The Coffee Shop (Scoups)

𝟺𝟸 - sʜᴏᴡᴇʀ

Later that night, after we had been dismissed from dinner, Seungcheol and I walked silently side by side, slowly going up the stairs. 

Jihoon had also dismissed herself while Seungmin had remained behind. However judging by the way he was too engrossed in his phone to pay attention to the conversation that had been recently going on around the table, I doubt he will stay behind much longer either. 

I had been warned by Yewon unnie that Seungmin is a much, much worse person that Seungcheol and even had implied that Seungcheol is practically a saint in front of him. Yet Seungmin had remained civil with me for most of dinner and even when his father and grandmother were being borderline rude, he had remained civil with me. 

Then again, I suppose it is not fair to judge a person when I have only spent two hours with them. For all we know, looks can be very deceiving. 

The dinner...was not what I had expected.

While Seungcheol's mother and aunt had remained kind and welcoming in the morning, his grandmother and father had been just the opposite. The Choi Family is well known to be a family with traditional values in media and over the news, but I had always assumed that meant the importance of the business remaining in the family and that they are tight knit family with strong love for one another. Never had I ever imagined their traditional values will be regarding a woman's role in the household and how a woman is responsible for the keeping a happy home. It is all so very confusing to me since these views are exactly what we have been fighting against for years and yet you see such a powerful family practicing such backward values. 

What surprises me even more is how none of this seemed to have bothered Seungcheol at all. That he doesn't think it is wrong how his mother has been made to sit at home and  is expected to do nothing with just appear pretty. 

As if it is the natural course of way. 

I cannot deny the unsettled feeling it has left in my stomach. 

Yes, I do understand women tend to have a more natural sense of homemaking and child rearing, which may have to do with our more emotional side, but i had thought that we have long past moved on from the era where women are to be expected to just sit at home. I do see where Seungcheol's grandmother believes in these expectations, since she did grow up surrounded by these rules, but I fail to see how Seungcheol's father can continue to believe in these. 

Not to mention the lack of hospitality. Once he had deemed that I had talked enough, he steered the rest of the dinner conversation towards business, where really only him, Seungmin, and Seungcheol could talk. The grandmother did make a few comments and his mother did give her input, which was majorly ignored, and every time Seungcheol's aunt spoke, it was to make an indirect jab at his father. 

If I am to be completely honest, Jihoon seemed to be the only sane one, that too because he barely spoke and focused on eating. At least the food was delicious. 

Their chef is talented, that much I will admit. 

When we reached Seungcheol's quarters, I begin to make way towards my room. Though Seungcheol does not seem as upset as he was before, he still is very unusually quiet and I figure he might still want space away from me. 

I know I should apologize for misunderstanding him earlier, but now the timing has gone and I was far too distracted from my thoughts on the dinner. 

Seungcheol grabs my hand, breaking me free from my train of thoughts. I turn back to look towards with him with a questioning look. 

He very slowly looks up to meet my eyes and says, "Don't...go."

Seungcheol spoke in a very low, almost whisper-like voice that I nearly didn't hear him at all. He made no sense to me and all I could is just look at him more questioningly, tilting my head in question.