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makeitmingi · 4 days

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The Cat and Dog Game [Chapter 37]

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comedy

Pairing: Yunho x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Chef!Reader, RestaurantOwner!Yunho, MaitreD!Hongjoong, Waiter!Yeosang, Waiter!San, Waiter!Mingi, SousChef!Seonghwa, SousChef!Wooyoung, PrepChef!Jongho

Summary: Yunho's dream was to open and run his own restaurant. But he doesn't know anything when it comes to cooking. Until you came along and accepted the job, bringing with you a small crew. How will the black cat tame the energetic golden retriever?

Word count: 3.2K

Chapter warning(s): Reader has a little meltdown/ anxiety. Read at your own discretion!

"Mr and Mrs Jeong." You greeted Yunho's parents outside the restaurant.

"Ah, drop the formalities, sweetie! I already told you to call us abonim and omonim. You're practically family!" Mrs Jeong pointed to her husband then herself, holding your hands in hers. You nodded with head, feeling some heat in your cheeks. There was so much love in her smile as she stared at you.

"And you look so beautiful as always!" She pulled you in for a surprise hug. You recovered quickly from the surprise, lifting your arms to hug her back.

"Okay, omma. That's enough." Yunho cleared his throat and gently pulled you back to his side.

"Oh, don't be so possessive son." Mrs Jeong clicked her tongue in disapproval, seeing how Yunho was holding you.

"Our table is ready, let's go in." Gunho informed. You smiled and waved to Gunho, who waved back with a friendly smile that made him look like Yunho.

"No, she's mine." Yunho squinted his eyes at his younger brother, moving you to stand behind him.

"Yun, what are you talking about?" You chuckled.

"You called him cute the first time you saw him at the restaurant. No, even worse, you thought he was cuter than me!" Yunho argued, pointing to Gunho, who just blinked in confusion. You can't believe Yunho remembers that.

"And until now, you still haven't told me that I'm cuter and better than him." He pouted at you. Gunho scoffed at his older brother before heading into the restaurant.

"You're the cutest and bestest to me, alright?" You cooed. He nodded with a goofy smile and leaned down to give you a kiss.

"We better go in." You said and walked into the restaurant with Yunho. It was a cute French bistro.

"Have you been here before?" Yunho leaned over to ask you softly as the two of you sat down in your seats and were handed menus by the wait staff.

"Just because I'm a chef, doesn't mean I know every restaurant, Yun." You laughed as you scanned through the menu.

"They have boeuf bourguignon! I know what that is." Yunho pointed at the menu. That dish had a special place in yours and Yunho's hearts, it was the first time you invited him over to your house and cooked for him. And Yunho will always find endearing how you fell asleep on the couch.

"Are you getting that?" You asked.

"Nope. I'll forever only have the one you cook." Yunho shook his head. You pursed your lips at him.

"Yun, don't say that. And who knows, they may make it better." You shrugged but Yunho was stubborn, shaking his head and looking at the other menu items.

"Have you decided what you're having?" Yunho leaned over.

"I'm thinking between the bouillabaisse, which is a seafood stew, and coq au vin, the chicken mushroom red wine dish." You told him.

"That does sound good... Since I'm not having the beef dish, I'll order the coq au vin. You can order the seafood stew and we'll share it?" He suggested with much excitement.

"You don't have to, Yun..." You smiled softly.

"I'm not sacrificing anything by ordering that. I'm sure they're both good." He smiled. There was no arguing with him so you nodded in agreement. You didn't know that Yunho's parents were looking at the two of you endearingly.

After giving your orders to the waiter, Mr Jeong ordered a bottle of wine and offered you a glass. Yunho wasn't drinking since he drove but you felt bad for turning down a glass.

"Cheers." Mrs Jeong toasted and everyone clinked their glasses before taking sips of their wine, water for Yunho.

"Actually, Mr and Mrs Jeong. I wanted to apologise to you." You spoke, putting your glass down.

"Apologise to us? What for?" Mr Jeong asked, blinking. Mrs Jeong tilted her head in puzzlement and even Yunho gave you a curious look, having heard this the first time.

"The other time we met, I apologise for leaving the party aburptly without a proper goodbye." You explained.

"Oh! That. Don't be sorry, silly. It didn't even occur to us." Mrs Jeong said.

"Still, it was rude of me and-"

"We understand, dear. Really." She cut you off with a soft smile, one that only a mother can give. You nodded with a grateful smile of your own. A lot of people knew what your father and your relationship with him was like, it wasn't a surprise that you didn't get along, especially with your stepfather.

"It wasn't your fault." Yunho said to you with a small frown, holding your hand over his thigh. You sent him a soft smile, knowing he really hates your father. Who doesn't?

"So, (y/n), tell me what it's like dating my brother." Thankfully, Gunho changed the subject.

"Yah, Jeong Gunho..." Yunho gave his brother a threatening glance.

"It's been great, actually. Yunho treats me very well, he takes care of me and is very patient with me." You said with a giggle, feeling your cheeks heat up. You were not used to expressing yourself like this.

"That's good. He better be taking care of you." Mr Jeong raised an eyebrow at Yunho.

"He is, I'm very thankful." You smiled.

"See? You two raised me well, I know how to take care of my partner." Yunho scoffed but had a proud smile on his face, hearing you speak so highly of him.

"Sometimes he's an overgrown, excited puppy, isn't he?" Mrs Jeong asked you. You stifled a laugh, nodding in agreement.

"I thought I was the only one that saw his puppy-likeness. Right from the start." You said between your laughs. Yunho stared at you with a done look, knowing you were always trying to push his golden retriever agenda.

"You're not the only one. Don't worry, we know what you're talking about." She smiled.

"Him and Gunho have been puppy siblings from the start. Even the way they used to fight as kids or now too, they're like litter mates chewing on each other." Mr Jeong chuckled.

"Appa~" The two brothers whined in embarrassment.

When the food was all served, you all dug in, starting with the appetisers that were ordered then the main course.

"How is it?" You asked Yunho as he cut into the chicken. He melted against your shoulder, letting out little sounds of happiness at the taste of the dish.

"That's good." You laughed, breaking a small piece of bread to dip into the stew and offered it to him.

"Thank you." He leaned forward and ate the bread that you were holding out. He pointed at your dish and nodded in approval.

"This is all so good, I love it. I can't decide which is my favourite." Yunho said, making you and his parents laugh. Even though you fed Yunho, Mrs Jeong noticed that Yunho cut a small piece of chicken and let you use your own fork to pick it up for a taste, respecting how you found such PDA awkward.

"It's good, isn't it?" Yunho nudged you lightly as you covered your mouth to chew.

"It is, it's done very well. One of the better coq au vins I've had here." You said. Yunho smiled, happy to know you like the dish even if he wasn't the one that cooked it.

"You're smiling like you're the one that cooked it." Gunho joked.

"Yeah, well I ordered it so it counts." Yunho stuck his tongue out at his younger brother.

"After (y/n) recommended it." Mr Jeong piled on.

"You're all bullying me, I don't like this." Yunho sulked. You chuckled and patted his thigh, with a comforting smile. They moved on to talk about other things, making sure you were included always.

"Excuse me, I need to use the loo." You forced a smile and excused yourself with a bow of your head. You entered the individual toilet and locked the door behind you, leaning against the door and letting out a shaky breath.

It suddenly became overwhelming for you, you didn't know why. Seeing Yunho's happy family. When was the last time you sat down to eat with your family without fighting?

But this isn't about you and your pitiful life. This was you getting to know your boyfriend's loving family, being accepted by them and-

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"O-Occupied!" You stuttered out, standing straight.

"It's me." You heard Yunho's voice on the other side and unlocked the door. Before you could say anything, Yunho made his way in, making you step back.

"Yun, you shouldn't be in here. People may think we're up to no good." You tried to pass it off as a laugh or joke.

"Are you okay?" He stared down at you, a frown of worry on his face. You looked up at him and nodded your head. He tucked your hair behind your ear, he wasn't convinced by your answer.

"Seriously, I'm okay. Don't worry, we shouldn't worry your parents by being away for too long." You said, putting an assuring hand on his arm. You didn't want Yunho to feel the need to comfort you again, it's what he is always doing. And that just makes all the guilt and doubt creep up your throat.

"Stop." He grasped your wrist and tugged you to him, hugging you to his chest tightly. You closed your eyes, enjoying the warmth and security of his hug.

"I love your family. They're so nice, you're lucky to have them." You said, words muffled slightly by his hug as you clutched onto him.

"And they love you too. They're your family as much as they are mine, okay?" He whispered, rubbing your back.

"I swear, I'm not jealous or anything about your family, Yunho. I don't know what came over me, I'm sorry. I'm just petty and clinging onto what could have been..." You shook your head.

"Which you have every right to so don't apologise." He held your chin and tilted your head up.

"I love you." He spoke.

"I love you too." You replied with a soft smile, letting him lean down to give you a kiss. Yunho was too kind for his own good but you loved him and didn't want to let him go. When the both of you pulled away, you leaned against his chest.

"Sorry, I didn't think the first time I'll tell you I love you would be in the bathroom of a restaurant." Yunho chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, this isn't the first time." You replied with a giggle. Yunho pulled back to give a questioning look, not knowing what you were referring to.

"Yesterday in your drunken stupor, you told me you loved me. Then told me you loved the cake I made." You explained to him.

"I-I did?" He stuttered, his cheeks turning red as he facepalmed. You nodded your head.

"Oh god. Why didn't you mention this to me?" His head fell onto your shoulder. All you did was continue to laugh, wrapping your arms around his head.

"You were too cute. But we should really go." You said to him, stroking his cheek. He nodded and straightened up.

"Wait, before we go back..." He quickly stole another kiss before opening the door to let you through, making your eyes widen in shock. Yunho walked behind you as you headed back to the table. The first thing you did was bow and apologise to Yunho's family for disappearing for so long.

"No worries. Shall we get dessert?" Mrs Jeong asked, not making you feel embarrassed or anything, playing it off as a minor issue. You hummed and looked at the menu.

"So, what's good?" Yunho, once again, leaned over to ask you.

"I'm not telling you." You snickered and hid your face behind your menu, playfully leaning away from him.

"But (y/n)~ I wanna share with you." Yunho whined, continuing to lean into you until he was practically draped over you while you were laying on the couch of the booth.

"Yunho! Let the poor girl go before you squish her." Mrs Jeong scolded her son.

"What can I get you all for dessert?" The waiter came. Yunho cast a look over to you, waiting for you to order.

"We'll share a crêpes suzette and and a slice of tarte tartin." You ordered with a small chuckle, you gave in to Yunho too easily. The waiter nodded and took the other orders before leaving. Mr Jeong chuckled, shaking his head.

"Do you always give in to him so easily?" He raised an eyebrow. His smile indicated that he was joking.

"Can't help it... I guess we just give into each other a lot. Sometimes without knowing too." You smiled with a casual shrug. Yunho nodded in agreement.

When the desserts were served, all of you shared your desserts. Mr Jeong had a small glass of digestif orujo (Spanish after dinner drink of alcohol, most likely Spanish brandy, served in a shot)

"See? Trusting you chef taste is good." Yunho said happily, eating a piece of the crepe.

"Grand marnier, an orange liquor is poured over and lit up. This is one of Jongho's favourite desserts actually." You told him.

"Would you like a glass?" Mr Jeong offered.

"Oh, no. I'm good, abonim. Thank you for offering." You shook your head, not wanting to take anymore strong alcohol. You took a bite of tarte tartin that was served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream then pushed your plate closer to Yunho for him to take a scoop off your plate to try.

"Can you make this? I like it." Yunho pointed to your tarte tartin.

"Sure, Yunho. I'll make it next time you come over and you can use different fruits too, whatever is in season." You laughed. Yunho clapped his hands excitedly.

After all the desserts and conversations were done, Mr Jeong raised his hand to ask the waiter for the bill.

"Actually, Mr Jeong, if it's okay with you, I would like to pay for dinner." You offered. Yunho's parents looked at you with wide eyes.

"What? Nonsense, (y/n). We appreciate it but we can't let you pay! Ah... how about, next time, you cook dinner for us instead?" Mrs Jeong waved you off with a giggle.

"That's a promise." You smiled. Once the bill was paid, you all headed out.

"Thank you so much for tonight, it has been great. I had a great time and the food was amazing." You said to all of them.

"Aww, you're most welcome, (y/n). We have to do this again soon, okay? Don't stay away for too long." Mrs Jeong pulled you into a tight hug. You melted in her hold, closing your eyes as you savoured the feeling of a mother's hug.

"Any time you need anything, let us know." Mr Jeong gave you a fatherly smile and tucked you to his side for a brief hug, just like how Yunho always did.

"I will, thank you. Have a good night, omonim and abonim." You smiled. You waved to Gunho, who waved back with a bright grin.

"Bye, (y/n)~" Gunho sang as he waved. Yunho glared at his brother but still gave him a goodbye hug.

As you all parted ways for the night, you and Yunho decided to go for a short walk at a nearby park before heading home. The weather was nice to spend some quiet time with Yunho.

"So, what did you think of tonight? I know my family can be... enthusiastic..." Yunho asked.

"They're great, I love them and I'm glad I got to know them better, especially your mother." You said, taking a seaton the bench.

"Yeah, she's a little... excited... to have a daughter to hang out with and do girly things together. You don't have to give in." Yunho rubbed the back of his neck. You shook your head, you were happy to spend time with Yunho's mother, it would be like all the time you could have had with your own mother.

"Actually, I-"

*meow*

"What's wrong?" Yunho tilted his head when you stopped talking mid way. You turned your head, looking around for the source of the sound. It was faint but you could hear it.

"You didn't hear that? Like a 'meow' or something..." You frowned, having heard it again.

"No, I don't hear anything. Or is there only a wavelength cats can hear each other on?" Now it was Yunho's turn to tease you.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, turning the tables on me." You scoffed. You stood up, walking to where you heard the sound. Yunho curiously followed behind you.

"(y/n), be careful." Yunho warned. You stooped in front of some bushes, pushing them aside. Behind them, there was a small cardboard box. But before you could open it, Yunho grasped your arm to stop you.

"It's fine, Yun." You laughed and opened the box. It was hard to see so you used the torch on your phone to see.

There, in the corner of the box, a black kitten was curled up. It looked up and stared back at you with big green eyes. Yunho, with longer limbs, reached in to help you bring the box out.

"Look at you, poor thing." You gently reached out to stroke the kitten's head.

"Should we take him or her... out of the box?" Yunho abruptly reached in to try and grab the kitten.

"Oww! It scratched me." Yunho recoiled with a hiss of pain, looking at the little lines that the kitten left on his hand. Thankfully, it wasn't deep enough to bleed.

"You can't just reach in and grab it, Yun. Be gentle, you probably spooked the poor thing." You said.

In the end, Yunho helped carry the entire box with the kitten in it to his car. But he didn't want you to have it on your lap since it was dirty from being on the floor for god knows how long. So you coaxed the the kitten out and wrapped it in your jacket. You sat in the passenger seat with it in your lap.

"So what do we do with the little guy?... Or girl..." Yunho asked, leaning on his steering wheel.

"Well, we can't just leave it out there. It's just a baby, it won't survive." You sighed. The kitten snuggled into the warmth of your jacket, closing its eyes.

"Let's get some cat food and bring it home for a bit to get it warm." Yunho suggested.

"Okay, you hold onto it. It seems to like you more." Yunho said. But before he could start the engine to drive, you let the kitten go over.

"See? It likes you too. Just don't be too abrupt when handling him." You giggled, seeing the kitten curiously sniff Yunho as it balanced on the middle console of the car.

"Just hold onto it! I can't drive with a kitten in my lap." Yunho burst out laughing, gently patting the head of the kitten.

"Come here, the big doggy man is too scary, huh?" You cooed to the kitten while Yunho rolled his eyes and began to drive to the nearest pet store that was still open. The kitten comfortably curled up in your jacket again.

"Don't worry, you won't be alone again." You smiled softly.

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makeitmingi · 6 days

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The Cat and Dog Game [Chapter 36]

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comedy

Pairing: Yunho x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Chef!Reader, RestaurantOwner!Yunho, MaitreD!Hongjoong, Waiter!Yeosang, Waiter!San, Waiter!Mingi, SousChef!Seonghwa, SousChef!Wooyoung, PrepChef!Jongho

Word count: 3.4K

Chapter warning(s): Mentions of religion, previous death of another character.

When you woke up, Yunho was still fast asleep, cheek pressed against your chest as he slept comfortably. Even if your head was throbbing and your throat was calling desperately for water, you couldn't help but melt at how adorable he looked.

"Morning..." You whispered, brushing his messy fringe away from his face and kissing his head. He stirred slightly, letting out a small whine but went back to sleep.

"I'll be back." You told him and carefully slipped out of his hold, replacing it with your pillow.

"Mmm..." He grumbled but settled with burying his face into your pillow. You tip toed to the bathroom to take a shower and wash up.

After your shower, you went out to the living room, seeing that everyone was still sleeping. With everyone being drunk and going to bed, there was no one to clean up so the kitchen was messy.

"Let's do this." You first drank a big glass of water then coffee. Tying your apron around you, you put the first load of dishes into the dishwasher.

"What can I cook?" You looked through the leftovers from last night. It was mostly meat scraps.

In the end, you decided to make Khao Tom, a Thai rice soup dish. Since you had broth from cooking meat, you could flavour it with lemongrass, galangal, ginger, shallots, garlic and chilis. Then cook rice in it for a comforting hangover meal. And since there was leftover meat, you could shred it up to add to the dish.

"Oh, (y/n)... Good morning." Someone said to you as you were chopping up the aromatics for the dish.

"Good morning, Yeosang. I hope I didn't wake you." You chuckled.

"Not at all. Thank you for cooking despite being hungover. We could have ordered some hangover soup, you know?" He came over to see what you were doing.

"It's fine. I'm not that hungover. Besides, there's leftover food so I'm using that." You shrugged.

"Also, do you have spare toothbrushes?" He asked.

"Yeah, guest room bathroom, the cabinet below the sink. There's a whole basket of stuff there. Including spare towels." You informed. He nodded and walked to go wash up.

"Tofu, tofu..." You searched your fridge for tofu to add to the dish while the stock, rice and aromatics were bubbling away. But since you couldn't find any, you took out the greens that you had and chopped them up to add later.

"Hongjoong's gonna grumble." You laughed to yourself as you set aside the chopped vegetables.

"Jagiya..." Wooyoung groaned, stumbling into the kitchen like a zombie. He lazily threw his arms around you, hooking his chin on your shoulder.

"Head hurt?" You asked, hands coming up to gently rub his temples.

"Mhmm..." He melted from your touch. You continued to hold him with one arm around his waist, the other stirring the soup.

"Go wash up, I'll fix you some coffee." You cooed, patting his back. He nodded his head obediently and pulled himself away from the hold that you had on him.

"Use my bathroom but Yunho's sleeping so be quiet. Yeosang's using the guest bathroom." You instructed. He nodded and shuffled away. You made some hot coffee for him, knowing he and Jongho like hot coffee to chase their hangovers away. Soon, Yeosang came back out, fresh from his shower.

"That feels so much better. Anything I can help with?" He asked, pouring himself some coffee.

"Thanks but there's honestly not much to do, it's all done in one pot." You smiled.

"I'll help with clean up." He insisted, bringing whatever couldn't be put into the dishwasher to the sink to manually wash. While you were both in the kitchen, you just chatted.

"Wow, I didn't know you were so interested in all that nutritional values of food." You blinked.

"Yeah, the guys always make fun of my supplements. But you know it's important to take care and maximise what goes into your body." He said.

"I agree. Do you work out a lot then?" You asked.

"San and I go to the gym a lot. We like working out as a form of de-stressing I guess. For a period of time, we were even those hardcore gym people, we would go whenever we had any sort of free time." He laughed and your eyebrows raised in surprise.

"That sounds like a lot of dedication. No wonder you and San are so fit." You giggled. You stirred the pot and took a taste to check if the rice was cooked properly.

"Now we season with fish sauce, lime, more chili and white pepper." You went to retrieve what you needed and seasoned the rice soup.

"Here, give it a try." You let Yeosang try.

"It tastes good. The sourness and spiciness will help cure a hangover for sure." Yeosang said, taking a spoon and reaching in to eat another mouthful.

From the smell of your cooking, the boys soon woke up one by one, all whining and complaining from the hangover.

"Only Yunho's still asleep." You chuckled, giving Jongho a mug of coffee. Jongho bowed his head gratefully and yawned before taking a sip, sighing at the taste of the caffeine.

"Go wake him, I'll take over." Wooyoung patted your hip. You nodded and went to your room. Seonghwa was in your shower but you were surprised to see Yunho still sleeping but facing the other way and an asleep Mingi curled up against his bed. You were sure Mingi was still in the guest room earlier.

"M-Mingi?" You tilted your head at the two giants in your bed. Quickly, you covered your mouth to stop your loud laughter from escaping you.

"Yun? Wake up, Yun." You went to Yunho's side of the bed. Yunho slowly opened his eyes, staring up at you.

"Love? But, wait-" Yunho frowned. How could you be standing in front of him when he could feel you cuddling against his back?

"What- Mingi?" Yunho turned his head slightly and saw his best friend sleeping there instead of you. You laughed and reached over to cup his cheeks.

"When did Mingi come? When did you leave bed?" He hugged you and you leaned down to hug him back.

"I don't know. Last time I saw, he was still in the guest room but I guess somewhere along the way, he came over to sleep next to you instead. He can't resist his best friend." You giggled. Yunho scoffed and pulled you down so you fell on top of him.

"Yunho!" You slapped his chest.

"Shh, some people are trying to sleep." Mingi grumbled, finally detaching himself from Yunho to hug your pillow instead. Yunho rolled his eyes.

"Just wake up already. And what are you even doing here?" Yunho flicked Mingi's temple.

"Oww, my head hurts enough already. And... I don't even know how I got here." Mingi looked around, lost at how he came to your room.

"You two should get up soon, I cooked some food and made coffee. Have it while it's warm." You said to the two giants. Mingi saluted you but dove under the blanket.

"Yunho can shower first..." He murmured. Just then, Seonghwa emerged from the bathroom.

"Alright, I'll go." Yunho stood up, leaning over to give you a peck before entering the bathroom. You walked out to the kitchen with Seonghwa, seeing Wooyoung serving the other boys already. They were all spread out through the kitchen and living room, holding a bowl of hot rice soup.

"There's so much vegetables, (y/n) ah..." Hongjoon groaned as he stirred through the rice soup, seeing all the green in there. You laughed and shrugged innocently.

"My head feels like it weighs a ton." Seonghwa groaned, easily finding your medicine cabinet and taking some Tylenol.

"Here, stay hydrated." You gave him a vitamin water.

"I'll take coffee with syrup, please." Seonghwa ordered. Wooyoung and Jongho, who took their coffee black, booed at the oldest for putting syrup in his coffee.

"Shut up." Seonghwa scoffed. You made the coffee for Seonghwa anyway, anything to help him feel better.

"Here." Jongho handed you a bowl of rice soup after you gave Seonghwa his coffee.

"Not having any coriander with that, Hongjoong?" You teased as you added a mountain of coriander and spring onions to the top of your bowl. Hongjoong gave you a disgusted look, possessively holding his bowl away from you.

"This is so good, (y/n). It's so comforting and flavourful." San melted happily as he took a bite.

"Have more then, Sannie. It's called Khao Tom, it's a Thai dish that uses lime, chillis, fish sauce. Perfect for using up the leftover meat from last night too." You explained.

"(y/n)~" Yunho stumbled out of the room, draping himself over you tiredly. You put your spoon down and turned in your seat to hug him.

"Why? What's wrong?" You asked, rubbing the back of his neck. The others watched in amusement of how you babied Yunho.

"Nothing~ Just wanna hug you." He giggled and wrapped his arms around you to hug you tightly. You scoffed and patted his back before ushering him to the kitchen.

"Want coffee? Or hangover cure?" You offered.

"Coffee. I hate hangover cure." He scrunched his nose. Yunho made his iced Americano himself, sipping as he came over to where you were at the stove, scooping him a bowl of rice soup. He leaned over and took a whiff of the soup, letting out hums of excitement as the smell of the soup.

"Smells good." He clapped happily. Yunho gratefully took his bowl from you and put his own garnishes before taking the seat beside you by the counter.

"Where's Mingi? Still asleep?" Yeosang asked.

"No, I dragged him to the shower. If I can't stay in (y/n)'s bed, neither can he." Yunho scoffed. You choked at his words.

"You're such a child sometimes, Jeong Yunho." You shook your head, continuing to eat your food. Yunho merely grinned and gently pressed his forehead against your temple affectionately.

RINGGGGGGG

"Hang on. Oh, omma." Yunho excused himself and went to your room to speak to his mother.

"(y/n), your bed is so much more comfortable than Yunho's. I'm going to start sleeping over more." Mingi grinned.

"Get in line!" Seonghwa and Wooyoung barked, making Mingi's eyes widen. You rolled your eyes at how unnecessarily possessive the two were. Thankfully Yunho wasn't around to hear Mingi say that or he would not be pleased.

"You two are banned. I'm only allowing Jongho from now on. And Mingi, the mattress in my room is the same as the one in the guest room." You scoffed.

"Can I still sleep over then?" He grinned. Before you could reply, Yunho came out.

"Who is sleeping over?" Yunho slung his arm around you with a raised eyebrow. You nodded over to Mingi, who nodded in confirmation. Yunho didn't say anything but shot Mingi a glare.

"Anyway, why did your mum call?" You changed the subject.

"She asked if we were free for dinner tonight. Us, my parents and Gunho." Yunho asked.

"And by us, my omma means just me and (y/n). No one else." Yunho quickly added, seeing that San was going to open his mouth to say something. You laughed at San's pout.

"Sure, I'll be more than happy to have dinner with them." You smiled. Yunho nodded and took his phone out to send his mother a text, confirming both your attendance tonight, before sitting back down to continue eating his food. The other boys were kind enough to help you clean up in the mean time.

"You should all nurse your hangovers. Don't worry, I got it." You told them, waving them off from the kitchen.

"You already put us to bed and cooked for us. We can put away a few dishes." Hongjoong said. San and Jongho helped you bring the bags of trash down.

"Sit and rest. We got it, jagi." Wooyoung pushed you onto the couch and went to the kitchen.

"I told you not to call her that when Yunho's around." You heard Seonghwa scold the younger boys softly.

"I don't care, she was my jagi before she was his. Also, jagi, I'm sure you haven't broken the boyfriend news to Kyungmin, right?" Wooyoung leaned on the counter with a playful smirk.

"Don't you dare, Woo." You threatened.

"Ah, Kyungmin... Wooyoung's younger brother... I remember him." Yunho said with a fond smile.

"Oh yeah, he called you ahjusshi." Yeosang pointed out. San and Mingi snickered, hi-fiving each other while Yunho had a flat look on his face. Kyungmin was confident and sassy like Wooyoung, calling you his 'girlfriend' the entire time.

After the cleaning was done, Yunho and his friends went back to their own homes to rest from their hangovers. Plus, Yunho needed fresh clothes to change into. Your friends stayed with you longer.

"Thank goodness I'm not puffy from all the alcohol last night." You said to Seonghwa.

"Mhmm, how's your head?" He asked from your bed, sitting against your headboard and playing his nintendo switch.

"I'm fine. I took two painkillers just now." You yawned, coming over to lay next to Seonghwa. Wooyoung and Jongho had gone back to sleep the moment the others left.

"So, you and Yunho seem to be going good." Seonghwa said. You let out a small hum.

"Almost too good." You sighed.

"What do you mean?" Seonghwa asked.

"I... I'm not used to things going well, Hwa. I'm scared it all comes crashing down. Yunho's too good for me, he does so much for me and I have nothing to offer in return. I'm scared the more I let him in, the more burden he feels... Ah, I don't know!" You screamed into the blanket over your face.

"And don't say Yunho won't think it's a burden. I know that! It's my own personal guilt. It's not fair to him that he has to deal with so much of my issues." You cut him off.

"Do you feel comfortable enough to tell him everything then? Just get it out and talk to him about it." He questioned.

"He doesn't need to know yet. It won't change anything." You hugged Yunnie and Yuyu to your chest.

And as if he knew you were talking about him, Yunho texted you, asking if he could pick you up earlier to take you somewhere before the dinner with his family.

"When was the last time I had a family dinner?" You chuckled as you got up from bed.

"You had lunch with my parents last week! Without me!" Seonghwa scoffed, clearly bitter that he wasn't invited.

"Oh, that's true." You nodded with a shrug, ignoring his glare. You replied Yunho and put your phone aside to go get ready. Standing in front of your closet, you thought about what you should wear since this was officially your first meal with Yunho's family.

"How's this?" You asked, pulling out a white square neckline top with slightly puffed sleeves and a monochrome gingham skirt.

"Girly." Seonghwa replied. You squinted your eyes at him, not sure if that was a good or bad thing. But you didn't have time so you did your make up and changed.

"Here. Put this on top. Statement piece." He took out a dark maroon leather jacket.

"Thanks." You draped the jacket over your arm and went out to get your shoes. You wore suede oxford loafers.

"As usual, help yourselves to anything in the fridge. Help me say bye to Woo and Jong." You said, giving Seonghwa a hug. He wrapped his arms around you.

"Yes, mum." He teased. You rolled your eyes and he patted your back before you left. Yunho was already downstairs by your complex driveway, waiting for you. He looked up from his phone when he heard your approaching footsteps. Throwing his arms around you, he pulled you in for a kiss.

"You look nice." You smiled, helping him adjust the collar of his shirt.

"You too." He laughed. Yunho stepped aside to open the door for you and you slipped into the passenger seat. Once you were settled, he closed to door and went to the driver's seat.

"I hope it wasn't too sudden or rushed that I asked to meet you earlier." Yunho said as he started the car.

"Not at all." You shook your head.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked me why I asked to meet earlier or where we are going." He chuckled as he drove, one hand reaching over to hold yours.

"Because I know you'll tell me it's a secret or surprise and not tell me even if I ask." You scoffed, knowing Yunho well enough.

"Hmm, that's usually right but this time, I think I should tell you so you're not caught off guard. We're actually going to visit my grandmother. You introduced me to your mother, it's only fair that I do the same." Yunho smiled.

"Oh... Yunho..." You were conflicted on how to approach this subject, considering you don't handle your own grief well.

"It's okay, we'll just go then head to dinner. I wanna show her my pretty girlfriend." He chuckled. You nodded with a hum, rubbing the back of his hand with your thumb.

"We're here." Yunho stopped before a cemetary and parked the car. He held your hand and guided you up the steps.

"She's there." He held the gate open for you and walked forward.

"I only wish you told me earlier. I would have brought some offerings or flowers, especially since this is the first time I'm meeting her." You sighed as you walked to Yunho's grandmother's plot.

"It's okay, next time I'll tell you in advance." He smiled. You stood by his side when he stopped before the plot.

"Hi halmeoni." Yunho greeted with a small soft smile.

"Nice to meet you, Yunho's halmeoni. My name is (y/n)." You bowed your head respectfully.

"She forgot to add that she's my girlfriend, halmeoni. You always said my handsome face would get me a pretty girlfriend, you were right about that. She's amazing and cooks me a lot of delicious food like you did. You'll be happy to know I'm helpful in the kitchen now." Yunho grinned at you.

"Yun... Don't say that." Your cheeks heated up. But a part of you knew Yunho was trying to be all smiles for you just so he won't break down. You reached up to stroke the back of his neck.

"It's okay." You said gently, bringing him down to hug him. Even if he didn't sob, his hands gripped your waist a little tighter.

"I miss her..." He mumbled.

"I know. It doesn't get easier, it's okay." You comforted, letting him know that he didn't always have to put up a brave, happy front. Yunho's escaped tears wet the shoulder of your shirt slightly.

"Aww, I didn't want to cry today." Yunho pouted when he pulled away from your hug. You shook your head and wiped his tears.

"There's a church up the road. I'm not religious but can we go in and light a candle for her?" You asked.

"I would love that." Yunho kissed your head.

"We'll come back and visit, halmeoni. I'll bring some flowers and food next time, I promise." You smiled as you bowed. Yunho watched you with an affectionate smile, bowing to his grandmother before walking with you to the church up ahead.

You both stepped forward quietly and respectfully, lighting a candle for Yunho's grandmother using one of the lighting sticks. But then, you noticed him light another candle too.

"For your mom." Yunho explained before you could ask. You stiffened at the mention of her.

"Thank you." You smiled, looking at the candle dedicated to her. Yunho closed his eyes to say a little prayer for the both of them.

"I realised, you never told me your baptismal name." You said to Yunho as the both of you exited the church and began to walk back to his car.

"Oh, it's Stefano." He informed.

"After the first martyr, Santo Stefano?" You asked. Yunho's eyes widened at how you knew that but nodded his head.

"You always surprise me with the random pockets of information you have stored in there." Yunho chuckled, tapping the top of your head lightly and holding your hand. You laughed and stopped walking to look up at him. You wrapped your arms around his neck, tip toeing to give him a kiss.

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