“Ow! That’s freaking hot!” Chanyeol cursed and retracts his hand away after touching a very hot tray. 

“Yah! I warned you already not to touch that!” Minseok turns around to see the fuss and clicked his tongue in annoyance. He points the spatula he was using, directly at his friend’s face. “I told you it was still piping hot from the oven. How is it that you have such gigantic ears but have the worst hearing?” 

Chanyeol blows air onto each of his fingers and backs away for his own good. “I can’t help it. Everything smells so good in here and I’m getting hungry Min.” 

Minseok ignored Chanyeol’s whiney tone and chops up some veggies to toss them into the grill. “We’ll be eating in a few minutes. So if you just learn to be patient you wouldn’t be so fussy in my kitchen.” 

“Yah hyung~” the younger whined even louder, taking the latter by surprise and almost burning himself with the cooking oil sparking off the pan. 

The older scoffed after almost getting burned and mutters bitterly, “I can’t believe you’re an adult. Also, I can’t believe I’m cooking for a michelin star chef when he should be the one making our meal tonight.” 

Quick to defend himself, Chanyeol wiggled his finger playfully towards Minseok. “Ah ah. You know the rules every Friday night. I made dinner last Friday so now it’s your turn to cook. Plus, I had a really long day hyung. I could really engorge in some of your bomb- food which you rarely cook for me by the way.” 

Quickly he hushes Chanyeol before his eyes went back to the stove. “Can you not curse when you’re around the kids? Or at least in front of Youngchul? Lord knows you probably have a mouth of a sailor when you’re around Sooyun.” 

He doesn’t catch the offended look on Chanyeol’s face because he knows he always makes a face with what he says. “Hey, I know when to censor my mouth; especially around Yunnie. I’m not that potty-mouthed you know. If we’re talking about who has a mouth of a sailor let’s revisit moments in college when a drunk Minseok had a mouth that would make a sailor blush. Not to mention you had an anger meter equivalent to a bull.”

“Drunk or not I still have the patience of a ticking time bomb whenever I’m around you.” 

“What are you both talking about?” 

Chanyeol jumps back when he sees the kids by the kitchen isle watching them. “Fu-I mean Jesus Yunnie! You guys almost gave me a heart attack.” 

Instantly he gets elbowed in the gut by Minseok for being not so subtle with his cursing; it further proves his point. 

“Sorry Uncle Chan. We didn’t mean to scare you. In fact we didn’t know we could sneak up on you like that.” 

Despite Chanyeol being a giant compared to the seven year old, he still crouches down to pat Young chul’s head affectionately before pinching Sooyun’s nose. “Nah you kids didn’t give my heart too much damage. Why if I didn’t know any better, you guys could be really good ninjas one day. Like the ones in naruto?” he starts acting silly by imitating some jujutsu sounds and karate moves that he’s seen in old action films. 

Youngchul giggles at Chanyeol while Sooyun rolled her eyes. She only did it when he did something stupid. Which seemingly was everytime he talked 

“Alright kids, dinner is almost ready. Why don’t you go set up the table?” Minseok ordered breaking up Chanyeol’s karate movie bit. 

The two responded obediently and left to do as they were told. Minseok softly smiles to himself as he watched the two of them exit the kitchen. They were such good kids he thought more to himself. Thinking about it now, how did he get so lucky to have a smart and kind kid like YoungChul? Even as a seven year old, he acted so much older than his peers. Heck even Sooyun was a really talented child. At such a young age she was so mature and is practically like an adult unlike the big man child next to him. 

“Ooh these dumplings smell heavenly.” the giant puts a whole dumpling in his mouth before he freaks out and exhales bubbles of hot air. “Ah ah- That’s ing hot!”

Minseok sighs to himself knowing fully well he was in a house with three children. He comes around the isle to smack the back of Chanyeol’s head and scold him for the upteenth time tonight. “You never listen do you? Ironic how you’re a sous chef but can’t even listen to some simple instructions when I told you these were still hot. Also lower your voice next time or stop cursing in total. The kids can hear you.” 

Still chewing through his very hot bulgogi dumpling he looked at Minseok with a guilty expression. “Sorry sorry. I just couldn’t help myself.”

“I swear one of these days, your carelessness is going to rub off on Sooyun-nevermind actually. She’s too smart and mature to let that happen.” 

He looked back and defended himself, “Yah! I’m not that reckless in our home.”

“Pft sure bud.” Minseok found that very hard to believe and passed by the sulking giant towards the dining table. 

When they entered the dining room with their food, Sooyun and Youngchul were already seated. The table was nicely set up with four plates and silverware arranged in a picture perfect array. 

“Alright kids! It’s officially Friday Din Din Time!” Chanyeol loudly announces when Sooyun interrupts him. 

“Wait what were you guys arguing about this time?” 

“Yunnie you’ve got to address Uncle Minseok more politely.” Chanyeol scolded his niece as he passes around portions of noodles and dumplings to the kids plates first. 

Minseok smiled not bothered by how the girl addressed him. He didn’t mind Sooyun’s rude behavior, in fact he thought it was cute how blunt she was. Which was something he found in himself as a person. “We weren’t arguing Sooyun. We were just talking about how Uncle Chanyeol needs to lower his voice around you two when he says certain bad words.” 

Youngchul quietly gasps and looked at Chanyeol with the biggest expression of shock. “Uncle Chan, you said a bad word?” 

“Bad words actually.” Minseok corrected his son, taking the seat next to him. 

Chanyeol looked so guilty but tries to explain his side to his innocent, sweet Youngchul. “I didn’t mean it Chul! Honest! I only said it because I was being impatient!”

“Yeah and look where that got you?” 

The little boy giggled and proceeds to tell his uncle, “It’s ok Uncle Chan. At school we hear bad words all the time.” 

It caused the two adults to look alarmed. “Huh?! From who? Are they saying that to you and Sooyun?” 

Youngchul had to think about it for a second before replying back, “Not to us but sometimes Joohyun and Shiwoo would say it to the other kids in class.” 

 Chanyeol had to swallow down some water before he asked, “And what kind of bad words do Shiwoo and Joohyun say out loud exactly?” 

“Well I’m not supposed to say but sometimes they’ll call the other kids in our class stupid, idiots and have even told Ms. Kang to shut up a couple of times.” he whispered the bad words knowing those are big no no words. Then he continued on, “One time Joohyun said a lot of bad words towards Jeongin and they began this huge fight in the middle of our classroom.” 

“I’m pretty sure Joohyun makes up a lot of those bad words though whenever he speaks Chinese.” Sooyun put her two cents in as well before taking a bit out of her dumpling. 

Minseok and Chanyeol looked stressed at first but it quickly became a a big sigh of relief when they realized they were talking about those ‘bad words’ 

“You know I’m beginning to get concerned about some of your classmates Youngchul. If they are acting this irrationally to their classmates, not to mention to their own teacher maybe we should talk to Principal Wu, Chanyeol?” 

He hummed in agreement, “Maybe we should talk to Ms. Kang first. See if she can do anything about the situation?”

“You think she’ll do anything?” Minseok asked with a raised eyebrow. Very surprised that Chanyeol even suggested the idea of talking to their kid’s teacher. “What if she just waves it off and says ‘kids will be kids’? Remember that time we had a talk with that incompetent kindergarten teacher Mrs. Lim? Spouting so much nonsense, not even doing jack squat in the end.” 

“Come on it wouldn’t hurt. Maybe she’s different. You don’t think she’s a good teacher Min?” 

It wasn’t like that at all, he had a good impression of her but what if that was all just pretend. “I don’t think anything of her yet. I’m being wary for now.” 

“Oh, but Ms. Kang is nothing like that at all Dad!” Youngchul jumped into the conversation now and his eyes brightened when he starts talking about his new teacher. “She’s super nice, cleans up after all the messes we make, she even stopped Shiwoo and Soo from getting into a bad fight.” 

Suddenly Chanyeol chocked on his water and looked at his niece with an alarming look. “Yunnie you almost got into a fight?” 

She just shrugs and voices out, “Not really. He was just being dumb when I told him that his shoes were ugly.” 

Sooyun flinches when Uncle Chanyeol pinched her nose. It was his way of punishing her since she hated when people go anywhere near her face. “How many times do I have to tell you Yunnie, you can’t be saying these things to people. That includes your classmates and Ms. Kang.” 

“It’s not my fault that I just tell it like it is.” she grumbled to herself. 

“Sooyun you should really be more nicer to Ms. Kang. She’s nicer than the teachers we’ve had.” 

Stubborn as a mule, Sooyun had a sour face when talking about their teacher. “I think she’s an idiot and is always wearing that dumb confused look on her face. Enough said.” 

“Sooyun.” Chanyeol warns the second time, making sure she watches . 

Minseok raised a brow and wondered why Sooyun seemed so negative when talking about their teacher. “What’s wrong with Ms. Kang, Sooyun? I thought she seemed very nice when we came for your open house.”

“She is nice dad, Sooyun just doesn’t like her. Even when Ms. Kang tries to be kind Sooyun still acts mean.” 

She clicked in annoyance at YoungChul ratting her out like that and aggressively chews on a piece of meat. “Kindness isn’t a bribe for friendship. Besides she needs to earn my respect which she hasn’t.” 

Chanyeol guffaws at his niece’s words and shook his head. “Well you know what, a kind teacher is better than having a mean old bat. Like the one I used to have when I was in elementary school. She would lecture me all the time if I wasn’t standing properly or if my slacks didn’t cover my ankles.” Just remembering her wrinkly old face and the ruler she would use to hit him with it made him shudder. “I can still remember her yellow rows of teeth grinning everytime she hit me.” 

“Ms. Kang would never hurt us!” Youngchul jumped in making it clear to the grownups.

“Pft yeah but how many occasions has she gotten herself hurt? It’s like she’s a walking disaster.”
 

She wasn’t wrong considering their first day Ms. Kang got knocked out by a transformer toy. The memory alone made her snicker catching Chanyeol by surprise but he just left it alone. “Well it seems to me that this Ms. Kang is going to be a really great teacher. Seeing as how much Chul can’t stop talking about her. I’ve never heard you rant and rave about someone other than your dad.”

“Hey, hey he doesn’t talk about me all the time.” Minseok chides but Youngchul didn’t mind. 

“I’m happy that I have Ms. Kang as my teacher now. She’s smart, kind, very funny, and always smiles whenever she sees me.” 

Seeing his son happy, it made him as a father happy. It always makes his heart warm up when someone other than him could make his son act this excited. 

“Oh I forgot to say that she’s also very pretty too! Don’t you think so Dad and Uncle Chan?”

Minseok chokes on his own spit and looked across the table at a very baffled and flustered looking Chanyeol.

Quickly he cleared his throat of any stray spit and hoarsly replies,“Chul why are you asking such a question like that?” 

“Yeah why would we care if Ms. Kang is pretty?” Minseok was more than perplexed by that question his son was posing. 

The innocent poor boy looked at them with sad eyes “Why? You don’t think she’s pretty?”

Before any of the father’s could get a word in, Sooyun adds herself into the conversation. “I know Uncle thinks she’s pretty. His ears start to turn red only when he’s in front of girls that he likes. Like whenever he sees Song Hyeko on tv.”