Kookie(s) in my Oven

4. Butter

Karissa’s POV

After my welcoming party, I spent most of Sunday sleeping off a hangover and getting everything ready for my interview with Alex on Monday. Monday morning came much faster than I thought it would, and with it, another phone call from my mother. Since I had been ignoring her calls from the moment I landed in Seoul, I finally decided to answer the phone.

“Karissa, I know we’re in different time zones, but I was really worried about you. Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” My Mom admonished me the second I picked up, and I rolled my eyes, feeling more than a little annoyed with her.

She had been calling me constantly since I got back to Seoul, but I wasn’t ready or willing to hear anything she had to say. I just wanted to get away from all the craziness my family was causing.

“I was really jet-lagged,” I lied evenly, keeping my real thoughts to myself. Really, I just didn’t want to talk to her. “How are you and the kids?”

“Well… that’s what I wanted to talk to you about…”

I knew that tone, and I definitely didn’t like it. I sighed, “What’s going on, Ma?”

“Your sister has to put the kids back in daycare since you aren’t home anymore -- the daycare has a list of supplies that they need and-”

“And she can’t buy them, huh?” I deadpanned, already knowing exactly where this conversation was going.

“Don’t get angry, Kris. We’re back down to just two incomes now.”

“Those aren’t my kids. I love my niece and nephew like they were mine, but they *aren’t* mine. You know that, right?”

“Karissa, we know, baby girl. If you can’t help, that’s okay, but if you can-”

“How much does she need? Text it to me, and I’ll send it.” I sighed in annoyance, “Ma, I haven’t even been in Seoul a week yet.”

“I know. I’m sorry to ask you for this when you’re in another country,” My Mom heaved a loud, dejected sigh.

“Don’t apologize for her either. I know she put you up to this,” I moved the phone away from my ear, moving to open and close my bedroom door, as if someone else had entered the room, “Ma, I have to go, ok?”

“Right. Be safe, Kris. Let me know if you need anything. Love you, honey.”

“Yeah, I love you too, Ma,” I bit out, trying to keep my attitude in check. It wasn’t Mom’s fault and I knew that. My no-good older sister probably put her up to this. “Kiss the kids for me. Talk to you later.”

When my mom said goodbye, I finally hung up the phone, throwing it on my bed in frustration. I knew my Mom had a reason for calling me so often and so soon -- she just wanted to ask for money for my sister, like usual. I sighed again, heading into the hallway to the bathroom. I the hot water and took a quick shower, then got to work on my hair for my interview later in the day. By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel to go get my clothes from my room, Quinn stepped out of her bedroom too.

“Hey, Baby Girl,” Quinn’s warm smile of greeting slowly turned into a frown the moment she took one look at my face, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just frustrated, is all,” I told her, heading into my room. I closed the door so I could get dressed, and I heard Quinn lean up against it, waiting for me.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Came her voice through the door.

I sighed loudly, pulling my shirt over my head, “...My sister’s at it again, using my Mom to guilt-trip me. As usual.”

“Ugh, what the ? It’s been three days. You’ve barely got off the damn plane!” Quinn huffed in annoyance. I spritzed a bit of perfume on my wrists, then walked over to open my bedroom door. I wore a blue peplum top and some black dress pants. I figured since the interview was more of a formality, there was no need to break out my business formal clothes.

“Exactly,” I replied, “I knew something was up when she started calling nonstop.

“You know, you don’t have to help her, Rissa.”

“I do, Quinn. I won’t let my niece and nephew suffer because my sister can’t get her life together. They don’t deserve that.”

Quinn shook her head vehemently, “You don’t deserve to be treated like a freaking ATM either.”

I shrugged, “What can I do? They’re my family.”

“Well, for starters-” Quinn began, but she cut herself off abruptly, “You know what? I’m not even going to go there. I’ll just say that you have a right to tell them no.”

I nodded, following Quinn down the hallway into our kitchen. We both grabbed our purses, and slid our feet into our shoes.

“So you took the entire day off to take me to my interview today?” I asked her curiously, deciding to change the subject. If not, I would be grumpy all day.

“And to scope this place out. I have to make sure you’re not getting kidnapped or anything!” The two of us stepped into the elevator, while I narrowed my eyes dramatically.

“....Did Jungkook put you up to this?”

Quinn burst into a fit of laughter, pressing the button for the parking garage, “Haha, what? I’m not Niah; damn girl!”

“I mean after setting up a surprise party for me in secret, I don’t put anything past you guys.”

“You know you had a blast with us.” Quinn teased, and I nodded enthusiastically.

I grinned, “I did, actually! I missed everyone so much.”

Quinn hugged me around my shoulder, “We’re all so glad to have you back. It felt weird without you.”

“I felt alone without you guys, honestly,” I admitted, just as the elevator dinged for the parking garage. We exited the elevator and got into Quinn’s SUV. In no time, we were on the road.

“So, I did a little research into this guy-”

“Quinn,” I faked a gasp, not at all surprised, “You don’t trust me?”

“Hush, woman. I was just checking them out. Anyway, the Choi family owns a handful of clinics in a couple of neighborhoods. They seem like good people.”

I pulled up the address on my cell phone's GPS, letting the robotic voice guide us, “Well, I certainly hope so, since his grandmother offered me a job while flying across an ocean with me.”

Quinn and I laughed at my little joke while I looked over my resume, and then started adjusting my headband in the mirror. Even though Alex sounded like a nice guy over the phone, there was no way to tell how he would react to meeting me in person.

Quinn glanced at me out of the corner of my eye, “You look wonderful.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, turning my face left and right to make sure that everything looked alright.

“Girl, you’re worrying for nothing. He’s going to love you as much as the rest of us do!”

I nodded, just as Quinn pulled into a parking lot behind the clinic. There were construction workers hard at work in front of the building, putting up the neon lights that spelled out “Choi Family Clinic”. We bowed our heads politely as we stepped around them, heading through the glass double doors into the air-conditioned building.

There were a few people walking around, doing various tasks: an older woman in blue jeans and a T-shirt was painting the wall with a much younger girl, definitely in her teens. They both were chatting happily while they did their work with their backs to us.

Quinn inclined her head towards the front desk where a russet haired, tall man in slacks and a button-down shirt was digging through a storage bin. He had pushed the sleeves of his shirt up to his biceps, and was looking around for something in the bin. He caught the two of us standing near the front counter, glancing at us out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards us fully, pushing his carefully styled hair out of his eyes. The motion revealed a pair of downturned, honey colored eyes. The man blinked up at us for a moment, before he stood up fully. He had a chiseled jawline, sharp eyebrows, and he was taller than I had guessed; he had to be at least six feet tall.

“Hey,” He called casually, dropping a hammer on the counter between us. He looked over Quinn and I curiously, one after the other, “One of you is Karissa, right?”

I raised my hand slowly, surprised at how attractive my new boss was. Quinn nudged me, and I cleared my throat, “I’m Karissa. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Alex,” he replied, coming around the counter to shake my hand. He looked the two of us over again with a grin blooming across his face, his gaze landing on Quinn as he whistled lowly, “So if she’s Karissa, who are you? Do you want to work for me too? With beauties like you two working here, we’ll have a line out of the door.”

Quinn laughed, shaking her head, “You’re right, Kari. He is smooth. I’m Quinn,” she told him warmly, offering her hand for a shake too, “And no, I’m already gainfully employed. But thanks for the offer.”

Alex chuckled, nodding his head, “Well, I had to try at least. So Kari... Can I call you that too? It’s such a cute nickname.”

“S-Sure,” I said with a nod. Hell, I’d have let such a handsome doctor could call me whatever the hell he wanted!

“Kari, since this is your interview, I’m going to let you decide where you want to have it. It’s hard to have an actual conversation with all this construction going on in here. There’s a cafe across the street, or we can go get ice cream at the park down the road.” Alex gave us both a lazy, lopsided smile, “The lovely Ms. Quinn is more than welcome to come too.”

“Coffee’s fine,” I told him, and Alex nodded, heading back behind the counter to grab his phone and wallet. The woman and girl that had been painting finally stopped to look at us. Alex told them he’d be right back in his baritone Korean, and we all filed out of the clinic, directly across the street to a coffee shop that was, in fact, a lot quieter.

Alex had us order first, and then paid for all our drinks, waiting at the counter for our order while Quinn and I took a seat.

“I’m just saying that if you and Kookie don’t work out, your fine boss is a great substitute,” Quinn teased, leaning in to whisper quietly to me. I giggled, turning my ringer on vibrate so as not to interrupt the interview.

“Girl, he’s like 30!”

“Age ain’t nothing but a number, Baby Girl!” Quinn said with a laugh, just as Alex headed our way with the drinks. We all grabbed our beverages, and Alex crossed his long legs as he looked between the two of us.

“So tell me about yourself, Kari. Where are you from, what are you doing in Seoul? Quinn, as much as I’d love to hear about you too, let’s stick with the interview first,” he instructed with a wink.

Quinn nodded, staying silent as I told Alex about my exchange student program and my degree plan. I told him what I hoped to get out of my job working at the clinic, and detailed everything I could offer him as an employee. By the end of my spiel, Alex nodded his head, a pleased expression on his face, “Now I know why Nanna liked you so much! You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, and you seem like a hard worker. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you,” I replied humbly, feeling my cheeks get a little warm.

“By now, you already know you’ve got the job, so I’ll just tell you what I expect from you,” Alex said with a smile, before launching into my job duties and requirements. He told me about my pay and hours as well, and asked me for a few documents, which I had on hand to give him.

“Well, that was the fastest interview I’ve ever had. Thanks for making my job so easy.”

“Will there be other doctors at the clinic besides you?” Quinn asked from her side of the table.

Alex nodded, “Two of my buddies from college will be joining us for a total of three doctors. We’ll each have our own nurse, and then of course, there’ll be Kari here to help with anything we need, plus our two front desk employees. Not a huge staff, but a great start. One thing I want to emphasis to all our patients is that we are an English-speaking clinic. Every member of staff can speak fluent English and Korean. If there’s something you don’t understand, Kari, please let me know.”

I smiled, nudging Quinn with my shoulder, “Thanks to my living, breathing English-to-Korean dictionary here, I’ve got a pretty good grasp of the language.”

Alex lifted an eyebrow, “Oh? What do you do for a living, Quinn?”

“I work for a translation firm,” she stated proudly, procuring a business card out of nowhere. Alex bowed his head a bit as he accepted her card, reading it over.

He pocketed the card with a smirk, “Beautiful and intelligent? Are you sure you don’t want to work to for our clinic?”

I pouted dramatically, “Alex, are you trying to replace me already?”

Alex chuckled, waving his hand in surrender, “Nah, I’d definitely keep you both, haha.”

The three of us laughed at the joke together, and enjoyed our coffee a little more. By the end of interview, I felt completely welcome and comfortable with my new job at the clinic.

Alex was the first to leave, letting me know my schedule for the next week before he headed back across the street to the clinic. I was excited, since I had an entire week to prepare myself for my new job now.

“Well, now that that’s over, I have absolutely nothing to do,” Quinn told me, as we climbed back into the car. I nodded, glancing at the clock on my phone. It was barely noon.

“Hmmm, I wonder what we should do…” Quinn said out loud, pulling out of the parking space.

“It’s not healthy to talk to yourself, Queenie,” I commented, bursting into a fit of giggles when she reached over to pinch me.

“If you’re gonna be like that, I’ll just go where I want!” She retorted, driving past the clinic, further down the road. In no time, we were passing the park, where just as Alex had told us, sat an ice cream cart. I made a mental note to try their treats in the near future.

“We’re in your car!” I chuckled, being difficult on purpose. I looked down at my phone, turning the ringer back on.

“Ugh, you drive me crazy. Just like my sisters.”

My texting notification went off before I could respond to Quinn. It was Jungkook, asking me if I was busy. When I told him I wasn’t, he replied with two words.

Come over.

Quinn glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes, “Ooohhh, I know that look. You must’ve gotten a text from JK.”

“He told me to come over.” I replied, trying and failing to fight the blush on my face.

“Are the guys at home today?” Quinn checked her phone once we stopped at stoplight, scrolling through her calendar app. “Oh, they are. Ok, let’s go over there! Namjoon won’t mind. Plus, you haven’t seen their new place yet, right?”

“New place?”

I was sure I would have to pick my jaw up off the sidewalk as Quinn drove up to the super exclusive neighborhood where the guys lived now. She waved at the security guard at the gate, and we made our way towards a towering apartment building, one that exuded luxury and screamed expensive.

“When did they move here?” I questioned, as Quinn led me through the lobby, towards the elevator. In no time, we were standing in front of someone's front door.

She grinned, “While you were gone, the guys moved from their old dorm into this one. It’s hella nice, right? I have a few clients that live in this area so I’ve been here before, but it still blows my mind that they went from their old place to this one. It makes our apartment look like a closet, doesn’t it?”

I nodded, “It really does. Wow.”

Quinn rang the doorbell, and we heard the sound of several feet running to get to us. Even though the guys had moved into this super nice building, it seemed not much had changed. They were still loud and playful.

J-Hope was the first face to appear from behind the door, followed by Jimin, who peeked at us over his shoulder.

“Quinn-ah, Kari-ah! What are you doing here?” J-Hope asked, opening the door fully to let us in. Jimin waved cheerfully beside him, watching us slide out of our shoes. I looked down at the slippers on the floor and wondered which pair I was supposed to use. Apparently, Quinn already had some of her own because she was already putting on a pair of lilac colored slippers that were obviously smaller than the other pairs lined up by the entrance.

Quinn tsked, “You mean Jungkook-ah didn’t tell you guys we were coming? Why am I not surprised?” Quinn was already stepping over the threshold between the entryway and the hallway, the two guys following her. She turned midstep when she realized I was still standing here, “Oh, wait, you don’t have any-”

“Hi Noona,” We all turned at the sound of Jungkook’s smooth voice, rounding the corner with a shopping bag in his hands. He walked right by everyone, directly to me, where he stopped and pulled an adorable pair of slippers out the bag, setting them directly on the floor in front of me. They were little s’mores with cute smiley faces.

“These are mine?” I asked, feeling my cheeks get warm again.

Kookie nodded, taking my hand to keep my steady as I stepped into the slippers, “I saw them when we were in L.A., and-”

“He wanted you to have slippers for our new place!” Jimin added warmly, grinning at the end of the hallway. His words made me remember that we still had an audience.

I was sure everyone could see the heat spreading across my face, “Thank you.”

Jungkook gave me a lopsided smile and squeezed my hand, “Since this is your first time, Noona, take a look at our house.”

I followed his lead, and let him me around the corner with everyone else, where the entry hallway opened up into the living room. Namjoon was sitting on a large sectional couch, watching something on the giant TV against the wall.

“Kim Namjoon, why didn’t you greet me at the door?” Quinn teased, plopping down on the couch beside Namjoon. He instantly wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek over and over again, making her giggle loudly.

“I’m so sorry, gorgeous. The show was at a really good part, and I lost the remote so I couldn't pause and-”

"Again?! I swear, you'd lose your head if it wasn't attached. God of Destruction indeed." Quinn good-naturedly joked, which earned her another playful kiss from Namjoon, and I turned away from the two love birds to stare wide-eyed at the huge space. Their kitchen was gigantic and the living room was three times bigger than our own living room, if not larger.

Jungkook tugged on my hand, grabbing my attention once again, “I’ll show you the rest too, Noona.”

I nodded, letting him lead me away from the living room as Jimin and J-Hope joined Quinn and Namjoon on the couch. The sounds from the TV began to fade away as we made our way down another hallway, where I assumed the bedrooms were.

Jungkook had had his own room for a while, so I wasn’t surprised when he ushered me into what I knew was his room. It was quite spacious, with his gaming laptop sitting on a desk in the corner and a fairly large bed directly in the center. I sat on his bed, looking around his room. He had gotten new furniture since the move, but everything still smelled like Jungkook. It was as if his fragrance was permanently etched into the carpet and walls of the room.

“You had an interview today?” He asked me, rolling his computer desk chair closer to the bed and taking a seat. I nodded, leaning my arm on the footboard, trying to calm the crazy beating in my heart.

“Y-Yeah. I met this really nice grandmother on the plane, and her family owns a bunch of clinics around the city.”

“Did it go well?”

“Yes!” I told him, with a wide smile. I giggled, making a victory pose, “I got the job!”

Jungkook smiled warmly, and it made me breathless, “Congratulations, Noona.”

I opened my mouth to thank him, but instead a knock at the door broke my train of thought. We both turned towards the sound, and in an instant, V poked his head in the room, “Monnie-hyung’s calling for all of us in the living room. He just got a call from the company.”

I blinked in confusion, while Jungkook stood up from his chair and took my hand again, helping me up from his bed. We walked back down the hallway and into the living room, where all of the members of BTS had gathered, with Quinn still sitting beside Namjoon.

“We’re going to have our next photoshoot at Jeju Island in three days! Since we have a little bit of time, shouldn’t we make it a little vacation? We could stay for a few days after the shoot and play,” Namjoon told everyone eagerly, and Quinn grinned beside him.

“I can take some extra time off and come too,” She added, turning towards me, “And you don’t start work or school for another week, so I won’t take no for an answer, Baby Girl.”

All eyes landed on me, and I nodded, feeling a little pressue, “Let’s go then. We should tell Niah to come too.”

“Hopefully, my Jagi can take some time off.” Suga commented, pulling his phone out of his pocket to presumably text Niah. He got up from the couch without another word, and just like that, the group started to disperse.

“I haven’t been this excited for a trip in a while!” J-Hope cheered, pumping his fist in the air. Jin laughed, going back to his bag of chips.

“Noona, we get to go on another trip together,” Jungkook commented with an excited grin, and I blanched, realizing with rising panic that that’s exactly what that meant.

Oh my God, what would I wear?!

End Chapter 4