I wake up the next morning with my phone next to me, sporting a "connect to charger" sign.

            Well, I guess this means I'm not leaving the house for the next couple of hours.

            I hear the television on a low volume and hushed voices talking outside.

            I look at the time. 8:32 am.

            There's no need for them to talk in hushed voices at this time.

            I open my door and hear the tail-end of their conversation.

            "Should we tell her?" I hear Hoon ask.

            "Yah! She should know!" I hear Unnie say.

            Am I her?

            If so, what should I know?

            I walk into the kitchen as if I heard nothing and pour myself a cup of coffee.

            My two adult supervisors suddenly have their lips sealed, and their hands over the iPad, as if they were protecting a national secret.

            "Spill," I say simply, as I look at both of them.

            They slide the iPad over to me, and I see an email from my parents.

To: Park JongHoon

From: Park JiHoon

Just wanted to let you guys know that your Mom and I managed to book some vacation days for this Wednesday to Friday. We'll be leaving on Sunday, so I hope we can spend some quality time together. Since we won't be there for Eunji's birthday, let's have an early celebration. We'll forward our flight details soon.

Mom and Dad

            I look up at them and then down at the iPad. I rub my eyes, just to make sure I'm seeing what I'm supposed to be seeing.

            .

            .

            .

            I suddenly feel like I'm about to up-chuck the only thing I ate yesterday.

            "Eunji, they don't know, okay? They don't know," Hoon tries to calm me down.

            That does nothing to help me though.

            "Eunji-ah, listen to me. No one told them, okay? They're just visiting because they want to celebrate your birthday with you. That's all. This has nothing to do with your visit to the precinct. Nothing to do with it," Unnie tries her luck with me.

            But their words do nothing. Because no matter how old you are, there is still this fear in every child that your parents know your deepest, darkest secrets.

            "Eunji-ah!" I hear Hoon shout as he shakes me back to reality.

            "We're okay. We didn't do anything wrong. No charges were made against you. You did nothing wrong," Hoon half-shouts at me.

            I feel my blood circulating at a normal pace again and I nod.

            I was able to hide the almost from Hoon, Unnie and them; I should be able to do this too.

            You're okay, Eunji. You are okay.

            Okay, I can do this. I have four days to get my act together because it's not just my on the line, its Hoon and Unnie's too.

            "We're leaving for the doctor's, are you going to be okay?" I hear Unnie ask.

            I give them a smile, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for telling me."

            "Let's have lunch later?" Unnie asks as she wraps a scarf around her neck.

            "Hey, what about me?" I hear Hoon ask.

            "You have work, and a meeting you can't miss," Unnie reminds him.

            "You have to work some times," Unnie teases.

            I smile at them both, "Sure, just text me where at."

            I grab an apple from the refrigerator and start munching immediately. I'm gonna need all the strength I can muster for the parents' visit.

            I hear my phone ringing from my room, and I immediately rush to answer it, thinking Hoon or Unnie forgot something in the apartment.

            "Yoboseyeo?" I answer without looking at the caller ID.

            "Eunji-ah?" I hear Himchan's voice greet me.

            "Yo! What's up?" I ask, as I take a bite from my apple.

            "Sorry for bailing yesterday, something came up--" he starts, but I cut him off.

            "It's okay. I'm on vacation, no lost time," I say, keeping the mood light.

            It takes him a few beats to recover.

            "So, do you have time today?" He asks cautiously.

            "No can do, fully booked today. Sorry," I say, as I take my last bite of the apple.

            His voice becomes serious, "Eunji-ah."

            "Himchan, I'm not trying to blow you off or anything. Unnie just asked me to go out for lunch today, and I have a dinner tonight. I can do tomorrow though," I offer.

            No sense in lying to him. I'm going for full transparency now.

            "I can't do tomorrow," he says somberly.

            "Well, we can talk right now, if you have time," I say suggest, tossing the core of the apple in the trash can.

            Before he speaks again, I continue, "Speaking of! I almost forgot... Congratulations are in order again. I got the text this morning."

            He laughs awkwardly, like he got busted with his hand in the cookie jar, though that wasn't what I was going for. I just really wanted him to know that I was proud of him.

            Hey, one of us has to win races.

            "Thanks," he says shortly.

            "So..." he says.

            After a few beats I repeat his words to him, "So..."

            "Why did you want to meet up yesterday, anyway?" I ask, for the first time trying to fill in the silence between us.

            "Just wanted to check in with you and make sure I still had the best friend title," he says.

            "Himchan," I say with a tired sigh.

            "Of course you're still my best friend. I was just really worried and I can't explain it... We used to tell each other everything and then suddenly you disappear? I'm going to get worried. And apparently I don't express worry well," I explain.

            I just wish you'd tell me if I were still your best friend. You know, just so I know where I stand.

            "Enough about that. Let's move on. Next topic," I suggest.

            "Got it," he starts.

            I begin to feel like we're on our way to back to our normal---

            "How was the date last Saturday?" He asks.

            Okaaaay... this is typical best friend territory, right? Best friends normally talk about their dates, right?

            "It was fine," I say vaguely because I was just getting my friend back and I didn't want him shutting down on me again.

            "Fine? You do realize you had a lot more to say about your previous first dates, right? Like the dude with the gap in his teeth, or the guy who eats in his car, and finally the boy who only talked using cheesy RnB song lyrics," he teases me.

            I'm momentarily transported to the past when I could tell him everything.

            It feels like he's trying to go back to how we were before. Before the complications that came with ambiguous feelings. 

            "Fine, he took me to a race track," I confess.

            The line goes silent.

            ". I think this may be a keeper, Eunji," I hear him joke.

            "So what about you? What have you been up to?" I ask, evading his last comment.

            "Nothing much changed. Guk is still on my back about training," he says.

            "Guk? Wait, where the hell have you guys been anyway? I've been to the cafe, and they say you guys haven't been showing up to your shifts," I ask.

            "Yeah, about that, we got a new gig. No more pretending to be baristas," he says, and I hear an inkling of a smile.

            "And?" I pry.

            "And what?" He asks to annoy me.

            "This new gig, what is it?" I ask him bluntly.

            It's nothing illegal. 

            It's nothing illegal. 

            It's bad enough I got him into street racing...

            "It's not illegal, don't worry," he mimics the words in my head.

            "Details. I need details. I need to know what's got my best friend so busy," I whine.

            Yes, I whine.

            It’s my equivalent to puppy dog eyes over the phone.

            "I can't say yet, I don't want to jinx it," he answers.

            "You've never been superstitious," I call him out.

            "Not true. I was superstitious as hell the first time we met," he reminds me.

            "We were kids. We’d believe Tinkerbell was real," I reason out.

            "I can show you what Guk and I have been up to though. We're having some sort of... show and tell this weekend somewhere downtown."

            This weekend...

            "Ugh!" I manage to respond.

            "What?" He asks urgently.

            "'Rents are flying down to visit this weekend," I explain.

            "," he says sympathetically.

            "See, that's why we're best friends. That was the first word I thought of when I found out," I say as I sit up.

            "Listen, I gotta go," he starts saying goodbye.

            "I know, I know. All this national secrecy," I tease.

            He laughs, "You were always the one with the wild imagination between us."

            "Excuse me... Well, that's debatable," I say, remembering the time we wanted to skip school, so he ended up pulling the fire alarm. 

            "Talk to you soon?" He asks, as if he needs permission to call me again.

            "I'm on summer vacation. I am free whenever. Just call when you have free time," I tell him.

            "Good luck," he tells me, and I know he's talking about my parents.

            "Thanks, and you too, for whatever kind of show and tell you guys have this weekend," I say.

            The line cuts off and I'm left staring at my phone.

            Well, that wasn't as bad as I imagined yesterday...

            Now that I seem to have my best friend back, off to the next problem...

            The parents.

            Okay, I just need to hold down the fort for the rest of the week.

            I can do this...

            Granted, the last time they saw me I was still keeping up the pretense of being a girl-y girl, which was over a year ago - the summer before I graduated from high school. 

            Teenagers change, right? We're known for being almost bipolar through our whole adolescence.

            So me sporting combat boots or ripped jeans shouldn't ring any of their alarm bells, right?

            I feel myself sigh.

            Yup, I'm gonna have to wear skirts and dresses this week.

            I'm gonna have to ask Unnie to style me, just to make sure everything goes smoothly.

            My phone chimes and this time I check the caller ID. Unnie.

            As soon as I swipe to answer it, Unnie's voice carries through the whole house, "Eunji! I got us a table at Oliver's in the park!"

            I gasp because that is a real accomplishment, "Unnie, daebak!"

            "I know, I know! Just get your over here, I'm starving," she tells me.

            "I'll be there in fifteen," I say as I start to run to the bathroom for a quick shower.

            "Make it ten!" She demands with a little conspiratorial voice.

            I rush through my morning routine in a record of five minutes and give myself a few seconds to stare at my closet.

            I should probably practice wearing a skirt, so that I don't completely look stupid in front of the parents.

            The blue midi-dress Unnie gave me as a Christmas gift last year seems like a good place to start. I think I can pair it with my ankle combat boots.

            Dear God, please allow me to have picked up something from Unnie's styling.

            I grab a pair of leggings and an over-sized shirt just in case this I won't survive the whole day in this get-up.

            I stuff all of my things in my old leather messenger bag and head out to meet Unnie.

            I check my watch.

            Wrong move.

            I'm already three minutes late.

            I drive like there's no tomorrow - while still maintaining the legal speed limit.

            I finally find a parking space and I run to the park.

            Because of the pregnancy hormones, I know it's not a good idea to keep a pregnant woman waiting - more so if she's waiting to eat.

            I spot her sitting at the table nearest the fountain and I immediately begin to think of ideas on how to distract her from the fact that she's been waiting for almost thirty minutes - putting a dress on took more time than I anticipated.

            As I near her, I see that all is forgiven thanks to my attire.

            "Eunji-ah!" She squeals, and I immediately bow to the other diners my apologies for Unnie disrupting their lunch.

            As I sit down, she starts appraising my attire, "Yah, Eunji... I think I may be rubbing off on you. I'm so proud!"

            I see her starting to tear up, "Of course, there's still room for improvement. You still need accessories and a little more make-up. But this, this is a great place to start... Wait... are you dressing up for Gyu?"

            I choke on air, "No! I was practicing for the parents. I think me wearing ripped jeans and over-sized jerseys with combat boots will be too much of a shock for them."

            She sits back, "Oh, nice idea! But damn, I missed seeing you like this!"

            I nod because I don't want her to ask why I stopped dressing this way...

            "So, what are we having?" I ask, to steer the conversation away from that path.

            "I'm thinking of the Kani Sandwich, you wanna half with me? And then you get another sandwich we can half?" She asks me.

            I smile at her, "Sure, how does the Carnivore sound?"

            "You read my mind," she smiles back.

            I get up and queue up with the others.

            It's a damn long line, so I use the time to text Sunggyu about my day.

To: Sunggyu

So... For my first random text about my day. I'm having lunch with Unnie right now... You? :D

            I hit send and because of the feeling that someone's been staring at me, I look up.

            As soon as I look to my left, the guy next to me smiles, "You're Park Eunji, right?"

            He says my name so surely that it catches me off-guard because he has me at a disadvantage.

            He catches my expression and back-pedals, "I'm not a stalker, I swear. I'm just a fan."

            I laugh at his statement, "I think you've got the wrong person."

            "You drive a white Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, right?" He asks.

            Well, if I wasn't afraid before, I sure as hell am now.

            "Wow, that came off like I was really a stalker. I actually raced with you before, I'm Kang Haneul," he introduces himself.

            I look at his face, but still it doesn't register anything in my memory.

            "Red Toyota," he says simply.

            "Ooooh! You and the silver Nissan almost crashed into one another," I say, remembering the second race I won.

            "Not my best moment," he hangs his head.

            "So, how's it been? You still racing?" I ask him.

            His eyes widen, "Yeah. I guess it was true..."

            "What was true?" I ask, suddenly curious.

            "That you haven't been to any races since you dropped. I always thought you were still casing the races, waiting for the perfect time to make an awesome comeback," he says.

            I laugh, "I'm not some Batman, lurking in the shadows waiting for the next criminal to come out."

            "Well that , no other racer has been able to break your nine-streak record," he comments.

            I nod, not knowing how to respond.

            "Your friend has been racing a lot though. The dark blue Subaru. He's been racking up a lot of wins," he says.

            So Himchan's still going regularly.

            It's finally my turn to order, "Well, thanks for the update Haneul."

            "Wait, can I get a photo though? My friends are not gonna believe I bumped into you," he pleads.

            "I guess... but I'm really not part of that scene anymore... I doubt any of them remember me," I say as he gets next to me and takes a selca.

            "Are you crazy? People are still talking about your last race," he says.

            Ah, yes... Well, it's nice to see I'm a legend somewhere. 

            "Wait, I gotta ask too," he says as I order the Kani and Carnivore Sandwich.

            "Are you really a freshman in college?" He finally asks, after he quickly orders his lunch.

            I nod, "Ish. On Summer Vacation right now. You?"

            "Really? I thought that was just the MC making things up! I'm interning at Seoul General," he says.

            I check his medical scrubs, well, that made sense.

            "You really don't know where a driver is from, huh?" I ask him.

            He smiles and shakes his head, "It was nice meeting you though. Hope I can see you down there sometime."

            "Don't think that'll happen anytime soon, but it was nice to meet you too. Oh, and if you post the photo, can you not tag anything about racing? Trying to lay low," I say as I grab the two sandwiches I ordered.

            He nods and smiles before he leaves.

            Unnie immediately grabs her sandwich as I set down the tray.

            "So, who was that?" She asks, as she starts unwrapping her lunch, all while keeping a suspicious eye on Haneul, who was probably on his way back to the hospital.

            "A doctor - intern, really," I say, as I start unwrapping my sandwich.

            "And what did said intern and you talk about?" She asks.

            She's really not going to let this go, is she?

            "He thought I was someone else, and then he struck a conversation. I didn't have anything else to do, so I talked to him," I explained.

            That seemed to appease Unnie, "Well, it seemed like he was hitting on you."

            Again, I almost choke, "You really have an active imagination. I thought you were rooting for Gyu?"

            "Oh, I am. Which is why I had to ask. Because if the intern-guy was hitting on you, I'm gonna have to tell Gyu to step up his game," she explains.

            I roll my eyes, "That is not what happened."

            She shrugs and smiles at me, "Okaaaay."

            And now I understand she was messing with me.

            I feel my phone vibrate and realize it's Gyu calling.

            "Hey," I answer.

            I hear him pant before he answers, "Just. Got. A. Break."

            "O. Kay," I mock him.

            "Again with the mocking," he finally says without running out of breath.

            "You just make it too easy," I laugh, and I realize Unnie was watching me.

            I stick my tongue out her.

            "So… the guys found out you were coming tonight," he confesses with a small voice.

            I roll my eyes, "You were bragging, weren't you?"

            There was silence before I heard his cheeky voice, "Maybe."

            I simultaneously roll my eyes and break into a smile, all while Unnie was watching me.