For a few minutes, Donghae lay staring at the ceiling. Him waking up before Siwon was a rare occasion, but he had a good reason to feel jittery so early in the morning.


Siwon kissed him last night.


It was not a deeply passionate kiss--certainly not the open-mouthed kisses he often saw in rom-coms or epics like Titanic--nor was it like the curious kiss he and Hyuk had, on their first date. It felt platonic. A bit tentative, like it was trying to prove something.


But whatever the reason, the fact remains that Siwon kissed him last night. And there was that odd flutter in his stomach, his heart picking up pace, the excited prickle up his spine that made the hairs on his nape stand on its end. Siwon kissed him, and it felt wonderful.


And Siwon? There was a brief look of surprise on his face when they parted, and it was a moment when something, anything could have happened--until he laughed lightly and forked an egg roll, dispelling the moment completely. 


Donghae found it easy to get carried away. He hated himself for it, sometimes, and Siwon was making it a little easier by playing either-or. The trip to Oedaldo, the surprise dinner... surely, no one can blame Donghae if it got him thinking. Nor if it made him feel a little funny in the chest.


Only a lone, nasty voice reined him in: He's a go-getter, this Siwon Choi. He'd take it further if he really wanted it, woudn't he?


Donghae grabbed a pillow and groaned loudly into it. On the bed above him, the springs creaked as Siwon shifted onto his back, the man still snoring lightly.


When he couldn't take the many thoughts running in his head, Donghae decided to go for a morning run. He peeked at Siwon's sleeping form, unable to stop a small smile upon seeing Siwon's relaxed face. He arranged Siwon's blankets, which had fallen off him when he moved. After a moment's hesitation, he stole a kiss on his forehead. (As thanks for last night, he reasoned to himself.)


He scribbled a note and placed it on the bedside table, making sure Siwon will not miss his message. He closed the door gently, then padded to the kitchen to grab a small bottle of water.


Someone behind Donghae coughed as he was drinking, gaining his attention.


"So brother, how was your date last night?" Heechul asked, blocking the only exit.


Donghae nearly choked on his drink when Heechul winked and made suggestive, funny faces, implying something about his night.


"Hyuuung!" Donghae said, forcing himself not to blush. "Nothing happened."


"Oh really?" Heechul continued to prod Donghae.


"Yes really." Donghae shook his head as he forced Heechul away from the door. 


Heechul grabbed Donghae by the arm. "Then you won't mind if we borrowed Siwon tonight for a good dose of Mokpo entertainment?"


"We?" Donghae asked.


"Me and Kangin. Your hyungs want to spend time with your boyfriend, too," Heechul said. "Go spend time with Henry. He's been  about how he saw even less of you now that you're here."


"But..." Donghae tried to reason.


"You know how Henry adores you. Give the kid some time." Heechul continued. "And yes, we promise to take care of Siwon, to keep him from trouble, blah blah blah. Come on, don't you trust your hyungs?"


"Actually, I don't." Donghae muttered to himself. "Especially you."


"What did you say?!" Heechul said, noticing Donghae muttering to himself.


"I said, yes! Okay! You can have Siwon for the night." He then scowled. "But if anything happens to him..."


"What could possibly happen to a guy like that in Mokpo?" Heechul asked innocently.


Donghae sighed as he was finally allowed to leave, but the feral grin on Heechul's face made him wonder if he made the right choice.

Siwon turned towards Donghae's direction, only to find an empty space. With a start, Siwon sat up and rummaged for his mobile phone. As he reached for it over the bedside table, he felt a paper above it and quickly read its contents.



Didn't bother to wake you up. Will just take a morning run.

See you in a bit.

- Donghae



Siwon ruffled his hair before deciding to do some exercise of his own. He planned on doing just a light workout as he didn't want to stray too far, in case Donghae returned from his workout. He finally settled on the open space behind Donghae's house.


The two still had a lot to talk about, and tomorrow was already halbae's birthday. The week was burning quicker than Siwon wanted to. 


After yesterday's dinner, he needed to somewhat label their so-called relationship. The kiss came from absolutely nowhere (Idiot! What did you do that for?! Siwon had been asking himself since last night), but Donghae had taken it well. Siwon wouldn't have known what to do if Donghae pushed him away.


Then again, Donghae wasn't the problem here. It was him, and the convoluted situation he had dug both of them into.


Siwon was brooding over his idiocy while doing stretching exercises when he spotted Hyangsook lugging what appeared to be something twice her size. He hurriedly dusted himself and rushed over to help.


'I have three sons and not one of them is willing to help their mother,' Hyangsook muttered to herself as she dragged one of the decors for her father-in-law's birthday.


Hyangsook gave a startled gasp when the package was carefully removed from her hands.


"Why are you carrying such a heavy thing, Hyangsook-sshi?" Siwon greeted.


Hyangsook beamed seeing Siwon's dimpled smile. "My sons have deserted me to accomplish the rest of the preparations,  unfortunately."


"Well, good thing I saw you then. Let me help you carry this." Siwon volunteered.


"My, what a gentleman." Hyangsook replied, her mood lifting at the prospect of another kind-hearted son-in-law.


Siwon continued to help Hyangsook until all the heavy-looking decorations were inside the house. As they worked, Hyangsook shared stories about Donghae's childhood, mostly how he was his father's favorite and how he could easily charm anyone.

Siwon drummed his fingers nervously at the kitchen counter as he waited for Hyangsook's return. He was covered in so much sweat, and he decided a good long bath was necessary after helping her with the heavy lifting. However, before he could escape to Donghae's room, he was asked to wait for a few minutes for something Hyangsook wanted to give him.


Siwon resisted the urge to bite his nails or pull his hair. Mothers were so much scarier than any client he has ever dealt with, especially when you were fake-dating their son.


"Sorry to keep you waiting, Siwon-sshi." Hyangsook said as she arrived at the kitchen.


Siwon sat attentively and replied. "No worries, Hyangsook-sshi."


Hyangsook crossed from the door towards the counter, presenting a small box in front of Siwon.


"I want you to have this." Hyangsook said, smiling softly as she lifted the lid of the box.


Inside the box were two identical rings that were a bit thick and consisted of simple carvings at the side. Upon closer inspection, both bands had the H of the family engraved inside.


"These rings were created by Seung Yeon before he died. In case he couldn't make it to his sons' wedding days, he wanted to give them a present to remember him by." Hyangsook explained.


Siwon gingerly touched the rings, unable to give Hyangsook a proper reply.


"I'm not pressuring you into anything, Siwon-sshi. But as I've mentioned before, Donghae hasn't introduced or brought anyone from Seoul to the family." Hyangsook said, patting Siwon's shoulder.


"Thank you, Hyangsook-sshi. I will take care of it." Siwon finally replied, his voice trembling slightly.


Hyangsook clapped her hands before shooing Siwon away. "Off you go now, before Donghae returns."


Upon reaching Donghae's room, Siwon immediately went for his bag to secure the box and grab a new set of clothes. In all honesty, Siwon was trying to stop himself from having a mental breakdown.


Shower. I need a shower, Siwon thought to himself as he started to remove his sweaty shirt and shorts, opting to enter the adjacent bathroom in only his boxers.


Siwon was just about to grab the bathroom door when it swung open and a blur came rushing out towards his direction. He was unable to stop himself from falling on his .


"Oof!" Donghae groaned. Siwon grabbed on his waist to stop both of them from lying on the floor.


"Are you alright?" Siwon asked as he resisted to groan from Donghae's towel clad form rubbing on him.


Donghae gasped upon realizing their situation. He tried to stand, only to slide further into Siwon's bare shoulders.


"Breathe, Donghae-ah," Siwon said as he felt Donghae starting to panic.


Donghae exhaled loudly as he slowly disentangled himself from Siwon.


"Sorry, didn't expect you to be right outside the door." Donghae said as he secured the towel around his waist. He offered a hand to help Siwon stand up.


"Thanks," said Siwon.


Oh , Donghae thought, resisiting the urge to ogle at Siwon's half- form.


"Sorry, I didn't notice you were already here. What's with the hurry?" Siwon asked.


"I went on autopilot after jogging and forgot to bring my clothes inside the bathroom." Donghae replied, fidgeting in his lack of clothes.


Well, will you look at that, Siwon thought as he took notice of Donghae's towel-clad form.


"Oh." Siwon said out loud, snapping back to reality before he could say something else. "Well, I should take a shower then."


"S-Sure." Donghae replied, stepping aside to allow Siwon to pass.


Donghae shivered as he went to grab his clothes. For a minute there, he felt like Siwon was able to see through the towel.

Siwon fidgeted on the backseat of Kangin's old Kia. 'Uncomfortable' doesn't even begin to describe his first trip in Kangin's car. It was cramped enough that he could see the beads of sweat running down Kangin's neck, along with every unhappy twitch of a muscle on Heechul's temple as Siwon's knees stab his back for the nth time. 


Siwon breathed thinly through the car's stale air and tried to keep up a happy appearance for Donghae's hyungs. If he were completely honest, he was annoyed at missing out on a precious night with Donghae--their days together, after all, were few and numbered. But Heechul had whined at Donghae to let Siwon join them for a boys' night out, and Donghae happily let Heechul drag him away to God knows where, without giving Siwon any chance to protest.


Heechul and Kangin's hushed, furtive conversation only aroused further suspicion.


"So. Where did you say we were going?" Siwon tried.


"Like I told you, it's a surpriiise," Heechul drawled. "Just a few more minutes, city brat! Trust me, suffering a ride in this scrappy tin box will be totally worth it." 


"Yah, Heechul-hyung! Watch your insults or you're walking!"


"Hah! Try me."


They continued to bicker up until Kangin rounded a corner in a narrow street, pulling up in front of one of the sorriest looking houses Siwon had ever seen. The exterior wall was made up of scrap metal patched together with a flimsy screen door and tinted windows. Siwon was certain the place was housing something illegal.


Heechul rolled his eyes. 'It's just a bar, idiot. Donghae-ah will never forgive us if we get you into trouble.'


'It's... a very unusual looking bar.'


'It's one of those trendy hipster bar types. Hardware store by day, swanky club by night.' Heechul rapped at the door, the metal panels clanging at every knock. 'Open up, losers! The party's here.'


'Jeez. Loud as ever, Heechul-hyung,' Baekhyun grunted, the screen door creaking as it swung open. 


Baekhyun paused at the sight of Siwon. He quickly gave Siwon a once-over, then grinned wolfishly. 'You've finally brought good company!'


'Easy, Baekhyun. Siwonnie here is Donghae's boy, so he's off-limits,' said Kangin sternly. 


'Boo,' Baekhyun pouted. 'Can't we even give him the usual welcome dance, Kangin-hyung?'


'Well, even the usual is a bit--'


'Fine! Absolutely fine,' Heechul said loudly, pushing at the alarmed Kangin and the confused Siwon with a lecherous grin. 'We'll be at the table over there, okay?'


'Okay~ Lucky you, hyung, Jongin's up tonight. No one gives a better welcome to EXOtique than that guy,' Baekhyun winked. He blew Siwon a kiss before sashaying away.


'I said the exact opposite of this,' Kangin whispered hotly . 'I promised Jeongsu we're just having drinks. And no dancing!'


'God, Kangin. Has marriage sapped you of all sense of fun? This is why you and Fishy should never get married, Siwon-ah...'


But Siwon was only half-listening, his eyes fixed on the strobe-lined stage in front of him, blinking in time with the beat of some obscure Korean techno. A noisy crowd of males and females have already gathered at the front, whooping drunkenly during the brief lulls in between songs. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. 


'When you said trendy hipster bar, you really meant stripper club, didn't you,' said Siwon.


Heechul grinned just as the lights dimmed and the music died down to a quiet thrum.


Siwon could feel the nervous anticipation rolling off the crowd in waves. The bass pulsed to life as a tall man with a lean build silkily waltzed up to the middle of the stage. It all looked innocent and typical, until a loud, fuzzy beat kicked in and the stage exploded with light, and the man is revealed to be wearing nothing but a gold-lined cap and a tight-fitting black jockstrap.


'Oh my God,' breathed Siwon, his eyes the size of golf balls.


'Ladies and gentlemen, raise those bottles to EXOtique's club favourite ... the y, dirty-dancing, floor-scorching Kai!'


Kai needed no further introduction. He ground his hips to the music in sensuous figure-eights, occasionally ing a cheek left and right at fawning admirers as he danced further up front. His kohled eyes met Siwon's, and his lips spread into a shark-like grin. 


Siwon broke out in cold sweat. That smile definitely meant trouble.


Kai jumped off the stage, and the audience yelled excitedly and egged him on. Not once did Kai look away from Siwon, and like a sorcerer's spell, the intensity of his gaze tuned Siwon's limbs to stone. Even Kangin seemed to have frozen up beside him.


Kai stopped when he was within touching distance of Siwon's knees. With a naughty wink, he slid onto Siwon's parted thighs, arms braced on either side of Siwon's shoulders. He arched his back and ground down, rubbing himself against Siwon thoroughly, to the crowd's wild approval. Siwon wondered what a picture he must have made then, all bulging eyes and flaming ears, a helpless deer caught in sultry red strobelights.


He wasn't the only one thinking that, it seemed. Siwon saw a flash go off from the corner of his eye, making him turn away instinctively. . He hoped to God that will not make the tabloids in the morning.


Perhaps sensing Siwon's distraction, Kai leant closer, his shallow breaths tickling the shell of Siwon's ear. 'I heard you're a close friend of Donghae-hyung, Siwon-sshi,' he whispered huskily. 'Don't worry, this will just be our little secret...'


Kai planted a wet kiss on Siwon's cheek and slid off his lap, ending his dance on its most horrifyingly  note as he  his hips towards Siwon's face and twerked.


Laughing, Heechul leant over and stuck a few won into the tight garter of Kai's jockstrap, and slapped him lightly on a cheek. Kai turned around and stuck out a tongue, before waltzing back up on stage.


'Great show, huh?' Heechul said, clapping along with the crowd as Kai blew a farewell kiss. 'Sheesh, who would've thought that kid would have it in him. He's an absolute saint most of the time.'


'He used to be a scrawny little kid who begged me to let him bum around the shop,' said Kangin. 'God, I suddenly feel a hundred times older.'


'Look at you talking about Jongin like a bunch of ajhussis,' said Baekhyun, bottles of beer in hand. 


'That was Jongin?'


'Yep. Would you believe he's just 22? He's a natural, man. Though he did borrow a move or two from Donghae-hyung to spice up his routine. Like those little hip s.'


'Sorry, what? Donghae?'


'Oh, haven't I told you?' Heechul said, his grin turning positively wicked. 'Donghae-ah used to be Jongin-ah's dance instructor. Like student, like master, I would imagine.'


Siwon did imagine. With a fitting reference of Donghae scantily clad in a towel from earlier that day.


And with the grace of a 15-year-old schoolboy on his first night out, Siwon promptly spilt his drink.

Siwon's wasted drink was quickly replaced with three, out of Heechul's obviously two-faced goodwill. He had counted on Kangin for support, but the older man had gone off to the bar, leaving Siwon entirely at Heechul's mercy. (Siwon couldn't blame Kangin. After Jongin's show, he badly wanted a bottle, himself.)


He had tried to fool Heechul by taking close-lipped sips at his beer, but Heechul was quick to catch on. He pulled his phone out and waved it at Siwon; Siwon stared back at a photo of himself grinning uncomfortably at the doll-faced Jongin as the man gave him an (admittedly excellent) . 


'No more tricks, Siwon-ah, or this lovely photo is going straight to Donghae.' Heechul warned.


If you can't beat 'em... Siwon sighed in resignation and took a swig of his beer. 'You made it this hard for Kangin-hyung when he married Leeteuk, too?'


'Not really. I was more worried for Kangin-ah, to be honest.' Heechul grinned ruefully. 'Surely you understand me better than anyone, Siwon-ah, when I say I worry for Donghae a lot more.'


'...I do,' Siwon murmured. 'That guy makes loving him too easy.'


Siwon stiffened at his own words. Damn alcohol. His face probably mirrored Heechul's own surprise. 


'If it's that easy, how do you know my brother's not just a fling, hmm?' Heechul asked, his smile hardening.


Siwon swallowed nervously. 'I've had my fair share of flings,' he said, his eyes lowered in shame. 'I had little time for romance while I chased success like a blinkered racehorse. But Donghae-ah made me realise I've been taking a few things for granted. Him included,' he added with a grim smile.


Heechul sat back, the tension in his body visibly loosening, and Siwon knew then he said the right thing. 'He's an attention , that brother of mine,' said Heechul. 'He doesn't like work getting in the way of personal time, especially with family and friends. It's annoying, and petty, but it's hard to stay mad at him for too long.' Heechul smiled sadly. 'Our dad was a massive workaholic. Must be why...'


Before Siwon could ask further, Heechul scoffed dismissively at the thought and grabbed a beer. 'Chasing after success can only take you so far, Siwon-ah. Believe me,' he firmly advised.


Siwon regarded Heechul's sombre shift in demeanour. 'Sounds like there's a story behind that, hyung,' he said.


Heechul smiled ruefully. 'If you finish those beers, brat, I might just tell you.'

In the end, Heechul never got to tell his story. Siwon had overcome his initial reservations and let loose with an impressive four bottles of beer, which lead to reckless drinking challenges with Heechul that he otherwise would have never made--one that quickly saw four bottles double to eight.


By the time Kangin returned, Heechul was slurring profanities at a peacefully dozing Siwon. 'I should have known this boring bastard was a sleepy drunk, Kangin-ah,' Heechul moaned.


'Okay, that's enough for tonight,' Kangin said crossly. 'As if we're not in enough trouble already.' 


Kangin dragged the men out of the club, muttering empty threats about leaving Heechul's drunk, irresponsible  on the street. By the time they reached his car, Kangin was sweating like a teapot in a cosy, to Heechul's snorts of laughter.


Siwon, on the other hand, was in drunken oblivion. Heechul pulled him in beside him, and almost immediately, Siwon burrowed his head into Heechul's shoulder, a sigh that sounded like Donghae's name passing his lips.


'Aw, that's cute. Wasn't that cute?' Heechul giggled. 'These brats have it so bad for each other!'


'I don't know if I should be happy that you're happy for them,' Kangin muttered, sliding into the driver's seat. He jumped when a bright flash erupted from the back. 'Yah, Heechul! What the hell?'


'Took a photo for Henry. He was asking how we were, earlier.' said Heechul. 'Someone just had an EXOtique experience. There...' 


Heechul rolled his eyes at the look of disbelief on Kangin's face. 'It's Henry! He won't tell on us!'


'Dunno,' said Kangin. 'I have a bad feeling about this...'


Kangin was making the turn into the main road when Heechul suddenly swore, causing the surprised Kangin to jerk the wheel sideways. Siwon, still dead to the world, grunted irritably in his sleep. 


'What is it this time?!' Kangin said angrily.


'Uh.' The grin on Heechul's face was completely gone. 'I... may have sent the photo to the wrong person.'


Kangin's face paled. 'Oh God, no.'


'And...' Heechul bit his lip. 'I may have sent the wrong photo...'


Kangin's phone rang a few seconds after, the ringtone unmistakably Leeteuk's. Sheer panic almost caused the older man to drive straight onto a wall.


Amid the chaos, Siwon slept on with a content smile, dreaming of a peaceful afternoon with nothing but a towel-clad Donghae in his lap.

Donghae growled as he made his way to Heechul's room. Of all the bars they could have gone to, he can't believe they took Siwon to EXOtique. He actually trusted Kangin to keep Heechul in check, but he should've known Heechul will still have his way. His only consolation was Kangin receiving an earful from Leeteuk for going along with the plan.


"HYUNG!" Donghae shouted as he burst into Heechul's room.


"Woaw there, brother. Not so loud, my head's kind of spinning," said Heechul, rolled up as a messy lump of sheets on the bed. "What's the rush?" 


Donghae took huge steps towards Heechul's bed, grabbed a pillow and started hitting his brother. "You. Took. Him. To. EXOtique. What. The. Hell?!"


"Stop. Hey, stop it! Donghae!" Heechul yelled, attempts to dodge Donghae's relentless pillow attacks in vain.


Donghae breathed deeply as he tried to calm down. Heechul quicky took the chance to roll out of Donghae's reach.


"Darn it. That idiot told you?" Heechul asked.


"He didn't need to. I heard Teukkie-hyung taking Kangin-hyung's ear off." Donghae replied, scowling. "Who else was there?"


Heechul smirked. "Jongin, as luck would have it. You taught him pretty well!" 


Of the bunch of them. It had to be him! Donghae sighed, ruffling his hair. 


"Next time, I'm joining you guys, whether you like it or not." Donghae threw the pillow aside and made his way to the door. "Go take a shower. We're meant to help setup for halbae's birthday," he added bossily, then stepped out and slammed the door behind him without as much as another glance at Heechul.


'Possessive fish is always amusing,' Heechul sniggered in triumph. He was in everyone's bad books again, but Heechul considered his test a definite success. At least he's proven that Siwon Choi, against all initial reservations, seemed to be the real deal.

For the upteenth time, Siwon fixed the top of his collared shirt, unable to stay calm at the thought of tonight's festivities.


The morning had been, needless to say, a disaster. Donghae got deathly quiet after learning that his hyungs brought him to EXOtique. After storming down from Heechul's room (and God knows what happened there), he called up a guy called Sehun; Siwon hoped, for the poor man's own good, that he wouldn't pick up.


He didn't. Unfortunately, he had voicemail. And after the beep, Donghae exploded. 


"YAH OH SEHUN! Tell that bestfriend of yours to keep his hands to himself, or I'm telling Kyungsoo!" 


Siwon shuddered at the memory. It seemed timid Donghae had temper issues as well.


"Siwon-ah, stop fidgeting." Donghae said as he approached Siwon. Siwon jumped a little in surprise, making Donghae laugh at him. 


Siwon pouted. "Easy for you to say. You didn't tell me the whole town is invited."


Donghae scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. It's a small town, Siwon-ah. Word gets around pretty quickly."


"Seems so." Siwon offered his arm to Donghae."Well, let's go meet your friends."

 
Donghae beamed and linked arms with Siwon, dragging him to the receiving area to greet some of the guests.


It was unlike any family party Siwon had ever attended. Parties at the Choi household were often subdued and boring affairs, filled with polite, stilted conversations, financial discussions, and tooting of horns. His aunts and uncles especially loved to make small talk about his future, if only to make their own achievements seem more significant.


Siwon would never have survived those miserable parties without Minho and Kyuhyun--the pair had to be credited for coming up with ingenious plans to escape them.


In contrast, halbae's party was mainly composed of strangers, but everyone knew each other like family. Siwon was mesmerised by how Donghae easily flitted in and out of conversations with genuine interest. Siwon wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes, if it had been him.


'I'm a bit jealous,' said Siwon, as they settled in a quiet spot in the garden. 'I've always had crap guests at my parties.'


'Like I said, Mokpo's a small town. People here really only have each other to rely on, so we're all pretty tight,' said Donghae. 'In fact, a lot of these people helped our family through a bad time.'


Siwon looked at Donghae seriously. 'Are you talking about the time when your fathe--'


Siwon's question was drowned out by a loud cheer that suddenly rose from the crowd. Halbae had finally been spotted. Somehow, he had snuck in behind the buffet table unnoticed until Baekhyun saw him. The old man's face, as he was caught red-handed with a drink in hand, was certainly one to remember. Leeteuk and Henry immediately ran to his side, stern-faced and visibly unamused by his antics.


Siwon nudged Donghae gently. 'Have you made up with your old man yet? I heard from Henry you had an argument the other day.'


Donghae stiffened. He had not spoken to his grandfather since he walked out on him--purely down to the lack of chances, as they were kept busy by the preparations for the party.  Part of him, however, was happy to skirt the issue. The prospect of butting heads with his grandfather again was simply too hard for the heart. It wasn't just any argument, after all--it was an argument over Siwon. And despite the repercussions, it was an argument that he wasn't willing to concede.


'I'll take your silence as a no,' said Siwon. Then added, more gently, 'Go on, Donghae-ah. I'm sure halbae's over it. You're surely the best birthday gift he'll receive today.'


'Besides, he's the reason we're here. We don't want this fine trip to go to waste, right?' Siwon winked.


Donghae sighed. 'It's not that simple, Siwon-ah.'


'Nor is it as complicated as you think.' Siwon knocked Donghae's forehead with his fist. 'He wouldn't send me after you that night if he never wanted to speak to you again, would he?'


Donghae looked up at Siwon, wide-eyed. 'He did what?'


'Henry asked me to go after you in the dance studio, for halbae.' Siwon grinned. 'I was pretty happy he did that, too. He's still got eyes on me like a hawk, but it certainly felt like he was beginning to trust me a bit more.'


Siwon's smile faltered. 'Though I'm not sure if he should.'


Donghae shook his head, taking Siwon's hand. 'You've been wonderful, Siwon-ah. Omma loves you already! And Leeteuk-hyung and Henry. Even Heechul too, in his own way.'


And me, Donghae almost let slip, mind racing back to their chaste kiss the other night. But Siwon had not brought it up, and Donghae was too afraid to do so. Siwon's words had given him a bit of courage to face his grandfather, at least. Donghae's face hardened with conviction. 


'Everyone likes Siwon-ah,' said Donghae, 'And I'm going to tell halbae exactly that.'


Siwon squeezed Donghae's hand. 'Nevermind what he thinks of me. As long as you two are talking again. That's all that matters.'


Donghae nodded. Shyly, he pulled Siwon down to his height, and kissed him on the cheek. 'Power-up charm,' he whispered. 'Thanks, Siwon-ah.' 


Donghae ran off to heart of the party, heartened by Siwon's show of support. 


Though the kiss left Siwon feeling a little weak in the knees. 

"What was that all about, halbae?" Leeteuk said sternly. "Everyone has been looking for you! Omma was worried sick!"


"Even managed to grab a bottle of Soju for himself," Kangin murmured. "Pretty impressive."


"It's my party, isn't it? I can do what I want."


"This is really unlike you, halbae," said Henry worriedly. "You've looked forward to this party since Donghae said he was coming. Is there something wrong?"


Halbae's face visibly fell at the mention of Donghae's name. 


Heechul smirked knowingly. "Ohhh. So you two still haven't made up yet?"


"Hmph. It's that Siwon's fault for leaving his phone behind. And I was about to say something nice about him back then!"


"Don't pin this on Siwon, halbae. That's what you get for playing tricks on people."


"No. I'm partly to blame, too."


All the heads turned towards the door where Donghae stood, smiling nervously.


A moment of silence fell upon the room. Henry coughed. "We'll be outside," he said softly, grabbing his hyungs by the arm. 


Donghae's eyes fell to his feet as the door closed. He would probably be a little more bold if Siwon was here, but hurting his grandfather more than he thought weighed heavily on his heart. Halbae may have been wrong, but he had disrespected his grandfather. And there was no forgiving that.


"I wasn't thinking straight, halbae," said Donghae. "Siwon's a good person, and I thought he deserved a chance. So the idea of spying on him was..." Donghae bit his lip. "I'm really sorry."


"Bah. You and your father share the same penchant for drama."


Donghae looked up at his grandfather. The old man sported a crooked grin.


"This stubborn old man makes mistakes, too," said Halbae. "But I know when to admit them. Especially when it's causing my precious grandson so much pain."


"Halbae..."


"I hate to say it, but that Siwon reminds me of Seung Yeon, too," Halbae said, his nose crinkling. "Ambitious. Work-obsessed. A bit clumsy, especially when he was around your mother." He chuckled. "Silly boy. That's what love does to you, I guess."


Donghae's heart skipped at the four-letter word. 


Halbae smiled at Donghae warmly. "I trust my grandsons to be wise enough in their choices. But with your father gone, someone had to keep an eye out on  these Lee wannabes. See if they're worth it. After all, they are taking something precious away."


Donghae wiped at his moist eyes, laughing in relief. "You're doing a good job of it, halbae. Siwon-ah's tough at work, but it's the first time I've seen him so scared of someone."


"As he should be!" Halbae barked. He then opened his arms expectantly. "But enough about Siwon. Can you now come give your halbae his birthday present, Donghae-ah?"


Donghae didn't need to be told twice. He ran into the arms of his grandfather and gave him a tight embrace.


For Donghae, giving that gift was the best feeling in the world.

Siwon went out to the gardens to catch some fresh air. He met so many of Donghae's friends and acquaintances that he could barely remember any of their names. 


Strangely, he didn't feel as suffocated as he did compared to boarding the train to Mokpo, or taking the boat ride to Oedaldo. Having Donghae constantly at his side certainly helped.


He learned that Donghae was very well loved by everyone--not that he needed any confirmation. He already knew from their short stay that Donghae knew how to worm his way into anyone's heart, no matter how well guarded it is.


The sudden clinking of glasses brought Siwon out of his reverie. Eunhyuk stood in front of him, holding up two glasses and a bottle of whiskey.


"Hey Siwon-sshi!" Hyukjae greeted. "Care to join me for drinks?"


Siwon raised his eyebrows in wonder.


"I just wanted to talk," Eunhyuk explained as he waited for Siwon's go signal.


"...Sure." Siwon gestured to the empty space on the bench he was sitting on.


"I wanted to apologize." Eunhyuk started as he started pouring drinks into the empty glasses between them. "I may have acted like a jealous boyfriend, but believe me when I say I was just really concerned about Donghae."


"I know." Siwon answered somberly, taking a small sip of whiskey.


"You don't understand." Eunhyuk sighed. "I don't know if I should say this, but there was a time that I was in love with Donghae."


Siwon smiled gently. "I know, Hyukjae-sshi. Donghae told me you were together once."


Eunhyuk's eyes widened as he looked with mild shock at Siwon's direction. "You're not angry?"

"I won't deny I wasn't at first." Siwon replied, swirling his glass of whiskey. "But we're not children anymore and I can't be angry for something I have no control over. I didn't think a friendship with your ex-boyfriend will work, but somehow I think it works for you guys."


"Thank you, Siwon-sshi. Because I don't think I can lose him even as a friend." Eunhyuk replied.


"I don't think Donghae will allow it. Even if he loves me, I don't think Donghae will choose me over his family and friends." Siwon said. Not that I'd allow Donghae to choose me over his family, just for my selfish dreams, Siwon thought to himself as he took another sip of whiskey.


The two sat in silence as they let their small conversation sink in.


"Hyukjae-sshi, if I may ask?" Siwon started, the curiosity killing him.


"Please, call me Eunhyuk. I think after tonight, we can make Donghae happy by showing that we're now friends."


"Then please just call me Siwon." Siwon requested before continuing his question. "Why didn't you follow Donghae to Seoul?"


"I--" Eunhyuk started, taken by surprise at Siwon's question.


"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Siwon assured him.


Eunhyuk sighed, pouring more whiskey into their now empty glasses. "You must understand, Donghae became different after his father's death."


Eunhyuk mulled over his words before he continued. "Out of the three of them, Donghae was the closest to his father. But after his death, it seemed like the whole world stopped. He stopped talking and started distancing himself from everyone. Everything here reminded him of his father and that put a strain on our relationship."


Eunhyuk stopped to take a huge gulp of whiskey. "Later on, he found his father's book collection. He became obsessed with them, until he decided he wanted to move to Seoul to somewhat develop his writing."


"And you allowed him, just like that?" Siwon asked.


Eunhyuk shook his head. "For the first time in a long time, Donghae came to me for advice. And for a while, I wanted to tell him that the sadness will pass but it doesn't mean that his father will be forgotten. If I asked him to stay, I knew in my heart that he will, but it was unfair to hold him back, especially with his talent.  So I told him he should go, and that wherever he is, I will support him."


Eunhyuk gave a bitter smile as he stared into the night sky lost in memory. "The first year he was in Seoul, we were still together. We were in constant communication and every few weeks, he would come to visit Mokpo. Before the end of the year, he came to join your company. I remember he was very excited at the prospect of working for such a prestigious company. He wouldn't stop talking about it. But later on, as he started enjoying himself, he also started to forget about us. His calls significantly lessened. His daily texts became once a week, until he rarely did. I confronted him about this, but I guess the long distance really did take its toll on our relationship. I must have said a million hurtful things and eventually broke up with him." Eunhyuk paused as Siwon poured more whiskey into their glasses.


"Later on, I apologized for my behavior and he did too for cutting contact, but we decided to not get back together. He wanted to stay in Seoul and I am happy here in Mokpo. It took a while for us to rebuild our friendship but now, we're much closer than we ever were before. He calls every so often and that's enough for me." Eunhyuk finished.


"Thank you for sharing your story, Eunhyuk-ah." Siwon said.


"Donghae is special. He doesn't try much but once you fall into his charm, you can't stop." Eunhyuk said.


Siwon nodded, completely in agreement with Eunhyuk.


"The family was really excited when he said you'll be coming along for halbae's birthday. The fact that he visited the dance studio and made you a bracelet means going to all those places doesn't hurt as much anymore. Thank you for bringing him here, Siwon-ah." Eunhyuk said.


Siwon was rendered speechless when Eunhyuk started thanking him for things Donghae has started to do again upon his return. But why should Eunhyuk be thanking him when he's going to just rip everything apart by the lies he forced on Donghae? With that, Siwon downed the remaining whiskey.


"I'm going to head inside for a bit, Donghae might be looking for me." Siwon said as he excused himself.


"Sure, see you around Siwon-ah." Eunhyuk answered, waving a little cheerfully at Siwon's departing form.


Siwon hurried into the house;he greeted some of the visitors Donghae was able to introduce him to but didn't bother to stay for small talk. He rushed into their shared room and started throwing his clothes into his duffel bag in a hurry. He rummaged for his notebook and for a few minutes, Siwon scribbled a short message addressed to Donghae. He carefully set the letter on top of the neatly made bed. He removed his specially made bracelet and the box of rings from his bag, setting them on the bed as well.


Siwon threw a final glance at the room before softly closing the door, carrying his bag and everything that signified his brief stay at Donghae's house.

After excusing himself from halbae, Donghae was cornered by Sehun who kept bothering him about his threatening voicemail. The younger was asking for a clear explanation as he was unable to answer his phone during Donghae's raging fit.


Sehun found the story so funny, that when Jongin was on his way to approach him he happily announced his arrival. "Donghae-hyung, here comes the man of the hour, Kai."


Jongin, upon realizing that Sehun was talking to Donghae froze on the spot. He turned back, only to bump into Kyungsoo, who was right behind him.


"Yah! What the hell, Jongin?" Kyungsoo asked, as he sidestepped Jongin and moved forward.


Jongin, to his horror, watched Kyungsoo approach Donghae and his so-called bestfriend.


"Hey Donghae-hyung. Please tell halbae happy birthday!" Kyungsoo greeted.


Jongin made the mistake of looking at Donghae, who suddenly smirked.


"So, Kyungsoo--" Donghae started.


But before Donghae could even continue with whatever it was that he was about to say, Jongin pulled Kyungsoo to his side, causing him to stumble and spill his glass of wine all over Donghae's clean shirt.


"JONGIN!" Kyungsoo gasped in surprise.


"Oh look, there's Heechul-hyung. Let's head over there!" Jongin said without apologizing and forcefully dragged Kyungsoo to the opposite direction.


"Well." Donghae said, staring down at his now very wet shirt.

"Sorry, hyung." Sehun tried to muffle his giggles at the scene.


Donghae tsked at Sehun before excusing himself to change. Donghae looked around for Siwon among the crowd as he walked back to his room. He hasn't seen Siwon for a while now, and his nervousness only grew as he spotted his brothers, omma and halbae--but no sign of Siwon.


'Maybe he went to the room for some time off,' Donghae said to himself as he hurried back.


Donghae knocked before entering, not wanting to bump into Siwon and make a replay of yesterday's interesting (and rather bold) encounter. 


No Siwon in sight.


Sighing, Donghae walked straight to his closet to look for a suitable party shirt. As he was about to  his shirt, he spotted a box and some other items on top of his bed.


Donghae's eyes widened when he realized it was the bracelet he made for Siwon. 


He rushed over to the bed. A neatly folded letter lay beside the items. His heart thudding rapidly, Donghae picked it up and read the contents. 


Donghae's brain collapsed into a single thought:


Oh, no.


Panic rising, Donghae made a quick once over around his room. Siwon's things were all gone.


The penny finally dropped. Donghae ran out of the room, his shirt askew and still sopping wet from Kyungsoo's wine.

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. We're almost at the finish line! Happy New Year! :DDD