episode_0023

“Was there a place like this in our neighborhood?”

“To be precise, it’s not exactly our neighborhood.”

The mansion in front of us, belonging to Seong Yurin, was a mansion with a garden that could easily appear in a movie or drama.

The garden, complete with a pond, looked even more beautiful with flowers of various colors blooming in spring.

It was the first time I had seen a house with a garden.

I was worried about what would happen if someone intruded, but with high walls, barbed wire fences, and CCTV cameras surrounding the house without a gap, it seemed secure.

While everyone was captivated by the beauty of the garden, the limousine that brought us silently left the garden.

As Seong Yurin led the way towards the mansion’s front gate, the closed door opened on its own from the inside.

“Oh, hello?”

Correction. It wasn’t opened automatically; it was opened by the butler, dressed in formal attire.

The butler, who politely bowed in response to our greetings, guided us into the mansion.

“You can take off your shoes here and come inside.”

Wait. Do people in Korea really live with butlers?

…Oh, right. This was the world of romantic comedies.

I reluctantly accepted the idea.

Maybe there’s a maid somewhere around here.

Inside the clean-looking mansion, we carefully brushed off the dirt from our shoes.

“Welcome. Miss Yurin and her friends.”

Seong Yurin, familiar with the butler’s hospitality, nodded in greeting and led us inside.

Contrary to the elegant exterior of the mansion, the interior had a modern design.

Although the contrast between the inside and outside felt unbalanced, in terms of practicality, this side seemed better.

The place we arrived at with Seong Yurin was a space that looked like a living room.

As we comfortably sat on the sofa arranged for us following Seong Yurin’s guidance, the butler came in after us and brought some refreshments.

Seong Yurin, elegantly sipping the black tea served in a luxurious teacup, spoke.

“Do you want to rest at home until evening? Or do you want to go out in the city?”

“It would be nice if there’s a space in your house where we can watch a movie.”

Yoon Jiu unexpectedly came up with a great idea.

“We have a theater room where you can watch movies.”

“Oh, really?”

I calculated the time in my head for a moment and spoke up.

“Then how about chatting for a bit, watching a movie, and having a party in the evening? It would be tiring to go back and forth to the city.”

Everyone agreed with my suggestion.

“Alright. I’ll have it prepared.”

Seong Yurin quietly whispered to the butler, who was waiting in the background like a shadow, and the butler bowed and left.

“Wow… She really looks like a lady.”

“At this point, she is a real lady, right…?”

Hong Yeonseo and Lee Sooyoon whispered in awe.

We enjoyed the refreshments brought by the butler and chatted.

The cookies were delicious, but… honestly, I think my taste buds prefer chocolate bars or hot chocolate over this fancy tea.

I’m sorry, butler. I have a simple palate.

“Oh, by the way, didn’t you mention that your mother is here?”

Isea suddenly remembered and asked Seong Yurin.

“Yeah. My mother said she’s busy right now, so she’ll just come to see us briefly in the evening.”

“I see. We should greet her in the evening then.”

Seong Yurin’s mother seemed busy even at home.

As Seong Yurin and Isea’s conversation came to an end, I quickly called Seong Yurin.

“Hey, Seong Yurin.”

“Huh? Why, why are you calling me?”

Surprised by the sudden call, Seong Yurin stuttered.

“…Where is the bathroom here?”

“Oh! I’ll show you.”

“No…. that’s a bit, too complicated, but as long as it’s not too difficult, I’ll just go and find it myself. Just give me some directions.”

“Got it. Leave the room and head back to where we came from. The closest door to the lobby is the bathroom.”

“Okay. Excuse me for a moment.”

I left the living room alone and headed towards the bathroom.

Walking alone in the wide hallway made me feel a bit strange for no reason.

…Is there no maid? Maybe they’re off on the weekend?

Following the directions given by Sung Yurin, I quickly found the bathroom.

It was fascinating to see a bathroom sign drawn on a door inside the house, like a public facility.

Well, it might be hard for guests to find it if it’s not marked.

The bathroom was clean and had a pleasant scent.

Sung Yurin’s bathroom is cleaner and nicer than our house….

Thinking pointless thoughts, I finished my business and left the bathroom.

“Huh?”

“Oh.”

As I came out of the bathroom, I met eyes with a woman I had never seen before.

With the same blonde hair as Sung Yurin and an amazing figure… Could she be Sung Yurin’s mother?

She looked almost the same as Sung Yurin, but unlike Sung Yurin’s always stern expression, she had a smiling face, making her look distinctly different.

But she seems too young to be a mother.

Ah, this must be the world of romantic comedies.

“Oh, hello. Sung Yurin…. Are you her mother? I’m Sung Yurin’s friend, Seo Yujin.”

“Hehe. Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Do I look that old to you?”

“Oh? No, I… thought you might be Sung Yurin’s sister when I first saw you.”

“I am three years older than Yurin, my name is Sung Arin.”

“Ah, I see.”

Oh, what a mistake.

“I’m sorry…. I didn’t know Yurin had a sister. I thought there was only a mother at home, I apologize.”

“It’s okay. Yurin probably won’t talk about me or our family.”

Sung Arin scanned me up and down as she said that.

“Oh…. not bad.”

“Um, excuse me?”

Feeling uncomfortable with her gaze, I addressed her as “unni,” and she spoke with a surprised expression.

“I’m Yurin’s three-year older sister, my name is Sung Arin.”

“Oh, okay.”

As I was pondering how to end this conversation and return to the living room, Sung Arin reached out her hand to me first.

“Yurin mentioned that today is your birthday. I won’t keep you too long. Can you tell Yurin that her unni came to visit?”

“Oh, yes. I understand.”

“Don’t be too formal, okay? Try calling me Arin unni.”

“Yes….”

It’s a bit awkward for a first meeting.

“Have fun with Yurin~ She doesn’t have many friends. Hehe!”

Leaving those words behind, Sung Arin went upstairs.

…She’s really different from Sung Yurin.

If I had to compare, she’s more like Hong Yeonseo in terms of personality? She seemed like a playful girl.

After the encounter with Sung Arin, whether she was teasing or getting along with her sister, I returned to the living room.

…By the way, Sung Yurin. It seems like we’re the only friends you have.

* * *

“What!? Her sister came?”

When I returned to the living room and told Sung Yurin about Sung Arin’s visit, she jumped up in surprise.

“Oh, why did she come all of a sudden today? Ugh. Hey guys, I’ll be right back after seeing my sister. I’m taking a break.”

Sung Yurin hurriedly left the living room.

“Yurin has a sister too.”

“Yeah. Well, Yurin hardly talks about anything other than school life.”

Even the girls who have talked to Sung Yurin more than I have didn’t know about this.

“Jina.”

Lee Sooyoon tapped my arm.

“Hmm?”

“…Isn’t Yurin’s sister pretty?”

“….Um, well, she is?”

“….”

I felt my voice trembling involuntarily under Sooyoon’s gaze.

What’s with this pressure?

“What did you say about her sister?”

“Just, get along with Yurin? Well, call her unni…. something like that?”

Listening to my words, Lee So-yoon puffed up her cheeks and chewed on the snack.

“This is… I should talk to Se-ah about this…”

Then she muttered something quietly. It was hard to hear.

The other kids were constantly engaging in conversations and snacking endlessly.

I envied Yoon Ji-woo’s ability to chat with girls without any hesitation at times like this.

Playing phone games with her ears perked up in the corner, Seong Yoo-rin returned to the reception room.

Seong Yoo-rin looked exhausted and drained.

“Phew. Sorry for making you wait.”

Seong Yoo-rin apologized, and Lee Se-ah shook her head.

“No, did you have a good talk?”

“Yes. Well, Unni was supposed to be abroad, but she came back earlier than planned. So, it seems like today’s date coincidentally matched.”

“That’s interesting.”

“Um… did you feel disappointed that I didn’t tell you in advance about Unni?”

Seeing Seong Yoo-rin looking down again, Lee Se-ah hurriedly comforted her.

“Huh? No! There must have been a reason for that. We don’t care about that. Right, guys?”

We all nodded in agreement with Lee Se-ah’s reassurance.

“I don’t usually talk to you guys about my family either. Don’t worry too much.”

Feeling like I should say something, I casually picked up a cookie and reassured Seong Yoo-rin nonchalantly.

In times like this, it’s more important to act like it doesn’t matter than to make a big deal out of it.

After living as nerds for over a decade, you learn to read the room.

Seong Yoo-rin, who understood the nerd code, seemed to relax a bit at my reassurance.

“Yes, thank you for saying that.”

Seong Yoo-rin’s expression also softened.

I spoke up again.

“Well, now that Seong Yoo-rin is here too, shall we go watch a movie?”

Having spent quite a bit of time in the reception room, when I suggested it, everyone agreed.

“Let’s decide on a movie to watch beforehand.”

“Me! How about watching a horror movie?”

…Hong Yeon-seo was trembling when we went to the escape room cafe last time, but now she’s suggesting this.

“I agree~”

Yoon Ji-woo smiled and agreed enthusiastically.

Even though she can’t handle scary things well, she enjoys horror movies with her eyes half-closed.

With things turning out this way, it became a situation where it didn’t make sense for others to object.

“I’m fine with any movie. You guys decide.”

Since I don’t get easily scared by jump scares, I was fine with watching a horror movie.

As for Lee Se-ah, well, she seems tough against horror most of the time, but sometimes she shows a weak side.

I’m a bit worried about Lee So-yoon and Seong Yoo-rin.

They’ll probably watch with their eyes closed.

With two votes in favor and one abstaining, the three of us were dragged into the agreement side.

“What kind of horror movie are we going to watch?”

“How about this one? I watched a trailer on YouTube, and it looked really fun, so I wanted to watch it.”

Based on Hong Yeon-seo’s recommendation, we ended up watching a modern horror movie involving ghosts.

…Um, this is rated 19+ though, guys.

…Is it okay since there are guardians at home?

Later, Seong Yoo-rin said it’s fine because she has a butler.