A little long, sorry.

February 8, 2013

Ilana’s room phone was ringing.  She tried to ignore it, knowing it was one of three people.  She had taken to sleeping in late; it seemed like she was suddenly making up for all the sleep she had lacked a few months ago.  Now, she had no problems going to sleep and most days enjoyed lounging in bed reading until someone called or knocked on her door.  She rolled over to look at the time; it was nine AM, way past the time she would normally have been up back home.  Evidently, her caller thought so too because the phone didn’t stop ringing.  If she didn’t answer, next she would be hearing knocking on the door.
 - “Hello?”
 - “Ilana-ssi meet me for lunch, it looks like I’ll have a few hours free.  Eleven-thirty at the Crow’s Nest.  Pick you up, ok?”
 - “Good morning to you too, KyuJong Oppa,” Ilana said, still groggy from sleep.  Laughing was heard on the other end.
 - “Was Ilana-ssi still sleeping?”  
 - “You guys make me tired, dragging me all over the place.  I’m surprised you don’t get in trouble for neglecting your duties.”  Ilana scolded.
 - “That’s the best part of this job; we can play and do our work at the same time.  Besides, as long as Ilana-ssi is a passenger, we are doing our work.  We’re taking care of you.”  KyuJong said sweetly.  “Now, get ready and make sure to eat a little something for breakfast too.  See you at 11:30.”  
 - “I’m not hungry!”  She complained to no one in particular, because KyuJong had already hung up.  Her stomach called her a liar; it began to grumble at the mention of food. “Ok, maybe just a little hungry,” she grabbed a granola bar from her stash of snacks.

As long as she had memory, Ilana never had a large appetite.  Most of her early childhood was like a blur to her, so she didn't know what her eating habits were prior to her parent's accident  She smiled as she thought of poor Nana and one of the Admins at the Company, always admonishing her to eat.  She supposed KyuJong had taken that job onto himself, now.  She dressed in her favorite skinny jeans, cami & long sleeved button down.  Looking in the mirror, she thought maybe she had lost just a little weight.  “Oppa’s going to scold,” she told her reflection.
 - “Ready?”  KyuJong asked when Ilana opened the door.
 - “Yup, or should I say ‘deh’?  What’s that in your hands?   Ilana asked him, curious.
 - “Ah, this is for you.”  It was a chocolate rose.  “Will you be my partner for the Valentine’s Day Ball?"  He didn’t say ‘date’ because he thought it sounded cheesy and it wasn’t a date.  “I had to beat Maknaeto you.”
Ilana just rolled her eyes at him.  They were always teasing and ganging up on HyungJun.  “A Ball?”  She hadn’t been to a ball since before her parent’s accident.  She didn’t want to disappoint them, and they would all pout and make her go anyway.  “Why is it easy to give in to you guys, even when I don’t want to?”  She asked herself, yet voiced it aloud as well. 
 - “I’ll take that as a yes.”  He laughed and bowed to her.  “Kaja.”

When they got to the crow’s nest, KyuJong ordered a giant hamburger and fries for Ilana to eat, while his was equally as large
 - “Umm, Oppa?  Who else is planning to eat all this?”
 - “We have several hours, I’m sure Ilana can make a good dent in it.”  He laughed.  "You’re too thin and I don’t want to be worried about you.”  KyuJong scolded playfully even though he was very much serious.  Ilana couldn’t help but smile, she knew he was going to scold her.
 - “I want to see Ilana-ssi eat all that.  Suzy loves to eat and she can’t even eat that entire hamburger.”  Jung Min teased as he passed by.  The mention of Suzy’s name was not lost on Ilana.

In between chatting with KyuJong and JungMin, as he worked, Ilana had continued to work slowly on the hamburger until she absolutely couldn’t eat another bite.  “Do you want me to box the rest up for you?”  Jung Min appeared at their table sometime later.
 - "Yes please, I’ll attempt to finish it later;” she responded to JungMin and then turned her attention back to KyuJong.  “Oppa, I didn’t come prepared for a Ball.  I just stuffed my suitcases without rhyme or reason, I had no idea I’d be coming on a cruise.”
 - “How do you go on vacation without knowing where you’re going?”  Jung Min asked, plates forgotten.
 - “It’s…a long story.”  She didn’t want to go into details of that night.  KyuJong knew she was ‘running away’, but he didn’t need to know all the gory details.
 - “You can trust us, Ilana.”  KyuJong smiled at her.
 - “We don’t freak out easily, especially ‘Eternal Center’,” Jung Min said.  “He’s the calmest and most rational out of us all.  When he does something it’s calmly and decidedly and you don’t really know what he’s done until after he’s done it.  Whatever conflict or problem you had is solved without you having to really do anything.”
 - “Hmm…is that how he maneuvers me around so easily? “ Ilana thought.
 - “We’ll be in Sydney a few days before the ball, we can go shopping!”  Jung Min’s eyes lit up at the prospect.
 - “Ilana-ssi, I wish you luck, count me out.  You’ll have to make sure you guys are back in time because Jung Min loses his head and all thought of time when he’s shopping.”
 - “You really want to go shopping, JungMin?  I hate shopping, but I’d like a nice dress for the evening.  Maybe we can surprise Suzy with a small gift while we're out?”  Ilana .
 - “Guerae...I guess that’d be nice…she’d probably like that.”  Jung Min tried not to sound too interested.  “I think we get into port around 8 am, we can leave right on time, catch a cab to Pitt Street and if worse comes to worse we can do Market Street...”  He rambled on and on about different places he could take Ilana.
 - “You asked for it.”  KyuJong laughed at her as she gave him a look of distress.

Jung Min picked Ilana up at seven thirty, eager to be on his way.  Young-Saeng was, fortunately, working the priority disembarkation line; they would be able to stick to the schedule Jung Min has made.
 

- “First stop:  City Extra for breakfast.  You gotta try the Muesli Pancakes.”  Ilana, who scarcely ate breakfast, took Jung Min’s word for it.  “We’ll have the Muesli Pancakes please and orange juice for two.”  Jung Min ordered for the two of them the second they were seated, without consulting the menu or Ilana.
 - “Been here much?”  Ilana asked.
 - “As often as I can.”  When their food came out, it looked delicious and too much.  Ilana was sure she wouldn’t be able to finish it all.
 - “This is really good!”  Ilana was wonderfully surprised as she took a bite.
The pancakes were stuffed with the House Special Muesli as Jung Min explained.  “It’s a wonderful combination of oats, nuts and dried fruits soaked overnight with grated apple, orange juice and honey served with your choice of cream or yogurt.”  Jung Min rattled off in a mock ‘Australian’ accent.
 - “You’d make a really good actor; you should do ‘Broadway’ or star in a drama or something.  Oh!  I know!  You could be a recording artist like Kim HyunJoong and Suzy will be your number one fan and faint prettily at your feet.”  Jung Min, who had been laughing at Ilana’s teasing, suddenly blushed at the mention of Suzy.
 - “Why do you think Suzy would be a fan?”  He gave a nervous laugh. 
 - “I’m pretty sure Suzy would volunteer to head up your fun club.  The sun rises and sets when you’re around her.”
 - “Yah!  Hurry up and eat, the shops will be open soon.”  Jung Min changed the subject.
 - “y Charisma is blushing!”  Ilana said before she dug into her food.

They arrived at The Strand, a beautiful, yet imposing Victorian style building.  Jung Min was completely excited.  He dragged Ilana into the first Woman’s clothing store and began to throw dresses at her.  After he was satisfied, he waited while she tried them on.  She immediately knew their style was not going to be to her liking, but she thought Jung Min was taking some sick pleasure in torturing her. 
 - “JungMin!  Latest fashion or not, these dresses are not me.”  Jung Min was in his element.  Dragging a girl clothes shopping was a favorite sport.
 - “Geurae, maybe not, let’s try another store.”  They’d only hit one store and Ilana was already tired.
 - “This one has to go with you!”  After what seemed like the hundredth store.  Jung Min repeated the routine in every store.  Making her try on short dresses, long dresses, in every shape and color.  
 - “JungMin!"  Ilana whined (she was picking up the habit from the guys and their aegyo).  “This is a regular dress, not a special occasion dress.”
 - “Deh, but it suits you.  The pale baby blue goes well with your olive skin tone, and the retro dots and full skirt are you.  It would go well for another evening.”  Ilana gave in to Jung Min’s prodding.
 - “I’m wiped out and we haven’t found anything for the Valentine’s Ball yet.”  Ilana sat down wearily on the nearest bench, rubbing the side of her head where a headache was starting to form.
 - “Gwenchana?”  Jung Min sat down beside her and saw her momentarily close her eyes.
 - “I think KyuJong jinxed me, I’m getting a headache; I should probably eat something.”
 - “I know just the place; it’s a Chinese dumpling shop at the ‘Westfield’.  When we’re done eating we can shop there.  The styles there might not be as eccentric.”  Ilana sighed.  She could only hope they’d find something soon.  They were docked in Sydney until the next day and she was quite certain Jun Min would close the mall and be back tomorrow if they hadn’t found what he was looking for.

Jung Min took mercy on Ilana and let her recharge for about an hour while they ate lunch.  He took the opportunity to get to know Ilana more.  He knew his friends treated her as a little sister or mascot and she seemed to have lost some of her shyness since their first meeting.  “So how does a girl not like to shop?"
 - "Easy, I don’t go anywhere.  When I do need clothes, I purchase things that are simple and versatile.”
 - “You don’t go out?”
 - “Not really.”
 - “Boyfriend?”
 - “Anieyo.”
 - “So, are any of my friends possibly candidates that might fit that description?”
 - “No!!!!”  She blushed and he quite enjoyed teasing her.  “They’re all very sweet and I’ll be forever grateful for the companionship they’ve given me.  I don’t know what I would’ve done on this cruise without them, but I’m not in the market for love, nor do I have anything to offer a guy.”  She said almost convincingly.
 - “Nothing to offer a guy?  Tch!!  You don’t wear make-up and you’re still pretty, you’re smart, you seem to have a nice personality when you’re not being shy; despite being an American girl, my friends all like you, and you’re rich.”  He threw the last part in to make her laugh.  He was rewarded with a shake of her head and a shy smile.
 - “I’m not that smart,” she was looking down, playing with her napkin.  “Anyway, what’s the story between you and Suzy?"  Ilana was trying to get him off the subject of her.  "You’re just going to go around making calf eyes at each other, thinking the other is not looking?"
 - “I do not make ‘calf eyes’ at her!”  Ilana gave him a raised eyebrow, making him shrug.  “We work together, what if it didn’t go well?”
 - “You work on the top deck and she works in the second, other than with your mutual friends, you don’t see each other.  Besides, what if it went well?  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
 - “Same goes for you, smarty pants.  If you don’t try, how are you going to know if you’re girlfriend material?  You just might meet your Prince Charming.”
Ilana looked at the time on her phone and changed the subject.  “It’s getting late and we still have a dress to find, maybe we should get going?”

JungMin dragged her all over the ‘Westfield Sydney’ just like he did ‘The Strand’.  He had something in mind and all Ilana could do was follow until he finally found what he was looking for.  This store had more of a classic look and he began piling dresses into Ilana’s arms.  The first dress was a wine colored strapless; the skirt had panels and hung just above the knee.  Although it looked beautiful on, it wasn’t what he had in mind.  A few dresses later, Ilana tried on a royal blue almost 1950’s or 60’s retro style taffeta with an A-line skirt.

 - “That one!”  Jung Min said when she came out of the dressing room.  The color was beautiful and the skirt swished nicely when she walked.
 - “Isn’t it a little too showy?”
 - “Ani!  It’s perfect!  No man on the ship will be able to keep his eyes off you.”  
 - “No way!  I’m not getting it.  I don’t like attention.”  JungMin just laughed at her. 
 - “It’s a Ball!  They’ll even have masques for people to wear.  You can hide behind one all night if you’re uncomfortable.”
Ilana sighed.  The dress was magnificent.  She seemed to recall a picture of her Mother in a similar style.  Jung Min began to bring earrings and other accessories for her to get the entire effect.  “Fine!”  She reluctantly agreed and changed and so that they could check out.  Along the way she saw a pretty bracelet that she thought Suzy would like.  It was silver with different pink rounded stones.  She was just about to ask JungMin if he liked it when he took it from her.
 - “I’m paying for that.” 
Ilana smiled when he picked up a little boy and a little girl charm to go with the bracelet.

Ilana had returned to her room after getting a manicure.  The ship was a frenzy of excitement for the evening’s ball.  Everyone was getting the Lido deck transformed into a ballroom.  Ilana was glad to have some quiet time before the evening.   KyuJong and Suzy would be picking her up on the way.  They would be meeting the other three guys on the Lido deck since they were busy overseeing some of the preparations.
Ilana dressed carefully, piling her hair in a messy twist with curls escaping and the tiara that HyungJun had given her.  Adding Mother’s pearls and a little more makeup than she was used to, she looked at herself in the mirror.  It had been ages since she gave herself the opportunity to dress up for an evening out and was pleased.  She almost did feel like Cinderella going to the ball to meet the Prince.  “The guys would laugh at me for sure if I told them that.”  As if summoned by her thoughts there was a knock on the door.  Ilana grabbed a black wrap she had purchased just before leaving the mall with JungMin and went to open the door.
 - Ilana-ssi!  You look beautiful!”  KyuJong took her by the hand and twirled her around.  “Ha!  Mal will be so jealous; I get to two beautiful ladies.”
 - “Oppa, stop!”  Ilana really didn’t like attention.  “Suzy!  Oh!  I love your dress and that bracelet looks so good on you.”  Suzy was wearing a white dress with the bracelet JungMin had bought her.
 - “Apparently Suzy-ah has a secret admirer.”  Kyu Jong teased Suzy just to see her turn the same pink as the bracelet. 
 - “Good thing I didn’t say anything”, Ilana thought.
 - “Someone had it delivered to my room with a note saying ‘Please accept my gift, I’m looking forward to seeing you at the ball tonight.’  There wasn’t a signature or anything." 
 - “We’d better get going and make sure your admirer doesn’t get impatient.”

When they arrived, Young Saeng & HyungJun were waiting for them. 
 - “Princess!  Suzy!  Wau, yeppeo!  You guys look like supermodels.”  HyunJun immediately ran up to hug the girls.
 - “You guys are the handsome ones.  There will be some ladies eyeing you tonight.  Where is JungMin?"
 - “He had some business to take care of; he will be joining us later,”  YoungSaeng answered.  Suzy looked disappointed at this news.
The orchestra started and Suzy and Ilana took turns dancing with the guys.  While Suzy danced, she looked around expectantly for any sign of JungMin or her so-called secret admirer. 
 - “Are you looking for your admirer Suzy-ah?  KyuJong asked while they shared a dance together.  He had seen her take glances around the deck.
 - “Anieyo!”  
 - "The bracelet suits you, whoever it is, has good taste and seems to know you well.”
 - “But who could it be?
 - “I’m sure he will make himself known when it’s time.”

The five passed an enjoyable time dancing, talking and nibbling on all the different foods available.  The deck was getting crowded as more and more guests arrived.  The crowd's age was mixed this time as they had picked up more passengers in Sydney; they came especially to celebrate Valentine’s Day on the cruise.  Much to Suzy’s dismay there was no sign of JungMin or a secret admirer. Even Ilana was getting curious when Suzy wasn’t looking she mouthed to Young Saeng.  “Where’s JungMin?”  He just shrugged his shoulders.  “These guys are as thick as thieves,” she thought as she glared at him.
Suddenly the MC announced. “Welcome to our Valentine’s day ball.  We hope we meet all your expectations for the evening.   Let’s give our orchestra a round of applause."  The orchestra stood and bowed.  "They will be taking a break and in a moment we will have a special musical guest."  The orchestra left the bandstand.  "Are there any Juliet’s out there?  You’re Romeo awaits."  The girls looked to the guys for a clue, but only received a shrug in response.  ‘Romeo’ turned out to be JungMin dressed in black from head to toe. 
As Romeo began to sing it was evident Suzy was excited.  HyungJun grabbed Ilana and KyuJong took Suzy and they went out to the dance floor.  The second song, JungMin wandered around the dance floor singing to random ladies.  He was an excellent entertainer and had everyone enthralled, especially Suzy.  He came up to Suzy and took her from KyuJong, twirling her around the dance floor a few times and then returning her.  He winked at Ilana and continued moving along the dance floor.  All the songs seemed to have a certain message and we're leading up to something.  On the third song, Suzy and Ilana changed partners as KyuJong sat out and YoungSaeng came in.
 - “What’s he doing?" Ilana asked.
 - “Being y Charisma.”
Ilana got a better answer when after the third song Jung Min spoke. "Ladies forgive me, but I have but one Juliet.  Juliet if you’re wearing the gift I left you, please step forward."  Suzy turned the exact shade of her bracelet.  She stood frozen until KyuJong gave her a gentle push and went forward as everyone clapped.  “Suzy-a stole my heart, will she give me hers?  There should be one more charm on your bracelet, will you accept?”
Suzy was speechless; all she could do was nod ‘yes’.
With that, he expertly hooked the little boy charm, he had purchased, next to the little girl charm onto her bracelet.  “I promise to love you always.”  He led her around the dance floor as he sang and everyone else followed suit.  When his song was finished he returned Suzy to where the others were. “There’s no turning back now.”  He bent and took her lips with his; gently at first then more fervently.  She wasn’t protesting; therefore, he gained encouragement.  Leaving her breathless; with a mischievous grin, he returned to the bandstand for a final song.

Valentine's Day Ball Playlist:

Hope you guys liked it.  I just thought Jung Min and Suzy were begging to get put together.  It got some of the focus off Ilana.  Kyu Jong is still bugging her about being too thin.   I don't know if I'd like to have a close friend as a doctor.  Anyway, thank you for reading as always.  Comment and subscribe!