fourteen

  “Alright boys, the cakes are done!”

  Yoona called loudly as she took out her freshly made cake out of the oven, which caused Luhan, Jun and Sehun to come dashing into the kitchen. Huiling leaned over curiously, peeking at the cake whilst standing on her tiptoes, and Victoria stood by her daughter’s side protectively, making sure Huiling didn’t accidentally touch the burning-hot bowl. And Krystal, Krystal frowned as she took her own cake out of the oven.

  “What cake is it this time, sweetheart?” Luhan asked warmly as he picked up little Jun, so Jun could take a glance at the cake as well. “…Something smells good.”

  “Chocolate banana.” Yoona beamed.

  Jun then pointed at Krystal’s cake. “Is Auntie Krystal making the chocolate syrup to go with your cake, Mommy? Or is she making cookies?”

  Krystal pouted, almost stomping her feet as she looked at her own burnt block of a cake. “Lu Jun! Don’t make fun of me! I’m older than you!”

  “You’re way too old to be using that ‘I’m older than you’ sort of way to discipline Jun.” Sehun said lazily, chuckling at Krystal’s cake. “Besides, he’s right – what are you making?”

  “For your information, Oh Sehun, I was trying to make a chocolate-chip-banana cake, and it was going to turn out more inventive, more appetizing and tastier than Yoona’s cake!” Krystal declared defensively, quickly stabbing a fork into her cake, cutting out a small piece. “…You try it, Sehun!”

  Sehun gulped as he hesitantly took the bite, receiving rather amused glances from the other people in the room as he slowly ate the cake. It tasted burnt, yet somewhat undercooked, a complete mess of the wrong ingredients, too sweet yet too salty and immensely sour, for some reason. Sehun was very much tempted to spit it out, but he manfully swallowed his portion, evoking laughter from the others.

  “I told you to follow my instructions, Krystal.” Victoria roared in laughter as she watched a disgruntled expression form on Sehun’s face. “I distinctly remember telling you that you’re supposed to visualize yourself making a cake, and not a block of cement.”

  Krystal scoffed as she stuck her fork into her cake once more. “Sehun’s just being a complete noob, as usual, I’m sure the cake tastes great-“ She was about to complete her sentence with a flourish, but as she took a bite, she found herself coughing, and spitting it straight into the dustbin.

  “Justice is served…” Sehun muttered, as he swallowed several gulps of water.

  Yoona smirked as she cut a small portion of her own cake for her husband as well. “Here, Han~ Ah~”

  “Thank you, Yoong~” He opened his mouth and bit the cake from the fork she had held up.

  “Damn it, you two, stop provoking people!” Krystal snapped as she took a gulp of water as well. “Let me remind you that you two are way too old to be flirting like that-“

  “Say ‘ah’, Jun~”

  “Ah~”

  All five adults were dumbfounded as they watched Huiling offer some of Yoona’s cake to Jun, the same way Yoona had offered cake to Luhan. And Jun, to their surprise, gratefully ate the cake, shooting a charming smile at Huiling afterwards.

  “Now that’s what I call romance-“ Sehun was about to say.

  He was interrupted by a pissed-off Krystal, who shoved another big chunk of her cake into Sehun’s mouth, nearly making him puke.

  Sulli flipped through a thick catalogue contentedly as she sat in the middle of a bridal store. Tapping her feet to the soft and melodious classical music that was playing, she waited for her soon-to-be husband, or rather, her fiancé to arrive. It was still far from that day and that moment, however, excitement filled her heart as she waited. Even the wedding dress fitting, it was a special moment for her.

  Just then, the glass doors were pushed open and a pattering of footsteps were heard, as a tall, lithe man bustled in. “Sorry, Ssul-ah!” Taemin said apologetically as he gave her a kiss on the cheek, dropping his briefcase on the ground beside her. “I was caught up with work.”

  Sulli waved a hand dismissively. “No, no, it’s absolutely fine. You came just in time, too. I finished looking through all the dresses, and I’ve got to show them to you.”

  He nodded with a smile as he took a seat. “Sure, sure.”

  “Alright.” Sulli clapped her hands as she began heading straight to the dressing room, with several of the shop attendants following her. Then she whipped her head around, shooting him a grin. “But there are quite a few dresses, you don’t mind, right?”

  “No, it’s fine. I left my entire afternoon free.”

  “You’re wonderful, sweetheart.”

  Sulli beamed excitedly as she slipped into the dressing room, and Taemin fidgeted restlessly in his seat. The pre-wedding nervousness was getting on his head, though the wedding date they had decided on was still quite a few months away. He had not imagined himself to be waiting in a bridal store, to accompany his future wife in choosing a wedding dress. At such an age, he had imagined himself to still be in la-la land, but still, being in his position, despite the fact that he was somewhat anxious, he was content.

  After a few nerve-wracking minutes, the curtain was drawn, and there stood Sulli, in the very first wedding dress she had chosen. It was somewhat beautiful, adorned with embroidered white cloth, and little ruffles here and there. It was rather extravagant, but then again, Sulli had always taken a liking to elegant clothing, and she had always held high expectations for her wedding dress.

  “Well, what do you think?” Sulli wrung her hands together in worry, as she took a turn. “Is it too flashy? Too showy? Too much lace? Does it suit me?” She began hurling anxious questions at him, looking at him with much uneasiness. “I know that the cut’s not really-“

  “You look… Wow, Ssul.”

  Taemin was astonished, he was. She looked extremely beautiful at that moment, and he didn’t seem to have the right adjectives in his mind. At that moment, his entire mind had gone blank, and all his insecurities, a