From that day on Hanbin's friend came to play and study more often. At first it was like Hanbin dragged him over to their house as he always looked very nervous eating dinner with them. But he warmed up to them soon after a few weeks. He also got to know their father and Hanbyul. Hanbyul quickly came to like him. Jiwon stayed in an orphanage with many children after all so he was used to playing with them. That's how within few months Hanbin and Jiwon very naturally got as close as best friends could be. Haneul and the whole family as well as Hanbin's school friends got closer with Jiwon too. And from a total stranger that her brother dragged in he turned into someone comfortable to be with.
The day before Hanbin's birthday Haneul was alone at home. Her parents said that they'd go grocery shopping for Hanbin's birthday and took Hanbyul with them. Haneul just finished her homework and went downstairs to get something to drink. A drama she recently started to like would also start soon which is why she thought of getting herself some chips from the kitchen. When she opened the cupboard she was surprised to see that there were so many snacks inside the snack-safe but she soon remembered that it was Hanbin's birthday the following day. As she settled down on the couch with a glass of juice and a new bag of chips it suddenly rang at the door. She stood up again with a sigh and wondered who'd come at this time of the day. It was around 20.30pm. When she opened the door there were Donghyuk and Jiwon who came with big bags in their hands.
"Hi Donghyuk-oppa, Jiwon-oppa. Hanbin-oppa is not home yet." She greeted them as she let them in.
"We know. Just let us in quickly and help." Donghyuk said as he hurriedly came in and took his shoes off. So did Jiwon.
"Ah, surprise party?" Haneul asked as it came into her mind and the two nodded. "Alright." She took their bags so they could change their shoes more comfortably. "You know where our guest slippers are."
"Thanks." They said simultaneously. She brought the bags which were full with things for decorations like garlands, balloons und birthday hats into the living room and the boys followed after putting on a pair of slippers.
"Do my parents already know about this?" She packed out the things from the bags on the living room table.
"Not yet." Donghyuk said. They also helped taking out the things they brought. "We did this very spontaneously."
"Then I'll call them."
"Yeah thanks, we're starting with the decorations." Jiwon blew up the balloons and Donghyuk put up some garlands. She went away from the rustling noises of the goods into the kitchen to call her parents.
"Dad, Donghyuk-oppa and Jiwon-oppa came. They're going to prepare a surprise party for Hanbin-oppa." She explained to her father over the phone.
"I see. We prepared a lot of chips and other snacks for tomorrow actually." He replied. "You can take them and share with the boys."
"I already saw it. I will take them out then. When are you going to be back?" In the background she heard some rustling and other noises. She guessed that they were still in the super market at this hour.
It was silent for a while but then her father answered. "We'll come back within an hour." It seemed he asked her mother on the other side.
"Alright, I will help the guys preparing." She was almost about to say bye and cut the call.
But her father suggested. "By the way, shall we get a cake?"
"Wait a second." She went to the door that separated the kitchen with the living room and brought her face only to the living room side. "Guys! Do you have a cake?" She then asked the boys.
"No, we didn't buy a cake." Jiwon answered while making a knot into the balloon that he just blew.
"Please try to get a cake, appa." She spoke into the phone as she went back into the kitchen.
"We'll get one!" Her father replied with a cheerful voice.
"Great. Then see you." She replied to him also with a cheerful voice and then they ended the call.
"See you, dear." After putting her phone back into her pocket she got two glasses with water and brought them in the living room.
"Have some water." She put the glasses on the table.
"Thanks." They said.
"Donghyuk-oppa, you could've called me though. I'm still in my pyjamas. If you had called beforehand I could've changed." She pouted and poked him on the shoulder. So he stopped putting the garlands which said "Happy birthday" on the wall above the TV.
"Don't poke me! It's not like it's something I never saw before. After all we know each other for a long time already." He laughed it off and continued with the decorations.
"Uhh... but Jiwon-oppa is..." Jiwon is still relatively new in Hanbin's group of friends and still new to her. So she felt somewhat embarrassed. She wore a plain one coloured oversized jersey which looked really sloppy on her. That's not the image she had always shown which made her feel a little uncomfortable. For a second she thought why she had to feel like that. It's true what Donghyuk said and why would she care for an 'image'? But after all she reasoning inside her head she couldn't get rid of that feeling. Embarrassing.
"Don't mind it...?" Jiwon said in an indifferent tone with the intention to calm her embarrassment.
"But you look good in anything anyways, Eulie." Donghyuk added while feeling somewhat sorry. "You're pretty after all."
"I know but still. I'll go upstairs and change. Be right back to help you." She went up quickly to change. The least she should wear is a proper pair of jeans and a proper blouse. She thought.
"Okay." Donghyuk said. He noticed that Jiwon was quietly giggling. "What?" He asked with an annoyed tone in his voice as Jiwon was laughing at him even though he didn't know why.
"It's just..." Jiwon tried to hold it in. "How can you say such a cheesy thing? 'You look good in anything'." It was so cringy to him he had a hard time relaxing his curled fingers.
"Well, I mean... it's true anyways?" Donghyuk said nonchalantly. If he tried to make any excuses he'd feel like he lost against Jiwon. At least that's what Donghyuk thought. So he tried to stay as calm as possible about it. But thinking back to it. His lines indeed seemed cheesy.
After Jiwon calmed down and took a few deep breaths he hesitated a bit. "Do you like her?" He then asked.
"Not in the way you mean. Since I've been friends with Hanbin for a long time... Since elementary school was it? Haneul is like a little sister. It's the same love Hanbin has for Hanbyul?" Donghyuk tried to explain. He was surprised that Jiwon would suddenly ask that. He wondered if it really seemed like that. Did he seem romantically interested in Haneul in others' eyes? Even so what he said was true. To him she was only like a little sister and it would always remain that way.
"Haneul isn't a small baby girl like Hanbyul though." Jiwon was done blowing up balloons and took a sip from the glass with water that Haneul brought. He himself didn't even understand why. But he wanted to know.
"In my eyes she is since I know her since she's been like a baby." Donghyuk sat down and joined him as he was done with the garlands.
"We're just one to two years apart of her..." Jiwon still retorted as he didn't feel convinced yet. At the same time he asked himself why he would need an explanation that's freeing him of his doubts.
"Then do you see her as a girl, Jiwon?" Donghyuk asked back.
"Me?" He was flustered for a moment but quickly answered. "No, no. Not like that. She's like... my friend's sister you know?"
"That doesn't mean that she can't be a potential romantic interest thought?" Donghyuk continued to tease him as he found the flustered Jiwon funny.
"Yeah but... you know... I can't..." He hesitates thinking of what he should say.
"You can't?"
"I can't see her that way anyways." Jiwon answered slowly ".It's like Hanbin's face on a girl's body."
"Really?! Hahahaha!" Donghyuk threw himself on the floor holding his stomach laughing at that image. 'Hanbin's face on a girl's body'. He understood that it was a bad excuse but still he found it so funny he couldn't hold back his laughing for a long time. "But they look so different though." At the same time Haneul came down with stomping feet confronting those two.
"That's right! How can you say that!" She raised her voice that she almost shouted as she felt flustered and irritated at the same time. She didn't really know how to react. "Hanbin and me look so different, people don't notice we're siblings!"
"It's... just how I see it. S-Sorry... how much did you hear?" Jiwon stuttered. He was shocked that Haneul noticed their conversation.
"Haneul is like Hanbin's face on a girl's body?!" She said crossing her arms in front of her chest. "From then on."
"You're not that different as you say Haneul." Donghyuk got a grip and stood up again. "It's not like Haneul is Hanbin's face on a girl's body but you also don't look so different to be seen as strangers." He was trying to compromise.
"Whatever!" She quickly sent an evil glance at Jiwon and sighed. He flinched at her glance which gave him a chill down the spine. "I'm quite irritated but... is there anything I can do to help?"
"Then you prepare the snacks!" Donghyun suggested.
"Sure. How many people are coming?" Haneul asked.
"Just us 6 from the dance club." Donghyuk answered.
"I see so the others took Hanbin-oppa away to keep him from coming home and distract him?" Haneul thought out loud.
"Yeah, we were going to karaoke together after club practice and us two said we had to be home early, the others went for some chicken with Hanbin. They will do something about him until we're done." Donghyuk explained more detailly.
"Alright."
Before Hanbin came back they were preparing the rest of the decorations and snacks as they talked a bit about trivial things. By the time they were done Haneul's parents and Hanbyul came back home bringing gorceries for the next day and a cake.
"Hello, ahjussi, ahjumma." Jiwon greeted them with a slight bow as the three of them went to the door to help them with the bags.
"Hello auntie, uncle. How are you?" Donghyuk also greeted them and helped.
"Hi dears! We're doing great thank you!" Haneul's mother said and patted the two boys on the head as she came in. "Thanks for doing this for Hanbin!" Dunghyuk, Jiwon and Haneul helped then get the groceries and packed them away. Her father put the cake into the fridge. Hanbyul acted a little shy at first but quickly clung onto Jiwon and Donghyuk as they played with her. Their mother started preparing seaweed soup. "Eulie, ask the guys if they ate yet."
"Okay. I think they didn't eat yet they were filling themselves with snacks earlier." She realized that it didn't come into her mind to ask them if they ate yet. If she did she'd prepare some proper food for them sooner. But they also didn't say anything.
"Oh, that's not healthy. I'll prepare something, will you help me?"
"Of course omma." Haneul quickly went to the living room and asked. "Oppas, did you eat dinner yet?"
"No, not yet." Jiwon replied.
"Eulie, I'm so hungry..." Donghyuk whined.
"We'll prepare some food then." She went back to her mother in the kitchen.
"Thanks." Both of them said.
"Omma, as expected they didn't eat yet." She reported to her mother.
"Would you prepare some rice? I'll prepare the side dishes then." Her mother took out cold side dishes from the fridge.
"Yes Omma." Haneul took out two packs of instant rice and put it into the microwave as her mother put out the cold side dishes on small plates. "Should I make some rolled eggs?" Haneul suggested.
"That'd be great." Haneul then prepared some rolled eggs as her mother continued to cook the seaweed soup for Hanbin. When they were done Haneul called them to the kitchen. Her mother and father brought Hanbyul to bed promising her they'd wake her up once Hanbin came back.
"Oh! Eulie made the rolled eggs this time?" Donghyuk noticed as he looked closely at the rolled egg in his chopsticks.
"How did you know?" Haneul sat together with them munching a bit of the side dishes without rice.
"Ahjumma's eggs look prettier." Jiwon answered with a sly smile.
"But I can guarantee for the taste!" Haneul tried to defend herself.
"Of course, you can't go wrong with eggs. Even I can do that." Jiwon laughed.
"Jiwon-oppa, don't you think you got too comfortable?" She balled her hand with which she held the chopsticks that it seemed they would almost break.
"Hehe sorry." He quickly shut his mouth with a load of food. "Thanks for the food!"
"What would you like to drink?" Haneul stood up to go to the fridge and took out juice for herself.
"Get me some coke please!" Donghyuk answered.
"For me just water." Jiwon said.
"Alright." As they ate and talked a bit, a bit later Haneul's mother and father joined them after putting Hanbyul to sleep.
"What is Hanbin doing now anyways?" Her father asked.
"When we left them they went for some chicken." Donghyuk explained.
"I see then he's already eating with the others. My poor Dongdong and Jiwonie, weren't eating anything to prepare the party." Her mother said. "Sorry, I couldn't prepare you something proper, warm dishes or meat."
"No, we came spontaneously after all." Jiwon said.
"Right, it still tastes great. And we have Haneul's eggs. It's warm enough. Haha..." Donghyuk laughed awkwardly.
"You boys are too kind." Her mother patted them on the head again and smiled gently.
"How about you stay over today? It will be late after all." Her father suggested.
"With the 4 others too? Wouldn't that be too much?" Donghyuk asked worriedly.
"No, it's alright! There's enough space for everyone!" Her father answered.
"Then if it's okay we could stay over today." Jiwon agreed.
"Great, I'll see that I'll prepare some good breakfast tomorrow." Her mother exclaimed.
"Thank you. Then we'll call home and contact the others about that after eating." Jiwon said.