Three of us sit around the round wooden table. The hot piping spice rice cakes are ready to be dined and the excited Jun is having them as fast as he can. He’s sitting on the older woman’s lap, by the way, whom I just discovered to be the mother of Lu Han’s ex-girlfriend.

He told me about her the other night about her being so nice and stuff, but I never expected I would be meeting her today. I mean, this is ridiculous! Lu Han should have told me that she was coming, seriously! Oh wait, she told she came here on the spot—Lu Han had no idea at all.

Plus, it’s insanely awkward right here I cannot even have a bite of the dish. My craving just lapsed like that the moment she set her feet into my apartment. This is so, so awkward, I repeat!

“Why are you not eating, Yoona?” she drops a sudden question, looking at me earnestly. Like me, she’s not eating as well. She’s like already full by playing with her grandchild—well, technically speaking.

“Oh, I’m eating it now!” I hurriedly jab at one particular rice cake and gobble it down my throat. “What about you, Ahjumma? Why aren’t you eating?”

“I’m already full,” comes out like I predicted. “It has been too long since I last met Jun. He’s becoming cuter and cuter as ever.”

“Am I?” He stops eating and shows her his cute, pouty face.

“Yes, you are!” she says, laughing. “Now keep on eating! You must be hungry, right?”

He nods and continues eating again.

“Why, uhm, has it been too long since you last met Jun?” I don’t mean to be prying into someone else’s affair. I just cannot help being curious about her. “Were you out of city or something before?”

“I wasn’t. It’s just I’m busy looking after my husband. He was hospitalized two weeks ago and just recently got discharged.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I guess you’re quite close to Lu Han, eh?” She flashes a significant beam as she wipes the red stain around Jun’s mouth. “That you know some stuff about him,” she adds.

“I guess so,” I say nervously, locking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Actually I’m his classmate.”

“Just classmate?”

“Well, a classmate… and uhm, his new neighbor as I just moved in here a few days ago,” I say with hesitation. “I’m his friend, too.”

“Just like I thought.”

“Sorry?” My expression stiffens.

“Lu Han wouldn’t have told you anything about him if you weren’t close to him. For the record, he doesn’t have any friends. He’s an introvert,” she remarks. “He must have told you about Jun too, right?”

“Right.” I nod. “He told me about Jun.”

“It’s a long story, isn’t it?” She looks up at the ceiling and sighs. I wonder what she has on her mind. “Anyway, it’s good that Lu Han has finally come to realize that he needs friends in his life.”

I smile at her remark. If it hadn’t been for me, he would have continued being the wallflower.

“I feel sorry for what happened to your daughter,” I say candidly, my voice shrinking. “You must be missing her so much, right?”

“Well, you can say that,” the elder says. “I used to mourn her like practically every day since her death. I just got it over with after some time. If it hadn’t been for Lu Han and their son, I guess I still wouldn’t have been able to change.”

“What… did he do to you?”

“Lots of things.” A smile twirls at the corner of her lips. “He made me realize that just because someone’s gone from your life doesn’t mean they’re gone from your heart as well.”

I smile again while listening to her words. Lu Han is so… unexpected. Beneath the cold façade, he’s actually warm deep within.

“Anyway, I hope you will not leave his side. You’re his one and only friend, right?”

“Yes.” I purse my lips shut. “I will not leave him. He needs someone to lean on when he’s happy… sad and everything. He needs someone to listen to his story—to be his ear. He needs that kind of person in his life.”

Her gaze doesn’t falter from my face even after a while. I feel a tad nervous thinking whether there’s dirt on my face or something. I think I’m flushed, too. It’s hot here.

“I can see that,” she says at last. “Your eyes… doe-like eyes tell me the same thing.”

///

Lu Han only returns when the clock strikes 7. Jun is really ecstatic the moment the door opens and reveals his face. He runs into his arms as though they haven’t met in years.

“Thanks for looking after Jun, Yoona.” He looks at me with Jun in his arms. “If it weren’t for your help, I don’t think I’m able to attend the job interview.”

“That’s okay. I had fun with Jun earlier.” I say, letting out a smile at him. “So how was it? Did you pass the interview?”

“Well, the result will only be announced once they have their choice ready,” he says. “I think I did well. But it’s okay if my name is not on the list. I’m glad I’ve done my best.”

“That’s the spirit I’d like to hear.” He indeed has changed, hasn’t he? He used to keep his feelings bottled up to himself. Whether he was happy, sad or wanted to say something, he’d rather keep it to himself—judging from my keen observation on him. Just for the record, I’m not a stalker or a creep or something. He just happened to be on my radar, I would have to say. Anyway, I’m super glad he’s changed so much than I could’ve ever thought.

“Appa, I’m hungry. Yoona noona has fed me earlier, though.” the little kid says, pouting. “Can you make something for me?”

“Of course I can, Jun. It’s dinner time, by the way.” He slowly drops his son on the floor and carries a plastic bag of grocery in his hand.

“Are you going now?” I inquire.

He gives me a small nod. “Let’s go to my house, Yoona,” he says to my horror. “I’ll make you something delicious. You know….” Heat rises into his face. He scratches his non-itchy head. “You helped me today, so I thought I’d make you dinner to show you that I owed you a lot today.”

“You don’t have to do that, Lu Han,” I squirm. “I can just—”

“I insist.” He cuts me off and then looks away. “Uhm, you know, Jun would love the idea of having dinner with you—”

“All right, then.” I nod and cross my arms over my chest. “If you insist.”

His face breaks into a big smile as he quickly grabs Jun’s arm. “Let’s get going, then!”

///

This is my first time visiting Lu Han’s place and to say I don’t feel nervous, that would be an understatement. I am beyond nervous. I mean, it’s normal to feel so, right? This is obviously a guy’s house (though he has a son) and being my first time ever, I could not help fidgeting a lot.

“I told you it’s all right to be in my house. It’s not like we’re here alone.” He glances at Jun, who’s running after the TV. “Jun’s here, isn’t he?”

“Well, I guess so,” I reply, flushed. Then I wander around the house when the latter is off to the kitchen.

I think our apartment layout is pretty similar except for the bathroom. Mine’s located at the right side and the house door is at the left side, but Lu Han’s is the opposite of mine.

His house is impressively immaculate, I must admit. Everything is placed according to its place, and he seems to be constantly tidying his house up a few times in a week.

I walk towards the kitchen. “Is there anything I can help?”

He turns around and says, “It is fine. You’re a guest, so… you can go over there and watch TV with Jun.”

“I would love to help, though,” I retort, my voice unconsciously rising in volume.  “There’s something I can do, right?”

“Well…” He sighs. “I guess you can help me boil the spaghetti.”

“Great!” I run over to the grocery bag on the dining table as instructed and find a packet of raw spaghetti in it. Then I start opening the sachet and do the rest of it.

“You know, your ex-girlfriend’s mother came to see Jun when you were away this afternoon,” I say while rinsing the spaghetti in the sink. “I thought I should let you know.”

“I know. She sent me a text when I was at the office,” he replies without turning his back to me. “It must have been hard on you, right? And unbearably awkward.”

“A little, I guess.” I laugh. Well, that’s totally a bluff. I can’t possibly tell the truth that I almost wet my pants, can I?

“So what are you going to do with the spaghetti?” I ask. “Bolognese? Carbonara? Aglio E Olio?

“Bolognese,” he answers, turning on the stove. “Jun likes it. You like it too, right?”

“I do,” I say right away. Well, Italian food isn’t really my cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like them. I can eat them, I guess. Spaghetti Bolognese sounds quite okay, to be honest. Plus, he’s made an effort to cook it for me (and his son, obviously), so that would look rude of me if I say no, right?

“How’s it going with you lately, Lu Han?” I have always wanted to ask about his progression, but ended up forgetting the question whenever I met him. I guess today is the day. “Have things been fine with you? I mean, like you have made friends or anything.”

“No, I haven’t made any friends,” he responds insipidly. “But I’ll try to work on it soon, Yoona,” he adds almost immediately.

I let out a sigh of relief. I actually feel a bit deflated, but if I think it over, he made an effort, at the very least.

“Why is it hard for me to make friends with others?” he suddenly voices out his thought.

“I guess people are scared of you?”

“Really?” He grimaces incredulously. “What do I do, then?”

“Uhm, let’s see…” I si