"Do we have to do it now?"
 
"Sakura, how many times should I tell you it was Mom who invited you here?" asked Minju. They are in front of Minju's house, but Sakura doesn't want to go out of the car yet.
 
"But... but Hyewon said--"
 
"My mom knows about us, okay? That's why she wants to meet you."
 
Sakura let out a loud exhale, her eyes uncomfortably glancing at the house. She still can't believe that she'll be meeting Minju's mom sooner than she had expected.
 
"Are you planning to be in a relationship with me and keep hiding from my mom?" asked Minju.
 
"It's not like that." Sakura reached for Minju's hand. "I'm just nervous. I don't want to disappoint her. I don't want to disappoint you."
 
Minju cupped Sakura's cheek. "You won't, okay? Don't try to act like someone else you're not. You're charming; use that. Charm your way up to get my mom."
 
A relieved smile curved on Sakura's lips as she exhaled a sigh. "I love you."
 
"I love you too."
 
"Can we stay here for five more minutes?"
 
"Unfortunately, we can't. Unless you want to get in trouble by giving my mom an idea that the reason we arrived late is we woo-hooed, then I guess we could stay here even for thirty minutes more."
 
"What! We didn't do that!"
 
Minju laughed. "But the longer we stay here, the more she'll get an idea about it. So, let's go out now, okay?"
 
Sakura knew there's no way out now. She finally nodded.
 
---
 
It's brighter inside now compared to the last time Sakura visited. All the curtains were opened, giving the place a lively aura. Sakura smelled something cooking in the kitchen and got nervous when Minju dragged her there.
 
"Mom!"
 
A slim figure turned around to greet her daughter with a smile.
 
"Hey, dear. I missed you." Minju's mom kissed her cheek.
 
Seeing the older lady made Sakura realize where Minju had gotten all her charms. And to be honest, they look more like sisters than mom and daughter.
 
Minju wrapped her arms around her mom's waist. "I missed you too. I'm sorry for the unplanned sleepover last night."
 
"Is there anything else I can do? I guess I'd have to get used to you sleeping over somebody's place more often now, huh," Minju's mom said, glancing over Sakura.
 
Minju went over to Sakura to drag her closer. "Mom, this is Sakura. And, Sakura, meet my mom."
 
Minju's mom raised an eyebrow while staring at Sakura.
 
Sakura gulped at that. Now she's certain where Minju got her snobbishness. The lady in front of her is the queen of terror. She doesn't know what to say, so she held her hand out for a handshake.
 
"Uh... h-hi... ma'am..."
 
Unknown to the two youngsters, Minju's mom is holding a knife in her right hand, which she put down on the counter beside Sakura to shake hands.
 
"So, we finally meet, Sakura."
 
Sakura swallowed down a lump in and forced a smile. "It's... it's nice to meet you, ma'am..."
 
"You can freely come in here as long as you take good care of my Minju, okay?" said the older lady, grabbing the knife again.
 
Sakura pressed her lips together and nodded. "I... I surely will..."
 
Out of the blue, Minju chuckled. "Mom, will you drop that? You're scaring her..."
 
And in just a snap, the older lady's face shifted from a killer to a sweet angel now. She put down the knife and said, "I'm just kidding, okay? It's my pleasure to finally meet you, Sakura. Now hug me."
 
Sakura hesitated first, but the sweet smile on Minju's mom's face is as irresistible as her daughter's. She hugged the lady. "Pleasure is mine, ma'am."
 
"I have to admit you smell nice, huh?" the older lady said, pulling back.
 
Sakura just feigned a smile, unsure of how to respond.
 
"Make sure my daughter's home every day before 10 pm, okay? And please let her have dinner with me at least twice or thrice a week."
 
"Mom--"
 
The older woman turned to her daughter. "You're still my only baby, Minju. Of course, I still want to see you here often. I think Sakura here agrees on that too, right?"
 
Sakura nodded. "Don't worry. I'll make sure of that."
 
"Anyway, you guys can have dinner here as often as you like. I prefer that."
 
Sakura glanced at Minju and saw her smiling back at her. "That would be great."
 
Minju went closer to loop an arm through Sakura's. "And Sakura is a great cook, mom. We can have her cook for us even every night, right?"
 
"Yeah, yeah, it'll be my pleasure to serve you both," said Sakura.
 
"Oh, thank goodness..." Minju's mom brought her hands to her temples. "At least we could save ourselves from the troubles of thinking of what to eat."
 
Sakura and Minju chuckled.
 
The older lady turned to Minju again. "You can sleep at her place during weekends only. Got it?"
 
"Mom... I'm not a teenager anymore..."
 
The older lady chuckled at her daughter's expression. "You may be not, but you still act like one." She turned to Sakura. "But you can sleep here as often as you like..."
 
Minju couldn't control her happiness. She threw herself to hug her mom. "Eee! I love you!"
 
"I'm not yet done. She'll sleep on the couch."
 
"Mom!"
 
"I'm kidding, okay?" Minju's mom chuckled. "Gosh, I can't believe I have competition with my baby now."
 
"It's not a competition, okay?" said Minju, hooking her chin on her mom's shoulder. "Why are you talking like I'm gonna leave you soon...?"
 
"Well, aren't you?"
 
"No. I won't do that. You're the only family I have. And I'm not leaving you. In fact, I'm just adding another member to the family, right?"
 
The older lady smiled at Minju. "