Caffeine// Bbangsaz

{4}-Lunch

**Minji's POV**

Aunt closed the store early today as a reward for us for going through the filming stuff. She was hesitant initially, but her motivation strengthened after I announced my personal plans. It came as a shock to her, since she views me as a complete homebody with no friends but I guess I haven't done anything to prove her wrong quite yet. I'm still trying to grow a strong relationship with her after the family drama between her and my father. Showing that I'm a sociable person is the first step in my plan for that.

I grabbed my handbag from the back and took off my apron. I searched online for a bus to take me to where Hanni and I agreed to meet. We agreed on The Violet Ranch which was a fairly popular joint located in the mall where Hanni works. Miraculously, it was somewhat close to where I was; all I needed to do was just to wait for a couple minutes at the bus stop. I guess Hanni must've chose that place since she's already right next to it. Nevertheless, I scrolled through its menu while I sat waiting for the bus to arrive. It looked like it served primarily French cuisine, which I wasn't all too familiar with. I didn't mind researching different cultures since I've always wanted to travel the world. I like French pastries so I assume I should also like French food right?

I was conducting further research on a menu item that interested me: bouillabaisse. Yet, before I could delve deeper into French culture, I received a phone call: it was from my mom.

"Hello? Mom? Did you call?"

"Minji! I'm in the middle of something, can you come help me?"

"Oh...ummm", I moved my phone from my ear to observe the time. "Mom, is it important? I have something to get to."

"Well... MINJI, THE HOUSE IS FLOODING!"

"WHAT?!?!? I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!" I quickly hung up and ran off to get home to save my mother. I made sure to text Hanni that I might be late and that she should just eat without me. As I ran off, I saw the bus pull into the bus stop.

Drats.

~~

"MOM! HOW DO I HELP?!?!?" I ran up the stairs to find a small portion of water leaking through the opening at the bottom of the front door. I kicked the damp welcome mat off onto the grass below. I leaned to the side when I opened the door in case I get hit with a burst of water. That didn't matter as water still gushed out, damping the ends of my pants.

I called out, "MOM?!? WHERE ARE YOU?"

From the back of the house, I heard her shout back, "HONEY I'M IN THE BACKYARD!"

I ran as fast as I could, stomping on the puddles formed from the water. I encountered my mom in the backyard with a mechanic crouched down working on a pipe. Mom was commanding an array of towels that she placed on the floor to soak up the water.

"What can I do?"

"Here, take these," she tossed a bundle of towels over to me, "just spread them around on the floor and dry up the house."

I ventured deeper into the house, into my own room. Selfishly, I chose to prioritize my stuff first. Obviously right? Fortunately, the leak didn't spill too deep into the house so my room and the area around it was relatively dry. I only needed one towel to control that part of the house. I, then, shifted my attention to the main hall, where there actually was a lot of water present. Once, I fortified that region, I made my way to the last major part of the house, which was our kitchen and dining room. It was relatively wet as well, although not to the extent of the main hall. After I placed down all the towels, I transitioned between all three areas. I realized as I ran around that I was essentially playing an IRL Tower Defense game; making sure each part of the map was accounted for with my towels as my units.