From the way Baekhyun lived his life--his day to day activities, behavior, taste in tangibles, and so on, Aerin would’ve thought he was somewhere in middle class range. It didn’t seem like he worried about money too often, and he didn’t have a job like Chanyeol. It was nice, though, that each time they went out together, Baekhyun would always pay. But she didn’t put too much thought into further than that.

Now that she was standing in front of his parents’ home, she was questioning it all. When Baekhyun even started driving into the neighborhood, Aerin thought his house would be somewhere in the outskirts of regal-like mansions, or perhaps this was a shortcut to his actual house.

But nope. Baekhyun turned into a house, input some numbers into a keypad, and a grand, golden gate opened its doors. The house was breathtaking--perhaps fit for royalty. There were three different parts to the home: a left and right wing, and then a central area that housed two cascading staircases. The house was white all-around with several plants, bushes, and trees to beautify it; the green and white was definitely a smart color scheme.

“Baekhyun--what the hell,” Aerin said once she got out of the car. “This is insane.”

“Yeah,” he says calmly. “It’s a bit too much though, don’t you think?”

“No no no! How could you say that about your home?” She replies. “How did you live in this home?”

“You get used to getting lost sometimes.” He jokes. “It’s not that crazy.”

“You sound so privileged right now!”

“Hey! If I was so privileged, I would’ve been waving my money in front of you and flaunting since day 1. But did I do that?”

“No,” Aerin admits and scoffs. “I can’t believe this. What do your parents do?”

“Why don’t you ask them?” Baekhyun answers and ushers her towards the house. With each step of the staircase that led to the extravagant front door, Aerin’s heartbeat went faster and faster.

“No way! That’s so inappropriate!” She quickly says back. “Okay, okay. How do I look?” Aerin twirls around in front of him and swiftly brushes her hair with her hands.

“You already know what my answer is.” Baekhyun says, and Aerin tries her best to conceal the flattery. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Baekhyun is the one to open the doors, and Aerin takes a step in the grandiose welcoming area. It is appropriately decorated for a New Year’s party--similar to how her parents would decorate their house for every holiday, but she could just tell how just expensive it was from its aesthetic. Every inch of the home was finely kept, cleaned, practically sparkling.

Aerin couldn’t believe that she just stepped into a dream. While she’s admiring the art of the home, a soft, female voice cuts to her attention, “Is that the girl my son always talks about?”

Aerin shoots the biggest smile possible when she sees Baekhyun’s mother approach her. His mom has her hair in an up-do, lightly curled with a few pieces purposely left on the sides, and a dress that Aerin swore she saw on a Seoul Fashion Week runway.

“Mrs. Byun,” Aerin smiles. “I’m Song Aerin. Thank you for inviting me into your home--it’s breathtaking--so beautiful. I’m really happy to be here.”

“And we’re happy to have you,” Baekhyun’s mom hugs her, and while she’s turned around, she mouths to her son, ‘Nice manners!’. “My son didn't say how beautiful you were! This dress is gorgeous."

"Thank you." Aerin blushes.

“Please, come to the dining area. That’s where everyone is.” His mom leads the way, and Aerin just admires the house more and more with each step of the walk there.

“What’s everyone doing? Is it karaoke time yet?” Baekhyun asks.

“Come on, son--you know karaoke always starts after the New Year’s countdown!”

“How on Earth would I have known that?”

“Right--sorry. Think you were always passed out drunk by that time.” His mother cooly says, and Aerin tenses at her words. Baekhyun rolls his eyes.

When they all arrive in the living area, the room explodes in screams--greeting Baekhyun and the girlfriend on his side. Aerin is first taken aback by the noise, but laughs and grins at the warm welcome. One by one, his relatives approach her and greet Aerin; her smile is so fixed in place that her cheeks actually become sore.

Baekhyun’s older brother, Baekbeom, is the last to approach the pair. He’s heavier-set than Baekhyun; his eyes deeper and darker, and a softer smile. Aerin most definitely saw the resemblance, but Baekbeom was visibly more mature-looking than her baby-faced boyfriend.

“Aerin, nice to meet you,” Baekbeom says with a cunning smile. “I’m glad you were able to make it.”

“Yeah--of course, I never have plans for New Year’s anyways!”

“Oh? Never?”

“Not unless you count me baby-sitting my cousin while our families went out drinking, then no.” Aerin laughs.

“Interesting. How different.” Baekbeom replies. He then asks her more about her personal life--her interests, hobbies, and so on. About half an hour in, they’re debating about soccer players and the best one in the South Korean league.

Baekhyun gets bored of being excluded from the conversation, so he excuses himself and gets himself a drink from the kitchen. He comes across his mother there, who was pouring another glass of champagne.

“Wow, slow down--or else you’ll pass out drunk by karaoke time!” He jokes.

“Ha ha.” She pulls her son’s ear for teasing her. “I like her. She’s kind.”

“You’ve met her for a maximum of 2 minutes.”

“Mother’s intuition,” she winks. “The same one that was right about that last girl. Do you remember--she didn’t even greet me once she stepped into the house! Just asked where the bar area was!”

“Yes, yes. I remember.” Baekhyun replies. “Let’s not… bring her up tonight.”

“Right. Anyways, do you remember Ms. Jeon? My friend on your school’s Advisory Board?”

“The lady with the hairy mole?”

His mother rolls her eyes. “Yes. She tells me that you’ve been doing significantly better this semester--A’s and B’s!”

“Okay, first of all--that is so illegal. How are you keeping tabs on me like this?” Baekhyun scoffs.

“University donors have their sources.” His mother replies. “Is it true?”

“Yeah, I’ve started studying and stuff. Realized that it actually makes a difference.” He says sarcastically, and loads a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

“That is incredible!” His mother enunciates each word. “We’re so happy that you’ve woken up from that hot-mess-express phase of your’s! It was about time you grew up and started getting focused!”

“Ouch?”

“You know what I mean, Baek. It looked terrible on us, your donor parents, that their son was practically flunking everything. We had to pull so many strings for you.”

“Right,” Baekhyun purses his lips together. It definitely wasn’t s