As promised, Jiyoon unnie came to discuss a small project the next weekend and had brought Tara along. The week had gone by pretty quickly and majorly silent. Both my neighbours had out of town schedules and left a day after the house warming party. Not that I did not enjoy the silence and the time to think this offered, it was getting pretty lonely on our floor and honestly I was missing some adult time and conversations. Thankfully Jiyoon unnie provided just that.

We'd been over the proposal she was working on for her firm and discussed ideas on how to make it more internationally relevant. Given my job profile she had suggested thinking on the idea of joining her firm in the future, an offer I had earlier rejected but now..

"Eun-jae, lets go have some lunch nearby!"

"Ne...Unnie. Let me get Ray and then we can go out and have lunch  near the mall, I need to do some shopping too."

"Yes, yes..why not.."shrugging Jiyoon unnie finally agreed to the place I wanted to take her to from a long time. It was a small cafe near the mall crossing. A quaint little non-descript place, just the kind I liked. 

******

"So, when are your neighbours coming back? Oh...and just so you know Kwang soo and I had to avoid getting ourselves in the discussion that day, don't you?" unnie was always point blank at what she said. 

Startled, I just smiled looking ahead. I finally understood that everyone at the party that day were not only my well wishers but also really cared about what they should or should not say to make me feel less conscious. True friends...

"Unnie, thank you", now she looked at me with mock incredulous eyes and then just laughed to give me a side hug. Before we knew it, we'd reached the cafe and given our orders to settle in the room near the backyard, where the kids were playing with the owner's cats. 

"You did not answer my question though..when are your neighbours coming?..Wait! before you answer, let me tell you I am just worried for your safety hence ask..." settling in Unnie had already begun talking.

"Unnie...But..."

"...Oh right....knowing your neighbours, it doesnt really make sense if they are there or not... you know celebrity and all. Its hard being them, I mean Jihyo is an exception, she never really cared about what people said, but the male idols I tell you. You have got to be careful, you do not want to get entangled in their business..."

And just like on cue, walked in two young office going women, talking loudly about kpop and idols and suff, all the while looking down into their phones not even looking at each other. 

"So you know that EXO Suho...he was spotted in this neighbourhood..?"

"What, when was that??"

"They say he had gone out for some grocery shopping with an ahjumma early one day last week...some say a new girlfriend, when he was actually