A Sound from the Moon

Nineteen

It was a long and exhausting night even if it ended well. I had a longer sleep this time since I asked for Sunday off at the music shop. Too bad for Wendy though.

I walk into the kitchen dragging my feet and my eyes still slightly closed. But I'm wide awake as I jump at the sound of Joy's voice.

"Why didn't you tell me it was Dan?!"

"Huh? But I did tell you!" I rub my eyes and see Wendy and Irene in the kitchen while Joy sits at the kitchen counter. She has her phone in hand and shows me her screen.

Her brows are raised as she says, "Girl. You gotta be more open about things with us. Especially about guys!"

"Yeah because Joy knows about all the boys in the training industry," Wendy teasingly says. Joy gives her arm a push as she passes by.

I sit a few seats away from Joy as I lay my head on the kitchen counter. I hear her say, "It's going to be real awkward at training now..."

I groan with a frown. "Can we not talk about that punk right now? I'm so tired..."

"Then why don't you go back to bed?" Wendy says with a chuckle. "You don't work today."

"I tried but I'm so hungry. I couldn't fall back to sleep anymore." My stomach angrily responds back to me with those words.

Irene looks back at me with a warm smile and quickly prepares a plate from what they have done so far. I sit up straight when she approaches me and I give her a sweet smile.

"Thank you, unnie."

She runs a sweet hand down my hair before walking off. Joy was quietly watching this until I begin eating my French toast.

"I think unnie's favorite is Yeri," Joy says with a playful look. "I was here first and all she had to do was say she's hungry to get food."

"You're jealous," Wendy teasingly says without looking up from her pan.

"She's still growing. She needs her nutrients," Irene says. "She's also the youngest."

"Don't be salty," I say with a smile in between bites.

"Salty? What does that mean?" Joy says with a laugh now. "Is that American?"

Irene also looks back with a confused look among her gentle expression as I giggle. "Wendy," I say. "How would you describe it?"

"Like being irritated," she says.

"I'm not irritated!" Joy says with wide eyes.

"Admit it," I say. "Irene loves me more. She's loved me from the start."

"I love you all the same," Irene says with a warm smile. "Though sometimes I need alone time because of you monkeys."

"We're monkeys now," Joy says with an amused expression. Wendy and I laugh which seems to wake up Seulgi. I look at her drag her feet to the bathroom, too.

"Hey," Wendy now says. "On a more serious note." She comes to lean on the kitchen counter to give me her worried expression. "How's your mother doing?"

"She seems to be just fine," I mumble. My heart still shrinks at her words from last night.

Irene approaches the kitchen counter now with a fruit bowl and a small firm look, reminding me of a mother. "Give her a break, Yeri. She must be so exhausted from the move out and even her treatments."

"I've given her a break for the past seven years..." I quickly take another bite before tears start in my eyes. I keep my eyes away from Irene. I know if I look at any of them, my tears will fall out too quickly for me to catch them.

Irene has no words for this. But I can feel Wendy give my hand a soft squeeze. I look up and find strength as usual with her. I return her smile and let out a sigh when I finish up my plate. "Thank you, unnie. I feel much better for work today."

"Work?" Joy now says. "But you have the day off."

"Yeah but I think I'll just go to the coffee shop tonight. I have to pay soon."

I start to pick up my plate but Wendy gently stops me. She gives Irene a knowing look and Irene gives her a reassuring nod. I furrow my brows at this as I hear Wendy say, "If you need help...we can help out financially, too."

My heart falls. I let it be before it wants to jump with excitement. I quickly shake my head and say, "No, guys. I can't ask you guys to do that. Your friendship and support is enough."

"But we don't want you to stress," Joy gently says. "Especially when we have our next show soon."

That's right. They did tell me about their meeting with the manager. He had said that I will go on this small tour in Korea to observe how concerts work. I was excited at first, but I then realized I have to be on that stage someday. It makes my stomach flip every time I think about it.

But I ignore the truth behind Joy's words. I've gotten panic attacks before. I can't imagine working two jobs, going to school soon, and practically doing a music career all at the same time. Ignorance is bliss in this situation.

So I give Joy a small smile and nod. "Don't worry about me. I will be just fine."

"We will always worry about you," Irene says without looking up from the other plates she's preparing.

"If you need help," Wendy says with a serious look that makes her brows go up. "Let us know, okay? We can figure it out together."

I know. I have to keep reminding myself this. But it's so easy to forget when I've been on my own for the past seven years. They don't understand how hard it is. I wonder if they will ever understand.

For now, I decide to surprise Chan today. I ask Irene to help me make a small bowl of kimchi. She helped without any questions but Seulgi that was wide awake this time, leaned on the kitchen counter with a teasing smile.

"Might as well make enough for everyone. Who's the kimchi for?"

"My friend at work," I say. "Do you remember Chan?"

"Ah yes. The nice boy. I liked him. Wait." She let another playful smile make her dark eyes sparkle with tease. "Why are you making him food?"

I roll my eyes at her and say, "It's not what you think."

"I didn't think anything!"

"Yes you did! You were the one who told me to ask him out my first day at work."

"He seems into you. That's why."

"He's not into me," I annoyingly say. "He's just my friend."

"Then why are you making him kimchi?"

I look at Irene with wide eyes. She has a gleam of tease in her eyes, too, and gives me the slightest smirk. I scoff at this. "You, too, unnie?! I'm making him kimchi because he seemed mad at me. Or sad. One or the other, but I don't want him to be angry at me. He is my boss after all."

"What did you do?" Seulgi says as she munches on chips.

"Nothing actually. But he seemed mad when I asked him for a weekend off so I can go on a date."

Seulgi has a silent look as she exchanges surprised eyes with Irene. Sometimes I feel left out when they each have their way of talking with each other just through their eyes. Seulgi looks back at me and says, "He was mad because you were going on a date?"

"Not necessarily. He had said a week before that they need hands at night and I can't just ask for a day off like that. But then he sadly let me have this weekend. He said he wanted me to be happy. But I felt like he was still a bit...indifferent with me, so that's why the kimchi!"

I do a proud smile when I finally pack the last of it in a bowl. Seulgi is still quiet but I can tell she's holding back a million words only Irene understands. Irene only does a quiet chuckle as she fixes my collar. "Alright," she says. "Let's take you to work."

"No funny business," Seulgi says with a playful smile.

I give her a wave but my heart stays amused by the last tweety minutes. Confusion makes me hesitate whether I should just give him my gift. That whisper comes back from my heart. It tells me to open my eyes. It tells me to let him speak up.

Listen.