family bonding part 3

three secrets is the price

“Wait that sounds like it hurt...” Jiyeon grimanced, commenting on Sooyun’s grim tale of having her hands burnt by the food.

“It did!” Sooyun fussed, unhappy that Jiyeon wasn’t taking it all that serious considering she was holding an ice pack and was most definitely feeling the burn.

“I believe you maknae.” Jiyeon held up her hands, noticing Sooyun’s look. “I can feel the pain from here...”

“Seyeon unnie. Hurry, hurry!” Sooyun called, being the first to notice the elder’s entrance into the room with the still steaming hot food.

Seyeon said nothing, looking down at the maknae with a single eyebrow raised. Her path was quickly cleared upon seeing the hot food, making space on the coffee table for it. The tale of Sooyun was enough to ward off any fingers as Seyeon disappeared again quickly only to reappear with a cup of chopsticks and a pair of scissors and another arm clutching seven empty bowls for the rice.

“Here. Make sure you eat a lot, you need energy for training. It’s not spicy.” Seyeon chided them, finally coming to complete the circle around the coffee table where they all started to dig into the food. Even Sooyun forgetting the burn of her hands in favour of the food.

“So how is this all going to start? Rock, paper, scissors? All text Minhyuk oppa and whoever gets texted back first wins?” Jiyeon said awkwardly between a mouthful of rice.

“I have a question.” Misoo said first, looking straight at Jiyeon who was sitting opposite of her. “Can you cook? Because you said you could feel the pain of Sooyun-ah’s burn... So?”

Jiyeon pouted, gripping her chopsticks and pointing them at her other beagle half.

“I can! Granted I’m better at Chinese food, but I can definitely cook. Yah!” Jiyeon huffed, retracting the chopsticks and shoving in a mouthful of rice to make herself feel a little better.

“So you can cook...” Misoo said, trailing off and then grinned at the elder. “Next time we have a day off, cook me Chinese food!”

“Yah! Fine... But you have to buy all the ingredients.” Jiyeon turned it back onto the other, mouth full of food.

“Swallow before you speak. It’s not something I’d prefer to see.” Seoyul said, barely glancing at Jiyeon.

“Oh I have a question!” Sooyun spoke up before anyone had a chance to retaliate to Seoyul’s general comment. “Anyone dating anyone? Or have a crush on someone!” She sung, looking around the room accusingly.

“Nope!” Misoo shook her head, responing without a question as she held in her laughter at Jiyeon choking on her meal.

“N-no.” Jiyeon said around coughs, startled by the question. Only to continue to try and cough up whatever had gotten stuck. Seyeon just gave a small shake of her head, reach over to pat Jiyeon’s back to help her.

“Need some water?” She murmered to the younger, receiving a shake of the head as she continued to cough.

“Between training and sleeping, there’s not enough time.” Seoyul reasoned, eyeing around the room. Particularly on Jiyeon who was probably the most startled by the question.

“No.” Jungah said scrunching up her face, looking at the maknae and then back to the food in front of her.

“Well Jiyeon unnie is definitely lying!” Sooyun said, enticing more shaking of her head between coughs. “No one gets that startled. You really need to work on your acting."

"You can’t react like that when someone asks if we’ve had a boyfriend or are currently in a relationship. Netizens will chew you up and spit you out.” Seoyul commented, resulting in a look from Seyeon who frowned at her.

“She has time to improve. We have months before anyone starts to analyse anything.” The elder just said, face still blank as she stared down the leader.

“She’ll have to. Though I’m curious now. Who is it?” Seoyul brushed the impending clash of wits off, directing the conversation to the person in question.

“Yeah Jiyeon, what haven’t you told me?” Misoo pressed, joining in on their little interrogation. “Is it the same guy that you always talk to on the phone. Is that why you always tell us to shut up?” She continued, basically spilling the secrets to the whole group.

“N-no. I talk to my family too. But if I’m going to share my secret, Seoyul unnie will join me.” Jiyeon retaliated breathlessly, now clear of the rice that had gone down her windpipe, smirking at the leader who just frowned.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She frowned, waving off the accusation.

“Not according to Yixing oppa, he said you have a thing going on with you know...” Jiyeon sung, shaking her head and moving to dig for her phone in one of her pockets.

“So you’re dating EXO’s Lay?” Sooyun gasped dramatically, completely losing interest in Seoyul’s apparent loveline.

“No?” Jiyeon looking at the maknae weirdly, “how did you get I’m dating EXO’s Lay from me knowing him?” She reasoned with the maknae, pulling out her phone from one of her front pockets.

“Because you say ‘oppa’ in a caring way?” Sooyun questioned, looking at the elder in confusion as she laughed at the reasoning.

“He’s one of my Chinese friends, we can relate because we are both Chinese. Or in my case half. But no I’m not dating him.” Jiyeon explained, looking up briefly from her phone as she swiped furiously at the screen.

“So you’re half Chinese?” Sarang said, looking at her up and down. “That’s pretty cool. I’m from Busan. Where are you from in China?” she questioned.

“I’m from Busan too!” Jungah jumped into the conversation, a smile breaking out on her face when she found a same city friend.

“I was born in Busan?” Seyeon inserted quietly, the corners of curving up as she found people who she shared something with.

“Busan line! Wah, so cool!” Misoo said, looking between the three of them. “But really where is China? Beijing... Hong Kong... Um?” Misoo trailed off, looking at Jiyeon for a little help.

“Beijing! Capital city!” Jiyeon called, putting her hands up and doing little twinkle fingers with them. Only to put them back down, phone dropping into her lap all but forgotten about it’s previous intentions.

“Anyone else from another country? Because otherwise the beagle line with be foriegners.” Misoo said to the rest of the group, looking past the three that had said they were from Busan.

“New York.” Seoyul just said simply, getting some more curry and mixing it with her rice blankly.

“Really? Can you speak English?” Sooyun asked, recieving a look from Jungah in return.

“Of course she can, she’s from New York.” The other reasoned sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the beagle in training.

“Yes I can.” Seoyul confirmed, looking between the two youngers who were now having a staring match.

“I have a question!” Sarang spoke suddenly, having the whole group look towards her food and all. “How about we all reveal one general fact about ourselves, one like and one dislike. So everyone gets to know each other more.” She planned, waiting for a sound of confirmation or disagreement.

“Okay.” Misoo agreed quickly, nodding and then looking down to the food on the table. Followed by a few nods of members far more occupied on the food, and a few blanks which were just counted as agreements in Misoo’s mind.

“I’ll start, um, I was born in Osaka, Japan. I like all types of sports, but I don’t like soju.” Misoo admitted, laughing a little at the last point. “Jungah your turn!” She passed on quickly, before anyone questioned anything.

“Okay, I like cucumbers but don’t like lemons. And I’m the maknae of my family. Seyeon unnie, your turn!” Jungah said quickly, just following along the elder members.

“I like to cook and the only edible thing I won’t eat is radishs. I took hapkido for seven years.” The eldest said blankly, following the rest of the group with their little game whilst she looked around the room, only to spot the ever hyper active maknae who was bouncing awaiting her turn. “Sooyun-ah?”

“Yes! My turn!” Sooyun sung, before shaking her hands a little whilst thinking for some things about her. “The ocean! I love it, it’s so pretty... But commercials during shows are so annoying. Oh! Marigolds are my favourite type of flower!” She said quickly, almost impossibly fast with her excitement though in a way the group being able to understand. “Seoyul unnie! Your turn.”

The leader sighed a little bit, before thinking and then looking around to the rest of the group.

“I like green tea and drawing. But I hate horror films because they lack sense...” Seoyul said pointedly, before eyeing Sarang who was watching her intently having given up trying to shove any more food in her stomach, at least for now. “Sarang.”

“Hmm? Oh fighting is a no from me, and I’d love to see world peace. Wouldn’t that be great? Until then I know how to b-girl at least.” Sarang sighed, thinking off into fantasies of world peace on her full stomach. “Jiyeon unnie. Your turn.”

“Umm, wait. I got it!” She sighed happily, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the coffee table. “I love all types of alcohol which we need in the fridge so I'll have to buy some, I hate dirty dishes and I like to go out and jog because staying at home is so boring...” Jiyeon admitted, happily smiling at the rest of the girls.

“Everyone is so cool...” Sooyun said, completely in awe at all the different things everyone had said. “How about we do this every Sunday we have off? Eat dinner and all say three things about themselves so we are a better group?” The maknae pressed, enjoying the atmosphere of delicious, warm food and getting to know one another.

“You finally said something good.” Jungah congratulated the maknae, and then gave her agreement to the idea. “Group bonding nights?”

“Family bonding nights it is!” Sarang said, not waiting for any nods from anyone else. “Good idea, so we don’t seem so awkward around each other when we debut-“

“Yah! If you girls are still awake and not finished dinner yet, I will seriously yell at you. You have your album photoshoot tomorrow, and I will not have eyebags!” A voice yelled from the foyer, the sound of shoes coming off and one very unhappy manager coming their way.

“We’re just cleaning up now Minah unnie!” Jiyeon called back cheekily, before looking back down to the group. And letting a devious smile overtake her face and then she dashed off to the bathroom.

“I’m having a shower first! You better not leave the dishes to rot!”

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