diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/flow/instructions/L2ModificationInstruction.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/flow/instructions/L2ModificationInstruction.java
index b4ec0d3..a4176b1 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/flow/instructions/L2ModificationInstruction.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/flow/instructions/L2ModificationInstruction.java
@@ -342,7 +342,13 @@
             this.mplsLabel = mplsLabel;
         }
 
-        // might want to deprecate this in the long run
+        /**
+         * @deprecated in Drake Release.
+         */
+        // Consider changing return value to MplsLabel
+        // after deprecation process so that it'll be symmetric to
+        // MplsCriterion#label()
+        @Deprecated
         public Integer label() {
             return mplsLabel.toInt();
         }
diff --git a/core/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/net/flow/instructions/InstructionsTest.java b/core/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/net/flow/instructions/InstructionsTest.java
index d365e92..410349b 100644
--- a/core/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/net/flow/instructions/InstructionsTest.java
+++ b/core/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/net/flow/instructions/InstructionsTest.java
@@ -577,12 +577,13 @@
      */
     @Test
     public void testModMplsMethod() {
-        final Instruction instruction = Instructions.modMplsLabel(MplsLabel.mplsLabel(33));
+        final MplsLabel mplsLabel = MplsLabel.mplsLabel(33);
+        final Instruction instruction = Instructions.modMplsLabel(mplsLabel);
         final L2ModificationInstruction.ModMplsLabelInstruction modMplsLabelInstruction =
                 checkAndConvert(instruction,
                         Instruction.Type.L2MODIFICATION,
                         L2ModificationInstruction.ModMplsLabelInstruction.class);
-        assertThat(modMplsLabelInstruction.label(), is(equalTo(33)));
+        assertThat(modMplsLabelInstruction.mplsLabel(), is(equalTo(mplsLabel)));
         assertThat(modMplsLabelInstruction.subtype(),
                 is(equalTo(L2ModificationInstruction.L2SubType.MPLS_LABEL)));
     }