CLICHÉD

C-37

C-37

Hyunjin is waiting by the entrance with Dori. I run to them and crush my baby in a hug.

"There you are." The tall boy laughs.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, Hyunjin."

"It's fine, Y/n, at least you got him back. He used to sneak out a lot when we first got him in the cafe, but he always came back so don't worry. He might've forgotten the way to your house that's why he went here," he explains.

I release a deep breath and hug Dori once more before gently putting him in the cat carrier.

"Thank you for staying with him." I smile at him.

"No problem! What are friends for?" He gives me his eye smiles as he scratches his nape. I notice his arms are dotted with red and his nose is slightly pink from sneezing.

"Are you okay? Did you catch a cold?"

"I'm alright." He grins. "It's just cat allergy."

"What?! Why do you work here when you're allergic to cats?"

He giggles at my reaction. "It's just mild and only with long contact, plus Jinyoung-hyung employed me. Who am I to reject my most respected senior?"

I shake my head at him. We bid our goodbyes as he still have a couple hours of his shift left.

Dori and I head to the bus stop after finally getting him the cute beret. We arrive home safely and I promise to myself not to lose him ever again.

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My mother is cutting the onion as I take care of the boiling pot. I take the rice when it's done and put it on a serving plate. I add the kimchi into the pot together with the other ingredients and wait for it to cook. Once it's finished, my brother put it in a serving bowl.

"Woah, Y/n! This tastes better than I expected!" Taeil-oppa says as he slouches on the kitchen counter, tasting every dish.

"I told you I'm getting better..." I sulk but he just laughs at me.

"Taeil, stop eating everything! You're going to finish that before dinner," mum scolds then orders him to take everything to the dining table.

When we hear a car parking in the garage, that's the cue that Dad is home. We're waiting for him before we start eating because they will tell us something.

I hope it's not about my grades about that reporting months ago. They might think that it's because of my phone and take it away again.

After we said our prayers, we start to dig in. They complemented my cooking which made me feel giddy. I knew I was improving! Even Minho says so!

"How's the training going, son?"

"It's hard, but I can manage," my brother says.

"Aren't they starving you? Why do you look thinner? Look at your sister! You kids look better with chubby cheeks," mum exclaims and pinches my cheeks.

That's a good thing, right? I hope she's not indirectly roasting me.

"How about you, my dear daughter? I heard you're not an introvert anymore."

I pout. "I just didn't have people to hangout with."

He laughs at me and ruffles my hair.

"Are you and Jisung together now?" he asks.

"Well, we rarely go home together now." My parents both shake their heads.

My brother smirks. "Who do you go home with now then?"