The not-so-silent came to an end when she dropped Ha Eun off at her house, Eunseol finally attained peace in the cab.

Eun can really be so hyped up sometimes, she mused.

Her mind then drifted to the different possibilities playing out in her head. One, they welcome me with open arms. Best possible scenario. Two, things become awkward between us. Three, they... Slowly, she checked off the different scenario in her mental checklist and let out a deep exhale.

“Miss, we've reached your destination. Do you need help unloading your luggage?” The taxi driver politely offered. Eunseol nodded, graciously accepting his service. 

She was about to leave the cab when she discovered, much to her dismay, that her nametag badge that she had gotten made with Ha Eun in America was no longer pinned on her bag. Feeling anxious that she had lost a symbol of their friendship, she began hunting through her bag for the said badge but it was nowhere to be found. She then bend her head, giving the floor a once-over, scanning for the navy blue pin that might have fallen out while she was riding the rhythm with Ha Eun earlier in the car ride.

Then it hit her. Ah, it must have fallen out when I bumped into Mingyu, remembering the name that she saw on the back of the shirt that she was currently wearing. Giving up on the search, Eunseol gave the driver her credit card for him to deduct the fare from, and exited the cab quickly after receiving the black plastic card from the driver.

She watched as the cab drove off in the distance which soon faded into nothing and then shifted her petite frame to face the passcode-locked door. Her twin sister, Eunbyeol, had notify her about every change in the passcode because after all, she bought this house only a year ago just for the three siblings.

Eunseol hesitantly punched in the code, 1793. Eunbyeol had told her a few months ago when they were chatting online on Skype that Seungcheol oppa and her had decided on the code to remind her of the substantial price that she had paid for the extravagant house.

1.8 billion? Choi Eunseol, have you lost a screw? Why don't you save those money for your future? Or for your future's future? Why did you even buy a house for us three? That was the initial reaction of her unnie and oppa, but after she sent a gallery of pictures, they began to understand why the three-storey place of residence had cost 1,793,000 billion won .

The white washed walls of the exterior reflected the warm sunlight, and the glass windows from floor to ceiling casted a shadow on the marbled floor, exhibiting a prism of colours. The house also has a basement with a build-in projector and snack bar for them to spend their weekends indulge in family bonding time. Not to mention, it has 6 massive bedroom, all of which have enormous space accompanied by a sizeable walk-in wardrobe and an en suite bathroom.

Eunseol had claimed that she required the massive space so that she can develop a recording studio to feed her musical inspirations any time in the day. Seungcheol and Eunbyeol unwillingly conceded, knowing that her reason was valid. Both of them were aware of her talent in composing songs which was why they eventually reached a compromise among the three siblings.

Seungcheol oppa and Eunbyeol unnie had insisted for them to pay for the expenditure that include the household bills and expenses on food. Eunseol swiftly agreed to their terms, figuring that it would be easier to heed their demands than fighting with them head on.

The lock beeped once and the gate was unlocked. Eunseol carefully pulled the heavy door open and lugged her suitcase in. “Is anyone home? Unnie? Oppa?” She called out, hoping to earn a response but was only greeted with silence save for a soft echo.

It's a Saturday, where did they go?

She looked over to the shoe shelf along the wall, observing the organised mess. It seems that there was a war in there and Byeol unnie had won. She also noticed the lack of dress shoes and sky-high heels. They are not here. She heaved a sigh of relief, glad that she would not be meeting the demons that made her into what she is, or was she corrected, today.

Eunseol observed the rest of the living room from the entrance and she caught sight of the covered pool outside in the lounge area. She did a mental note to go for a dip in the pool someday next year, when the weather transition to a warmer one or when the swimsuit season arrives.

Next, she approached the contemporary kitchen decorated with a sleek black and white theme and kitchen equipments dotted around the countertop. There were even dishes haphazardly thrown into the sink and what it seems to be of leftover bibimbap in the trash bin. Eunseol, not being able to stomach the mess in front of her anymore, peeled of her trench coat then gather her hair into a ponytail and got down to washing the dishes.

After drying the silverware, she went out and took her luggage upstairs to the third floor where her room and recording studio was at. She saw a wooden plaque hung outside a white door saying, Eunseol's Nest. She let a smile take over her lips and headed towards it.

The interior was furbished with a matte black wall surrounding the large enough opening where her king sized bed lay. The rest were installed with white exotic patterned wallpaper. Her bed was propped on a large, almost bowl-shaped navy blue frame, my favourite colour, with white acrylic the top. The sheets were plain white as she had insisted. Directly across her bed was a large panel of glass window and a two meter long table with coordinated white shelves of varied heights on each side of the table and one supporting the centre of the desk. At the furthest area of elongated room, was her en suite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. All in all, it looked like it was copied and pasted from an IKEA catalogue.

Eunseol sent a text to Ha Eun, reporting to her of her alive status and that she wasn't kidnapped by the cabbie. Her overactive imagination has no limits, I swear. She added in another message, proposing a dinner date with Ha Eun at the nearby Chinese restaurant. She threw her phone on the memory foam mattress and change out of her black slitted jeans to a more comfortable runner shorts, before launching into a mission to unpack the wardrobe in her luggage that she had brought home from Japan.

Finally after three arduous hours, Eunseol was done unloading the mountain of clothes, organizing them in her spacious walk-in wardrobe and cleaning the stain off of her favourite white button-down.

She checked her phone for messages from Ha Eun and sure enough, there were two text messages, one audio message and one location sent. She read the messages, the first one wrote, “Sure! I'll send the location in a while.” followed by “Meet you there at six.” The second of which had a bonus smiley face with it. Eunseol did not bother listening to the audio message, knowing that it would only be chaos blasting from her phone speaker. She added the location to Google Maps, Sinsa-dong Garosu-gil, and navigate her way on the map, finding directions to the shop.

She glanced at the time on her phone, 17:04, I'll probably have time to take a quick shower before dinner. Eunseol went back into the her closet and swiftly put together an outfit which consists of the the compulsory thermal wear, an oversized cream sweater, a pair of black fitted jeans and her trench coat.

It was already quarter to six when she pull on her long watermelon socks and donned on black Nike sneakers. Eunseol quietly pulls the door closed and strolled out of the wooden gate, getting her bearings right, before heading for the direction of the Chinese restaurant that Ha Eun had suggested.

As she wander down the streets of Sinsa-dong, she took in the her surroundings Mannequins modeled the latest fashion trend were exhibited in front of the store and the fragrant scent of grinded coffee beans pierced through the foggy air. She took a deep breath, inhaling a mix of coffee and cinnamon spice from the nearby cafe and a thought ran through her mind, maybe, just maybe, Korea won't be that bad.

By the time she located the Chinese restaurant, it was 5.55pm. Unwilling to suffer outside in the cold, she sent a text to Ha Eun saying that she'll be waiting inside. The door chimed, signalling a new customer. “Welcome to Hong Myeon Chinese Restaurant!” A male with cat-like eyes chirped and bowed a ninety degrees in front of Eunseol.

Jisoo, she mumbled the name under her breath as she read the nametag She removed her trench coat, welcoming the warmth from the heater and held out two fingers. “Alright, table for two. Follow me please.” He asked while grabbing two menus from over the counter. She stride after him, trying to keep up with his pace. They soon stopped in front of a small table beside the large window that allowed Eunseol to appreciate the view outside. She sat on the side with the cushion and dismissed Jisoo, resignedly waiting for the always tardy Ha Eun.

Sure enough, Jisoo escorted Ha Eun to her seat fifteen minutes later and even pulled her chair out for her. “You can call me once you're ready to order.” Though, both of them were sitting there, his words seem to only direct to Ha Eun. This cause a blush to rise and stain her cheeks a rosy pink.

After he sauntered away to attend to other customers, Eunseol couldn't help but add, “I guess chivalry ain't dead yet huh?” Ha Eun let out a fit of giggles and changed the topic. “I was caught in a traffic jam. Why haven't you ordered though? It's been fifteen minutes since you arrived. I could have had my dinner right in front of me when I reached.” Eunseol scrunch up her face and countered, “You still have the cheek to say, I almost wanted to ditch you and go to MacDonalds for a quick dinner.”

“But hey, I wasn't that late today. Let's just order first.” They fell into silence as both of them scanned the menu for dishes that satisfy their Chinese cravings. When they are ready to order, Ha Eun waited for Jisoo to reach near their table before raising her hand. Jisoo came over with a notepad in his hand and a shy grin on his face, “What would this pair of beautiful ladies like to order?” Ha Eun began rattling away on their order, not even noticing that Jisoo had lost her after the second dish.

Ha Eun repeated the order once again just a notch slower, adding in special orders too. Still, Jisoo couldn't keep up with her ramblings. Ha Eun decided to take matters into her own hand and grabbed the notepad and pen away from his hand. Her eyes sweeped across the page, he completely missed everything I said. She started to jot down the orders by herself while Jisoo stood helpless at the side, panicking as he thought of the chance for a potential date with this girl had just flew out the window.

As Ha Eun was busy scribbling down their order, Eunseol did not miss the tiny scrawl of her name and phone number of the top left hand corner of the order list. Once she was done, she slapped the clipboard against his chest and chuckled at his lost expression. When he left, Eunseol wiggled her eyebrows at Ha Eun. “I saw that” She pointed her left index finger, drawing circles in the air, teasing Ha Eun about her playful yet honest gestures. “What?” She rebutted, albeit embarrassed, “Jeonghan oppa said if you are interested in someone then you should be straight forward about it.”

“Speaking about your oppa, have you met him?” Eunseol questioned, hoping that the said guy would have answers to her brother's absence considering the fact that they are best friends.

“When I returned home, only Butler Kim was there,” she pouts before continuing, “I guess Mom and Dad forgot to update him about our arrival before they left for their second honeymoon.” Ha Eun responded while twirling a strand of hair on her finger, eyes roaming around the cozy restaurant. Eunseol chortled knowingly, well aware of how the Yoon family is known for their forgetfulness.

“What about you? Did you meet Seungcheol oppa and Eunbyeol unnie? Or did you see... them?” With that, the cheerful mood shifted to a tense atmosphere. Eunseol shook her head then took a sip of her warm water, letting it sooth her twisted nerves inside. It's been 2 years, yet I...

Ha Eun's mood seemed to lightened though, most of which was caused by the negative answer to her second question. Eunseol saw that Ha Eun was about to express her concerns regarding the matter but Eunseol was not in the mood to discuss the issue. Luckily the food was served. How timely. Is this what saved by the bell is? Eunseol relaxed her rigid frame and concentrated on the hot and piping Chinese cuisine right in front of her. It's been too long since she ate black bean noodles. The ones they tried in Japan can't hold a candle to this.

It was 7:30pm when they had wrapped up their dinner. Both of them talked about their rooms, having a childish fight on whose was more lavish, more tumblr but it was mostly Ha Eun trying to assert her stubborn opinion on Eunseol. In between, their dinner conversation was cut short but an annoying ringtone sounding from Ha Eun's phone. It was Jisoo as it turns out. He wanted to see if the phone number was legit hers or not. He had asked her out on a sorbet date after their dinner and Ha Eun was contemplating to accept it or not, until Eunseol reassured her that she'll be fine walking alone and that she shouldn't reject his first offer. Who knows how much he took to muster the courage to ask her on a date after his awkward services.

Therefore, Eunseol was now roaming around the near empty streets, watching the fairy lights on the Christmas tree twinkle with delight. It was only when she walked pass a huge ornament that she saw the smile plastered on her face. She was beginning to look forward to her life in Korea, but even more so about meeting her siblings. With that, she made her way home with a light heart.

She noticed, from the distance, that lights were shining through the glass panel, suggesting presence of one or both of her siblings. Her heartbeat sped up, diffident about meeting them. The thoughts from this morning reappeared in her head and she stopped right in her tracks, afraid to approach. It was of no use. When she looked up, the wooden gates loomed over her, a plaque hung at the side where the intercom was wrote 'Choi Household'. She had conveniently stopped right outside of the house.

Eunseol hesitantly unlocked the wooden gate but before she could have even reached for the number pad, the door pushed open revealing Seungcheol, holding up a black plastic bag filled with trash. “Seollie-ah” His voice faded into the night as he stared the similar figure who gave of a different vibe, convincing himself that it was indeed Eunseol and not the Eunbyeol that was still ranting about her day inside.

At that instance, he released his hold on the black trash bag and it landed onto the floor with a thud. Seungcheol pulled her in and took her in his arms, cradling her head against his shoulder while controlling the soft sobs that escaped his lips. “I miss you, so so much.” Soon, the sniffles grew louder, and he began to let his tears fall uncontrollably.

It has been two years since they've met in Japan. Two years to Seungcheol was long, heck, even quarterly visits to Japan in the past when they were young weren't enough. The three of them had grew up together, the twins had brought him out of his shell when he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at a tender age. He had spent all of his time, stuck to their side, almost like Siamese Twins, some may joke. But it was not the same anymore when Eunseol was brought away from the three of them.. Eunbyeol may be still there, it changed. They can no longer be the Three Musketeers anymore without one of them.

“Argh, that five feet four shorty! Wait till I get my hands on blueberry syrup, I'll make sure your hair will not remain pink!” Eunbyeol's scream could be heard from the entrance and the exaggerated aggressive motions she made with her arms was seen as a flailing octopus from Eunseol's point of view. She let out a small chuckle at her twin sister's never-changing sass and attitude while returning Seungcheol's hug.

Apparently, Seungcheol was taking too long when he was supposed to be taking out the trash so Eunbyeol whipped her head around and saw a pair of greyish eyes smiling back at her. She could recognise those eyes anywhere as she had been staring into almost identical ones every morning in the mirror. She rushed down from the elevated living area and dashed towards the two of them. She proceed to detach Seungcheol away from Eunseol before bursting into a loud wail.

Eunseol was patting her sister's back, trying to calm her down, while struggling with the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She did not want to break down in front her elder sister, even if she was only older by 9 minutes. She was always the stronger one, never the one to break down and she knew that if she burst out like her sister, this crying fest will never end. If anyone amongst them three were to be considered one who had a responsible head on their shoulder, it would be Eunseol.

Eunbyeol was murmuring gibberish, letting out short burst of hiccups while demanding answers from Eunseol. Her words were finally able to be heard after Seungcheol had went into the kitchen to get her a cup of water so that she can catch her emotions that was messed up by Eunseol's arrival.

“Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? Why. Didn't. You.” Eunbyeol berated, giving Eunseol a slap on her forearm with each word. Eunseol hadn't even got a chance to defend herself when her sister continued on her interrogation. “What about Eun?” This time, Eunseol smiled, glad that Ha Eun would be joining her, suffering under her sister's anger strike. “She's back too.”

“Why that little , we were just chatting three nights ago on Skype but she didn't even mention anything about coming to Korea.” Eunbyeol shrieked, feeling a sense of betrayal. Eunseol threw her head back and laughed at her 180 degrees change in mood. She shook her head and met eyes with Seungcheol who was quietly sitting on a stool, thoughts exactly in sync. The Choi Musketeers are back.

 

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Characters:

Choi Eunseol

Yoon Ha Eun ; the best friend

Hong Jisoo ; the waiter and...

Choi Seungcheol ; the elder brother

Choi Eunbyeol ; the twin sister

 

Second chapter of OBTS or not. Enjoy! 

Sorry if the chapters were too short! I'll try to make it longer :)

-vvnixx

Word Count: 3270