“When did you get dogs?” Soojin asks as leans over the arm of the couch. 

In the kitchen, Shuhua shrugs, “We adopted them-,” she ticks off on her fingers, “-saⁿ, sì…gō͘…? Five?” Her voice is doubtful. “Five weeks ago,” she repeats, only marginally more certain.

With a frown identical to Shuhua, Soojin challenges, “How do you not know?” 

Shuhua pokes her tongue out of the corner of , “It was…” Her focus wanes, drawn to the sizzling pancake as she lifts it from the pan like she’s a neurosurgeon and the kitchen is her OR, “A surprise. Nicha got them as a surprise. Every Monday, after our visit to the shelter, Miyeon and I would tell her about every new animal we saw. I guess she finally caught on.” Sniffling the bottom of the pancake, it’s outer layer looking a tad darker than the recommended golden brown, she grimaces, “Will this be edible?”

“Probably not.”

Wide eyed, Shuhua panics, “Prob- why not!?” 

“I’m joking, Shuhua,” Soojin says as she rolls her eyes. Resting her chin on her folded arms, she urges Shuhua to continue, “So basically you two manipulated a billionaire into getting two dogs?” Her expression is dubious. 

“Should I throw it out?” Shuhua ponders aloud as she continues to examine the half charred, half uncooked chocolate chip pancake. Her eyes drift to the growing pile of half cooked goo already in the trash. 

“Just flip it. I’m sure it’s edible.” 

“Edible…” the voice trails off as Shuhua does as she’s told, smacking the uncooked side down into the pan. It pops and sizzles, “Nini isn’t a billionaire.” Prodding the pancake with the spatula, Shuhua frowns, “Her parents are billionaires.”

“So not a billionaire, she’s a…” Soojin waits for Shuhua to fill in the blank. 

“Just a multi-millionaire.” This time, when Shuhua lifts the pancake, it’s still gooey, “They moved to New York when I was…” She sets the pancake on a clean plate before counting the years under her breath, “Fourteen American years.” After she ladles out a new pancake, she tacks on, “She wanted to show Miyeon that she could take care of them. You know, like Papa Smurf said ‘ provide for her and make babies’ .”  

Soojin’s lips curl down in an overly pronounced frown. “Right… So they moved to New York, broke and busted, to work their way from the bottom up, to now be multi-millionaires who-,” she pauses, “-want to make babies?”

“No,” Shuhua deadpans. The contents of the pan sizzles away. “That’s…” Turning off the burner, Shuhua appears genuinely dispirited, “It isn’t that simple.” 

Nails digging into the upholstery, Soojin bites back her retort. 

Minutes pass in silence before Shuhua resumes, “It would never be safe for them to do that. To be broke and busted.” Her voice is faint and marked with concern. As her eyes trace upward to meet Soojin’s, Shuhua dolefully adds, “As long as there’s wealth in her family, Nini will always have to be careful. No matter how independent she wants to be or how normal she wants life to be for Miyeon and their future children. It isn’t money that makes people funny, but it shows the funny things that are already inside people.”

Padding into the kitchen, Soojin reignites the gas burner. When the batter turns golden brown, she flips the impromptu dinner with practiced ease. 

“Soojin...?” Shuhua peters off curiously.

Ignoring Shuhua, Soojin ladles out two additional spoonfuls onto the pan. Only when the batter is gone, the stack of pancakes seven high, does she speak. “Is that why you have Ren?” Setting down the spatula, Soojin doesn’t lift her gaze from the stove, “Because you always have to be careful? Of people who do funny things?”

Leaning against the counter, Shuhua nods. It’s slow, like her thoughts are sluggish or perhaps elsewhere. “We don’t choose the circumstances we’re born into. If we search for cruelty in it, we find cruelty. If we search for good in it, we find good. Mama says there’s a skeleton in every house. We either hide it, or we discover how we can grow wise from it.” 

“So Ren is your skeleton?” Soojin teases as she backs away from the stove, plate of pancakes in hand.

“My-, yah! Ren is not a skeleton!” 

Setting the pancakes down on the island, Soojin motions for Shuhua to sit beside her, “Where does he go when you’re here?” She twirls her fork in lazy circles. 

“He waits downstairs,” Shuhua eyes the stack of pancakes with excitement. “Thank you for the food!” She cheers, smacking her palms together in thanks. 

“And that’s safe enough?” With a furrowed brow, Soojin skeptically asks, “Aren’t there like a dozen ways someone could break in here without him seeing?”

Hunched over her pancake, Shuhua mumbles a string of words that become lost in the syrup. 

“Shuhua?” The tone is filled with suspicion, as if Soojin is aware she will not like the answer Shuhua gives, but asks regardless. 

“They might have-,” Shuhua gags on the mouthful of pancakes, hands frantically waving as she reaches for the nearest thing to drink. 

With a sigh, Soojin takes the bottle of syrup away, replacing it with a glass of water. 

“Thanks babe,” a cough lingers but it doesn’t dispel the cheeky grin of Shuhua’s lips. Only when the water is gone does her smile fade. “They might have installed cameras in the hall and-,” she coughs again, “-stuff. Nothing invasive, I promise!”

“How long?” Soojin asks as she absently wipes at the crumbs lingering on Shuhua’s cheek. “How long have the cameras been there?” She clarifies. 

“The second time?” 

Soojin hands back the bottle of syrup. “The second time you came here?” 

Hesitant, Shuhua nods. “It.. ugh… Well, the second time I stayed for longer than to walk you to your door.” She scratches nervously at her cheek, “It draws attention, the longer he waits for me. Especially when it’s the same place.” 

Turning to her own pancakes, Soojin agrees. “That would be weird.” She takes a bite. “Wait- how did I never notice him?” 

Drowning her pancake in syrup, Shuhua drops her tone to a cryptic whisper, “Because he’s a ninja .”

“So you and y Eyes aren’t fighting anymore?” 

Soojin rolls her eyes. “Why do you think I’m always fighting with people?”

“Because your secret life motto is conceal, don’t feel?” Lisa is halfway across the room by the time she finishes her sentence. The pirouette she executes is flawless with a dab at the end that is ill-fit for the classical grace of ballet, “Let it go, let it go!”  

“You’re ridiculous. I’m… getting better,” Soojin grumbles as she gathers her things. Checking the lid of her water bottle, she changes subjects, “We still on for lunch on Thursday?”

The way Lisa bats her lashes is suggestive and inappropriate for confirming lunch plans. “Oh, to discuss all the juicy details of your torrid, foreign love affair? Of course! Soyeon and I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

“I’m leaving now.”

Waving manically from the center of the room, Lisa yells, “Tell y Eyes I say hi!”

Soojin punches the elevator call button. All the way down she grumbles to the elevator walls. “Why are my friends so… weird?” She says aloud as the doors open to the lobby. Caught in her own world, she walks right by Ren.

“Ms. Seo?” He calls out. His voice is soft around the edges with the deep rich notes that make for the perfect story teller. 

“Huh?” Soojin falters at the unexpected interruption, “Ren?” His name sounds wobbly off her tongue. Formally, it’s the first time they’ve spoken. “Oh. What are you doing here?” Her eyes dart about the lobby, “Is Shuhua okay?”

“She’s fine,” he reassures. Sinking into a deep, formal bow, he continues, “She asked me to bring you somewhere.”

“Now?” It’s only half past three and Soojin’s skin is uncomfortably tacky. The air conditioning in the studio conveniently broke last week and today is an unseasonably hot day. 

As if sensing her internal plight, Ren shakes his head, “I’m to take you to your apartment first so you may get ready.” Extending his hand, he asks, “Would you like me to carry your bag?”

“I-uh-bag?” 

“Yes, your bag,” his chuckle fills the lobby, “May I?” 

“I thought bodyguards couldn’t laugh.” The comment slips out absently as Soojin hands over her bag, “Oh. . I’m-”

With a glimmer in his eye, Ren winks, “I won’t tell if you don’t.” He leads Soojin to the vehicle parkade on the lower level. Like Miyeon’s, the vehicle Ren opens the door for is an SUV with out windows. 

“Isn’t this sort of stereotypical?” Soojin asks when Ren slips into the driver’s seat. “The black SUV with the out windows?”

Navigating out of the parkade, Ren agrees, “It is. But statistically, black cars are among the highest numbers sold.” 

“Right.” The bobbing of her head is passionate and borders on thoughtful agreement. As if, in her spare time, Soojin enjoys perusing newly released statistical data on motor vehicles and running the numbers ‘just to be sure’. 

“Plus, periwinkle is too noticeable a colour for a bulletproof vehicle.”

When they arrive at the apartment, Ren tells Soojin to take her time. He also suggests she wear the white summer dress with pagoda sleeves. He insists it’s Shuhua’s words, not his. 

Back in the vehicle and ten minutes into the drive, Soojin asks, “Are you allowed to tell me where we’re going?” 

“No, ma’am.”

“Ma’am?” A pout crosses her lips as Soojin sinks into the comfortably cool leather seat, “I’m twenty-three, not forty.” 

“Old habit,” he says apologetically while navigating the vehicle. Outside, the traffic is beginning to grow congested. “How would you like me to address you?”

“Just Soojin.” After a moment Soojin adds, “What do you call Shuhua?”

“Well, Just Soojin, if you must know I call her-,” he pauses to present his identification to the guard shack attendant of the underground parkade he pulls into, “-Little Rabbit.”

Soojin gapes.

“You don’t believe me,” Ren states as he parks and exits the vehicle. Walking around to open Soojin’s door, he continues with a straight face, “Do you?”

“Well, I mean-,” as she gets out of the car, Soojin sputters, “It just seems… Is it a codename? It’s definitely a codename. Ren? Ren?!” She calls as she trails after him, his rich laughter bouncing off the walls off the parkade.

“No need to pout, Just Soojin.” 

Eyes fixated on the doors of the elevator, Soojin only pouts more. 

The elevator they enter climbs, skipping floors one through seven to stop on eight. “Brace yourself,” Ren whispers out of the corner of his lips moments before the metal doors open. 

“What do you mea-.” Before Soojin can finish, she’s pulled into a crushing embrace. 

“Oh my God!” The sound of Emma’s squeals is deafening, “Soojin! You’re here!” Her eyes gleam as she steps back, hands reaching to clasp both of Soojin’s hands. “Like really really here! Shuhua! Soojin’s here!”

The shouts go unan