Han Estate. Friday evening. Family dinner.
Calista had gone completely overboard. The table was practically groaning under the weight of every comfort food Soorin had grown up eating.
Jjigae that smelled exactly like home. Japchae with the perfect amount of sesame oil that her mother had somehow memorized after years of making it. Kimchi pancakes that were crispy on the edges and soft in the middle, just the way Soorin liked them.
The kind of meal that felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold day.
They ate quietly for a while. Just the three of them. No pressure. No expectations. No need to perform or explain.
Just family being family.
Then her mother set down her chopsticks with that deliberate movement that meant she was about to say something important. She looked at Soorin with that mom look that saw through absolutely everything.
"You're still exhausted."
"I'm fine."
