24 Dates || SOOSHU

Date seven

Place: Seo General

Time: June 2nd, 1:00 pm

Yelp: 4/5 | Date: 3/5 Shuhua's

Soojin has seen like two different Shuhua's today, and at the same time she's pretty sure neither was actually Shuhua. Too short (ironically) and too young. She sees short(er) Shuhua for the fifth time in one day, watching closely as she ducks through the crowd. "Shuhua?" Soojin calls out tentatively, coming in closer so she doesn't attract a crowd. Not Shuhua turns around to face Soojin, her eyes lighting up. Not Shuhua #2 is by her side, but upon closer inspection Soojin realizes that he's a, well, he.

Still, the similarities are uncanny, especially the girl. If she were just a little more mature...

Soojin jumps when the girl finally says, "Are you Soojin?" She can't be older than 16, the boy 9 - maybe . "Sorry, I'm Giselle, Shuhua's sister. This is my - our - little brother." She hits him with her elbow. "Say hi."

He rubs his eyes, and Soojin notes that they're red around the rims. "I'm Jeno. S'nice to meet you." He sniffles in.

Shuhua mentioned her siblings a few times, mostly in passing. She remembers Shuhua saying that her brother has anemia and wonders if he's been checked out. If he's half as bad as Shuhua can be, he should at least have his blood taken.

Then the medical side of her brain turns off and Soojin realizes she's just been staring for the past two minutes while meeting (part of) Shuhua's family. "Oh! Hello," she falters, "You look so much like your sister." Soojin forces out a laugh, wipes her palms against the sides of her pants.

"You're Shuhua's girlfriend, right? You're pretty," Jeno says, though his face is blank.

"Jeno," Giselle chides, but he doesn't seem affected.

"Mama wants to meet you so bad. She talks about it all the time."

"Sorry," Giselle says with a light laugh. Soojin doesn't really know her all that well but already her personality seems different from Shuhua's, calmer if anything. Both of them actually. "We thought we'd surprise her by showing up since he needed a check-up anyways and--"

"We were trying to see if we'd meet you."

His sister hits him on the shoulder and blushes bright red, as does Soojin. Oh. She's never had brothers or sisters, but assumes they'd be protective to a degree. Though this girl still seems pretty young, Soojin's tempted to ask her age but doesn't.

Before she has the chance to say anything she hears a voice behind her ask, "What are you two doing here?" She whips around to see Shuhua in sunglasses and a breathing mask. Her hands are on her hips and eyes narrowed. "Where's the other?"

"We came here to meet your girlfriend ," Jeno says just as Giselle answers, "We wanted to see you perform."

Shuhua sighs. "Did Mama send you?"

"No."

"Yes."

Shuhua narrows in on Jeno, smiles - or Soojin assumes she's smiling by the way her face crinkles. "Ok! Well, now you've met her, you can go."

"Shuhua!" both whine. Soojin stares between the three, still marveling at how much they look alike. She wonders what Shuhua's mother and other sister look like. What her father once looked like.

"Don't Shuhua me, you can't just show up and bombard Soojin with questions, she's a very busy woman."

"Actually--"