Koon Chai Cafe

Chapter Thirty-Five - The Final Dance

Park

"My baby, you look so handsome!"

"Mom, please don't start crying again, there's only so much I can take." 

The tears I could manage, it was the never-ending, rib-cracking, heat-generating hugs that were going to do me in. It was already a stifling hot day in mid-May, and the fact I was wearing a three piece suit really wasn't helping the situation much. 

"Not looking bad, my dude," Sunny chimed in from the doorway. "Love that you've kept true to your monochrome aesthetic. God forbid a color ever snuck its way into your wardrobe." 

I stifled a laugh as Mom gave her one of her fear-inducing, disapproving glares. "Sunny, take your hands out of your pockets and stop slouching. And for goodness sake would you stop leaning on that doorframe, you'll chip the paint!" 

Considering that my clean yet poster filled walls were already covered in paint chips, this remark seemed like a bit of a lost cause. Mom had been particularly snappy with Sunny ever since she had dyed her hair. Despite her initial disapproval, she had tolerated her peachy/pink pigtails but her new bright purple wolf cut was proving more of a challenge. 

Sunny rolled her eyes, walked in and dramatically collapsed onto my crumpled bed sheets with a tremendous sigh. I turned my attention back to the mirror and began fiddling with my cufflinks. She wasn't wrong about the homogeneity of color, or lack of color more like. Everything about my suit was black, down from the well-fitted jacket shoulders, to the crisply ironed shirt and even the shiny round buttons on my waistcoat.

Although I hated to admit it, I didn't look half bad. Maybe if I was a little taller I could've passed for a young Joo Ji-Hoon, just without the terrible hair cut. 

Clearly bored, Sunny heaved herself off of my bed, walked over and grabbed my wrists, turning them over to inspect my cufflinks. "Where'd you get these?" 

"Early graduation gift from Kopter," I replied, smiling down at the gold-lined Ying-Yang halves on either of my wrists. 

She snorted, "Sure is nice having a rich boyfriend, huh?" 

"Naturally." I smirked back. 

"Look at my babies all grown up!" Mom cooed, holding up a camera. "Let me take some photos." 

Before Sunny could complain, I'd wrapped my arm tight around her shoulder and pulled her in to prevent her escaping. There were hardly any photos where I looked better than Sunny so there was no way I was going to miss this golden opportunity. 

"Smile!" She lifted the camera up to her eye, "Ya, Sun-Hee I said SMILE." 

---

I anxiously stood watch over the window, waiting for the familiar sounds of Nok's car pulling into the street below. Just as the clock chimed six, a black Mercedes, far more expensive than any other car on our little residential street, pulled up below the tree in front of our little apartment. The thick foliage covered the car completely, blocking the two men exiting from view. 

I felt my palms begin to sweat as the sound of the front door open and close came from down below. 

"Park, Kopter's here!" Dad called up the stairs. Mom hurriedly pushed me aside as she rushed to the mirror to check her hair. She picked my comb up off the floor and began hastily pushing back her flyaway hairs into a neat bun.