“Ji Eun-ah, you’re ready?” Ha Neul asked while he was putting on his coat. It was finally winter but it hadn’t snowed yet. “A minute”, Ji Eun replied while she was packing up the pumpkin pie that she made earlier. “I hope they like pumpkin pie or else, I’ve got nothing to offer”, Ji Eun said worriedly to Ha Neul when they were in the car. “Relax, Ji Eun. I’m sure they’re going to like it”, as usual, he would calm her down. It was very awkward at first because Ha Neul never said anything about them except that Mr. Kwon is his father’s secretary and yes, Ji Eun was very nervous.

They had a cottage sized house, very cozy, literally a cottage house. It was a bit further than the city but still close by. “You must be Ji Eun, come in!”, Mrs. Kwon invited both of them in. Ji Eun had no idea how Mrs. Kwon seemed to know her, maybe Mr. Kwon told her about last night? Both Mr. and Mrs. Kwon looked very young for their age, they were both nearing fifty but they looked like they were in their early forties. Nevertheless, she greeted them warmly as well. “Sit down Ji Eun, make yourself at home like Ha Neul here!”, she joked around seeing Ji Eun so tense and awkward. “I’ll call my husband and finish up in the kitchen, alright?”, she told them tenderly. Ji Eun, decided to be helpful, went to follow her in the kitchen to help.

“Ji Eun-ah, you can just sit!”, she insisted but Ji Eun was more determined to help. “You can just call me aunty instead of Mrs. Kwon”, she started breaking up the ice with Ji Eun. “Uh, okay a-aunty”, she awkwardly replied. “Um, you both seem really close to Ha Neul”, Ji Eun’s attempt of breaking the ice as well. “Ha Neul?”, she asked with a chortle. “Ha Neul is like our son, he grew up with us. He used to follow my husband and I everywhere. Our home is literally his home as well”, she explained gleefully. “What about his parents?”, Ji Eun inquired hearing no mention of his own parents. “His father runs a huge company, he doesn’t have a lot of time, dear”, she replied, limiting her answer before she spilled out what she was not supposed to share. Hearing how her reply seemed tense and restricted, Ji Eun figured she might had crossed a line she wasn’t supposed to go for, she decided to change the topic. “Aunty, what do you do for a living?”, Ji Eun questioned, lightening the tense situation.

“I’m a psychiatrist”, she declared. “Shall we move our conversation to the table?”, she added. Ji Eun smiled in respond, bringing the plates out to prepare the table. “One thing about aunt is that, she’s an excellent cook”, Ha Neul exclaimed towards Ji Eun in between bites. “Eat with your mouth close!”, Mrs. Kwon warned him, who was chewing loudly. “Oh, Ji Eun-ah, she’s a psychiatrist, maybe you can ask her about your dream”, Ha Neul insisted. This was one of the thing which Ji Eun didn’t want to make it as something huge. Plus, it wasn’t something she liked to share to anyone, especially when he was involved. Seeing how her façade changed, Mrs. Kwon decided to move the direction of the conversation, it was obvious that it wasn’t something to be discussed openly. “We have tea for that, right Ji Eun?”, she winked at Ji Eun who was starting to feel uneasy. She gave Mrs. Kwon a grateful look. Lunch was filled with conversation about Ha Neul. “Ha Neul was a cry baby since he was small!”, Mr. Kwon remarked, chuckling looking at Ha Neul’s respond.

Mr. Kwon used to work with Ha Neul’s grandfather when he was a teenager, seeing he was a good worker, he was elected to be hand in hand with his father when he took over his grandfather’s place. When Ha Neul’s father first started taking over, he had a lot on his shoulder and that was when Ha Neul came in, and because he didn’t have much time for Ha Neul, Mr. Kwon came in. While his father was attending meetings, he will be with Mr. Kwon in his office. When Mr. Kwon was busy, he will be handed to Mrs. Kwon, who is willing to take him into her arm. “E-enough about me!”, Ha Neul grunted under his breath. “We’re proud of you, baby”, Mr. Kwon joked as he side-hugged Ha Neul. “Stop! Why are you doing this?”, he whined. Ji Eun giggled seeing another side of him she wasn’t expecting to see at all. “Why? Are you ashamed that your girlfriend here knows your past?”, he continued teasing but that caught both Ji Eun and Ha Neul off guard. Their eyes met, it was awkward and they both averted their eyes as soon as it met. “She-she’s not my girlfriend”, he confessed. “Not yet”, Mrs. Kwon added, jokingly. “I’m just joking both of you!”, she added more seeing how awkward the situation was. The Kwon couple immediately changed the subject.

“Ji Eun-ah, come and help me in the kitchen”, Mrs. Kwon requested and Ji Eun obediently followed her to the kitchen. She instructed Ji Eun to serve tea to Mr. Kwon and coffee to Ha Neul. “Give them this, leave them and we shall have our own girl talk”, she furthered instructed. When Ji Eun was back in the kitchen, Mrs. Kwon slid the huge glass door opened, revealing one round picnic table under a huge umbrella with two chairs facing the garden of flowers as