North - South

Hand heart

"Did you sleep at your place tonight? I was waiting for you." Ju-meok realized only at the end of the sentence that he was sounding like a querulous spouse.

"Yes," his friend emitted a slight sigh which was holding the whole burden of the past night, "the blackout."

"Good idea. Se-ri noona must have been scared."

"'Noona...' tsk... I can't really understand what..." he shook his head with impatience, "was she really that nice in high school?"

"Yes!" Ju-meok vigorously nodded, "and she's even nicer now! Look" he lifted his cuff, "she has done it, and now it looks brand new! Se-ri really is gorgeous in everything she do, woah! And she fixed all Eun-dong's socks!"

"She said she was sorry that she has to go, otherwise she would have taken care of us all the time," Eun-dong added with a hint of regret because, as much as he wanted for Se-ri to go home, a part of him couldn't help but hoping for her to stay.

Hearing this had Jeong Hyeok's jaw sharpening on its own. In his eyes was forming the image of Se-ri attacking him like an infuriated cat 'promise I'll drink my coffee at home next week'. "It's time to go back to work, go to your rooms," he cut them short. "Ah, stay for dinner tonight, I'll reach you later."

"Oh, researches again?"

"No, I have something to do."

"Ooooh, woah!"

"Bulgogi!" The guys clapped their hands to a shily smiling Jeong Hyeok. Or better: to the clam's bag he was holding.

"What is this?" And why all that noise for a bag? Se-ri wondered to herself, her brows curiously frowned. What could possibly be in that bag to have them so excited?

"Clam's bulgogi, nam chosun. Wait and see."

"It's a local specialty, you'll love it, Se-ri" Ju-meok encouraged her.

The guys kept making a lot of fuss around a sort of campfire they set on the patio. And judging by the way they were having fun, that bulgogi had to be something for the special occasions. It was fun, indeed. And delicious. And the soju inside the clam tasted even more delicious.

Throughout all her life, during the special occasions, she had only had clams in the bouillabaisse, and nearly always drunk sauvignon blanc. That simple dinner though, that cheap drink on the icy patio, tasted better than anything she'd ever had in life. And, she suspected, it was Jeong Hyeok's weird way to cheer her after the little argument they had had the night before. It had to be that weirdo's way to soothe her mood.

She turned to cast him a grateful, amused smile. Weirdo, thank you for having done this - this too - for me. And she found that he was smiling and studying her indeed, even if his face turned instantly serious and he moved his eyes away as soon as their gazes met. Tsk, such weirdo. Se-ri wondered if it was just shyness, all that acting stern and talking with that low tone.

He observed her from the corner of his eye, satisfied for having had that idea of the clams bulgogi, even if doing it on the patio was different than doing it in a garden. At least, the former pianist told to himself, he had given her a small distraction from the fear of the day before. At least she was smiling instead of screaming against him. 

To be precise, she was smiling and stealing the soju from Eun-dong's hands, tsk, some teasing brat. Then, she turned to smile at him. Ach! Jeong Hyeok moved his look away as fast as he could.