An excerpt from The Lunch Box

VI

“Product code: Japanese bento

Quantity: 1

Aiyaaaa ~ ㅋㅋㅋ

 I spent a great deal of effort making this one! I stayed up all night just to make it perfect…so I hope you like it? (◕‿◕✿) I hope it tastes alright. Please do tell me what you think!

Anyway, hey…on a serious note, I know this sounds banal and probably you’ve heard this a lot of times, but I know the feeling. Believe it or not, I know. I really do. I’ve also had this friend before, but…we had a bit of a falling out. And it was just…sad. But, um, we’re talking about your life here. How are you and your friend now? Have you tried talking to him/her? What hinders you from talking to that friend, exactly? What’s the core of the problem? I hope I don’t sound pushy or anything. But if it puts you in discomfort to answer that question, then just tell me^^

Eat well!

-          peminator”

“Oh my golly, if only they’d let us exchange letters every single day, my letter wouldn’t be this long right now. I’m sorry :( aigoo, the Japanese bento was really great! Gosh. Are you, by any chance, of Japanese descent? Because my brother once attempted to make me a bento, but it wasn’t as yummy as yours. ㅋㅋㅋ

So much for that; eh…that is very nice of you to ask about my problem. For a moment I thought I’d bothered you with it. Well, you see, this friend of mine and I were really close before, but…due to a whirlwind of events, we kind of got...estranged, and now I just can’t conjure the guts to talk to him. I feel awkward and confused, because he seems like he doesn’t need me in his life anymore. And I think I’d just bother him if I come anywhere near. Yeah. That’s the story.

And, oh, no. You’re not being pushy. Not at all! After all, this is why The Lunch Box project was launched, right? And oh, hey, I don’t mean to just talk about my life here. If you have even just a very small thing that bothers you, don’t be afraid to share it to me. I’d love to help out!

Till next time!

-          s-bm”

“Ah…I suppose it doesn’t taste that good? I apologize beforehand if it’s less in quality than the Japanese bento. Are you still going to eat it? If you will, please do tell me what you think! I was kind of in a bad mood while cooking this so yeah -__- anyway, um, no, I’m not Japanese. I’m fully Korean! I just happened to stumble upon a couple of Japanese dishes while I was learning how to cook for this project.

Oh and about this friend of yours, try talking to him. You’ll never know until you try. You know that saying, right? Wait for a good timing. Try dropping by a simple ‘Hi’ and you can start from there. Maybe it can change the way you think. You went through things as friends so maybe he’ll remember the times you had. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure he’ll be touched—that’s not far from happening.

Well, there is this one thing that’s been bothering me…it’s been here for years now. You see—omo, this is kind of embarrassing >__< I have this girl that I like. It’s been going on for years but now I think she…hates me? And I’m too scared to approach her because, like you, I feel like I’m just going to bother her. Eeeh this is so nerve-wracking OKAY MOVING ON ><

Tell me if you have said hello, okay? Tell me how it went. Most especially, tell me how the food tastes like!

talk to you this Friday!

-          peminator”

“And then what? Eeeeh you can’t just start some story and not continue it! Unfair! ㅋㅋㅋ

Come on, tell all! Tell me who this lucky girl is! Is she pretty? Please describe her ~~~ either way I have no way of knowing who she is^^

Anyway the food tastes alright, though I can really say that you were in a bad mood because it tasted like your tears! Hahaha just kidding. It’s alright, really. What was bothering you while cooking, by the way?

Oh, and I did try your recommendation, though I didn’t exactly do everything. I could only afford a stupid sheepish smile when our eyes met in class once. He just smiled back, and looked away. Now I don’t think I’ll ever try talking to him ever againㅠㅠ that was really embarrassingㅠㅠ

I do hope you like this pumpkin soup! I also prepared some side dishes ke~ enjoy!

Annyeong,

-          s-bm”

“Heol~ you are one curious creature aren’t you~ hahaha

Um…this girl…she’s pretty. No, she’s the prettiest person that ever walked this Earth. She’s smart, a bit hot-tempered, but I’m in love with her. I’ve been, all this time. I sound really shabby now and you’re probably cringing so I’ll stop here.

Eh? Why wouldn’t you try saying Hello again? Alright then. It’s up to you, really. But just at least try being friends with him. If I were that friend I’d feel terrible! Kkkk. Now, please do enjoy this pasta~ a bit of Italian cuisine for you!

Wow we’ve exchanged letters for quite a long while now, right? How long has it been, two months? Too bad they only let us exchange letters on Mondays and Fridays. If I could, I’d want to talk to you every day. We seem to be sharing a lot of common denominators. I just have that feeling. What’s your type of music, anyway?

Oh hey, do you look forward to the day when we meet face to face? Because I really do. You once told me that you like sci-fi movies, so maybe when I get to finally meet you, we’ll watch some of what I have here! Kkkk~

Eat well!

-          peminator”

=====

세나: I’m already seated among the audience, very excited for the performances today. My friends are going to perform and I’m here to support them. While B.A.P is promoting Hajima, my “brothers” are doing Sarangbakke nan molla. Before the airing I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, to see that I’ve received a message. It’s from Jae. Here it says—

Do you hear that?

I quickly reply,

What, the sound of sadness?

And our conversation is prolonged.

Babo, I’m serious

What are you talking about?

It’s dark outside

What

The clouds. Are you okay there?

 Here everyone in the studio feels the very faint, but definite vibration caused by something outside. A shiver travels down my spine when I realize what it is. Coincidentally, Sungjae has just talked to me about it. Thunder.

I heard it. I heard it. I just heard it.

Oh my goodness ㅠㅠ

You already did? Are you okay?

I’m dyingggg

Just…calm down

It wasn’t that loud but I really heard itㅡㅡ;; )

 I can’t go there now

Okay유___유

Don’t be scared.

Yes butㅠㅠ

Don’t worry. It’ll go away later.

Thank you Jae 흑흑흑

Just wait for us. Where are you?

Fourth row from the front, third from the aisle

Alright. We’re vocalizing now.

See you later ㅋ

Okay ㅠㅠ hwaiting <3

And right after that, the show starts. During the performance Sungjae doesn’t see me in the sea of faces, but it’s okay. I would’ve really minded if not for Donggeun being so eye-sorely gorgeous.

Strangely Sungjae’s advice works, though for once or twice I hear the thunder outside (because it managed to penetrate into the studio then it must be really loud then). In the middle of the show I forget about the thunder outside, as I get immersed in the atmosphere inside the studio. This is how it must feel like to be a fan, then?

When the show’s over, all groups having had performed, and the audience dispersing, I make my way to the waiting rooms (as to how I make it there, is a secret. Kidding. I possess this pass thingy that allows me to) and head first to my friends, before my bros.

On my way there, coincidentally, I meet Sungjae and Ilhoon-oppa’s schoolmate, the guy with small eyes. “Se Na-ssi!” he exclaims, when we both stand before the door.

“Hello, oppa, congratulations on a very lively performance,” I grinned.

“Thanks,” he replies with a shy smile. “Come on in,” I do, and upon my entrance they’re all delighted upon the sight of me.

“Annyeonghaseyo,” I bow, still not very much at comfort when I’m surrounded by all of them. Tell you what—I’m only very comfortable when I’m with my best friend’s band. They could either count me as their muse or their eighth member.

“Se Na-ssi!!!” the pretty guy waves his hands at me. He’s named Himchan. “Thank you for coming!”

Everyone else greets me, and before I go out, Himchan-oppa gives me a signed copy of their album. I don’t really know what difference there is between a signed album and not, until when I get back in BtoB’s room, Changseob-oppa tells me how lucky I am. I guess I’ll never know; I’m not really a fan.

I guess they’re pretty jealous at this, I think so, because they think that I like those friends of mine more than them. Eh, it’s not like that. I have a Born To Beat and Press Play album back at home, only those are not signed.

Ha.

Ha.

Ha.

It’s bitter irony, I know.

I know that their jealousy is going overboard when Sungjae gets to the point when he actually ‘wages war against me’ one day after their practice with B.A.P. Although it doesn’t last that seriously because before I get down the inside joke of me being pna502 makes us both smile at each other. Presently their dance practices for their upcoming Dance Battle/collab performance are still going on, and, here I am, only being allowed to watch once in a blue moon because they need to keep the “element of surprise”.

December is fast approaching, and signs of the frosty season are here. Me currently working on The Lunch Box at home, I realize that the monotonic air here in my apartment thwarts my writing being in full swing. Settling for a change in environment, I carry my laptop along, and tread the ten-minute road to a nearby café—the place where Penpen and I first met.

There’s a pleasing number of people here, as the customers are fairly few. There’s an abundance of vacant tables so me working without distractions is a promise. Before getting a table I order first, waiting in line.

I fumble with my phone as I wait for my turn, and when I finally notice that for the past five minutes line hasn’t diminished yet and I’m still rooted in my place, I realize that there’s something wrong with the customers before me.

Two customers are arguing.

“I’m sorry, but I dare say I was here first,” says a professional-looking guy. He looks old and impertinent.

 “Well with all due respect sir, I have been standing here before you have even entered this café,” replies the guy he is in an argument with, of salt-and-pepper hair, and though both of them are of a bit of age, I see that this second guy is younger. “I’m pretty sure I am not the only one who noticed that you just cut in line,” he rants on, in a marred Korean accent. He seems to have been speaking in a different tongue, though he looks very Korean.

I look at the sales-person at the counter, but she just watches the argument in paralysis. She seems like she doesn’t know what to do. Soon enough the other noises in the café die out and the other customers at the tables notice the heated argument between the two aged guys. The ahjussis’ voices getting louder and louder, it starts to get into my nerves, especially that I am on a bit of a hurry now and I am so thirsty.

“You cut in line, sir,” the guy with salt-and-pepper hair says, voice getting higher, anger suppressed, but still obvious.

“I don’t cut in line, never had, I’m not, and never will,”

“Why, sir, if it hasn’t occurred to you, that is just utter rudeness,” the other snaps. “I would let you take an order first if I haven’t been in a hurry or if you didn’t cut in line,”

“My apologies, but you are not one to tell me what to do,” the two guys start to stand towards each other closer, face to face.

“I must hurry, my son is waiting for me,” oddly enough, this younger guy looks vaguely familiar to me. It’s like he has an uncanny resemblance with someone I know.

The older guy snaps another comeback, to which the other replies too, with the same sarcastic rudeness, and upon seeing that no one comes to the rescue, I get fed up, and step in.

I earn a breath and tone my anger down so hard before I say, “Bless you, dear sirs, but in case you both haven’t noticed, other customers are also waiting in line and you, my lords, ought to settle this nonsense, like sensible gentlemen,” for some reason, I feel obliged to defend the older guy, though the one he is in an argument with strikes more familiarity in me. I don’t care, really.

“Miss, haven’t your parents taught you not to talk to elders like that?” says the salt-and-pepper-haired old guy.

“With all due respect, sir, but that is none of your business. I respect elders highly but not when they bicker in front of me like spoiled little brats just for a place in line,”

He sort of gasps at my remark, and I bite my tongue because my irritation got the best of me again. “How rude!”

“Not really,” I clench my fists to control my temper, only to fail miserably, because my mouth spills a few more out, “If you think I’m being rude, sir, then you should try to observe what both of you are doing. Let me ask you, sir, is this how true gentlemen would behave?” and seeing that both of them are in wrong here, I look at the two of them, purposely making my stare sharp.

Here the manager comes to the rescue, after like a decade of delay. He settles it on the spot, and it turns out that the guy with salt-and-pepper hair was the victim, and the one that I felt like defending, was the one at fault. To appease both parties the manager offers to give their orders free of charge and a gift certificate worth a million Won. To this the two men agree, and the misunderstanding is settled though neither apologized. After this the operation in the café is back to normal, and the atmosphere relaxes.

Due to this incident I feel discouraged now to stay here, as many pairs of eyes are aimed at me. I know, that was utterly rude, what I did back there, but I think like a sense of justice was needed. That was stupid of me to get on the wrong side, but, ugh—I feel an upsetting mixture of embarrassment and guilt right now.

The atmosphere in the café choking me, as soon as I get my order I go someplace else, and my legs bring me to a park. I can’t exactly concentrate but I finish the chapter after an awful lot of bloody backspaces and rephrasing. Good thing my laptop’s battery is fully charged, that I’m not bothered with the matter of being low in batteries. Having taken too long in typing just a single chapter (I’m having writer’s block, sorry) I finish when the dark starts to bite the afternoon.

When I’m back home, I’m suddenly possessed by the urge to have dinner together with the boys, as these past few days they have been too busy and I also. I fawn over this matter for a really long while till mid-evening, as I fear that I’d distract them in their practice. I wait, and while I’m at it, I start to think that what if I let the dinner tonight be the grand unveiling of it all?

I shake my head, though the cloned documents are laid before me here in my bed. I reproduced the copy of my doctor’s diagnosis of me so I could give them a copy when I call for that very important meeting.

It has been my plan for a few weeks now. That’s what I thought of. I’d call for a meeting with everyone, and by everyone I mean everyone else. I want to tell Sungjae separately. I’m serious, I plan to tell it over a candlelight dinner. I think I’m going crazy where I am all going with this, but I’m on the brink of desperation now. I plan to tell everyone before this year ends. But now considering how much time I have wasted, haste is a must.

I’m so startled when my phone suddenly rings, I actually yelp. It’s Sungjae.

“Yeoboseyo?”

“Se Na,”

“I was just about to call you!”

“Haha, really?”

“Hmm-mm. I suddenly want to have dinner with you guys,”

“Eh, we kind of had dinner already, sorry…”

“Aw, okay, okay. It’s alright. I’ll eat. Where are you now?”

“At the restaurant where we all had dinner before. You know that, right? Someone treated us,”

I chuckle. “Really? Who?”

“Donggeun-hyung’s dad is in town!”

“Whoa, is this true?! He must be very happy then!”

“Yes, very. The funny thing is it’s even a surprise visit. Hyung didn’t know that his dad was here till Mr. Shin called him this afternoon,”

A sense of genuine excitement wells within me, that I blurt out, “I want to meet him!”

Sungjae laughs. “Why not? I think we’ll be staying here for a bit. Hyung says he wants you to meet his dad. He’s very fine with it,”

“Can I catch up?”

“Sure!”

“Alright, I’ll just go grab a bite then head there. Wait for me!”

“No problem,”

And that having settled, the call ends, and I immediately change my clothes to a more presentable one. I even wear a skirt and a long pair of black stockings. For this night I don’t have any proper dinner, as I merely satisfy my stomach’s needs with rice cake, and a couple of street foods, on my way to the restaurant.

When I reach the place I see someone tall standing outside I know who it is. My best friend has been waiting.

Wow, dammit, why does he look so handsome today? He’s just  wearing his everyday clothes.

“You’re here, finally!” he says, raising an arm to wave at me. And for some odd, unknown cause, my words are stuck in my throat. Sungjae then spins me around, puts his hands on my shoulders, and pushes me. Together, we walk to the table.

“Se Na-ssi!”

“Se Na! Hello!”

“Se Na-ya! You’re here?”

Are just some of the greetings that meet me upon I’m presented. I give them a sheepish half-smile, “Hey guys,”

“Ah, dad, this is our friend,” here I see Shin Donggeun rise from his seat, along with a guy. “Se Na,”

Without any second thought, I bow politely, “Annyeonghaseyo, I’m Pyo Se Na; I’m very humbled to have the pleasure of meeting you, sir,” when I stand straight again, I feel like choking a lung out, when I realize whom I just greeted. No wonder why he really looked familiar because his son inherited some of his visage, and Penpen would look like him about thirty years from now, salt-and-pepper hair and all.

Uh-oh. I gulp. I’m in big trouble.

Peniel’s dad…he was that guy from the café just this afternoon, right?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

while Se Na is so fast in updating TLB, here I am writhing in pain catching up with her updates. she puts me in trouble sometimes. ok ok

oooooh I made an ask.fm account! shameless advertisement. if you don't mind talking to me, please do. I'd like to talk to you too so here! ask awayyyyy !

here's an update! sorry it took me long. 

have a good read! tell me what you think please .__.

bbyong ~

-b