20 - Just Another Terrible Idea

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The next few days, I was less concerned about Sky seeing me with Jeongin, so I decided not to limit myself to only hanging out with him in groups. Besides Toni, Jeongin was definitely the easiest to talk to, and we got along naturally. He was silly and playful, and reminded me more of friends from home. He was usually gone most of the day though, out looking for a partner like he promised Chris and Toni.

In the early evening a few days after the attack, he came over after returning from a trip to the local settlement. I was washing dishes. Sky was sitting outside, now fully immersed in Chapter 8 of the book he had mocked before, but now was reading whenever he had a free moment. Jeongin greeted him, and walked right past him into our house, and sat at our table while I cleaned.

"Meet anyone today?" I asked conversationally.

Jeongin had picked up the laundry basket and was folding one of my shirts for me when he hummed, "Yeah, there's a couple girls that an acquaintance of mine brought around because he knew I was looking, but I didn't like any of them."

"You're picky," I scolded. "What was wrong with them?"

He shrugged, "Just not for me."

"You should be like Sky. His standard is...alone...I think?"

"Well yeah, that's the bare minimum." Jeongin laughed, now folding a pair of Sky's pants. "It's not the same, Sky picked you for more than just the alone thing. If I met a girl like you, I'd partner with her in a second."

I turned around at that, leaning against the counter. "What do you mean?"

"Who wouldn't want a partner like you." He smiled up at me, then I saw his eyes widen a bit as he took in my amused expression. "I mean...you know what I mean." I could see a slight red tint on his cheeks.

Not wanting to stop this conversation, but definitely not wanting Sky to hear, I walked over and sat at the other chair, grabbing a pair of Sky's boxers from the basket and folding them, "I am not sure I do?"

Jeongin shook his head, his signature wide dimpled grin on his face. "I am not going to say anymore."

I reached over with my foot and nudged his leg. "Please, tell me."

The grin faded until it was a small smile. He concentrated on the hand towel that he was smoothing over his leg, that didn't need smoothing. "I just mean that we get along so well. You're easy to talk to. I am not telling you anything you don't know." He wasn't quite whispering, but his voice was lower, plainly trying to hide his perhaps overly-friendly words from my partner outside. "Not to mention you're a great cook."

I hummed, leaning back, grabbing one of my bras from the basket and folding it. "You know where you can find someone who can cook? The market. Why don't you plan a trip there to look for a partner?"

He sighed, finally folding the towel he had been smoothing out. The laundry was all folded. "I have been thinking I should head there next. It has to be a two day trip, that's why I was avoiding it, but I would be able to meet a lot of people there. Have to pay for a bed though."

"Could be worth it. You should come with me and Sky on our next trip!"

"When are you planning to go?"

"Not for a couple weeks, but maybe he'd go sooner if we asked."

Jeongin looked out toward the door, where we both knew Sky was sitting. "I don't know, I don't want to be a pest."

"Nonsense! We all want you to find someone. I'll ask and see if we can try and go sooner."

Jeongin chuckled, "If you're sure. Well, I'm going to go scrounge up some food. Let me know what he says, yeah?"

Wasteland // Kim SeungminWhere stories live. Discover now