Jisoo and Jennie sat down next to each other on the sofa, excitedly catching each other up on everything that had happened recently. Jennie clung tightly to Jisoo's hand, as if she was afraid that Jisoo was a dream and might slip away without warning.

"And so," Jennie said, reaching the end of her account of her trip down to Busan, "I was coming down here with Madame Park, to help her deal with the situation down here, but then a messenger from a Mr. Kang met the stage at an inn several hours north of the city and gave Madame Park a message. After hearing it, she said that she had to return to the Academy on the next northbound coach, but that I might carry on to Busan and visit you, if I so desired."

Jisoo laughed. "Only Madame Park could possibly say 'if you so desire' in that situation and keep a straight face."

Jennie joined in Jisoo's laughter. "Naturally I told her I wished to see you, and so here I am!"

"Did she say when you have to return?" Jisoo asked.

Jennie shook her head. "She only said I must be sure not to overstay my welcome."

"Really?" Jisoo exclaimed. "It sounds like Madame Park has become much more easygoing since I've graduated."

Jennie shook her head. "On the contrary, she's become quite a bit stricter, now that there are fewer of us to manage. I think she was only so lenient because I was coming to visit you. She's really quite fond of you, you know."

"Really?" Jisoo was quite shocked to hear this news. "Fond of me?"

Jennie nodded. "Not a day goes by without her pointing out some error one of us has made and telling us how much better you would have done. Solar has become quite anxious to go on her long-term mission, and I think it's mainly so that she no longer has to hear your name." Seeing the stricken look on Jisoo's face, Jennie was quick to reassure her. "Oh, no - Solar's not upset with you. She's just frustrated because she thought that once you were gone she'd have a good chance at challenging me for head girl, only to discover that not only is she having to compete against me, she's also having to compete against Madame Park's memories of you."

"Her memories of me?" Jisoo asked. "But I really didn't do anything all that special. You and Solar are both more accomplished than I am."

"Not in Madame Park's eyes," Jennie said with a laugh. "I think she's mainly impressed with how much improvement you made in the short time you were at the academy."

"Improvement?" Jisoo asked.

Jennie nodded. "You were quite hopeless when you first showed up. After spending quite a bit of time thinking about it, I think it was seeing the progress that you made that made Madame Park reconsider that she might have misjudged Moonbyul."

Jisoo smiled, managing to suppress a laugh. Whatever qualities Jennie might have, she still retained her blind spot where Madame Park was concerned. Of course, having heard why this was so, Jisoo had no desire to argue with her about it.

"What are you smiling about so?" Jennie asked, her own smile brightening her face.

"I was just thinking," Jisoo said with a grin, "how much it must have irked Solar that Moonbyul got a mission before she did."

Jennie laughed. "'Irked' doesn't even began to describe it. Solar groused about it so much that Madame Park made her spend several evenings in the library copying definitions: patience, obedience, appropriateness, discipline, and ever so many more. Even if Solar never did become reconciled to her fate, she learned quite well not to complain about it."

Jisoo looked up as she heard the parlor door open. Suyeon came in, curtsied, and announced "Lunch is served, ma'am."

"Very good, Suyeon," Jisoo said. "Will you please go ask Miss Joy if she feels up to joining us, or if she'd prefer to have lunch in bed."

"Yes ma'am," Suyeon said, and with another curtsy she was gone.

"Should I be jealous?" Jennie asked. Upon seeing the blank look on Jisoo's face, she pressed on. "Your Suyeon is obviously quite smitten with you, and, of course, she has the advantage over me that she's in Busan while I'm off at the Academy."

Jisoo swiftly leaned forward and placed a kiss on Jennie's lips. "Dear, you've got nothing to worry about." Standing up, she reached for Jennie's hand. "Now, let's go see what Suyeon has prepared for our luncheon."

Jisoo and Jennie reached the dining room just as Joy and Suyeon came in through the other door. Upon seeing Joy, Jisoo smiled. "You looked to be feeling better," she said.

Joy nodded. "Apparently I just needed to lie down for a few minutes. I hope you don't mind that I had to go lie down just as Jennie got here, but it really seems to have done me a world of good."

Jisoo laughed. "Indeed it does. And not to worry - Jennie and I had quite a nice conversation in your absence. I am still glad you're back with us, though."

Jisoo sat down at the table, and gestured for the others to do the same. Suyeon had outdone herself, fixing an assortment of finger sandwiches and mandu, plus a green salad and a delicious-looking fish soup.

"Suyeon, it all looks delicious," Joy said, as she helped herself to a bowl of the soup. "Jisoo had best watch out, because if I move to Busan after my graduation I shall certainly attempt to hire you away from her.

Suyeon blushed. "It's kind of you to say so, Miss Joy, but Mrs. Kim has been so good to me I'm afraid your attempt would be unsuccessful."

Joy looked knowingly at Jisoo, who suddenly became very interested in the finger sandwiches.

As they ate, Joy, Jennie, and Jisoo got caught up with each other, carefully intermixing actual information with sanitized and fictionalized versions of their school adventures that would be appropriate for Suyeon to hear. Suyeo