Chapter Three: Family

Mi Yeon quickly got into her car and drove down to the ‘usual’ place where she normally met up with her family for lunch.

After parking her car in the restaurant’s parking lot, she hurriedly went inside to avoid the winter cold.

Le Central was a French restaurant with a homey feeling inside; smooth black tables with plush chairs surrounded most of the space, but gave enough room for people to move as well. Although the name sounded fancy, the food and service was affordable for everyone, and was worth the pay.

The girl immediately spotted her family in the VIP section before walking towards them.

“12:01. Not bad,” Hyun Ki looked at his watch before cheekily grinning at her

Believe it or not, Mi Yeon had the tendency to be late; in meet-ups she couldn’t be bothered to, she took her time. But since it’s her family she’s meeting, she made an effort.

“Better than the last time,” she rolled her eyes as her brother hugged her

She spotted her parents staring at their interaction with smiles on their faces. Their mother, Shim Su Jin, was a dazzling woman in her early 50s that didn’t show much signs of her true age; Mi Yeon inherited her chocolate brown eyes whilst Hyun Ki got her light-hearted personality. Meanwhile, Dong Yul was a tall, handsome man with the same age as his wife; his pale skin and ebony black hair evident on Mi Yeon, and Hyun Ki was passed down his piercing gaze. All of them were good-looking, and it didn’t stop the others admiring at them, especially to the two children.

As mentioned before, both parents worked as a doctor and a lawyer, but they didn’t force their kids in any pressure at all. In fact, they encouraged them to follow their dreams, and supported them all the way.

“Annyeong, Umma and Appa,” Mi Yeon hugged her parents

“Aigooo~ Have you been taking of yourself lately? You look thin,” Her mother looked at her asked, concerned

“I’m fine, please don’t worry,” she replied as she took her seat, opposite them

Even though she didn’t show as much affection to anyone, Mi Yeon loved her family truly and dearly.

“Don’t overwork yourself, you know how much we worry,” Dong Yul reminded her

“Yeah! That’s what I told you last night, Minnie,” Her brother chipped in, flicking ‘Minnie’s forehead

Mi Yeon sighed. How she hated that name. But there was no point in telling Hyun Ki off since he never listened anyway, “Can we order now, please?”

The family chatted amongst themselves - mostly Su Jin and Hyun Ki – after placing their orders. When the food arrived, Mi Yeon immediately dug in. Soupe à l'oignon was a perfect food for the winter, warming her stomach before eating her strawberry cheesecake.

“So what are you gonna do for the rest of the day?” Hyun Ki asked, his mouth full

His sister looked at him in disgust before answering, “Work, of course,”

“Didn’t we talk about this earlier on? Mi Yeon, get the day off and spend it with your brother. It’s been a long time since you took a day off,” Dong Yul indicated while sipping his wine

“We all know how much you need it, Minnie,” Su Jin added in as well

Mi Yeon knew there was no point arguing with her parents since they always had their way, “Fine, but just for today,”

Without her knowing, her brother and parents looked at each other knowingly before nodding. They’ve been apprehensive lately since they knew how much of a workaholic Mi Yeon was, and was worried about her health, especially her ‘lack of emotions’. At first, they thought she was just busy with her work but at the sight of her small weight loss, the family decided to take action – secretly, of course. Mi Yeon can be stubborn when she wants to be.

After her parents paid the bill, they all put their coats on and stepped outside

Su Jin hugged each of her children and looked at them knowingly, “Make sure you eat three meals a day, and sleep properly,” she emphasized the last one to Hyun Ki

“If you need anything, just call us, neh?” Dong Yul bear-hugged Mi Yeon, and patted Hyun Ki

“Yessirrrr,” “Neh, Appa,”

The parents bid their farewell and headed to their own cars, leaving the two siblings still in the car park.

“Soooooooooo. What d’ya wanna do today?” Hyun Ki asked her expectantly, his hands in his pockets

Mi Yeon sighed, “Hold on. I have to call Xi Wang and tell her that I’m taking the day off,”

She took out her iPhone and looked through her contacts, and pressed Xi Wang’s number. After about four rings, Xi Wang answered, “Yoboseyo?”

“Uh, Xi Wang, it’s Mi Yeon. I’m just calling to let you know that I won’t be at the gallery for the rest of the day. If there are any more extras that I could do, just leave it in my office,”

“Okay! Have fun in wherever you’re going,” She responded cheerily

“Bye, thanks,” Mi Yeon dropped the call.

“Errr, you were saying?” She pulled her scarf closer to her neck, shivering

“Never mind, I thought of somewhere we can go,” It was his turn to roll his eyes, “You brought your car with you, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Just follow my way,” Hyun Ki pointed at his black Audi, “We should hurry up, it’s really cold,”

Mi Yeon exhaled at her brother, who avoided her question, “Where are we going?”

“You haven’t seen your brother work, have you?” He smirked

Author's Note:

Short update for today, hehe.

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