Yeri woke up in the middle of the night. The TV was showing the main menu of The Time Traveler’s Wife. She and Joy, who was lying next to her, were watching a movie and ended up sleeping by the end of it. Yeri stretched her body. The bed was too small for two people so Yeri had to curl on one side to make room for Joy’s long legs. She slept in an awkward position that made her back ache. She needed a drink.

Yeri went out of the room and found the living room was dark. Everyone must be sleeping already. In the kitchen, she read the group schedule on the refrigerator, put in place with the help of a magnet. Wendy and Seulgi were not at home. They were on the other side of the country doing filming a health drink commercial. But Irene should be home. Yeri figured the oldest girl in the house must be asleep already.

Yeri took a bottle of vitamin C from the fridge and turned around. She shrieked in horror.

“Oh, my God!” she almost dropped her vitamin C. “Unnie?!”

Irene was sitting at the kitchen table, in the dark, on her own. She was looking at the other way.

“What are you doing in the dark?” Yeri turned the light on.

“Don’t…,” Irene said. Her voice rasp and heavy. 

“Are you… are you okay?” asked Yeri. She walked closer and sat right in front of Irene. The older girl looked away. In a short moment, Yeri noticed the tears. “Unnie!”

“Oh, shush, Yeri,” Irene wiped the tears with her fingers.

“What happened?”

“It’s raining.”

“In the kitchen?”

Irene sighed.

“You can tell me, Unnie.”

“She knows.”

“Who knows?”

“Wendy.”

“Knows wha-, oh. Oh!” Yeri put her hand on . “Oh, God.”

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