Heemi’s POV

Going back to Korea and not being able to play with my Thai friends and even talk to Rina Unnie is so frustrating. I’ve been stuck here in our house for 1 whole freaking week because Baba doesn’t want to go out. He said that watching movies and dramas in the house is better. At first, I was so thrilled like, “WOW! ALONE TIME NA KAH WITH BABA!!” but after watching countless of movies and finishing some Chinese, Korean, and even French dramas—is making me bored. Good thing, during the weekend, I received a very interesting call from Rina Unnie about Gun Gege.

My Unnie, she’s the only one that remembers me. Cap Gege and Gun Gege aren’t messaging me lately, even P’Title (Yes! He is now a P’ because I’ve taken P’Cooheart’s words seriously) that told me he will keep in touch with me isn’t messaging me for good 3 days now. Am I being demanding? But I feel sad and betrayed by them. “Mei Mei, that was the 20^th time you sigh deeply today,” Baba told me while both of us are again sitting here in the living room and watching a Thai series because I said I want to watch it. My Umma is at work, so meaning Hyuk Oppa is also at work while Donghae Oppa is helping at his family café today.

“Baba—I am so bored na kah~” I whined because I don’t like being stuck inside the house. I am a free soul, I need to go out and breathe fresh air and play. “Xiao Meimei, ni weishenme wuliao? [妹妹你nǐ为什么无聊]” he asked me using his strong Chinese dialect that he only uses when we are in China. Our grandparents don’t like it when we speak differently like me; I speak in Chinese, Korean, and Thai. They think it will be an embarrassment to the family when we talked like that.

[妹妹你nǐ为什么无聊 -- Younger Sister, why are you bored?]

I totally ignore the TV and look at Baba with serious gaze, “Baba, wo bei kun zai wuli yige xingqi le women chuqu ba! [我被困在屋里一个星期了 我们出去吧!]” and when he speaks Chinese, it means I need to speak Chinese too. With all the effort I did to speak in straight Chinese, Baba only pats my head, “Maybe tomorrow Meimei. I am a bit—tired right now~” and then he stands up leaving his phone with me because I’ve been playing games since this morning. I sigh because I don’t understand why Baba isn’t active these days. I mean, I know he might be broken hearted or something but that doesn’t mean I need to be stuck here with him without even seeing the sunlight.

[我被困在屋里一个星期了 我们出去吧! -- I've been stuck in the house for one week. Let's go out!]

Speaking of his phone, I know one person that can help me understand my Baba. I quickly stand up too leaving the TV open and run fast to my bedroom before Baba remembers his smartphone with me. I close the door—double lock it before jumping on my bed and scrolling on Baba’s phone. It doesn’t have passcode anyway because Baba removes it before giving it to me. He doesn’t like being interrupted many times by me for the passcode, “You let your guard down na kah Baba. You don’t understand how smart Heemi na kah~” I talked to myself before looking at his call log.

“Nainai—Yeye—Mama—Heemi—Appa~” I read the names while scrolling it down, “Why can’t I find it na kah?” I asked myself as I continue seeing the names of my uncles and aunts and even my parents name but not—“BINGO!” I said loudly before I can even stop myself. I cover my mouth too late but I think Baba wasn’t able to hear me because I can’t hear any movements from the outside. I left the TV open so probably that’s noisier than my sudden outburst.

I smirk evilly before tapping the name on the phone and making an international call, “Baba will kill me na kah if the bill will be high~” I said to myself but, “Hum—Appa can pay it anyway~” I compromised. I put the phone on my ears waiting for the other person to answer my call. It’s been a long time that I haven’t talked to him too, “Qingge!!” I heard a very loud voice on the other line and all I can do is smile, “Dayu Gege~” I responded which earns a dead air on the other line.

I pulled out the phone to look but the call is still ongoing, “Gege? Dayu Gege? It’s me! Heemi na kah~” I said again wanted to catch his attention when finally Gege responded, “Oww—Heemi—my favorite Meimei—ni hao ma?” see, I am everyone’s favorite in China. I roll on my bed feeling so happy hearing Dayu Gege’s voice, “Awww I am okay na kah Gege—I just—Gege—wo xiang ni~” because when I went back to China recently and asked Baba for Dayu Gege, he told me that Gege is busy.

[ni hao ma? – how are you in Chinese]

[wo xiang ni – I miss you in Chinese]

A very deep sigh can be heard on the other line, “Me too—but you aren’t going back here in Mainland Meimei,” Dayu Gege is Baba’s best friend so technically, Baba’s fascination with me is passed down to Dayu Gege. “But Gege, I was in China na kah last 2 weeks—but Baba told me na kah that you are busy~” I told him still disappointed that I wasn’t able to meet him, “Err—really? I mean—yeah yeah Meimei—I am so busy last last week—like—so busy—but you asked Qingge about me?” he sounds so uncertain and I wonder if he is feeling unwell.

I nod my head, “Neh, Gege! I asked Baba na kah but he said, ‘Meimei, your Gege is busy!’” If I can go back to China again, I will just to see Dayu Gege, “I am glad!” and he did sound so glad right now, “Anyway, Meimei! What happened to the way you speak? Why do you keep on saying ‘na kah’?” he asked me full of curiosity and again I roll to the other side of the bed, “Oh—Gege, I went to Thailand na kah to meet Hyuk Oppa’s family and then I met a lot of good new friends na kah so I started adopting the way they speak and Nainai was mad when she heard me speaking na kah but I am not sure how Nainai wants me to speak~ so in the end—Nianai got mad at Umma na kah and then Umma got mad at me~” I am still upset by the fact that Nainai got mad at Umma. If she wants to educate me, she should tell it to me and not to Umma.

“Jiayou, Meimei! Gege is always here for you—but may I know—why do you have Qingge’s phone?” and that’s how I remember the reason of my international call. I decided to stay in one place on my bed, “Gege—you see—I found out na kah that my Baba has a lover na kah but I don’t know who—I don’t even know why I wasn’t aware that Baba is dating someone na kah and woie~ I want to know—so I run away with Baba’s phone and called you Gege because you are his closest friend—” I stop for a while because I wasn’t sure if Gege will say it or not, “So—Gege can you tell me who he is dating?”

[jaiyou – cheer up! in Chinese]

I didn’t notice how hard I press the phone on my ears, “Ahm—Meimei—actually—I think—you need to ask Qingge about this and not me,” I sigh, why is he so loyal to Baba? “But Gege, you know that Baba will not tell me—right? I’ve tried—I’ve even looked at his phone but I didn’t see any clue. The other day na kah when I have his phone, all I saw are your messages and our relatives na kah—well some from his other friends but no name that looks suspicious na kah—even messages aren’t suspicious so I wonder why Baba decided to really come with us in Thailand na kah and in Korea now—because I don’t really believe when Umma told me that Baba is broken hearted!” I breathe in and out heavily because I cannot accept the fact that Baba has a lover and I wasn’t aware of it.

“And I thought he loves me so much na kah that he will tell me about who he is dating na kah—I will not really get mad—as long as Heemi and Dayu Gege approve the one he is dating—neh Gege?” I asked him because I know Gege so much, he will agree with me, “Right—hahaha—you are right Meimei—he needs to say it to you. Ahm—Meimei—give me a favour—I will take a vacation—ahmmm in Korea soon—” “Chinja? WOW! DAEBAK!” I burst out again but this time I didn’t hold it in, “Yes—so—I will be there soon—but ahmmm—can you keep in a secret to Qingge—well—this is between Dayu Gege and Meimei—also delete the call logs—don’t say a thing okay? And I will bring your favorite dim sums from Nanjing—deal?” this is the kind of deal that Heemi can’t say no. I quickly sit up from my bead and nod, “Hao de, Gege!”

[Hao de – okay in Chinese]

A very quick update about Heemi and her boring life in Korea right now hahahahha