The rest of the week seemed to go by in a flash, and to everyone’s dismay, it would soon be time for the girls to go back to Korea. Despite many tries, Eunjung hadn’t succeeded in getting Jiyeon to open up to her though. Every time she suggested they should go somewhere private to talk things out, Jiyeon had told her she wasn’t ready yet.

Now their stay here was coming to an end, and Eunjung was certain they weren’t going to sort things out now. She had tried to enjoy herself anyway, but she still had that sour feeling at the back of her mind.

The day before their departure, Eunjung decided to surprise her parents, who were very fond of the girls, and visit their restaurant with her friends. Everyone was very excited to see the new place and meet Eunjung’s parents again.

Her mother had been like a surrogate mom to them back in the days, always caring for them, giving good advice, and even scolding them when necessary. A very strong bond had been created between Mama Ham and the T-ara members, and Eunjung couldn’t wait to see her mom’s reaction when meeting her ‘other daughters’ again.

She had called her a day before, casually asking for that a nice table for 6 be booked for the next day.

“6? Who are you eating with?” Her mother had asked suspiciously. It was unusual for her daughter to bring other people around, let alone so many.

“Ah, just some friends eomma, you’ll see tomorrow okay?”

“I’m booking a table for 12.30 but I’m warning you, if you’re late this time, I’ll give your table away. The restaurant is always packed on Saturdays. We can’t lose clients! Understood?”

“Aish! Fine mom, we’ll be right on time. I gotta go now. Bye and I love you!”

The girls had spent extra time on their makeup and outfits since they wanted to look pretty for Eunjung’s parents. Just before getting into the van, they were all gathered in front of the gigantic mirror in the hallway, fixing their bangs and applying the last touches of mascara to look perfect.

“I’m so nervous to see your mom,” Jiyeon admitted quietly to Eunjung, who was standing right next to her.

Eunjung was surprised by this shy admission and turned to the maknae with an amused smile.

“Nervous? Why? It’s not like you.”

“I know, but it’s been so long... Does she know... anything?” Jiyeon asked shyly, low enough so only Eunjung could hear.

Eunjung was tempter to pretend she didn’t know what she was talking about. It’s not like they had talked openly about the situation anyway. They hadn’t even alluded to Eunjung’s past confession once. But seeing the youngest so nervous and shy, she didn’t want to be harsh on her

“She doesn’t know anything, don’t worry.... But then again, neither do I.” She still added, trying not to sound too accusing.

“Will you stop it, already? I said we’d talk, and we will, okay?”

“Yeah, when? Because this is your last day here, and we probably won’t be seeing each other before quite some time...” Eunjung whispered furiously, finally losing her temper when she realized Jiyeon was once again trying to escape this conversation.

“It’s not easy for me to...”

“Hey, guys, we should get going! Your mom’s gonna kill us if we arrive late, Jungie.” Soyeon said.

Eunjung sighed dejectedly and shook her head, looking pointedly at Jiyeon.

“Yeah, let’s get going.”

They had decided to take Eunjung’s Mercedes SUV rather than call for a chauffeur as they would normally do. The ride, as usual, was noisy and animated. Eunjung was driving, and Hyomin had instantly taken the passenger’s seat and started playing their old albums on the car radio.

They had started a spontaneous karaoke session in the car, reminiscing of their time on stage all together. Jiyeon was sitting on the back seat and was keeping quiet mostly, which no one seemed to notice. Boram alternated between fanchants and asking “Are we there yet?” like a two year-old. Soyeon, who hadn’t sung for a while and was obviously missing it a lot, was demonstrating her vocal prowess by performing the highest notes right into Qri’s ears.

“I swear, I’m gonna be deaf when I get out of this car,” Qri whined, trying to plug her index fingers in her ears.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they were amazed by the cute and cozy little place, just by the ocean.

“Oww, this looks so beautiful!”

“I know, right? When we bought it, the building was almost in ruins. We worked here every day to renovate it... I really wanted them to have a nice place, and feel as much at home as possible.”

“Well, that’s amazing, unnie. They must be really proud of you,” Hyomin said, linking arms with Eunjung. The group climbed the stairs excitedly, and let Eunjung enter first.

“Ah, there you are,” her mother said as soon as she spotted her daughter at the door.

She came to greet her and stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed the bunch of giggling girls right behind her.

“Eomoni, surprise!”

All girls shouted happily while clapping their hands, startling a lot of customers in the way.

“What?... I can’t believe it! What are you all doing here?” Eunjung’s mother yelped, while pressing a hand against her heart in shock.

“They came to visit for a week and since they’re leaving tomorrow, I wanted you to see them at least once.” Eunjung explained, throwing her arm around her mother’s neck affectionately.

“What? Only a week and they’re leaving tomorrow? You should have come before! Aish, my daughter is such a pabo sometimes!” Mama Ham scolded and pulled Eunjung’s ear.

Then she turned to the girls to get a proper look at them.

“Annyeonghasseyo!” all five girls bowed respectfully for a proper greeting.

“No need to be so formal, come give eomoni a hug!”

“Wow, omma! You’re really adjusting to the American life, right?” Eunjung teased playfully.

Her mother shook her head disapprovingly at her, then held out her arms to hug each girl.

“Look at you, you’ve turned into such beautiful ladies...” She said proudly.

“Thank you eomma. Your restaurant is beautiful!” Hyomin said sincerely.

“We’re trying to survive to the life here, since we had to give everything up to follow this brat here!”

“Ahah, very funny omma....”

“Eunjung-ah, go sit to your table with your friends, I’ll call your father.”

Eunjung nodded and smiled at her excited friends, leading them to a nice table by the window.

Here, they had a wonderful view on the beach and were not too exposed to the other customers’ questioning stares, or even for some, annoying pictures.

Boram sat between Qri and Hyomin, facing Eunjung, Soyeon and Jiyeon. The latter, who hadn’t been very talkative so far, leant close to Soyeon and whispered something to her ear. Soyeon just nodded, and swapped seats with Jiyeon without a word.

Eunjung turned to the maknae, lifting a questioning brow, to which Jiyeon answered by sticking her tongue at her playfully. Eunjung just shook her head incredulously, definitely puzzled by the maknae’s ever changing behaviour.

“Oh, here they are!” they heard; and turned to the man who was happily approaching their table with a huge smile on his face.

They all got up and bowed low to great Eunjung’s father.

“Annyeonghasseyo abeoji!”

“Ah, annyeonghasseyo! Thank you for coming!” he said and warmly shook hands with each one of them.

“Please sit down and get comfortable, I’ll bring you food and drinks quickly.”

Soon, Eunjung’s mom came to sit down with them, and they all enjoyed a delicious traditional Korean meal together, happily sharing stories and anecdotes from the past.

In the middle of a conversation, Eunjung’s mom turned to her.

“Why didn’t you bring Jamie along? You shouldn’t neglect her because your friends are here! Women get jealous all the time.”

Eunjung shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“Yes, mom, I know that... I’m a woman too, in case you didn’t know. Jamie is filming on location in Vancouver.”

“Eomoni, if you don’t mind me saying, I think Eunjung is really lucky to have you and abeoji’s support. It’s admirable that you are both so open,” Soyeon said with sincerity.

Eunjung’s mother smiled warmly at her daughter.

“We had some struggles at first... but I should have figured out long ago... Eunjung is so manly!” She added mischievously, making the whole table burst into laughter.

“Mom, stop saying I’m manly! People tell me I’m cute and girly all the time!” She argued defensively.

“Ahah, if you say so... In all honesty, I am happy for her. This Jamie is a sweet and respectful girl, and I couldn’t think of a better person for my daughter,” she added seriously squeezing Eunjung’s hand affectionately.

“Aish, I’m gonna cry,” Hyomin whined, shaking her hand in front of her watering eyes.

“Yes! To our Jungie and may she be very happy with her girl,” Soyeon said, raising her glass.

Everyone nodded and approved, raising their glasses as well.

Eunjung’s mom noticed that Jiyeon, however, had kept quiet and was staring at her plate with unusual fascination.

“And what do you think about Eunjung’s girlfriend, Jiyeonnie? I don’t think I heard the sound of your voice today.” she asked curiously to draw the girl’s attention.

Startled, Jiyeon looked up and suddenly felt mortified. She knew her attitude was rude and she desperately wanted to behave nicely in front of Eunjung’s mother.

“Sh... she’s a very nice... person,” she admitted. “If Eunjung is happy, then it’s all that matters...”

Eunjung was moved by this sudden admission, and discreetly squeezed Jiyeon’s knee under the table. She was about to withdraw her hand when she felt fingers tighten around hers.

Surprised, she looked at Jiyeon questioningly, to be met with big, pleading eyes filled with sadness and sincerity.

She felt her heart beat faster and kept her hand safely in place, linking her fingers with Jiyeon’s under the table.

“Are you still seeing this handsome boy?” Eunjung’s mom asked the younger girl.

“Hu... yes, we are still together...” She answered without much enthusiasm.

“... So? Should we order dessert?” Eunjung asked suddenly, desperate to change the subject.

When it was time to leave the restaurant, everyone got a little teary and promised to come back quickly. Eunjung’s father came to say goodbye, and again thanked her daughter’s friends for their visit. As for Eunjung’s mom, she hugged them all tightly, providing one of her trademark customized advice to each one of them.

“You should eat more, you are all skin and bones!” she said while pinching Boram’s cheek.

“Take good care of your baby and husband,” was Soyeon’s mission.

“I wish Eunjung would dress more like an elegant woman. Go shopping with her next time,” she requested, patting Qri’s .

As for Hyomin’s advice; “Hyomin-ah, be careful of your ankles, these shoes are too high!”

When it was Jiyeon’s turn though, she took her hands in hers and looked into her eyes with sincerity.

“Jiyeonnie... please take care of yourself. And remember that nothing is impossible for those who are ready to fight...”

At this, Jiyeon could only nod, too stunned to answer. What could she mean by that? She glanced at Eunjung quickly, who was talking to Boram, then turned back to Eunjung’s mother.

The latter gave her a knowing look and added “I’m sure you understand what I’m saying.”

When they finally got back to the parking lot, Jiyeon insisted on taking the passenger’s seat.

She searched for Eunjung’s eyes while everyone was hopping in the car.

When she finally turned to her, Jiyeon reached for her hand and smiled at her, the most honest and loving smile she had given anyone in a long while.

Taken aback, Eunjung grinned in return and titled her head to the side.

“What?” She asked while buckling her seatbelt.

“I think we should talk tonight.” Jiyeon simply said.

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Here's a brand new chapie just before the weekend^^  I hope you like it! It's now the end of the week and things are about to speed up a little. Stay tuned for the next chapter

Cheers :)