Chapter Text
‘Anyang had never known a family like the Kims.
Their home is nestled at the outskirts of the city, gardens blending with the lush forest hugging the city on that side. Their business provides respectable work for hundreds of hard-working citizens, who have nothing but gratefulness in their hearts when the Kims are mentioned.
The family is big, well-liked.
The Kims are so well-loved, in fact, nobody minds dropping out of work or halting any and all personal responsibilities just to share in on the high emotions of Mr and Mrs Kim’s highly-anticipated thirty-fifth wedding anniversary!
The main event is set to take place at the end of the month, following a long string of festivities, most of which will be kept with the tightest circle of the family, of course, but don’t be too quick to feel excluded! The couple of the hour has prepared a few generous dinners for all the current guests of their five-star resort in the upcoming week, right before they all get kicked out for the big month-long event, naturally! Just kidding, don’t hate me yet!
The Kims are a one-of-a-kind family in the way they are truly kind…’
It's not too early when Wonwoo parks in his designated spot, which he knows Mr Kim made sure to remind everyone to leave open for him, as crowds tend to get big around here and finding good parking becomes a Herculean task.
He kills the engine and leans back into the seat. He listens as the car settles around him, the last vibrations of effort climbing up his legs and fizzing out at his calves. With a sigh, he lets a small smile curl the corner of his lips and gets out. It’s as quiet inside the car as it is outside of it.
Unfortunately, a month-long holiday in the mountains calls for a lot of essentials. He pops the hood of his trunk open and stares at the two sizable suitcases pressed side to side and shoved as far to the left as possible so the enormous box of Mingyu’s present meant for Mr and Mrs Kim’s special anniversary could travel safely.
Wonwoo sighs again and decides he doesn't want to be the one to deal with that. Instead, he goes up to the front door and knocks, when he realises his keys are still in the car. From the porch, he gazes at the sleepy neighbourhood. A young man is running down the opposite pavement with a small, eager dog bouncing in step with him. Someone down the street is mowing their lawn, and Wonwoo relaxes at the familiar buzz cutting through the air. Soon enough, the unmistakable scent of cut grass will fill this homey bubble, and he’ll finally remember why he is doing this.
He turns to face the house. Someone runs down the stairs behind the door, thundering down the steps and nearly swinging the door off its hinges.
"Wonwoo," Kim Donghyuck says, breathless and nearly heaving.
Wonwoo grins at the sight of the youngest Kim brother opening his arms. "Hey, baby!"
Donghyuck slams into his chest with the familiar puppy aggression Wonwoo remembers him always possessing.
"Don't you ever disappear for so long again. You hear me?" Donghyuck wraps thin arms around Wonwoo's shoulders and shakes the older man a little in warning. His fruity scent fills the air, and the older omega takes a deep breath of it, relaxing and reaching for him.
He huffs a laugh, embracing the pup, "I'm sorry. It's just... Something happened, and it kinda threw a wrench in my plans, and I couldn't afford to miss too much sleep." Donghyuck's chest rumbles slightly against his, and Wonwoo hides a smile in the younger omega's curly hair, "I'll make it up to you, I promise."
"You'd better"
"Is that Wonwoo I hear?"
Donghyuck lets him go only to pass him off to the second-oldest Kim brother.
"Youngho hyung," Wonwoo murmurs quietly, and the alpha grins, gathering him in his arms giddily, letting the younger take a deep sniff of his soothingly pleasant scent of a mated alpha. The sweet notes of Johnny's omega mate’s scent tickle Wonwoo's nose, and he leans his head farther into the embrace.
"Hey, bud! How've you been? Man, I haven't seen you in ages!" At once, Johnny picks Wonwoo up and spins him in a circle, causing the omega to squeal and grip the alpha's shoulders.
"Yah!" A third voice joins the fray. Yoo, the firstborn alpha child of the family, strolls over, casual and unhurried, until he sees what the noise is all about. "Is that little Wonwoo? John, put the man down now!"
Johnny obeys, ruffling Wonwoo's hair, sharing a giggle with Donghyuck.
"Thanks, Yooie hyung-"
"Wonie, how very nice of you to show up here after so long," Yoo pulls him in for yet another bear hug, rocking the omega left and right, cooing over his head and releasing an entire storm of pheromones of joy and excitement, "We thought you finally ran away from that brat Kim Mingyu. I told myself, 'Welp, now that we know the limit of tolerance, we'll have to find a way to deal with the dirty dog on our own!'"
Donghyuck snorts, "As if Mingyu's ever gonna let Won hyung leave his sight for more than a day."
"And that's a generous stretch." Johnny quips, already headed for Wonwoo's car.
Donghyuck pries Yoo's arms off Wonwoo, who, at that point, simply gives up and allows himself to be pulled every which way the brothers want him. Fortunately, after a motherly pat on Wonwoo's head, Yoo joins Johnny outside to dutifully help with bringing Wonwoo's luggage inside, and Donghyuck uses their absence as an excuse to drag the older omega into the kitchen.
The loud bang of the oven door closing greets them as soon as they step in.
"Hyuck-ah, what is all this fuss about?" Mrs Kim yells at the ceiling, unaware that her youngest pup is already in the room, "If Johnny empties one more bucket of water on Yoo, I am coming up there, I swear! Don't make me come up there, boys!" Nothing but silence receives her threat, and with a graceful spin, she pins suspicious eyes on the kitchen door, where Wonwoo raises a hand and waves shyly.
"Good morning, eomeonim."
"Wonwoo-ya," Mrs Kim says, much like Donghyuck did. She opens her arms wide and smiles at him tearfully, greeting him with the unconditional love and affection only she and Wonwoo's own mum do.
Wonwoo steps into her hug, squeezing her shoulders gently, "C'mon, eomeonim! You saw me a few weeks ago, no need for tears!"
She sniffles pitifully anyway and pulls back to glare up at him, scent sharpening similarly to the way his teacher's in elementary school did when he and Mingyu got in trouble, but remaining warm enough for him to not even tense under those narrowed eyes. He's got only a handful of inches over her, but that pointed look makes him feel much too small, "Three weeks, Jeon Wonwoo. It's been three weeks since you last graced your dear eomeonim with your presence. What could have been so important, hm? Work? To hell with that! Listen to me when I tell you that's not all there is to li-"
"Mingyu's coming soon"
Mrs Kim halts mid-rant to give him another pointed look, "And? I see my pup almost every weekend. It's you who slips out of my sight for far too long."
Wonwoo purses his lips, guilty. "Sorry.”
Donghyuck, who is now perched by the table, chuckles at the pathetic sight of his hyung digging his toes in the tiles, head bowed shamefully.
"Don't be, Wonwoo-ya. I should be saying sorry. I worry, you know." She cups his cheeks, pecking one lovingly. "Your parents are joining us for dinner tomorrow evening, so I have you all to myself today!" She claps her hands excitedly.
"Today, until Mingyu arrives," Donghyuck pipes in, rolling his eyes, "He'll hog Wonwoo hyung, and then you'll ground him, and then he'll pout all week."
"Mingyu hyung." Mrs Kim corrects, and Donghyuck pretends he didn't hear her. She huffs, turning to her oven, "He can try, and I'll just give him a couple more reasons to pout." She opens the oven, and a wave of hot air washes over Wonwoo's arm as he's standing a bit too close. "Oh, right! Sweetie, when did you say my son's coming?"
Wonwoo takes a breath, crossing his arms and walking over to take a seat next to Donghyuck, who's already got his hands on some fresh biscuits. "In about thirty minutes. Maybe earlier. I'm pretty sure he set off not too long after I did."
"Oh, well, that's great then. I still don't understand why you two didn't just drive here together, but oh well. All my kids will be here for breakfast!" Mrs Kim claps again and then turns to smack Donghyuck’s hand off the biscuits.
"Mhm," Wonwoo nods, "Make sure to make room for an extra seat."
"What?" Donghyuck asks distractedly, cheeks stuffed with the last bites he managed to wrestle from his mother's grip, "You already have a seat, though." Right next to Donghyuck's, as usual, so Wonwoo can transfer the veggies he doesn't like to Mingyu's plate on his other side, while Mrs Kim throws the juiciest pieces of meat to him from right across the table.
The little omega's head tilts to the side. It endears Wonwoo greatly: all the little similarities the brothers share.
Then Wonwoo clears his throat, "Mingyu's bringing his girlfriend."
Then Mrs Kim drops the plate with the biscuits, porcelain shards spilling all over the tiles with a thunder.
"Shit!" Wonwoo shoots out of his seat to pick up as many of the baked goods as he can save. Mrs Kim stares at the mess of crumbs, unmoving, save for the rapidly increasing pace of her breathing.
"Bastard," Donghyuck breathes out, abandoning a biscuit to run a hand through his hair.
Wonwoo doesn't look up at him as he warns the younger, "Don't swear at me. I'm just the messenger."
"You should be the girlfriend, hyung!" Donghyuck nearly yells, "Mingyu's the bastard!"
"Mingyu hyung." Mrs Kim mutters. Then she looks down at Wonwoo, "Is this a joke, Wonwoo?"
"Um," He pauses his frantic picking, chancing a glance at her blank face, "No?"
"What do you mean by 'no'? Why the questioning tone?" Donghyuck slithers off his chair and steps in line with his mum, fully intending to interrogate Wonwoo until he’s got all the answers he demands, "Is he or is he not dating a girl? Is it just a fling? Are they-"
"No, no, no!" Wonwoo finally stands up, stretching to his full height, "Listen. He is dating a girl, yes. It is not a fling, I don’t think so, no."
"How long has that been going on for?"
They stare at him, unblinking. Two identical sets of eyes. Mingyu shares those same eyes.
There is an edge to the growing cloud of displeasure wafting around the mother-son duo, which makes Wonwoo's nose itch uncomfortably.
He purses his lips, glancing away, feeling heat climbing up his nape. "Three weeks." He mumbles at last.
"Is that why you-"
"Mmm, kinda."
"Hey, what's up?" Johnny strolls into the kitchen, Yoo following closely, each of them dragging a suitcase. They halt at the door, taking in the mess and exchanging a few glances. "Uuh, what's going on?"
"Mingyu is bringing his girlfriend over." Donghyuck spits the words out, twirling on his heels and stalking into the pantry. He comes back a second later with a dustpan in hand. "They've been dating for three weeks now."
"What?!" Yoo exclaims, and the suitcase handle slips out of his grasp, the big plastic lump crashing on the floor. "Girlfriend?"
"Wait, wait," Johnny waves a hand in the air, his brow scrunched. Unconsciously, he drags the suitcase after himself, going up to his mum and younger brother, "Three weeks is nothing. It's probably nothing serious! Don't sweat it, pup."
Donghyuck swipes a couple of bigger biscuit chunks before stopping altogether and training his eyes on Wonwoo once again, "Is it serious, hyung?"
Wonwoo has to look away again as he nods his head silently.
Yoo and Johnny lean against the kitchen table simultaneously, with a long sigh, "Fuck."
Mrs Kim finally moves, only to nudge Donghyuck to the side and take over with swiping the mess away.
"Mum...?" Yoo leans down a bit, seeking his mother's eyes, "Say something?"
"Hm?" She glances at all four of them distractedly, returning to her task, "What do you want me to say?"
Johnny is the one who steps up to her, "Uh, that you are unhappy? And Mingyu will be grounded for five years the moment he sets foot in the house?"
"Make it ten years minimum." Donghyuck grumbles. He shuffles around for a moment as if the simmering anger doesn't let him find a good spot to let it out. Then, glaring at the floor menacingly, he settles next to Wonwoo, arms crossed, and lips pressed hard.
"Boys." Mrs Kim raises her voice high enough to make sure they actually listen, "You are all grown now-"
"All of us?" Yoo cuts in teasingly, and Donghyuck stretches an arm over Wonwoo's shoulders to try to smack his brother, who slips away right on time.
Mrs Kim pinches Yoo's arms and continues as if nothing has happened, "- and these decisions are all yours to make. Mingyu has made a choice, and I am going to respect it. I advise you to do the same, no matter-"
"How much we fucking hate it?" Donghyuck murmurs lowly.
"- how much you dislike it. His life, his choice." She says with finality and empties the dustpan in the trash bin.
"Damn," Johnny mutters dejectedly, putting his hands on Wonwoo's bony shoulders, massaging gently, "I've hoped you guys would end up together at some point. Leave it to Gyu to fuck the good shit up."
Wonwoo gives him a sheepish smile, having to look up at him upside-down, which prompts Johnny to coo and pat his head like he's Donghyuck’s age again. It brings him back to the days when he was a fresh-faced pup of seventeen.
So he reminds them: "He didn’t fuck anything up because there has never been anything to fuck up."
"Yeah, yeah, you're blind as a bat, whatever." Donghyuck rolls his eyes.
"Rude"
"Yo, leave him alone," Johnny scolds, wagging a finger in his baby brother’s face, "Mingyu will be here any minute. With the new chick."
Wonwoo groans quietly, slumping in his seat, feeling tired when it's not even noon yet. "Please, hyung, behave."
"It's not Johnny you should be worried about." Donghyuck snickers beside him, eyeing their mother with a mischievous little smile.
"Oh, don't give me that look, Donghyuck-ah! I was surprised, that's it." Mrs Kim scolds. She doesn’t hide the slight flush climbing up her cheeks, though, as she throws away the physical evidence of her dish-shattering shock. "And I told you: Mingyu and Wonwoo can do and date whoever they please."
With a knowing twitch of the brow, Donghyuck narrows his eyes, "Even if you hate the fact-"
Yoo takes up two of the chairs by the table, then sprawls his long legs over and almost falls over in haste to butt in, "Do and date? Wow, mum-"
"Shut up!"
"Hey, guys. Someone's at the door. I'd greet them, but my social battery is still in the single digits, and this family is way too active already; I need to preserve energy." Lee Taeyong, sweet and lovely as ever, shows up in the kitchen out of nowhere. Like a beautiful phantom, cursed to haunt this loud house for eternity. He finds Johnny by the counter, stealthily sneaking biscuits away from his mum, "Babe, go open the door"
Johnny freezes with a hand on the counter, "Why me?" He pouts at his mate, moving to get all up in his face and rub his cheeks against Taeyong’s neck, scenting him quite pointlessly, as the omega smells like nothing but his alpha already.
"Because you're the middle child. It's your job." Taeyong declares, shoving the alpha towards the front door.
Johnny whines at being pushed away from the omega's sleep-soft skin and scent. He tugs at his hand, "I'm not even a proper middle child. Gyu's in there with me."
"Gyu's not here, though"
With that, Taeyong leaves Johnny to grumble his way to the front door as he walks into the kitchen with a triumphant smile.
Having settled over three chairs now, Yoo raises his head onto one of his curled fists and sends everyone in the room a thoughtful look, "Technically, Wonie is the middle child."
Wonwoo groans louder this time, "I am not getting the door every time someone rings the bell. I know what you're trying-"
"Wonwoo? Oh, hi!" Taeyong exclaims suddenly, bounding over hurriedly, "I didn't see you there, sorry! I've been a mess these days." He wraps his thin arms around Wonwoo and tries to sway him from side to side as much as the chair and table allow.
Wonwoo laughs in his shoulder, "Aw, don't worry, Taeyongie hyung. I know how it is."
"Oh yeah? I'm so burnt out, even eomeonim's magic samgyeopsal hasn't managed to bring me back to the world of the living yet."
Wonwoo can tell. Taeyong is one of his favourite omega friends. He is the first official son-in-law in the Kim family, despite the fact that he and Johnny are still a little too shy to have a proper wedding. Taeyong works in fashion, which means he is always tired by default. Yet still Wonwoo detects a sliver of something else in the older’s scent. Something deep beneath Johnny’s own scent on him. Something different.
"No way." He shakes his head, "That just means you need to go for the kimchi next. It's simple, but foolproof. It never fails."
Taeyong nods with a huff of laughter and goes easily when Donghyuck pulls him into the seat on his other side, the younger successfully sandwiching himself between his most beloved omega hyungs.
The Kim household is warm and filled with love to the brim. It's big, too, though. And a lot of people mean a lot of noise. Wonwoo sympathises with Taeyong, who has only about six years of experience, contrary to Wonwoo's entire life. Donghyuck is just like his brothers, who are just like their parents, but his omega nature often puts him on the bench a little earlier than the overly energetic alphas. So they tend to stick together.
Disrupting the temporary quiet, Johnny drags his feet back to the kitchen, his head thrown back in exasperation, "It was just dad."
"'Just dad'. Nice. I love you endlessly and unconditionally, too, my son." Mr Kim strolls in after him, arms and eyebrows raised high in pretend heartbreak. Then he takes a quick look around, and his voice rises with excitement only the Kims would have no problem with so early in the day, "Wonwoo! Now that's a sight for sore eyes!"
Yoo folds his hands under his head, still lying on the chairs and snorts, "Ah, yes. Jeon Wonwoo, the favourite child."
Mrs Kim laughs at this and claps her hands above the sink to dispose of the leftover flour on her fingers. "Darling, have you seen my- what in the everything... did you go fishing? After I reminded you five times that the boys were coming today? You sneaked out?"
"What!" Mr Kim squawks indignantly and splays a hand over his wounded heart, making everyone snicker, "I didn't sneak out! I got up early, had some fun by the lake and came back on time."
Mrs Kim glares and crosses her arms over her chest. "I can still smell the fun on you."
Mr Kim gasps, scandalised and shoots his wife a sleazy wink, "Wow, honey, not in front of the kids."
"Shower. Now." Mrs Kim snaps her fingers and turns her back on him.
The eldest alpha grins, realising his wife is in a good enough mood, so he sneaks up to her, smacks a kiss on her cheek and dashes out of the kitchen, "I caught a big one. Love you!"
Some things never change.
The doorbell rings, maybe five minutes later, and absolutely everyone, except Mr Kim, who is still in the shower, freezes. Even Johnny and Yoo halt their sports talk, looking to the kitchen door. Mrs Kim is the one to clear her throat, pat her apron clean and bring all of her kids to attention.
"Alright." She breathes out, smiles and claps, "Let's not make them wait any longer."
Wonwoo's legs do a funny thing as he stands up to follow the Kims. Taeyong walks up to him and presses into his side in unspoken support, making the younger wait a second before they follow a few steps behind the main horde.
"Was it like this when Johnny brought me over the first time, too?" Taeyong asks in a hushed voice, eyes wide, as he watches Mrs Kim check her face in the mirror by the front door, Yoo and Johnny patting her shoulders reassuringly.
Wonwoo snorts at the question, "Are you kidding? We had already seen you and loved you, so the excitement was palpable. We didn't just expect you, hyung; we were waiting for you."
"Oh," Taeyong says, face flushing a shy pink.
They catch up with the rest, but choose to stay at the back for the moment. Introverted and content in each other's company, they link arms and lean against each other. Donghyuck is standing at the side, his foot tapping impatiently.
The unmistakable twinge of nervous sadness sends an unwanted shiver down Wonwoo’s spine then. Questions fill his head: how are they going to react?; are they going to like her?; is he even going to look at Wonwoo?
He has never felt as out of place in this house as he does now.
"Okay, okay," Mrs Kim mumbles to herself, taking deep breaths.
Yoo and Johnny flank their mum, pumping their fists and hyping her up.
"Oh, come on!" Donghyuck huffs in frustration, pushing his way to the front, and with zero hesitation wraps a hand around the doorknob and yanks the door open, washing the hallway in blinding light, "Good morning, dickhead."
It takes a second for all eyes to get used to the brightness. Then Mrs Kim shoves her way forward and tugs Donghyuck's hand off the doorknob, "Hyuck, play nice!"
Donghyuck crosses his arms and keeps glaring at his newly arrived brother.
"Uh, hi?" Mingyu greets. Tall, tanned, beautiful, and beyond confused, he raises a hand to wave at the small group beyond the threshold.
Wonwoo tenses at the sight of him. His favourite light-wash jeans, paired with a classic-fit white t-shirt, tucked in a simple black belt. The sunglasses pushed to hold his hair out of his face are what make Wonwoo’s breath stutter. He tries to cover it with an awkward shuffle of the feet. Taeyong, not even sparing him a glance, laces their fingers together, squeezing gently.
Mingyu sees him; of course, he does. Decades of instinct, reflex and habit cannot be that easily erased. Even by the unforgiving force of a month of empty chats and forgotten phone calls. He sees him and acknowledges him with a faint nod of the head and a barely there quirk of the lip.
Wonwoo can’t say he expected anything more. He can’t say he isn’t disappointed, either.
"Hello there, baby bro." Johnny joins the front, leaning against the doorframe, grinning smugly, "Sooo. A little birdie arrived some time ago-"
Mrs Kim slaps Johnny's shoulder, causing him to yelp and retreat back to Taeyong’s side, pouting at his mate. Mrs Kim doesn't pay him any mind, of course. She stretches up on her tippy toes to whisper conspiratorially, "Where is she, baby?"
"... Who?" Mingyu whispers back.
Behind Mrs Kim, Yoo rolls his eyes and reaches over to very unkindly shove his brother to the side, revealing the short, slim silhouette of the new girlfriend. "Good morning!" He waves, a friendly smile fixed in place, "Welcome to our humble abode!"
And there she is: the girlfriend.
The girl, a silent, long-haired brunette omega, walks up to Mingyu and immediately wraps a hand around his forearm. The possessive gesture doesn’t escape Yoo’s attentive gaze. "Good morning. Mingyu said his family is big, but I didn't expect everyone at the door."
For a moment, everyone is silent.
"Oh!" Mrs Kim breaks the silence with one of her signature claps, "Sorry about the ambush! I was very excited to see my baby and just dragged the rest of my babies along. Don't mind them, honey!" The girl raises both eyebrows high, seemingly unimpressed. Mama Kim claps again, her smile wavering a little, "What's your name, honey?"
The girl takes a moment to take in every face at the door. A calculative spark lights up in her dark eyes. She bows her head down the slightest, "My name's Park Rina."
Another beat of silence, filled with expectation for a few more details that never come.
Mrs Kim keeps smiling, despite the stuttering dialogue, "Nice to meet you, Rina! I am Kim Sora, Mingyu's mother. And the gang behind me are all my children." Barely looking back, she begins pointing them one by one, "This one here is Yoo, my oldest. The tall goofball is Youngho, and the pretty one next to him is Taeyong, Youngho's mate." The three wave and bow politely. "The moody piece of work is my youngest, Donghyuck. And beside him is-"
"Jeon Wonwoo." Rina murmurs rather coldly. She makes sure to look him up and down, painfully slowly, attentively, demonstrating plain dislike for him, allowing everyone to see and judge as they find fit. Great.
Wonwoo, despite the sudden spike in his stress levels, raises a hand and smiles mildly, "Hi, Rina. How are you?"
Rina stares at him for a second and unceremoniously turns to Mingyu, asking about their luggage too quietly for anyone to catch the entire sentence. Next to Wonwoo, Donghyuck scoffs, straightening up in a well-known-by-everyone battle-ready stance. He opens his mouth only for Wonwoo and Taeyong to squeeze and pinch and pull at his hands warningly, in slight panic, while the new couple are preoccupied with each other, successfully stopping the storm before it becomes the new favourite Christmas story.
"Ah." Mrs Kim glances between Wonwoo and Rina questioningly, "You two have met, of course! Considering how close Mingyu and Wonie are, I'm not surprised!" She chuckles lightly and ushers the couple in.
Mingyu has to interrupt her, having to go grab their bags. "You can get to know each other. Please, be nice." He stares all of his brothers down before settling on Taeyong and then naturally Wonwoo. He moves on and out the door quickly after that.
"I'll help," Yoo says and doesn't wait for Mingyu to refuse. He wraps a strong arm around his neck and pulls until he can talk right into Mingyu’s ear.
"Rina, honey, come in. Let me show you around!"
"It's okay." Rina waves Mrs Kim off, stepping in only far enough not to be considered outside, "I'll wait for Mingyu here."
"Oh, um, that's fine!" Mrs Kim pauses, surprised, "We don't want to overwhelm you."
She keeps smiling sweetly and receiving almost nothing in return. When Wonwoo met Rina the first couple of times, he thought she was shy or anxious, and accidentally came across as... rude. Now he can admit, with a quiet hum of satisfaction, that he was wrong.
"Say, Rina," Donghyuck speaks up, catching the girl's attention with a lazy drawl, "What do you do?"
"I'm a student."
"That's wonderful! What do you study?" Mrs Kim asks curiously.
"Business administration."
Taeyong, no doubt feeling bad about being the quietest, smiles sweetly at her, "Do you attend SNU? Almost all of us graduated there."
"No."
The next bout of silence grows nearly suffocating. So much so, Wonwoo is ready to bolt, until Mr Kim is heard coming down the stairs. Then Wonwoo has to be held back from running away, because Mr Kim chooses, very loudly, to call for him: "Wonwoo-ya, has your fiancée, my dear third in line, called already? Where the hell is that Kim Mingyu? Wasn't he supposed to arrive with you? He's so dependent on you, one would wonder how he still hasn't found a way to fuse with- What? Why are you all staring at me? Didn't I wash-"
"Sweetie!" Mrs Kim calls through gritted teeth, her head nodding to the side subtly, "This is Park Rina. Mingyu's girlfriend!"
Donghyuck snorts, Johnny coughs to cover up a laugh, and Wonwoo wishes for the ground to swallow him. He curls in on himself, ready to kiss Taeyong for stepping to the side and hiding him a little, now clutching his hand, no doubt just as appalled by his father-in-law’s memorable return.
Mr Kim, on the other hand, doesn't look too startled, simply confused. He blinks just like Mingyu does, and Wonwoo’s shoulders rise up to his red ears.
"Huh." He walks down the rest of the stairs and extends a hand toward Rina, "Nice to meet you, my name's Kim Hyunjae."
"Likewise." Rina murmurs, shaking his hand and choosing to stay right where she is.
And that wraps up the introductions for now.
"I think we got everything," Yoo announces as he and Mingyu enter the house.
They deposit some of the bags by the entrance and immediately sense the weird mood.
"Uh, is everything alright?" Mingyu asks, already glancing at his dad and Johnny suspiciously.
"Yeah," Donghyuck responds with a big grin, stretching his gleeful face, "Dad was just talking about your engagement to Wonwoo, and then we introduced him to Rina-ssi."
Mingyu shuts his eyes and exhales slowly. He shoots Rina an apologetic look, "I should have warned you in advance."