9. Ling's Restaurant

“Can I?” Luhan peeks from behind the curtain. I automatically beam and nod. He walks towards me and shakes his head “So how are you feeling chocho?” He asks.

“Much better,” I answer, relieved that he didn’t start scolding.

“Good. How stubborn you are,” he states. “I’m not sick. I just sneezed two times today,” he quotes what I said back on the phone before going to his house yesterday. “I can see that. I guess halmeoni’s cookies didn’t prevent you from catching a flu then,” he jokes.

I grin “No, the only powers of halmeoni’s cookies are making people addicted to them and to make people happy,” I say and we both laugh.

“Why do I think I’ll have to play nurse in the next few days?” He touches his chin as he stares above. I hit his arm as he’s teasing me and he quickly rubs the spot where I hit him. “Ouch!”

I shoot him a glare and say “You won’t have to play nurse. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine by tomorrow, so I won’t skip school and stay at home all day,” I tell him as if I’m totally confident that I’ll be fine by tomorrow.

“If you say so …” he shrugs.

As I and Luhan are talking, the doctor who is in charge of me encounters my mom on his way towards the room I am in.

“The exams I did indicate that your daughter caught a virus. It provokes the same symptoms as simple flus but if the immune system isn’t at his best it can have a higher effect on the person, which was the case. It’s not something you should worry about. The virus will disappear gradually as time passes but it can take some time if the person doesn’t take the proper medicine. I recommend you to give her the normal medicine used for flus and everything will be alright.” the doctor finishes explaining everything to my mother and enters in the room (where I am).

After explaining everything to me too he says that I’ll be leaving in some minutes.

“Finally,” I mumble to myself as I watch the doctor leaving. In that moment mom walks inside the room, making her way towards me.

“I’m sorry Cho Hee but Chung Ho is hungry as it’s already lunch time. Do you mind going with Chung Hee?” She asks me.

“She can go with me. Hyung doesn’t need to wait here,” Luhan offers with free will.

“Really? Thank you dear,” my mom affectionately caresses Luhan’s cheek and blows a kiss at me.

Mom sees Luhan as a nephew. Since we’re friends since young, she has grown used to his presence, our friendship and she’s become “attached” to him. She always asks for him, if he’s doing fine or not, invites him to come over to our house … He’s part of the family.

She leaves the room and takes Chung Ho with her, so they can go have lunch.

Finally a nurse comes to check up on me and gives me permission to leave the hospital. I and Luhan leave the hospital and he asks me “So where do you want to go have lunch?”

I throw a look at him “Are you going to pay?” I ask slightly surprised.

He nods “I want to do something for you as you just got out of the hospital,” he explains and puts his arm around my shoulders.

I laugh “Oh really? You’re being too generous today. I wonder what you’re up to,” I raise an eye brow.

I sense Luhan rolling his eyes as he says “Can’t I just treat you for lunch? It doesn’t mean I have a second intention whenever I do something nice for you,” he defends himself. I nod as if believing in him and tell him where I want to have lunch.

“It has been a while since I’ve eaten Chinese food. Let’s go the Ling’s Restaurant,” I tell Luhan.

“Great choice,” he beams and we both make our way towards the Ling’s Restaurant which actually is close to our houses.

We arrive at the restaurant and choose a table. The restaurant is decorated with Chinese furniture, filling the air with the traditional Chinese ambience. In the moment we enter we are sure