“Have some more veggies Ara-ah, don’t be shy” Mrs. Do softly said as she picked up some broccoli with her chopsticks. I quickly nodded and held my bowl with both hands to receive it, “ne… gamsahabnida…” When I looked up, I caught Mrs. Do’s warm smile again, “D.O went to the market bright and early this morning to buy fresh ingredients for this meal. He purposely made all of your favorite dishes so make sure you eat a lot” she happily said.

Her words made me glance over at D.O who had just eaten a mouthful of rice. He must’ve known how thankful I was as he flashed a smile with his puffy cheeks. I felt tingly on the inside; it was cute. I also couldn’t express how yummy everything was or was it because it’s HIS cooking? No, it was really that good. Feeling grateful, I quickly took another bite of food.

“When we’re finished, shall I show you some of D.O’s childhood photos?” Mrs. Do asked brightly. My eyes lit up immediately. I’ve always been curious of two things: what was D.O like as a child and what his room looked like.

“Andwae” D.O on the other side of the table suddenly said which distracted me from my thoughts. Both Mrs. Do and I turned our heads in his direction. His eyes looked into mine as if he was purposely teasing me again, “andwae, Ara can’t look at mine if I haven’t seen hers.”

I suddenly regretted not letting him see mine when omma offered to show him on the first night he came over as well. Unknowingly, I pouted a little which in return made him smile slightly.

“Aye… so childish…” Mrs. Do directed at her son. She then leaned in close by my side and whispered, “don’t listen to him Ara, I have control of all of the photo albums in this house. We’ll definitely go through them later!”

I gracefully smiled and nodded before glancing at D.O who just chuckled at the alliance that his mother and I have formed. At that moment, I had an urge to stick my tongue out at him… but of course, that didn’t happen.

After dinner, Mrs. Do led me upstairs into a vintage yet classy room filled only with countless books on shelves covering the walls. She sat me down in the center were where couches were set around a coffee table on a large designed carpet.

“Here we are…” she set a couple of photo albums on the table and took one into her hands before sitting closely beside me. I felt nervous but anticipated to finally see his photos at the same time.

The moment she flipped it open, I had already spotted a particular picture that I adore. I leaned in to get a better look; it was baby D.O in the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Do. I must say, they’re indeed a family with all the good genes. Even then, D.O’s eyes stood out the most; clear, bright and mesmerizing. With his milky pearl skin, tiny pink lips and dark hair, he was literally an ulzzang baby. Mrs. Do then caught me smiling away, “he’s cute right?” she proudly asked.

I nodded with my eyes fixated on the various photos, “ne… he’s really cute.”

“What about his father’s fashion sense? It’s the best isn’t it?” she chuckled.

I couldn’t help myself but to laugh along with her. Mr. Do had on a pair of extremely flared, high waist black pants with an oversized long-sleeve white shirt. But the best part? He paired it with a pair of bright pink sandals.

“We were on a family trip in Hawaii and the strap on his own sandals broke off while walking on the beach so I went and bought him those in a near-by store. The ahjummas suggested the bright pink ones, I couldn’t say no right?” she jokingly laughed, “don’t tell anyone but until this day, he still has them in our shoe closet. He said he kept them because of it’s like a souvenir but I think he secretly likes them.”

I giggled; this family is simply adorable and loving.

The more pictures I was shown the more content I got. And the next album became another favorite of mine because I surprisingly spotted a girl that looked exactly like D.O. Well technically, it is D.O.

“… I’ve always wanted a girl so I thought I’d dress up D.O for one day” she said with guilt, “but he could totally pass as one right?” I immediately chuckled and nodded in agreement; he is pretty. I kinda wanted to keep a copy for myself so I could bug him about it though. Am I a little evil for thinking this?

Both Mrs. Do and I were distracted when we heard a knock on the door. I smiled when I saw D.O.