IDOL-1

Chapter 3

I stared into the kitchen confused at the sight I saw.

The three guys were there in the spacious area fixing food. Fashionista was over at the stove flipping something in a pan with chopsticks while the other two were at the center table chopping and mixing ingredients. Whatever they were fixing smelled amazing. I love oriental food. I don't specifically know what Korean foods there were but it smelled great whatever it was. But that wasn't what had me contorted in confusion.

They were singing. I couldn't understand what they were singing: it was in Korean and way too fast for me to process. But it just sounded so... pop-like. The lime-haired one decided to hit a high note then. His black-haired friend grinned. The two smiled as they made their way over to fashionista with the ingredients. It was then when fashionista started rapping. What? I didn't realize how low his voice was until now-- wait, why was that surprising? The words were in Korean also and, God, was he saying them fast. Too fast and too agitating. My face scrunched in disgust.

I'm a decent person. I have music taste. It just wasn't pop. And it definitely wasn't rap. I wanted to cover my ears so bad-- run in the opposite direction. I could've sworn my eye twitched. Nope. Nada. I'll take my rock music, thank you. 

"Yeah, Jee!" Sang cheered.

I looked over to him in shock. You like this torture? Sang immediately went in hopping around in his cheery manner. He skipped over to fashionista-- Jee with a huge smile on his face. Jee finally finished his verse, looking over to Sang with a small smile. The two other guys started cheering as well as they continued preparing the meal.

 I still hadn't quite processed the mess of a verse I had just heard in front of me. It was like pop but not. Wait, was that what Kpop sounded like? Oh, God. I mean, what was I expecting? Pop was literally in its name. These guys were famous for that? Yuck! Why was I here again? Oh, right, you need a place to stay for that stupid college scholarship that somehow landed you straight into h-e-double-hocky-sticks.

"Are you okay, Brae?" Chung-Hee asked, disturbing the rabbit-hole of thoughts I'd just jumped into.

I recoiled a bit, "What? Haha, I'm fine. I'm just-- uh-- hungry. Ya know?" Crap. He didn't need to know how much I despised their music.

They honestly weren't bad people. In fact, they're some of the nicest people I've met here in South Korean. Wait, did I really just think that? 

Chung-Hee smiled, "Well, you're in luck! Jee is one of the best cooks out there! Ah, wait I never properly introduced myself. Wait, were you ever properly introduced to anyone?"

I shook my head, "Only Sang introduced himself."

"Sang?" I jumped as I turned around to see Sang there. Mother in heaven, how did he get there?

"You can call me Kyong, " Sang spoke, "You're going to be staying with us anyway and everyone calls me that."

"But Sang is your last name. Isn't that formal?" I asked.

Sang nodded, "It just sounds too weird."