It’s a sight that would bring Wendy’s mother to tears. Her hair is tied in a ponytail, sleeves folded by the elbow, as she beats the egg whites to foam. The kids marvel at her like she’s superwoman and she lets herself enjoy the attention for a moment.

Her heart rams on her chest when she notices that even Irene has stopped bringing out her kitchen utensils to admire Wendy. She blushes a little, but attributes it to the amount of strength she’s exerting.

Even Minhyuk seems excited. Apparently, Irene is a good cook, but she never bakes. Mina is the most enthusiastic, handing Wendy every ingredient she needs. With the help of Irene, of course, for fear that it will be for naught when they just spill and ruin the mix.

Yeri obviously just wants to eat. But Wendy is thankful that she’s even there. Irene says she never stays in the kitchen to help her in any way.

Jisoo is a natural but she’s holding back and Wendy doesn’t even know why. Wendy hands her the bowl and gives her instructions. Jisoo did so perfectly, albeit still avoiding much interaction with Wendy.

In between putting the cupcakes in the oven and getting ready to eat, the three youngest children battle to get Wendy’s attention first. Mina talks a lot about ponies and her friends in school. Yeri fangirls about Ariana Grande and rants about her classmates who don’t know who she is while Minhyuk talks about making the school’s basketball team and inviting Wendy to play with him.

This makes Wendy smile at a memory.

“I used to date a basketball player,” she says, turning to Irene. “Do you remember Sunggyu?”

Irene scoffs. “Of course! Who doesn’t know him?” Her eyes light up when she tells her kids the story.

“Our university was known for academics, but with sports, not so much. Basketball was popular at the time, but our uni… well we’d be lucky to even win one game!”

“Why is he popular then?” Minhyuk asks, confused.

“We suddenly became champions in our senior year. The basketball team worked so hard to change our university’s image. Aunt Wendy’s ex-boyfriend was the team captain that time.”

“You must have been his lucky charm!” Yeri exclaimed. Wendy laughed loudly at that, only to be embarrassed when she realized they were all looking at her.

“No, no,” she says shaking her head. “We’ve already broken up years prior to that. We dated in high school.”

Jisoo, who hasn’t said much word in the past hour, piped up.

“You had a boyfriend?”

Wendy was surprised albeit curious as to where this conversation was going. But before she could speak, Irene beat her to it.

“Jisoo! What are you implying? Apologize.”

The teenager is startled and Irene sighs, surprised with her own exclamation.

“That’s not what I meant.“ Jisoo explains. Irene looks at her eldest daughter pointedly who then turns to bow at Wendy.

“I’m sorry. I just thought you were only interested in women.”

Ah.

“It’s okay,” Wendy manages to say.

She is stunned, but she turns away from Irene not to let it show. Luckily for her, Minhyuk asked how to make the icing, putting a halt to the current conversation.

Wendy doesn’t know where Jisoo got the idea. Unless… her little admiration for her friend had seeped through in plain view.

She feels Irene’s gaze boring holes in her peripheral. She ignores it. She doesn’t think discussing her uality and her love life is needed to complicate this friendship.

---

Jisoo doesn’t understand what’s happening right now. As soon as Wendy leaves and her siblings go do their own thing, her mother corners her with a question.

Between studies and a newfound boyfriend, Jisoo doesn’t have enough brain cells to process her mother’s concern.

Her assumptions about her mother’s changing behavior get more confusing by the day. What even is her relationship with Aunt Wendy? Girl friend? Best friend? Girlfriend?!

Maybe that was too much of a stretch, because her mother looks more confused than she is.

“About Wendy,” Irene looks up as if to find the right words, “Why did you think she liked women?”

Jisoo thought for a moment. There is that incident, but why does her mother – Aunt Wendy’s close friend – look clueless. It’s weird.

“I saw her at a restaurant with another woman. They were holding hands the whole time.”

Irene hums at that. She speaks after a few beats.

“Close friends can hold hands. You and Jennie do.”

Jisoo is taken aback for being used as an example. She then continues,

“But friends don’t kiss each other on the lips, especially not out of the blue.”

If Irene is bothered, it doesn’t show. But it did take another second before she nods. Jisoo thought the awkward conversation was over. But…

“What did she look like? The other woman, I mean. Is she… pretty?”

“Yeah. I noticed them when they entered because she squeaked happily at the smell of the food. She’s much taller than Aunt Wendy. She looks younger too.” Jisoo babbles before adding, “No offense.”

Actually, the woman looked like she walked straight out of a magazine. But her mother’s frown makes her keep that comment to herself.

---

“Mom, can you call Aunt Wendy please?”

Yeri’s pouting now and Irene can’t help but sigh. As if it wasn’t enough for her to bother her friend, her kids are now asking for her too.

“Pretty please.”

Irene picks up her phone at the sight of her daughter. Yeri sure knows how to get her way and it makes Irene disappointed at herself. The pouty lips and glossy eyes, she just can’t resist.

After four rings, Irene tells her daughter that Wendy might be busy. But just before she could end the call, a woman’s voice picks up.

“Hello!”

“Hi Wendy. Sorry to disturb but Yeri wants to talk to you. You’re on speaker.”
 

“Yeri? What is it?”

“Aunt Wendy! I got into the school play!”

“Congratulations! What play? Did you audition for it?”
 

“I auditioned for the lead role but they said I’m not ready for that yet. I was so sad but they said I can do the smaller part well and Aunt Wendy, I didn’t know what to do except that I really wanted to be in that play.”

Irene listens intently at that. Her daughter did not mention auditioning for the lead role. She can see the distress on Yeri’s face and she reaches out to comfort her. As she pats her daughter’s back, Wendy’s calming voice speaks up again.

“Yeri, there is no big or small role in a play. Everybody plays his or her part and that’s what makes the production work well. If you wanted a lead role, then you can try again next time. But for now, think of it as practice and experience. You’ll get there someday.”

Yeri sits quietly for a while as if pondering the words. Then, she turns her lips to a grin and nods. “Thank you, Aunt Wendy.”

Irene turns off the speaker and puts the phone to her ear. “Thank you, Wendy. That was nice of you.”

“It is true. And she needed to know that. Irene, I’d love to stay and talk but I have to attend a meeting now. Talk to you later?”

“Yeah… sure.” But neither of them calls back that night.

---

“Minhyuk, wait up!”

Minhyuk stills. He recognizes the voice of the girl who called him. He’d recognize it a mile away.

She pants as she catches up to him. But the moment she catches her breath, she smiles and flips her hair in place.

“Wha-“ His voice catches in his throat. “Why are you walking?”

The question is strange but he is glad Sowon understands anyway.

“Mom and I had a fight again. But anyway, she had agreed not to be uptight with me as long as I tell her where I go or who’s with me. No more drivers and maids trailing me.”
 

“You’re okay with that? What did you fight about, anyway?” Minhyuk asks carefully. He wasn’t sure how much she was willing to share. Even though their families have been close ever since, Sowon always kept a mysterious aura. He thinks Sowon has nothing to hide from them but Jisoo tells him it’s probably just her way of protecting herself from scrutiny. That’s the downside of having (used to be) famous parents with a publicized divorce.

“I like my freedom.” Sowon says casually, refusing to answer the other question. “We’re good now, don’t worry.” Her smile is blinding and Minhyuk has to look away.

He was thinking of something cool to say to impress her. Like I’m now in the basketball team but he suddenly remembers that her boyfriend is the baseball team’s captain or I aced my natural science test but he’d look like a nerd who got little social skills.

“Are you okay with your mom remarrying?”

Minhyuk halts his train of thoughts at the girl’s question. He had never considered the idea at all.

“They’re still young. And my mom, she…”

Sowon doesn’t finish her sentence but her face turns sour. Minhyuk would have reacted at that if his thoughts weren’t still on the idea of his mom with someone else other than his dad.

He thinks about it carefully, imagines a faceless man holding his mom in a tight embrace while his mom, smiling from ear-to-ear, and…

“I’m sorry. Forget I asked.”

He turns to her then. Minhyuk doesn’t know where he gets the confidence but he sure wants to wipe that frown away from her beautiful face.

“What do you call a quiet sheep?”

Sowon raises an eyebrow. “Are you trying to make me laugh?”

Minhyuk nods with a bashful smile.

Her lips upturn a little. “Okay quiet sheep, what?”

Minhyuk stops walking before putting his finger by his nose, “a shhhheeep!”

He hears her scoff playfully. “That’s so bad.”

“You mean, baa-ad?”

Sowon erupts in laughter, linking their arms as they cross the road.

---

Even as she looks down and fixes her things, she can feel eyes looking at her. Uncomfortable, she shoves the rest of her things in her bag and zips it.