Chapter 52: Gathering

"Hyori, I want to eat that... lazy man's meal you made. Didn't you say it was really delicious? I've seen it on the show, but I haven't had the chance to taste it yet~," Ji-hui suggested.

"Alright~ I knew I couldn't avoid it," Hyori said, letting go of the little one, washing her hands, and starting to prepare.

While they were busy in the kitchen, the others arrived one by one.

"Oh~ It's the first time my home has been so lively!" Hyori exclaimed.

This was the first time she and Lee Shin-haeng had invited so many people over since they started living together.

"Oppa! I'll show off my skills today, so look forward to it, it's completely delicious," Hyori boasted.

"Wow! So shameless! Who brags about themselves like that?" Bae Yun complained.

"Hmph~! Just wait and see," Hyori began to show off her not-so-skilled cooking.

After watching, Bae Yun said, "Oh~ It actually looks pretty good!"

After about an hour of busy work in the kitchen, they finally moved all the dishes to the table.

Yoojoo made eggplant, spaghetti, vegetable salad, and kimchi stir-fried meat. Hyori made the lazy man's meal and fresh meat rolls.

Just as Joo-hwa was about to open a bottle of red wine, Hyori quickly stopped him, "Don't open the red wine yet, let you all try the rice wine my oppa made himself." She then opened the fridge and took out a large bottle of rice wine, and asked Ji-hui to get some bowls.

Hyori opened the bottle and poured it into each bowl.

The aroma of the wine spread, "So fragrant!" everyone said as they smelled it.

Hyori raised her bowl, "Cheers, everyone."

"Cheers!" "Cheers!" "Cheers!"

After taking a sip, Yoon Woo-tae said, "The wine is fragrant and smooth, but it's quite strong, isn't it?"

Ji Joo-hwa also nodded in agreement.

"It's about 30 degrees. Because it's smooth, it's easy to get drunk if you're not careful."

"Let's eat, everyone, try the dishes made by me and Yoojoo."

"The eggplant is delicious, like in a restaurant."

"I like the taste of the spaghetti."

"I didn't expect this meal to be made by Hyori, it's really good, perfect for making at home when you're alone," Yoon Woo-tae said, somewhat surprised.

"Onee, I didn't expect the fresh meat rolls to be so delicious, I'll try making them at home too," Ji-hui said, eating the meat rolls.

The meal was filled with chatting and joking, the atmosphere was very pleasant, and everyone praised Hyori's cooking skills.

After the meal, Yoojoo and Ji-hui started to clear the table and wash the dishes.

Afterward, they gathered in the living room to play Hanafuda.

While playing, Hyori always thought of cheating, trying to steal cards, and was caught. Then she tried to take Joo-hwa's money, and was caught again. Due to her repeated cheating, the others disqualified her from playing.

Hehe~ But Hyori still won some money, making a small profit.

Looking at the time, it was already past 9 PM, so Hyori said, "I'll make a dessert now, something that everyone except Ji-hui and Bae Yun hasn't had before." She then went to the kitchen.

Yoojoo followed to see what Hyori was going to make.

Hyori took out a pot, rinsed it, and added sweet rice wine according to the ratio. Seeing Yoojoo come in, she quickly said, "Yoojoo, crack five eggs into a bowl and beat them."

After mixing, she turned on the stove, waited for it to boil, added some goji berries, and switched to medium heat to avoid it boiling over. Then she poured the beaten eggs into the pot, stirring with a ladle as she poured, and turned off the heat once it boiled again.

"This sweet rice wine has many benefits for women," Hyori said to Ji-hui and Bae Yun, "It can help with cold uterus and menstrual pain, and it can also make the skin rosy and lustrous. If you like it, take some home. You can learn to make it from me. Anyway, it's suitable for both the elderly and children in winter and summer."

"Wow~ You sound like a TV commercial, Onee," Yoojoo joked.

"Hmph! You'll see after you taste it. Alright, let's serve it," Hyori said, lifting her chin.

The two of them served the rice wine into small bowls and brought them to the living room.

"Stop playing, come and have dessert." Hearing there was dessert, they finished a round of Hanafuda and sat down by the coffee table.

"A bit hot, eat slowly," Hyori reminded them.

Yoojoo was the first to comment, "It's sweet, soft, and fragrant, with a rich wine aroma. The addition of eggs and goji berries makes the texture even richer, very delicious, and women should like it more."

"It's even more fragrant than the rice wine." "Delicious." Ji-hui and Bae Yun agreed as they ate.

"For men, it's a bit sweet, but it's nice to have occasionally," the other two men commented.

Everyone chatted and played until past 11 PM before the gathering ended.

However, Hyori kept Yoojoo, saying she wanted her to stay the night.

After washing up, the two of them lay on the bed and chatted.

"Yoojoo~ When do you plan to get married?" Hyori asked first.

"Marriage is still a long way off! For now, we're just dating. I don't want to stay at home after getting married," Yoojoo replied. Her boyfriend was a second-generation rich kid.

"Onee, how is married life different?" Yoojoo asked curiously.

"Different? Hmm... Does sleeping together every day count?"

"Hey! I'm being serious."

"I'm being serious too! There's always someone waiting for you at home, it's no longer cold and empty. You have someone to eat with, and you live together every day, sharing the ups and downs of life. When you need him, he's right there. It feels like this will never get old."

"Onee, I'm so envious of you! I wonder when I can have that," Yoojoo said wistfully.

"It's not always like that, there are arguments too, but he always apologizes first. After an argument, we sit down and think about why we fought, find the reason, and avoid making the same mistake again. Marriage requires both of you to carefully maintain and nurture it to last long."

They chatted until they felt sleepy and then went to sleep.

The next day, after having a simple breakfast together, Hyori and Yoojoo went out to run their schedules.

.................................................................................................................

In the afternoon, Lee Shin-haeng got off the plane and took a car straight home.

Lee Shin-haeng didn't see Hyori when he got home. He went into the kitchen and saw that the cat's bowl had plenty of food. He greeted the little ones in the living room, hugged and kissed them, and then went upstairs with his backpack.

He put the items from his backpack back in their places, put the dirty clothes in the basket, went to the bathroom, and took a refreshing shower.

After the shower, feeling refreshed, Lee Shin-haeng went downstairs, made something to eat in the kitchen, and then went upstairs to rest. He was quite tired from the fishing trip.

Hyori didn't have time to come back early to be with Lee Shin-haeng. She had to go to a gathering that wasn't suitable for men.

Today was Bae Yun's birthday, and only women were invited, even her husband was not allowed.

After finishing recording in the evening, Hyori went straight to Bae Yun's house, bringing a gift and something she found while cleaning a few days ago.

Slippers, she entered the house.

"Ah, here's your gift, birthday girl." She hugged Bae Yun and handed her the gift.

"Kamawoyo~" Bae Yun immediately opened the gift, "Wow~ Ibuta!" Her exclamation attracted the attention of the other women.

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