For Sone, especially TaengSic Shipper who reads Violet..

Please take a look this story.. *shamelessly promoting my other story*

Purpose

Turchese

Sunday, August 31st, 2025

“I’ve been wanting to visit this place, but Turchese has always been fully booked since the first time it was established in Seoul last year.” Yuri looked up at the restaurant logo at the entrance.

“Not a surprise, since Turchese here is considered as one of the Michelin 3-Star Restaurants in Rome. This one in Seoul here is their first branch that opened,” said Hyewon with a broad smile before stepping into the restaurant.”

Minjoo looked around and all the tables looked full of visitors. “Are you sure we can get a table without reservation?”

“Who said I haven’t reserved a table yet?” One of Hyewon’s eyebrows raised, which replied by Yuri pointed at Yena.

“A few days ago I intended to have a meeting at this place and my secretary said that this place had been fully booked until the end of the month.” Yena stared suspiciously at Hyewon. “And I know that your visit here was a spontaneous decision, so I think it’s reasonable if I assume you haven’t booked any table in this place.”

“…unless you invested in this restaurant business and you used it to get a reservation.” Chaewon’s answer was accompanied by a nod from Yena.

Hyewon just laughed at her friends and waved her hand without saying anything. Soon a man in a black suit with a manager’s name tag greeted Hyewon and bowed politely. He invited Hyewon and the others to follow him to a private room on the 2nd floor.

“Miss Elijah apologizes for not being able to see you in person. Right now she is still having an important meeting in her office. But she has prepared the appetizers and desserts for you and chose the best dishes that Turchese has. If there is anything you want, we will help as long as you and your colleague stay here, Miss Kang.” The restaurant manager smiled warmly and invited them in.

Hyewon signaled the others to sit while she turned to face the manager and the waiters.

“It’s okay. I’m good. Tell her that I’m very grateful for what she did. I’ll enjoy the dinner, Mr. Park. Thank you.”

The restaurant manager bowed and some waiters entered with the appetizers.

“Uwooooohhhh heaven!!” Hyewon said enthusiastically. Her hands moved quickly to take the fork and soon enjoyed the salad.

“It’s delicious.” Minjoo’s eyes widen after tasting a bowl of cream soup and mushroom bread.

“True. Now I’m looking forward to the main course,” said Yuri, also excited.

Unlike the three, Yena and Chaewon looked at Hyewon seriously.

“What?”

“You have a Sugar Mama?” Yena’s question almost made Hyewon choke.

“Yah!! I’m not− I’m the one who’s going to be a Sugar Mama, not a Sugar Baby!!” Hyewon protested.

Chaewon could not help smiling as Hyewon glared at Yena. “Then how did you get this table in such a short time? Who's Miss Elijah?”

“Well... I’m−” Hyewon’s words stopped because of a knock at the door. “Come in.”

“Hey, Hye.” A head with a cute face and a big smile pops up behind the door and makes Hyewon jump from her chair to approach the person.

“ELLIE!! MY ELLIE! LONG TIME NO SEE, BABY!!” Hyewon pulled the girl’s hand in and hugged her tightly.

“Yah! Don’t shout at my restaurant!!” The girl hit Hyewon’s arm and tried to release Hyewon’s arms around her body.

“Can’t help, I miss you…” Hyewon smirked and pulled ‘Ellie’ to near the table. She faced her friends with a big smile.

“Guys, this is Elijah Kang, the chef and the owner of Turchese, my same-aged cousin.” She turned her body back to her cousin. “You must know my friends so I don’t need to introduce them anymore, right?” Hyewon pulled her cousin to sit next to her. The girl bowed and smiled politely at Hyewon’s friends before focusing on her cousin.

“Where is Yujin? You said this dinner to celebrate her birthday.”

“She has her own business. I didn’t even know about it until they told me. I didn’t even get to meet her because Yujin prefers to see a bikini party in Boracay than meet me.”

The girl laughed at Hyewon’s explanation.

“You know Yujin?” Yena asked curiously.

“Of course, I do,” The girl nodded and pointed at Hyewon. “She was so protective of Yujin and asked me to accompany Yujin while she was on vacation in Rome last year.”

“I see,” Yena nodded. “Last year we were busy with Sapphire Crown while Yuri and Minjoo were also busy with their schedules. That’s why none of us could accompany Yujin,” she said, followed by several nods from her friends. “I hope she didn’t give you a hard time. That brat is always up for trouble.”

Hyewon scoffed. “Do you know what Yujin said after spending time with Ellie? She said ‘I like Elijah Kang more than Hellena Kang’. That annoying brat,” she grunted making her cousin laugh.

“So, your surname is Kang?” Yuri asked curiously. “To be honest, I thought Elijah Jovita, the owner of Turchese, was an Italian.”

“I’m a Korean-Japanese-Italian,” answered the girl with a smile that revealed her eye smile.

“Her mother is my father’s sister and her dad is a hafu, half Japanese half Italian,” Hyewon added.

“Do you have a Korean name, Unnie?” Minjoo asked curiously.

“Mina. Kang Mina.” Mina smiled faintly.

“Even your Korean name is suitable as a Japanese name.” Yuri smiled broadly.

“Yeah, my father chose that name because I would follow my mother’s surname.” Mina’s attention returned to her cousin who did not stop tugging at the hem of her shirt. “What?”

“Can you join us this Friday? I still have a free ticket, you can take it.” Hyewon showed the concert tickets on her phone.

“Sorry, I can’t, Hye.” Mina smiled meaningfully and shook her head. “I have something important to do.” Her gaze momentarily switched to her phone when a notification came in.

“Sorry, I can’t be with you guys any longer. I promise I will join you guys next time. For now, please enjoy your time in this place.” Mina looked at the others with a big smile. She stood up from her chair, but Hyewon quickly grabbed her wrist.

“Yah! Dad asked me to come to the company party on the weekend. Will you come? I don’t want to come if there is no one I know.”

“I have a banquet at Derawan, Hye. There will be a bikini party that I can’t miss.” Contrary to her words, Mina actually said it with aegyo.

Hyewon grimaced. “You ert! Are you going with your lover?”

“Of course.”

“Who?”

“Who’s who?”

“Your girlfriend or boyfriend or fiancée. Whatever. Who is it?”

“Tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.” Mina’s response received applause from two couples who had been the audience for the conversation between the cousins.

“Damn it!” Hyewon let go of her grip and waved her hand towards Mina, shooing away her cousin. Mina laughed and waved her hand while stepping back towards the door.

“Cute, and she can handle you so well, Hyewon-ah. I like her,” Yena grinned while nudging Hyewon’s arm.

“Yes, and an easy-going one too. I thought she was younger than me when she came,” said Minjoo as she tasted the cream mushroom fettuccini in front of her. “And also a very talented chef. She’s great. All the food is so great,” Minjoo said with a big smile on her face, satisfied with the food. Next to her, Yuri also nodded enthusiastically.

But Hyewon didn’t listen to them. She walked to the window and looked down. Her eyes narrowed when she saw her cousin walking toward someone who was waiting in the parking lot. Mina gave the girl a big hug and a quick kiss on her lips before getting into the car.

Hyewon snorted when she realized who the girl was. So, the reason why her cousin is so secretive is because her girlfriend is none other than a famous idol in this decade. But a thin smile carved on her lips joined in feeling happy to see the happy expression shown by her cousin.

***

“So, do we need to make a video call with Yujin? Has she arrived in Boracay?” Hyewon asked shortly after the waiters delivered the desserts.

“Not yet, Unnie. Yena Unnie and I dropped her off at the airport and Yujin said that her flight took off at 5 PM. That was two hours ago,” Chaewon answered without taking her eyes off from the desserts. “Really, I’m in heaven.”

“Look, we are talking about An Yujin, the most extraordinary troublemaker ever born into this team. Are you sure she didn’t lie to us? Is she really going to Boracay?” Hyewon asked skeptically, more interested in the panna cotta in front of her while checking the messages on her phone.

“I’m pretty sure she lied. We took her to the airport but of course, none of us really knows where the ticket she has will take her away,” Chaewon answered calmly, making Yena, Yuri, and Minjoo almost choke on their food.

Hyewon laughed amusedly at Chaewon’s answer. “Yah, you knew and you still let her go? What role are you playing right now, Kim Chaewon?”

“The same role that you and Yena Unnie are playing,” Chaewon replied, still calmly. “Pretending you don’t know anything, pretending An Yujin is mature enough to handle her problem, and hoping that Yujin will come back with the answer we’ve been looking for. Just like you, I let Yujin go because I needed an answer, and I wouldn’t get it if I didn’t let her go.”

Hyewon clapped and let out a loud laughter. She reached out her hand to ruffle Chaewon’s hair.

“Kim Chaewon has never disappointed me. You’re always the brain among us.” Hyewon smiled and leaned toward Chaewon. “Do you know what I’m thinking about? Can you guess?” She asked with a defiant smile.

“You’re busy thinking about how to hide your partner from us.” Yena butted in and made Hyewon turn at her.

“Yah! You−” Hyewon stopped and sighed. She had to take a deep breath before continuing, “All right, I still don’t know who my partner is.”

“After all this time?” Yena’s voice went up. “Yah! Kang Hyewon! You almost died five years ago! If it wasn’t for your partner, you wouldn’t be in front of us right now.”

Hyewon narrowed her eyes.

“Me? Almost dead? What do you mean?” She took turns looking at Yena and Chaewon, asking for an explanation, but both of them just shook their heads and looked at Minjoo and Yuri. Hyewon glanced at Minjoo and Yuri, who also looked back at her confusedly.

Hyewon sighed.

“I know we never talk about what happened five years ago. But now, I really want to know the chronology of what happened that night from you guys.”

“Go ahead, but after I leave because I don’t want to talk about it.” Yena wiped her lips with a napkin, clearly disturbed by the topic. She drank her glass of water and prepared to leave the table.

“I risked my life to meet you, Choi Yena. Stay where you are until this conversation is over.”

Hyewon’s words made Yena clench her hands.

“Why would you even want to talk about it? Talking about it won’t change anything. Wonyoung died, you moved to Vienna, and we –the Omega Team split into two. Aren’t those enough to hurt us? Do we really have to recall everything and open the wound?” said Yena, not even trying to hold her emotion. They can see the hurtful expression on her face. Next to her, Yuri quietly held her hand.

“You think I’m doing this because I want it?” Hyewon replied as loud as Yena. “If it’s not because I realized what happened last night, I wouldn’t be here talking about it!”

“What do you mean, Unnie? Weren’t you still in Vienna last night?” Chaewon quickly asked before Yena could retort back. So it wasn’t only her who had caught the oddities of what had happened last night.

Hyewon shook her head. “No, I was in Osaka yesterday.”

Yena huffed but stayed in her seat. “Fine, let’s talk about it."

"What happened to you last night, huh?” Hyewon’s gaze moved from Chaewon to Yena. As they remained silent, Hyewon turned to look at Minjoo and Yuri. “Each of their birthstones was burning and shining last night, am I right?”

Minjoo and Yuri gasped in surprise at the question. Seeing her friends’ reaction, Hyewon knew her guess was right. And now she got nervous, about talking about the important thing they’ve been ignoring.

“Did Yujin know that something would happen if we were in the same room and in the same time zone?” She asked with a small voice.

“Something would have happened only if Wonyoung was here with us. We could create the harmony of energy to open the gate of Astreaia. But now, Wonyoung has gone.” Yena interrupted quickly, surprising them, especially Yuri. All this time, Yena acted like she didn’t know anything, but Yena’s response just now showed her true capabilities. Yena really knows how The Ruler and The Pillar work and of course she understands anything related to it. Secretly, Yuri smiled at Yena’s response. What Yena said made sense but−

“Unnie, why do you always mention Wonyoung’s name in such a way?” Chaewon said sadly, just remembered why they always avoid talking about the incident, because of something like this.

Yena puffed her cheeks in an annoyed expression. “I won’t talk about it if Hyewon didn’t start it.”

Hyewon massaged her temples. For the first time in her life, the various types of food in front of her did not catch her attention.

“I don’t know how to explain this to you guys. But what happened last night made me sure nothing would happen even if Yujin was still with us. Albeit Yena’s right, I know something was off…”

“Unnie, we know that The Pillars are the key to open the Astreaia gate and you know it’s dangerous for us to meet up like this without our Ruler.”

“I know, that’s why I’m back. That’s why I’m saying I’m risking m