Catch-22, HAECHAN

06 | the charms of candlelight café

"It's been a while since we all last got together! Isn't that right, honey?" The older woman smiles, eyes crinkling at the side as she brings a spoonful of mango cake to her mouth.

Chaerin does the same, except hers is a classic tiramisu. She could feel Jaemin eyeing her dessert, her stepbrother a big caffeine addict, and Chaerin shoots him a glare in order to make him back off. It works, Jaemin merely rolling his eyes before sticking his tongue out childishly.

He's on a caffeine fast of some sort (courtesy of his girlfriend; thank you Sera), and God knows what would happen if she were to find out that Chaerin had conspired with him in breaking his diet.

"How's everything at school? You guys haven't been home in a while," her dad asks.

"Pretty busy," Jaemin grumbles, playing around with his plain fruit tart with his fork. "I've just been really swamped with lab work and reports, I barely even have time for myself these days."

Chaerin snorts. "Yeah. Maybe if you spent less time canoodling with your girlfriend, you'd actually get some work done."

"At least I have a girlfriend, prude," Jaemin snaps back.

"Be nice, you two," her father merely warns just as Chaerin is about to cuss Jaemin out, already used to his children's antics. "But yes, speaking of, how is Sera? You should invite her over for dinner soon," the man suggests, Jaemin telling him that he would do so once exams are over.

"Eomma, if I get to bring Sera over, then it's only fair if Rinnie gets to bring her boyfriend over. Isn't that right, sis?" Jaemin asks, a wicked smirk on his face.

Chaerin shoots him a glare, aware of what he's up to. She's not new to Jaemin and his antics— they have been living under the same roof for the past couple of years after all.

"Boyfriend?" The older woman gushes, a reaction Chaerin had well expected from someone who is, well, Na Jaemin's mother. "Tell. Me. Everything!"

"There's nothing to tell, eomma," Chaerin groans, embarrassed for being put in such a spot. "Your son is just instigating."

"Oh, c'mon. You never told us how your date went." Jaemin wiggles his eyebrows, to which Chaerin rolls her eyes at.

"You went on a date?" This time, her dad asks. "Should I prepare my protective dad speech for when he comes over?"

"It was just out of fun. Nothing happened." She shoots Jaemin an annoyed glance before diverting her attention to her half-eaten tiramisu.

"Don't give up so easily." Her father pats her back. "It's okay! Once you find the one, you just know."

"Yeah, that must explain why you're on your second marriage then," Chaerin mumbles under her breath.

"Oh, what about that Lee Haechan boy?" Jaemin's mum suggests. "I like that kid. I haven't seen him in a while."

At this, Jaemin cackles loudly. Chaerin never knew it was humanely possible to be even this annoyed in one day, but alas, the mention of the boy's name only causes her frown to deepen.

"Eomma, Rinnie would rather die than even be in the same room as Lee Haechan. Over her dead body."

Chaerin doesn't bother to reply, opting to take a final bite out of her dessert.

"Speaking of the Devil! Isn't that him?" Her father points to the counter in front of them. Chaerin is almost scared to look up, but does anyway, and oh my God, can her day get any worst?

Before she could even beg her mother to switch seats with her, she could hear Jaemin call him over with his obnoxiously loud, not-inside voice.

Chaerin cringes. A shovel to dig a hole for herself would be so ideal right now.