SEOHYUN

The drive home with Yonghwa seated beside me was awkward. We didn't talk to each other at all unless mom asked random questions. It's a good thing that traffic wasn't as heavy as yesterday so we arrived home earlier than expected. 

"Seohyun, take care of our guest, okay? I'll be in the Kitchen if you need me." That was what mom told me once she unlocked the front door of the house.

"Yes, mom." I bowed and went up the stairs with Yonghwa following behind me.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"To my room, of course." I answered as I opened the door for us. Since my room was on the backside of the floor, it didn't get as much sunlight as my parents' room so I the light and went in. I noticed, through my peripheral vision, that Yonghwa stood on the doorway. He looked like a supervisor, scanning my room with eagle eyes. "Your room is neat, just what I expected from an inspector."

I kept my room simple all these years. I had my bed, my closets, a study table and a computer table. I never allowed other big things to be kept in my room unlike my oppa and my room's very tidy. I just wished Yonghwa would stop caling me inspector. We sat across each other on the floor by the study table and I looked at my tutee. "Can you write in English?"

He shook his head.

"Okay, then let's start with the basics."

When he pulled out his mobile phone, I sighed. "No mobile phones during tutorials, please."

Yonghwa smirked and placed his phone inside his bag before he looked at me.

“Hi.” I started.

“Hello.”

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Jung Yonghwa, and you?”

So far so good.

“I am Lee Seohyun. Nice to meet you, Yonghwa.”

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Uh…no?”

I laughed.

“Hey, no fair! Don’t laugh at me.” He complained.

He looked like a little kid when he behaved like that. “I'm sorry.”

“You can talk to me informally, Seohyun. I allow you to.”

"No." I stuck my tongue out to him. "So that was the basics in a conversation. Let’s try the written one.” I wrote down questions for him on a piece of paper.

“Can I see?” he leaned forward.

“No peeking! This is your questionnaire.”

“Oh.” He stood up and walked around my room.

“Don’t touch anything or I’ll make the questions difficult for you.” I threatened.

He raised his hands. “Oh, sorry but don’t worry, I’ll be very careful.”

I let out a sigh and continued writing down questions. Then minutes later I heard glass shattering on my floor. The ballpoint pen that moved fluidly across the piece of paper stopped its movement as I processed the awful sound in my head.

CRASH !!!

I knew this would happen. I stood up and went to where he’s standing. “I told you not to touch anything!”

“I'm sorry, Seohyun! I was being extra careful but it slipped from my hands. I’m so sorry.”

I sighed and picked up the pieces of broken glass. He stooped down and tried to help but I didn’t let him. “Don’t, Yonghwa. Just go and answer the questions I prepared for you. I'll take care of this.”

“I’m really really sorry.” He stood up and went to the study table. It was quiet for a while until I heard him complaining.

“AAAHHHH! WHY IS IT SO HARD? I DON’T UNDERSTAND A THING!” Then I heard a thud. He probably dropped his head on the table.

“It’s just basic words, Yonghwa. All you have to do is translate them to Hangul and you’re done.” I replied calmly while picking up the shattered glass.

“But it’s too hard for me.”

“It’s the basics.” I repeated but then added, “and you broke my perfume.”

“Oh, sorry.” He sighed and sat up. “It’s just that your perfume smelled so familiar to me, like I’ve smelled that same scent a long time ago on someone.”

Probably an ex-girlfriend.

“Yeah, anyway, answer your questionnaire.” I said, ending the conversation. I heard him tapping some beats with his pencil as I threw away the pieces of glass. Then I wiped the floor with a wet cloth, washed it in the bathroom and wiped the floor again until the scent faded away. An hour later the scent was not strong anymore so he should be halfway through the questions by now. Let me check up on him.

YONGHWA

I raised his hands. “Oh, sorry but don’t worry, I’ll be very careful.”

I walked around her room until I got to her simple vanity table.

What’s that I smell? Sniff … sniff …

It’s so familiar … Sniff …

Strawberry …

That scent …

Mother used to wear that same perfume. I know because I know. There were a lot of strawberry scented perfumes but I swear Seohyun’s and my mother’s were the same. I picked it up from her cabinet and inhaled the sweet smell. Even though we spend days in the past with a little distance because of her and dad taking care of the business abroad, I remembered her perfume.

Mom… I miss you so much …

I was about to return the pefume but it slipped from my fingers and crashed into a million pieces on the ground. The strawberry scent immediately filled the room. I turned around and saw Seohyun approaching me. She looks irritated. Uh oh. “I told you not to touch anything!”

Crap. Good going Yonghwa. You just earned man points from Seohyun. “I'm sorry, Seohyun! I was being extra careful but it slipped from my hands. I’m so sorry.”

Seohyun didn’t say anything but only sighed. That's even wors than calling me names! She knelt and picked up the broken glass by herself so while I started to help her but she stopped me. “Don’t, Yonghwa. Just answer the questions I prepared for you.”

“I’m really sorry.” I meant it. I stood up and went to the study table then took the questionnaire and read it. GAH!

“AAAHHHH! WHY IS IT SO HARD? I DON’T UNDERSTAND A THING!” I complained and dropped my head on the table. Ouch. She told me it’s all basic words and all I have to do is translate them from English to Hangul and then I’m done. But still, it’s too hard for me!

1.       Hello

2.       How are you?

3.       My name is Jung Yonghwa.

4.       I’m a boy.

5.       Take care

6.       Goodbye

7.       Good night

8.       Good morning

9.       Apple

10.     Duck

LEE SEOHYUN, YOU’RE MAKING MY LIFE HARDER!!!

She was telling me something and the words that caught me were, “…and you broke my perfume.”

Crap. It’s the basics and I can’t answer these?! And worse was that I broke her perfume! Well, actually, I know number one but 2-10? Forget it! Still, I don’t want to have a score of 1 out of 10! I stared at the paper for an hour and heard Seohyun washing the now scented cloth in the bathroom. Great, she’s almost done cleaning and I’m still stuck with number two!

My hands suddenly felt clammy as I held my pen and I heard horror music inside my head when Seohyun went back to her seat. She leaned forward to look at my paper and the horror music in my head got louder. The suspense, it's killing me and I only answered number one!

“Are you done?”

NO!!!

SEOHYUN

"Are you done?" I sat back on my seat when I felt how my back ached from picking up the broken pieces of glass earlier. I leaned forward to look at his paper but Yonghwa swiftly covered it and he nervously flashed a smile at me. "Yonghwa, let me see it."

He shook his head. Is itmy imagination or was there a trickle of sweat by the side of his face?

"Just let me see it." I held onto a small part of the paper but Yonghwa pulled it back.

"No! I'm not done, yet!"

"I just want to have a look, Yonghwa." I successfully pulled out the piece of paper and scanned the contents. If there were contents in the first place. He whistled a nonchalant tune and avoided eye contact as I sighed. "You've gotta be kidding me, Yonghwa."

"I told you I'm not done yet." He pouted with arms crossed.

"Finish it." I shoved the paper back to him while he nodded. He only stared at it on the next seconds, though. "Seohyun, can you please give me hints?"

Should I? Hmmm, okay. "Some words were spoken today, some are greetings, animals and fruits."

Yonghwa tapped his pencil on the table and thought hard. I decided to let him think so I wrote more questions on another piece of paper. Suddenly I heard a song playing in the background.

Stabirabi rapststabira
Stabirabi rapststabira
You’re my love

"Yonghwa, I said no mobile phones during tutoral sessions."

"I want to listen to my band's music while studying, though."

"No mobile phones." I repeated.

"I'm not turing in off. I listen to music when I study."

Why is he being stubborn? "Yonghwa, please turn it off. You need to concentrate."

He smirked. "I can't concentrate without music."

Sigh. This argument is going nowhere. "Fine, but make sure you finish that within 30 minutes."

"One hour."

"35 minutes."

"50 minutes."

"35 minutes."

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