#shes buying food for the quintet but shes also buying too much

[jingyuan-doodles]

food trip!

[msilwrites]

(A 3AM Update) A True Gentleman, Chapter 21 - A jealous husband?

A/N: Chapter 21 is up! Isaac confronts Diana, like a jealous husband! By the way, Henry, Diana's cousin face claim is 'Henry Cavill', and Sam McLean's face claim is Sam Heughan.

Oh, before I forget, if you don't like the story, please do move on to others, the internet has lots of them. Please don't hurt writers, ya? Good! so without further ado...

TWENTY-ONE

A jealous husband

"Diana!" her cousin, Henry approaches her. "That was a stellar performance!" he compliments.

Every time Henry and she are seen together, people often mistake them for siblings. The blue cold eyes, thick eyebrows, strong jawline, and dark hair were the signature that belonged to their family.

"Thank you, Henry!" was her grateful reply. "But I know why you are here for, go and lead the way!" she says, as he leads her to where her father sat. She knew what Henry approached her for. It was time for her father's interrogation and lengthy sermon.

Francis watched Henry, followed by Diana, approaching him where he sat.

"Relax Uncle..." Henry says, as he taps his uncle's shoulder, telling him to listen instead of scolding Diana. He then walks away to give the two space.

He took a deep breath before turning to his daughter. " Why don't you take a seat..." he offers, patting the empty space beside him, which she took.

"First of all, why are you singing at a wedding?" he tried to sound calm instead of being confrontational.

" I was trying to earn money to buy a 3D Printer," was her direct answer.

" Why?"

"I'm trying to build a small workshop studio, and I need a 3d printer..."

"Oh..." Francis was taken aback, he didn't expect his daughter to have such plans. "But what happened to the money you got from the sale of your old penthouse with Jesse?"

"That, I'm keeping it to the side. I plan to use it to buy real estate and most probably have the place rented for passive income. If not, I'll turn it into the workshop studio. I planned to save money, but I think I'd earn more if I were to rent the place out."

His eyes widened in disbelief, was this still the same Diana whom he met a few weeks ago? No! This Diana has ambition, plans and direction. She was actively taking charge of her life. "Wow! I did not expect that... That is actually a good plan"

Diana smiled and just nodded.

"Do you need help?" he offers, sincerely this time, without a hint of being condescending.

"Maybe? From time to time, Thank you! Da!" Diana says gratefully. "Your advice and input would be helpful from time to time" she adds.

"That was a stellar performance by the way!" Francis complements his daughter. " Those wedding songs reminds me of a time when I was..." he said trying to find the word.

"Hopeful? Yes, I did feel the same..." she admits to her father.

Francis sighs. " You know, I really did love your mother. It may have not gone well for the both of us, but not once did I regret loving her,"

Diana looks at her father, surprised at his sudden confession. Not once did her father open up to her about this issue.

"Why?!"

"Why what?"

"Da! She hurt you!" she exclaims.

"Yes, she did... and I may have done things that I shouldn't have, but what happened to us in the past, is what makes us who we are now. We grow and become wiser,"

"I guess you do have a good point..." she agrees. It made her think about her past abusive relationships, and what it thought her. Though it was terrible, it made her learn and it made her wiser.

"So how did you exactly end up here?"

"That's a really long story..."

" We have a lot of time,"

She began her story (omitting some parts of course) and told him about the music director Aedan looking for an alto-soprano which led her to where she is now.

"I see... I am glad you're able to use your classical training, anyways, when is the date of your performance?" he inquired.

"Why?"

"I want to see it of course!" he declares.

**********

"I see trees of green. Red roses too, I see them bloom. For me and you. And I think to myself, What a wonderful world..." Diana opens the dance floor for everyone, with the song 'What a wonderful world'. The strings followed, in harmony with her voice.

Couples, young and old, approached the dance floor and began dancing to the sweet tune.

The night was about to end, and she was grateful that her performance went well. Hopefully, she would also perform well with the orchestra at the outdoor theatre.

"I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do They're really saying I love you..."

She scanned the area and saw her cousin, Henry, being surrounded by girls. She stopped her from rolling her eyes, knowing that he was a known ladies man, even since they were young. On one side was her father who seemed to be enjoying himself, chatting with others. The atmosphere felt jolly that she swore she'd try to catch up with Henry or talk some more with her father after finishing the song.

"I hear babies cry. I watch them grow. They'll learn much more than I'll ever know. And I think to myself... What a wonderful world Yes, I think to myself... What a wonderful world. Ooh, yes I think to myself... What a wonderful world..." and with the last verse, Diana closes the song and the audience applauded. She smiled and thought, that it was still somehow a wonderful world despite everything she had gone through, there was still things she was thankful for.

With a sigh, she gives a toast to the newly married couple, and then turned to the quintet and thanked them, which gained her another set of 'Thank you's coming from them.

She looks around and found the bar, wanting a cold drink, preferably a beer. It's been weeks since she had anything cold and gassy. It wouldn't hurt from time to time to have an ice-cold beer after a long day of singing.

Wasting no time, she requested a pint of ice-cold craft beer on tap from the bar-tender, and he quickly poured her one large pint, its surface bubbling.

"Good job out there, you earned it, enjoy!" the bartender says, before moving to other requests.

"Thanks!" was her response.

She looked around trying to find Henry or her father in the crowd, whilst drinking her glass. However, before she could even make a move. Her father had already gone up to the podium, about to start his 'godfather' speech and before she could even look for Henry, a handsome guy had already sat beside her and tried to engage her in a conversation.

"Hello..." was his greeting, his voice deep. She looked at the colour of his kilt's Tartan, and immediately knew which family he is from.

"Wait! your name is probably something McLean!" she declares.

"Oh! wait, are you a Scott too?! Well, I am Sam McLean..." he said, stretching his hand for a handshake which she gladly took. She felt a little confident today, and talking to a handsome man isn't so bad thing to do to pass the time. Unless he actually is an asshole otherwise. She already has an escape plan.

"You may call me, tonight..." was a flirty yet witty reply from her, causing Sam to laugh. "Or you may address me as, Diana"

"Well, Diana, that was a stellar performance throughout..." he compliments.

"Thank you! I'm glad you like it,"

"You have a very nice voice! So... may I buy you a drink?!" he offers.

"Of course! Or you could get me food since I haven't had my fill yet..." she said sheepishly, not having eaten anything yet.

"Oh! of course! what do you want to eat? I'll get it for you!" he offers.

" Cake" she implores, placing both her hands together as if praying.

"Of course, I'll be right back!" he said, immediately taking a small slice on a plate for her.

"There you go! Enjoy!" he says, pushing the small plate to her.

"Thank You, Sam!" she chuckles at the mention of his name. It was the same as the pseudonym she used when she wrote those 'love' letters to herself. "Thank you. I'd say 'God Bless you!', but it looks like He already did." was her flirtatious reply followed by a wink.

Sam bit his lips and laughed. He didn't know how to respond to that. "Thanks... I guess..." he holds his laughter, and clears her throat, "So Diana, what do you do? Besides singing? "

"I am independently impecunious..." was her answer.

Sam throws his head back laughing, knowing that he had found a hilarious person and the night will definitely not be boring.

"Enough about me, Sam! Let's talk about how attractive you are!" she adds.

Sam takes a deep breath but ended up laughing once again. " You're too funny for words!" However, before he could even say more...

"Sammy, laddie, hands-off! that is my daughter you're flirting with!" Francis chastises Sam from the podium after he finished his speech, causing everyone to turn their attention to Diana and Sam at the bar, upon finding out that she is Francis' daughter.

"Well, nice to meet you Diana!" he says. "Yikes..." and slowly backs away from her. It didn't matter how beautiful she is to him, she was Francis's Rutherford's daughter and there is no way she would want to incur her father's wrath.

"Sam? wait!" she says, perplexed at his sudden change.

**********

"Sam is an international playboy, he isn't the ideal man to date!" Henry says as he fiddled with his phone. Seated beside him inside the car is his cousin Diana, whom he ended up sending back home instead, as his Uncle, Francis, still had to stay at the wedding reception.

"Oho! You're one to talk Henry! " Diana chuckles, knowing her cousin's reputation.

"It can't be helped..." was his response.

"Should I tell the girls who chase after you, the same thing you told me?"

"It won't work... they'll chase after me more!" he declares, and both of them erupted in laughter, including their chauffeur in the front seat of the car, at how true the statement was.

"Well, aren't you afraid I'd chase Sam more?" she asks.

"You won't" was his quick reply.

"Because life has already knocked some sense out of you..." was his confident statement, aware of what Diana had gone through, all those years.

"I guess you're right," she sighs and smiles at herself, turning her attention to the view outside the car, whilst a classical piano rendition of 'Moon River' played inside the vehicle, making it a relaxing atmosphere.

"Lady Rutherford, we're here..." their chauffeur announces, and he gets out of the 'Ghost' to open the car for her.

"Thank you, Higgins!" she says, referring to Henry's chauffeur who opened the car door for her.

Henry followed after, alighting at the other side of the car. "Let me send you to your door..." he offers.

"Yes, walk me there," she says, as Henry walked beside her.

"We should have lunch sometime, eh? It's been a long time since I caught up with you!"

"Yes, we should do that" she agrees.

" If you don't mind, Mum wants to catch up with you too, can she come along?"

"Of course Aunt Minerva is more than welcome! How long has it been?!" she realizes suddenly that she had met her immediately family for years now since she started her relationship with Jesse, that was no longer the case now.

"It's set then" he declares, trying to find a spot inside his phone's calendar. "I'll set the time next weekend..."

"Alright! Well here's my door" she says turning to him to give him a quick hug.

Henry gladly returns her embrace " I'm glad you're in a better place now!" he adds, giving her shoulder a squeeze as an affirmation. "Well, I have to go, I have an early day tomorrow!"

However, before Henry could leave, the door opens to reveal Isaac, glaring at him.

"I'd normally say get a room, but this isn't a hotel" was the first thing Isaac said, the moment he opened the door, and 'caught' Diana, and some man, embracing each other in front of his door.

Henry looked at him puzzled, and when he realized that Isaac got the wrong idea about them, he released Diana from his arms. "Eww..." he grimaced and quickly turns around and gave a two-finger salute before he left "See you, Diana!"

Diana took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to burp before entering the house. She had four large pints of beer and 2 slices of cake which made her feel bloated, which made her feel regretful going on a drinking spree.

"Diana?" Isaac called, which she almost didn't notice because she was busy nursing the bloatedness.

"Mmmmm?"

"Remember you had 10 things you have to do for me?"

Diana just nods and covers her mouth, trying to burp as silent as she can. "Yes..."

"Well, I'm gonna use 1, let's have a talk..." was his stern reply.

"Dr Skovgaard? can we do this tomorrow?" she pleads, as she was bloated and tired.

"No, because I don't know where you will disappear to again..." he reprimands.

She sighs as she follows him to the dining room where a long session of scolding and preaching awaits her.

She sits down, resigned to her situation and prepared herself for Isaac's long preaching.

"Diana, you often disappear and reappear to I do not know where to, it's like I'm living with a Ghost. And when I message you, you do not respond..."

"But I do respond!" she reasons.

"Yes, two days later..."

"Oh... hehehe... I'm busy, sorry, please don't be mad at me" she apologizes, and laughs softly, struggling to also hide her drunkenness.

"Busy with what exactly??!!" he inhales sharply.

"Uhhh.... you know, things? work? earning a living?" she says a little sluggish. "You know, I gotta earn my keep..." the Scottish accent of hers, starting to come out.

"Men!?" he adds.

"Ahahaha yes... men" she giggles. "I'm not really busy with them, they're busy with me, which in turn... takes up a portion of my time, they're handsome, eye candies! So I guess it's worth the time..." she laughs.

"Unbelievable!" he throws his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Dr Skovgaard, what are you really scolding me for?" she says, trying to suppress another burp.

He sighs " First, you disappear to who knows where and then reappear a few days later! You leave my message on 'read' and respond to them a day or two later as if I'm a weird guy you have been avoiding, and then you came home late, drunk! In the arms of another man! Do you know how I felt, do you know worried I was?!" he stressed out.

Diana stares at the tall ceiling and then laughs at the realizations " You make me sound like a stray cat who just comes home to eat!"

"I never said anything like that." he shakes his head in disapproval.

"I know... I'm just visualizing..." she adds, waving it off.

"Diana, you're not taking any of this seriously-"

She didn't know if it was drunkenness, but she felt a little brave, and without warning, got up from her seat and wrapped her arms around Isaac. "Alright, my love... I'm sorry, so sorry, I promise not to do it again!" she says, as her arms tighten around his waist.

Isaac, caught off-guard, stood there, frozen, unsure of how to react. "Diana?"

Diana just laughed, as she brought her hands to his cheeks. If anyone were to see them right now, it would look like they were a couple making up, after having a banter. "Oh, Dr Skovgaard... you sound just like a jealous husband!" she exclaims and laughs at his face. "You know I'd normally kiss you, but I'm not your beau..." she adds, tapping his cheek. "So, let's end this argument, and call it a day! I'm sorry, alright?! Good Night!" she says, kissing his cheek.

Isaac jolted in surprise due to her actions. He felt his cheeks, starting to get warm.

She releases Isaac from her embrace and sluggishly walked back upstairs, to her room, whilst singing a funny Scottish folk song and laughing halfway.

He sits down for a moment to collect himself and tried to process what had just happened. Trying to make sense of the feeling he currently has in his chest.

A/N: I have most probably made some grammatical errors, here and there... so I'd do some soft editing. I hope you enjoyed this one! I would also love to hear from you in the comments below.

[staytheb]

Scenery

Pairing: SF9′s Youngbin x OC [Seul] || TBZ’s Sangyeon x OC [Yeon] ] Genre: slice of life, slight fluff Word Count: 3,453 Summary: Seul and Yeon are having a female-only bonding time before attending to their respective bosses after the outing.

Warning: none... i’m pretty sure.

hello! it’s been awhile hasn’t it? had writer’s block but eventually found some inspiration and came up with this. anyways, this is the Office Life with Yeon and Seul which i’ll make a separate post soon as it’ll get crowded later if i continued writing for these pairs lol but yeah, i think that’s about it. so happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

Yeon held a large leaf in hand whereas Seul held the clear umbrella over them with one hand as the sisters looked at one another with smiles on their faces to which they posed for the so-called candid shot in request of their mother and soon-to-be stepmother.

"Ooh, lovely, girls!"

Narae exclaimed as she proudly took the picture of her two daughters before looking over at her ex-husband's fiancee.

"Don't you think, Sanghee?"

"Yes, Narae. They're quite lovely."

Sanghee then glanced at Jangmi in her arms.

"Right, Jangmi? Mommy and Auntie Yeonnie looked pretty, huh?"

"Pretty! Pretty!" Jangmi cooed with a laugh as Sanghee continued speaking.

"That's right. You can't tell that they were annoyed with us at all throughout the day."

Jangmi agreed with a happy-go-lucky attitude as the older women chuckled leaving the younger two to eyed them a bit annoyed. Of course Jangmi had no clue what was going on besides knowing that she was having a grand time.

"Obviously." Yeon curtly responded while fingering the plant between her index finger and thumb before handing it to Jangmi.

"When y'all wanted to talk about the future of our soon-to-siblings, I didn't expect to be out here at Dream Forest having a grandmother-mother-daughter-granddaughter-auntie-niece whatever bonding time."

"Yeah," Seul agreed while handing the clear umbrella to her daughter as Sanghee set her down as the little one ran about them.

"Although I don't really mind, but we haven't even talked much. Just sight-seeing."

"If we did that, then we knew that Yeon wouldn't come." Sanghee explained with a knowing look.

"Um, yeah."

Yeon shot them a pointed look.

"I wouldn't even be wearing this dress if it was my choice."

"But you look so beautiful, my daughter." Narae cooed. "I can't imagine how you'll look at the wedding for Sanghee and Kisuk soon."

"Or for yours and Yongin." Sanghee added with a similar attitude.

Both women gushed at the idea of their weddings, but also that the other three would be a part of it. Yeon's face scrunched at both possibilities being very likely soon as Seul shoulder her with a mischievous look.

"Yeah, two events where you'll have to be all dressed up."

"Ugh. Don't remind me. I still have to go dress shopping for Sanghee's engagement party."

"Yeah, you still have several weeks before then." Sanghee smiled as Yeon sighed tiredly.

"But I still have to get dressed up."

"Oh, you'll live." Narae told her eldest daughter before taking another photo with a grin.

Narae took a few more of her  granddaughter.

"No wonder you get that from her." Yeon remarked to Seul as the younger sister chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways," Seul changed the topic, "What else is on the agenda for today?"

"Nothing really." Narae answered with Sanghee nodding.

"Yeah. We mainly just wanted to get away for a few hours."

"Seriously?"

Yeon was not amused.

"We could've gone literally anywhere outside of Seoul for a better scene."

"Well, technically, it was more for the two of you then us." Narae explained with a sheepish look. "Sanghee mentioned some incidents at work and we both agreed that the two of you needed some relaxation in your schedule."

Sanghee held up a hand in her defense.

"To be truthful, it was just our idea. Kisuk is still unaware that the two of you work at EDAM since the both of you have applied under an alias."

"Okay, but y'all still could've just told us that, too." Seul said with a firm tone. "It's not like we're three."

"That's quite true." Narae agreed before shooting her daughters a knowing look. "But the same goes for the two of you when applying for a job outside either family's workplaces. You could've just rejected the positions we had aligned for you."

"Nah, Dad would've forced us either way."

Seul remarked as Sanghee nodded knowing that was the truth.

"Yes, that's true. Kisuk seems like the type."

Narae changed the subject a second later.

"Yes, he very much is. Anyways, let's get lunch on our way back home. Jangmi you're hungry, right?"

"Yeah! Food! Let's go!"

Jangmi charged on ahead as the umbrella and leaf in each hand moved about her in motion while the quartet followed suit with smiles on their faces. The quintet enjoyed a nice meal at a nearby restaurant while discussing Sanghee's engagement party as well as the future of the newborns. After that both Narae and Sanghee went about their own day leaving the trio to return home after stopping by a bakery along the day.

"Can Auntie have some of your milk bread?"

Yeon asked her niece while placing her hand near the said dessert.

"No."

Jangmi declined with a giggle as she moved the treat away from Yeon's reach.

"Are you three, too?"

Seul questioned her sister with Yeon frowning.

"Um, yeah I am because that was mine before your daughter wanted to trade because she didn't like the mango yogurt."

"Then you should've just ordered her the same thing than let her decide."

"Yeah, I know, but I wanted Jangmi to decide for herself since she liked how the drink looked."

Yeon went back to eating the yogurt while watching her niece happily tear apart the milk bun. Seul scoffed with a knowing smile.

"Sucks for you."

Yeon ignored her as Seul answered a call that came shortly after.

"Hello?"

Seul immediately muted the call while facing her sister.

"Um, it's my boss. I'll be back."

Seul patted her daughter's head.

"Mommy got a call, okay. Be good for Auntie Yeonnie, okay?"

"Otay!"

Jangmi responded cheerfully as Seul cast the two a smile before standing and walking out of the shop. Yeon watched her sister before facing her niece.

"If auntie buys another one, then you won't take that one, right?"

"No."

Jangmi giggled while chewing a piece of the condensed milk bread as Yeon knew that her niece was lying, but smiled anyways.

"Hey," Came Seul's voice as she returned, "I have to run some errands for my boss. Will you be able to watch Jangmi alone?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Do what you gotta do." Yeon told her sister.

"Thanks."

Seul patted her daughter's head.

"Mommy gotta work. Be good for Auntie Yeonnie until I'm done. Okay?"

"Otay. Love you."

Jangmi puckered her lips as Seul leaned closer for a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, and Mommy loves you, too."

Seul returned the same gestured before leaving with the umbrella that Yeon handed to her.

"Okay, so it's just you and me, MiMi. What do you wanna do after this?"

~~~~~~~

"Thank you for taking care of this errand on short notice, Ms. Lee. I really appreciate it."

Youngbin thanked Seul with a grateful smile as she brought him the Milkis cake from Tous Les Jours for a business function at the Four Seasons Hotel. He noticed her attire with a slight frown as the pair met at the front desk.

"I didn't pull you away from a previous engagement, did I? You didn't get caught in the rain either, I hope."

Seul shook her head.

"Oh, no. You didn't and the rain was very light out, but you're welcome, Mr. Kim. Luckily, I was nearby after an outing with family."

She vaguely informed him as she knew that Youkyoung was supposed to have ordered the cake and have it deliver beforehand, but no order was made and it left Seul to scramble at the last minute on her boss' behalf. Youngbin was unable to get a hold of his secretary as well.

"Oh, okay. That's good to hear."

Seul cast him a small smile.

"Will there be anything else, Mr. Kim?"

"No. I should be fine now. Thank you, Ms. Lee."

He looked about him before returning his gaze onto his personal assistant.

"Hopefully Ms. Seo will arrive and I won't have to bother you too much."

"Well, I am your personal assistant and it is my job to take care of errands and other miscellaneous things that Ms. Seo is unable to."

"Yes, very true. Well, Ms. Lee, have a wonderful evening."

"And the same to you, Mr. Kim."

Seul cast him one more polite smile before turning away. Her attention soon drifted to another part of the lobby upon recalling Sanghee wanted to have her engagement here at the same hotel. The hall was large and consisted of an indoor pool along with an amazing view. This piqued Seul's curiosity as she entered.

"Wow, this is really pretty."

She said to no one in particular as she moved closer to view the outside better, but avoided being close to the pool itself as she didn't have spare clothes to change into if she did get fully wet.

"No wonder Sanghee wants her party here. This will definitely be beautiful at night."

There were other guests of the hotel and of the business function scattered about in the room as well.

"Whoa, Yiseul Park, is that you I see looking so lovely right now?" Dawon said with a surprised teasing tone in seeing his friend and fellow colleague.

"What are you doing here?"

Seul turned and made a face at him using her real name.

"It's Seul Lee, remember?"

"Oh, right. Work-related. You and Yeon both. My bad."

Dawon chuckled as he neared.

"I thought you were on a family outing. Why are you working?"

"Youkyoung didn't bring the cake for your boss and I had to do it."

"He's your boss, too."

"Mmhmm. Anyways, why are you wandering around? Shouldn't you be mingling with the others and assisting Mr. Kim and what not?"

"The talk gets boring over the years and they have really long speeches that really makes no sense to which I don't have to listen in on as that's Youngbin's job. Anyways, I'm also trying to avoid a certain someone at the moment and do not want to meet their boss. By the way, you looked good in that dress."

"Thanks. You're not so shabby in your own get-up."

Dawon made a face.

"It's gets stuffy at times, but I can't wait until this is over and I could get out of this."

Just as Seul was gonna comment she was suddenly bumped from behind and stumbled into the pool.

"Yiseul!" Dawon called for her while turning to face the person that caused it.

"Seriously, Yuri?"

"It was an accident. It's not like I purposely did it."

Yuri countered. She was the person he was trying to avoid

"Right and the fact that you didn't  fall in either."

"I righted myself before I could."

Dawon ignored her.

"Yiseul!"

Seul resurfaced as she tread water to stay afloat while making sure all of her belongings didn't float away. Dawon called his friend's name and she waddle on over to him.

"I got you."

Seul reached for Dawon's outstretched hand as he pulled her closer to the edge of the pool. She coughed up the water as she breathed in air until her breathing returned to normal.

"What just happened?"

She looked at her friend as he motioned with his head towards Yuri.

"She happened."

"Who's she?"

"The one I mentioned earlier."

"I see."

Before Dawon could help Seul get out of the pool, Yuri pulled him away.

"C'mon. My boss is looking for you."

"Let go. I have other things to worry about."

"But she wants y-"

"I don't care."

"Dawon. It's fine. Just go before something else happens."

Seul told him as she managed to lift herself out of the pool and sat beside it.

"But-"

"I'm fine. Really."

"See, she's fine."

Dawon's jaw tightened as he looked at his friend. Seul gave him a nod that she was fine.

"C'mon, Dawon, let's go."

Yuri urged as she continued to pull on Dawon's arm. He shook her hold off of him with an annoyed look while casting his friend a worried look.

"Just call or message me when you get home. Okay?"

"I will."

"Alright, then. Take care."

"You, too."

Dawon cast Seul another concerned look before turning around and walking off. Yuri followed after him and tried to hold his hand, but he shook her hand away. Seul sighed wondering if the other woman thought she was competition, but recalled that she was the younger sister of Yuna. Seul scoffed at the idea that Yuri still clung to Dawn even after school when she knew that he would never like her back like that. Seul dismissed the thought as she wrung out her hair and dress with an even deeper sigh. Despite the whole dress being white she was glad that it wasn't see-through. She needed to dry off soon before returning home. Just as she stood up and had turned around, Youngbin was there with a towel for her.

"Are you cold?"

She eyed him weirdly not taking the towel.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Not that long."

He continued to hold the towel for her to take. She tentatively took it.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

She placed it around her shoulders and noticed that he was still standing with her with no cake in hand.

"Shouldn't you get to the event?"

"Just some speeches going on that I just have to make sure to check in every now and then."

"Mmhmm. Well, thanks again. Where do I return the towel?"

Seul had removed the towel from around her as she used it to dry off the rest of her.

"Oh, they have a hamper at the changing room over there."

Youngbin pointed to the other side of the room that had a small area that disappeared around the corner.

"Okay, thanks."

Seul was about to walk off, but Youngbin stopped her.

"Hey, wait."

She watched as her boss began removing his suit jacket.

"Um, what are you doing?"

He didn't answer, but instead draped the fabric over her shoulders. He cast her a cheeky smile as he secure the jacket upon her.

"You can return it the next time you see me."

"Bu-"

"Sorry, gotta go. It's in your care for the time being."

Youngbin rushed off with a playful smile as Seul was left staring after him with furrowed eyebrows. She sighed, but nuzzled into the warm clothing.

"He's so weird. I'll see him the day after tomorrow."

Seul didn't ponder on it for long as she returned the towel, made a call to her sister using the front desk's phone, and drove to meet them as Jangmi wanted to go shopping.

~~~~~~~

"Okay, MiMi. Mommy needs new clothes. Let's find her some."

Yeon informed her niece once they were on the fourth floor of the Shinsegae Department Store and had entered Lucky Chouette.

"Why?"

Jangmi asked while holding her aunt's hand as Yeon lead the both of them around.

"Something happened when she left. Let's pick something Mommy would like."

"Otay!"

Yeon received the call from Seul after she had explained what had occurred. Yeon thought it was stupid on how that played out, but told her sister that she was lucky she was in Myeongdong. Now here she was looking for something that Seul could wear for the mean time until they all got home. Yeon remembered her niece still had the plant from earlier and wondered why she hadn't tossed it.

"Jangmi. Why are you still holding the plant?"

"Because it's nice."

"I know, but it's becoming dried up. Let's toss it, yeah?"

"No. Auntie gave it to me."

"I know, but it'll ruin the other things here."

Jangmi frowned.

"But, it's so pretty."

Yeon reasoned with the child.

"Nex time, Auntie will give you something else, okay?"

Jangmi beamed as she handed her aunt the plant.

"Otay. Promise."

"Thank you and yes."

Jangmi giggled as she wandered a bit to choose something for her mother to wear as Yeon sighed with a smile. She knew her niece liked the piece of nature, but she really didn't want the toddler to spread it throughout the store and cause the staff to be inconvenienced. Yeon placed the plant inside her bag before focusing her attention on something for Seul to wear. Yeon had chosen a few pieces of clothing when she heard her niece called for her.

"Yes, MiMi?"

Yeon glanced at Jangmi and noticed that a little boy was with her. She kneel to be at eye-level with a concerned look.

"Hi. Jangmi, who's your friend?"

"This is Howon. He lost his uncle."

She introduced the other toddler as Howon held back tears, but still sniffled.

"Oh. Well, hi, Howon."

She glanced about her and wondered if the boy's uncle was still in the store or something. Yeon stood again to scout for the boy's uncle, but there were only other females walking about. She kneel to Howon's eye-level again.

"Um, where was the last time you saw your uncle?"

"I don't know."

The boy replied and Yeon wondered how she was supposed to find his family member.

"Okay. Let's go to the front and see if we can find your uncle, Howon."

Yeon decided to head to the front to purchase the clothes while informing the staff of what had occurred. Just when Yeon was informing the boy of his new situation, Howon became upset. In the end she left her contact with the staff while Yeoon took both children to Vecchia e Nuovo which was a restaurant and bakery on the same floor as Lucky Chouette. Both children were hungry and Yeon thought it would be better if they were still in the same area for the uncle to find his nephew. After ordering Yeon messaged Seul about the situation and a moment later her boss' name popped up calling.

"Hello, Mr. Lee?"

Yeon answered with a confused tone.

"Uh, yes. I'm Yiyeon Park. How do you know that? Oh, uh yes, he's with me."

Yeon glanced at Howon learning that he was the nephew of Sangyeon.

"Um, we're at Vecchia e Nuovo. Uh, yes, we've already ordered."

The pair were too engrossed with the menu as they made a game out of it to listen in on Yeon's conversation.

"Yes we're on the fourth level. Ah, yes. See you soon."

Yeon ended the call while looking over at Howon.

"Howon, you're uncle will b-"

"Uncle!"

Howon exclaimed upon seeing Sangyeon entered the restaurant a moment later. Yeon's gaze went to the male as she watched the pair soon hug while her boss informed his nephew that he shouldn't have wandered and all that other stuff. Sangyeon's attention went to his secretary.

"Thank you for watching him, Ms. Lee."

"Um, you're welcome, Mr. Lee."

"Hi."

Jangmi greeted Sangyeon with a smile upon remembering him.

"Hi, to you, too."

Sangyeon greeted in a softer tone than he did Yeon.

"Did you and Howon become good friends?"

"Yes!"

"Yeah, Jangmi gave me this."

Howon held the leaf that Yeon had put away earlier. She couldn't resist the pair when they begged to see and play with it.

"Yeah, it's a token from something earlier today."

Yeon shot Sangyeon a small smile hoping he wouldn't probed further.

"I see. Did you say thank you?"

"Mmhmm."

Soon the staff brought out their meal and Yeon suggested for Sangyeon to join them so that Howon could eat before leaving.

"I want to sit next to auntie." Howon stated as he moved to sit next to Yeon.

"You don't want to sit next to me?" Sangyeon asked.

"Nope."

"But I want to sit next to auntie." Jangmi whined as she stood off to the side.

"You can sit next to uncle." Howon suggested, but Jangmi frowned.

"No."

This caused Sangyeon to slightly pout as he played along with the kids.

"No one wants to sit next to me?"

The pair shook their heads as Yeon stifled a laugh which caused her boss to glance at her. Upon seeing his supposed hurt look Yeon couldn't help but let the words flow on out from her mouth.

"Are you jealous?"

"Not at all." He replied nonchalantly while composing himself.

"I see."

Eventually, Yeon managed to get Howon to sit with his uncle leaving Jangmi to sit beside her. It wasn't that bad as the quartet ate and talk for a while before Seul messaged her sister. Yeon decided to cut their meal short after informing Sangyeon about the situation with her sister. The four bid one another goodbyes before parting. Yeon hoped that her boss wouldn't ask about her real name and just let things be, but she received a messaged later that day with him asking if he should address her with Park instead of Lee. Yeon didn't respond and would deal with it on Monday.

[thewhitefluffyhat]

How do you feel the anime is doing in handling the elements from the game? I think they've made some very meaningful changes to get rid of much of the padding and improve the ot/character beats. In the recent episode they didn't even include Homura and Madoka's search subplot, despite the easy fanservice there.

Oh geez, what a timing-dependent ask!  This was sent right around Episode 8, I believe.

And yes, I’ve been mostly enjoying the anime changes so far, particularly some of the little character details.  Kaede holding up that drawing of Rena, Mitama’s horrifying new food combinations, Iroha having to bail out Felicia when she gets in a fight… there are a lot of moments that are unique to the anime, yet feel so wonderfully true to the characters it seems like they should have been in the game!

(Also much like Doroinu’s Valentine’s event sections, it’s really obvious that he’s more confident in writing the original cast than the f4 team is…)

The changes to the rumors have also been intriguing, and I think generally for the better.  Things like the Breakup Staircase requiring you to write your name on a specific staircase, or how the rumor of the Endless Solitude requires that only one person can enter at a time… it all works towards the rumors feeling more like genuine urban legends.

Still, I did think Kaede and Rena’s arc was unfortunately rushed, and witch fights tend to go by really fast too.  So even though Madoka and Homura are my favorites from the original quintet, I was outright happy to see them removed if it meant better pacing and focus on the important parts of Ch5.

(More detailed discussion of Episodes 9 and 10 below.)

And to some degree, that really did happen!  I’m watching alongside my little brother, who not only hasn’t played the game, but he’s also very skeptical of gacha adaptations.  And both of us loved Sana and Ai in Episode 9.  (He even found it the first episode so far that managed to touch the spark the original anime had!)

I thought it was particularly well done in how it balanced including just enough of Sana’s Magical Girl Story to explain her character, without going overboard and piling on so much suffering it seemed too over-the-top.

That being said, while Sana and Ai were great, Iroha and Sana’s relationship… really took a backseat.  Iroha in general has been frustratingly passive so far, despite the early episodes seeming like the anime might be trying to fix some of that.  But with the little Kyuubey being the one to force Iroha to jump from the tower, and in getting rid of the Ai fight, Iroha now comes across as even more useless and disconnected than in the game.  :/

And… then there’s anime Alina.  Who at this point, consists entirely of meme poses, manic cackling,  and shouting her lines from the game at 2x speed.  I was hoping that Episode 10 would at least have Yachiyo mention her background as a famous artist, and that it would give Alina a bit of a humanizing moment with her relationship with Mifuyu, but… nope.  Instead, she jumped straight over Jojo and landed in Higurashi with those faces.

(Which is kind of an insult to Higurashi, tbh.  Even Meakashi-hen Shion has more of a reason and behind her wild actions than Alina here…  unless you buy the theory that Alina’s doppel doesn’t just drive witches and rumors berserk, that is.)

Quite a disappointment, especially when the OP looks more like Alina from her MGS.

Aside from Alina, Magius as a whole seems more reasonable and morally gray, which is a major improvement from the game.  (Especially if, as Episode 10 kind of implies, Mami joined without being brainwashed!)  I suppose if nonsensical Alina is the price I have to pay for the rest of Magius being sane, it’s still a tradeoff I would make… but oof, what a cost.

And I’m worried about what this means for Alina’s role later in the plot.  Right now, it seems quite possible she’ll be the one who corrupts Touka and Nemu, rather than the other way around.  The way that Alina can control witches with her doppel also seems like foreshadowing for what she does in the game’s Ch10… yet doesn’t solve the problem that she has no relation to the rest of the themes Magireco’s main plot is trying to explore.

[flapperfromthefuture]

I’ve been experimenting with a couple of new ways to beat the winter blues—baking with such frenzy that I have to buy the 18 egg cartons and the person at the register asks me, “Big weekend plans?” every. single. time, and expanding my horizons with such gusto that I nearly got dropkicked by a jazz enthusiast.

Let me explain.

After watching a beautiful tombstone-grey sunset at 3:30 one October afternoon, I had the urge to bake because “You can’t stick your head in the oven if there’s other stuff in there.”

So I have been baking. Like, obsessively.

I’ve even gotten fancy. I made a povitica, the Aaron Burr of breads, with raspberry and then apricot jam (very sticky, but tasty). Then I wanted to try a savory challah, so I experimented with adding different amounts of cardamom and THEN za’atar.

I tried making challah with harissa because it seemed like a good idea at the time. It was super messy working the harissa into the dough and then braiding it before the whole loaf could fall apart, but the end result was delicious and made my kitchen smell like a spice market in the midst of somewhere warm that is not Michigan.

I made two Bienenstich, or bee sting cakes, which I hadn’t attempted since my brioche class. I managed not to overdo the topping this time! No almond-induced structural collapses here.

Then I made this gigantic cinnamon roll, which the recipe claimed was an Estonian Kringla, and since the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had was in Estonia, I tried it out. And it was pretty good, but didn’t quite get me to pre-winter euphoria levels, aka enough energy to stay awake past mid-afternoon because it’s so dark outside.

My sister really wanted to make Halloween desserts together, which translated into me buying all the supplies and then baking everything myself while she lay on the floor.

She had just run a half-marathon . . . five days earlier.

I don’t like making Rice Krispie treats as they are a tactile nightmare. Everything you touch sticks to you forever and then continues to stick to you even after you die. I also gravely miscalculated how many marshmallows to buy (because weight and volume are different, apparently? School never covered that) and my mom will not let me live it down—anyone who stops by the house is asked, “Do you want something to drink? Or maybe some marshmallows? Elizabeth bought a thousand.”

Stella likes to say, “God knew you’d be too powerful if you were good at math.”

I don’t enjoy cooking as much as baking, but I made my yearly stab at sides for Thanksgiving. These harissa sweet potatoes looked beautiful but were a little too spicy for my weak-ass family.

(I also may have put in too much harissa. But it’s expensive and I wanted to use it all!).

A and I are officially in the throes of cabin fever, and when our beloved Midnight Madness rolled around, she decided that we needed to mix things up and elected to check out a jazz club downtown that we had never visited. Our friend Julia was with us and her mom was in town from the East Coast, so A thought we’d show them a sophisticated time . . . after visiting the holiday petting zoo, of course, and making a quick stop in the Himalayan Bazaar to see if the Yeti was around—he was not, because he never is, BUT I WILL SEE HIM NEXT YEAR SO HELP ME. 

Stella did not join us for Midnight Madness, electing instead to stay in and watch The Crown, which in hindsight, was too much of a gamble to take without supervision.

We swept into the jazz club with our heavy coats and dorky beanies and I immediately felt way too square to chill with the jazz cats. Everyone had sleek scarves and trendy eyewear and even the gorgeous modern light fixtures seemed to judge us as we sat at our table.

There was a lady wearing sunglasses inside. At night. In winter.

It was below freezing out. I thought, “Is this an awards show?”

I had only eaten roasted almonds and hot chocolate for dinner so I needed something revitalizing . . . or barring that, mozzarella sticks.

This jazz club did not have mozzarella sticks. Mozzarella sticks aren’t cool. They had charcuterie plates, pate, foie gras PB&J (why?), and charred baby octopus (WHY?), and everything was super expensive, but there was a jazz quintet onstage that seemed really legit, so I was excited to get some culture, even at the expense of mozzarella sticks.

A stared down at the menu like she could intimidate it into submission. She will eat anything, but draws the line at baby animals that have been set on fire.

“I don’t know what to get,” she said. “This never happens to me.”

“What are you guys ordering?” I asked Julia and her mom.

And then, out of nowhere, SLAM, a hand smacked our table loud enough to make me jump. An older man glared at me and said, “I’m not paying to hear you talk.”

He looked a lot like Santa, which made it even more distressing. I don’t want to get in trouble with Santa!

A is from Chicago and doesn’t take anyone’s shit (which is good for me, because to quote John Mulaney, “You could pour soup into my lap and I’d apologize to you“), so she looked Santa right in the eye and said, very calmly, “You don’t need to take that tone. We’ve never been here before and we’re trying to figure out what to order.”

Santa scowled and said, “Just be quiet.” Like we were children, which we are not. We patronize jazz clubs!

Just so we’re clear, A was the most well-behaved child who ever childed and practically showed up to preschool with a briefcase. No one has ever told her, “Just be quiet.” And I was so hyperfocused on craft kits and Legos that no one ever told me that either. In fact, adults scolded me to be less quiet because “You’re like a little ninja.”

“That wasn’t very Midwestern,” said Julia. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Mom. People in Ann Arbor are usually very chill.”

“He’s probably a boomer,” said Julia’s mom, who is a boomer herself, and incredibly cool.

We ordered our drinks and tried to enjoy the jazz.

Here’s the thing about jazz. People think they enjoy it, because music, right? Who doesn’t like music? Everyone loved La La Land, and there was jazz in that, right?

But what you don’t know about jazz, until you’re trapped in a jazz club with incinerated child octopi and furious boomers, is that the average jazz song is about fifteen minutes long. There’s the normal part, that sounds like a song and tells a story you can follow and enjoy, and then the improv starts. Every musician starts playing scales or hitting the drums in a way that should be exciting but really isn’t, and should build to something musically but really doesn’t, and then when they’re done the audience claps and the next person does the same thing, but it’s like listening to several minutes of joke set-ups with no punchlines. Over and over, until they just stop and then the next song starts.

“Are they going to do this for every song?” I thought about saying, but then did not, because I didn’t want to anger the man.

Instead, I checked my phone for a quick primer on jazz appreciation.

I still hadn’t eaten anything and A had declared that we wouldn’t be ordering any food so we could leave sooner . . . but not soon enough.

Other people were chatting and eating and enjoying the music, but I wasn’t doing any of those things.

A was glaring daggers into the back of Santa’s head.

Julia and her mom weren’t super into it either, to the point that Julia claimed that if she rushed the stage and pretended to be the next act by riffing on a triangle, no one would question it. Her mom was supportive of this, so it was time to go.

We said good-bye outside, relieved at finally being allowed to speak freely.

“That drum solo went on FOREVER,” said Julia.

“I thought the cymbal crash meant it was over but it just kept going!” said A.

“I really liked La La Land an hour ago and now I hate it,” I said.

So my journey to find something that will beat seasonal affective disorder back to whence it came continues. Will I go complicated and attempt to make my first panettone, which can take 24 HOURS to bake?

Or keep it simple and just get some mozzarella sticks?

          Baking vs. Jazz: Holiday Showdown I’ve been experimenting with a couple of new ways to beat the winter blues—baking with such frenzy that I have to buy the 18 egg cartons and the person at the register asks me, "Big weekend plans?" every.

[flapperfromthefuture]

I have been baking. Like, obsessively. After watching a beautiful tombstone-grey sunset at 3:30 in the afternoon, I had the urge to bake because “You can’t stick your head in the oven if there’s other stuff in there.”

I’ve even gotten fancy. I made a povitica, the Aaron Burr of breads, with raspberry and then apricot jam (very sticky, but tasty). Then I wanted to try a savory challah, so I experimented with adding different amounts of cardamom and THEN za’atar.

I tried making challah with harissa because I love harissa, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. It was super messy getting the harissa into the dough and then braiding it before the whole loaf could fall apart, but the end result was delicious and made my kitchen smell like a spice market in the midst of somewhere warm that is not Michigan.

I made two Bienenstich, or bee sting cakes, which I hadn’t attempted since my brioche class. I managed not to overdo the topping this time! No almond-induced structural collapses here.

Then I made this gigantic cinnamon roll, which the recipe claimed was an Estonian Kringla, and since the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever had was in Estonia, I tried it out. And it was pretty good, but didn’t quite get me to pre-winter euphoria levels, aka enough energy to stay awake past mid-afternoon because it’s so dark outside.

My sister really wanted to make Halloween desserts together, which translated into me buying all the supplies and then baking everything myself while she lay on the floor.

She had just run a half-marathon . . . five days earlier.

I don’t really like making Rice Krispie treats as they are a tactile nightmare. Everything you touch sticks to you forever and then continues to stick to you even after you die. I also gravely miscalculated how many marshmallows to buy (because weight and volume are different, apparently? They never covered that at school) and my mom will not let me live it down—anyone who stops by the house is asked, “Do you want something to drink? Or maybe some marshmallows? Elizabeth bought a thousand.”

Stella likes to say, “God knew you’d be too powerful if you were good at math.”

I don’t enjoy cooking as much as baking, but I made my yearly stab at sides for Thanksgiving. These harissa sweet potatoes looked beautiful but were a little too spicy for my weak-ass family.

(I also may have put in too much harissa. But it’s expensive and I wanted to use it all!).

A and I are officially in the throes of cabin fever, and when our beloved Midnight Madness rolled around, she decided that we needed to mix things up and elected to check out a jazz club downtown that we had never visited or heard anything about. Our friend Julia was with us and her mom was in town from the East Coast, so A thought we’d show them a sophisticated time . . . after visiting the petting zoo, of course, and making a quick stop in the Himalayan Bazaar to see if the Yeti was around—he was not, because he never is, BUT I WILL SEE HIM NEXT YEAR SO HELP ME. 

Stella did not join us for Midnight Madness, electing instead to stay in and watch The Crown, which in hindsight, was too much of a gamble to take without supervision.

We swept into the jazz club with our heavy coats and dorky beanies and I immediately felt too uncool to chill with the jazz cats. Everyone had sleek scarves and trendy eyewear and even the gorgeous modern light fixtures seemed to judge us as we sat at our table.

There was a lady wearing sunglasses inside. At night. In winter.

It was below freezing out. I thought, “Is this an awards show?”

I had only eaten roasted almonds and hot chocolate for dinner so I needed something revitalizing . . . or barring that, mozzarella sticks.

This jazz club did not have mozzarella sticks. They had charcuterie plates, pate, foie gras PB&J (why?), and charred baby octopus (WHY?), and everything was super expensive, but there was a jazz quintet onstage that seemed really legit, so I was excited to get some culture, even at the expense of mozzarella sticks.

A stared down at the menu like she could intimidate it into submission. She will eat anything, but draws the line at baby animals that have been set on fire.

“I don’t know what to get,” she said. “This never happens to me.”

“What are you guys ordering?” I asked Julia and her mom.

And then, out of nowhere, SLAM, a hand smacked our table loud enough to make me jump. An older man glared at me and said, “I’m not paying to hear you talk.”

He looked a lot like Santa, which made it even more distressing. I don’t want to get in trouble with Santa!

A is from Chicago and doesn’t take anyone’s shit (which is good for me because to quote John Mulaney, “You could pour soup into my lap and I’d apologize to you“), so she looked Santa right in the eye and said, very calmly, “You don’t need to take that tone. We’ve never been here before and we’re trying to figure out what to order.”

Santa scowled and said, “Just be quiet.” Like we were children, which we are not. We patronize jazz clubs!

A was taken aback. She was the most well-behaved child who ever childed and practically showed up to preschool with a briefcase. No one has ever told her, “Just be quiet.” And I was so hyperfocused on craft kits and Legos that no one ever told me that either. In fact, adults scolded me to be less quiet because “You’re like a little ninja.”

“That wasn’t very Midwestern,” said Julia. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Mom. People in Ann Arbor are usually very chill.”

“He’s probably a boomer,” said Julia’s mom, who is a boomer herself, and incredibly cool.

We ordered our drinks and tried to enjoy the jazz.

Here’s the thing about jazz. People think they enjoy it, because music, right? Who doesn’t like music? Everyone loved La La Land, and there was jazz in that, right?

But what you don’t know about jazz, until you’re trapped in a jazz club with incinerated child octopi and furious boomers, is that the average jazz song is about fifteen minutes long. There’s the normal part, that sounds like a song and tells a story you can follow and enjoy, and then the improv starts. Every musician starts playing scales or hitting the drums in a way that should be exciting but really isn’t, and should build to something musically but really doesn’t, and then when they’re done the audience claps and the next person does the same thing, but it’s like listening to several minutes of set-up lines with no punchline. Over and over, until they just stop and then the next song starts.

“Are they going to do this for every song?” I thought about saying, but then did not, because I didn’t want to anger the man.

Instead, I checked my phone for a quick primer on jazz appreciation.

Just kidding.

I still hadn’t eaten anything and A had declared that we wouldn’t be ordering any food so we could leave sooner . . . but not soon enough.

Other people were chatting and eating and enjoying the music, but I wasn’t doing any of those things.

Julia and her mom weren’t super into it either, to the point that Julia claimed that if she rushed the stage and pretended to be the next act by riffing on a triangle, no one would question it. Her mom was supportive of this, so it was time to go.

We said good-bye outside, relieved at finally being allowed to speak freely.

“That drum solo went on FOREVER,” said Julia.

“I thought the cymbal crash meant it was over but it just kept going!” said A.

“I really liked La La Land an hour ago and now I hate it,” I said.

So, when it comes to beating the winter blues (or full-blown seasonal affective disorder), there are a lot of options—baking with such frenzy that you start buying the 18 egg containers and the person at the register says, “Big weekend plans?” every. single. time, or expanding your horizons with such gusto that you get dropkicked by a jazz enthusiast.   

Or keep it simple and just get some mozzarella sticks.

          Baking vs. Jazz: Holiday Showdown I have been baking. Like, obsessively. After watching a beautiful tombstone-grey sunset at 3:30 in the afternoon, I had the urge to bake because "You can't stick your head in the oven if there's other stuff in there."