The Parents got down to the doorway with minimal fuss. Only the mirror in the elevator showed the strain on their faces. They held hands to support themselves in this time of crisis. They were comfortably middle-aged and were supposed to be past these sorts of things. They smoothed out their faces when the doors opened and exited the cab of the elevator.

  They saw Seulgi parked at the entrance and her motioning them to come on out. So, they made sure to properly bundle themselves and joined her in the car. Since size and space were not currently an issue, Song-Hoon held the front door open for his wife. She sat in the front passenger seat so gracefully that he was reminded all over again why he fell in love with her at first sight. She, just smiled at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Her smile was a thing of love and acceptance. They were together, that’s what mattered.

  So, he got into the back seat and they took off. There was one car that followed them, there were two people in the car, one with a camera with a telescopic lens. There were a few other cameras lying about the car. They followed the trio to an unremarkable diner. Looking at the snacks, road food, and other less pleasant consumables, they decided to take a risk and go inside the restaurant with the targets and get some decent food for a change.

  As the trio was waiting to be seated, Seulgi waved down the manager. Once she was within conversational distance, she asked if Soo-Young was working tonight or not. She was.

  Seulgi asked to be seated in her section when a pce was avaible. The Parents were wondering why they were waiting for a particur spot when there were others already open. Seulgi’s smile became mysterious. That’s when the Parents heard someone singing a popur show tune. And singing it better than the original cast. And singing it in distinctly Korean accented English as well.

  The Parents blinked and then looked at each other in shock. No one would expect to hear something like that in a pce like this. They both turned to Seulgi who simply yet smugly said “That’s why.”

  The singing suddenly stopped with a surprised “Seulgi!” from halfway across the restaurant. Soo-young came slightly faster than proper decorum called for and grabbed the person in question’s hands. Both have electric smiles that could only rival each other.

  Only then did Soo-young notice that they were not alone. She had forgotten all of the other patrons at the sight of Seulgi. “Who are these umonim and abunim, Seulgi?” She took a better look at Song-Hoon and quietly murmured an “Oppa!” under her breath in admiration.

  “Jeong-Hui, Song-Hoon, this young dy is Park Soo-young. She will be our waitress if she ever gets back to work.” They nodded at her in unison, used to such introductions. “Soo-young, these two are the Shons, Jeong-Hui and Song-Hoon, who are Wendy’s parents. Did you hear what happened to her?”

  “No. What happened?”

  “We will talk about it at the table, once we get one.” Sometimes subtle reminders were lost on the poor girl.

  “Oh? Oh! Um…give me five minutes to get one cleaned. It’ll be a bit away from everyone else so we can talk more privately.” Soo-young started looking for tables to clear off and get them sat at. She got herself busy again, much to the happiness of the manager, the kitchen staff, and anyone waiting for their meals.

  There was a table that needed to be cleaned near the kitchen door. She chose that one on purpose so that way the noise from the kitchen would mask most of the audible conversation that they were about to have. It was in a bit of a recessed nook, pced there expressly to have private conversations. The noise from the kitchen acted like a sonic wall of interference.

  The paparazzi arrived behind the trio’s conversation. They were looking at the back of their targets, a bit embarrassed at being so close. The manager noticed the not-so-hidden camera and stopped them. He just pointed at the No Cameras/No Recording Equipment sign that was over the register. Looking a bit annoyed, the cameraman took his camera to the car and then got a smaller and more discrete one. He jogged back into the diner and rejoined his partner. He was unaware of just how strict that notice was as the smaller camera would be ripped out of his hand a half hour ter by the same manager and the camera was pced in a basket with his table number on it.

  By the time the paparazzi got back, Seulgi and Parents got seated. Where they got seated annoyed the pair because there was no clear line of sight for taking pictures of them without being painfully obvious. Then when they got seated, they found themselves on the wrong side of the restaurant to get anything sound-wise from them.

  It happens. So, they just got a dinner and they were pleasantly surprised at how good it was. They were also captivated by the singing waitress. They both decided to come back again with no work obligations to enjoy this pce when they were off duty.

  Everyone, including the targets, ignored the stages of agitation, exasperation, and resignation of the pair. They were not even worth watching. They ate, enjoyed the show, and left so they could wait for the trio to leave.

  While this was happening, the trio in question sat in a four-person booth. The Parents wondered why Seulgi scooted to the inside, but didn’t have to wait long for the reason.

  While waiting for Soo-Young to come back, the three talked about the menu. Seulgi told them what she had in the past, what she thought was tasty, and the like.

  The manager came by and said, “Ms. Kang, good to have you back.”

  “Thank you, manager. Good to be here.”

  The manager, being wise, noticed that she did not introduce these other guests, so he did not ask. This was part of the reason that he had kept his position as manager for as long as he had.

  Promptly ignoring the other two, the manager asked, “Will you be singing tonight, Seulgi?”

  “No, manager-nim. We’re just here for dinner. You can keep Soo-Young after we leave.” She said this with a slight smile.

  The manager smiled back with relief. “Have a pleasant dinner tonight. Also, Ms. Joo-Hyun may be joining us tonight. Should I direct her to your table?”

  “I expect nothing less. Yes, please, and thank you.”

  They went back to discussing the menus and what to get. They had made up their minds and Soo-Young showed up like a djinn and promptly sat down next to her friend.

  Seulgi expected it. The Parents did not. But they followed their host’s social cues with imperceptible frowns.

  “What happened to Wendy-unnie?”

  “We’ll talk about it when you bring our dinners out. The three of us are hungry, remember?” Then looking directly in her eyes with both a warning and a threat further said, “These two are not Nayeon. Be respectful. I mean it.”

  Soo-young looked as shocked at the tone as the Parents were. None of these three had really heard Seulgi’s Boss Tone. Granted, the Parents had only st night being told that they were going to get food and go to bed. This was Soo-Young’s first time. However, she now understood the times when she saw Seulgi giving commands, people leap to it.

  The young woman quietly gulped. “Yes, Seulgi.” She took their collective orders and went back to the kitchen. The singing from then on was more subdued but still present. She could not neglect all her fans now, could she?

  Jeong-Hui quietly asked, “Was that necessary?” The subtle questioning was not in Seulgi’s authority as much as questions about the younger dy.

  “Yes and no. She is normally very vivacious and outgoing, so can come across as irreverent and rude to those who don’t know her. She had pulled that side of her out the st time I was here with a friend. My friend mistook what she was doing and why, so got upset. So, I am warning her to behave. The ‘or else’ might not have been necessary, but I’m not willing to take the chance.”