Part 9
Christmas in Seoul“C’mon, let’s go!” he said again dragging her towards a car.
“Whe…where are we going?” she tried once more to find out when he fastened her seatbelt and just smiled, starting the engine.
“Huh? Hyung?: Ji asked himself seeing Seunghyun’s car passing right by him. He was actually suspecting something but he wouldn’t want to think about it too much… even though his hands caught a little shake inside the pockets where he had hidden a couple of small yogurt cans.
He freed his head from under the grip of his big hood and entered the hotel smiling. He looked around a little.
“How do you find a person you don’t even know his name?” he said laughing at his own and went straight to the reception clerk. A pink waistcloth made him forget his “Excuse me sir…” and run after it.
“Excuse me, miss!” he changed his direction and stopped the girl.
“Yes?” she turned around and they both had somehow the same reaction: she covered with both of her hands and him, recognizing her from the other day, his first urge was to turn around and leave.
“Oh my God!” the maid shouted. “I can’t believe it!!! You… you really came for her!...” she lowered her voice at the last part.
“Ne…” he smiled shyly. “Is she around?”
“The luck on some people…” she enviously whispered. “I haven’t seen her in a while” she then said with a rather loud voice. “But I can ask my boss about her…”
“I would appreciate it, thank you very much…” he smiled squishing the yogurts inside his pockets.
“Oh, Miss Ming Yoo!” the maid suddenly said taking long bows to the girl slowly approaching them.
“good evening!” Ming Yoo answered unimpressed. “Please call…” she wanted to say but the made cut her off.
“Miss Yoo, this is…” she said a little overexcited. “This is…” she froze again without knowing what name to use – his stage name or the real one? She decided to use them both: “Miss Yoo, this is GD, Kwon Jiyong, the singer…” she said in a glance “and she’s also looking for the new girl.”
“Are you?” Ming Yoo looked at him for a while allowing her nicely done eyebrows to betray her astonishment.
“Mnm…” he answered smiling without realizing he started a soft back-and-forth balance.
“Park Goo!” the screechy voice of the fat manager stopped them. “Where’s round-eyes?!” he roared walking towards the maid who was discreetly trying to sognal him to lower his voice. He understood her only when he faced the upset look of Mong Yoo.
“Round eyes?” she asked for an explanation as soon as he reached them.
“Oh…. Miss… I can assure you there’s no offensatory meaning in here… it’s just… an innocent n…nickname because we…” the maid’s eyes made him babble “I… I find it difficult to pronounce her name…” he quickly said waving his hands up in the air. “It’s only with love…”
“Well, looks like we’re all looking for her…” Ming Yoo replied on a cold voice.
“Are we?” the manager widened his eyes. “Why?” he asked but again, Ming Yoo’s glare froze him. “Umm… ok…. Umm… I’ll find her… no problem…” he mostly mumbled dialing a number on his cell phone.
“Jingle bells” filled the awkwardly quiet car. the girl startled visibaly and quickly glanced at Seunghyun who simply smiled without taking his eyes off of the road. Seeing that the call wouldn’t stop anytime soon, she raked through her pocket and took it out. She checked the caller’s ID and frowned.
“Who is it?” Seunghyun asked without looking at her.
“My boss…” she answered ready to swipe her finger over the green jumping icon. Before she could do that, he suddenly grabbed her phone and shut it off.
“O..oh…” she barely managed to whisper.
“I said I’ll talk to your boss, but not just now” he felt the need to reassure her when she stuffed her face deeper in the big scarf.
Again it turned silent in the car.
After about two hours or so, they reached a huge iron gate.
“What’s this?” she asked as two men hurried to open it up.
Seunghyun just smiled and lowered his head a little saluting them.
‘Oh, no, no, no! what’s he doin`?!’ she thought without having the guts to actually spell the words. She refused to get out when one of them opened the car’s door and invited her out.
“Jaebal…” Seunghyun stretched out his helping hand. “Please” he translated for her thinking she’s not reacting since she doesn’t know what he said.
‘ I’m not sure I can walk’ she would’ve answer but she knew it wasn’t a good thing to say so she just summed it all up in a faded smile.
“But what’s here?” she managed to ask while grabbing his hand.
“My house” Seunghyun answered proudly.
She froze just before her foot landed the ground and she just stared at him.
“ C’mon” he smiled hiding his eyes away “let’s get in, I’m freezing…” he pulled her hand.
“Why… why would you bring me here?” she asked aimlessly following him.
“You looked like you needed a family” he answered painfully sincere “so I thought why not mine?”
“Yeah but…” she would’ve protest but he was still dragging her and in no time they reached the four small stairs they had to climb to get in front of the big, double door that Seunghyun opened in one quick move.
She was holding tight on him, just like a kid in his first kindergarten day; her heart was about to burst out of her chest and maybe just for now she really had to stay focused on this new thing called ‘walking’ which seemed to be needing all of her strength and attention.
“What?!...” she startled when he asked for her coat with only one gesture. “Oh… yeah…. Yeah…” she whispered handing over the long, black coat.
She felt like she will just melt away in those fluffy pink, artificial fur slippers she just received. She wasn’t quite sure but it looked like the floors were made of some sort of a jelly since every step she took made her feel like she was sinking inside the soft carpets. It really became difficult for her to follow him, especially now that he left her on her own… And this sweet scent.. this surely wasn’t a place on earth!
Seunghyun’s voice startled her:
“Eomma , na wa sseo!”
‘Eomma? This means ‘mom’ doesn’t it? “ she barely got the chance to think before a thin voice cut her off. Most probably it said ‘I’m here’ because he grabbed her wrist again and made her walk. They entered a big, bright room and she had no idea at what to stare first – the really huge Christmas tree or at the three really beautiful women who were just as surprised as she was.
“Umm… Annyeong hashimnikka!” she tried to pronounce as accurate as she could bowing 90°.
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