Eun-ri’s POV

“Hye-rin-isshi, could you please hand me the patient files for Monday’s appointments?” I asked my nurse calmly while sorting through my bag. When I didn’t get a response, I called her name again, but this time loud enough that the entire floor of the hospital could hear me. “Ji Hye-rin!” 

At my sharp tone, the nurse placed her phone down and swiveled around to face me finally. 

“What did we talk about before?” I reminded her sternly.

“A hospital is a hospital, so no personal business during work hours,” she recited, bowing her head down in apology. Then she tried to justify her actions. “I’m sorry, but my boyfriend had some exciting news to tell me, so I—”

I cut her off immediately. “I do not care what you talk to your boyfriend about.” As mere colleagues and not friends, her prattling was trivial to me, especially while we were at work. Furthermore, hearing about other people’s relationships bothered me. I could not comprehend why people would want such a thing that only brought trouble.

“As I was saying, please give me the information for Monday’s appointments so I can leave already,” I reiterated. 

Hye-rin was quick to obey after being chastised the first time. Quietly rifling through the cabinet, she located the correct files and then handed them over to me.

On the weekends, I rarely had appointments, unless it was an emergency. This gave me the time to relax by doing what I wanted in peace. Sometimes, if I felt like it, I would hang out with Seo-yeon or Dong-hyun.

Before going home, I drove over to Seo-yeon’s bar, craving a chilly soda. Being her best friend, I was entitled to get free food from her. 

Just when I was about to park, my phone rang. The caller ID was In-ah’s. What does she want at a time like this?

When I first met In-ah, I found her to be a very respectable woman who was confident and smart. It was pleasant to meet someone else with similar tastes as I do. Seo-yeon had always nagged at me to socialize more, so she had been glad when I had befriended In-ah.

In-ah spoke up brightly when I accepted her call. “Eun-ri-isshi! How are you? It’s been a while since we last talked.”

“Ah, it’s lovely to hear from you again, In-ah-isshi! Yes, I’m doing well.” After getting those typical pleasantries out of the way, I asked, “Anyway, is there a particular reason as to why you’re calling?”

“Well, I wanted to see if you were free tomorrow for Saturday night,” she said, her excitement building with how her voice rose in volume. “I’m having a small house party, and I was hoping you could come. Do feel free to bring your friends, too! I won't mind.”

Not wanting to refuse such a kind invitation, I politely told her, “Thank you for inviting me, In-ah-isshi. I will let you know if I can make it.” 

We hung up shortly after that, so I returned to what I was initially doing. I walked into the bar and sat down at my usual spot. Seo-yeon immediately swept by with my soda and food. 

Seo-yeon took a seat next to me and scrutinized my face. “Why the confused look on your face? Omo, did someone finally propose to you?!”

“What? No way!” I scoffed at her. “As if that’ll ever happen. Keep dreaming.” Shaking my head, I dismissed her silly notions and instead moved on to a different topic.

“Anyway, you remember In-ah, right? The professor at Hallym University who has a mysterious relationship with GOT7? Well, she just invited me to her house party tomorrow night. And she was nice enough to extend the invitation to some of my friends.” 

In contrast to my nonchalant attitude, Seo-yeon was over the moon, which was expected for someone who lived for parties. Like a spoiled kid, she began to beg insistently, “OMO! Rinnie! We have to go! Pleeeeease?”

I cringed, rejecting the idea right away. “What? Absolutely not! There’s no point in going to a party with a bunch of random people. Plus, you have a business to run.” That last part was true. I knew how busy her bar got during the weekends.

My friend was not dissuaded the slightest. She countered, “Aiya, it’s fine. The others can handle it—they’re well-trained. Besides, it’s just for the night.” She leaned toward me as she unleashed the full force of her efforts to convince me to go. “Come on! Please? Let’s go together! Think about it—it’ll probably be my only chance to meet GOT7. Look, if you’re worried, we can take Dong-hyun oppa with us for extra protection. And if you feel as if you had enough at any time, we can leave right away. Alright?”

I twitched uncomfortably at the prospect of going, but how could I deny Seo-yeon like this? “Ughhh… Fine, you win. I’ll call In-ah and let her know we’re coming.” 

Rolling my eyes, I took out my phone to do just that.

Jae-beom’s POV
“Thank you, Jin-young-ah, for helping us cook everything,” In-ah said, her eyes bright with profuse delight and relief. 

I whipped around her way, peeved for the lack of recognition on my part. “Hey! What about me? I helped, too, you know!”

She nodded in agreement, smiling as she continued, “Of course. I was going to thank you, too, Jae-beom.”

“Wait. Hold up! That’s not right! You should be thanking your boyfriend first!” Jackson exclaimed, glancing at In-ah in mock anguish from where he was at the sink washing dishes. The three of us stared at him.

“You, sir, will have to be patient. You’ll get your gratitude in another way later.” To cement her promise, In-ah went over to Jackson and pecked his cheek. After a few years of dating, our group was used to their displays of affection. We even teased them about it now and then.

“Anyway, finish up the last bit of preparations, okay? In the meantime, Jin-young and I are going to check on the others before the guests come.” 
                                           ********
“Yah! Jae-beom-isshi, great party! Thank you for inviting us!” Hyun-woo said, beaming. Hyun-woo was a friend of In-ah’s—a good guy who helped her get through some tough ordeals when she first came to Korea.

A lot of people showed up: some of them were In-ah’s colleagues whom we’ve met before, while the others were people associated with Jin-young through his drama. And, of course, close friends of each of the members have also made an appearance.

On the other hand, I was indifferent toward partying. Usually, I minimized my interactions with crowds unless it was essential to do so. 

The doorbell rang, catching my attention. Who could it be? Practically everyone In-ah had invited were already here.

Since I was nearest the door, I reached it first and thought nothing of it when I swung it open.

I came face-to-face with a familiar frosty stare, one that was full of attitude and sassy comebacks. To the left of this person was the guy I remembered running into at the airport. Was she attached to the hip with her boyfriend or something? They always seemed to be together. Meanwhile, to the right, there was a girl I didn’t know; however, I did know that look in her eyes. She was a starstruck fangirl.

Caught unaware, I awkwardly stared at the newly arrived guests, wondering why In-ah had invited that woman of all people. I was saved when In-ah hurried to the door to greet them. 

“Eun-ri-isshi, you made it! And you brought guests, too!” Like a good hostess, In-ah cheerfully beckoned them inside and introduced herself to the ones her friend had brought along. 

The guy spoke up first in a friendly manner. “Nice to officially meet you, and thank you for inviting us! I’m Go Dong-hyun. Apparently, we bumped into each other at the airport?” 

Shaking his hand, In-ah confirmed his suspicion. Then Dong-hyun stuck his hand out toward me.

My mind was still bothered by the fact that In-ah had invited Eun-ri and her boyfriend. And why did she do it? I needed to interrogate her about this later.

Done with all the introductions, In-ah kindly showed them around and helped them mingle. As for me, I escaped the noisy crowds by discreetly slipping into the kitchen. Moments later, someone else sauntered into the kitchen, and I glanced up to see Eun-ri’s trademark icy, unimpressed glare.

“So, enjoying the party?” I asked nonchalantly. I could tell she wasn’t the least bit interested. Probably came out of common courtesy.

“Yeah, it’s so fun, I could rave about it all day,” she fired back. “I just came to grab a soda.” 

Her surliness made me scoff. What was her problem? Couldn’t she be polite out of common courtesy? Then I told myself to cool it. There was no point in starting an argument with her. Shrugging offhandedly, I returned to my phone and drink.

Eun-ri turned to leave, but then that crazy fangirl from earlier popped into the kitchen, blocking the way.

“Hi! You’re JB! My name is Go Seo-yeon, Eun-ri’s best friend and Go Dong-hyun’s sister. I’m such a huge fan! It’s all because you and your girlfriend invited us that I got to meet you! So, thank you very much!” Exuberant, the poor girl scrambled to speak her mind in one breath.

“Thank you for your support,” I replied, well-mannered. But then her last statement confused me, so I hurried to correct, “In-ah is not my girlfriend. She’s like a sister to me and the other members. To be precise, she is Jackson’s girlfriend, but please don’t leak her name to the public. She’s quite reserved.” 

“Aiya, no worries, JB-isshi. I won’t tell anyone. Right, Rinnie?” Seo-yeon turned to her friend, looking for confirmation. 

Eun-ri rolled her eyes. Her tone was flat with disinterest as she pointed out, “Like it’s any of my business to gossip about other people.” 

Then more people appeared in the kitchen. It was none other than the younger members. 

“Hyung, what are you doing here? Come on out and mingle!” BamBam, the social butterfly, said while getting something out of the refrigerator. 

“Hyung, is this the woman we met at the airport? Care to introduce us?” Young-jae asked. 

I was about to swat him in the stomach until I was cut off by Seo-yeon. 

“Hello!” she chirped. “I am Go Seo-yeon, a huge fan, and this is Han Eun-ri. She’s been acquainted with JB-isshi many times!” 

I saw Eun-ri give Seo-yeon an incredulous ‘what are you saying’ look. But since the younger members were looking at her, she straightened up and curtly said, “Hello, I am Dr. Han Eun-ri. Sorry for the trouble. We are leaving now.” After bowing once, she left the kitchen with her friend. 

How could a doctor like her be so introverted? Her personality was all sharp angles one second but then soft curves the next. The curious part of me wanted to see how we were different yet cut from the same cloth.

“Hyung, did we scare her off?” Yu-gyeom, the sunshine boy, asked with concern. 

“No, Gyeommie,” I assured him. “She’s just like that. Don’t worry about her.”

After that, I led them out of the kitchen, citing the excuse that we should find the others to see what they were doing.

When I found In-ah and Jackson, who were talking with Hyun-woo, I dragged In-ah off to the side. 

“Is there a reason why you invited Eun-ri?” I prodded.

In-ah raised a mocking brow. “Just for fun. What else could it be?”

Unconvinced, I hardened my tone into something stern. “Listen, In-ah, I love you like a sister, a friend, and a fan, but please do not meddle. If you’re trying to play matchmaker, it won’t work. Ever. Not when it’s me and her. So, please forget about it.” 

She sighed and gave up the act. “Alright, fine. I’ll give up. It’s such a shame, though. The two of you seemed good together. But, yeah, I won’t meddle anymore. For now, let’s enjoy ourselves!” She pulled me into a friendly side hug and forced me to join the crowd.