As afternoon shifts to evening and evening descends into night, the time comes where Hoseok pulls into his driveway after a long day of work.

His eyes immediately pivot to my silhouette after unlocking the front door, admiring my turned back as I whip up a storm in the kitchen. The delicious savory scent clouding the house entrances Hoseok enough to stroll closer with an exhilarated grin...

A warm embrace is shared when he binds his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder.

"That smells delicious, honey."

"Well I'm glad you like it."

"AH!" Hoseok springs back the moment he identifies the voice before him. The woman in his arms wasn't his trusty wife like expected. It was April.

"April! Y-Your hair... It's different."

"Thank you for noticing." She stirs the pot with laughter, "You certainly seemed to like it."

Hoseok clears his throat awkwardly.

"What, uh, what are you doing here? Where's Mayana?"

"Oh, May isn't feeling too good. It only felt right that I stayed longer to help out. You know, in case Jiho wakes up."

"Well that's very kind of you but you don't have to cook. I don't mind taking it from here."

"No no, I insist. I might as well finish what I started. Consider it a gesture of gratitude for you guys being so welcoming to me."

"Well... It does smell good. What are you making?" He leans in.

"Fresh Bulgogi."

"Shut up, that's my favorite dish."

"You're just saying that to make me feel special."

"No seriously! If I could eat it every day? Mm-mm. Man does that look good. Possibly better than how Mayana makes it... Don't tell her I said that though." He nudges her playfully.

"Your secret is safe with me."

After winking, April attempts to capture Hoseok in another smiley gaze that appears to be frozen in time. He quickly breaks the eye contact and claps his hands together.

"I'm gonna go check on Mayana. Please, don't hold back on my portion."

"Oh I won't." April grins over her shoulder at his figure; her eyes trailing down to his butt while her lower lip becomes caught beneath her teeth.

It doesn't take long for Hoseok to make his way upstairs to our bedroom before softly opening the door and greeting me with a wide smile.

"Hey honey."

"Hi Hobi..."

"I heard you were unwell. Feeling any better?"

"Not yet. I've puked twice already... I don't even know how this happened."

"Hey, seasons are changing. And I'm sure listening to other people's problems for a living can be a lot of stress. Just take it easy." He takes a seat on our bedside before stroking his palm down my hair. I can't help but groan and whine under the covers.

"Ugh, I'll have to call in sick to work tomorrow. I guess I can take Jiho to school then."

"And give him a stomach bug? No way. Let April handle it. Mayana, you don't have to work hard all the time. I keep telling you this. We're here to take the load off, okay?"

I shake my head with a dazed chuckle when my dreamy husband leans down to press a kiss against my temple.

"You can't kiss me dummy, I'm sick."

"I guess that's a chance I'll have to take then, isn't it?"

I chuckle against his lips as we exchange soft but rapid pecks.

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➽─TWO HOURS LATER─➤
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"Thank you so much for preparing dinner tonight April, I'm sure Mayana will love it once she wakes up. Oh and remind me to update your pay over this."

"I already told you not to worry about it. I'm just honored to help out in any way that I can. Please tell Jiho and May I said goodbye."

"Will do. Do you need a ride home?"

"Hoseok, I live a 5-minute walk around the corner. If you want to be alone with me, you can just say that." She laughs.

Hoseok's shoulders bounce along with her remark.

"Well it's dark out so please call if you feel unsafe. I'll see you tomorrow?"

April's tilted gaze on Hoseok's face becomes framed with glittery hearts. It's as if he's always glowing, like an Angel on Earth. In the midst of her trance, she waves goodbye and heads on her way.

Hoseok returns upstairs soon after and makes his way to bed. Even with my eyes shut and my thoughts wandering a distant slumber... I show a gentle closed smile once he back hugs me.

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➽──ONE DAY LATER──➤
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It's first thing in the morning, 7 AM to be exact. Dawn seems to hold up longer than usual as I make my way downstairs to a citrusy, rippled sky. I still feel somewhat nauseous but I'd say a good night's sleep helped just a little.

Upon opening the fridge, the most heavenly-looking plate of French toast sparkles from inside a cake dome. Its golden, syrup-glazed bread slices stack like a tower while a single quart of butter crowns the top and trickles the rest with sugar powder.

Beside it, lies a note.

"Left for work but I made you this.
Feel better soon honey x
:)"

I chuckle at my husband's doctor-like handwriting before grabbing the plate and reaching for a drink. Of course, the chilly interior is full of bottled milk coffees of descending brown shades. I easily grab a caramel one, but lower my brows upon noticing a creased milk carton...

Gross, this oat milk's out of date...

So after tossing out the weighted carton, I tighten my fleece robe and make myself comfortable on the couch.

"Okay Mayana, you're home alone. It's time to relax... Yeah, relax. You can do that."

With a perfect plate of French toast resting on my lap, I lift the remote by my side and aim it at the TV. But of course, the peace doesn't long...

*Ring ring, incoming facetime*

"Great... Hello Nona," I answer.

"May, you got any—? Yeurgh! What 'appened to you?? Why you look like something I scrubbed outta the sink this morning."

My eyes trail to the ceiling, "Nona, I'm sick."

"Eh?! There's no such thing as sick in our family! What's the matter with you, uh? It's okay, your Nona's got the perfect remedy for you."

"Do you actually?"

"Yes, yes! Okay, ya wanna get some honey, an avacado, a couple ah' raw eggs, lemon juice anddd some gingah'."

"Okay..." The random list of ingredients leads me to stand tiredly and slump my way into the kitchen, keeping my phone hoisted with one hand. After propping my phone against a cookie jar, I pull out each ingredient before centring them with an empty bowl.

"Now what?"

"Whadda'yu mean now what? Mix 'em all together!"

"Just like that? No measurements?"

"Honey, we're Italian. We o'nt do measurements."

A sigh escapes my mouth as I carve my avacado and mash the remains into the bowl, followed by a large scoop of honey. I then crack two eggs, letting it's goopy whites coat the mix before dashing in some lemon juice, pouring some ginger and then finally, whisking it all together.

"How's it coming along?"

"Well it looks like something somebody puked up. And... Oof, it smells kinda gross. I don't think I can drink this."

"You don't drink it! Ya smother it all ovah' ya face."

"Oh. Okay, uh..."

I scoop the clumpy mixture in my palms and smother it across my cheeks to create a thick enough layer. The ginger however has my nose twitching while the honey delivers a now sticky consistency...

"So? How's it feelin?"

"Well the lemon juice is burning my eyes and I'm pretty sure I accidentally ate some of it." My lips smack together in disgust. "Nona... How exactly is this supposed to help with my stomach bug?"

"Uh? What stomach bug? I'm helping you get ridda' those dark circles you got going on there."

"Wha— Pfft tffft tfff!" I instantly spit anything that made it's way into my lips whilst scraping off the clumpy mask. "NONA!"

"Well you shoulda' been more specifc! I gotta go. For stomach bugs, take some paracetamol and make yaself some soup for Pete's Sake. Ciao!" *Beep.*

I stand in silence and hold my sticky palms out with the straightest face ever.

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➽──AFTERNOON──➤
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The 28th floor of Hoseok's workplace building is sectioned with office cubicles and glass panels, reflecting the natural light that shines down on the city.  Hoseok gets up from his desk and walks towards the printer, sparing friendly nods to his passing colleagues along the way.

His journey is cut short however when he stops and does a double take upon spotting a certain woman standing by the elevator. Her smile spreads as she waves at him.

"April?!"

"Hi!" She beams.

Hoseok looks around with paranoia before approaching the persistent nanny with fastened footsteps. Her style seems to have changed... Not just in makeup, but the way she now adorns a preppy tweed set with suede heels and a bow to secure some of her auburn hair.

"What are you doing here?? How did you know which floor I worked on?"

"A girl has her ways. And I'm here because of this." She reveals a piece of paper from behind her back. Still feeling caught off guard, Hoseok shakes his head.

"What is that?"

"Jiho has a school trip to the local petting zoo coming up. His teacher handed me this this morning for one of his parents to sign."

"April, this matter isn't urgent. May's at home sick, you could've given this to her but even so, this could've waited."

"Agh, you're right, I should've stopped by to give it to you tonight."

"What? No, you're misunderstanding. I mean you could've left this at our house after picking up Jiho from school. I would've gotten to it later. Look, my point is that you can't be here."

April folds the paper with a chuckle.

"I get it. You can't let anybody here know about me. They'd think something is up." Her eyebrows bounce.

"No it's just that we're not allowed to invite... Know about you? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well we don't exactly look like the worst match. If I weren't me and I saw myself talking to you right now, I'd certainly think we were dating."

"I highly doubt it. Everyone here knows that I'm happily married so..." Hoseok doesn't hesitate to flaunt his encrusted ring.

"Right... Happily." April airs finger quotations around the word. Her giggle only confuses Hoseok.

"Yes. Happily."

"Oh my God Hobi relax! I'm literally messing with you." She swats Hoseok's arm with laughter. "As if I'd never ruin your reputation like that. Look, I'm sorry for turning up. I don't wanna get you into trouble. I'll leave this letter by the house later for you to read properly. Have a nice day at work."

Hoseok watches speechlessly as April enters the elevator with a spring in her step. Keeping her eyes locked on his, the mysterious nanny waves until her face is concealed by the metallic doors, leading Hoseok to look around and return to his seat with a sigh.

"Yo Hoseok! Look alive buddy, big boss is here to scope the place out."

"Gotcha." Shaking his head clear of thoughts; Hoseok returns to his cubicle, adjusts his tie, and starts back up his computer.

But the moment he logs in, his eyebrows knit and eyes crash open when miniature pop-ups spam his screen one after another, all hosting sexy images of April caressing herself on a bed with nothing to hug her skin but a thong.

Hoseok looks back and notices the company's CEO approaching before quickly striking "X" on each tab.

His finger has never moved so fast, shifting the mouse around every corner of the screen while the intensity of his approaching boss seems to only strengthen in noise and intensity....

There's 8 left.

Now there's 7.

"Come on come on..."

April's naughty wink grins at Hoseok mockingly as the faithful husband grumbles behind his fist and allows his entire body tense up. With his higher-ups being just feet behind, Hoseok's chest burns with an anxious plunge as April's nipples centre his wallpaper...

The second he closes the final tab, the company's CEO faces his cubicle and shakes his shoulder.

"Ah, Hoseok! A pleasure to see you again. Don't work yourself too hard."

"Ha! Haha..." Hoseok's fake and nervous laughter fades as the group of executives stroll past. The moment they're gone, he can't help but run a hand through his brunette locks and slump in his chair with the biggest sigh of relief, pinching his fingers together in front of his lips and letting his knee bounce as he stares at his desk stressfully.

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➽──NIGHTTIME──➤
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Sitting within our candlelit living room, Jiho and I snuggle up on the couch while Winnie the Pooh plays on TV. I promised him we could watch any movie of his choice before his bedtime once I was feeling better, which I luckily have been. I always enjoy moments like this with him him...

"Who's your favorite character, Jiho?"

His cheeks plump cutely.
"Um... Pigwet. Mamma's fabwit?"

"Hmm... I like—"

Just then, Hoseok abruptly unlocks the front door, looking slightly unhinged and stressed. I look back with my eyebrows slanted in confusion.

"Um, hi honey..."

"We need to talk."

"Talk?" I pick up his serious tone, though I can't help but dilute it in front of Jiho. "Is something wrong?"

"No. It's just... Did April drop Jiho off earlier?"

"Well yeah. She brought him here like she always does."

"Did she say anything?"

"No... Why? What happened?"

"Well—"

Hoseok's ringing cellphone instantly cuts him off. We both watch his hand when he reaches into his phone and reads the name before immediately heading back outside.

"Gotta take this. Excuse me."

Worry laces my features as I frown at the shut door. Meanwhile, Hoseok raises his phone to his ear and instantly speaks with angry whispers.

"April, we need to talk. You have some nerve. Do you realise that what you did today could've got me in a LOT of trouble? You risked the job that pays me to feed my family! And I'm not talking about you showing up, I'm talking about—!"

"About the pictures, I know. Hoseok, I'm SO sorry. I can't believe those sent to you, it was a total accident! Those were supposed to go to this guy I'm seeing but there was some kind of glitch and it spammed other contacts instead. You have no idea how humiliated and sorry I am. I mean my own relatives saw it. I would never intentionally do something so unprofessional and disrespectful to your marriage... P-please don't tell May, I'm already as embarrassed as it is. It was an honest mistake."

Hoseok stands there and thinks for a moment with a hand to his head. He then looks over his shoulder with Jiho and I in-mind before massaging his brows.

"It can never happen again April."

"It won't, I promise. We'll pretend it never happened."

"...Alright. Just be more careful next time."

With that, Hoseok hangs up and returns inside to Jiho and I. I swiftly look back again to notice my husband approaching us and taking a seat beside Jiho, sandwiching our son in between us.

"What was that about?"

He shrugs casually, "Nothing. Just a call from work saying I forgot my umbrella. What are you guys watching?"

"Pooh Bear, Papà."

"Oh wow! I love these. Pass the cookies." Hobi holds his mouth open. Jiho cutely plants a cookie between his lips before Hoseok pulls the quilt over his lap and snuggles up with us, prompting me to smile and run my fingers through his cocoa-hued hair.