*~*Chapter 12*~*

 

I stepped off the city bus and made my way towards my parents’ restaurant. My classes were finished for the day, and I had a few hours to kill before I had to make dinner for RM, so I decided to drop by to visit them. I’m sure they missed me as much as I had missed them!

“Mom! Dad! I’m home!” I called as I entered the restaurant.

I heard the clatter of dishes from the kitchen. Within moments, my mom shot out of the kitchen and bombarded me with hugs and kisses.

“Oh, Kyungi! Kyungi! I can’t believe you’re back! I’ve missed you so much!”

“Mom~” I whined. “It’s only been two weeks!”

“Oh~ But I missed you so, SO much!!”

My dad came out from the kitchen. He stopped short when he saw me. He didn’t say anything, but I saw in his eyes that he was ecstatic to see me.

“Eww…Ugly’s back,” Jae Hyuk commented, following my dad out of the kitchen.

“Be nice!” my mom scolded him.

I stuck my tongue out at him. Mom was on my side today.

“Did you eat yet? Are you hungry? You must be hungry,” Mom said as she dragged me to a nearby table and sat me down. “Honey, hurry and make her something to eat!” she called to my dad. “Doesn’t she look like she’s gotten thinner?”

“Mom! I’m fine; I haven’t gotten thinner! It’s all in your mind!”

She slapped me on the arm. “Don’t say that! You’ve lost weight! Honey, hurry! Bring her some food!”

Dad disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later, he brought out a tray of rice, kimchi stew, and an array of side dishes.

“Here, eat!” Mom demanded as Dad set the food down in front of me, practically stuffing a spoonful of rice into my mouth.

“Mom~” I whined as I pushed her arm away. “I can feed myself.”

My mom let out a sigh as she wiped her hands on the front of her apron. “I’m just so worried about you now that you’re not here,” she said as tears brimmed her eyes.

“Look, you’re going to make Mom cry,” Jae Hyuk butted in. Mom slapped his arm.

“Kalbi’s on the grill,” Dad announced.

I smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

He nodded as he made his way back into the kitchen.

“So are they nice to you?” Mom asked once Dad was back in the kitchen. “Are they feeding you properly?”

I nodded as I ate. “Yeah, Mom, don’t worry. Sorry I didn’t bring you guys anything, though,” I apologized. “I didn’t think I was going to come here; I just found myself here,” I said with a laugh.

“Aish! Don’t act so formal!” she scolded as she slapped my arm again. “Don’t forget you still live here! You’re only helping someone out for half a year!”

“Yes, Mom.”

She smiled as she watched me eat. “You miss our food, don’t you?”

“Yes! You know I can’t cook!”

“I hope you’re not starving the poor guy,” Jae Hyuk chimed in.

I flicked a grain of rice at him. He only laughed in my face.

“Ah! That reminds me!” I exclaimed, shoving down another spoonful of rice and soup. “Jung Kook is an actor!”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full!” Mom scolded.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. I swallowed and then continued, “He took me to watch them film Chingu last week.”

“Chingu?!” Both Mom and Jae Hyuk exclaimed.

“The drama with Park Yubi?!” Mom asked in disbelief. “You got to meet all of them?! Kang Tae Young and Lee Na Young too?!”

I nodded proudly.

“Oy! That reminds me,” Jae Hyuk said, plopping down in the seat across from me. “Yubi dropped by our restaurant like a week ago, looking for you.”

I choked on my food. “What?!”

He nodded. “She left her number behind, but I bet she was secretly leaving it for me,” he said with a grin.

“Shut up!” I exclaimed. “Where is it? Where did you put her phone number?!”

He nodded towards the phone. “I taped it to the phone so I wouldn’t lose it.”

I jumped to my feet and dashed towards the phone. Sure enough, taped to the side of the phone was Yubi’s phone number. I snatched it off and immediately started dialing the number on my cell phone.

“What’s wrong?” Mom asked as she approached me from behind.

“I just want to know why she was looking for me,” I replied. I wonder if it has to do with Jung Kook? Is she going to ask me to help her get together with him? I mean, I like him too, and he seems to hint that he likes me back, but I can never really read him anyways…

…Should I help them get together?

After the fifth ring, Yubi finally answered. “Hello?” she asked. Even her voice sounded sweet on the phone.

“Hi, is this Park Yubi?” I asked.

“This is she.” She sounded confused. She’s probably wondering why a stranger has her phone number.

“This is Kyungi, the girl who was with Jung Kook when you guys were filming.”

“Ah, Kyungi!” She sounded thrilled to hear from me. “I was wondering when I would hear back from you!”

What? She was looking forward to hearing from me?

“Is something wrong?” my mom whispered.

I shook my head, raising a finger to my lips. 

“Would you have some time to meet me for coffee today?” Yubi continued.

“Today?” Why so soon?

My mom started jumping up and down in joy, nodding her head enthusiastically. 

“Do you have time?”

“Yes, of course. What time?”

“Well, I hope it’s not too much of a rush, but what about now?”

“Now??” I glanced at the clock over the kitchen door. 1:47.

My mom’s eyes widened. I could tell she was bursting with joy. I turned my back to her. She was distracting me.

“If now is not a convenient time, when would be a better time for you?” Yubi continued.

“Oh, no, no. Now is fine,” I said, glancing back at my mom. She was looking at me, eyes wide open. “Where should I meet you?” I asked.

“Where are you now?”

“At my parents’ restaurant, Kalbi Time.”

“Okay, then I’ll come there.”

“Okay, see you soon then.”

We both said our goodbyes and hung up.

“What did she say?” my mom asked as soon as I hung up.

“She’s coming here for coffee.”

Mom squealed. “Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! We don’t have coffee! We have to go buy coffee now!” She started pacing back and forth. “I can’t believe my little girl is going to hang out with Park Yubi! I have to tell everyone!”

“You can’t do that, Mom!” I exclaimed. “The only reason why Yubi is coming here is probably because there’s never anyone here!”

“You got that right,” Jae Hyuk piped up from the table.

My mom shushed him. “I gotta tell your dad Yubi is coming then!” she said and disappeared behind the kitchen door.

“So why does Yubi want to meet you?” Jae Hyuk asked, getting up from his seat.

“I have no idea,” I answered. It was the truth. I was absolutely clueless.

“What if she’s using it as a ruse to come ask me out on a date?” he asked with a sneer.

“Keep dreaming!” I said, tossing a crumpled napkin at him. “And besides, I think she’s interested in Jung Kook.”

“What? That’s so unfair! She doesn’t know what she’s missing out on!” he protested.

“Keep dreaming!” But I couldn’t help but laugh.

It was about 3pm when Yubi arrived. By that time, my parents had cooked a whole feast, just waiting for her. They even made Jae Hyuk go out and buy three different types of coffee since they weren’t sure which kind she preferred. 

“Oh my god, she’s here!” my mom shrieked, running away from the window to the table where we had set out all the food.

We all stood up when Yubi entered.

“Welcome!” my dad greeted graciously. 

She bowed to him and quickly searched for me. The moment her eyes landed on me, she smiled, her whole face lighting up.

I stood up and greeted her along with my mother and Jae Hyuk. Jae Hyuk shrank behind my mom, suddenly overcome with shyness.

“Oh, you didn’t have to prepare anything for me,” Yubi said when she saw all the food.

“Nonsense!” my mom exclaimed. “You’re our esteemed guest; this is the least we can do for you!”

“Come! Come sit down!” my dad said, gesturing towards the table.

Yubi thanked them as she made her way over to the table and sat down opposite from me.

“I hope you’re hungry,” I said as she sat down.

She smiled. “Starving!” She looked at my parents once again. “Thank you so much for preparing all of this!”

My mom waved her hand in the air. “It’s no problem! Please enjoy!” With that, she grabbed my dad and Jae Hyuk, and they all scurried into the kitchen.

“So I heard that you were looking for me?” I asked, getting straight to the point. Yup, straight to the point. Just like my dad.

She smiled, looking down at the table, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Ah, I see your family told you about that…”

I couldn’t help but notice that every move she made was filled with such elegance that I could never possess.

She looked back up at me, pasting on a bright smile. “I was just curious about your relationship with Jung Kook.”

Bingo.

“Oh?”

“I didn’t realize you two were such close friends,” she continued. “When we came here with the crew last time, he didn’t seem to know you. But last week, he was extremely friendly with you at the filming site.”

“Oh, well…that’s because we’ve gotten to know each other since then.”

Now it was her turn to say, “Oh?”

I smiled. “I was looking for a job, and Jung Kook offered me one.”

“What kind of job?”

She seems awfully nosy. Maybe this is why Jung Kook doesn’t like her.

“Just taking care of his friend.”

Her ears perked up, and she sat up straight. “His friend?”

“It’s nothing important,” I said, waving it away.

“Is he sick?” she asked with such urgency that I was surprised by the tone of her voice.

“Oh, no, he’s…fine, I guess you can say,” I replied, thinking of the ragged RM with the ungodly B.O. I scrunched up my nose at the thought. “Anyways, let’s eat,” I said and gestured to the food.

Yubi nodded and picked up her chopsticks. “So how is he doing by the way?” she asked absentmindedly. 

“Jung Kook or RM?”

She hesitated before replying, “Both, I guess…” She took a bite of the kimchi.

“Good, maybe.”

“They’re both doing well?”

“Sure,” I said with a nod. This conversation is turning out weirdly.

We ate in silence. I couldn’t help but feel as if there was something she wanted to ask me about but was holding back. I watched as she chewed her food slowly, eyes trained on the dishes laid out in front of us. Every now and then, between bites, she bit her bottom lip, as if contemplating what to ask me.

I cleared my throat. “So how long have you and Jung Kook known each other?” I asked to break the silence. “I saw on your interview that you two went to university together?”

She looked at me and nodded. “Yes, we were quite close back then.”

“Oh?” Does that mean they dated in university and then broke up?

She smiled. “I’m sorry; you must be wondering why I called you out so suddenly.”

I nodded even before I caught myself doing so.

“I just wanted to get to know you since you seem so close with Jung Kook,” she explained.

Oh, yeah… She’s definitely an ex-girlfriend checking up on her ex-boyfriend. She probably wants to get back together with him then.

“Do you need my help?” I asked.

She looked at me in surprise.

“Getting back together with him,” I clarified.

Her eyes clouded over, her mind drifting far away. After a few seconds, she blinked, as if gathering her thoughts. At last, she said, “That would be nice.” 

I smiled, and we returned to eating in silence. 

After a while, she asked out of the blue, “Would it be okay if we became friends?” 

“Of course!” I replied with a smile. Another famous person to add to my list of friends! How great is my life going right now? “That will be great!”