WITH GRACE.

28장

like any other day, i woke up early today despite staying up last night making desserts. i made some chocolate chip cookies, vanilla and chocolate pudding, the usual oreo cake and some brownies. i was actually shocked at what i have prepared. we don't splurge on buying things because we still live off our parent's funds and a little income i get from my parttime, but something told me i have to prepare all those.

at first, it was just me alone in the kitchen. dongkyu and jungwon soon came, telling me they're not sleepy yet and volunteered to help me bake and make the desserts.

"oh, right. i almost forgot to share this, but jake hyung messaged earlier, saying they're planning to crash here tomorrow, noona,"

"so that's what the bugging feeling urging me to cook all these in the middle of the night. thanks for telling me before i become clueless again,"

"no worries, noona."

"howeverㅡ do tell me, have i been too accomodating to visitors that our apartment has become a free real estate without me knowing?" the two laughed at my question.

"they just find our place homey and comfortable to hang out at, noona," dongkyu responded.

"they absolutely adore your desserts as well  that's why they keep coming back, noona," jungwon added.

"if that's the case, then ㅡ should we open a shop instead? actually, nevermind. it's like i'm leeching off knowledge from i&credible," i rambled.

we finished the desserts around midnight.

i cleaned the house after i had some bread and milk. i didn't know what time the guys are crash landing on our apartment once again nor do i know how many of them are coming. dongkyu woke up earlier than their typical waking time and made brunch for the three of us because it was already around ten in the morning. jungwon got up half an hour later and we had brunch.

"crashing in again! good morning to our welcoming host!" jake greeted me when i opened the door after the incessant ringing.

"i still don't understand why you prefer our small apartment when you probably have grand ones,"i muttered.

"eyy, what are you talking about. cozy is better and your apartment is so warm and filled with good thingsㅡ"

"good things as in me, right jake?" jake scrunched his nose at my question.

"just the desserts you make, eunhye. let's not be delusional," after saying so, jake got smacked at the back of his head.

"hey! jay, bro, i thought you love me?" he dramatically reacted.

"let's not be delusional, jake. sunghoon's orders," jake shrugged.

"i thought jakehoon was sailing smoothly, sunghoon-ah. are you finally tired of me?"

"cut the drama, jake. we've had enough of you since you were a fetus," jay countered, annoyed at jake.

"but we weren't and couldn't have been even friends then ㅡ"

"you know what? eunhye, just let us in and leave jake outside," heeseung oppa spoke up.

"hey! i was the one who proposed this house-crashing!"

in the end, i let the four of them in. it was just the usual crew ㅡ jake, jay, heeseung and sunghoon. the other couldn't come because they have matters to attend on. the japanese friends neighbor, on the other hand, were still in japan to visit their homes.

"no one told me it's hoodie day today," i commented.

all of the guys were in hoodies, even jungwon and daniel. jungwon had a neon green one on, while daniel wore an identical one, but orange ㅡ it was the gift jungwon and i bought for his birthday weeks ago. jake and jay had gray ones on while heeseung oppa and sunghoon wore identical dark blue hoodies. i, on the other hand, were in my normal oversized shirt and knee-length cyclings on.

we started with the mafia game. i, the volunteer narrator, picked jake  as the mafia, sunghoon as the doctor and jungwon as the police. at first, it turned out to be a normal game. as it progressed, however, chaos ensued. they were shading each other bere and there and were highly cautious of each other ㅡ except sunghoon who just played calmy, unbothered by the constant bickering.

"i swear, the mafia is so stupid," jay taunted.

"i'm not stupid!" jake defensively screamed.

"see? the mafia is really stupid," jay confirmed his statement.

"jake hyung, you suck at being the mafia," dongkyu ㅡ who died at the earlier stages of the game ㅡ added.

"hey! you're a dead citizen! dead people aren't supposed to talk!" jake rebuked.

"some of the dead can communicate with the living though," sunghoon spoke out.

"c-can we not talk about the dead?" jay inserted.

"no s-scary things please," jake also added.

"how come you two were so adamant about watching horror movies before when you're scared of ghosts and the dead?" i asked, curious.

"i... i'm a cool person,"

"who said i'm scared?"

the two defended.

"jake hyung, your screams almost broke my auditory nerves," jungwon pointed out.

in the end, jake was evicted and the mafia game has come to an end with the mafia being voted out. next, we settled ourselves on the living room to watch a sad movie.

"let me get the desserts," i stood up to get the food.

"YES!"

"let me help you," i nodded and sunghoon followed me to the kitchen.

we went back carrying plates and containers of food.

'midnight sun' was playing on the monitor. jay, jake, jungwon and dongkyu laid on the carpet with pillows around them. heeseung oppa sat on a single-seater couch with his legs folded and perched on the couch seat. sunghoon and i ended up sitting side by side (again).

we ran out of food before the movie reached halfway, but no one seemed to bother. they were immersed into the story, just like i was.

i started tearing up seeing such painful scenes. my sobs were a little loud as well, catching sunghoon's attention and i felt him pat my hair continuously. despite my crying, i was able to spot jay and dongkyu on the same predicament as mine. jay covered one eye with his one hand while the other seemed to reach out to the screen. dongkyu was straight out crying heavily.

it was at the end of the movie when our cries got even louder. even heeseung oppa and jungwon shed tears. sunghoon remained alright, face unstained with tears.

it got too painful to watch and the next thing i knew, the movie had ended. as i cried more i felt my throat hurt and my eyes started to feel swollen. i felt sunghoon snake his arms around my waist and cradled me in his arms, consoling my pitiful state.

"it's just a movie, eunhye,"

"but it hurt... it hurt, sunghoon-ah,"

"i understand,"

"i can't imagine being katie, suffering from that disease, unable to freely roam the world under the sun. i can't imagine being in the same shoes as charlie, either. i can't imagine loving in such a restricted way. i can't imagine letting the love of my life go," i sobbed harder.

"worry not, eunhye. i'm not planning to let you go either,"