026 Invitation

Yin Yunhui caught a glimpse of motherhood within Kwon Eunbi’s soul.

Eunbi’s expression was earnest and serene. She had reapplied her waterproof makeup, keeping the blush light so that the natural flush of her skin could shine through. She was at her most beautiful in this moment—a perfect aesthetic refinement, the peak of her state. Her nose was elegantly upturned without being exaggerated, and the contour of her cheekbones was so striking that one couldn't help but steal glances at them again and again.

It was as if she were performing a daily ritual, a repetitive labor that instilled a sense of docility in her eyes. Eunbi neither smiled nor wept; she simply gave her best effort to the task at hand. Even when it was exhausting, she showed no great outward emotion, merely knitting her brows for a fleeting second before smoothing them out once more.

This is how life was meant to be.

Eunbi chose to offer her most bountiful harvest to Yin Yunhui. Was it a display of "respecting one's husband like a guest"? Perhaps, though it didn't quite reach that level of formality.

Endurance...

Raising a ruckus was out of the question; it would be far too impolite, and there was a chance the children might hear. It felt as if Eunbi and Yunhui were old, familiar, and equal friends who knew exactly what the next move should be. There was no need for deliberate pandering; kindness flowed naturally between them.

Eunbi had a childlike side, too. She had even painted her toenails, and there were cute stickers on her body.

"Do you like lavender?"
"What?"
"The stickers. You should try them. I like them."

Yin Yunhui felt a sense of loss, while Kwon Eunbi seemed to have attained a wealth of philosophical insight. In the Book of Genesis, God bestowed blessings many times. After the Great Flood, He told Noah and his sons: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth."

Time flipped by like the pages of a book. The children were likely playing wildly; this place was many times larger than their dormitory, and they hadn't even noticed that their leader, Eunbi, had been gone for so long.

No. Actually, someone had noticed, and that person had come looking.

The Seoul Club had two swimming pools, so naturally, there were two sets of changing rooms and saunas. Exhausted from playing in the indoor pool on the basement level, the girls had run up to the second-floor restaurant and lounge to rest. Kim Minju had made a round, but she couldn't find her Eunbi-unnie. She had sent a message, and Eunbi replied that she was in the sauna and told her not to worry.

The sauna? The one on the first floor?

Minju thought for a moment and decided to go keep her company, but she couldn't find a trace of Kwon Eunbi in the women’s bath. However, there seemed to be some activity in the adjacent men’s bath.

!

Unlike Kwon Eunbi, Kim Minju suffered a massive psychological shock. She remained distraught until Eunbi appeared, looking as though she had been reborn.

"Where is Sakura-chan?"
"She went to the spa treatment room."
"Then let's head back to the dorm once she returns, shall we? There’s no place to sleep here." (Though, in fact, there was.)
"Understood, Eunbi-unnie."

Jang Wonyoung, who was feeling particularly cute at the moment, seized the opportunity to stop playing with Ahn Yujin and the others—she couldn't win the games anyway—and went to cling to her Eunbi-unnie.

"Wow, Eunbi-unnie, you smell so good!"
"I had a sauna, so I feel refreshed all over. I’m just so sleepy now."

Eunbi comforted Wonyoung, who was still just a child in her eyes—nine years her junior, Wonyoung was truly nothing more than a kid.

"Ah, will you be okay to drive, Eunbi-unnie?"
"It's fine, someone is sending us back."

Eunbi relayed the arrangements Yunhui had made to the members.

Lee Junho, that brat, didn't realize until he got home that he had driven the company’s minivan. He had been wondering why his garage seemed so small, forgetting it hadn't been that long since he was last home. Upon realizing the truth, he hurriedly arranged for the household help to drive over and take them home, planning for the helper to take a taxi back afterward. It was a simple matter that had inexplicably become quite complicated.

As for Yunhui, he had his assistant, Ms. Jin, take two or three of the members with her when she left. Among the members of IZ*ONE, Choi Yena and Lee Chaeyeon could drive, but they had only recently received their licenses and were not experienced with seven-seater vans, so he didn't dare let them drive. Thus, he had them take Eunbi’s sedan instead.

Kang Hyewon even went out of her way to thank Yunhui for treating them to food and entertainment. Why wasn't this child afraid anymore? Back at Yonsei University in the afternoon, hadn't she been avoiding him? Yunhui hadn't realized that some people could develop a favorable impression of someone simply because they were treated to a good meal. That small amount of goodwill was enough for Hyewon to run up and say thank you.

Before long, everyone was rushing over to thank him. Seeing Hyewon’s behavior reminded them of their manners, and suddenly, it was very noisy around Yunhui. The younger ones, especially, had forgotten everything in an instant. Ahn Yujin acted as if the incident where Yunhui accidentally hit Kim Minju with an empty water bottle had never happened. It was just an accident! Clearly, Yunhui-oppa had meant to hit Manager Lee; it was all Manager Lee’s fault for dodging!

Among the group, Kim Minju’s strange reaction caught Yunhui’s attention. The person vaguely avoiding him had shifted from Kang Hyewon to Kim Minju. What was going on with this child?

She had just been unlucky enough to get hit; he had already made Lee Junho apologize to her, hadn't he? What, did she want him to apologize personally? That was getting a bit greedy.

Yunhui didn't take it to heart, assuming it was just a childish temper tantrum. He decided he would tell Eunbi to give Minju a stern lesson later. Disobedient babies needed a spanking.

After sending the group off, Yunhui walked home; it was just across the street. By now, the memorial hall was closed, so he didn't bother going around it and headed straight back to the Western-style mansion at the top of the gentle slope.

The mansion was a typical example of eclectic architecture. It had no name, but if one had to call it something, "Yin Mansion" would suffice. In the Hanok village of Songdo, there was an identical building, but unfortunately, Yunhui had been too young back then to visit the ancestral home with his grandfather.

What exactly was the Songdo Memorial Foundation memorializing? The answer was hidden in plain sight. His family once held many properties in Songdo and had even established primary and secondary schools as well as a pharmacy college near the ruins of the royal palace, Manwoldae. Back then, his family had already operated a pediatric clinic. In the end, they only managed to escape with their faculty and valuables, relocating the schools and hospital to Incheon.

"I'm home."

Although no one answered, Yunhui called out out of habit. If someone had actually answered, it would have been a ghost story.

Yunhui noticed the door to the reception room at the entrance was open. Had his cousin-aunt or some other elder stopped by? He walked in curiously and saw an exquisite invitation on the table. He opened it, and a ticket fell out.

Huh?

[Suzy: A Tempo 10th Anniversary Debut Fan Meeting]

Bae Suzy? She’s already debuted for ten years? A great senior, indeed.

So, this invitation must have been sent by the Ms. Zheng he had met the other day. His cousin-aunt must have just left it in his house for him to consider whether or not to go.

Go! Why wouldn't he go? How could he not consider himself a fan of Bae Suzy?

Yin Yunhui made a decision instantly. He had to go look for the Miss A albums he had bought to see if they were still around.