After my shift ended, I went into the back, left my apron, and grabbed my backpack, still smiling about Kyle asking for my number. I've had a crush on him for months.
I walk out of the door of the diner, quickly waving to another waitress who was on closing duty that night. I freeze when I see a familiar blacked-out SUV parked against the curb, with Han, Jae, and Kai standing near it.
"What are you doing here?" I ask them, crossing my arms.
"Did you think we were going to let you walk home in the dark alone?" Han asked, taking a step toward her.
I frowned. "How did you even know I was here?" I ask them, my voice carrying a hint of suspicion. Jae and Han glance at Kai, who has a smirk on his face.
"You stalker!" I accuse, but he only laughs.
"It's not considered stalking when you're my girlfriend." He states.
"That's not true, boyfriends can be stalkers," I inform him, adjusting my backpack on my shoulder.
"So you agree that I'm your boyfriend," Kai says, causing my mouth to fall open. Did I just call him my boyfriend? Not really, right?
Han walks over and takes my heavy backpack off of my shoulder. "Get into the truck, we will drive you home." He says, and I do as he says, too tired to argue. Who would turn down a free ride at nine PM in a dangerous city?
I got into the backseat of the SUV, Kai sat next to me, and Han was in the passenger seat while Jae drove.
"Who was the guy?" Kai asked, his voice tense.
"Guy?" I asked, looking over at him.
He leaned forward, his eyes locking on mine, a dangerous glint in his. "The bus boy who was staring at you your whole shift, and followed you into the back."
My eyes widened. "A co-worker," I said softly, my eyes moving from his to look at Han and Jae. Han was glancing back at them. "That's it?" He asked her. "That's it," I said firmly.
"Remember I'm watching, princess. You know I don't take kindly to people wanting what's mine." Kai told her.
"That's not creepy at all, Kai." I roll my eyes, but can't deny how his words make my heart race.
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The Next Day
Today was going by smoothly, I had classes with the guys, and I met them in the cafeteria at lunchtime. I brought my turkey sandwich as usual, but I was eyeing the pizza that Kai had bought from the cafeteria. He must have noticed because without looking at me or saying anything, he slid the two slices of pepperoni pizza over to me and took my sandwich instead. I smiled, picking up a slice and taking a bite of the delicious, warm, pizza.
"Do you work today?" Jae asked, pulling my attention from the pizza to him. I shake my head. "No, not today," I answer, leaning across the table to reach for his soda. I pick up the can and take a sip before giving it back to him, causing him to smirk.
"Come over today, after classes. We can watch a movie like old times." He said, his eyes locking with hers. His voice wasn't harsh, but it was clear that it wasn't a question.
We would go to the estate and watch movies in the theater room after school often, it would be fun to do it again. "Okay," I say, nodding, my voice slightly hesitant, but I felt some excitement bubbling up inside. Jae smiles, and I can't help but smile back.
When the class that Kai and I had together at the end of the day finished, I gathered my stuff and we began to walk together to the parking lot where Han and Jae waited for us. Kai took my hand, interlacing our fingers and making my heart skip a beat. I looked up at him just as he looked down at me. He squeezes my hand gently and smiles.
We reach the others, who look at our intertwined fingers, Jae smiles while Han nods in approval. In the car, Kai sits right next to me, still holding my hand.
"You don't know how much I've missed you, princess." He said quietly, looking down at me.
My eyes widen. "I missed you too," I admit, as he gently raises his other hand and places it on my cheek. He slowly leans down, allowing me to pull away if I want to. I don't. His lips press gently against mine at first, and I kiss him back, my mind racing.
The kiss quickly goes from a sweet and innocent kiss to a more passionate one as he gently deepens the kiss, using his tongue. I've never kissed like this before and I don't know what I'm doing but he seems to be enjoying it, and so am I, so I try not to think too much about if I'm doing it right.
His hands entangled in my hair as the make-out session continued. After about a minute, but what seems like forever, he pulls away and groans. "Baby, I've waited forever for that." He whispers against my lips.
My cheeks are red, I can tell. I feel them burning. I don't say anything, I don't know what to say, speechless from the amazing kiss I just shared with him. Luckily, I don't have to speak because we arrive at the estate and Han speaks up. "Okay, enough with the making out, at least until it's my turn." He says with a smirk. He gets out of the SUV and opens my door, turning his back to me and patting his shoulder. He is offering me a piggyback ride just like old times.
I smile and without hesitation jump onto his muscular back, wrapping my legs around his torso and my arms around his neck.
We go inside, me still on Han's back. The estate looks exactly how I remember it, huge and fancy. "Can we make ramen?" I ask since that sounded amazing right now. We always used to eat ramen together and watch movies in the theater here.
"Of course, pip," Han says, carrying me in the direction of the kitchen.
We walk into the large kitchen, and I sniff the air. "Smells good." I can smell home-cooked food radiating from the kitchen.
"Mrs. Kim!" I say excitedly. She had been the chef at the estate for as long as I remember. The kindest, sweetest old lady.
"Oh my, Mina! It's been so long! Look at you!" She says, coming around the counter. I tap Han's shoulder to signal for him to set me down, which he gently does.
I give the woman a quick hug. "It smells amazing in here," I tell her with a smile. "I'm cooking Bulgogi! Sit, I'll make you all plate. Mina, I just made your favorite Pa kimchi yesterday!" She tells me excitedly before rushing off to make our plates.
"I have missed her cooking so much," I tell the guys, who are smiling big.
"You can come here for every meal if you want to, Princess," Kai says, putting his hand on my shoulders from behind the chair I am sitting in.
"You'll be tired of me soon," I say with a small laugh. "That's impossible," Jae tells me with a small smile on his face. He sits across from me.
"What do you want to watch?" I ask them as Mrs. Kim brings plates of rice, beef bulgogi, and various side dishes.
I thank her before picking up my chopsticks and clicking them together excitedly.
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The first thing I grab is a piece of bulgogi, which falls from my chopsticks and onto my light pink shirt.
"Wow, you are half-white," Kai says, causing the other two to laugh along with him.
"Hey, I can use chopsticks, that was a fluke," I tell them as Kai gently wipes the sauce off of my shirt.
"It's going to stain! I just got this shirt." I say, looking down at the brown stain on my chest. "Take it off, we will put it in the wash," Kai tells me, standing up. "We just kissed and you're already telling me to take my clothes off! Kai, how dare you!" I joke, standing up with him.
"I'll get you a shirt." Jae laughed, interrupting Kai's laugh. He leaves the room and I look at Kai and Han. "So, are we dating now? You're serious?" I ask, my cheeks turning light pink.
Han leaned forward. "Yes, princess, we are. We have been planning this ever since we got out a year ago. We just had to get everything into place first." He says, giving me a wink.
"Hmm, I guess it's a good thing I said yes if you have been planning it for that long. If I had said no, you might have been sad." I say with a small smile.
"It's so cute that you think that you had a choice," Kai says, laughing. He reached over and pinched my cheek. I pushed his hands away with a mock glare.
"So cute." Han agrees, laughing as well.
"I had a choice," I say, crossing my arms. "I still have a choice. I could still change my mind." I tell them, leaning back in my chair.
Kai stops laughing abruptly. "You are ours, Mina. You always have been, there's no changing it. Don't make the mistake of thinking we were asking you to date us. We were telling you that you are ours. There's no changing it. Even if I have to lock you upstairs like our own personal Cinderella, so you can't leave us. I will do it if you make me." He said, his voice changing from light and joking to dark and serious in a split second.
The crazy thing is, I believe him. He would do that if I didn't agree. The guys have always been very dominant. They've always expected me to listen to them.
I glance over at Han and he nods, signaling that he agrees with Kai.
Jae comes back with a green T-shirt. "Here Princess." He says, holding up the shirt.
He noticed that the energy changed in the room and paused. "What happened?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Ask Them." I say when he looks at me, my arms crossed over my chest.
"Pip was asking what if she had said no when we asked her to date us? We explained to her that there wasn't an option for her to say no," Han says with a shrug like it's no big deal.
"Do you not see how that's an issue?" I ask Jae. "This is 2023! Not in 1930. I am not a possession." I say, shaking my head.
"Pip, you said yes, so why are we arguing over Hypotheticals?" Jae asks me, raising a brow.
"Because it's important. Kai said he would make me like Cinderella and lock me upstairs if I tried to leave you." I tell him, taking the shirt from his hand. I am expecting him to be appalled by his friend's words, but he's not. "Good idea," Jae says to Kai, nodding.
"Ugh," I say, exasperated. "You guys are even more domineering and controlling than before!" I say, stomping off to the bathroom nearest to the kitchen to change my shirt. "Yes, and don't forget it," Han calls as I walk away.
When I come back wearing Jae's shirt, which is more like a dress on me, I sit down at the table but don't pick up my chopsticks again. "I'm not hungry anymore," I say when Kai tries to feed me a piece of bulgogi with his chopsticks.
The guys exchange glances. I still like them, of course. They've always been this way. I just didn't like them thinking that I didn't have a choice. I could leave if I wanted to, but I didn't. I don't have to listen to them just because they are used to being obeyed.
"Pip, you know this is the way we are. This is the way we were raised. In the mafia world, we are feared and obeyed. And in that world, the men are in charge. You know this, you've been around it for a long time. You see how our moms listen to our dads," Jae explains.
"I know," I whisper
Taking a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. "I want to be with you, but I got upset when Kai said that I didn't have a choice," I tell them with a small shrug.
"It will take some getting used to. We've been gone, and you've made your own choices for a while now. But now we are back and we make the decisions. Okay?" Jae says gently.
I don't say anything, looking down at my plate in front of me, deep in thought. It's not that I necessarily mind it. I've had to take care of myself at home for my whole life. It would be nice to be taken care of once in a while.
"Pip," Han says, his tone sounding like a warning. I lift my eyes from my plate to meet his eyes immediately.
"Jae is talking to you. Look at him and use your words." My cheeks turn pink as I look over at Jae.
"Okay," I say softly, suddenly feeling shy.
"Okay, what?" Jae asks, raising a brow.
"You make the decisions," I tell them, barely above a whisper.
"Good. Now, uncross your arms, we will have to work on your attitude before you earn a trip over my knee." Han says, putting down his chopsticks.
My eyes widen, and I quickly drop my arms into my lap. "Is he joking?" I whisper to Kai who shakes his head, laughing quietly.
"We weren't going to have this talk yet, but I think we should. Let's go upstairs and discuss some things, okay Princess?" Jae asks, making me nod, curious about what he wants to talk about.
We all head upstairs to Jae's room. It's been a long time since I've been in here, but it looks the same as it did the last time I was here. I go to the couch near the window and sit down. Han sits to the right of me on the couch and Kai sits to the left of me, but he pulls me into his lap as soon as he sits down. Jae sits next to the couch in an armchair.
I freeze as Kai pulls me into his lap. I'm not used to all this attention and touching, but I like it.
"You know that we have been planning to be with you since we were away. We had a lot of time to figure out how it would all work and how to make our relationship flow smoothly and make sure there were no hiccups. We don't get jealous of each other. You are equally ours, so that's not an issue.
I nod, but I am a little distracted by sitting on Kai's lap. His arms close around me and he presses a kiss to the side of my head. "Pay attention." He whispers against my ear, tapping my thigh gently. I wiggle a little, sitting straighter. Kai laughs and sits back against the couch so he doesn't have his chest pressed against my back anymore. I feel like I can think a little more clearly now.
"How our relationship is going to work is we all date only you, you only date us. By dating us, you give control over to us about our relationship and outside of it. If we tell you to eat, you eat. If we tell you to sleep, you sleep. No questions, no attitude. Do you understand?" Jae asks me, leaning forward in his seat.
Sighing, I at Han before looking back over at Jae. "Yes," I say. I'm not sure why, but the thought of that excites me a little, causing me to wiggle in Kais' lap. I've always had to take care of myself and I trust the guys to take care of me now.
"Do you have questions, Pip?" Kai asks me, gently moving my hair out of my face.
"Yes. Would you actually spank me?" I ask, looking at Han. His comment earlier stuck in the back of my mind.
"Yes, if you don't listen or have an attitude, I will." He tells me. I scrunch my nose at that. That doesn't sound fun.
"Han handles those things. He's the enforcer for the mafia, makes sense that we would be the enforcer in our relationship, too." Jae says with a small shrug.
"I don't think I like that," I tell them softly.
"That's the point," Kai says with a laugh.
"Okay, now that is all out of the way. Let's watch a movie," Jae tells us, standing up and holding out his hand for me to take. Once I do, we make our way to the theater room to watch some Fast and the Furious movies, but I'm still thinking about our conversation. I don't pay any attention to the movie at all.
Han is sitting next to me and looks over at me every so often. I think that he can tell I'm not watching the movie.
While the thought of the guys being in control and taking care of me excites me and makes me feel like I can relax, another part of me knows that I won't always be able to obey everything they say. I have my own thoughts and like to do what I want.
The movie finally ended, and I could not tell you what happened if you asked, because I was so deep in my thoughts.
"Let's make some ramen. I'm starving." Kai says once the screen turns off. My stomach growls loudly, apparently agreeing with him.
"Me too," I say, standing up and stretching. "What time is it?" I ask as we walk to the kitchen. Han's large hand takes mine, warm and familiar. I have missed them so much. Being around them today brought back so many memories and feelings.
"Almost eight," Jae tells me, looking at his watch. "We will take you home after we eat. Don't worry." He says with a small laugh.
Mrs. Kim offers to make the ramen for us but I insist on making it. Kai sits on the counter next to the stove as I chop up some green onion and garlic to add to it. The onion makes my eyes water and KAi laughs, gently wiping away the tears. "Poor baby." He says, gently taking the knife from my hand when I almost cut my finger because of the tears blurring my vision. "Let me finish it." He chops up the rest of the onion while I boil the water. My cheeks flamed. Every time they touch me, I feel like I'm flying high above the clouds.
Once the ramen is finished, we sit at the table with my favorite Kimchi that Mrs. Kim makes. I hum happily at the burst of flavor.
"We will pick you up for school in the morning. Do you work tomorrow?" Jae asks me, before slurping up some noodles.
"Yeah, I work after school until seven thirty," I tell them.
"Jagi, this is the best ramen I've ever had," Han tells me with a wink. I chuckle. "It's just instant ramen," I say shyly. "But you made it, so it's the best instant ramen," Kai informs.
Shaking my head, I take a bite. It is a good ramen.
After we eat, we make our way to the car. I'm tired. It had been a long day. Han sits in the back seat with me this time, pulling me against him. I lean my head on his shoulder, and he looks down at me with a smile before leaning down slowly and connecting his lips to mine in a gentle kiss that makes my heart race