The Flower Boys

Chapter 39

There was so much meat and side dishes set on the table that you felt like you would be in trouble tonight. After Taemin had caught you at the convenience store buying foods that did not follow your diet, you told yourself that you would not go on food binges like that again. But with the delicious aroma of the plentiful food placed in front of you, you felt like you were going to cave hard. Taemin looked at the food with a frown on his face while Ms.Lee looked at them both with smiling faces. 

"Eat up well." His mother proclaimed over the table. 

"Umma...was this necessary?" Taemin asked. 

"Of course...I told you this is a celebration dinner....You eat as much as you want." Ms.Lee said. 

You looked up at her, sadly and nodded. Half of the things she placed on this table you could not eat because it would coincide with your diet. You looked at Taemin to see if he would support you but he picked up his chopsticks and started to get food to eat. You look back at his mother to see get getting a bowl of rice. 

"eodokke, edokke..." you were screaming inside your head. 

"Don't just sit there...eat." Ms.Lee said. 

"Umma, she's on a diet." Taemin said as if it wasn't on a big deal. 

His mother looked at you and then sighed. 

"Girls these days worry too much about their weight that they forget to put something in their belly to help them live...." his mother complained. 

"Umma don't..." Taemin groaned. 

"I know I know.....You don't worry about your diet. Just eat comfortably." His mother said. 

You smiled and nodded. Apologizing to Kai, Lay and Taemin in your mind, you reached for some pork. You put the savory piece in your mouth and moan in happiness. Your eye's closed, tasting the well seasoned, juicy piece of meat. The feeling was indescribable . You couldn't just eat one. You ate another and another and another. Soon you were stuffing you face and asking Ms.Lee for bowl after bowl of rice. Taemin would look over at you, throwing you dirty glares but you did not care. The food was too good to give up. 

There was one last piece of meat left on the table, near the end of dinner and so you reached out to grab it with your chop sticks but Taemin stopped you. You angrily looked over at him. He still frowned and muttered " NO." But you ignored it and continued to grab it. Taemin did not give up. Before you knew it, you and Taemin were fighting with your chopsticks. You were almost winning when Ms.Lee started to yell at Taemin. 

"STOP BEING SO CHILDISH!!!" 

Taemin pulled back and you quickly took the meat and put it in your mouth. You smiled happily at Taemin and his mother. His mother looked at you and smiled. You gave her a thumbs up and she did the same. Taemin put his chopsticks down and scoffed. 

"What is she? Why is my umma being so nice to her?" Taemin thought to himself.  

After dinner you offered to help Ms.Lee with the dishes while Taemin sat in front of the TV Together you and Ms.Lee were having a conversation. She talked about Taemin when he was little and about how much he loved dance. She also talked about how she raised Taemin all by himself after his father was killed in a factory accident before he had been born. 

"Taemin never had a real male figure in his life. I thought him all that I could as a mother...but of course that isn't enough. When he picked up dancing and found his friends, that's when he started to change and learn things...he grew up too quick...." His mother said. 

All you could do is listen and have your heart go out to Taemin. But because of what happened, you felt that in no way excused his shitty behavior when it came down to you.