In Another Lifetime

Not a Noona

"Laney, this is V, you can call him V-oppa, since he is older than you, yes? You'll be taking care of him, mostly making sure his hair is fixed, and his make up is good, but you will do whatever he needs you to do. If he needs water, you will get it for him. If he needs the sweat wiped from his face and neck, you'll wipe it away. If he needs his shoulders or his neck massaged, you'll massage them. If he needs his feet rubbed, you'll rub them. Sounds easy enough, yes?"

~♡~

I nodded, wondering how I was going to make it thru 30 days of that. Heaven help me, I really didn't know how I would survive this. Then I remembered, he was going to fall for me, and ask me to be his girlfriend. Did that mean...

"I am leaving now, okay Taehyung-ah? My Eomma is waiting for me. I'll be back later to make sure Laney gets back home okay."

Min Jee looked at me. "Laney, you'll be okay. Just don't forget to breathe." She smiled and waved, exiting thru the door we had come in.

I was alone with V. I looked from the door Min Jee had gone thru back to the man sitting next to me. He smiled at me, and I swear it felt like my insides were trembling. I just hoped I could control it on the outside.

"Hi Laney. It's nice to meet you. Just call me V, or Tae. The oppa isn't necessary. I'm sure we are pretty close in age."

I swallowed, and realized that all this time he'd been talking in his honey smooth voice, and I'd been letting it go in one ear and out the other. I'd been so distracted that I had failed to actually hear him, my ears just listening to the words he was saying, instead of the sound of his beautiful voice.

"I don't bite, Laney" he shrugged one shoulder, "unless you want me to."

I lifted my eyes to his, and he was smiling playfully.

"I'd really love to hear your voice. You don't have to be afraid to talk. I know you aren't from here, so you don't have to worry about honorifics with me. It's fine, just be yourself, okay?"

I wasn't really afraid to talk, I just didn't know what to say to him.

'Hi, I'm Laney, and I'm a 51 year old mother of two grown children who never visit, and a wife to man who refuses to get a job, and sits at home all day doing nothing, and I've been super unhappy, and I fell in love with your music, and then you, so I made a wish and here I am.' 

Yeah, no, I didn't think that would go over too well. I still wasn't sure whether or not I was ever going to tell him that I was here because a wish was granted. But I needed to talk. I couldn't be here for 30 days and not talk.

"I'm sorry, for earlier. I don't know what happened to me. Thank you, for, catching me."

He quirked his head to one side, raising his eyebrows.

"I wasn't going to let you hit the floor. And you don't have to apologize, or thank me. I would have done the same for anyone."

Of course he would have.

"Well, I appreciate it, nonetheless."

"Well then, you're welcome."

He smiled again, and I smiled back.

"So, how old are you? You know, you're the first stylist Pd Nim has hired that isn't married. And all of the others are Noona's."

They only hired stylists that were married? I didn't know that. Can't say that I blame them.

"How do you know I'm not married? And what's a Noona?"

I hadn't studied any Korean culture, so I had no idea what Noona meant.