Bad Game | OSH

Chapter Thirty-Five

The days had passed so quickly. It seemed as if they had run away through Eireen's fingers, without her realizing that little more than a month had passed since she had given up her life in Seoul so as not to lose her relationship with Sehun, so as not to lose it for something that could be avoided; since she had made another impulsive decision, and this time for a man. It was something that many had not yet managed to swallow. Especially those who knew Eireen better than the palms of their hands. 

Oh, how she was a short but sharp-tongued girl. Quite confident and secure in some ways, but complex and full of fears at other levels that, in six years, no one had been able to help her overcome. That was the reason why a girl so independent, who had given up her relationship with Doyoon for the reasons mentioned earlier, had left everything for her current boyfriend? Azra was right and it was obvious in the eyes of those who followed the development of Sehun and Eireen's relationship closely. She had opened her heart and put her fears aside so as not to lose him. Sehun had done something that would have been impossible six years ago. But no one had seen Eireen as happy and determined to keep someone as they saw her with him. Sehun could pull Eireen's best, even if it was to piss her off and provoke her to go and prove him wrong. He knew it would definitely work. And he also knew that she knew it. Not to mention challenging her. There was always something interesting to entertain and stimulate Eireen not to get bored and fall into a monotonous relationship. They both conquered each other daily, as if it were the first time, even though they knew they already belonged to each other. With a gentle touch of irritation to remind them of the "good" old college days. 

Christmas Eve finally arrived. Like the company in Seoul, they weren't working that day or the day after. Sehun had spent two weeks talking to his parents. He wanted to stay with his parents. With his sick mother, Sehun felt bad leaving them alone, even though his brother was going to visit them on the next day. 

Leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed against his chest, Sehun sighed deeply as he looked at his mother in an apron around her waist and rolled up sleeves cutting some vegetables to start making lunch for them. They had spent the whole morning arguing about him staying there or going to Seoul for Christmas at Kai and Azra's house. For a moment, Sehun almost wished he could be in two places at once; to be able to spend with his parents and know that they are fine, but to be able to spend with his best friend that he missed so much, Azra and little Yoona. 

He woke up from his thoughts with his mother calling him to ask him to set the table. He shook his head, chasing those thoughts away for a few moments, and walked away from the kitchen counter, turning around and opening the shelf on top, taking out three plates. He put them on the countertop and opened the drawer next to him, taking out the cutlery and stacked them on top of the plates while he stretched out his arm to reach for the napkins. All on top of the plates, Sehun grabbed the things and took them to the dining room and put them on the table and distributed them to the seats. Having just folded the last napkin, he raised the cutlery and placed it underneath. And with the table set, Sehun sighed deeply and went into the living room. Where he found his father sitting in his usual seat watching a typical Christmas movie. He went around the sofa and sat next to his father, in silence, watching that film that plays every year at that time. Almost like a tradition. It was like "alone home", according to Azra and Eireen. They just didn't understand. Did Westerners really watched those three films more than once...? And every Christmas? 

The film ended at just the right time, Sehun's mother walked by the room with a pan in her hand, in a hurry to call her husband and son to wash their hands and go sit at the table. And they did so. They returned to the room and each took their seat at the table. Father at the center of the table and mother facing Sehun. The wife and husband talked about the usual things, for example, things that had happened at the market, what was missing at home and then they had to go shopping, they also talked about the next appointments the woman was going to have and finally they touched on the subject they had been discussing more during the whole week. Sehun staying there for Christmas or going. He went ahead and said again that it was okay not to go to Seoul to stay with them, but that was out of the question for his parents.