Hi Stranger? | Seulrene

Chapter VI

Irene's POV

"Are our tickets, going back home, ready?" I whispered to Yeri that made her look over to me.

"Why are you trying to go home already? Just enjoy your vacation unnie!" She said to me.

"I'm firing you." I said. That made her serious this time.

"Unnie! I'm just teasing you. I'll be booking your flight later, after this dinner. When do you want to leave?" Just what I thought.

"Leave? Who's leaving?" Sooyoung came to the table with Wendy.

"Joohyun unnie." Yeri said that made them look at me.

"I still have a lot stuffs to do." I made up an excuse. I know Yeri is eyeing me right now because that lie.

"Oh! I was hoping you get to stay longer, but it's okay. I know how busy you are unnie. Thank you again for accepting my invite." She smiled.

My eyes roam around to look for a certain person. She's not here yet?

"Where's Seulgi unnie?" Yerim asked the question I wanted to ask, if only they won't tease me if I did.

"She's got a quick work to do." Wendy said. "She can't be taken away from that. Sometimes I wonder if she'll ever find someone, with how workaholic she is."

"Tell me! I know a person who's just like that too! She doesn't seem interested in things other than her works." I look over to Yeri. She's just looking straight to Wendy.

"Right!?" Wendy exclaimed agreeing with her. "I guess Seulgi's not the only one who's like that." I look at Wendy in shock. I suddenly heard Yeri giggling, beside me.

"Unnie! Happy Birthday!" Someone shouted behind where I'm sitting. That voice...

"You made it..." Sooyoung got up from her chair and sooner the person who just spoke got in to my view. Sooyoung hugged her.

"Of course."

"Where are Auntie and Uncle?" Sooyoungie asking that just made me nervous. I mean, Sooyoung and Wendy's parents are here but...

"They're too busy, aren't they?" Wendy asked.

"They asked me to bring your birthday gift though." She handed Sooyoung a bag.

I just realized, they seemed to be so close.

"Thank you, Yej. You can sit now, let's just wait for the others to come." The two smiled at each other.

"By the way where's... unnie?" She stopped when her eyes landed on mine. I shook my head and give her an expression not to tell. But she doesn't seem to get it. "Oh my--"

"Yeji!" Another voice entered the exchange. Yeji look over to her.

"Unnie! You finally found he--"

"Help me set up the cameras." She said to her sister before dragging her away from the table. I released a sigh of relief.

"Set up the cameras?" Yeri asked curiously "And who was that? She looks a little like Seulgi unnie."

"Oh! We asked Seulgi if she could film and capture every moment of our little celebration here." Wendy unnie said. "And that girl is Seulgi's sister."

"She seemed to have a lot of equipment for it." Yeri said, just looking at the two siblings doing their thing.

"She's a professional Yerim. This is her real work, her true passion. She works behind the cameras." That made me think. She still got to do what she really dreamed of doing. I can't say it to her at the moment, but I'm so proud of her.

"I thought she owns a restaurant?" Yeri asked them confused.

"It was passed down to her. She just maintained it, but it is never really in her to run that restaurant." Wendy said.

"Right! I remember her saying that. If she's not that interested in that restaurant, why not sell it?"

"You remember yet you forgot a detail." Joy told her. "It was not passed down only to her. She can't just sell it without the other."

"Oh. So the other person doesn't want to sell it?"

"That, we don't know." Wendy asnwered her that made Yeri confused even more. Knowing her, she'll dig deeper in to this.

"Do you know the other owner?" The two only shook their heads, saying no. "Now that's a mystery." Not really. 

"Does she want to sell it?" I asked that made them look at me. "Seulgi. Does she want to sell the restaurant?" I repeated to be sure that I'm not talking about the other owner.

"We all suggested it to her. Specially the time when she was already too busy to even have time to rest." Wendy said. "I remember her having a fight with her parents about it, but somehow it still end up her way." Oh. "Probably because Seulgi and the other person still have the final say."

"But this other person was never really in picture?" Yeri asked. Wendy shook her head.

"Seulgi just said that she'll never give it up without the other's permission."

"So she wants to sell it. She just can't, because of her." I said to them.

"No. I don't ever want to sell it, when it's the only connection I have with her now." Suddenly Seulgi, came back already. She's making eye contact with me.

Next thing I notice is Yeji sitting beside me, I look at her. She's a grown up now.

"Hi." She give me a genuine smile. Before I can even reply she pulled me in a hug.

"Yej--" Seulgi was cut off.

"Sshhh!" I saw her raised her hand in to Seulgi's direction, stopping her from calling her out for hugging me. I give in to her hug. When she finally lets go, we recieve a questioning look from them.

"Do you know each other?" Wendy asked.

"Yeji also read her books. Hehe." Damn that Hehe, as always.

"You're lying." Wendy said. It's that obvious. Wendy look at me, I avoided her stare. "Don't tell me..."

She wasn't able to finish when their parents came already. That's when the topic changed, but the three just keep on glancing over to us all throughout the dinner.

"Joohyun." I look up when my name was suddenly called my Sooyoung's Mom. "How have you been doing? It's been so long since I have last seen you."

"Been good Auntie." I simply answered. "Nothing has changed."

"Yerim, is she still locking herself up in her room?" She asked the person next to me that automatically agreed to what was asked.

"Like she said, nothing has changed Auntie. She's still the same, doing the same old routine everyday."

"It's a good thing you got to convince her  to take a break now."

"It's Sooyoung's birthday Auntie and guess what? We're just flying back home tomorrow." Yeri whined like she's full disappointment at that. Auntie just laugh.

"How about you quit being her assistant already?" Auntie said that made me look at her.

"I'm planning already." What?!

"I'm just looking for the perfect person to replace me." What did she just say now?

"I can replace you." Huh?