"Are you expecting anyone?" she asked, eyeing me curiously.
I glanced at her, trying to hide my smile. "Yeah… my fanbase. They're coming, and I forgot to mention it."
She rolled her eyes. "Why can't you just say no?" she said, standing up.
I shrugged. "I learn from the best."
We shared a brief look before she grinned. "Maybe it's Aunt," she mused. "Maybe she misses you."
I rolled my eyes, already heading for the kitchen. "I'll be in the kitchen arranging the pots for lunch and dinner. I don't want to see your aunt."
Her laughter echoed behind me as I left, a smile tugging at my lips.
Then, the knock continued.
"Aunt, I'm coming! Hold your horses!" I called out, the teasing tone in my voice.
I opened the door quickly, only to freeze when I saw who stood on the other side.
"Soheon, what's wrong?" Yuna asked, her voice light with amusement. "Aren't you happy to see me? Why the face?"
"No, no… it's not like that," I quickly recovered, pulling her into a hug. "But you should've called first."
"Do I need to call before I visit my best friend's house?" she teased, looking up at me with that familiar mischievous grin.
"No, no… but right now, I'm kinda hiding your crush," I thought, shifting my gaze briefly to Sofia.
"And this is Sofia… wow, you brought a friend along," I said, trying to keep my composure.
"Hi, Soheon. I've heard a lot about you," Sofia said with a warm smile.
I raised an eyebrow. "What have you heard? The good stuff?"
"Yeah, the good stuff," she replied, still smiling.
"So… can we come in?" Yuna asked, nudging me aside.
"Yeah, sure. Do I have a choice?" I smirked, stepping back.
"Nope," she grinned, and with a playful shove, they both stepped inside.
I looked around, relieved to see that Minho wasn't in the sitting room.
"What are you looking around for?" Yuna and Sofia asked, voices in perfect sync.
"Oh, nothing," I said, quickly sitting down.
"So, where did you find Sofia?" I asked, hoping to distract myself.
"Oh, we met at a fashion store. We just clicked," Yuna said, waving a hand dismissively. "She's also concerned about Minho… she's a fan too."
"Ohhh," I said, pretending to be impressed.
"Not like some people," Yuna teased, her gaze flickering toward me.
"I do care—really care—about finding Minho," I defended,
"No, you don't," Yuna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You only care about the reward money."
"Isn't it the same thing?" I shot back, raising an eyebrow.
"No, it's not!" Yuna and Sofia exclaimed in unison. We all burst into laughter.
"See, I knew you'd like her. She's okay," I said, forgetting for a moment about Minho in the kitchen.
"So, Soheon… what did you cook? We're starving; we haven't eaten yet," Yuna said, standing up and heading toward the kitchen.
"Until I see you, I won't eat," she added, her playful tone making me chuckle.
"Aww," I said, but quickly blocked her. "No, no. I haven't cooked yet. Let's just order takeout."
"No way. Takeout's too greasy—it'll make me fat. And you know I might be the next idol," she replied, her tone mock-serious.
I laughed. "Okay, fine. Go sit with Sofia, and I'll make something. Deal?"
"Deal," she agreed with a smile.
She headed back to the living room, and I quickly made my way to the kitchen—only to find Minho chopping vegetables.
"Stop! Stop! Don't do it!" I exclaimed, rushing forward.
Minho glanced up at me. "Are you done talking to your aunt?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"It's not my aunt... it's Yuna," I corrected him.
"Like… your biggest fan Yuna? Your… wife Yuna? What am I supposed to do?" He looked around, panicking.
"Hide. There's nowhere to hide here," he muttered, glancing nervously over his shoulder.
"Where's Soheon?" Sofia asked from the doorway.
"She went to prepare something for us to eat and asked us to help her," I answered quickly.
"Ohh…" Sofia said, standing up. "Let's go help her."
We all headed to the kitchen—and that's when I saw it.
Soheon was practically pushing Minho out of the kitchen.
"Would you… go and hide?" she whispered urgently.
"Hide… where?" Minho stammered, his eyes wide.
I turned just as Yuna and Sofia appeared in the doorway, their jaws dropping in perfect sync.
And then, without warning, Yuna fainted with a loud thud.