Chanyeol was a big hearted person, always kind and sweet to everyone. Sometimes, he acted like a cool prince at school, but even then, he was a friendly cool prince. In reality, Chanyeol was also a big dork who loved anime, babies, and furry animals. 

He owned a big white dog with long fur. The dog’s name was long forgotten by everyone except me because Sehun had insisted on called her Pinku Pinku, a nickname that had stuck like glue. Chanyeol hated the name, but it was too late because the dog had learned to respond to that name. He usually just called her Pink, to save himself some embarrassment.  

When Chanyeol first got Pink, she was about the size of a soccer ball and fit comfortably in Chanyeol’s arms. Now, she was a huge thing, and usually stayed with all four feet on the ground. Still, whenever Chanyeol and I curled up together to watch the latest drama or anime, Pink liked to wiggle her way between us and watch with us. 

“I think you’re getting too fat,” Chanyeol told Pink, wrapping his arms around the big dog. Pink just sniffed her owner’s ear in mild interest, letting out a low whine. “Maybe it’s time for you to go on a diet.”

“Your sister spoiled her,” I told him. Chanyeol’s older sister, Yura, was extremely fond of the dog.  

“Yeah, she did,” Chanyeol agreed. “And now that Yura is away at college, my mom spoils her.” He gave the dog a soft kiss on the head, then curled back to the anime on TV. On screen, a blond, super ugly Titan stomped her way through tall trees.    

My eyes stayed on Chanyeol, and I wondered if I should tell him. I wanted to, because Chanyeol was the only person, other than my family and the doctors, who knew the whole story. He was the person I trusted with everything and would give me great advice. But for some reason, I felt reluctant. 

“Hey Chan, if I tell you something, will you promise not to make fun of me?”

Chanyeol turned to me, surprised at my serious tone.

“Of course,” he said, hands absentmindedly carding through Pink’s fur. “You can tell me anything.”

I bit my lip, debating internally. This was Chanyeol, I told myself. I could trust him with anything. 

“I think I like Kim Minseok,” I finally blurted. 

Chanyeol’s hand stilled and he just looked at me, face unreadable. Pink het out a sniffle, nosing at Chanyeol to pet her some more. After a moment, Chanyeol’s hands resumed its movements and a small smile came over his face. 

“That’s great,” he said softly. “Minseok is a great guy.”

“Do you I should pursue it?” I asked. “You know, because of my thing? What Minseok doesn’t like me back? Or even worse, what if he does like me back, and we date and then break up? I don’t want to only remember heartbreak whenever I think of him for the rest of my life.”

Heartbreak was an emotion I had yet to experience. I have been lucky so far, protected by my brothers and Park Chanyeol. 

“I think…Minseok is a trustworthy guy,” Chanyeol said slowly, carefully choosing his words. He fixed his eyes on Pink’s back and continued. “If you really like him, then you should give it a try. I’m pretty sure Minseok likes you too.”

“Really?” 

Chanyeol nodded. “Sure. He asks about you a lot.”

“You haven’t told him - ”

“Of course not; not unless you want me too,” Chanyeol interrupted.

“No, don’t,” I said at once. I didn’t want Minseok to know, at least not yet. If he knew, he would start to treat me different, just like the rest of them. The doctors had treated me like I was a thing, an experiment to be studied and tested. Like I wasn't a human being with feelings and emotions. I closed my eyes, pushing the memories of how the doctors had looked at me out of my mind as much as could. 

“You will though, right? You have to eventually, if you really like him.”

I nodded, letting out a long breath. “One day, I’ll tell everyone. Yixing, Sehun, Jongdae, Minseok, even Byun Baekhyun if he can keep his mouth shut.”

Chanyeol reached out with his free hand and carefully guided my head onto his shoulder. “Until then, I’ll be here to protect you,” he whispered softly. His eyes, for once, didn’t sparkle. 

After Minseok officially joined the soccer team, he split his time between soccer and the band. It seemed that he was naturally pretty smart, and got decent grades with minimal studying. 

I decided to go watch his soccer practice one afternoon after school, and was surprised to find Yixing and Sehun sitting in the stands. They were all the way at the top, furthest away from the field and the screaming fangirls who had gathered to watch their crush practice. Lu Han was also known to be one of the princes of the school, and his pretty face and soccer prowess had gathered him fanclub. Even Minseok was getting popular these days from being associated with the band and the soccer team. Lu Han was only half joking when he called Minseok the current trend. 

As I made my way up to the top of the bleachers, I got a lot of dirty looks from the girls. I knew that the girls at the school didn’t really like me that much. They didn’t like how close I was to Chanyeol and the eXo guys, the campus celebrities, and they spread a lot of ugly rumors about me. That was why my friends were all guys, and it had been that way since middle school, when the girls got petty. I never really minded, but sometimes I wished that I had a girl friend to talk to once in a while. That person used to be Chanyeol’s older sister, until Yura had left for college.   

“What are you guys doing?” I asked, sitting down next to them. Sehun had a book spread on his lap, iced coffee next to him. Yixing was leaning back and soaking up the sun, Rayban sunglasses perched on the tip of his nose. I thought he looked like he was posing for a magazine. 

“Lu Han and I are hanging out after practice,” Yixing said, tipping his sunglasses to study me. “It’s a nice day out, so I thought I’d wait here.”

Sehun let out a sound of annoyance, pushing his hair out of his face. “Yixing is helping me with my Chinese oral presentation and he won’t go to the library like I’d asked,” he complained. “My coffee is turning lukewarm and I care barely see my book under the sun.”

“At least I’m helping you,” Yixing countered. He took off his sunglasses and gave them to Sehun, which helped eased the pout by a fraction. 

Sehun was in our grade, but he was actually almost a year younger than us, having started school early. Sehun had a little lisp that came out when he was nervous, and was almost as tall as Chanyeol. The other guys liked to since he was the maknae, but he was also universally loved and protected by eXo. 

“What are you doing here?” Sehun asked curiously. With the sunglasses on, he looked even more like a model than Yixing. “Oh, you curled your hair again today.”

“I was going to see if Minseok wanted to go get coffee after practice,” I replied, trying to avoid suspicion with a casual tone. Yixing, always oblivious, just let out a small nod. Sehun was studying me, making me squirm in my seat, but I couldn’t make out his eyes behind the sunglasses. 

“What, go learn,” I snapped at him, pointing at his book.

Sehun pursed his thin lips but returned to his work. 

I pulled out my phone and squinted at the field. I found Minseok near the sidelines, getting a drink from the cooler. He looked really handsome in the soccer uniform, and I could feel myself smiling. 

want to go to caffe bene after practice? 

I attached a cute Rilakkuma sticker and waited. I watched him sit down next to his gym bag with his cup. A moment later, a reply came.

yeeee let’s go ~~ I’ll come by your apt and meet you downstairs?

no need, I’m still at school. With Yixing and Sehunnie right now ~~

Minseok looked up, eyes immediately going to the top of the stands. He must have known that Yixing and Sehun were there already. He saw me and waved happily. 

okay okay, wait for me ㅋㅋㅋ 

A moment later, that was followed by another Rilakkuma sticker.  

I put down my phone and turned back to Sehun. He was giving me the side eye from behind his sun glasses between questions directed at Yixing. 

“Jimin, I’ve been wondering something,” Yixing said suddenly, sitting up. “Sehun and I were just talking about it earlier.”

“Yah,” Sehun exclaimed hitting Yixing on the arm. 

Yixing just blinked at him, not realizing he had said something wrong. 

“We weren’t talking bad about you, Jimin,” Sehun added quickly, turning pink. “We were just…curious.”

“What about?” I asked with a laugh. I swear Zhang Yixing lived in his own little world half of the time, a world with very different social norms where it was okay to tell people you were talking about them behind their back.  

“Why is Chanyeol like that with you?”

“Like what?” I asked, playing dumb. I knew what they meant though. Chanyeol’s level of protectiveness toward me was more than what was considered normal; I’m sure everyone in eXo was wondering the same thing. 

“You’re known each other since birth, yes, but there has to be another reason, right?” Sehun added. 

“There is another reason,” I confirmed. 

“Are you going to tell us?” Sehun demanded. 

I paused, biting my lip. “Not now,” I decided. 

“But you will eventually, right?” Yixing asked softly. “I’m sure you have good reasons for keeping it to yourself.”

“Trust me, I do.” I was glad to see that Yixing was so understanding. 

Sehun, on the other hand, let out a frustrated groan. “This ,” he complained. “Yixing won’t tell me anything about the stupid song he’s working on, and you won’t tell me why Chanyeol protects you with his life and hovers over you like a mother hen. Why can’t I be trusted? Are you guys really my friends?”

“Aw, Sehunnie,” I cooed, gathering him up in my arms. Sehun struggled for a moment, then stilled, bottom lip jutting out in a clear pout. “In due time, okay? You’ll know everything.”

“I have a secret too,” he grumbled under his breath. “I’m not going to tell you guys because you both .”

Yixing laughed, patting Sehun on the shoulder. They let the topic go easily and for that, I was glad. 

I met Minseok by the locker rooms after practice. He was freshly showered, and his damp hair hung over his eyes. I could hear mild displeasure from the girls who were lurking nearby, waiting to see him and Lu Han, but I had learned to ignore them by now. Minseok took my backpack for me, and together we headed toward the nearest subway stop. 

“Why was Sehun watching us today?” Minseok asked curiously. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen him at practice.”

“Yixing was helping him with stuff for Chinese class,” I explained. “Sehun wanted to go to a library, but Yixing refused.”

“Yixing is a weird one, isn’t he,” Minseok wondered. There was no malice in his voice, and I nodded in agreement. “I’m glad I met you guys,” Minseok added. “I’m thankful for Baekhyun for introducing us. This school would have been so lonely without eXo to welcome me. And you too, of course.”

Minseok’s fingers brushed against mine as we walked and I couldn’t help but smile a little. Yes, Byun Baekhyun was a pain in the ninety nine percent of the time, but I was also thankful for him for bringing Minseok into my life.  

The first time Chanyeol started calling me Ji was in middle school. Kim Ji was easy to roll off the tongue, and Chanyeol used to say it sounded like Kimchi. After a while, Kim Ji became just Ji. I retaliated by calling him Park Chan, which sometimes became just Chan. 

“I like that nickname,” he had said on a Thursday morning in homeroom in the seventh grade. “It makes me sound Japanese.”

“You’re weird,” I had replied, but secretly I liked it too. Calling him Chan gave me a feeling of closeness, because it was a nickname that only I used. It made me feel like I was special to Chanyeol, and he was special to me. 

Although Chanyeol played the drums in eXo, he was actually multi-talented musically. He played the guitar and the piano, and also knew how to beatbox. We often sat in my living room where he would strum his guitar and write songs, and I would work on some new designs for eXo. They wanted to make a new batch of tshirts soon, and I was always up for the challenge. 

This time, Jongin and Kyungsoo were with us. 

“Have you told her yet?” Chanyeol asked, nodding at Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo shook his headed but sat up excitedly. “Noona, guess what?” Kyungsoo said. He didn’t give me a chance to answer before he hurried on. “I’m getting featured in a song in eXo’s next performance. Isn’t that amazing? Jongdae hyung said he thought I was really good, and we’re sing a duet.”

“Woah, really?” I asked, impressed.

“He is really good,” Chanyeol confirmed. 

“It’s going to be so cool,” Kyungsoo continued dreamily. “All the girls are going to think that I’m so cool. I get to sing with eXo, and it’s all thanks to you for introducing me.”

“Yah, you should thank me for being your friend,” Jongin grumbled. “I introduced you to my sister, didn’t I?” 

“Jongin is also great,” Kyungsoo added, hugging his best friend around the neck. 

Jongin batted him away, but smiled secretly to himself, proud for his friend.     

Chanyeol strummed a few more cords from his spot on the floor, muttering to himself under his breath as he scratched something out on his note pad. He let out a frustrated sigh and closed the pad. 

“Having trouble?” I asked gently 

He nodded. “It’s just not coming out right,” he muttered. 

Chanyeol always had high expectations for himself when it came to his music. I put my laptop down next to me and pulled Chanyeol toward me by the arm. He settled with his back against the couch, and I used my hands to knead at his tense shoulders. Chanyeol closed his eyes and let out a content breath. 

“This feels nice,” he mumbled, tilting his head for a moment so that his cheek rested on my hand. 

“Relax, Chan,” I replied. 

Jongin let out a little cough. When I looked up, I saw that he and Kyungsoo were exchanging a look. 

“Uh, Jongin, can you show me that new comic you got last week?” Kyungsoo asked, voice higher than usual. 

Jongin jumped up immediately. “Yeah, it’s in my room. Come on.” A moment later, they were both gone. 

“Your brother has gotten so weird lately,” Chanyeol noted. 

I couldn’t help but agree.

One Saturday afternoon, when I went next door to Chanyeol’s apartment, I was greeted by two screaming kids. They were twin boys, probably around seven years ago, and were chasing each other around the apartment while screaming at the top of their lungs. 

“Baby cousins,” Chanyeol muttered, snagging one by the shirt as he ran past him. “Aunt dropped them off and went out to eat with Mom.” The child in Chanyeol’s grasp struggled for a moment before giving up. He looked pretty tired from all the running. “Yeah, I think it’s time for you two to take a nap.” Chanyeol laughed, picking the boy up with an airplane sound. “Can you grab the other one, Ji?” he called over his shoulders as he hauled the first twin toward his parent’s room. 

Grab the other one? Chanyeol was good with kids, but I had no idea what to do with them. 

“Do you want to take a nap?” I asked the other boy, squatting down to his eye level

The little boy stared at me, eyes wide. He was a lot tanner than his brother and had some serious dark eyebags. “Are you hyung’s girlfriend?” he asked innocently. “I’ll only go with you if you’re hyung’s girlfriend.”

“Of course I am,” I said with a big smile. 

The little boy smiled back and took my outstretched hand. He let me lead him toward the back room, where he quietly climbed onto the next to his twin, whose eyes were already drooping closed. They were asleep within minutes. 

“Mom should be back in a few minutes and then we can go,” Chanyeol said, closing the door quietly behind us on our way out of the room. We were supposed to go bowling with the other guys in half an hour. 

“Would you ever want twins?” I asked curiously. 

Chanyeol glanced at me. “Hmm? I wouldn’t mind, I guess. My aunt says Kris and Tao are a handful though.”

Just then, the door opened and Chanyeol’s mom walked in, followed by a tall, pretty lady who must have been Chanyeol’s aunt. 

“Oh no, it’s so quiet. What did they do?” his aunt asked nervously. 

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