Chapter 228: The Independent One and the One Who Wants Independence

Rea‌d​ ‍on‌ ‌​K‍a‌t​R​e‍a​d‍i​n‍g‍C​afe​​

Today was finally the day Chae-yoon unnie moved in.

I’d originally planned to wake up early to prepare for her arrival, but… yesterday’s broadcast ran late, so I ended up sleeping in a little.

Rumble—

I hurried downstairs, following the sound of commotion.

When I reached the lower floor, I saw movers carrying boxes in and out of the elevator.

“Da-jeong, you’re awake? What’s this? Sleeping in so late?”

“Ehehe… Sorry. Yesterday’s broadcast went really late.”

Ra-hee unnie, who’d arrived earlier, waved at me cheerfully.

Scratching my head sheepishly, I stepped into the hallway and peeked inside the apartment.

There, Chae-yoon unnie was directing the movers on where to place the furniture.

“Ah, could you put that over here?”

“You mean here?”

“Yes, just a little more to the left… Ah, that’s perfect.”

I’d assumed Chae-yoon unnie would just haphazardly place things wherever, but…

Surprisingly, she was meticulously arranging everything with great care.

Well, I guess since this is where she’ll be living from now on, she’d want to get it right from the start.

“Huh? Oh, when did you get here, Da-jeong?”

“Just now. By the way, there’s less stuff than I expected…?”

“I don’t like keeping unnecessary things around, so I got rid of most of it beforehand.”

Ah, I see.

That explains why there’s less furniture than I thought.

Just look at Ra-hee unnie’s place—it’s packed with all sorts of things.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“It’s fine. I already had a cleaning service take care of everything, and the movers will handle the rest.”

I felt bad for arriving late and wanted to help somehow, but Chae-yoon unnie firmly declined and continued giving instructions.

Since there wasn’t much to move, the apartment quickly took shape.

Ooh, it’s got such a clean feel to it.

At my place, since Tofu lives with me, there’s a lot of Tofu-related stuff lying around.

Ra-hee unnie’s place has this elegant, princess-like vibe, while Chae-yoon unnie’s seems more practical, I guess?

“Oh, right. Jia unnie and Yuna said they’re coming over for dinner later.”

“I heard. We can all eat together, right?”

“Huh? Tonight?”

I was busy marveling at unnie’s new place when the unexpected news caught me off guard.

I’d heard about a housewarming party, but I never imagined it’d be on moving day itself.

Not that I mind, but won’t Chae-yoon unnie be exhausted?

Even if the movers handle the heavy lifting, there’s still so much to organize on the first day—it’s always exhausting.

I know from experience.

“What should we do for dinner? Should we eat out?”

“Aren’t black bean noodles the traditional moving-day meal?”

“Oh, that sounds good too.”

Meanwhile, Chae-yoon unnie, the one who’d actually moved, seemed completely unfazed.

She was already drooling over dinner options.

Watching her, I suddenly had an idea and my eyes sparkled.

“Unnie! If it’s okay, can I prepare dinner tonight?”

Since unnie’s place is still a mess, eating there would be tough anyway.

I figured we could just eat at my place upstairs.

Plus, I wanted to cook for the members—it’s been a while since I made them a proper meal.

I’ve had meals with Ra-hee unnie recently since she lives next door, but I haven’t had the chance to cook for the others in a long time.

“Huh? Da-jeong, you?”

“Are you sure, Da-jeong? Cooking for five people isn’t easy.”

Unlike my excited reaction, the unnies looked a little worried.

Cooking for five people alone is no small task, and since neither of them are great at cooking, they probably feel bad about not being able to help.

Ahem, but I’m not so clueless that I didn’t think of that.

And while five servings isn’t exactly a small amount, it’s not impossible if I stick to simpler dishes.

Like bulgogi, for example.

There are plenty of dishes that are easy to make in large quantities, delicious, and perfect for sharing.

“Yes! It’s fine. I’ll do my best since it’s a special occasion.”

Clenching my fists with determination, the unnies exchanged glances.

Realizing they couldn’t stop me, they chuckled and nodded.

“Okay. Then I guess we’ll get to taste your cooking after so long.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Let us know if you need help.”

“Got it!”

Alright, first, I need to go grocery shopping.

Before the others arrived, I hurried back with groceries and set the bags on the kitchen table.

The weight matched the amount—there was a lot.

I might’ve bought a little extra just in case.

I-It’s fine!

I can just eat the leftovers tomorrow!

This isn’t wasteful at all!

Yeah, definitely not!

Checking the clock, it was already almost 3 PM.

Since everyone’s coming for dinner, I should start now if I want to finish on time.

Alright, let’s do this!

Ding—

“…Huh?”

Apron tied, hair pulled back, sleeves rolled up—I was psyching myself up to start prepping when I heard the front door open.

Huh? Who’s here?

Is it Ra-hee unnie?

I thought she stayed behind to help Chae-yoon unnie clean up…

“Who’s… Eh?”

“Long time no see, Da-jeong. Did you have a good Chuseok?”

“J-Jia unnie…?!”

Thinking it might be an intruder, I cautiously peeked out—only to nearly drop the kitchen knife in my hand at the unexpected guest.

Ah—! I-I should put this knife down first!

“I was going to come in the evening, but I had some business nearby, so I dropped by early.”

“Did you meet Chae-yoon unnie and Ra-hee unnie?”

“Yeah. Chae-yoon said you were cooking dinner alone and told me to hurry over since she didn’t need help.”

“Ah, I see…”

So that’s what happened.

Well, Jia unnie is good at cooking.

I wonder if they sent her over in a hurry as a sort of “relief pitcher.”

“By the way, there’s a lot of ingredients here. Just how much did you buy…?”

“Ehehe… Well, I wanted to make a lot of things, so I ended up picking up a little of everything…”

“Sigh, if you tried to use all of this, you’d get sick. It’s not like we have any big eaters here, so just making a reasonable amount is fine.”

Shaking her head, Jia unnie lightly flicked my forehead—so lightly it barely even counted as a flick.

Ah, right.

Among our members, the only ones who could really be called big eaters are me and Chae-yoon unnie.

Jia unnie eats a lot of bread, but her actual meal portions are just average…

And Ra-hee unnie and Yuna? Don’t even get me started.

When we go to a sushi place, Yuna can barely finish an 8-piece set.

And Ra-hee unnie? She’s practically the queen of small portions.

We’ve even joked (half-seriously) among the members that watching Ra-hee unnie eat is like watching a bird peck at seeds.

“Looking at the ingredients, I’m guessing the main dish is bulgogi?”

“Yes! And I’m also making kimchi jeon and japchae.”

“Wow, a full feast? I’ve actually been craving japchae since Chuseok.”

Jia unnie lamented that she hadn’t been able to eat japchae because she’d been in Ireland.

I guess while she was there, she must’ve tried some traditional Irish food instead.

Well, japchae is delicious.

I love it too.

Honestly, I could easily eat three bowls of just japchae without any rice.

“Shall we get started? I’ll handle prepping the ingredients—you take charge of the cooking, Chef.”

“Hehe, sounds good!”

And just like that, I ended up with an amazing sous chef. With a much lighter heart, I dove into cooking.

As they say, many hands make light work—thanks to unnie’s help, we finished setting the table way faster than I’d expected.

A little past 6 PM, the rest of the members started trickling in one by one.

The living room was set with the dinner spread Jia unnie and I had poured our hearts into, and the moment they saw it, their jaws dropped. They immediately pulled out their phones, scrambling to take pictures.

“Whoa, what is all this…?”

“You and Jia unnie made all this? Amazing…!”

“It looks so good. Thanks for the meal, you two.”

Watching the scene, Jia unnie and I exchanged glances and smiled warmly at the same time.

Seems like our effort paid off.

It wasn’t exactly a royal feast, but it was still a proper, well-rounded meal.

“Yes—just posted it on Twitter. The Star Pieces are gonna be so jealous.”

“Ahh, I was gonna post it first!”

“We can all post it—why are you fighting over this?”

After the photo session ended, we all gathered around the table and started eating.

Everyone seemed to like the food—they were eating so fast that I couldn’t help but smile proudly.

“Ugh, I’m so jealous… Da-jeong’s cooking is gonna be right upstairs for you now…”

“If you’re that envious, just move in too.”

“I want to…! Do you know how much I fought with my mom over it during Chuseok?”

Huh? Yuna fought with her mom?

That was too interesting to ignore. I paused mid-bite and asked,

“Yuna, you fought with your mom? What happened?”

“Well, when I heard Chae-yoon unnie was moving out, I asked my mom if I could too—like, ‘Can’t I be independent now?’ But she completely shot me down.”

“Your mom must be really worried about you.”

Jia unnie nodded sympathetically at Yuna’s grumbling.

I could understand where her mom was coming from, but I still felt a little bad for Yuna.

“Did she give you any specific reason why not?”

Ra-hee unnie, who’d been quietly listening, chimed in curiously.

Yuna pouted and answered,

“She just said she was worried. My mom’s kinda… overprotective.”

“That’s surprising. I always thought your mom would be super laid-back.”

“Not at all. My dad’s like that, but my mom’s pretty strict. She really tried to stop me from becoming a VTuber too…”

Oh.

She’s never mentioned that on stream before.

This was my first time hearing about it, so it was pretty shocking.

“Have you tried talking to her seriously about it?”

“I did this time. But she wouldn’t listen at all. I told her I wanted to focus on my work without my younger siblings around, and she got mad at them—like, ‘Why are you bothering your sister?’ That wasn’t even the point! I just felt bad for my siblings…”

That… sounds complicated.

Well, everyone’s family situation is different.

But even so, I can see how her mom’s words might’ve hurt Yuna.

Of course, her mom was just concerned… but from Yuna’s perspective—a full-grown adult who’s already established herself as a VTuber—it probably feels like her mom doesn’t trust her.

Not that we should jump to conclusions after hearing only one side.

But at the very least, it doesn’t seem like her mom is open to negotiation right now.

I’m not sure why she’s being so stubborn, though…

“Yuna, this is just my opinion, but… I think your mom probably has her own reasons. Maybe you two should sit down and really talk about what’s actually on your minds.”

“On our minds?”

“Yeah. From your mom’s side, there might be things she hasn’t been able to say because you’re her daughter.”

At the very least, I felt like there had to be a deeper reason.

Something she couldn’t bring herself to say because it’s Yuna.

If that’s the case, they should try having a proper conversation. When I suggested that, Yuna chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and then nodded.

“Okay, I’ll try talking to her again. Maybe there’s something I’m not understanding about her too…”

“Yeah! You got this, Yuna. If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”

I knew Yuna would say that.

I squeezed her hand encouragingly, and as I watched her enthusiastically inhale the bulgogi, I couldn’t help but smile.

I’m sure Yuna will figure it out.

Yeah.