This was it – the moment of truth. The time to see if the effort she’d put in on making this seaweed soup did not go to waste. She’d hate to waste the ingredients, above all else. Spooning some broth, she blew on the liquid so as not to burn her tongue. Once she’s sure it’s not as hot, she slurped the whole spoonful…   …and she coughed from the strong ocean taste, immediately grabbing a bottle of water to cleanse her palate.   How the heck did it go from bland to salty?? She didn’t add a lot of things, just enough salt and soy sauce to taste!   Okay, maybe a little bit of sugar, anchovy paste, and some other things that she couldn’t even remember.   Byulyi sighed, plopping on her messy kitchen island. There goes her plan of making a home-cooked meal for her mother’s birthday the next day.   Maybe she should ask for help? But who? Nobody in her group has a knack for cooking. Ask them which restaurants nearby have the best food, they’d know. But cooking? No chance.   Grabbing her phone, she scrolled her recent chats, wondering if any of them can aid her predicament. She was in the middle of scrolling when…   Ping! Up for a rematch later? No cheating this time   Byulyi smirked at the incoming chat, remembering what happened two days prior.   Sure If you promise not to do the same   Funny You’re the one who bought a new kart Just for a chance to beat me   It was an accident! I don’t need a new kart to beat you Unnie   We’ll see   Byulyi might never be used to Bae Joohyun’s competitive spirit. Never would she thought that challenging the older woman for one round of racing game stretched into a whole hour. Even Seulgi decided to leave both of them alone after showing her where she put the camera.   Wait. Seulgi and Irene. Irene&Seulgi. If she remembered correctly, then maybe…   Unnie Can we have the match in my apartment?   What? Why   Why not? We played at your dorm before   Are you planning something?   Seriously, this woman needed a bottle of chill pills. So serious all the time!   I’m planning to cook for my mother’s birthday Seulgi told me you’re Red Velvet’s mom Maybe you can help me while you’re here   Kang Seulgi said that? I’ll make a lot of salad next time she comes by   Oof. Byulyi did not want to be Seulgi.   Leave the poor kid alone Help me Unnie I’m desperate   Tapping on the kitchen island impatiently, Byulyi thought of other possibilities in case Joohyun refused. It’s understandable, considering they weren’t that close in the first place and here she was, inviting her to cook for her mother.   Maybe it wasn’t too late to cancel–   Ping!   Fine Send me your address   Byulyi beamed.   #   From the info she got, Joohyun was ten minutes away from her apartment. Byulyi knew that even if she’s the host, she had to look presentable. At the very least, clean from stains and pungent smell that she got from the cooking attempt.   She decided to shower quickly and change her clothes. By the time she was fresh out of the shower and changed into new clothes, someone buzzed her.   In reflex, she spritzed her perfume multiple times to her tee, even yelling “Just a minute!” as if whoever it was outside could hear her. Certain that she doesn’t smell like anchovy paste anymore, she sprinted to the control panel.   Sure enough – half her face was hidden by a mask but it was indeed Red Velvet’s leader waiting outside her building. “I’ll buzz you in, Unnie,” she said to the intercom. Even through the blurry screen, she could tell that Joohyun flinched at her voice, making her chuckle. Cute.   While Joohyun was on her way upstairs, Byulyi checked herself in the mirror before opening her door and greeted her at the elevator. If what Seulgi said was right, she had to make sure her guest did not get lost for turning to the wrong hallway.   When the elevator dinged and revealed Joohyun carrying an eco-bag full of groceries, Byulyi rushed to take the bag off of her hand. “Here Unnie, let me get that for you.”   “Oh, thank– oof,” Joohyun scrunched her face when Byulyi was in her proximity, alarming the latter.   “Is something wrong?”   “Your perfume is…quite strong…”   Right, she’s sensitive to strong smells, Byulyi suddenly remembered. “Sorry, Unnie. I’ll change my tee in a bit.”   “No, it’s okay, I’ll get used to it,” Joohyun insisted, repositioning her face mask to lessen the sharp musky smell.   “I insist. We both need your nose to smell if the cooking is correct,” Byulyi joked to lessen the sudden awkwardness.   Leading them both to the apartment, Byulyi pointed the slippers for Joohyun to wear while she scurried to drop off the groceries before changing her tee.   While Byulyi was in her room, Joohyun took a glance around the living room. It was quite spacious for one occupant but the dim lighting mad