Chaewon patiently waited for her father to take her answer as the truth before she urges him to speak, “Why did you want to see me?”

The old man inspects her dark chocolate orbs for a split second before he divulges the plan he had for her, “I’m sure you’ve heard that the construction of our new office has been completed last week. Although I’ve been transferring workers there along with a few hiring managers, I think you should go there and manage it for a while. Prove to me that you can run it then I’ll consider bringing you back and giving you my position before my retirement,”

Chaewon does a quizzical wave with her brows then asks, “You want me to go to Busan?”

“Do you have a problem with that?”

Chaewon bites her lower lip. There’s no telling what her father will do once she’s out of the picture.

For the previous three months, she has been helping him flush out bad influences and traitorous intention within the company. She did all she could to keep his focus and energy on his own workers rather than trying to get ahold of Hyewon and Mira, her stepmother. In the end, she was partially at fault for her father’s strictness towards the employees. Although she knows full well that he did it to teach her a lesson—if she continues to try and manipulate or control him, he will torture the people Chaewon will have to care for in the future. 

Not only did his actions closed the gate to Chaewon’s heart, but it took a dozen blind dates later for Chaewon to willingly give new relations a chance. Although she doesn’t quite believe and understand what love is. Then again, how could she? When even her own flesh and blood doesn’t know it themselves.

“There’s no problem,”

“Good because your cousin will also be visiting on Tuesday. You’ll have to pick her up at the airport,”

Chaewon’s jaw drops a little, “She’s finally coming back? She didn’t tell me anything,”

“Neither did she tell me. I heard it from my older sister. But that's not important right now. Go home and pack your things. I’ll have someone drive you to the office and where you'll be staying in Busan. I’ll call you whenever I have time. While you’re there, the company’s policies must be sustained. I know you’re my child but you’re also a woman so whatever you do, don’t disappoint me,” the man warns in a monotone, low voice.

Chaewon doesn’t care to be in the same room much longer so she steps out without bidding her father goodbye. Going down the elevator, Chaewon calls Goeun before anything. “My dad is sending me to Busan for work,”

“What? For how long?” Goeun asks on the other end of the line.

“For how long he didn’t say, but while I’m gone, I need you to monitor Hyewon and mom for me. Last time I heard that a man is watching their apartment and harassing Hyewon. There’s no doubt that my dad hired him. Hyewon is staying at the spa to avoid confrontations but I need you to check up on her once in a while,”

“Slow down, Chaewon. And why are you only telling me this now?”

“How can I tell you? You’ve been abnormally busy. You keep leaving me with Yena during those dates and that’s how we went from three to two people remember?”

Goeun can only exhale a soft “Oh,” before Chaewon finishes.

“Anyway, I’ve been trying to be discreet about it, about how Hyewon and mom are doing, so that my dad wouldn’t suspect a thing, but I’m sure him sending me to Busan this time meant I missed something. So until I come back to Seoul, I need you to look after Hyewon for me. When I come back, we’ll catch that stalker together,”

“Why not just report him to the police or tell Yena about it?”

“Because Yena tells her father everything and he tells my dad everything. Neither one of them will punish my dad’s person even if he’s caught. My dad might even turn around and hide the stalker. Just do as I say, no one can ever know and Hyewon, especially, can’t know I’ve been keeping tabs on her,” by the time she’s done talking, Chaewon is standing outside the building. “Now I’m going to pretend I’m super excited to go to Busan for the cameras,”

“Huh?”

Chaewon throws her arms up in the air and wears a grand smile, “Oh my goodness Goeun! I get to go to Busan! B-U-S-A-N, Busan! Did you hear me? I say Busannnnn!”

“Yes, I heard you! Y-E-S, yes!”

Chaewon laughs. Oh, what would she do without Goeun? Then a moment later she hangs up the phone and walks away from the main entrance, her heels clapping against the painted cement beneath her. 

There’s no chophouse cozier and busier than Lee Sian’s “After Ribs”. Sian is a curvy, tall, young and successful restaurant owner. Who also happens to be Eunbi’s childhood and best friend. After Ribs has been opened under her name for three years but the building is no more than five years old. The place is a hit as it’s the only restaurant in the neighborhood aside from small stands. For the last three years, there was never a dull period. Winter and Summer alike, people craved ribs.

The building has a total of seven tables and can seat twenty-five. And like most days, it’s full with a small line forming outside. Yet, through an evenly squared glassless window, where she can be seen by her clientele, Sian is calm and composed as she lays raw ribs over the grill and cooks them with care. All the while expediting as she and three others fix all the orders. “Eunbi,” she calls once a plate is ready to go out, “Kwon Eunbi, order for table three please,”

Eunbi, with her silky hair in a ponytail and an apron around her waist, hurries over to the window, “Table three?”

Sian’s eyes were on the grill when she croons, “Yeah table three,”

With both hands, Eunbi mumbles “table three” to herself over and over again as she carefully walks over to the table by the door.

When she sets the plate down, the highschooler boy glances up to her and smile. “Thank you miss,” then he shouts over to Sian, “Sian, thank you for the ribs!”

“Sure, sure, eat all you want. Just remember that if your grades drop, you’ll have to start paying for your food,” she says loud enough for him and those around them to hear. Eunbi smiles while the whole room giggles warmly at Sian’s kindness.

Once Eunbi is done with serving hot and ready dishes, she leans against the window and studies Sian turning the ribs over. From the corner of Sian’s eyes, she catches a blue Eunbi and couldn’t help but asks, “Joohyun is still stubborn and refuses to come back to the city?”

Eunbi heaves a heavy sigh and hums, “She said that although Yerim has been adopted out, she wanted to stay with the other children,”

“Yerim? The little girl Joohyun adores?”

“Yeah. A family in Gimhae saw a flyer of Yerim and came down to adopt her,”

As gently as she can, Sian does her utmost best to comfort Eunbi, “Good for the little girl. If Joohyun doesn’t want to leave the mountains that’s fine. You can just stay with me until you find a good husband,”  

Eunbi scoffs tiredly, “What husband? I’m going to die an old maid if I can help it. Plus I refuse to get married until I find my dad,”

On the side, Sian picks up the cooked ribs with a tong and place them on the white plate. Then she hands it off to one of her cooks to add rice and some sweet sauce to it. “You still haven’t heard from him? Not even after your mom’s passing?”

Eunbi shakes her head with pursed lips. Then she begins playing with fingers and debates on whether she should rip her nails or not. They were getting long and she has no time for a nail clipper, “I'm not sure if he's aware that to give mom a proper burial, Joohyun and I have already sold our place. Whether he does or not, once I save enough money, I think I can find him if I go back to Seoul,”

“How? Are you going to go find that doctor who told you she was a friend of your parents?”

Eunbi bobs her head, “I think she knows something. Last time she didn’t seem to know, but if she’s sending him money every other month then she must know something, right?”

The executive chef and owner of the building give her hope when she made a sound in agreement. Then a second later she hands Eunbi a container with some ribs inside, “Here take this to table three for me. Tell the boy to have some for dinner and save the rest for lunch tomorrow,”

Eunbi obliges and with her all, she makes sure the food is handed off without any mistake. Her hands were a little shaky from not eating. 

Once the clock strikes 9 p.m., Sian turns all the ‘opened’ signs and lock the front door. With the whole staff but Eunbi and Sian, gone and on their way home for the night, Eunbi quietly cleans every table thoroughly as Sian takes care of the kitchen. When the tables were all wipe down, Eunbi sweeps the tiles then mops it with the chairs flip upside down on the tables. The whole process took her an hour and by the time she and Sian were done with the dishes, too, it’s close to midnight.

The crooked road to Sian’s two-bedrooms apartment was dark with one or two dim light posts, but both of them knew their way even if they were blindfolded. They were also unafraid of the dark and people as they had each other. Eunbi stretches and pulls her arms and neck then places her hands around her waist, and let out a sigh. Sian smiles at that but feels bad inside. “Tired?”

Eunbi returns the expression, “A little. What about you?”

The taller woman waves her off, “I’ve been doing this forever. And since my body and mind are used to it, it’s easy and less painful now. However, Eunbi,” Sian stops in her track, causing Eunbi to halt as well, “I really appreciate your help and if I can, I’ll keep you with me at After Ribs for as long as I can. However, I think you should follow your dreams again. Joohyun’s dream of becoming an anchorwoman may have died but you can still become a reporter,”

Eunbi shakes her head with a sad smile, “There’s no such thing as reporter Eunbi anymore. That path and those doors closed a long time ago,”

Sian grabs Eunbi by the shoulder and pivots her until she is facing the road they’ve been traveling on. “No, Eunbi, look. Ahead of us, I see yours and my path. We don’t know where it will lead but we’ll be together. Not knowing where we’ll go, is what inspire us to travel it,” Eunbi can’t believe Sian still quotes inspirational quotes, but before she can tell her friend to knock it off, they hear someone approaching. A voice that Eunbi, although not so much Sian, recognizes.

“I’m serious, Goeun! I can’t access my GPS out here for some lame reason. I’ll give you the next street address I see, just tell me where to go from there. It’s freezing cold out here and there’s not a damn cab anywhere” walking into and stopping under the light a few meters away from Eunbi and Sian, Eunbi’s eyes widen when she sees it’s Chaewon.

Sian notices Eunbi is slightly stiff so she elbows her, “Eunbi?”

The second Eunbi’s name was called, Chaewon looks up and notices the duo.

“Oh,” Chaewon begins in a small voice before builds it up and shouts, “sister!”