Ch13

Baker Queen Yoon Jayoo

Jayoo was listening to some music on her iPod, when she noticed Doojoon standing at the front door of the bakery. He was rattling on the closed door unsuccessfully, quietly cussing at the unyielding door. Jayoo approached the agitated man from behind as he was peering through the window into the dark.

“Sunbaenim” she tapped his shoulders, making him jump in surprise and jerk around, causing her to jump as well and almost fall back. He quickly crabbed her forearm to balance her out again.

“Wow, I’m sorry. You surprised me” he apologized flustered.

“No problem, I’m sorry to scare you” she said trying to free her arm which he was still holding. He let go and scratched his head: “Uhm… do you know how to get inside?”

Jayoo looked up at him: “Did Dongwoon-ssi not tell you either?” she asked incredulously. She shook her head, chuckling: “he sure is a fuzzy-head”

Doojoon raised his eyebrow: “A what?”

“Nothing” she giggled, and stepped to the side of the building where the small path led to the back. “Follow me; I know how to get in.”

She showed him the back door with the pass code and they got in.

“Hachooo!” He suddenly sneezed.

“Gesundheit” Jayoo said reflexively.

He rubbed his nose: “What?”

“Oh, that was German for bless you. You don’t have a saying like that in Korean right?” she inquired.

“No… I don’t think we say anything when somebody sneezes” he reflected and opened the door to the changing room. “Uhm… After you”

“Ah ne, Komawoyo…” Jayoo said and slipped inside quickly crossing the room onto the other side of the partition. She waited until she heard him open the door again after they changed, before she went back.

Jayoo tapped her index fingers as she followed him up the stairs.

“Kinda weird how the have only one changing room for both es, don’t you think?” he mentioned, scratching his said.

“Sure is…” she retorted.

Jayoo had to step up to follow his speed taking two steps at time. They reached the bakery where the owner was already working, preparing the dough like yesterday. Jayoo looked around. She couldn’t see Dongwoon around anywhere.

“Is Dongwoon-ssi not here today?” She asked the owner after the two greeted him, bowing ninety decrees.

“Oh it’s his day off today” the owner enlightened: “but Heo-Bujangnim should be coming shortly in his stead.” And with that, said person entered the room quietly going straight to his place at the table to start work. It was the short, chubby man that Jayoo had met the first time she was here.

“Annyong haseyo Bujangnim” she greeted him, bowing deeply. He nodded his head approvingly and then looked at the tall guy next to her. Doojoon imitated her and introduced himself. Heo Gak bowed as well and continued his work, still without saying a word. Doojoon looked down at Jayoo irritated, but she just shrugged her shoulders not knowing how to handle this situation as well.

They started working, talking even less than yesterday. Without Dongwoon around, Jayoo felt a little insecure. It was fairly easy to talk with him. As for the Bujangnim, he only spoke when the owner asked or tolled him something. When he had to explain Jayoo how to braid small sweet breads, he just motioned her to follow him and showed it to her by making and example.

Doojoon was silently focusing on his work just occasionally sneezed her coughed a little. After six hours of busy work, they finished their morning chores and the owner called out the lunch break.

Jayoo almost missed Heo Gak leaving since he just silently took off his apron and left bowing to the owner before going down the stairs. Doojoon took of his apron as well and leaned exhausted at the table wiping the sweat off his forehead. She starred at him while removing her apron as well and placing it next to his.

“See you later. Don’t come late today, alright” the owner warned as he left through the door to his office. Jayoo bowed: “Yeh, Chubangjangnim”

Then she turned back to Doojoon: “I was gonna go to the noodle Restaurant again. Would you like to come too?” she asked.

“Yeah sure” he simply agreed rubbing his eyes and headed down the stairs.

 

“Jayoo-ya hey. Come here, come here!!” Yoseob waved joyfully as he saw her enter the restaurant, already sitting at their usual place.

“Anyong haseyo Yoseob-sii” Jayoo smiled and sat down, sliding over to make space for Doojoon.

The cook pouted:  “Yoseob-sii? Who is that? I don’t know anyone by that name.”

Jayoo looked at him confused, but caught on quickly: “Oh I mean… Oppa.”

“Kiaaaaaaaa!!!!! So cute, so cute” Yoseob happily wiggled in his seat: “Oh hello, Yoon Doojoon-ssi, was it?” he greeted Doojoon as if he only just saw him then, even though he sat right across from him.

“Yes, hello Yoseob-ssi”

“How old are you?” Yoseob asked the tall guy.

“I just turned 24 (Korean age) a few days ago” he retorted.

“Oh, you’re only a year older than me then” he concluded a little disappointed.

“Really?” Doojoon eyed the little kid, not believing that he was only one year younger. Then suddenly got shaken by an intense sneezer.

“Gesundheit” Jayoo said, looking at him in concern: “Sunbaenim, are you alright? You’ve been sneezing all day.”

“Yeah yeah, no problem” He waived it off, rubbing his nose which was slightly red.

Then a waiter appeared (another one than usual) asking what they wanted.

Jayoo ordered the same as always, but before Doojoon could say anything, Yoseob cut in and ordered a chicken soup for him without asking. “It’ll be good for your cold” he shrugged when Doojoon looked at him bewildered.

“Is your other waitress off today too?” Jayoo noticed, after the waiter left.

“Why who else is off today?” Yoseob asked, slurping on his noodle soup which he was almost done with.

“Dongwoon-sii” Jayoo said, pointing at the empty seat next to Yoseob.

“Oh, yeah I know. He made sure to take the same days off she has. Since there’s no point in coming if she’s not here.” He said, eyeing Jayoo meaningfully.

The girl chuckled: “really? That’s so sweet, but I don’t think she really cares about him.”

“He has no chance, she doesn’t like younger guys” he simply said, lifting his bowl to drink the rest of his soup.

“Shouldn’t we tell him then? He’ll only hurt himself then, wouldn’t he?” Jayoo wondered.

“I told him, but he doesn’t want to listen” the cook shrugged, putting the empty bowl down with a thud: “Ah, that was good” he wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his cooking shirt in delight. Jayoo had a concerned look on her face and was playing restlessly with a napkin. “Don’t worry, he’ll get over her. At the latest when another pretty girl appears in front of him. He’s still young.”

Jayoo rolled her eyes: “Like you have a lot of live experience. He’s only a year younger than you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I do have a couple of experiences in fact” Yoseob stated proud. The guy opposite him eyed him incredulously. “What you don’t believe me?”

“I never said that” Doojoon calmly said to the pouting boy.

“Then have you had a girlfriend, Oppa?” Jayoo asked curiously.

“Of course! In middle school, high school, university... the girls dig cute guys like me.” He guaranteed confidently. “Or do you wanna argue otherwise?” He suddenly leaned over the table and grabbed Jayoo’s chin holding it dangerously close up to his face. Jayoo jolted surprised back into her seat and held her cheeks which turned to a bright red. “I…I, no I... I mean…” she stuttered.

“Hahaha, you’re so cute, you know that?” Yoseob said victoriously leaning back again and folding his hands behind his head. Jayoo started tapping her index fingers embarrassed.

Doojoon cleared his throat, reminding them that they weren’t alone and the waiter that watched the whole scene place their food in front of them, avoiding looking at the cook.

“Well, I have to get back to work” Yoseob informed and jumped up from his seat. “See you guys. And make sure to eat all of that soup, it’ll help you. It’s a family recipe” He advised, slung his arm around the waiter who ducked surprised and dragged him through the swing door.

Jayoo and Doojoon looked after him until he disappeared from their sight and then sighed in unison. Doojoon looked over at the still blushing girl who suddenly started to giggle. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah no problem” she assured.

“He’s pretty direct, not bad for his size.” Doojoon said, tasting a bit of his soup.

“Sure is, but he’s funny, I like him.”

Doojoon hissed; the soup was very hot: “You like him?”

“I mean… not like that, he’s just funny” She quickly added.

“You better not tell him, that’ll only boost his ego.

“Ne, algessoyo” she agreed and started to slurp on her noodle soup.

They ate quietly for a bit, until Doojoon had to sneeze again, making him quickly swallow the soup before it threatened to be spat all over the table and choked. He coughed hard and Jayoo patted his back to help him free his trachea from the liquid.

After he calmed down, she tilted her head so she could look him in the face. He was white as chalk and a few sweat drops formed on his forehead. “Sunbaenim, you look really bad” She wanted to feel his forehead but halted midway, thinking that it would be kind of rude, for someone she only knew for two day. He rubbed his temple and assured her not to worry “I probably just got a slight cold, because there’s no door on my room”

“Your door is still broke? Couldn’t you get a new one?”

“I don’t have the money for that right now. But it’s only late august so the weather is still pretty warm.”

“But Sunbaenim still got a cold, maybe even a fever.” She said crossing her arms before her chest accusingly. “Can’t you repair it somehow? Maybe I can help you”

He looked at her at her sudden proposal. “How do you want to do that?”

“I don’t know. It depends on what kind of state you door’s in” she said looking up and tapped her chin as if she was thinking about something.

He eyed her, not sure of what to make with what she said: “Well, it’s kind of broken in half I guess. You can come and check it out after work.”

“Yes! I’m sure there’s something we can do. I don’t want Sunbaenim to get sick after he just started working” She called clenching her fists in determination.  

“Why do you care about me? You only know me since yesterday.”

“Well, we are both new at the bakery, so we’re kind of in the same position.”

He shrugged his shoulders and resumed to eating his soup as Jayoo did the same.

 

After they finished work, Jayoo followed Doojoon out of the bakery after they changed. He unexpectedly turned around after he crossed the street, surprised to see her behind him. She almost bumped into him and had to hold her balance so she wouldn’t fall forward at the sudden halt.

“You really want to help me?” he asked bewildered.

“Of course, I promised didn’t I?”

“Jayoo-ya!!!” A voice called from behind them and when they looked up to see who it was, they saw Yoseob running towards them. “Are you done with work? What are you up to?”

“I’m going to Sunbaenim’s home” Jayoo informed him.

“You what?!?” He asked shocked and his head jerked towards the tall guy behind her, eyeing him suspiciously.

“She said she wanted to help me repair my door” He quickly explained before the irritated cook could get any wrong ideas.

Yoseob raised his eyebrows looking from Doojoon to Jayoo and back: “Is that so… In that case I’ll come and help too.” He said smiling eagerly.

“what?” Doojoon asked surprised

“Really? How nice of you Oppa.” Jayoo happily hopped up and down clapping her hands in excitement.

“Sure, you helped us with the stove yesterday, too. So I have to help you too, right?”

“You really don’t have to…” Doojoon implied but Yoseob just shook his head and turned the tall guy around pushing him lightly so he would lead them the way.

“No talkin’ back, it’s a given for neighbors to help each other in need.”

Doojoon sighed and led his unexpected company to his rooftop which was only a 5 minutes’ walk away from the bakery.

It was in a really bad state. The walls had an ugly brown tone and had darker spots were the water didn’t dry and left the wall moist. A roof tiles were covered in moss and a few had fallen down already. The wholes they left behind were helplessly covered with some plastic bags. The one small window the room had was cracked and was held together by a few straps of green tape. The moldy door was unhinged and leaned against the opening, so the apparent home wouldn’t be left open. It had a big hole in the middle where Doojoon kicked through the brittle wood and then cracked vertically, almost broken in half, only held together and the very top and bottom frame.

Jayoo starred shocked at the, what she would call it, ruin.

“Wow! That is one shabby rooftop, do you really live here?” Yoseob asked incredulously.

Doojoon scratched his head: “For the time being, I was planning on looking for something as soon as I got the job”

Jayoo walked toward the broken door and inspected it. She lifted one side as a loud crack was heard and the door finally split apart and the other half crashed to the ground. Jayoo shrieked surprised and jumped to the side before the door could hit her.

“Yah, what are you doing, that’s dangerous” Yoseob yelled and dashed to her side, inspecting if anything happened to her.

“I’m sorry” Jayoo muttered traumatized. Doojoon appeared next to her “Are you alright?” he also looked up and down on her to see if she had any injuries.

“Yes, I’m sorry. Now your door is finally broke” she mumbled and bowed to him apologizing. He lifted the part the fell on the ground and scrutinized it.

He sighed: “It’s not your fault that would have happened sooner or later anyways.”

Jayoo scratched her head and eyed the empty door frame: “Do you maybe have an extra blanket, or cloth, or something like that?”

Doojoon thought about it: “I think I should have one.”

“What do you want with that?” Yoseob asked her curiously.

“I thought we could hang it up on the doorframe, like a curtain. That would at least keep the wind outside. With the cracked window there is a constant circulation of air. No wonder Sunbaenim gets sick like that.” Jayoo explained.

Yoseob’s raised his eyebrows in astonishment: “Hey, that's pretty smart”

Doojoon went inside and returned shortly after with a pick blanket covered with a wild flower pattern. Yoseob eyed it struggling to keep his laughter: “What the heck is that?”

“It was my grandma’s” Doojoon snapped unaffected, immediately muting the small boy.

Together the three nailed the onto the inside of the door frame and put a few of Doojoon’s study books on the bottom, so it wouldn’t uncontrollably waft around. After they were done, Yoseob clapped his hands: “Pretty good I would say.”

“Thanks guys” Doojoon humbly said: “would you like something to drink?”

“That’s the least you can offer us, after we saved you from getting fatally ill” Yoseob laughed. Doojoon rolled his eyes and went inside. Jayoo chuckled and sat down on the edge of the rooftop, happy that she was of some help. Doojoon came back out again, carrying a small wooden table and balancing a green bottle and three shot glasses above it.

“Soju!” Yoseob yelled excited and helped him cleaning a spot on the floor, so he could set it down. Jayoo eyed the small bottle suspiciously. “Do you know that?” Doojoon asked when he noticed her expression.

She gulped: “Yeah, I’ve had it before”

She remembered the night after she got her black belt in Haidong Gumdo and her master invited her and the other successful examinees to a Korean restaurant where he paid a round of soju. Jayoo didn’t drink much, but the other students totally got into the joy able atmosphere and ordered a few more rounds of soju, getting awfully drunk. Her usually strict master was unrecognizable afterwards, singing happily with his students and even flirted with the waitress, who didn’t seem to mind at all and just giggled playing along. One of the Korean students enlightened Jayoo, that drinking was part of the Korean culture. That friends would deepen their friendship after an argument with a bottle of soju. And Companies would strengthen their teamwork at a company dinner, which usually ends with a bunch of really drunk employees.

“Would you like something else?” Doojoon kindly offered.

But Yoseob jumped in: “No! She’s gotta have at least one. It’s part of our culture, come on Jayoo-ya” he looked at her pleadingly.

“I’ll take one, don’t worry. I’d dare to say that I’m actually a pretty good drinker” she added cocky.

“Really?” Doojoon handed her a glass raising one eyebrow.

“Well, compared to Asian girls I mean. You know, since I’m European, and we have more enzymes and stuff” she shrugged blushing lightly and took the glass.

“That’s true; I met some really crazy girls in France, and man they could drink really hard”

“Really?” Yoseob asked in amazement taking his shot glass that Doojoon handed him. He looked at Jayoo and scrutinized her, not believing that this small figure could take that much. True, she was bigger that most Korean girls, but still.

“I’ll only take one though” Jayoo made sure, after she saw the challenging expression on Yoseob’s face, which immediately turned into an upset one. She stuck her tongue out at him: “Merong!”

Yoseob squealed and sat down next to her.

“Cha!” Doojoon called “Thanks for helping with my door”

“I hope you find a new place to stay soon” Jayoo said, lifting her shot glass as the other two did.

“Yup, let’s toast, to your new door and my two new baker neighbors” Yoseob added.

They put their glasses together and yelled “Konbae” in unison. Jayoo slightly turned her head to the side and emptied her drink in one gulp. The bitter yet kind of sweet taste run down , making her shudder at the fresh taste.

Yoseob laughed, seeing her reaction. Doojoon smiled at her: “You have really nice manners; sure you’re not actually Korean?”

“That’s right, who taught you to turn around like that when you drink?” Yoseob asked stunned.

“Oh, just some Korean friends that I know from Switzerland” she retorted shyly.

Doojoon filled Yoseob’s glass again and handed him the bottle so he could fill his up as well. They lifted their glasses and Yoseob called: “To Jayoo, our new cute little friend”

“Konbae” Doojoon approved and they emptied their drinks in one shot.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

finally the new album's out!!!!! What do ya'll think of their new MV? I totally dig it, 'specially Doojoon's and Junhungs rap part XD

I can't get friendly with Dongwoon's hair and clothes though, it makes him look like an asian wannabe cowboy... -.-

nevertheless, it's a fun song, can't wait to get their new album`!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like this story? Give it an Upvote!
Thank you!

Comments

You must be logged in to comment
Supafast_Jellyfish #1
Chapter 22: WELCOME BACK! HAPPY 2013 XD

update soon
midnightangelxo #2
Love this story :)
Update Soon !!