****

"...Ack! What’s Miss Jae-yeon doing here?!"

"I'm staying at Unnie’s place for a few days. Is Miss Soo-jin the new game player?"

Startled by the sight of Jae-yeon, Soo-jin instinctively nodded with determination at her friendly question.

"...Y-yes."

"Honey, you didn’t say Soo-jin was coming."

"It's a surprise. Isn’t it fun?"

"It is. It’s fun, but... Kang Soo-jin, how did you get off work?"

The amount of work Jae-hee gave her was impossible to finish in one day. She should’ve been working late. So how?

Meeting the gaze of her direct superior, full of suspicion, Soo-jin put her hands on her hips and said boldly,

"How do you think I got off work? I worked until my soul turned to ash and then left!"

"Really?"

"Of course! I was going to submit it tomorrow, just in case Unnie started working again after getting home."

Soo-jin was the kind of person who gave herself away when she lied. Seeing that she really had finished everything, Jae-hee nodded.  

She really is competent.

“Well then...”

“Alright, shall we set up the board?”

“Sure, Agassi.”

Soo-jin quietly set down her bag. She scratched her head as she watched Jae-hee, who naturally took a seat next to Yoo-jin and started peeling tangerines.

“Unnie, didn't you hate tangerines?”

“...Hmm...”

“If not, never mind then.”

Back when she was in college in Korea, Jae-hee had been the very image of poverty, so she couldn’t afford to buy fruit.  

So when she and Soo-jin were walking along the street and passed a fruit stall, she’d said she hated tangerines — which had been a mistake.  

Unlike her annoyingly good memory, Soo-jin had an easygoing personality and hadn’t thought much of it.

But Jae-hee didn’t want Jae-yeon to know the story behind that. She glanced at Jae-yeon and simply shrugged her shoulders. Then she placed a small piece of tangerine into Yoo-jin’s mouth. Reading the mood, Jae-yeon smoothly changed the subject and looked at Yoo-jin.

“Today’s game is Hwatu*.”

*Hwatu (화투) Literal meaning: “Flower cards” (from Japanese 花札). Hwatu cards are small, thick cards (smaller than Western playing cards) decorated with images of flowers, animals, and traditional symbols—12 suits, one for each month. Each suit has 4 cards, totaling 48 cards. Originated from Japan's Hanafuda, but Koreans made their own rules and variants. Almost synonymous with the game Go-stop, but specifically Hwatu is the deck.

“Oh, I’ve played this a lot. Friends from Korea taught me!”

“Really, Agassi?”

“Appreciating traditional East Asian art, love it~”

“Isn’t it just full of Japanese vibes though?”

“It’s a joke, Honey.”

“Ah, you’ve got to take jokes as jokes. Unnie’s always~ too serious.”

“Miss Soo-jin, I think so too.”

“Ah, no, Honey!”

While Jae-hee once again got roasted as usual, Soo-jin looked down at the red cards and tilted her head.

“But if we’re playing Go-Stop*... the player count is off, isn’t it?”

*Go-Stop (고스톱) is the most popular game played with Hwatu cards in Korea. It’s a fast-paced, strategic matching game for 2–4 players where you try to collect sets and score points. The name comes from the choice players make during the game: say “Go” to keep playing and risk losing your points, or “Stop” to end the round and cash in.

“Now that you mention it... Then let’s take turns sitting out. Let’s say, twelve rounds total?”

“Three rounds each? Okay.”

“No bets today, Agassi?”

“...Hmm... Instead of a wish bet, how about a team bet? The losing team has to serve the winning team. Become their slave.”

“Teams?”

“Yup. It works out perfectly. Sweet honeymooners... and the grad student with the pretty journalist.”

“Wait, hold on, why is your side the only one who gets to be pretty?”

“Then?”

“Huh?!”

“Each team gets to pick their own name~”

Jae-hee snatched up the cards and shuffled them smoothly.  

As she did, Jae-yeon and Soo-jin turned their backs and started whispering and arguing.  

Ignoring them, Jae-hee turned to Yoo-jin and spoke.

“Honey, what should our team name be?”

“Hmm...”

“How about something simple like ‘Honeymoon Team’...”

“No way!”

Ah, right. She forgot how intense Yoo-jin’s competitive streak was.  

Especially in team games, she got crazy about winning.  

Back in the U.S., when they used to split into teams with the study-abroad crew, it was always Yoo-jin dragging Jae-hee by the hair and carrying the whole game.

“Something weak like that doesn’t get me fired up.”

“W-weak...?”

“We need a strong, epic name!”

“...U-uh... Then how about Roaring Lion?”

“Rejected.”

“Growling Tiger?”

“Not fierce enough.”

While Jae-hee racked her brain and Yoo-jin kept rejecting everything, Soo-jin looked at Jae-yeon suspiciously.

“Why did you call yourself the pretty one?”

“Because I’m pretty. Honestly, Miss Soo-jin, don’t you think so too?”

“…”

Damn it, I wanna say no.  

But Soo-jin clamped her mouth shut as she looked at Jae-yeon throwing around undeniable facts.  

Even with no makeup on, that natural look—how could someone be that innocent and fresh?  

Jae-yeon smiled leisurely as she saw Soo-jin fuming.

“You’re cute, Miss Soo-jin.”

“Hey, you’re younger than me, you know? By four whole years!”

“They say in Korea, as long as it’s within five years, you’re still friends*.”

*in S. Korea (and many parts of Asia, though the degree and rules differ.), there is an age- based hierarchy (very strict), where age affects speech, behavior, and relationships. Even 1-year difference matters. So it's common to ask age when first meeting. You only get to call same-aged people your 'friends' where you can talk to them informally, roughhouse each other, etc. You can still be close to people older or younger than you but the Oppa/Unnie-Dongsaeng boundary will apply.

“No, I’m the unnie here! When you were just born going wah wah, I was already walking this earth!”

“But we’re standing next to each other now, aren’t we?”

“E-even Jae-hee-unnie agrees with me on this! Unnie!”

But Jae-hee had been too busy picking a team name with Yoo-jin, so Soo-jin’s heartfelt cry didn’t even register.  

Jae-yeon just snorted and laughed while watching the devastated Soo-jin.

“For real, if you weren’t Jae-hee-unnie’s sister...!”

“If I weren’t? Why? I actually like people who take initiative, you know.”

“Eek! What do you mean, take initiative?!”

“You mean if I weren’t Jae-hee-unnie’s sister, you’d have jumped me already?”

“N-no, I didn’t mean that! I-I wouldn’t give my purity to someone like you, okay?! There’s a limit to being shameless!”

“Shameless?”

Even though she was born in a Korean household and had studied the language seriously since she planned to work in Korea, Sino-Korean words were still a bit hard for Jae-yeon.  

She tilted her head, so the frantic Soo-jin ended up explaining without thinking.

“It’s when you feel embarrassed and sorry for being in someone’s debt!”

“Why do you say I’m shameless? Where else would you find someone as pretty, young, and charming as me?”

“…That’s not the point! I, I don’t want someone like you!”

“…Is that really how you feel?”

Gulp. That damn pretty face.  

Even though she found her annoying from the first time they met, Soo-jin couldn’t deny one thing—she really was damn pretty. 

And now she was pushing that face this close.  

Jae-yeon, looking at Soo-jin’s stiff face, started to get curious.  

Even though she was a beauty herself, Soo-jin acted like a clueless bear who didn’t know how pretty she was.

“What are you two doing?”

“Uwaaah! U-Unnie! Did you pick the team name?”

"Yeah! What about you guys?"

"We decided! Our team name is~"

Jae-yeon reached out and placed her hand on Soo-jin’s shoulder.  

Soo-jin flinched and looked at Jae-yeon in surprise.

"‘Bear Does the Trick, Owner Gets the Money."

"Isn't that too long? You sure it’s okay?"

"Yeah. Feels like it fits us."

"Wait, hold on. Who’s the bear?"

"Who do you think?"

"Hey, hey, aren’t you gonna tell us your team name too?"

"Eolke, what is it? I’m sooo~ curious~"

"Eek!"

With a confident smile, Jae-hee and Yoo-jin looked at each other.  

Then they turned to Jae-yeon and Soo-jin and said,

"You get an F!"

"…Wow, that’s insane…"

To Soo-jin, the team name hit hard.  

She had actually once gotten a B from Jae-hee, which for a grad student was basically an F.  

With a pale face, she dry-washed her face. Ignoring Soo-jin, who couldn’t hide her expression, Jae-hee and Yoo-jin giggled excitedly.

Jae-yeon called out to her.

"What are you doing? You gonna lose to an F grader? Our bear?"

"Bear?! I’m gonna be the owner, okay?!"

Soo-jin huffed as she reached for the cards.  

The soul battle between Team ‘You Get an F Grade’ and Team ‘Bear Does the Trick, Owner Gets the Money’ had begun.

After a close match, the F Grade Team won. Thinking of the smooth way the hwatu cards slapped against the floor, Jae-hee was amazed at her wife's skill. There was really nothing her wife could not do.

“Seriously… Who’s the gambler standing by your side, Eolke? A pro gambler or something?”

“I’ll introduce her next time. She’s my closest friend.”

“Oho…”

“By the way, now both of you are our foot scrubbers?”

“Unnie, honestly, I’ve always been your foot scrubber, so I don’t know what the difference is.”

“To be honest, I don’t really care what I do.”

“Honey, can I decide?”

“Hmm? Yeah… sure. I see Soo-jin all the time, and Jae-yeon… I used to make her run errands when we were kids.”

Soo-jin was a little sister she liked, and Jae-yeon was a sister-in-law she could not hate. Jae-yeon seemed strangely interested in Soo-jin, and Yoo-jin, who had noticed that, decided to be the spark between them. If things worked out, maybe they could become lovers. If not, they could still be friends.

“It’s getting late…”

“…?”

“…?”

“Both of you, sleep together in the guest room tonight.”

“W-what?! What are you saying?!”

“Oh, that’s fine. Got it, Eolke.”

“Goddess Yoo-jin, wait a second!”

“Then, have a good time.”

“Oh, come on. Unnie.”

“Are you uncomfortable with Jae-yeon? Just think of it like an MT*.”

*Membership Training: In Korean university culture, this is a popular bonding trip where students go on an overnight retreat to play games, drink, and get to know each other.

“That’s not the same!”

“That’s funny. Weren’t you the one scratching her belly asleep among a bunch of seniors you didn’t know?”

“Ugh, that was because we were all drinking and partying! I just passed out without realizing!”

“If you really feel awkward, just pretend to sleep and come out. Jae-yeon’s a deep sleeper.”

“Ugh…”

“Miss Soo-jin~? Aren’t you coming?”

“Good night~”

“Nooo!”

Watching Soo-jin get dragged away, Jae-hee smiled. Seriously, they were too cute. As Jae-hee walked away, Soo-jin looked back with teary eyes. She climbed up to the second floor and stepped into the guest room—only to freeze at the sight of Jae-yeon’s luggage stacked all over.

“…This is… a lot…”

“Well, I’m gonna live in Korea now. This is the minimum.”

“...Mmngh.”

Holding the dolphin shorts and T-shirt that Jae-yeon handed over, Soo-jin went into the bathroom to wash up. She had already seen the house during the housewarming, but the bathroom was, frankly, *next level*. This was not some five-star hotel amenity kit, but every single bathroom item was from luxury brands. From the hair care to the skincare, all the products were the kind you saw on the first floor of department stores in the luxury section.

Soo-jin enjoyed her shower like she was on a hotel staycation in a suite room. When she came back up to the second floor, she sat on the edge of the queen-sized bed, looking sullen. It was just a guestroom, but the mattress felt like a fortune had been spent on it. On that firm, non-wobbly mattress, Jae-yeon was lying on her side, propping her head up and looking at Soo-jin.

“...Why is there only one bed?”

“Beats me?”

“‘Beats me’ is not the point! I’m moving to the next room!”

“Oh? But didn’t our Eolke tell us to sleep together? And I saw on your phone that you saved her as ‘Goddess’... Can I tell her?”

“Wow, that’s so petty. You really are Professor Seon’s sister.”

“Our family’s like that.”

“That’s not a compliment!”

“Baby, lights off. Let’s sleep now.”

“W-What do you mean baby?!”

“Should I turn them off?”

“...Just stay put, I’ll do it.”

She gave in, pretending she had no choice. Jae-yeon smiled with her eyes and lay down properly. She’s cute, this person. She seems like a good person. Jae-yeon closed her eyes, holding on to the pleasant curiosity she felt toward Soo-jin.

****

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