Chapter 6.

Hwang Tae Kyung was standing in the kitchen in his pyjamas and slippers.  He acknowledged the pair with his dark eyes before taking a sip of his latest bottle of water.

“Where did you disappear to?” he asked Mi Nyeo.  “Shin Woo and Mi Nam have been accusing me of driving you away.”

“It’s my fault,” volunteered Jeremy.  “I wanted her to catch the bus with me.”

“I see.”  Tae Kyung rested his arms on the bench.  “Having trouble writing the song?  I thought you’d be pulling an all nighter.  We’re all expecting a masterpiece by breakfast, you know.”

“I won’t survive until breakfast without something to eat,” said Jeremy, going over to the fridge.  “Tell me there are leftovers.”

Tae Kyung said nothing.  He continued to study Mi Nyeo as she walked over to the kitchen bench and sat down opposite him.

“You’ve never gone to bed this early, Hyung-nim,” she said.  “I’m glad you decided to get some rest.”

“This day has worn me out,” he replied.  “But I wanted to wait for you to tell you something important, Pig Rabbit.”

“Oh?”

Jeremy made a point of being very loud with the spoon while heating up some soup.  Tae Kyung gave him an annoyed look and led Mi Nyeo by the wrist to the lounge room.

“I want you to reconsider your decision today,” Tae Kyung continued.  “You’re not thinking clearly.  I’ll accept any decision you make after you finish your time in Africa.”

Mi Nyeo paled.  “But Hyung-nim, I am thinking clearly.  You agreed that our feelings have changed.”

“No I didn’t!” he argued.  “I don’t agree.  I was just too shocked earlier to say anything.  You coming back now was just really bad timing.  I have to work, Mi Nyeo, just like you do.”

There was a long pause.  “Hyung-nim.  Our talks on the phone grew cold.  I could feel it.  What happened when I came back just helped me to accept it.  There is nothing to hold on to now.  Let go so that it hurts you less.”

“You’re being stubborn over a bad decision.”

“Are you coming to midnight mass tomorrow?”

“What?”

“Manager Ma, Coordi Unnie, Oppa, Shin Woo Hyung and Jeremy are coming to midnight mass to celebrate Christmas Eve.  There will be candles and carol singing, and the church will look nice with all its decorations.  Will you come?”

Tae Kyung frowned.  “Is this a test?  You know I don’t do that sort of thing, and what are you going to do about publicity?”

“It’s only a small church, Hyung-nim.  I checked with President Ahn and he was okay with us going as long as we hide ourselves.  I don’t know what you mean by a test.”

“Will you reconsider us if I agree to come?”

Once again, there was a long pause.  They heard Jeremy drop his spoon in the kitchen, but Tae Kyung chose to ignore it.

“Hyung-nim.”

“I’m only asking you to think it over.  That’s not ridiculous, is it?”

“My feelings have changed.”

“How is it wrong to ask you to think for a little longer?” he bit out.

Mi Nyeo looked miserable.  “I told Jeremy that he could sleep in his own room for the night, and I need to get my pyjamas before he goes up.  Sleep well, Hyung-nim.  I hope that you’ll come to the mass tomorrow night for a different reason.”

She scuffled out of the living room without looking back at him.  It was obvious that she still cared about him, just not in the same way.  He knew that they’d become distant, but he was certain that it was something that could be remedied if only she wasn’t going back and forth from Africa, and he wasn’t in the middle of a new album.  He was sure that it could be fixed if the timing was better.

Uplifted by a small measure of hope, Tae Kyung wandered back out into the kitchen and upstairs to bed.  He failed to notice Jeremy’s dejected expression on the way up.

Jeremy woke up on the rug in the lounge room.  Mi Nyeo was curled up on the couch next to him, unaware that he’d been there most of the night.  He’d wound up there after polishing off his song at the studio.  The scraps of conversation he’d heard between Tae Kyung and Mi Nyeo had unsettled him enough to make him want to see her until he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

Get a hold of yourself.  Her feelings won’t change just because Tae Kyung asks her to rethink her decision.

With a sigh, he got up and climbed over the coffee table on his way to the kitchen.  Jolie was already waiting for him at the door.  He could see her tail wagging through the stained glass.  The temperature had stayed above zero overnight, which meant that Jolie didn’t have to huddle in her kennel to keep warm.

“Jolie,” he greeted.  The bowl of food was placed under her nose as always.  She gave him a wet snuffle on the neck before digging in.  Satisfied with his greeting, Jeremy went to feed himself.

“Well?”  Tae Kyung said.  “Where is it?”

“Ta da!”  Jeremy lifted a tartan tea towel covering the cd and music underneath.

Tae Kyung picked them up and gave Jeremy an expectant look, as if he expected some sort of nervous speech about the song.  However, Jeremy kept silent.  He was sobered by a poor night’s sleep, amongst other things.

“I’ll go over both in the music room,” said Tae Kyung.  “And I’ll be back to tell you what I think.  Don’t disturb me.”

Jeremy gave his Hyung a nervous smile, and went on to make a lazy breakfast of cereal, and toast with jam.  The smell of toast was too much for the others, and they soon appeared, one by one in their pyjamas, to char bread of their own.

Shin Woo offered Jeremy some tea, and for once he accepted (after adding some sugar to it).  It made him feel better, and he was able to laugh when Mi Nam burnt his second round of toast along with his thumb.

“Damn stupid toaster!” complained Mi Nam, running his finger under some cold water.  “Why doesn’t it cook evenly?”

Shin Woo turned to Jeremy.  “When am I helping out with decorations?  I’m scheduled to be on KBS radio just after noon.”

“So we’ll get started early,” said Jeremy.  “You’re helping with my party too Mi Nam.  Don’t think you’re getting out of it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.  It’s my excuse for avoiding the family celebrations and fights at the Yoo household.”

Mi Nyeo gave her twin a surprised look.  “You shouldn’t be so unkind about Yoo He Yi’s family.  It’s nice of them to invite you over for Christmas.”

“Sure,” said Mi Nam.  “If you like spending it with Lucifer and his spawn.  I swear, I sometimes think that He Yi was adopted.  She’s too nice to come from a family like that.”

Jeremy, Shin Woo and Mi Nyeo exchanged knowing looks from behind the brims of their cups of tea.

With a dramatic ‘bang’, Tae Kyung announced his exit from the music room to the whole house.  The group watched him as he strolled into the kitchen, and he didn’t seem pleased.  He stood behind Jeremy, and folded his arms across his chest.

“Technically speaking.  There’s nothing wrong with it,” said Tae Kyung.  “It’s easy to listen to, it’s melodic, and the lyrics will appeal to a broad demographic.  It doesn’t fit in with the album’s overall theme, but that’s not a big issue.”

“Does that mean he likes it?” Mi Nam said to no one in particular.

“It’s nothing special,” continued Tae Kyung.  “But I saw in the notes that you’re dedicating it to Mi Nyeo.”

The group grew quiet.  Jeremy pulled his teaspoon out of his mouth.  Even though he didn’t want to hurt his Hyung, he wasn’t backing down on anything related to Mi Nyeo.  “I gave it to her as a present, even though she hasn’t accepted it yet.”

Mi Nyeo blushed and kept her eyes firmly on her teacup.

“Out of the question,” said Tae Kyung.  “Even if I was okay with it, the public would wonder why you’re dedicating the song to her when according to them she’s supposed to be dating either Shin Woo or myself.”

“Don’t worry Hyung.  I’ll just have to have a good answer ready when they ask why I’m signing the rights over to her.”

Tae Kyung’s eyes widened.  “The rights?  You’re not just dedicating it to her?”

Mi Nam moaned.  “There goes part of my income.  Manager Ma will be angry at me.  I hope you’re happy, twin.  If this song does well then you won’t have to worry about earning money for a while.”

“But I didn’t know I was getting money.  I thought Jeremy was giving me a song,” she protested.

“Yah!  Mi Nam!  Mi Nyeo worked hard to keep your career alive while you were off getting your ugly face to look uglier.  Have you ever repaid her for that?” snapped Jeremy.

“Why are you yelling at me like you’re her boyfriend or something?  And why are you giving her a song and money like some lovesick daddy-long-legs?”  Mi Nam snapped back.  “Mi Nyeo, I forbid you to date him.  He’d be a worse in-law than Tae Kyung.”

Again, the group went quiet.  Tae Kyung turned as pale as death.  Jeremy failed to say anything.  Mi Nam wasn’t being serious with his words but he was so close to the truth that the atmosphere became tense.

“I’m going to take a long look at this song,” said Shin Woo, getting to his feet.  “The curiosity is now getting the better of me.”

On his way into the kitchen, he tipped his cup and spilled the luke-warm dregs of his tea on Mi Nam.

The junior looked down at his wet shirt in horror.  “Argh!  What the?”

“It’s just water.  Nothing to get excited about,” said Shin Woo.  “Come and look at Jeremy’s song with me.”

“Why?”

“It’s sunny in the music room.  You’ll dry off faster.”

Before Mi Nam could reply, Shin Woo pushed him out of the kitchen against his will.

Tae Kyung looked like he was concentrating very hard on a patch of the wall, and neither Jeremy nor Mi Nyeo wanted to be the one to interrupt.

“I seem to have missed something very important,” he said in a severe tone.  “You both have been taking me for a fool.”

“That’s unfair.  Do you really think that Mi Nyeo would do something like that?” said Jeremy.

“Hyung-nim.  Jeremy doesn’t think you’re a fool at all.  He-“

Tae Kyung signalled for silence by raising the palm of his hand.

“It all makes sense now.  I don’t think anything more needs to be said.  Do you?”  He walked over to the stairs leading up to his room.

“Hyung-nim!” she cried, jumping to her feet.  Tae Kyung ignored her.  She was about to chase after him, when she remembered Jeremy.

“I have to go after him,” she explained.  “I will tell him how it was so that he understands it had nothing to do with you.”

Jeremy frowned.  “I think he’ll only want to hurt you.”

“He will,” she admitted.  “But I have to talk to him anyway.”

“Mi Nyeo.”

“Eh?”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

She thought about it.  “No.  It’s okay.  I think it’s better if I do this myself.”

Jeremy slumped.  “Okay.”

His eyes followed Mi Nyeo as she hurried up the stairs after Tae Kyung.  As he laid his head on the bench, he wondered if letting her go to Tae Kyung was the dumbest thing he’d ever done.  What if she came to her senses and realised that she didn’t like Jeremy after all?

“I’m doomed,” he mumbled to himself.  “If she doesn’t have real feelings for me, I don’t think a bus ride will be enough to numb the pain.  I’ll have to get hit by one instead.”