Everyone sang. Everyone danced. Everyone took turns making absolute fools of themselves. Most of them went back up several times. A few of them were more and more ridiculous, getting to the silliest songs they could think of. Yeji had to tell Nayeon to sit down, much to everyone’s amusement; including Nayeon.

  Even the reticent JooHyun took her turn to get up and sing twice more. The main difference between her and the rest is that when she got up to sing or dance, everything went silent to listen to every note. Even the air conditioner fans shut down in anticipation.

  The only things that were loud when JooHyun was singing was the woman herself and the extraordinarily tacky carpet that look like it was a reject from an airport lounge or a 1970s motel.

  Once, Jackson tried to sing along with her, but Gillian softly spped the back of his head and he took the hint. Min-jeong did not notice Gillian’s gentle remonstration for Jackson and Yeojin took care of her twin by forcefully correcting her. After that, there were no more issues. At least when JooHyun sang, there were many more instances for the rest.

  There was an instance where Katie, that ephemera doe-eyed beauty, tried to wrestle the mic away from Wendy, to everyone’s amusement. It was almost an even match until Gillian sent Jackson to remove Katie. He did so by lifting her up by the back of her pants and shirt colr. Katie looked like a very surprised kitten that was picked up by the nape of her neck. Then another round of semi-hysterical ughter happened.

  The manager saw this in action and shook his head. Again.

  Once things started winding down a couple of hours ter, the noise diminished amazingly. Even the people in the hallways listening looked dispirited and unhappy that the night was ending. The manager was of mixed opinions – happy that the chaos was ending, but sad that the chaos was ending.

  Seulgi and Wendy took stock of their respective people. Even JooHyun willingly submitted to their scrutiny. Rather than being offended, she was obscurely pleased. She might not be ‘theirs’ in the same respect as the others, but she recognized that this was ultimately the sign that they were taking care of her. If they didn’t care, they would have left her to fend for herself, on her own regardless of her condition.

  Another amazing thing was that despite the amount of alcohol imbibed, everyone passed Seulgi’s sobriety test before they were allowed to go home. Momma Seulgi would not allow anyone of her (or Wendy’s) charges to be a danger to themselves or anyone else. Anyone remotely questionable was designated someone to get them home. Unless they were married and Gillian would take care of Jackson – whether he wanted to admit it or not.

  Seulgi, Wendy, JooHyun, and Katie were all still too wired to go home yet, so they went to a 24-hour family restaurant instead. They made an odd-looking troop. They went to a particur pce that JooHyun insisted upon. The others threw out suggestions, but they were all shot down by JooHyun. Rather than being upset, everyone was intrigued by why this mouse was being so insistent. No one, other than JooHyun, knew why she was adamant, but they knew they were going to find out and it would be spectacur. How did they know that? The tiny smile was back. The girls just shrugged because they already trusted her.

  A boss babe, a queen, a goddess, and a princess walked into a restaurant; it sounded just like the beginning of a joke. Until these four walked in, smiling and ughing.

  The pce was half full. It was brightly lit, full of vibrant colors that were pleasing to the eye rather than jarring, like too many other pces. There was a light brown carpet and tan walls. The walls may have started out as different colors, but the walls changed colors due to smoking over the decades. The original colors are coming back with each successive cleaning. Even the owners are not 100% sure what colors they were going to end up with. It doesn’t really matter as there will be a new coat of paint in the near future. The girls knew this because of a sign on the door saying that they would be closing next weekend for a deep cleaning, and paint job. There was a sticky note attached to the message that they were not getting rid of or selling any of the decorations, so quit asking.

  Only well-known and beloved establishments were able to get away with being belligerent to their clients. It could be considered part of their ‘charm’.

  It had a kitschy vibe that could have been tacky but was actually closer to being homier. As if someone’s myopic grandmother was given ?100,000 and told to decorate the pce. There were knick-knacks everywhere. Little porcein dolls that were popur in the 1960s. Bobble-heads. One obscured corner was actually dedicated to Godzil of all things.

  There was a rolling pin that still had flour on it. No one knew how long it had been there. Some said that it was pced there by the original owner 50 years ago. Others noted that it was not secured to the wall and that the flour is still semi-fresh, so it may still be used. The friendly arguments were as long sting as they were more and more absurd.

  There were several empty isnds that they could choose to sit at, but JooHyun lead the way. Again, suggestions were made and ignored. The mouse insisted. The mystery deepened.

  They were sat in a booth. Water and menus were distributed. Everyone but JooHyun was looking around and blinking like snowy owls. Again, the girls were confused, intrigued, and just slightly apprehensive, but they just shrugged because they trusted her. It’s rare for strangers to jell this quickly, but all four already knew that there was that mystical ‘something’ between them, they just need to find out what it is to be fully comfortable.

  They were all looking at the menus and discussing what to get to eat when they found out why they were there at that specific restaurant.