Seo Joo Hyun

I wonder what’s with Yong Oppa?! Did he just AGREE to invite his Manager to the Gala? Is he still feeling sick?

“Joo Hyun Eonni, is this you? And oh my God! Is this Min Hyuk Oppa?! Wahahahahahaha!!! SOO JUNG EONNI!!!”, I heard Jin Ri shout from the Pink Room. I debated going back down as I was on my way upstairs to get ready for the Gala, but Mi Young Eonni made my mind up for me.

“Yah, Seo Joo Hyun! Where are you going?! Come on and let’s get your hair and make-up done!”, she insisted.

“But Jin Ri-ah was—”

“Hurry!”, she barked.

“Arasseoyo, Eonni..”, I conceded, continuing my way up the stairs.

As I entered the bedroom, I almost bumped head-first with Yong Oppa if he hadn’t stopped me.

"Whoa! Hyun—”

“Oppa! Where are you going? We need to get dressed for the Gala..”, I exclaimed, reminding him.

“I’m being evicted, Hyun—”

“What—”

“Yah, what are you still doing here?! I told you, you guys are getting dressed in Jung Shin-ie’s room downstairs! I put your tux in there!”, I heard Mi Young Eonni say, as she poked her head out of the walk-in closet/bathroom.

“See..?”, Yong Oppa whispered to me, “I’m going, Noona!”, he said out loud.

“I’m sorry, Oppa—”

“Eihhh! For what, Hyun? I’m glad she’s helping you and Cherisse.. Especially you, Hyun, because you need a lot of HELP, under the eyes there, especially..”, he remarked, pointing where in my face I need help the most.

“I know righ—wait! Yah!”, I exclaimed.

“Just kidding, Hyun! Relax! Your nose is flaring again!”, Yong Oppa claimed, laughing and pointing at my nose, making me strike him with my hand, which he caught.

“Oppa! Cham!”, I complained, holding my nose with one hand, while Yong Oppa still had my other hand and wouldn’t let go.

“JOO HYUN-AH! Whe—”

“Coming, Eonni!”, I called-out, as I made my way to the walk-in closet. Yong Oppa only let my hand go at the last second, when our hands wouldn’t stretch anymore.

Aigoo!

“Yah! Joo Hyun-ah! What took you so long?! You know we have to set up your hair!”, Mi Young Eonni scolded me, while she and Cherisse arranged hair accessories in a row on a makeshift make-up counter.

“Sorry, Eonni..”, I apologized.

“Arasseo, just go and brush your teeth and whatever else you need to do before we start.. And please don’t take too long..”, she reminded me to which I nodded.

When I got out of the bathroom, my gown was on display. It was so beautiful that it almost looked like it’s emitting its own glow. It was a red, off-shoulder, half-sleeved, beaded, A-line long gown.

“Eonni.. This is.. Eonni, it’s—”

“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it..?”, she said breathlessly, as I nodded my absolute approval.

“It’ll even be more gorgeous with YOU in it..”, she added as she turned to me and gave me a hug, while Cherisse watched from the floor where she was sitting, playing with some random things Mi Young Eonni gave her to make her busy.

“Awww.. Thank you, Eonni.. You really are my sister! Plus your taste, as always, is impeccable!”, I complimented her.

“Yah! Is there any doubt?! The sister thing, though.. Results of our DNA test is bound to come out ANY day now—”

“Eonni! Cham—”

“What?! I’m not allowed to make a joke..?”, she asked to which I answered a pout.

“Aigooo.. Of course, we’re sisters.. And you’ll forever be my 1st baby, remember..?”, she added, reminding me of the day after her wedding, before she and Nich Khun Hyungbu left for their honeymoon. I was crying because that was when it hit me and it hit me hard. I knew I’d be seeing less and less of her as she builds a family of her own. No more sleeping in her bed when a nightmare wakes me up in the middle of the night. No more going to the next room to talk to her just about anything because she won’t be there anymore, and no more seeing her around the house as she moves out and into her new house. To pacify me, she promised me that even though I’m the Seo’s maknae, I’ll forever be her first baby.

“I love you, Mi Young Eonni..”, I told her as she cupped my face with her palms.

“I love you, too, my baby Joo-Joo-ie—”

“Jet’aimemommymi..”, we heard Cherisse say as she tugged at our clothes to get our attention.

“What did she say? Did she call you Mommy Mi? Or did she say Ma Mi-Mi..?”, Mi Young Eonni asked as we broke apart and looked down on Cherisse.

“She said she loves us, Eonni, then combined our names, I think..”, I replied uncertain, while Cherisse extended her hands towards me, asking to be picked up.

“Really?! We love you, too, Cherisse! She is so intelligent!!!”, Mi Young Eonni exclaimed flashing her eye-smile at us after giving Cherisse a kiss on the cheek.

“Aigooo, my baby is feeling left-out, huh?! You are so like your Da—cough!—Eonni, Cherisse wants to know where her gown is..”, I said instead, hoping she didn’t notice the way I changed the topic.

Nice save, Seo Joo Hyun! Now let’s see if it will stick.. – Aishhh!

“Oh, of course.. It’s here, sweetie..”, she said, as she took out a small garment bag and opened it.

It did! Merong! – Yah! Cham!

Mi Young Eonni showed us a beautiful, poufy, little dress the same shade of red as my gown. The three of us ooohhhed and aaahhhed to it, then giggled afterwards.

Knock! Knock!

“Yaaa, you haven’t started yet?!”, Yu Ri Eonni exclaimed in dismay the minute she stepped into the bathroom.

“Yah! You’re going to be late! Let’s start now!”, Yoo Na Eonni added, putting down MORE hair accessories on our makeshift make-up table and picking up one of the curling irons.

After 2 hours of arguing, compromising, curling, primping, and buffing, interspersed with a lot of laughing and giggling, my Eonnies were finally done with me and Cherisse.

“Our maknae is so beautiful!!!”, gushed Yoo Na Eonni.

“Of course, she is! She’s a Seo!”, Yu Ri Eonni beamed at me.

“Che-ese!”, we heard Cherisse say from the expensive marble-tiled floor where she was seated, playing with brushes in her fluffy red dress.

“Aigooo! Of course, Cherisse is beautiful, too! Much beautiful than her Mommy, even!”, Mi Young Eonni declared as the three of them bent down and started kissing Cherisse, who giggled, loving the attention my Eonnies were giving her.

Much, MUCH beautiful than me.. DEFINITELY!

“Mi-Mi Eonni, my bruises aren’t showing in this gown! Daebak!”, I observed as I examined my upper arms, the sleeves perfectly covering my healing bruises.

“That’s why I picked that gown.. Oh, Joo Hyun-ie, I can’t wait for them to see you!”, Mi Young Eonni exclaimed, while my two other Eonnies nodded, all three looking so proud of me.

“Thank you so much, Eonnies..”, I said, smiling gratefully at them for loving me and Cherisse, unconditionally.

“Actually, I can’t wait to see your cough! husband’s face when he sees you! I don’t think he’ll be able to take his eyes off you anymore! I wouldn’t be surprised if he suddenly gets down in one knee and pro—”

“Ri-Ri Eonni!”, I protested.

Another false hope.. I have had enough of that to last me a lifetime..

“Yah, Yu Ri-ah! Don’t say things like that! Joo Hyun-ie is still a baby—”

“Eihhh?! Seo Mi Young! Eonni, she’s 30.. She’s not a baby anymore—”

“She even has a baby to take care of now, Eonni—”

“But to me, she’ll always be my baby sister..”, Mi Young Eonni asserted, tears suddenly pooling in her eyes. “She’s the only one left.. I already lost you two and Min Hyuk-ie—”

“Eonni..”, all three of us said simultaneously as Mi Young Eonni burst out crying, shocking us, since she was always composed being the eldest and, to top it off, a ball-busting, no-nonsense lawyer.

“Eonni, you never lost us.. We’re still here, aren’t we?”, Yu Ri Eonni reasoned out, as she hugged Mi Young Eonni.

“And I’ve always thought that we added to our family instead of tearing it apart..”, Yoo Na Eonni added, while Yu Ri Eonni and I nodded our agreement.

“I know.. I felt that way, too when I got married.. But seeing Joo Hyun-ie tonight..”, she trailed off as fresh tears came spilling out.

“Mi-Mi Eonni, you’re going to make me cry and mess my make-up.. I’m not getting married.. I’m just going to a Gala..”, I reminded her, frustrated and sad because I hate seeing anyone of my family cry.

“Not yet, but I know it’s just a matter of time..”, she declared, as Yu Ri Eonni and Yoo Na Eonni wiped her tears away.

“Eihhh?! Mi Young Eonni, I don’t even have a boyfriend!”, I scoffed, looking at her in disbelief.

“As I said, not yet, but it’s just a matter of time..”, she insisted stubbornly.

I was about to argue when the door to the bathroom/walk-in closet suddenly opened.

“Yah! Why are you guys taking so long?! Manager Hyu—”

“Seo Min Hyuk! Don’t you know how to knock?!”, Yu Ri Eonni scolded.

“I’ve been knocking for almost 5 minutes, Noona! And no one’s answering! I thought with all the curlers and blowers you have here, you all got electrocuted and knocked unconscious or something!”, Min Hyuk countered, looking at us with concern.

“Mi Young Noona, are you crying?! What happened?!”, he added, looking at the rest of us quizzically.

“Yah, Min-Min-ah, she cried because of you..”, Yoo Na Eonni said with a straight face, as Yu Ri Eonni nodded, surreptitiously sliding in front of Mi Young Eonni. I just looked down and stayed quiet from behind Yoo Na Eonni.

“Eihhh?! Me?! What did I do?! I just arrived!”, he reasoned-out, looking puzzled and worried because he can’t stand any one of us crying even more than I do.

“She’s still hang up on you getting married..”, Yoo Na Eonni answered sadly. I almost burst out laughing, but Yoo Na Eonni turned around to hug me to cover my laughter, while at the same time, Mi Young Eonni pretended to cry out some more as Yu Ri Eonni hugged her.

“What?! But that was 4 years ago! Mi Young Noona, I tho—”

“Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!”, the four of us bursts out laughing at the sight of him almost in tears and wringing his hands together, looking desperate and sorry.

“YAH!!!! You mean girls!!! If Papa and the Maehyungs were here—”

“They’d probably be laughing at you, too! Hahahahahahaha!”, Yoo Na Eonni finished for him, laughing still.

“Aishhh! Cham!!! Yah! Joo Hyun-ah—whoaaa.. Joo-Joo-ie.. You look—WOW!”, he exclaimed as Yoo Na Eonni finally stepped out of his line of vision and revealed me, his eyes vanishing as it turns into slits, flashing us his eye-smile.

“Do I really look okay, Min-Min-ie?!”, I asked as he was the first guy who saw me in a gown tonight.

He’s my brother, but he’s still, technically, a guy.. Right?!

“Okay?! You look MORE than okay, Joo-Joo-ie! Trust me! Aigooo! Yong Hwa Hyungnim is going to have a hard time tonight..”, he said, smirking, eye-smile still in place.

“And why would he have a hard time tonight?”, I asked, puzzled.

“Are you kidding?! Look at you, Joo Hyun-ah!”, Yu Ri Eonni quipped.

“What?! What about me?!”, I asked again, looking at the mirror, hoping to see what they’re talking about.

“Aigoo! You’re still as clueless as you were in high school—”

Huh?! Clueless?! Again?! I already heard that from Jung Shin-ie! Aishhh!

“Yah! Cham—”

“—Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Yong Hwa Hyungnim is going to have a hard time guarding you from other men, Joo-Joo-ie..”, he stated matter-of-factly as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, while my Eonnies started nodding their heads as they make final tweaks on me.

“What?!”, I blanched, unable to believe what he was saying.

Guarding me from other…men? Yeah, right! I WISH! It’s the other way around, if you ask me.. It’s going to be a long night.. Sighhh..

“Oooh, I’d give anything to see how he’d go about doing it.. I’m so glad I’m done with that and I’m sure Jung Shin-ah would be relieved that he doesn’t have to do it anymore, either.. Time to pass the torch to Yong Hwa Hyungnim!”, he declared, looking so relieved and happy.

Huh?! Go about doing what?! What is he talking about?!

“Yah, Min-Min-ah, what are you sayi—”

“Yaaa.. It’s almost 7pm and you have to drive there! Come on! Let’s go downstairs!”, Yu Ri Eonni cut me off, as she and Yoo Na Eonni took each of Cherisse’s hand and guided her out of the walk-in.

“Would you do us the honor of escorting you down to the foyer, Seo Joo Hyun-ssi?”, Min Hyuk asked, as he and Mi Young Eonni each offered an arm on either side of me, overwhelming me with their infectious SEO eye-smiles that I knew I was donning, too.

“It’ll be my pleasure..”, I answered, as I took each of their arms, while their free hands rested on top of mine.

As we walk out of the room, arm in arm, I realized that my twin said something I couldn’t understand for the first time in our entire lives. I was floored. I was still thinking about what he said when we heard hoots and appreciative applause coming from the foyer, followed by a very loud giggling.

“Cherisse!”, Min Hyuk, Mi Young Eonni, and I all said at once, laughing.

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