at Haera and she merely shook her head in response. 

 

"It's our pleasure. The house automatically becomes ten times louder with you guys around." she giggled with her hands placed right over left neatly in front of her. 

 

"Ah Chanyeol oppa," she beckons for him and he immediately made his way towards her. 

 

"I'm going to start the stove for breakfast. You go look after them okay?" she smiled as she straightened out his crinkled tee.

He nodded and rubbed her lower back appreciatively before returning to his friends.

 

"Noona, I like to have chicken for breakfast, please cook it nicely for me thank you." Kai called after her, his eyes not tearing away from the screen as his fingers nimbly worked the controls of the playstation. 

 

"Yah don't boss my wife around you, idiot." Chanyeol nudged Kai's forehead back and the latter groaned in annoyance. 

 

"YEHET! I win!!" Sehun pumped his fist in the air as he shot Kai's virtual character down.

 

"AHHH CHANYEOL HYUNG!!! you see what you did!!" he complained.

 

"Serves you right for bossing my wife around." he rolled his eyes as he watched xiumin, chen and baekhyun sneak into the kitchen.

 

"Yah!! You three, where do you think you're going!"

 

**

Lunch was served and the 12 boys ate like a pack of wolves that had been starved for days. The table was swiped clean and every speck of sauce was cleaned off its plate. 

 

The day continued with much bickering and useless fighting as Chanyeol sat with his wife, enjoying the usual banter his friends were creating. 

 

"Your friends are really petty." Haera smiled as she watched Tao and Luhan jab each other. 

 

"Yeah," Chanyeol sighed as he put an arm around her. "They should be taught a lesson." 

 

"Sis-in-law! Can you show me how to make a cake!" Sehun called from the kitchen.

 

"Yes Sehun-sshi!" Haera replied as she detached herself from Chanyeol's embrace. The latter frowned at how obedient she was at following orders from his friends and huffed at the loss of contact. 

 

"She's even like this towards my friends." he shook his head as he turned his attention back to the tv. The sound of glass shattering made him groan. 

 

"You idiot! We're in so much trouble!" Chanyeol heard faint voices from upstairs.

 

"OKAY WHICH ONE OF YOU DID IT!!" he scowled as he got up and trudged up the stairs.

 

**

 

Chanyeol was upset. Everytime he turned towards Haera, he'd see a different boy stealing her attention. No matter how nonsensical they were being, she seemed to enjoy talking to them very much.

 

He knew it was a good thing that she was getting along with his friends. BUT THEY WERE HIS FRIENDS. 

 

He knew them personally and he wouldn't want her to get too comfortable around them. It was almost dinner time and the last time he had gotten to speak to her was the time after lunch. He searched for her face among the boys and she was nowhere to be found.

 

"Sup yeol? Looking for someone?" Xiumin smirked as he threw his arm over Chanyeol's shoulder. 

 

"My wife. Have you seen her?"

 

"Last time I saw her, she was with Kris and Kai."

 

"Aish, where did they run off to now."

 

"You better be careful, man. They might steal her away from you once you let your guard down. Maybe I might even make a move." he chuckled as he patted Chanyeol's chest with his free hand. 

 

"She won't....Haera's not the type..."

 

"Well from what I can see, she likes manly people. And you my friend, are still very much a child." he spoke as he looked over at the boys. Tao had pushed Suho into the pool and the latter dragged Chen with him. The splashing spurred Xiumin's playful side and he immediately somersaulted into the pool creating a big splash. 

 

The boys ended up laughing and they beckoned for Chanyeol to jump in. 

 

"I....have some things to take care of." he murmured as he walked away to find his wife.

 

**

 

At the corner of his eye, he noticed Haera sitting on the swing with Baekhyun in the front yard, chatting away. 

 

"So you graduated from that school knowing that you'd get involved in an arranged marriage? Gee, what tough luck you have, sis-in-law."

 

"Well, it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would have been. Chanyeol's really nice and he treats me really well-"

 

"Haera, we need to talk."

 

"Aw come on dude, can't you let her talk to me first?"

 

"Sorry Baek, go talk to someone else." He snarled as he pulled Haera up by the wrist, and started walking towards the back of the house. 

 

"Hey, what's going on? I was in the middle of talking to Baek-" 

 

"Is this some kind of game to you?" he whispered and if Haera wasn't wrong, she could almost hear the hurt in his voice.

 

"What's a game?"

 

"Do you like playing with my feelings?" 

 

"Chanyeol, I'd never do that! I respect you and I would never even dare to try-" 

 

"Do you think of me as a child?!" 

 

"What?" there was a second of silence before she spoke up again. 

 

"Chanyeol you're scaring me." she mumbled breaking the silence. She could feel herself tense up as she stared at the crease between his eyebrows. She didn't like it when people were upset, especially if she was the reason behind it. 

 

Why would he think like this? Didn't he know her well enough to see the signs that she had clearly liked him more than anyone else in the world?  The silence ensued as Haera averted her gaze to his tightly clenched fists before he started to relax them.  

 

"I- Sorry, I just... don't want you to think of me as a child" he said as he advanced towards her, cornering her until her back touched the wall.

 

"B-but I don't think of you as a child! For heavens sake you're 21 what are you talking about you're obviously not a child."

 

"but you see me as a child, don't you?"

 

"I don't. stop saying that. I've always seen you as a man, believe me when I say that. What made you think that I see you as a child in the first place?"

 

"Well Xiumin told me-"

 

"That explains it" she inwardly rolled her eyes. he remained silent. 

 

The silence was suffocating. It was as if he wanted to tell her something but was severely hesitating. He finally broke the silence first by speaking.

 

"I don't wanna lose you to Xiumin" he whispered quietly, almost inaudible.

 

"What- hey, listen, I don't like him that way. He's your friend, you should know what he's like-"

 

"I know. I mean, I guess I was just scared that...that I'd be too late to get...you back." he whispered as he leaned closer. His brown orbs were crystal clear with determination and a hint of concern. She chuckled lightly causing their noses to brush against each other.

 

"Chanyeol, you've always had me. You've never lost me in the first place. It was only a matter of time before you realised. And Besides, Why would I like a person as childish as Xiumin?" she raised an eyebrow.

 

"I don't know? I'm not the one who likes him." 

 

"What- i don't like him!"

 

 "Then who do you like? LAY? BAEKHYUN? SUHO? because you seem to be closer to them then you are to me!" There was a long pause as Haera averted her gaze away from his eyes. 

 

"Why does that matter to you anyway? its not as if you like me or anything" she mumbled as she looked down solemnly at her feet. 

 

"I do. In fact, i love you." She stared at him; stunned before regaining her composure. 

 

Did he just-

 

Was he just-

 

"You what?"

 

 "Are you deaf? I just said that I love you. Unfortunately, you seem to take such a liking to my friends, that it almost seems as if you don't care about me enough to return my feelings..." he whispered. She gently smiled as her arms slowly crept up his neck. 

 

"Like I said, why would I be interested a child like xiumin or any of them?" 

 

"Doesn't that make me a child as well?" he carefully placed his arms on her waist and leaned until their bodies covered each others' entirely.

 

"Chanyeol, you're no child. Believe me if you really mean what you say." she smiled and with that, he broke into a grin before capturing her lips in a tender kiss. This one wasn't like the others they've shared before. this one was sweet and full of adoration. 

 

"I mean my words."

 

"That's good." she smiled as his lips brushed against hers. "Because I love you too." those mere words sent him over the edge as he smiled in bliss before pecking her lips profusely. 

 

"I thought I'd never hear you say that." Her grip around his neck tightened before she moved them down to his chest and shyly drew circular patterns on them. 

 

"I'm gonna go upstairs to change into something casual. Do you... wanna come? " she smirked suggestively. 

 

His jaw went slack at the sudden realisation of what she was trying to hint.  He had to literally smack himself back to reality. Was this the shy, reserved wife he knew? It definitely wasn't her.

 

"I wouldn't miss it for the world" he smiled foolishly as he interlaced their fingers before making their way towards their room. They passed by the pool, hand-in-hand. 

 

"Guys we'll be upstairs if you need anything." he announced. "

 

So you better not need anything." he sternly added as he looked at them.

 

She looked up at him and laughed at his ridiculousness. She hugged his waist as she pulled him away from the group while they "ooh-ed" and "aah-ed" knowingly. 

 

"Why don't I have a girlfriend again?" Baekhyun sighed. 

 

"There are many reasons-" Chen started but was immediately cut off by Baekhyun's glare.

 

"Don't you even dare try to continue." They watched the couple's retreating figures go into the house only to see them again on the second floor, through the full glass windows. 

 

Their eyes widened as Haera pulled Chanyeol down by the neck for a kiss as his hands caged her waist. The kiss grew more passionate as they started to move their lips. Kris and Suho immediately covered Sehun and Tao's eyes. 

 

"Not for minors" 

 

"Hey! Then why does Kai get to see?" 

 

"That's none of your business." Kai growled. 

 

They broke apart as Chanyeol shuffled over to the full glass windows and drew the curtains. 

 

The little gap between the curtains enabled them to see a tiny bit more movement, where they could see Haera gently pushing Chanyeol onto the bed. 

 

And then, they couldn't see anything anymore. 

 

"Dang it. We're missing the show." 

 

"Wanna go up to their door and hear the 'radio' instead?" Xiumin suggested. They all whacked his head. 

 

"Let them have their moment." Kris reprimanded.

 

About an hour later, the couple finally came back downstairs with new clothes. Kyungsoo was starting the barbecue pit when he suddenly  looked up upon sensing the couple's presence. 

 

"Oh heyyyy~ look who's back guys~" Haera blushed a shade of red while Chanyeol beamed at his friends. Baekhyun walked over to Chanyeol and winked. 

 

"Had fun?" He grinned as Chanyeol casually slung an arm around Haera's waist. 

 

"Plenty of it." 

 

Sehun eyed Haera suspiciously. 

 

"Sis-in-law..." 

 

"Yes Sehun sshi?" 

 

"You're glowing..." 

 

"w-what?" 

 

"No really! you're literally glowing! like, you're radiating light..." 

 

"People say that it happens after someone just had...you know-" Chen chuckled. 

 

Why that little...

 

Haera's translucent skin was now beet red and she couldn't hide it. Chanyeol on the other hand merely shrugged it off and laughed like he usually does. 

 

"I guess I did a good job then." 

 

"So this is a confirmation that you two really did have se-" 

 

"I'm going to brew some tea." Haera covered her ears while walking away from the scene. If she had known that they'd be the subject of all this teasing, she could've waited till nighttime to do it.

 

She took out a few packets of tea after she started boiling the water. She rubbed her palms onto her face in frustration. 

 

"Sorry about them." a low voice made her head shoot up. 

 

"No...no not at all it's fine. I'm fine. I just realised that we probably shouldn't have done it while they were here." 

 

"You don't...regret it do you?" he worriedly asked as he walked over to her and took her hands in his before soothingly caressing circles on her palms. "

 

"I'll be fine, oppa. I don't regret it one bit. it was... "

 

amazing

fantastic

wonderful

exquisite

 

"..great" she smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, like she usually does. The kettle started to whistle. 

 

She took it off it's dock and poured some hot water into her cup. She stirred the cup, her back facing Chanyeol in case the colour of her face would have given away the fact that she was embarrassed to talk about it. She felt a pair of arms touching her hips lightly. 

 

"If you're uncomfortable talking about it, then don't. Just ignore them. They'll give up sooner or later." he gingerly kissed her right temple.

 

"Hey," he started again and she looked up at him. "I have my third wish."

 

"What is it?"

 

"Never leave me." Haera's eyes widened and blinked rapidly.

 

The moment his hand grazed against her own, she smiled at him and nodded.

 

"I promise."

 

 

 

OKAY PHEW! like finaaaaallly another update! I'm so so so so so so sorry for the delay! It's a really important year for me and studies keep holding me back! I hope you guys understand and continue to give me words of support! I love you guys ^ - ^