Chapter 10 - Jealousy

Sunye’s Office, Seoul Arts Centre - 4:54PM

Taeyeon, Baekhyun and Sunye were seated around a white desk in a clean office. Small lights were ingrained in the ceiling and basked the room in a warm glow in the windowless area. The strong smell of coffee aded the air, mixed with the fumes of freshly painted canvas’ which took their place along the blue walls. Folders of paperwork covered her desk, from new project proposals to  budget management forms and the different foundations asking for her help - Sunye was busy as the lady responsible for the promotion of music and art for the public in Seoul.

“So next Sunday we’ll be having the beach trip,” she confirmed, looking down at a long sheet of paper. “It’ll be a good experience for the children. Some of them haven’t been out of Seoul before and the change in landscape should be quite inspiring for them and help bring out their creativity for the mural.” She began to take her pen and write on the item.

“We’re just waiting for a few more chaperones right?” Baekhyun asked, taking a small sip from his can of iced coffee.

“Yes. We need a few more so there are enough cars to transport all the children,” answered Sunye. They were unable to book a coach for the day, and had to ask parents to volunteer to help out. Many reluctantly complied when their child pestered them, others agreed immediately as they felt safer if they came along to supervise their young.

“Is there anything else we need to do?” Taeyeon inquired. She was excited for the beach, she hadn’t been there for a long time. Even if it they were visiting in the middle of autumn and wouldn’t be able to enjoy its traditional pastimes, the beauty of the beach would still be intact.

“Just prepare the materials for the children’s activities,” responded Sunye. She lifted her head from the paperwork and gave a tired smile to the two. “You two can leave now. I think we’ve sorted everything out for now. You’ve worked hard today.”

Baekhyun and Taeyeon bowed to the lady. “You’ve worked hard too. Have a good weekend,” the two chimed before leaving the office and entered into the brightly lit lobby.

“We’re going for ramen with your boyfriend now right?” Baekhyun asked, walking up to the vending machine and going through his pockets.

“Yeah, he said he’ll be here in 5 minutes,” informed Taeyeon, seating herself on a cushioned chair. She stretched her legs and massaged her jeans. It was a long and tiring day for the both of them since they were finalizing details from the trip. Sunye has made them sort out of the majority of the details today so they could send all the information to the parents over the weekend. Fortunately next week she wouldn’t have to do much and could focus on her own artwork for a while.

“How long have you two been going out for?” the man questioned, now selecting his drink of choice.

“About 3 months?” lied Taeyeon. Jiyong had made her agree to his proposed story - that they had met several months ago at Daesung’s wedding and had been in love since then. It wouldn’t work on everyone, such as her roommates who knew about her dating history, but for others there shouldn’t be any suspicion.

“Wow, that’s quite a while,” commented Baekhyun. Pop. Naturally it was iced coffee that came out of the vending machine. “It’s quite a serious relationship isn’t it?” He opened the cold can and took a small sip of the beverage.

“I suppose,” answered Taeyeon unconvincingly. She saw Baekhyun giving her a skeptical look, but she ignored it and turned away. Lying was never her forte, but she was good at hiding her thoughts. Her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket - a text message. She quickly took it out and read it. “Jiyong’s just arrived. Let’s go see him outside.”

*

Taeyeon was seated in the passenger seat, with Baekhyun in the back of Jiyong’s car. He had to begrudgingly accept that the boy would be riding in his car, after some coercing from Taeyeon. They were on their way to Hongdae, the place where the so-called amazing ramen place was located.

“So Jiyong, I heard you two have been dating for a while,” commented Baekhyun, leaning forward to look at the miffed driver, who tightened his grip on wheel upon hearing his voice.

“3 months,” confirmed Jiyong, gritting his teeth. He couldn’t place his finger on why but he knew he hated Baekhyun. He was overly friendly and close to Taeyeon. She was a taken woman by him, even if was just for show. “It was love at first sight.” He hoped that statement would strike a chord in the younger boy and provide an adequate warning.

“Oh, is that right Noona?” he said, turning his head to the other side to face the pretty woman.

“Yeah…” Taeyeon mumbled, her eyes directed into her lap. Her fingers were twiddling amongst themselves, showing her uneasiness when it came to lying.

“She doesn’t sound as convinced as you do Jiyong,” mused Baekhyun, quickly picking up on Taeyeon’s discomfort. “Maybe things aren’t so rosy.”

“Things are going fine. By the way, I am older than you aren’t I?” asked Jiyong snidely. “Shouldn’t you be calling me Hyung instead?”

“You don’t feel like my Hyung though,” quipped Baekhyun playfully.

“You call Taeyeon Noona,” Jiyong said as they stopped at a red light.

“Noona just sounds cute,” Baekhyun replied. “Hyung for you doesn’t though.”

“It’s part of our culture to respect those older than you,” retorted Jiyong. “Or are you someone lacking in  manners?”

“Are you someone who likes to stick to old-fashioned values Jiyong?” Baekhyun mocked. “Shouldn’t we be progressive and forward thinking? We are the new generation after all.”

Taeyeon looked over at the two bickering men, and saw them both trying to meet her eyes. They wanted  her to take their side of the argument, but she could only sigh at their pettiness.

“Can you two please stop?” she pleaded. “You both are acting like children! Can we please just go for a nice meal together? The first to apologize here would be the real winner in my eyes.”

“Sorry,” the two immediately blurted out, with an annoyed face once they realised that the other had the exact same thought as them. With a Hmph they both returned to their respective positions. Jiyong had his hands fastened to the leather steering wheel whilst Baekhyun reclined back into the backseat unhappily. The two were at odds with each other and Taeyeon could feel the tension rising.

Sighing, she thought to herself this is going to be a long day.

*

Ramen Don, Hongdae - 5:32PM

The wooden panel doors slid to the side to reveal the cosy ramen shop. The interior was lined with small counters for the individual diners, occupied by businessman and students who had just finished for the day, whilst couples and families were seated on the mats at the low lying wooden tables. Bowls of empty ramen could be seen around the room, and the homely aroma of the pork bone broth floated around the room. Small candles were dotted around the room, completing the cushy ambience of the restaurant.

“This place is really good Noona,” Baekhyun said. He paused and then turned to Jiyong. “And Hyung.”

Jiyong smiled guiltily -  he had to admit he had been nothing but aggressive to the boy, but he was willing to make amends with him for Taeyeon’s sake at least. “I’m sure it’ll be great,” Jiyong agreed. He could see Taeyeon light up with a smile from hearing the males reconciliation.

“Alright! Let’s enjoy some ramen,” Taeyeon excitedly announced. The three sat themselves at one of the small wooden tables, kneeling on the mats that were provided. Taeyeon was seated besides Jiyong, with Baekhyun opposite of the two.

A chubby waiter came along and asked for their orders. Jiyong and Taeyeon asked for the classic pork bone broth ramen, whilst Baekhyun went for the miso broth ramen. After taking their orders the waiter politely bowed to the three to prepare their meals.

The waiter came back soon after with a tray of their dishes. He gently placed each bowl before the appropriate person.

“Enjoy your meal,” the waiter wished, before leaving the three once again.

Jiyong took a pair of chopsticks from the holder and mixed around the ramen with the soup before lifting up some of the ramen noodles. The tantalizing scent of the soup dripping off the noodles could be smelt - the broth had a wonderful, meaty yet clear smell, aided by the sprinkle of fresh diced green onion.

“It’s delicious!” Taeyeon exclaimed, digging right in. “The broth is so good! I wonder how they made it.” She quickly positioned her chopsticks near to have another bite.

Baekhyun laughed. “I’ve tried asking many times but the head cook never disclosed his secret to me,” Baekhyun said. “Maybe if a pretty woman like yourself asked he might be more willing.”

Jiyong frowned at the younger man’s flirtatious tone - he was up to his old tricks again. “I know a better place for ramen,” Jiyong asserted as he continued to twirl his noodles.

“Don’t be like that Jiyong,” scolded Taeyeon, lightly slapping him on his arm before consuming more food. “Let’s just enjoy this place.”

Jiyong sighed, looking at the happy Taeyeon. He conceded defeat and decided to dig into the food as well, and he had to admit - the ramen was well made.

“Try some of my miso ramen guys,” encouraged Baekhyun, pushing his bowl towards the couple. “The