Chapter 15: A Cooking Lesson

            The next day, you were getting ready to leave when Jiyong walked through the door. “Why do you always take so long to get packed?” he noted before walking over to you. “Shut up,” was the best comeback you could think of as you shoved the last of your books into your bag. “So, why are you here? Another wedding thing?” you asked as you put on your backpack.

            “Something like that,” he said with a shrug. “Well, what are we doing?” you asked as you began walking out the door with him by your side. “You’ll see; don’t be so impatient,” he teased, messing with your hair before closing the door behind him. Eunsook stared at the door. “She’s changed so much… I hate it,” she whispered before collecting the rest of her things and starting the walk to her hagwon.

            You got in the car with him, holding your bag on your lap as he drove you around. Finally, he pulled up in front of a building you recognized all too well. “Ahjumma!” you exclaimed as you immediately undid your seatbelt buckle, “But how did you know where she lived?”

            “I asked Seungri,” he said with a shrug as he followed up to her apartment door. “Ahjumma!” you yelled as you ran inside and embraced her. “_________-ah! You would’ve thought we hadn’t seen each other in two years from how you’re acting,” she joked as she hugged you back. “I missed you though,” you said with a small pout before letting go. She was about to reply to that when she noticed Jiyong, “And what are you doing here?”

            “I was wondering if me and ________ could borrow your kitchen, ma’am,” he said, bowing to her. “What for?” you asked, cocking your head to the side. “For you to cook Seungri dinner,” he replied, giving you a wink. “But I’ll kill him if I try that!” you exclaimed, remembering the last time you had tried to cook. The results had been disastrous; the maids still didn’t trust you near the stove, and it had happened three years ago. “That’s why I’m here,” he said, smirking slightly.

            “I guess I’ll allow it since it’s for a good cause,” your aunt replied with a small smile. Jiyong nodded and pulled you into the kitchen while your aunt turned the TV on and sat on the couch. “Why are we making Seungri dinner?” you asked as he ruffled through the pockets of his uniform. “Because I thought it would be cute. Besides, you should learn how to cook if you’re getting married.”

            “Why can’t Seungri learn to cook?” you whined as he pulled out a folded up piece of paper. “Because he’s worse than you. Now, come on, this recipe looked simple enough. I’m sure we can do it,” he said with a winning smile. “How about you cook and I supervise?” you asked, smiling back at him. “No. You’re going to cook whether you like it or not. I already planned this out, besides it’ll make Seungri less pissy if you do.”

            “He hasn’t been pissy,” he gave you a look, “Has he?” He sighed before opening up the fridge door, “He hasn’t been to you, but towards everyone else, yeah. He’s so stressed out that he can’t function right. You’re good for him except for when he can’t see you. Then he gets all worried and jealous. He’s even jealous of me! That idiot.”

            “Anything else you want to rant about?” you asked before taking the paper from him so you could examine what exactly you were supposed to be making. It was a simple omelet, but that was the very dish that had almost blown up your kitchen stove before. “Jiyong-oppa, I can’t make this,” you said as he pulled the ingredients out. “We’ve already been over this, which is why I am here. So quit being so negative and come here to help me with this,” he said, opening up kitchen cabinets. You sighed before walking over to attempt to help him.

                        Five horribly failed attempts later, you finally had an omelet that actually looked presentable. “Do you think he’ll be able to eat it?” you asked, afraid that even if it looked mildly delicious, it would be secretly poisonous. “Well, I guess you’ll find out tonight. If he dies, text me so I can help you get rid of the body. If he lives, text me so we can celebrate,” he said with a small chuckle, noting that said panda would be there any minute.

            “I can’t text you if I don’t know your number.”

      “I can fix that,” he said with a small laugh before stealing your phone and inputting his number along with a picture of himself. “And I thought Seungri was self-absorbed,” you teased before taking it back. Jiyong merely chuckled before saying his goodbyes to you and paying his respects to your aunt. Once he was gone, you quickly ran to your room and changed out of your now messy uniform and into some normal clothes.

            When you walked back out to the living room, Seungri was sitting on the couch watching a TV show with your aunt. He turned when he heard you and smiled, “So, you and hyung cooked for me? Should I be worried?” Your aunt hit his arm playfully, “She tried hard for you, don’t . Besides, I’m a school nurse so if anything does happen, I’ll save you.” You sighed and shook your head, unwilling to argue because you weren’t sure whether or not medical attention would be needed.

            “Okay, now I’m really worried,” he said as he got up and walked into the kitchen. “Well, this one looks okay,” you said, shuffling in behind him. “Stop looking like you’re about to kill me,” he suddenly said as he grabbed a fork to eat the omelet with. “But I fail at cooking! You know I at anything girly!”

            “Or anything academic, but that’s okay. It makes you cute.” He took a bite and chewed slowly. You watched him and twisted the ring on your finger. Your aunt even watched the two of you from the doorway with a small smile on her face. “It’s actually kind of good,” he said before taking another bite. You let out the breath you hadn’t known you’d been holding before walking over to stand by him. “Are you telling the truth?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

            He laughed, “Here, try it for yourself.” He held the fork up and moved it towards your mouth. Reluctantly, you ate the piece of omelet and discovered that it wasn’t as horrible as you thought it was going to be. It was actually pretty okay. “I can’t believe I cooked that,” you said once you had swallowed. “You need to have more faith,” Seungri noted before taking another bite, “and do more cooking. You can practice by making me lunch from now on.”

            He winked at you and you pushed his arm, “Why would I make lunch for a guy like you? I’ll make it for Jiyong instead.” You stuck out your tongue at him, taunting him. He chuckled before capturing you in a hug, his arms wrapped firmly around your waist as he pulled you close. “Here, let me show you,” he whispered before leaning down to kiss you.

            Your aunt’s eyes widened before she turned around and walked back into the living room, not wanting to watch anymore. “Kids these days,” she mumbled with a shake of her head before sitting down on the couch, still in earshot in case he tried anything funny.

            “So, are you going to make me lunch now?” Seungri asked, leaning his forehead against yours. “Do I have to?” you whined, playing with his hair. He leaned in to peck your lips again, “No. I guess you don’t have to.” You pulled back and messed up his hair completely, “Good, now eat.” He sighed and attempted to fix his hair but gave up and finished the omelet.

            Eunsook sighed as she packed up her things again. She hated how much her parents made her study. It felt like her entire life revolved around getting good grades and making her parents proud. It was exhausting. _________ never had to do extra school; she didn’t even have to get good grades because her parents were so rich. Now, she even got to marry the guy Eunsook was in love with. “It’s not fair,” she whined before passing some of her classmates.

            “Did you hear?” one of the girls asked her friend, “Seungri is getting married!” Eunsook paused and continued to listen. “No way! To who?” the other girl exclaimed with a hint of jealousy in her voice. “Some girl named __________.”

            “What? She’s in my class! She’s not even that cute!”

            “I know right?! But they’re getting married. I wonder why…” Eunsook smiled slightly before turning to the girls. “I know why, do you want to know?” The girls nodded and Eunsook bit her lip. Was she really going to do this? “You have to promise not to tell anyone though.” Yes, she was going to do this, it had to be done. If they were going to break up, it had to be done.