Irene swallows the uncomfortable silence in the room. She nervously scans the expressions on her kids’ faces.

Mina doesn't look any different from her usual self. She quietly hugs her penguin tighter before looking at her older sister. Irene follows her gaze to look at Yeri with furrowed brows. She’s not angry. Just… confused.

Turning her attention to her older kids now, Irene braces herself. She noticed Minhyuk staring at her earlier but he avoids her gaze now that she’s looking. It seems to her that he wants to say something but chooses not to.

Her heart almost breaks at the sight of her eldest daughter. She watches her daughter take a deep breath, staring at her feet. She wants to reach out and hug her.

Irene knew Jisoo would be most affected by this and it’s not just because she was very close with her father. There’s a small feeling of regret now in Irene’s heart. She wonders if hinting more about her relationship with Wendy could have helped prepare Jisoo.

“It may be confusing and you can ask me. I’ll answer your questions.”

Irene doesn’t even know if she has the answers but this is the best she can do for now. She glances at her two eldest, hoping they would talk, if only for her to hear their thoughts.

But, it doesn’t surprise them that it’s Yeri who asks first.

“You said she is your friend and we are supposed love our friends. What makes it different?”

In Irene’s mind, she knows this is an easy question to answer. Saying the right words is another thing, though.

“I like her more than that. I love her more than a friend.”

Irene smiles as she thinks about it. Mina pipes in.

“Will we see Aunt Wendy everyday?”

“Not everyday, but you will probably see her more often.”

“Don’t you go out with her a lot already?” It’s Yeri again.

“Yes. And if it’s okay with you, it would be nice if we can all spend time with her.”

Yeri and Mina’s questions seem pleasantly easy to answer. Irene feels better now than when she first started talking.
 

“Will she be part of the family, too?”

Irene turns to her son, not expecting him to talk any time soon. Minhyuk looks serious and given any other circumstance, she would commend him on how brave he is. He looks scared but he’s ready to ask anyway.

This made Irene think.

“Honestly, I want to. Maybe not now. But…” She steals a glance at her daughters. “Eventually.”

It’s silent for a few beats, or at least Irene thinks. Minhyuk didn’t flinch at her response, did not even react at all. Jisoo is still staring at the ground, sniffling quietly now.

“Can we have Aunt Wendy’s cookies again?” Mina asks as her attention veers away from the topic. Irene nods with a smile as a response. None of the older kids say anything more after that.

She takes a deep breath, feeling the silence enveloping the room once again.

“I know it’s hard to understand and accept. I get that.” She almost tears up at the sound of soft shuffling from her eldest. “These are new and unexpected things… but my love for you will never change. I love you and our family. Very much.”

Her heart beats louder now, overwhelmed with emotions too many to list at the moment.

“But, I love Wendy, too.”

Jisoo sniffles a little louder this time. Irene looks at her again, assessing if it’s the right time to reach out to her. As sad as it seems, she is glad Jisoo is openly showing it to her. But, she doesn’t want to force her to talk about it.

Minhyuk doesn’t look like he wants to talk anymore. But, at least he looks more open than she had expected. Mina and Yeri seem to be taking this lightly, but she’s not sure if it’s the innocence that causes that.

Irene knows that it feels too much and she can totally understand that. The kids will need time to process what she just said. It took her time as well. But, she hopes that when her kids feel the same overwhelming gravity of the situation, that they will feel the better part of it too.

---

The dismissal bell finally rings and Minhyuk lets out a sigh. His classmates scramble out of the room in chaos as he remains in his seat.

It’s already Wednesday. But, Minhyuk still can’t seem to process last weekend’s trip. Their ride home was quiet. He still sat on the passenger seat, promising to accompany his mom during the long night ride. They hummed along to soft music and only exchanged in small talk when necessary. He couldn’t help but acknowledge how glowing his mom has become in the past months. He sighed and looked out the window, the city lights blurring as the tears formed in his eyes.

They left at night so his younger sisters easily fell asleep during the ride. Jisoo had her earphones on the whole time and her hair covered half of her face. Minhyuk had a feeling she hadn’t had a good sleep since then.

Sometime in the ride, just as they entered Seoul, his mother patted his hand. It was a gesture he did not expect.

“Thank you.” His mom said with a wide smile.

“You’re welcome, mom. I want to keep you company.”

She just nodded at that. Minhyuk wasn’t sure if it was for staying up the whole ride. But, the glimmer in her eyes indicated it was something else.

And then, “Still. Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too, mom.” He smiles back, but remained perplexed at what just happened.

Waking up to reality, Minhyuk stands up and wears his backpack, walking his usual route out of the room. He tips back when he almost bumps onto the girl in front of him.

“What are you doing here?”

Unfazed, Sowon answers, pointing at the doorway. “Your classmate let me in. I’ve been waiting there a while.”

Minhyuk nods as they walk out the classroom.

“We could just meet by the gate? Like what we used to?”

He glances at his friend when she didn’t answer. Only then does he notice some freshmen girls looking at them.

“I should have. But… I didn’t want to wait alone.”

They reach the end of the hallway and Sowon’s expression is more relaxed now. He takes note of the small incident to ask about next time.

“Jisoo’s not joining us?”

It’s been three days and his sister still hasn’t talked to him. They go to school together in silence with packed breakfast Jennie practically forces Jisoo to eat. Their lunches were fun thanks to Jennie and Sowon’s stories. They never asked but he was sure they know that something is going on.

Sowon looks at him like he’s grown two heads. “Jennie has training and she specifically told us this lunch that they wouldn’t be coming with us.”

“Oh? I must’ve missed that.” Minhyuk mumbles mindlessly. He really needs to focus.

“Speaking of your sister. Did you two fight?”

Sowon looks at him with worry. He momentarily gets distracted at seeing her so concerned for him.

“No, we didn't. We just haven’t been talking.”

“You’re not talking? Not even banters? That’s unusual.”

Minhyuk stops to think. Before this year, it was normal for the siblings not to talk in days. But now, they’re practically in the same friend group that they did not intend to make. They literally spend time together everyday.

He doesn’t admit it aloud but he would rather have those petty fights with his sister again. Anything but this silence.

“Something happened, then.”

It wasn’t a question. Minhyuk sighs at the memory of last weekend.

After the talk with their mom, Jisoo excused herself and cried in the bathroom. At that time, he didn’t bother to knock. Everyone, including their menacing younger sisters, gave her space.

On Monday night, the family had a quiet dinner. Their mother took glances at them but didn't say anything. Walking on eggshells or glass or whatever, Minhyuk swears it was the most uncomfortable family dinner they’ve ever had. Jisoo locked herself in her room afterwards and Minhyuk couldn’t help but do the same.

The next night, Minhyuk got up soon as he heard the bathroom door open and followed the sound of soft footsteps in the hallway. He knocked but he reached his sister’s door too late. Only sniffles from inside greeted him back.

Sowon slows down her pace to look at him.

“I understand if you don’t want to talk about it. But, I am getting worried about you. You’re so… distracted.”

Minhyuk sighs but considers what to say. He has no problem sharing his thoughts with Sowon. She is practically his best friend now. This is just his first time processing something as new and significant as this.

“Our mom’s in a relationship.”

Sowon seems surprised for a second. But, kept her composure as she ponders on what he said.

“Oh… Do you not like them for her?”

The question comes slowly, like she’s gauging Minhyuk’s reaction to this news.

“It’s not that.” He shakes his head. No matter how he looks at the situation, he knows there’s nothing bad to say about Aunt Wendy.

“Then, you didn’t think she’d fall in love again?”

Minhyuk ponders on that question. “I guess so.”

Sowon hums. “Do you and Jisoo think the same way?”

This, he truly doesn’t know the answer to.

“I’m not sure… She won’t talk to me. Usually, I can read her mind. Not this time. She’s closed herself off…”

Minhyuk sighs, not forming a coherent sentence in his confusion. He and Jisoo had known for a while now. They were almost sure and were just awaiting a confirmation. He is truly trying his best to understand the developments in her mom’s life… their lives… But, he didn’t foresee the other obstacles that would be the aftermath of getting the answer to their unspoken question.

“Hey…” Sowon calls out. He was spacing out again. “Maybe it’s also because you’re going through the same thing and she doesn’t want to bother you.”

Minhyuk nods. He badly wants to believe that.

---

Wendy ignores the look Joy sends her way out of the faculty room. Her friend audibly sighs and Wendy feels touched. Joy and Eunji worry about her. But, she assures them that they really shouldn’t.

She speed walks across the hallway to get to the parking lot. Contrary to what everyone else is thinking, she is feeling fine. She speed walks in a rush to her destination but inside, she is weirdly at peace. She somehow believes that everything is happening in the right pace.

“Hi.” She smiles and matches the beam that Irene shows her as soon as she enters the car.

“I’ve missed you,” Irene says. Wendy also hears the apology laced in her voice even though she insisted that Irene should stop saying sorry.

Since coming back from the weekend, Irene had reluctantly decided to stay at home at all times that her kids are there. Wendy easily agreed. They both knew they needed to give the kids their time to take in the news.

Irene brings out a bag full of food and they eat their lunch in comfortable silence, engaging in light conversation every now and then. Wendy gives Irene a handful of chocolate she keeps on her desk. She’s been eating way too much, anyway, relying on the chocolate to relieve her from work stress.

Wendy looks at Irene and unconsciously smiles. She is here now and Wendy feels grateful.

“What?” Irene asks as soon as she finishes eating the piece of chocolate. Irene is cute and Wendy thinks Irene will smack if she said it aloud. But, that’s what she really thinks right now.

“Heeey,” Irene whines. Cute. Wendy giggles this time.

“Thank you.” Wendy finally says.

“Come on. This is nothing.” Irene shakes her head as she keeps all the containers back in the bag. “I always bring food when I meet you. And… I didn’t cook these, you know. I’ll make up for it next time.”

Wendy sees the slight guilt in Irene’s face. She wonders who ever taught her cooking food is the only way she’ll feel her love.

“Trust me, you don’t have to. Thank you for coming to see me even for a short while. I appreciate the effort.”

Irene looks at her. “I thought I was being selfish for wanting to meet with you. It’s only been a week.”

Wendy smirks at that. “Then, I’m selfish, too.”

“Have I always been this clingy?” Irene asks softly, more like a question to herself than to Wendy.

She couldn't help but chuckle at that.

“Yes, you are.”

Irene looks back at her and Wendy hates that she sees the flash of guilt again. Sure, Irene was with someone else that time and Wendy observed this from an outsider’s perspective. But, it doesn’t really bother her anymore.

“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that.” Wendy reaches for her cheeks and smiles softly at her.

Irene nods but keeps silent at that, so she adds, “I’m just happy we’re together right now.”

Th