Venzel's phone buzzed just then. He glanced at the screen. 'The Bear'.
He swiped to answer.
"Hello?"
Aoki's voice boomed through the speaker with urgent excitement.
"Son! Come back soon! You remember your uncle? He's paying us a visit! I'm scrambling to get everything ready!"
Venzel sat up straighter. "Uncle… Uncle Ryu? The businessman?"
"Yes, the same! He's bringing his family too! Don't be late, this is your chance to secure a job in his company."
Venzel chuckled. "Alright, alright, I'm on my way now."
He hung up, just as the door creaked open and the soft bell above it jingled.
A young girl stepped in, school uniform, neat ponytail, backpack slung to one side. Her eyes scanned the clinic shyly.
"Excuse me," she said, her voice clear but timid. "Is Doctor Kana in?"
Venzel turned to Kana, who was already setting down her clipboard.
He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Take care, babe. I have to go."
Kana smiled, brushing his arm. "Drive safe, and don't forget to greet your parents for me."
He laughed, squeezing her hand before jogging off.
Kana turned back to the girl, her tone instantly warm and professional.
"What are you here for? Is it the part-time?"
The girl nodded eagerly, stepping forward. "Yes! I saw the flyer. I'm really interested."
Kana motioned her inside with a kind smile. "Perfect timing. Let's have a seat and talk."
Outside, Venzel slid into the driver's seat, still grinning from Kana's parting words.
The seat creaked under him as he started the engine, the old beast humming awake.
"Uncle Ryu, huh?" he muttered as he pulled out of the parking spot.
He merged onto the road, eyes forward, trees flashing by the window. A light breeze slipped through the slightly cracked window, ruffling his hair.
His thoughts raced.
Uncle Ryu was no ordinary visitor. A sharp-tongued, sharply dressed businessman who ran a trading company with clients across countries.
He wasn't the kind to drop by casually.
"Maybe I should've worn something fancier than this flannel shirt," Venzel muttered, tugging at the collar while glancing at the rearview mirror. "Too late now."
***
The old car rumbled to a stop beneath the shade of a neem tree.
He took a deep breath, ran a hand through his hair, and stepped out, dusting off the front of his shirt before heading toward the door.
The soft murmur of voices reached him before he even opened it.
He slid the door open and stepped inside.
The living room felt warmer than usual not just from the sunlight pouring in through the open windows, but from the unmistakable presence of guests.
The scent of fresh tea and roasted nuts lingered faintly in the air.
Sitting on the couch was a sharply dressed man, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp, Uncle Ryu.
Beside him, a graceful woman in a lilac blouse, Aunt Soho, smiling as she sipped from a porcelain teacup.
On the armrest, slouched with phone in hand and earphones dangling, was their son, Renji, about Venzel's age, in designer sneakers and a half-zipped hoodie.
Venzel straightened his back and stepped forward.
"Uncle Ryu. Aunt Soho," he greeted warmly, with a polite bow of the head. "It's great to see you both again. Welcome to our home."
Aunt Soho's face brightened. "Oh Venzel! You've grown so much, look at you!" She stood up and came around the table, arms open.
Venzel gave her a gentle hug. "You look as elegant as ever, Auntie."
Uncle Ryu gave a curt nod, but the corner of his mouth twitched in approval. "You're looking sharp, young man."
Renji glanced up from his phone with a casual flick of his thumb.
"Yo," he mumbled, eyes barely leaving the screen.
Venzel turned to him and offered a small wave. "Hey, Renji. Long time."
"Yeah," Renji said flatly, then went back to scrolling.
There was a short, awkward pause.
Venzel didn't mind, he just smiled politely and returned to his guests.
"Can I get you anything else, Uncle? Aunt? Tea? Something to snack on?"
Soho laughed lightly. "Your mom already spoiled us. But thank you, dear."
Tsuki appeared from the kitchen just then, drying her hands with a towel, her face lighting up at her son.
"Finally! Come sit down. We were just catching up."
Venzel sat near the edge of the couch, upright and a little too stiff.
His smile held, but his fingers curled slightly in his lap, he wasn't sure if this was a family reunion or a silent interview.
He noticed the way Uncle Ryu studied him silently for a few seconds, as if trying to read something behind Venzel's composed demeanor.
Aoki walked out of the kitchen wearing a bright floral apron, a wooden spoon in one hand and a proud smirk on his face.
The moment Ryu spotted him, he burst out laughing. "Pffft— Oh no, brother, what is that getup? You look like a housewife from a retro TV drama!"
Aoki lifted his chin, refusing to be fazed. "Hmph! At least I'm the one cooking, you corporate fossil."
Ryu leaned back in his seat, still chuckling. "Last time you cooked, I enjoyed a beautifully charred steak. I thought it was a roofing tile."
"Hey!" Aoki jabbed the spoon in Ryu's direction. "That was gourmet rustic-style steak—smoky flavor, very avant-garde."
"Avant-garde, what even is that? Bro, even the dog turned it down," Ryu snorted.
Aoki crossed his arms, grinning. "Well, I guess some people just don't appreciate art."
Ryu grinned right back. "If that was art, then I've been eating sculptures my whole life."
Ryu then tilted his head, staring at Aoki.
"But seriously... why are you in an apron?" he asked, his tone deadpan with a sprinkle of disbelief.
Aoki looked genuinely offended, waving his wooden spoon like a scepter. "I told you—I'm cooking, you idiot."
"No shit! That's the funniest joke I've heard all year!" Ryu exploded into laughter, doubling over as he slapped his knee.
Still laughing, he turned toward Venzel, who was sitting nearby, in silence.
"Boy," Ryu said, pointing dramatically, "your old man burned down my house the last time he and your mother stayed the night!"
"Hey!" Aoki's eyes went wide. "You promised to never bring that up!"
He bolted forward like a startled cat, waving the spoon as if to silence Ryu by force.
"Back off, chef!" Ryu ducked behind the couch, laughing harder.
Venzel burst out laughing.
Okay, maybe he was the type to drop by casually.
Tsuki and Soho were already doubled over, wheezing with laughter on the couch.
The two sisters clutched their stomachs, wiping tears from their eyes.
Tsuki gasped between giggles, "It was just a kitchen fire!"
"And a curtain! And a couch! I don't know how the couch got on fire though, ahahaha!" Soho added, nearly breathless, her words tumbling between bursts of laughter.
The house was filled with laughter, echoing like music through the farmhouse.