"Gi-hun... Can you do me in favor?" The young woman asks him and receives a nod. "If I don't make it, can you tell my boyfriend that I'm sorry that I wasn't able to make it back to him? And I tried my best to find his brother from him."

"Jin Ae, don't talk like that." He says, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You're going to make it. We've made it this far because you gave us all hope. We'll get that money and live better lives, okay? You can pay off your father's debts and marry your boyfriend."

"Hmm... It's nice thinking about it with the situation that we're in right now... Being freed of my appa's burdens. Starting up a bakery. Marrying Jun Ho and having a family together... But it's also sad because I might die in the next game." She says with a tearful smile.

"Jin Ae-"

"There can only be one winner, Gi-hun." She reminds him, shedding a tear. "Just promise me. Please, he... Jun Ho means the world to me. If it hadn't been for him and In Ho, I wouldn't had made it this far. I would have given up a long time ago. Having those two in my life, meeting you, Sae Byeok and the others was the best thing I ever happened to me. So please tell him... Please."

He blinks back his tears and nods. "Then if I don't make it then you have to look after my daughter. She always wanted a big sister."

A soft laugh escapes her, and she nods.

The viewer sniffles watching Squid Game while on an airplane. A tissue is passed to him, and he thanks the person while taking it. After wiping away his tears, he looks at the person and his eyes widened.

"...You..." He looks back and forth between the monitor and the young woman. "Oh my! How is this possible? It's you! You're her!" He almost shouts but she puts a finger to her lips from her. "Sorry! But it's you! Number 455! You're Jin Yeona!"

"I am. Are you enjoying the show?" Yeona asks with a sweet smile.

"I am! You're so amazing! I can't believe that I'm sitting next to you!" He almost squeals from her making her cover her mouth to hide her giggle from her. "You also played Maria Cassano! An angel by day but a devil by night. By far my favorite character of yours."

"Thank you so much for your kind words. Listening to all my fans opinions encourage me to become a better actress." She says bowing her head. 

An announcement from the pilot saying that they will be arriving in Seoul shortly and she looks back at her fan with that sweet smile of hers.

"I've mainly done international projects but ever since I starred in Vincenzo and Squid Game, I'm sure that many people will recognize me. May I ask that you keep my return quiet? I've been abroad for a year and plan on surprising my family today."

"Oh of course! And if it's not too much trouble... Could I get your autograph?" He asks nervously, holding out a notebook.

"No trouble at all. It would be my pleasure." She replies, taking the notebook. And seeing the happy look on his face brightens her day even more.

Yeona strolls through the airport with her sunglasses and cap on so that no one will recognize her but still gives politely greets those she passes. She then comes to a stop when she sees a familiar face standing not too far from her.

"...Beanie." Young Seo calls out to her in a shaky voice and tearing up at the sight of her younger sister.

Yeona's eyes also glisten with tears seeing one of the people she's missed the most. She laughs, dropping her luggage and the sisters run towards each other, finally embracing for the first time in a year.

"How did you know that I was coming back?" Yeona asks, hugging her sister tighter.

"Figured you would try to surprise me, so I got your manager to keep me updated on when you would be coming home." Young Seo replies, wiping her tears away.

"Humph, that man has no loyalty." Yeona mutters making her sister laugh. "I missed you so much unnie." 

"I missed you too. Let me look at you." Young Seo pulls away from the hug and lifts up Yeona's cap and lowers the sunglasses just a bit. "Wow... Because of how much prettier you've gotten, I'm sure that your line of suitors has gotten longer."

"Unnie!" Yeona quickly covers her face and steps back, feeling embarrassed.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop teasing you." Young Seo laughs and picks up her sister's luggage before linking their arms together. "Let's get going. There's no red carpet laid out for you but...there is a box of baked chocolate chip cookies waiting for you in the car."

Yeona squeals and makes them walk towards the exit faster, unaware of a certain ceo and his secretary that they just walked past.

As Young Seo drives, she takes a glance at her younger sister who is eating a cookie and holding onto the box as if it's her lifeline.

Young Seo lets out a big sigh. "You've become a big star and you still haven't changed. If you were being interviewed and asked who love most in this world, it would be cookies."

"Huh?!" Yeona looks at her with a shocked expression. "That's not true! How can I love these precious things more than my biggest supporter?! I barely survived not having you by my side for a whole year..."

"Okay, I believe you." Young Seo giggles. "Have you picked your next acting gig?"

"Nope. I'm taking a break from the acting biz for a while, but I may do some commercials or photoshoots. And I do have an interview tomorrow evening. Right now, I just wanna spend time with my favorite sister and celebrate my best friend's birthday." She replies, smiling.

"I'm your only sister. And speaking of Hari, she's meeting with your second least favorite person." Young Seo informs her.

"Min Woo?" Yeona asks in an annoyed tone before rolling her eyes. "He's the worst. His on and off girlfriend is also terrible. Why is Hari still hung up on him? If a much better man were to just suddenly propose to her, I will gladly accept him."

"I know, I know... We're almost home. I'll text her to see if I can stop by and then we'll surprise with her birthday present."

"...He's not there, is he?" Yeona mumbles, eyes downcast at her lap.

Young Seo shakes her head and gives her a sad smile.

Yeona turns on her stereo and Snowdrop by Lim Soo-ho begins playing. She looks around her bedroom until her eyes land on a facedown photo frame on her nightstand. She walks over to it and is about to pick it up but stops herself. She lets out a shaky breath before lying down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"...I miss you." She whispers.

"She's going to be so happy to see you!" Young Seo squeals making Yeona giggle.

Yeona knocks on the door to Shin's family chicken restaurant and the one to open it is Ha-min, Hari's younger brother. He almost shouts when his eyes lay on her and she silences him by putting a finger to her lips. He nods and gives her a quick hug. After letting them inside, they head up to the Shin home which is above the restaurant. He enters first and warns his parents to be quiet confusing them but once Yeona comes into their sights, the mother is the first to rush over her and give her a hug.

"You're back! Why didn't you let us know?!" Mi-ho keeps her voice down despite wanting to yell and smacks the younger girl's arm.

"I wanted to surprise everyone." Yeona replies with a big smile, rubbing her arm.

"Good to have you back. It hasn't been the same without you. Seeing you will cheer her up." Joong Hae whispers, giving her a hug.

Yeona walks over to Hari's room and knocks on the door.

"Go away!"

"It's me! Open up!" Young Seo shouts from behind her sister.

 A second later the door is opened, and Hari's eyes widened.

"Happy Birthday!" Yeona says with a big smile then laughs as Hari pinches herself.

"I'm... I'm not dreaming. You're really here." Hari mumbles and eventually begins crying. "I missed you so much."

Yeona gives her a hug, gently patting her back. "I missed you too."

"So is Jun Ho still alive? Is your hot co-star coming back next season?" Hari questions after taking a bite from her birthday cake.

"I can't tell you that!"

"Oh, come on! It's my birthday! Make an exception for me! You owe me when I almost thought your character died! Do you know how freaked out we all were?!" Hari whines.

"Please blame the creator and not me. Here's your birthday present." Yeona takes the gift out of her bag and places it next to Hari's plate.

"I want answers not..." Hari grumbles as she unwraps the bow from the jewelry box and gasps after seeing what's inside. "Yah! Are you serious?! This is too expensive!"

"But you're worth it. I would gladly spend all my money if it meant I could keep you by my side forever. So please accept it." Yeona pouts with pleading eyes.

Hari stares at her for a moment until she slowly grins. "...I'll accept these only if you tell me if your love interest will be back next season."

"But-"

Young Seo interrupts them by wrapping her arms around their shoulders, pulling them both closer to her.

"I've missed this. Now that my baby sister is back, we're complete. A trio again." She says, resting her cheek on top of Yeona's head.

"...You two didn't drink too much while I was gone, right?" Yeona asks.

"Thank you for the gift. I'll make sure to cherish it." Hari changes the subject and goes back to eating her cake.

"Finish your cake, sis. We have to get back home soon." Young Seo adds, letting go of them and also gets back to her cake.

Yeona sighs, shaking her head. "That's a yes... I feel sorry for auntie and uncle."

Someone knocks on the door and slightly opens it, Mi-ho sticking her head through.

"Young Seo. Yeona. I packed up some chicken for you girls. Make sure to pick it before you leave."

"Yes, auntie." Yeona nods and Mi-ho takes her leave.

"Hey, Yeona... How was the fried chicken overseas? Not better than ours, right?" Hari asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not! Who could compare to yours?"

"Really? Because you always refuse to choose between ours and Chewy's Chicken!" Hari retorts, slamming her hand on the table. "It's my birthday so I can demand an answer! Pick which is better! Make a decision!"

"This cake is very delicious!" Yeona avoids Hari's question, going back to eating her cake.

"Yah!"

"...Some things never change." Young Seo murmurs, smiling.

The next day, the sisters walk into the dining room to find their father already sitting at the table. Already feeling the tension in the room, Young Seo nervously watches her father and sister.

"Hello, abeoji. It's been a while." Yeona greets their father with a bow.

"You got home yesterday afternoon and didn't come to see me?" He asks, a cold expression on his face.

"You're a busy man. I didn't want to interrupt your work." Yeona lies with a tight smile.

He sighs and gets up from his seat to walk over to his daughters. His cold expression slowly shifts into a kinder one.

"I can never be too busy for my own daughter." He steps closer and brings his youngest daughter into a hug. "Welcome home."

Despite not the same enthusiasm as him, she slowly hugs him back. During breakfast, he talks about Marine Group and suddenly brings up a unexpected topic...

"...I heard that you crossed paths with a few businessmen. Apparently, they've taken quite a liking to you and-"

"Abeoji. I'm sorry to tell you this when I just got back but I've already informed unnie and you need to know too... I'm moving out." She announces, shocking him. "I made this decision before returning and already found an apartment. I'll leave once the place is ready for me to move into. This should be easy for the both of us since you can't support my decision in my career choice. Unnie has always been good in business so please continue to support her. Thank you for putting up with me all this time, even when the incident happened... And I'm sorry for following in your footsteps like you wanted."

She gets up from her seat and bows before him. Just as she is about to walk away, he speaks up...

"Have the nightmares come back?"

I LOVE THIS BANNER. IT'S SO GORGEOUS. Wanna know who made it? -f4irytale!

The first chapter... I'm so happy to finally start this series because I've got something big planned and keeping quiet for months was so hard! Can't say exactly when but the announcement is coming sometime later!

Meet Jin Yeona, my next smol bean! She's adorable like Hana but more elegant. What do you think of her so far?

What about the sisterly bond with Young Seo and the friendship with Hari? There's more to come! There's a specific scene that I'm very excited for next chapter that involves Hari. Let's just say, people will know better not to mess with Yeona or her loved ones. Hehe...

Also, Hari's birthday gift are the accessories that she wears on the blind date!

And I got my first Snowdrop references in! Not only is Yeona a fan of Lim Soo-ho but Chewy's Chicken!

Episode one will be finished up next chapter. Some chapters might be split up, some might be the whole episode. I think this series will be a bit easier than Snowdrop because these episodes aren't as long as that series.