The Falling Petals...🌺

Japchae.....

Everyone was waiting for my response. It was as if, while following an soccer match on the radio, they had just heard that the player had hit the ball high in the air and were waiting for the commentator to reveal if it was a goal or a fail.

Staring at the bubbles in my glass of Coke, I thought, "Now the next question you will ask me is 'Will you be able to iron her dress?' Or, 'Do you sing? Let us listen then?' See! This is what happens when you come to such places without your parents. The other party tries to validate you on different platforms so candidly, and you cannot say no to every question."

I tried to come up with some answer, looking at my cell phone and wishing that it would ring so that I could escape the questions which I was going to face. But the damned gadget was meant to ring only at the worst times - like the evening before, with the kiss that could have been - but never when I needed in the most.

Finally, swallowing a few times in my nervousness, I went ahead and told them what they wanted to hear.

"Ah, umm....Yes, I can. With most of the things. I ma kind of OK. But I make good Chapchae..."

I hadn't even completed, when her sweet and innocent mother, delighted by my answer, asked me, "What else do you cook, dear?"

"No this is too much!" Well, I didn't actually say that, but that's what I was thinking and I wondered if I was supposed to recite a menu list, like some chef at the restaurant across the street.

But, interestingly, the next moment I had a smile on my face. I was amused at kind of questions being put to a software engineer. I never thought I'd be facing such an interview, not even in my weirdest dreams. I was happy that, for a change, I was being asked such different questions. I told myself, "These were not bad questions but exciting ones. Be confident and go ahead."

And I went ahead and said, "O-mo-nie, I can prepare Kimchi stew, kimbap, Mandoo(dumplings) and Tteokbokki."

"Wow! Hoseok, that's good. When did you learn all this?" Pil-woo asked. He seemed to be quite interested.

And I told him, "When I was in Belgium for eight months. I lived there alone and had to cook for myself. Before that, I never did any cooking. Necessity is the mother of invention, you know...."

Keeping my glass of coke back on the table, I told them the story of my first day in the kitchen, where I wanted to make a mixed-veg dish, but ended up preparing a hot pool of spicy, colored water in which vegetables were swimming. Some of them were so over-boiled, they turned into paste and settled down at the bottom.

And, as was expected, everyday laughed at Day One of my cookery show. My Dae, with a mouthful of soft-drink, was trying to, somehow, hold back her laughter. Pil-woo laughed loudly and almost clapped his hands. It felt good.

And, soon, it was 2:00 pm. No one realized how much time had passes - or, at least, I didn't.

"Lunch is ready," Nari announced.

By now I had made a little space in my tummy for the chapchae which Dae said she had made for me. She knew it was my favorite.

We all moved towards the dining table, pulled out the chairs and sat. And she sat right in front of me. I was looking at my future wife, thinking, "A few months later, we will be having our lunch, dinner and breakfast together and, that too, in the same plate."

Amused with the same thought, I opened the lid of the bowl in front of me.

"Nari, you also come," said Ami-unnie, taking some salad. The dining table was full of various dishes. the cutlery appeared new, the kind that was bought out for special occasions.

Everyone at the dining table was helping themselves and each other passing the food stuff. I was trying to get a serving spoon from the other end of the table, when Dae stopped me and silently said, "Wait, i will get it."

She picked up the spoon in one hand and a bowl in the other and served. Then, she placed some salad on my plate, and asked me, "You want more rice?"

I was looking at my caring sweetheart, who was helping me with my lunch. I was smiling inside, maybe even outside, and in my heart I asked her, "You will always take care of me this way....Right?"

"More rice?" she asked again, raising her brows.

But who was hungry then? Her care and love for me had already filled me. Still, I said, "yeah....."

With her beautiful hands she opened the rice cooker and quickly moved her hand back to avoid the hot steam. Her bangles tinkled. Then, with the help of the serving spoon, she scooped a bit of rice and placed them on my plate. She looked at me and smiled. I wanted her to feel me with her own hands so that I could lick her beautiful fingers.....All of a sudden, I wanted to marry her and marry her very soon. So that I could lie down in her lap. So that I could have my meals from her hands.

Everyone went ahead with the lunch. We got busy with our meal and the conversation reduced and narrowed down to the appreciation of the lunch and the people who had prepared it. I believe it was quarter to the three when we were through. I was all packed with delicious food, pudding and fruits (dessert for which I struggled to make some space in my tummy.)

Conversation resumed at the sofa and chairs again. This time it involved humor - good jokes, poor jokes, and jokes which were not jokes at all. Even her mother was laughing aloud, along with her youngsters. And, at times, I noticed a different smile, A smile which was not on her lips, but in her eyes. A smile which told me that she thought I was a nice guy. A smile which revealed that, soon, she would be prepared to give her daughter to me, for the rest of her life. A smile which was blessing me and her , for a bright future. And somewhere, silently, that smile also whispered in my ear the words from her heart, "With her, I will be giving you my heart. Take care of her....Always."

It was 4 o'clock in the evening when we had a cup of tea. 'We', meaning Pil-woo and I, as rest of them did not drink tea. YEs, no one in that entire family drinks tea. Strange family - that's what Pil-woo and I feel.

Meanwhile, Dae went to her room and, the very next moment I was astonished to see her SMS on my cell. Wondering why she did that, I read the message. 

I'll call u in 2 min. u go out in the veranda 2 receive d call. Don't let oders kno dat I m callin.

And she called me up.

I acted as if it was one of my college friend and, talking to this college friend of mine, I went into the veranda, and from its furthest corner asked her, "Where are you calling from?"

"Bathroom," she replied.

"Wow! what are you doing there....?" I asked mischievously.

"Shut up! Now listen to me," she said, trying to explain something to me.

And, for the next minute, this is what I said:

"What?"

"Are you crazy?"

"Wow!"

"But are you sure you will be able to do this?"

"Yes! Yes! I mean will WE ne able to....?"

"Oh Boy! I cant believe this, You have such guts. I would love to do this...."

"Thrilling! But what if we get caught?"

"Nari? She will help us? Great! Your little sister is so good."

"Alright, done. Let's do this in half an hour. You can call my cab right now."

Thrilled and anxious because of her(I mean my college friend's) call, I returned to the drawing room. Everything was the same there - the environment, the talk and the people - but all of a sudden I wanted the time pass quickly. I was excited about the plan (Which also involved Nari) that Dae and I had just discussed. I kept wondering if we could really do it.....