Just My Size - Chapter 15

Han Ji-Eun

The shock of my realization hit me hard. As I zombie-shuffled to my sister’s room, I was vaguely aware that Jinki had responded with a kind “Oh, OK! Talk to you later dear~”

“H-Ha-Eun…” I stuttered as I shut her door behind me. “We leave for California in like, three days.” I met her eyes, and she gave me a “well, duh!” expression.

 

“Yes,” she nodded slowly. “That’s why I need your help. I don’t wanna have to try to pack these books into my suitcase - or worse yet, my carry-on! Ugh, with those stupid weight restrictions they’ve got these days- Hey,” she stopped rambling when I plopped down onto her bed and made a pile of notebooks and workbooks fall over. “Are you OK?”

 

She waved a hand in front of my face, and it was a few seconds before I could move. I slowly turned my head and met her eyes once more. “Jinki just told me today that he loves me,” I whispered with awe in my voice. “How can I leave him for a whole month right after that?”

 

My sister gave me a sympathetic look and a lopsided smile. “That’s a hard one, Unnie. But you’re gonna have to. Skype will be your best friend, I think.” She patted my arm a couple of times, then set to straightening the pile of schoolwork I’d knocked over. I sighed, then helped her.

 

Resolving to help her with a few things - then get to work on my own work - I delved right in and asked her what she was having trouble with.

 

---

When I looked at Ha-Eun’s desk clock, I got up from her bed in a hurry. It was nearly 3am, and I had a lunch date with Jinki at noon!

 

Ha-Eun yawned her good-night at me, and I quietly made my way back to my room. I grabbed my phone with the intention of setting a couple of alarms, but when I turned the screen on, I saw a slew of messages from Jinki ranging from just after I went to go help Ha-Eun, to just a couple minutes ago.

 

Jinki
Miss you already!

Do you need help working on your homework?

Want me to help you after lunch?

Want me to call you when I’m on my way to pick you up?

My mom likes it when people are early to things, so maybe I should pick you up at 11:30.

It won’t take too long to get to her place.

Still miss you! <3

It doesn’t say that you’ve read these, so maybe you’re still helping your sister…

Then I’ll just keep talking till you come back! ;P

Oh, but what if you fell asleep? Hope I don’t wake you up! >_<

But I do wanna talk to you~

And hear your lovely voice~

And see your pretty face~

Gah, I didn’t know it was possible to miss someone this much!

Love you, baby. <3

 

And, most recently:

 

Oh! It says you’ve read them! Hi! :D

 

Ji-Eun

Yep, just got back into my room!

 

Jinki

Glad you’re back. :3

 

Ji-Eun

Hee hee, thanks! <3

And your messages are too cute! :D

 

Jinki

Ehhhhh, I was just rambling.

Wanna video chat again? Or would you like to get to sleep?

 

I was very excited to be talking with Jinki like this, and I did definitely want to video chat with him, but it was after 3am, and I needed to get up at about 10 to get ready for our lunch date. I sighed.

 

Ji-Eun

I would love to video chat again, but I’ll need to get up early to make myself presentable for our date. *sighs*

 

Jinki

I’m sure you’ll look gorgeous (as always), but I understand.

Good night my dear Ji-Eun. Sweet dreams~

 

Ji-Eun

G’night Jinki! Love you! <3

 

Jinki

Love you, too. <3

 

With that, I closed the app, set a few alarms, turned off my light, and tossed and turned in my bed for the next hour or so.

 

---

The first alarm sounded way too early. I groggily peered at my phone and jabbed the “dismiss” button to shut the annoying tone off. I fumbled for my glasses and hastily put them on. After stretching, I got up, my light, and started rummaging around for whatever I was going to wear.

 

What was I going to wear? Yesturday Jinki’s mom had seen me in full-blown Sailor Lolita, so I figured I’d wear something more… normal today. I opted for a pretty tunic dress, opaque leggings, and flat Mary Janes (which were downstairs in the entryway). I set the clothes on my bed, and went across the hall to the bathroom to wash up.

 

As I let the shower beat on my back, my mind wandered to various events that had happened in the last day. It was kind of dizzying to think about, but there were just so many good memories!

 

For some reason, my mind called up the semi-serious talk Ha-Eun and I had last night. Especially the part about how most of the other girls in either of our grades had already… done it. I briefly wondered about the two new girls in our group, Naeun and Eunji. They seemed like good, wholesome girls. I couldn’t - and didn’t - want to imagine them getting down and dirty.

 

I already knew my BFFs had. In true Hea-Mi fashion, it had happened on the same night. And yes, with Jonghyun and Minho. At the time, I had just plugged my ears and “LA LA LA”’d loudly to drown out the details. But now, I actually felt a twinge of jealousy.

 

I had no idea what to do about my new-found drive. Honestly, it kind of scared me; I had not wanted this relationship with Jinki to be of that nature - at least not for quite a while. But he just made me feel… how could I describe it? Well, like the old song, he made me feel like a natural woman. I sighed and chalked it up to my hormones getting the better of me, and resolved to wash up quickly and get out of the shower.

 

---

Unlike the time he came over for our first study date, I was actually all ready to go when he texted me that he was on his way. It was another nice day out, so I opted to wait for him outside our gate.

 

When Jinki turned the corner, we jogged to each other. He embraced me tightly and I hugged him back, taking in the feel of his strong arms and his light, yet distinct scent. I sighed happily.

 

“Ready to go?” He asked cheerily. I nodded in response, and we set out hand-in-hand.

 

It was a bit of a walk to his mother’s shop, but we made it there with a few minutes to spare. A bell chimed as he opened the door for me, and I stepped into the adorable café.

 

As I peered around the quaint establishment, I felt like I had been transported to a royal French garden. Everything was white with green accents and florals, and expertly manicured plants took up every surface that wasn’t for eating.

 

“Welcome!” His mother called brightly as she came over to greet us.

 

“Thank you for having us, Mrs. Lee!” I bowed respectfully, and when I straightened up, she was staring at me intently while grabbing two menus.

 

“You’re quite welcome, dear. Now, if you two will follow me, please!” She whipped right around and led us to a table set for two next to a large window. It was also right near the counter, so she would be able to see us easily from the kitchen.

 

“Our specials today are: smoked salmon and avocado open sandwich on rye bread, Apple scones with blackberry compote, and Raspberry, white chocolate, and pistachio profiteroles. Personally, I recommend the smoked salmon. Can I get you something to drink?” She looked at us expectantly, and I just gave a wide-eyed stare to Jinki.

 

“I think we need a few minutes, but water would be a good start.” He smiled kindly at his mother, and she nodded approvingly, her heel, and marched back to the kitchen more quickly than one would think someone of her stature could move.

 

Jinki turned back to me and chuckled. “She’s really excited to have us!”

 

I kept giving him my wide-eyed look, and added raised eyebrows to it. “R-Really?”

 

Jinki chuckled a little louder this time. “She gets like this when she’s happy.” He rolled his eyes and gave a half-shrug. “You get used to it over time.”

 

“Well, you definitely have the advantage there. You’ve had nearly two decades to get used to it! I just met her yesturday!” My voice was lowered, but not devoid of emotion. I was kinda freaking out internally, feeling like his mother was judging my every move, every breath.

 

A glass of water with a lemon slice neatly affixed on the edge was set down in front of me, and I almost jumped. Jinki’s mom made almost no sound when she walked, and she had come up from behind me with our waters.

 

“Do you know what you want, or would you like more time?” She patted Jinki’s hand, and the corners of her stern mouth turned up just a tad - she was smiling. She then looked at me, and her small smile brightened a little bit. I started to relax.

 

“More time, please, mama,” Jinki grimaced, but grinned all the same. As she turned to leave us, Mrs. Lee patted my shoulder gently. I smiled at her, and her eyes twinkled.

 

When I brought my eyes down to my menu, Jinki spoke. “See? What’d I tell ya?” I peeked over the menu at him to see him smirking at me.

 

“OK, fine, yes.” I narrowed my eyes at him playfully and held my menu up to block my face. That just caused Jinki to laugh harder. “C’mon, we should figure out what we’re gonna have. Don’t wanna keep your mom waiting!” I smiled as I lowered my menu back down, and Jinki nodded in agreement.

 

---

Lunch was excellent, and dessert even more so. It turned out the Mrs. Lee’s specialty was baking, and the lemon creme cake we had was one of the best things I’d ever eaten!

 

Jinki was surprised when him mom brought a bill over to us. He started to protest, but his mom cooly replied, “You’re a working man now, after all!” She winked.

 

Jinki frowned as he turned over the slip of paper, then chuckled as he looked down the slip. “Heh, she knocked off a good 20% for us, though.”

 

“That means we must tip her well!” I nodded as I dug through my purse.

 

“Hey, what are you doing?” Jinki asked as he brought out his wallet.

 

“I figured I’d leave the tip so you’re not paying for everything,” I shrugged as I unfolded my wallet. I blushed a bit as the memory of our first conversation at his work - when he bonked his head helping me gather up my old receipts that had gone flying everywhere - flashed through my mind.

 

“No, no, it’s OK. I got this.” Jinki nodded earnestly.

 

I touched the back of his hand lightly and met his eyes. “I wanna express my gratitude to your mother. Please let me.” At that, Jinki relented and let me leave the tip. I left more than the 20% she’d taken off our bill and hoped it was enough to show her how thankful I was not just for the wonderful food, but for giving me a chance.

 

---

After we left the café, Jinki asked, “Wanna get a jump-start on our ridiculous amount of homework?”

 

I sighed. “Not just a jump-start, I’d like to get it all done ASAP.”

 

“Getting it all done at the beginning of break can certainly be a good thing, but let’s not burn ourselves out-”

 

“Jinki,” I interrupted, “remember when I told you that I go to America each year?” We both stopped walking, and I pleaded with my eyes that he would understand.

 

And understand he did. His eyes grew wide, and a frown appeared on his face. “You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?”

 

I took hold of both his hands. “In just a couple of short days.” I felt tears welling up in my eyes, so I hugged Jinki suddenly.

 

His strong arms wrapped around my back, and he rubbed between my shoulder blades in a calming motion. I felt him take a deep breath, then he said, “Well, we should get going on that homework so you don’t have to lug it with you!”

 

I lifted my head and saw him smiling at me. He was trying to be strong for me, but I noticed some dampness in the corners of his eyes. I gave him a small smile, and we resumed walking.

 

“You should grab your homework to work on, too,” I suggested as we neared my block.

 

“Yeah, OK.” He nodded. “I’ll just run to my place and grab it, and I’ll be right bac-”

 

“I wanna go with you!” I did my best to sound cheerful. “Since we only have a few days, I wanna spend every possible second with you.”

 

“Well, I can’t argue with that logic!” Jinki giggled, and we walked towards his place.

 

Once we crossed to the block after the park, Jinki cleared his throat. “Listen, Ji-Eun,” he started. I turned my gaze to his face, and saw he looked nervous. “I, uh…” He scratched the back of his head with the hand that wasn’t holding mine. “I don’t live in a house like you do.”

 

I nodded and waited for him to continue.

 

“I live in a… well, a kinda old apartment building.” He winced as if he expected me to make fun of him or something. I just nodded in understanding again.

 

“In a small apartment.”

 

Again, I nodded.

 

“It’s kinda run down-”

 

“Jinki, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m not gonna think less of you just because you don’t live in the same kind of building I do.” I smiled and squeezed his hand. He sighed and opened the door we had come up to. I stepped in, and he lead me to another door, behind which was a stairwell.

 

“We’ll be going up just one flight,” Jinki commented as our footsteps echoed around us. When we reached the second floor’s door, he again opened it for me.

 

He lead the way to the second apartment door, and unlocked it. We shuffled into the small entryway and kicked off our shoes.

 

“I’m home!” Jinki called.

 

“Welcome home!” His dad called.

 

“I, uh… I brought Ji-Eun,” Jinki said in a quieter tone. “We’re just stopping by to grab my homework, then going back to her place to work on it.”

 

We stepped further into the apartment, and I saw Jinki’s dad sitting in an old recliner in the living room, reading a newspaper. I bowed respectfully and waved at him. “Thank you for having me.”

 

“Not a problem,” he replied, and barely looked away from his paper.

 

“In here, Ji-Eun!” Jinki grabbed my arms lightly and tugged me through a doorway. He flipped on the light, and my eyes were met by the light blue walls I first saw last night through my phone screen. It was Jinki’s room!

 

I felt my cheeks grow warm - I’d never been in a guy’s room before. I gazed around and took in the scent; the whole room smelled just like him. I grinned a bit to myself as I stood in the doorway.

 

While Jinki was busy packing books upon books into his backpack, I looked at the pictures neatly arranged on his dresser. There were many photos of him and the rest of his group of friends; it looked like they’d all been together for a long time, since elementary school even! There were also photos with his mom and dad. One in particular caught my eye; it was from our middle school graduation. I searched the background and found what I thought I might - me and my family posing for a similar picture.

 

I blushed at the memory of that moment. I purposely pulled my family over there because I wanted to ask Jinki if we could take a photo together. I didn’t of course, I was too scared. But I felt myself becoming amused at the fact that he had a picture with me all this time, even though it was just my back. I wondered if he ever realized that…

 

“Alright, I think I’ve got everything!” I turned around to see his bag stuffed so full that it wouldn’t close. He was also holding another stack of books in his arms. I giggled and started to walk out of his room.

 

But his voice pulled me back. “You know, I’ve got a picture with you in it…” I grinned as he shifted his books and picked up the exact photo I’d been looking at. Accurately reading my reaction, he followed up with, “You… already knew, didn’t you?” I nodded, and he chuckled.

 

“I, uh… I really wanted to talk to you, since I didn’t know if we’d ever see each other again, but I chickened out.” I shrugged and grimaced a bit.

 

“Ah, that’s too bad.” He looked a little crestfallen as he put the picture back in its place. “I would have been honored by a cute girl talking to me.” He winked as he turned the light off and we made our way back to the entryway.

 

“We’re leaving now!” He called to his dad.

 

“Good luck with your work, kids,” Mr. Lee replied. This time he did pause in his newspaper perusing and waved to us.

 

“Bye Mr. Lee! Thank you again!” I bowed as I finished putting my shoes on and stepped out of the door that Jinki was holding open for me.

 

---

When we got back to my house, we invited my sister to come work with us at the dining room table. With all three of us working on things, we actually made a sizable dent in the mountain of homework. Mom even let us work through dinner; she made us a pile of sandwiches for us to pick up at our leisure.

 

At around 9 o’clock, we all closed our books and stretched. “You guys wanna watch a movie or something?” My sister asked us.

 

“Sure, what d’you have in mind?” Jinki asked as he stretched his arms out in front of him.

 

“We need something light and happy after all that hard work,” I chimed in, and the others nodded in agreement.

 

“Why not a Disney movie?” Ha-Eun offered. I grinned; my passion for Disney movies is very great.

 

Jinki noticed my enthusiasm and stood up. “Sounds good to me!”

 

I practically ran to the living room and flung open the movie cabinet. I searched for any movie I hadn’t seen in a while, and quickly found one: Aladdin.

 

I popped it in the DVD player and skipped to the main menu.

 

“Ah, a warning Jinki,” I started as I clicked down to “Set-Up.” “We get our Disney movies in English.”

 

“We have our family in Cali send them over to us,” Ha-Eun explained.

 

“So, there’s no Korean track or subtitles,” I the English captions. “Hopefully these’ll help, though!”

 

Jinki, seated at my feet once again, nodded and made a noise of understanding. “I’ve seen the movie before, so it’s OK. I remember the general plot.”

 

“Good! Here we go!” I clicked “Play Movie,” and “Arabian Nights” kicked things off.

 

Even though I loathe singing (well, particularly my own singing voice), I can’t help but sing along to Disney movies. I was a little self-conscious with Jinki sitting right in front of me, but Ha-Eun sung loud and off-key enough to make me feel a bit better.

 

---

As the movie progressed, Jinki once again couldn’t keep still. Every few minutes he changed position, something I got used to as time went on.

 

As per our usual tradition, my sister and I over-acted all the songs. I was a bit shy at first, but Jinki seemed to be entertained, so I relaxed and just had fun with it.

 

But when it was time for “A Whole New World,” my sister didn’t stand up with me. Usually she was Jasmine and I was Aladdin. Instead, she nudged Jinki with her foot, and he stood up instead and took my hands.

 

I glared at  my sister - I didn’t want Jinki to hear my horrible singing! But as Jinki started singing the lyrics for Aladdin’s part (in English, no less!), my anger was forgotten. He just sounded soooo good! My heart melted.

 

As he neared the end of his part, my sister kicked my bum. I squeaked, but started singing Jasmine’s part. It was a bit too high for me, but Jinki’s smile egged me on.

 

As the song headed for its end, Jinki hit Aladdin’s harmony notes perfectly. The sound sent shivers down my spine in the best way. At the last note, he leaned his forehead against mine and gazed into my eyes lovingly. I smiled broadly as the song closed and we sat back down.

 

Jinki opted to sit next to me on the couch for the time being, and wrapped his arms around me. After we had settled back into the movie, I heard my phone ding. I picked it up lazily, and saw my sister - who was still sitting right next to us - had sent me something. I raised an eyebrow at her, and opened the message.

 

Ha-Eun

Thought you might wanna save this moment!

 

And attached was a video. Judging from the thumbnail, she had just recorded our duet.

 

I threw my arms down to my side and frowned, wide-eyed at my sister. “Not you, too!”

 

Ha-Eun just giggled. Jinki lifted my phone up so he could see, then asked, “Can you send it to me, too?”

 

And just like yesturday when Hea-Jung had recorded a special moment, with that simple question, Jinki made my anger disappear. I sighed and forwarded the message to him. When his phone dinged, he whispered “thanks” into my ear.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” I rolled my eyes and re-focused on the movie. Jinki hugged me tightly, and I snuggled into his arms.

 

---

For the rest of the movie, we mostly just watched (aside from my sister dramatically singing Jafar’s version of “Prince Ali,” of course). At the very end, Jinki softly sang the “A Whole New World” reprise while my sister belted it out. When Aladdin and Jasmine kissed, Jinki kissed me, too. It was soft and sweet, and elicited an “awww!” from my sister. I rolled my eyes at her, and Jinki smiled.

 

As the credits rolled, we all stretched once more. “Well, I’m off to bed. G’night guys!” Ha-Eun waved at us, then hurried up the stairs.

 

The instant we heard Ha-Eun’s door close, Jinki and I wrapped our arms around each other and kissed passionately. What little making-out we got to do at Noraebang yesturday had not been enough to satisfy my craving. I wanted something hotter, more raw - like what we had done outside the club. It seemed Jinki was thinking the same thing.

 

-----------------------------------

If you are of-age, please see Ch. 1 of the companion story for this R-Rated scene!

-----------------------------------

A door creaked open upstairs. Suddenly, I was very aware that the main menu of the DVD had been cycling for a while now. Jinki sprung off me, and I fumbled for the remote to turn the system off.

Upstairs, someone shuffled to the bathroom. We held our breaths as the bathroom light flicked on, and the door closed.

 

With the moment gone, Jinki decided it was high-time for him to head home. I reluctantly agreed.

 

“I’ll message you when I get up, OK?” He cupped my cheek and I nuzzled his hand.

 

“Lemme know when you get home first,” I insisted.

 

“Certainly!” He replied cheerily. He then kissed my nose softly, then my lips. We lingered for a second, but the sound of the toilet flushing made us break apart.

 

“Talk to you soon, my love,” he whispered.

 

“Have a safe walk home. I love you,” I cooed back. He smiled, and quietly left.

---

Whoo! Another chapter down, and another chapter closer to the Cali trip! What will happen? NO ONE KNOWS~ (OK, well, I do. >D )

Thanks so much for reading! <3