Chapter Fifteen

“May I talk to you for a minute?” The Baby Bird asked Lily, offering her his hand to help her off the bed where she had been using Nik as a pillow. She nodded and took it, then followed him back into the room she was staying in.

He led her to the couch and they both sat. Lily was starting to feel a bit apprehensive and played with the hem of her shirt. “Is everything ok?” She finally asked.

Choongjae gave her one of his warmest smiles, but she could see something that looked like anxiety in his eyes. “I didn’t want to overstep, but I was hoping that tomorrow I could take you out on a date.” Halfway through asking, he had reached out to grab her hands and were staring at them.

“Did Nik put you up to this?” she asked, frowning slightly.

“What?! No, of course not! Why would you think that?” He breathed, trying to regain the confidence he usually had. Taking one more breath, he looked into her eyes. “Look, this is what I want. When Minwoo asked in the van yesterday if you wanted to go on a date, you answered yes. Now I’m telling you that I want to take you out. I already have it planned and set up.” It was obvious he was losing his confidence again, but he kept his eyes trained on her face. “Please, will you go on a date with me?”

She couldn’t keep the eye contact Choongjae was seeking. “She didn’t put you up to this?”

He finally reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him, the sincerity clear in his eyes. “No one put me up to this.”

Lily’s ears were now glowing red. “Oh...okay. Yeah,” she nodded cheeks now blooming as red as her ears. She felt her hands squeezed and finally looked up to see the overwhelming happiness radiating from Choongjae. She smiled and blushed more, so happy that she could burst.

In the other room, Dongwan had taken Briley into a less populated room in their suite. He smiled at her and turned his body to completely face her. “Choongjae is in your room asking Lily on a date.”

“Oh that’s great! They look so cute together. I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

“So the two of them will be going on a date tomorrow. There isn’t much to do tomorrow other than lay around the hotel. That is, unless you wanted to go on a picnic with me?” He looked at her hopefully.

A blush overwhelmed Briley’s pale skin. “I would love to.”

Lily, Choongjae, Dongwan, and Briley all reentered the room about the same time. Nik had a huge knowing grin plastered on her face, and could tell from both of her friends’ expressions that they both were going to have a great time tomorrow.

“How did it go?” Minwoo asked from the couch opposite Junghyuk and Hyemi.

“How did what go?” Aaron asked.

“Your aunts are going on dates with my younger brothers,” Junghyuk informed him. Aaron cheered.

“We didn’t tell you whether or not we said yes,” Briley whined, sitting in the doorway between the living area and the bedroom that Pilkyo and Nik were laying in.

“But y’all’s faces did,” Nik smirked, rolling back onto her stomach. She had been laying with her head hanging off the bed, waiting for her friends to return.

“That just leaves the two of you,” Briley stuck her tongue out at her oldest sister from her seated position. Nik didn’t respond. Instead, she leaned back, grabbed a pillow, and launched it at the Brit. Everyone laughed, but her friends could see the flush across the Texan’s tan face.

Moments later, the Power Rangers communicator music echoed throughout the room. Nik quickly jumped up off the bed and decided to take the call outside this time.

Lily and Choongjae joined Pilkyo on the bed he was resting on. “She’s right, though. Or are you really not planning on asking her out?” the New Yorker asked.

“I’m waiting for the right moment.” He then got up off the bed to go get one of the water bottles Nik had set in the fridge for them.

“No better moment than the present,” Junghyuk told him.

“No one asked you,” Momma Bird replied, though there was no bite or malice to it.

When Nik returned, Pilkyo was resting up against the fridge with his water bottle open. “It’s quiet,” she said, then took the bottle from his grip to steal a drink. She gave him her fakest innocent smile and laid her accent on thicker than usual, making it sugary sweet, “Thank you.” When he didn’t react, she motioned for them to go relax on the bed with Lily and Choongjae.

“What did he want this time?” Briley asked after being stepped over and waiting for her friend to get situated in the bed between Lily and Pilkyo.

“You know, the usual. I’m his other brain. Though, we should all probably start getting ready soon. The Mastership ceremony starts in a few hours and we need to eat before. It will be late before it’s over.” They all agreed. Nik carried Hyemi’s stuff over to the girls’ room. Hyemi and Nik were the only ones that needed showers and luckily there were two showers in each suite.

An hour passed and the girls were all playing dress up. Lily and Briley showed the other two the dresses they had bought, and Hyemi had brought a few really pretty dresses from home. Briley had decided to go with the first little black dress she tried on that day, and had a pair of silver slippers and a short silver/grey jacket to go with it. Lily had found a rich red and black princess dress the fell just past her knees. She also wore the butterfly necklace Choongjae had bought her that morning. Hyemi wore a solid black a-line dress and with a white small white bow, and Nik was wearing the same dress she had worn to the the night of the play they had went to see the week before.

“What are you going to do with your hair?” Nik asked as she ran her fingers through Hyemi’s hair as she blow dried it for her.

Hyemi was quickly getting used to how the girls worked. She had watched how Lily helped style Briley’s hair and then went on to begin applying her makeup for her. They were all sharing any products they had with each other. She pulled out her phone to snap a couple pictures of the girls getting ready. “I’m not sure. Maybe just brush curled?” Nik smiled and quickly switched to her round brush to finish drying her hair. “What are you going to do with yours?” she asked after Nik was done with her hair.

“Just pull it back into a braid. Quick, easy, and out of my face.” Nik smiled. “Would you like to use any of our makeup?” She gestured to the three bags.

Hyemi frowned, “Isn’t that always how your hair is done?” Nik, Lily, and Briley all nodded. “We should do something else, then. Sit and I’ll see what I can do,” she told her, smiling and looking through her own bag of hair supplies.

“I do it like that because it’s easy.”

“No, now sit down,” Hyemi instructed. Nik quirked her eye, but did as she was instructed.

“How did you do that?” Lily asked. Hyemi gave her a confused look as she began brushing through Nik’s hair. “She just did what you asked, no arguments,” Lily and Briley laughed. Nik took one of the clean washcloths and threw it at her friends as Hyemi laughed but never stopped drying her new friend’s hair.

“If you sit in front of me, I can work on your makeup,” Nik said to Lily as she was finishing up Briley’s makeup. Lily did as Nik suggested and by six everyone was completely ready for the evening’s festivities. Hyemi had convinced Nik to wear a half-updo with the top braided together and the underside with loose ringlet curls. “I feel overdressed,” she mumbled as the foursome admired themselves together in the mirror.

“You’re not,” Hyemi promised. “Let’s get a picture.” She pulled out her phone and the girls all squished together to fit. She then took an individual picture of each of the girls and Lily took the picture for her. “Mind if I post them?” The girls all gave her permission and she uploaded them along with some of the girls working together to get ready on her Instagram.

“Looks like a ‘Girls Night’,” Lily said, looking through the photos.

“When you come to Korea, I will take all of you out on a fun ‘Girls Night’,” Hyemi promised and the girls cheered as they left their room and knocked on the boys’ room.

“What are we cheering for?” Minwoo asked as he opened the door. “Wow, you four put us to shame,” he winked. The girls thanked him, and Nik gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as she walked in past him.

“He’s right,” Junghyuk agreed then turned and gave his wife a quick kiss. “Beautiful as always.” She smiled and took his hand in hers.

After much deliberation, they decided to hit up a Cajun restaurant Nik had been to with some of her students before. They were the loudest table in the restaurant, not that they noticed. The table was full of friends, family, and laughter. Even the ones getting picked on at any given time couldn’t help smiling as their loved ones were having so much fun. Everyone shared whatever they ate, and before long, it was time to head to the ceremony.

“One of our instructors has earned the title of sabumnim” Nik informed everyone in the van as she looked for a place to park.

As soon as they were parked and everyone was out, Nik all but squealed and ran across the street to throw herself into the arms of a tall man. He smiled and spun her around before sitting her down. “Well now I’ve seen everything. Our Nik has actually decided to wear a dress for once,” the stranger teased. Nik stuck her tongue out and grabbed his hand to drag him to where everyone was still standing by the van. “Hello, sir,” the tall man reached out to shake Aaron’s hand and give a slight bow.

“Mr. Holie, these are my friends.” She then went around the group, introducing everyone to him. “Everyone, this is my big brother. We trained together for several years until he moved off with his wife and took his beautiful daughters away from me.” She side eyed him as she continued holding his hand. “You said you weren’t going to come this year.”
 

“No, I said I wasn’t coming for any of the training.” Nik made a face at him. “You are getting tall,” he said to Aaron. “Soon you’ll be as tall as me.”

They walked into a huge room with large round tables. They were early, but most of the tables were already taken and Nik looked around to find them a place where everyone could sit together. She didn’t get to look long before she was being pulled into a hug by short Vietnamese man that looked to be about her age. She excitedly introduced him as another of her brothers and an instructor from another school. It was almost time for the ceremony to start before they made it to a table.

The drums started and the screen flashed on. There were three women in traditional hanboks dancing with drums and walking down the street. Behind them, there were three older Korean men dressed in gold silk doboks, the one in the middle carrying an ornamented jahng bong. Behind them were several men and women in red, blue, or white silk doboks.

The drums stopped as they approached a giant red door with a giant multi colored star on it. The man to the right stepped forward and knocked three times and the door opened. Behind the door was another man in gold standing on top of a staircase that was in front of beautiful water fountain. He yelled out in Korean and the men in gold went to stand on either side of him, the one that had been carrying the jahng bong bowing and holding it out to be taken before taking his spot. After they were settled, a speaker started announcing men and women’s names as new master instructors, each taking a place around the fountain but facing the men in gold.

The ceremony continued as the Kwanjangnim started a speech. He told a story his older brother, the founder of the organization, once told to his original students that his instructor had told him. He told them of the candle. The candle gives of itself to light the way for others, much as leaders should give of themselves to lead their own students.

Everything was finally over and they were dismissed to go outside and take photos with the newest mastership class. “That was so cool!” Lily said as they headed out. She had laced her arms with Hyemi and Nik and they walked together.

“That was very impressive,” Pilkyo agreed from behind them. Once outside, him and Mr. Holie stood outside of the group and talked.

Nik was distracted, hugging and introducing the women to just about everyone she knew, so her brother took the opportunity to speak with him in private. “That’s my little sister.” Pilkyo nodded. “Are you interested in her?”

“Honestly, yes. Was it always just a sibling relationship?”

“For me it was. When she was a senior, she had a crush on me. Once she found out I was dating someone, that crush morphed into a sibling feeling for her as well.” Pilkyo made a sound of acknowledgement. “Don’t hurt her. I have a passport, and if you haven’t noticed, she has more than ten other brothers here that will follow me.”

Nik frowned as she looked at the two men whispering. “Whatever either of y’all are saying, knock it off. Today is a celebration. Come on, I want to take pictures until my battery is dead!”

And that is exactly what they did. They took photos in front of the giant red door, in front if the water fountain, and on the stairs. They took photos with every person they knew. Even though the ceremony was over at ten, the group weren’t saying goodbye to everyone until well after eleven and didn’t make it back to the hotel until midnight.

“I’m so tired,” Briley yawned.

Everyone else agreed and started filing into either suite. It had been decided that Aaron would stay in Shinhwa’s room and Hyemi would bunk with the other girls, so the husband and wife shared a sweet kiss before separating for the night.

“May I talk to you before bed?” Pilkyo asked, grabbing Nik’s wrist before she could follow the other three women in.

“Of course. Want to run and grab some ice?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.”

They walked in silence to the ice machine down the hall until Nik turned and leaned against the ice maker and stared up at him. She cocked her head to the side and looked up into his eyes. “So?” She asked, her face full of concern. “You wanted to talk? Mr. Holie didn’t say anything to upset you did he?”

He laughed. “No, of course not. Are you sure you want to move to Korea? You seem to have a lot of friends and family here.”

“I want to move to Korea. I will make more family there. Everyone here knows my time has an expiration date. I will host anyone that wants to come visit, and there is Skype and KakaoTalk. This has been the plan for nearly twelve years.”

“Will you be busy tomorrow?” He changed the subject.

“No, tomorrow is the only easy day. I have to go train with some of my students that are driving in tomorrow, but that will be for only about an hour tomorrow evening. Why? Looking forward to a lazy day finally?”

He shook his head. “I want to take you out.” Nik’s eyebrows nearly met in the middle and she looked confused. “On a date. You know, like just you and me.”

“Really?” She asked. He nodded and she looked down at her shoes. “Are you sure?”

“Please, let me take you on a date tomorrow. I’ve already made the arrangements.”

“I…” Her fingers played with the soft fabric of her dress and she felt incredibly nervous as she bit her lip. “I would love to,” she breathed out. It was barely louder than a whisper, but Pilkyo heard it.

“Good,” and they filled their ice buckets in silence. Once full, Pilkyo insisted on carrying both buckets, and Nik just rolled her eyes at him. “Good night.”

“Sleep well.”