22
Love Is...
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kai did not even turn his head to look at me. He was just looking straight at nothing.
"Since when did you start disrespecting your own father?!" Hyunseong's raging voice echoed through the entire kitchen.
Suddenly, everything went silent. Even the birds that were happily chirping outside the house stopped and flew away. The maids that were standing behind him looked stiff.
I could hear the sound of my own breathing. Even I, felt rigid as I waited for Kai's answer.
He looked at his dad before asserting, "When you stopped being one."
With that, he stood up without excusing himself and darted to his room.
I heard the door slam.
Now, only Chaerin, Jungah, Hyunseong, the two maids and I were left.
The atmosphere became more tense.
I glanced towards Hyunseong appa who was clenching his hand in a fist. The expression on his face made me more nervous.
What to do. What to do. What to do?
Thankfully, "Shouting at each other in the midst of eating, is unsightly. Can we just continue eating?" Jungah said. She rolled her eyes and picked up her utensils.
Chaerin and I did the same thing.
Hyunseong remained quiet, looking at the space with a wrathful expression.
It was not good for him to get mad like this. He might have a heart attack all of a sudden. Which was not very good.
I finished eating my food and immediately went up to Kai's room.
I was only just standing outside his room door and I can hear loud shotgun sounds coming from the television. I opened the door and saw him plopped down on his couch, watching a show were some guy wearing a black mask was being chased by the cops. I covered my ears as I bent down and reached for the remote control. I minimized the volume which was on 88.
"I'm going home." I said, throwing the remote on his bed.
He stood up and turned off the television.
I put on my heels and folded my dress before carrying it in my arms.
In all fairness, the heels looked cute together with my loose shirt and pink and green floral shorts.
Kai picked up his car keys on top of the bedside table and opened the door.
We arrived downstairs and thank god, his father wasn't there.
"Good bye Eomma! Bye Chaerin!" I said.
"Bye!" Chaerin waved back.
"Be careful, okay? Jongin, drive properly, you hear?" His mom said.
But of course, Kai was not in the mood to even nod at his mom. He headed outside of the house.
I looked at Jungah and shook my head. "Bye,"
"The plane tickets are with me." Kai said as he stepped on the brake for a red light.
I was looking outside, busy thinking of how I will be able to make him feel better.
He was saying something, I think, but I was too preoccupied to even make out the right words.
It took a moment before he started saying something again. "You think I'm irreverent too, don't you?" He asked. And this time, I clearly heard him.
I glanced to the side and said, "No. I was just thinking of something. What were you saying?"
He focused back on the road as the lights went green. "I said the tickets are with me already."
He did an overtake because the truck in front of us was very slow, then said, "Our flight is later, at dawn. Three thirty."
"What?!" My jaw dropped. "But, I still have a lot to do!" I said.
I still have to buy some stuff I'd bring with me. I still have to have a personal talk with Sehun and ask him if it would be okay for him to tutor Sungjae because he's dying to have him as his own tutor. I still have to say good bye to my students and I still have to visit the cemetery.
How will I able to do all of those in just one day?
Why are they so excited about this thing?
Why?
Kai shrugged. "Dunno. Chaerin bought them. It's not my fault."
I bit my lip.
What should I do first?
Okay. I can buy my stuff later, it's not too much so it won't take long.
How about I go to Sehun's house first?
No, no, no.
Sehun is the kind of guy who is always having a hard time in understanding things. I could just give him a call if we arrived in Jeju already.
Yes. That would be so much easier.
Okay, um, visit my students?
I glanced at the clock.
7:15 am, Wednesday.
This is the day where they go to some park and play, so they won't be at school. And besides, I already gave them a visit last week so, I think that would be enough.
Lastly, visit my parents grave at the cemetery.
It was a long time since I last went to visit and clean their tomb, because of the sudden news about the arranged marriage so I became really stressed and busy at the same time.
I won't be able to visit them for one whole month because I'm going to be in Jeju so now is the right time for me to visit them before I leave.
"May we visit the cemetery?" I asked. "I just want to say good bye to them before we leave."
He nodded and maneuvered the car at once.
...
We arrived in front of the cemetery and Kai asked me to go ahead because he will go buy some fresh flowers and new candles for them.
I have always been afraid of going to cemeteries because of the terrible ghost stories I've heard before.
But when my parents died, I became brave.
First, because I will be visiting this place very often, so I needed to get used to it. Second, is because I am sure that they will be with me at all times.
I sat down on the grass in the middle of my parent's tomb.
"Hey, Eomma, Appa," I said.
My mother's tombstone was full of melted candles of different colors, while my father's was filled with withered flowers and some black ants.
I kneeled and cleaned up my mother's tombstone first.
"Eomma, I'm so sorry for not visiting you and Appa for so long."
The candles were glued to the tombstone which made it very hard to remove. I looked around and saw a keen rock. I stood up to pick it up, then used it to remove the candles, which were making the tombstone look dirty.
"I've already been told by Halmeoni about the fixed marriage. So, you don't really need to worry about it anymore. The engagement party happened last night, actually. If you only saw the dress I wore. It was really elegant, especially because Chaerin unnie gave it to me."
I threw the rock away after cleaning the tombstone.
There were no visitors and it was really, really quiet.
I mean, yeah, a cemetery is supposed to be quiet but there was nothing, no sound at all.
No chirping birds, no sound of car engines from the people who were also here in the cemetery, no rustling of leaves.
It was very serene.
I clapped my hands together to remove the dirt.
"I'm starting to adjust to the situation. And I'm having a hard time, really. I mean, we're best friends and all. I hope you're here so that you can help me."
I sighed. "Eomma, I miss you. Sungjae misses you too. Don't worry, I'll tell him to visit you soon."
"Appa," I said, shifting to my dad's tomb.
"Hi, how are you? Bet you're doing just great." I smiled to myself. "You're always watching from above, right? So, I bet you witnessed how lovely your princess looked last night."
I started to pick up the withered petals that were surrounding his tomb.
"You know Appa, I'm really having a hard time right now. I need those, how do you call them again? Words of wisdom. Yeah, I need those little advices of yours."
I dropped the petals inside a small canal across the street.
"I know that most the time I did not listen to them because I thought that it was futile. But, now, I'm really in need of help. Can you ask God if he could let you appear in my dream and tell me a great advice?" I looked up and exhaled. "I bet he will allow you to do that."
Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from behind.
I turned my head around and saw Kai carrying red carnations and lilies with his right hand and a plastic bag with the other.
"Bet you already had your personal talk with them." He said as he sat on the grass beside me and handed the fresh flowers to me.
I placed the lilies on top of Appa's tomb and the red carnations on Eomma's.
"Yeah. It made me feel better, you know, being able to talk to them. I can feel their presence. They're guiding me."
Kai handed me the plastic bag which had a bottle of frapp and some candles inside.
I took the candles and placed them on top of both tombstones. "Do you have a match or something to light these?" I asked, stretching my hand out.
He pulled a lighter out of his pocket and handed it to me.
"Thanks." I said.
Then it suddenly hit me.
Why does he have a lighter?
Is he...
"Why do you have a lighter?" I furrowed my eyebrows at him.
"I borrowed it from one of the guards at the gate." He remarked.
"Oh," I said as I turned to start lighting the candles. "I thought you were-"
"Smoking?" He guessed.
See?
That was also the first thing that came up to his mind. It's not only me.
Kai snorted. "I won't ruin my perfect lips just because of that."
I stopped and gave him a look.
He his lips in a very cool manner, then wiggled his eyebrows playfully.
Oh, I thought.
Those perfect lips.
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