You Never Walk Alone [1st Draft Ver.]

Chapter 84: You're an Adult Now

The front door burst open, Suecheon —who had been having his peaceful morning tea while reading the newspaper— flinched, his tea splashing and almost falling out of his cup, he jerked forward in his chair, about to stand up, when he saw Hosu march in. fully dressed for the day, not a hair out of place.

"Oh! Good morning, Suecheon-ssi." Hosu said casually, sauntering over to the kitchen.

"Hosu? What brings you here at," Suecheon turned to look at the wall-clock behind him, "...six-thirty in the morning?"

"What shouldn't have brought me here at six-thirty in the morning, ahjussi?" Hosu asked, pulling out a pan from the kitchen drawers, "I've got stuff to do."

"And what does this... 'stuff' consist of?" Suecheon asked, slightly scared as Hosu picked up a knife.

"Ahjussi, don't tell me you forgot!" Hosu gasped in total, feigned shock.

"I know it's Jin's birthday today, Hosu." Suecheon replied, "But... Why are you here at six-thirty? Go get some sleep for goodness' sake!"

"I don't see you sleeping, ahjussi." Hosu shot back, taking out a pastry sheet from the fridge, Suecheon had no idea how and when it got there. Hosu threw an apple at Suecheon, "And since you weren't sleeping, you can make yourself useful, ahjussi."

"I—" Suecheon fumbled as he caught the apple, "You still haven't answered my questions, Hosu."

Hosu, who had begun cutting the pastry sheet in precise lines, stopped mid-line, looked up and stared at Suecheon with a deadpan expression, "Because it's Jin hyung's birthday, ahjussi. What other explanation do you need?" And with that, he bent his head and began his meticulous work.

Suecheon stood for a few seconds, shocked, and then saw the determined, furrowed eyebrows and the focused pout on the boy's face and smiled softly, he walked up to the kitchen island, picked up a knife and began slicing the apple.

"Thanks, ahjussi, I'll use it to decorate." Hosu muttered, barely looking up.

As Hosu worked on the pastry sheet with the utmost focus, Ae-cha slowly walked downstairs, still half-asleep, rubbing her eyes, "...I'll get the breakfast started, eonni— HOLY— HOSU?!"

"Good morning, noona!" Hosu greeted, looking up briefly, "Don't worry about breakfast, I'll take care of it."

Ae-cha rushed into the kitchen, looked over Hosu's shoulder and turned to Suecheon, who was also meticulously cutting fruits into different shapes, "Who let the simp in?" She questioned.

Hosu finally let go of the knife and straightened up, "I let myself in, noona." He smiled politely, as if that was the most polite and dignified thing one could do.

"You're hopeless." Ae-cha sighed, grabbing herself a glass of water, she stood by the kitchen island, watching Hosu carefully line the pastry sheets out on a baking tray, "What're you making?" She asked, setting the glass down and tying her hair back.

"Something... I watched a tutorial on my way here." Hosu answered, turning around to put the baking tray in the oven.

"Your way here is a one minute walk, Hosu." Ae-cha narrowed her eyes, "What could you have possibly watched in that amount of time?"

"I know what I'm doing, noona, you just make sure no one wakes up until I'm don—"

"No one as in who?" A voice asked from atop the staircase, there, looking like a sleep deprived zombie, stood Hosu's best friend.

"No one as in no. one. go to bed." Hosu replied, turning to face the staircase to see his best friend descend the staircase with the utmost grace —he tripped on the seventh staircase and nearly fell— "Actually, nevermind, I could use another set of—"