Change My Mind (Riverdale AU)

Two

"Vee, are you up?" The hostel's owner called, rapping on the door lightly. Veronica squinted, the sun not even up yet. She wasn't used to the time change, but at this hour, she'd probably be back in Riverdale either clubbing, or at Pop's with the core four.

"I'm up. Just give me a minute" she called back, going to her small bathroom to wash her face and throw something on. She decided on gray jeans, black ballet flats, and a black cap sleeve shirt, tying her hair back in a low ponytail, reminiscing about her ex best friend, Betty and her iconic ponytail.

She quickly brushed her teeth and combed her hair, leaving her room and going down the two flights of creaky steps to the main kitchen.

"Good morning" she said quietly with a small smile, seeing the old woman setting up breakfast for the rest of the other hostel occupants. An older man sat at the table, giving Veronica a small nod and smile, before going back to his rice and soup, while another woman bounced a  toddler in her lap while fanning herself from the morning heat.

"Do you need help?" Veronica offered, and the old woman smiled, placing a weathered hand on her arm.

"Thank you" she replied, directing the young woman to wear the bowls and different side dishes were to help set out the other foods.

"Halmoni, I just took the--oh." Nathan was starting to say, coming into the kitchen area, surprised to see Veronica there.

Veronica didn't know what else to say, so she nodded once, turning her back to him as she helped scoop rice into small bowls.

"Took the donations to the shelter? Thank you, you are a good boy" his grandmother replied, pinching his cheek as he whined.

Veronica stifled a laugh as she finished setting up the food and sat down with the others.

She picked up a pair of chopsticks, unsure about the fried fish that was set in front of her, but smiled, knowing she had to be more open about trying things.

Carefully she picked some of the fish into her small bowl of rice, along with some spicy cucumbers, some seaweed, and glass noodles, taking a bite.

"Mm. This is very good" she said, surprised.

Nathan took the seat across from her, his eyebrows raised, as his grandmother looked at Veronica, pleased.

"Mashissuhyo" Nathan said in a bored tone. Veronica furrowed her eyebrows. He sighed.

"It's what you say when something taste's good" he replied, before going back to his own food.

"Oh, ma-shi-suh- yo" Veronica said, drawing the sounds out carefully and the grandmother laughed, nodding and thanked her.

Veronica smiled softly, pleased at herself and gave Nathan a nod of thanks for teaching her something.

He shrugged, finishing his food, and pecked his grandmother on the cheek, cleaning up his plates before he headed out to go to work.

After breakfast, Veronica wasn't sure what to do. She knew her money wouldn't last her forever, so maybe she should start looking for work.

Approaching Nathan's grandmother, she lowered her head a bit in a bow.

"Um, do you know where I can find work?" she asked carefully. Grandmother Park smiled, nodding and gave her a newspaper that was unfortunately only in Korean.

"My grandson. Can help. He will come back here, in a few hours" she said. Veronica smiled, nodding, but inside she sighed.

Although Nathan had helped her slightly, she still had the feeling he didn't like her. He didn't even know her, so why judge her so quickly?

She busied herself with helping Grandmother Park tidy a bit before she headed back up to her room.

Veronica new the hostel had no wifi, so she hesitantly turned on her phone. Her voicemail was full and she cringed, getting ready to listen to the barrage of messages.

 Voicemail 1: Mija, where are you?! You chose willingly to enter into this plan of ours. You choose to run away? You are a Lodge and will always be a Lodge. Come home.

Voicemail 2: Ronnie, it's me.. listen I've been doing a lot of thinking...and I think that we're not seeing eye to eye anymore. I still care about you, but I think we're better off as friends..

"Shocker" Veronica said sarcastically, hitting the delete button and continued on with her messages.

Voicemail 3: Vee, it's me. I'm sorry about what I said. I haven't heard from you in awhile and I understand. I just, this has a lot to do with my family and I couldn't help but think you were just using us as part of the "make riverdale great again" scheme. Well, call me back when you can"

She sighed at this message, and decided not to call anyone back. She wasn't ready to forgive so easily, and she knew she had come to Taegu to have a new start.

A few raps on her door startled her.

"Come in" she said, a bit hesitantly, and the door swung open, and Nathan stood there, hands in his pockets.

"My grandma said you needed help with work ads" he replied dryly. She blinked, nodding as she gestured for him to take a seat at the small desk by the bed, where she had the work ad paper open.

"What're you thinking, maybe a shop assistant...performer...telemarketing.." he replied, looking around at the ads available. She stood up, standing beside where he sat, peering down at the ads as if she could read them, but to no avail.

"Um, something that doesn't require me to speak korean or do manual labor?" she asked and he laughed a low laugh, shaking his head.

"You're going to have to learn some korean. And I'd say this or this or this." he replied, circling a few ads and writing in english what they were.

"Sales at a grocery, pet groomer....seamstress.." she read, scrunching her eyebrows. He left the room for a moment before coming back in, tossing a small book onto the desk.

He gave a salute, before leaving.

"What the--" she said, glancing at the book.

"Basic Korean for dummies. what the hell? wait why does he have..eh I don't want to ask" she said to herself, sighing before sitting down and pulling out a notepad and pen to get to work.

"Annyong haseyo...." she started to say aloud slowly, unsure of  herself.

It was going to be a long night.

Halmoni=grandmother in korean