Irene is staring at the materials on the countertop, wondering what will happen next. Several steps away from the kitchen, her lover and her lover's mother — em, Wendy and Wendy's mother — are sitting on the sofa while talking.

Maybe Wendy says something funny, and it makes her mother laugh because she now can hear their laughter clearly, which doesn't help her set her mind at rest at all.

Calm down, Bae Joohyun!

The raven haired woman shouts at herself inwardly while grabs a lime. She gazes at it as if someone wrote how to handle the situation on its peels. She's now killing her time by doing nothing — she already put several Martini cups and glasses into the refrigerator to chill them and finished washing the fruits. (Wendy prepared those fruits for her.) It didn't take her much time to finish them and actually, she could choose to leave the kitchen after that. However, she didn't do so because she needed an excuse to not go back to the living room.

Her sleeves were rolled above her elbows before she washed those fruits — she's wearing a white shirt and black jeans. Irene stares at the bottles with liquid on the countertop and starts to count them once again.

When she and Wendy had been on the phone last week, the brunette told her that her mother would cook lunch for them, and Irene suggested that she could make alcoholic drinks which were suitable to drink with those dishes. After Wendy texted her the menu — most of them were Korean dishes while the rest were Western ones — after she hung up, the raven haired woman had a rough plan in her mind. She chose some cocktails which were sweet and fruity and practicing making them for plenty of times when she was free.

She woke up early today because the day she visited Wendy and her mother finally came. The raven haired woman put the bottles she had prepared last night and some bar tools into two large boxes. Since it was hard for her to hold them while walking for a long time, she took a taxi then reached Wendy's place — more accurately, her parents' place. 

When the door was opened, Wendy pointed at the boxes in her hands while giggling, "Are you going to dismantle this house, ma'am?"

"Yah!"

Today, her lover is in her white T-shirt and jeans, which reminds her of the day when they met in the bar for the first time. It's still a bit cold outside, but it's warm inside, which allows her lover to wear T-shirt when she stays indoors. While she sweeps across the countertop, the interaction between she and Wendy earlier also flashes through her mind. Eventually, the muffled sounds in the living room overlaps the conversations with Wendy last week.

"You mean what?" 

Wendy had to take her phone off her ear, "Ma'am, it's gone midnight. Please lower your voice."

She heard the elder woman clear in embarrassment, and she smiled. She had been writing one of her Economics essays while talking on the phone to Irene for half an hour after the latter reached home. A huddle of reference books were on her desk. 

Spring was coming and it was getting warmer, and this was one of the reasons why lots of people have frequently visited bars and pubs at night again — it wasn't that chilly at night anymore, therefore, people were willing to staying at those warm and cozy places for a long time rather than going back to home immediately after finishing their meals. As expected, the bar where Irene has been working in since a few years ago has become very busy lately. Wendy was also in her fourth year. The new semester already started, and she has devoted her energies to dealing with deadlines.

They were unable to see each other as much as before. But they've kept in contact and Irene usually called Wendy after she went back to home around midnight — she wanted to listen to the younger woman talking before she went to sleep. They talked to one another about some random things as usual that night before Wendy finally decided to tell her about this news. 

"But wait, you meant your mom invited me to have a meal with you and her, right? Is this correct? You meant this way, right?"

"You really have so many questions." Wendy couldn't help but laughed, "Yes, that's what I meant. There's nothing serious, I think she just wants to have a meal with you."

But even Wendy herself didn't believe what she just said because there must be a reason behind any of her mom's actions. She stared at her notebook and then she thought of the conversations she had had with her mother yesterday.

Maybe that was the reason, She thought. In that case, the only thing she could do now was comforting Irene. Her mom knew some things about Irene because she has been talking about her lover with her (like her lover's hobbies, favorite food and flowers rather than any of her little secrets), and yes, her lover had visited her for several time in daytime. However, her mother wasn't home when Irene came to their place since she needed to work, and it meant the two women never met before.

"So why? Why did she suddenly want to see me?" Irene sat on the sofa, turning on the television and then muted the sounds. She sometimes felt a bit lonely when she went back to home alone after going off duty. Whenever she got this feeling, she just switched on the TV then muted the sounds like what she had done one minute ago — she already had to hear various noises in the bar for eight hours a day, at least she should be freed from them when she was not working.
 
"Em, maybe," Wendy grabbed her pen, rolling it along the edge of the table, "I don't know. Maybe she met you before, and she suddenly wanted to know if you were doing well, so she just hoped she could see you again and asked you about it. But yeah, you know I'm just joking."

She then heard Irene give a sharp intake of breath, and it seemed that something also dropped on the floor because there was a dull thud.

"Joohyun? Are you okay?"

"Ah, no, em I mean yes, I'm fine." Irene bent to pick up the poor remote that she had accidentally knocked out of the table. She brushed the dust off the machine with her hand, and the dust almost caused her to sneeze.

She never talked to Wendy about meeting her mother at night for once. She was sure Wendy's mother also hoped that the content of their conversations could be a secret and thus she has pretended that she has never met her in private. She also didn't believe Wendy's mother would tell her youngest daughter about it. However, seeing Wendy's assumption was such close to what had happened still made her panic.

The raven haired woman put the remote on the sofa — her right-hand side — and then sighed.

"Should I wear my wig and lens…" Irene's voice suddenly became small, and it sounded like she was talking to herself.

"Then perhaps she won't be able to recognize you." Wendy giggled, "Just wear some causal clothes and light make-up as you usually do when you're not working."

She knew Irene was a bit nervous when she mentioned those wigs and lens. They were like shells, protecting her lover from being swayed or hurt.

"No, but she saw—" Irene stopped talking instantly as she realized that she had almost made a mistake.

"She saw what? She saw you wear wigs?" Wendy raised an eyebrow while staring at the ceiling, "Did she ever come to the bar and order something there? Then you made the drinks for her or?"

Though she thought it was nearly impossible since both of her parents preferred drinking at home rather than in those bars or pubs — they thought that most of them were quite noisy (and she wouldn't deny it).

"No, those things never happened." The raven haired woman bit her bottom lip, wondering how to change the subject.

"Then what are you talking about?" Wendy lifted the eraser to her eyes, noticing the artificial light couldn't penetrate it — she didn't notice it until now because she had never paid attention to it.

"Nothing. I was just a bit nervous."

Neither of them spoke in the next one or two minutes, and Wendy started to wonder if her lover actually fell asleep, so she called her by her name and that was when Irene spoke again. 

"Wendy."

"Em?" She closed her eyes while saying. The way her lover called her never failed to make her happy.

"I can leave your parents' house alive, right?"

"My goddess, you're so funny, Joohyun." Wendy laughed loudly, "Of course you can. You won't see my mom hold a knife or even a gun when you see her."

"Yah, I'm serious! What if she really does it!"

"Okay, you can be serious." The brunette laughed even harder, "You can be serious as much as you want and I never said you couldn't do it."

"You're so annoying, Wendy!"

Wendy hung up soon since she became quite sleepy, and the raven haired woman found she couldn't sleep. She rolled over and propped herself up on the her elbows. Moonlight streamed in through the window, and Irene started to zone out.

It's not that she doesn't like talking to Wendy's mother. She's just been worrying about that she might say something wrong and thus she decided to avoid talking to her as much as she could — she told the female that she needed to do the groundwork first and asked for permission to the kitchen. However, she can't hide in the kitchen forever.

After sighing for god only knows how many times today, she hears footsteps. She looks in the direction where the noises are coming from, and then finds it is Wendy's mother who's waving at her. There is a wide smile on the latter's face.

She bows to the elder female immediately and greets her in a formal way. The latter's smile broadens, and she hugs Irene, "Joohyun ssi, how have you been?" 

"I've, I've been good, thank you." 

For a moment, Irene nearly believes Wendy's mother invited her with the sole purpose of checking if she was okay. However, thinking of the elder female has lived in a western country for decades, Irene believes it's also natural for Wendy's mother to greet her with great enthusiasm — it's just a common courtesy. She doesn't see Wendy's father, and it's possible that he's still in his shop dealing with his clients even though today is Sunday.

"Ah, ma'am, I'll help you prepare lunch." When they apart, Irene almost shouts, "Please let me help you!"

"Thank you so much, Joohyun ssi."

In the next few minutes, the elder female washes her hands in silence while Irene searches for a new subject of conversation. Weather? Fashion? The decoration and furnishings? Or the dishes Wendy's mother are going to cook? 

"And I'll stay at the living room for most of the time because my mom told me she needed some time to talk to you." Wendy sighed, "Sorry."

This is what Wendy told her before she hung up that night. The living room is opposite the kitchen. Wendy can't hear Irene and her mother clearly but she can see what they are doing from there because large part of the first floor is open space.

"No, it's okay." Irene leaned back while saying, "I understand that."

"I know you're shy, and if you really don't know what to say when she's with you, you can just do what you planned to do without talking. She won't force you to talk."

Even though she has been working in a bar for a few years and met countless guests, she still doesn't know how to deal with the woman in front of her. While her mind is still in a mess, she leaps into action and helps the elder female wash the vegetables and fruits.

Thankfully, everything is smooth and soon, Irene regains her composure. She cuts the meat, fish and vegetables into chunks with the elder female, passes her shakers with condiments when she's cooking, tastes the dish with a clean spoon whenever a dish is finished to see if it's bland or too salty. She also doesn't forget to prepare some other materials which will be used for making cocktails later.

Wendy goes to the kitchen from time to time to take the food to the dining room. Every time her lover makes eye contact with her, she smiles and it does comfort Irene. There is a spiral staircase in the middle of this house, and the dining room is separated from the kitchen and the living room by it — the dining room is located at the staircase's left-hand side.

When Wendy's mother starts making Caprese Salad — the last dish, Irene walks towards the kitchen island that is opposite the elder female, and then stops in front of the two boxes which are on the left-hand side of the sink. In this kitchen, the cooking area and the sink are on two different countertops, and there is a shiplap wall behind the cooking area. She opens the boxes, taking some bottles and tools she needs. While the elder female is concentrating on simmering the sauce made by mixing balsamic vinegar with honey, Irene recalls one of the recipes while putting some pineapple, lime juice and falernum into a mixing tin and turns them into a pulp. 

She got some certain brands of liquor and liqueurs from the distributors who have been working with the bar for years. They are hard to be found in supermarkets. She doesn't really rely on them for extra flavors since she doesn't use them frequently, but they do allow her to try new cocktail recipes. Irene then laughs at herself inwardly of thinking about those random things when she's making cocktails — it means she can't totally concentrate on what she is doing. 

The sauce for the salad smells sweet and sour, making her feel a bit hungry. She didn't have breakfast before coming here. While the elder female cuts the mozzarella cheese and tomatoes into slices, Irene transfers certain quantities of Gin, Rhum Agricole Blanc and liqueurs from several jiggers to the tin. Next, she takes the container with a large quantity of ice cubes from the freezer compartment, adding them to the shaker. Wendy also prepared enough ice for her to use last night, which she can't be more grateful for. 

When she shakes the tin, the space is suddenly filled with loud noises. However, it seems that the elder female and Wendy doesn't mind it, and Irene is grateful to them. After finishing shaking the long container, the raven haired woman pours the pulp into three tall chilled sundae glasses, and then keeps crushing the rest of the ice cubes until it's enough for them to top up the glasses.

When Irene almost finishes her work, Wendy's mother says, "You have brilliant bartending skills, Joohyun ssi."

"Thank you so much, ma'am." Irene holds the muddler, smiling shyly.

"These skills are what you can be proud of." The elder female smiles, "Please be more confident about yourself."

Irene thanks the other woman once again. She begins skewering pear, cherry and white grape. At the same time, Wendy's mother turns off the gas, allowing the sauce to cool.

"Do you drink wine?"

"Yes."

"That's good. Then we can drink some ice wine with Wendy later." Wendy's mother smiles softly while looking at Irene, "I have bought those ice wines which are made in Canada after I went back to South Korea. They remind me of the period of time when I lived with my husband and two daughters there. At that time, Wendy and her sister were still two kids."

"I can feel you, ma'am." Irene returns the elder female's smile, "Making cocktails also reminds me of the time I spent with my family in my hometown."

While they are talking, Irene adorns the three glasses with skewers, pineapple staves and paper straws, and the elder female also finishes making the salad. Wendy's mother then calls her youngest daughter, and Wendy runs to the kitchen as fast as she can. The three of them set the table together before they place the rest of the food and drinks on the dining table. Irene and Wendy's mother seat themselves by the window while Wendy sits beside her lover.

As expected, the sweetness of the fruit cocktail makes the Korean dishes taste less spicy. Wendy's mother praises Irene for combining the tastes of the drinks with the dishes. The eldest female also shares how naughty Wendy was when she was a child with the raven haired woman, which makes the brunette complain (and Irene laughs a lot because of these anecdotes). Irene almost forgets what she's here for, just enjoys eating delicious food and drinking. In the middle of having lunch, she also goes to the kitchen twice to make the other cocktails.

After all the cocktails are finished, Wendy's mother opens the chilled ice wine that she kept in the fridge earlier for the three of them, and Irene finds that she loves its sweetness, rich aroma