A Silent Lover

10. Imani

The Noryangjin fish market wasn't a place that I went to often, mostly because it was on opposite side of Seoul from where I stayed. Not to mention that the market closer to home was better for my minimal shopping needs. But for JaeHyun's love of seafood, TaekWoon and I had driven in the car for almost half an hour to get here. The clams and sea squirts that JaeHyun favored were things that I had only recently learned to make from KyungMi. Last year everyone had raved over my seafood stew and this year I was determined to outdo myself for Jae's birthday.

The day was bright and warm, a clear sign that Spring had officially come to Seoul. The sky was a bright blue color that looked almost unreal, with thick puffy clouds interspersed throughout to break up the monotony. The street was packed with vendors left and right, and people seemed to be everywhere. The low buzz wasn't unpleasant though and TaekWoon and I walked along mostly in silence, his mood probably normal, but mine pensive because of what I'd learned earlier today.

Going to TaekWoon's apartment has been a shock, mainly because I hadn't been expecting him to live with five other guys. Even though the place was somewhat spacious and well decorated, I couldn't help but speculate about TaekWoon's financial situation. I admittedly didn't know very much about the musical scene in Korea, but I did know that being a musician wasn't always profitable, no matter where you were.

However, his situation seemed somewhat more desperate than I had previously believed if he and all his band members shared only four rooms. Did TaekWoon have a part time job? Did he have trouble paying the rent? Seeing them all jammed in there like sardines had bothered me and I looked at him again as he walked beside me and tried not to stare too obviously.

Today he had on a plain white cotton V-neck, and he'd paired it with a dark blue cardigan, one that was almost gauzy, it was so thin. Both tops clung to his body and I could see the muscles in his arms clearly, although they weren't overly large. He had on another pair of black jeans and comfortable looking slip on shoes whose brand I had never heard of.

In all honesty, he looked as if he should be on the cover of GQ magazine instead of walking around with me, shopping for fish. In fact, he looked so model perfect that I wondered if maybe he wasn't eating enough. Maybe his living situation could be why he seemed so skinny and pale. A lack of adequate nutrition could do that to a person.

I kept sneaking glances at him as we scoured the markets searching for the best ingredients, checking to see if he looked hungry or particularly interested in any type of food, convincing myself that now would be an opportune time to fatten him up. I liked the way TaekWoon looked but there wouldn't be any harm in making sure he ate, at least while he was around me.

Surprisingly, TaekWoon knew quite a lot about the different types of fish and dishes that we could make from them and told me about his limited cooking experiences. I was impressed by his knowledge; it seemed that most people our age in Korea still had their mothers cooking for them or simply ate out all the time. As we moved further into the market, the crowd had steadily increased, the older generation now being overrun by the younger people who had just gotten off work.

Now at most stalls, the vendors were beginning to cook their wares, frying whole nakji, spicy tteokboki and egg tarts. The smells sent my stomach into hungry mode and I could feel it rumbling as we walked around looking for the ingredients for JaeHyun's miyeokguk. An ahjusshi at one stall called out that he had fresh bungeoppang and when TaekWoon spotted him, he pulled me away from the seaweed I was appraising and bought four on the spot.

I couldn't help but giggle at the look he made while he waited for them to cool enough to eat, his face holding all the anticipation of a kid at Christmas. With a low moan that sends shivers down my back, he devours his bread in seconds and seeing that I was still on my first, buys himself another.