Chapter Two: Facing the Grandpa and Choding

“Hyung, quiet down, Minny is in the other room,” Myungsoo’s voice came through the wall clearly, but hushed. That was the moment I decided to pull my ear away from the wall, stepping back under the showerhead, appreciating the warm water that enveloped my body, not sure if it’ll be my last shower before I would be back on the streets again.

At least he tried…

I closed my eyes, leaning my head back into the water, relaxing just like Myungsoo suggested. I wouldn’t let the argument the others were having affect me. I was accustomed to the streets; it would take no time at all for me to regain the dirt I had just washed away moments ago.

I let a few minutes pass before reluctantly turning off the water, but stayed still in the tub, basking in the steam that surrounded me.

I hadn’t felt a shower in so long that I had forgotten the wonderful after-sensation it brought. Then I could hear footsteps outside the door in the hallway, making me step out and wrap the towel around my body, drying myself before tugging on the t-shirt and boxers.

I could still smell the detergent on the clothes I was wearing, making me feel clean for the first time in a while, making me sigh in content. If I had to choose a moment to die happy, it would’ve been at that moment- when I was the cleanest I had been in months.

Then I found a brush and combed my hair, taking out all the knots that had formed in my hair throughout the years. Having a brush on the streets was a luxury, but of course, I wasn’t blessed with such luck, despite the fact of being a girl, therefore, the knots were the gift to remind me of those unfortunate moments.

That’s when I decided to leave my personal heaven, and walked through the bathroom door to the living room, coming face to face with Sungyeol.

“Erm, Annyeong,” He said awkwardly, putting his hands in his pockets, looking unsettled with seeing me. I raised an eyebrow before nodding in return, “So, well, the others will be here in few. They’ll be bringing food, are you still hungry?”

I shrugged and nodded, “A bit..”

He nodded murmuring, “You ate a full ramyun by yourself and you’re still hungry..Aish.”

The urge to roll my eyes at his inconsiderate thought was being fought when Myungsoo decided to join us, a green comforter and yellow pillow in hand, smiling at me, “Here’s your bed for the night. I’d let you have my bed, but it would be a little weird sleeping with a bunch of guys, and besides, they snore.”

I chuckled softly at his explanation and the knitted my eyebrows together in confusion, making him raise one in return at my reaction, “Er… How many guys live here exactly?”

Sungyeol looked at me, then back at Myungsoo, “Yah! You didn’t tell her?”

Myungsoo shook his head with a shrug, “I didn’t think it mattered, but I guess it does now with the whole sleeping situation,” He placed the folded up comforter and pillow in his arms on the ground neatly and stood back up, dusting his hands off, “Well, there are 5 other guys who live here, including Sungyeol and myself.”

I could feel my eyes widen a bit, making Sungyeol take notice and cross his arms, obviously showing he had a problem with me, “Yah, isn’t it just like this on the streets? Just not in a house? If you don’t appreciate it, then you can leave.”

Myungsoo turned to his older friend angrily, hitting him slightly, kind of like what a couple would do, “Yah! Shut up, hyung! You don’t know anything.”

To be honest, I didn’t feel hurt at his comment, of course it annoyed me with his assumptions on being homeless, but he was right. I was being a little unappreciative. I let my eyes wander to the door, hearing footsteps, then back at Sungyeol, opening my mouth to speak,

“Thank you. For everything,” My eyes went straight to Myungsoo, “Myungsoo.” He blinked before realizing why I was acting a little strange when the door opened and a stream of five boys piled into the room, shivering, chattering, and laughing while removing their shoes and jackets.

They seemed so lively and kind while trampling over each other until, one-by-one, their eyes went up to look at me, a strange girl wearing Myungsoo’s clothes with a faded-color brown eye and a healthy one. It seemed like the seriousness of the atmosphere they filed into was suddenly processed into their minds, looking around to Myungsoo and Sungyeol with questionable looks.

One man stepped forward though, dirty blonde hair dressed in sweatpants and a loose fitting t-shirt with leopard prints on it, his eyes were a small almond shape, but he seemed nice as he smiled while removing his black puffy jacket, “Ah, are you a friend of Myungsoo’s?”

Sungyeol scoffed a laugh and retorted, “Ani, hyung! This is- literally- a girl off the street Myungsoo decided to bring home.” Sunggyu blinked at the choding’s words, then turned to Myungsoo.

“Hm? Is that true?” He asked, putting his jacket aside.

Myungsoo nodded with no hesitation, “Hyung, please-.”

Sunggyu raised a hand and turned to me with a gentle smile, bowing slightly at me, “Annyeonghasaeyo, Sunggyu-ibnida.” I blinked at his introduction and bowed silently to him in return,

“Annyeonghasaeyo, Minny-ibnida.”

The boys starts ‘wah-ing’ and ‘aigoo-ing,’ while laughing, making me look around self-consciously to see what they found so funny.

“She has an accent, hyung,” An attractive man behind Sunggyu said, smiling. He had dark brown hair, styled into a slight side-fringe, wearing a pair of MC Hammer gray sweatpants and a red plaid, button-up shirt with a gray cap and black thin jacket.

I blinked as I looked back at Sunggyu who nodded with a chuckle, “Did you guys eat? We brought some food home. Hopefully we’ll have enough for everyone.”

I looked down and bowed slightly, “Mianhae.. Myungsoo made me some Ramyun, so I’m not too hungry.”

Sunggyu blinked and nodded, grabbing Sungyeol’s attention, “Yah, you’re not hungry? You pretty much inhaled that Ramyun…”

Of course I was still hungry. I hadn’t eaten a proper meal for how long? But I didn’t want to bombard on their meal, so I shook my head, “I’m not, Sungyeol-ssi, but I am tired…”

Myungsoo turned to me with a small smile, nodding subtly, “Then you can use my bed until things settle, down, hm?” I bit my lip, feeling uncomfortable with the situation. My eyes went up to Myungsoo as the boys then stepped in, sitting in a circle in the living room, making Myungsoo, me and Sungyeol the only ones standing.

“Erm.. Maybe I should leave, Myungsoo.. It feels like I’m invading,” I started, looking down slightly, getting interrupted by one of the boys sitting down, he was built nicely, eyes shaped like a deer’s and hair a dark brown, with a right side fringe. He was wearing a pair of black sweatpants, a white hoodie- he looked like a dancer,

“Ani~ You wouldn’t be invading. You’re a friend of Myungsoo’s, so eat up if you’re still hungry. By the way, my name is Hoya,” He smiled gently at me, then turned to Sunggyu, “Come on hyung, let’s have her stay the night. We can all sleep out here with her. It’ll be like a sleepover.”

Sunggyu’s eyes went to me, looking me up and down, contemplating as the boys around him, except Sungyeol and Myungsoo, chattered about the idea, laughing and growing louder before Sunggyu finally nodded in agreement, “Ne. That’ll be nice.”

Myungsoo looked at me with a smile, “You’ll be fine. Come and eat, we always have left over food, so don’t worry about it, “He rested a hand on my shoulder, making me tense, “I’ll talk to Sunggyu-hyung about it during dinner.”

My eyes went to look into his, nodding slowly in agreement, whispering, “Ne, but I thought it would have already been ok…”

Myungsoo nodded to me apologetically, “Mianhae, but I’m sure things will work out, I promise,” His hand squeezed gently on my shoulder reassuringly, making me have a little boost of confidence. I nodded to him, biting my lip nervously.

“Come on, let’s eat, hm?” The attractive man said, rubbing his hands together while placing a bag of food in the middle of the circle, pulling out a pair of chopsticks from one of the bags. Soon after, everyone had a chopstick, opened Styrofoam boxes, picking at food and laughing, creating idle chit-chat with one another.

I ended up sitting Sungyeol and another man, I peeked up at him as our chopsticks hit each other, aiming for the same piece of bulgogi, he had a big smile, blonde-ish brown hair and a very masculine feel. He let go and let me have the bulgogi, I chewed and looked at him from the corner of my eye as he smiled and bowed his head, “Annyeonghasaeyo, Dongwoo-ibnida.”

His greeting was warm, making a smile tug at my lips as I nodded, “Annyeonghasaeyo, Minny-ibnida.”

A smile broke on his face as he laughed, “Yah, Woohyun-ah was right, you do have an accent!”

I blinked at his words and recalled the attractive man pointing out an accent, making me smile slightly, “I’m not Korean, Dongwoo-ssi, I’m Filipino.” He smiled and nodded, reaching for his bottled water.

“Your Korean is good, but your accent is funny. Yet cute,” I blinked at his words and decided to end the conversation there. Not because I was getting uncomfortable, I was just starting to feel a little drowsy. My eyes then landed on the clear bottle in the middle of the circle, it looked like water, so I grabbed it and poured some in my cup.

I let my eyes travel around and landed on a young boy’s, he seemed a little younger than me, but his stare was intense. I blinked, trying to ignore it and decided to down the cup of water I had just filled. I took a complete gulp of the substance before choking at the strong taste of alcohol.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I coughed into the inside of my elbow, standing up and stepping outside to breath in some fresh air. During the ordeal, the meal between the boys had stopped and watched me, beginning to laugh as Myungsoo sniffed my cup and confirmed the substance to be SoJu, a small chuckle leaving his throat as he followed me out.

A blush had crept onto my cheeks as I stepped out into the moonlit covered street, coughing into the silence, but slowly quieting down. Myungsoo chuckled behind me, patting my back gently, “You thought it was water, hm?”

I nodded as he smiled, “Aigoo. When did you ever see water served in a bottle?”

The blush on my cheeks brightened as I playfully punched him, beginning to breathe like a normal human being, “You never know nowadays. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been in a store?”

Myungsoo nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets, “I suppose I can give you that one.” A moment of silence settled between us as we looked out into the sky, the stars and moon looking wonderful in the clear night sky, “I’ll figure something out, Minny. I promise.”

My eyes peeked to him from the corner of my eye.

He’s really trying to make things work out…

 “And besides, Sunggyu-hyung, he’s kind and understanding. I’m sure he won’t say ‘no,’ but there’s always the chance,” His voice died out in the distance between us, but I understood him. He was doing his best, but it’s not just him living in this house.

It had to be in the best interest of them as a whole, and me being a girl might not help too much in my benefit.

“Why? Why are you doing all of this, Myungsoo?” I kept my sight straight ahead at the building across the street, my eyes locked on the few lights that were still on. I could feel his gaze on me, but pretended to not acknowledge it.

“Because, you deserve a home too. A chance, just like everybody else,” He turned his head in time as I turned mine to look at him.

“In other words, you pittied me,” My stare became more intense before sizzling down when he shook his head.

“It may be pity, molla. But it’s not fair for you. What happened to you, you couldn’t control it,” He leaned his elbows on the railing that was available. I shook my head, chuckling softly, yet bitterly, at his words,

“Pabo. I thought you’d have learned that life isn’t fair,” I said softly, letting my eyes look up to the endlessly star-lit sky, “Things happen that I can’t control. It’s… just what happens in life.”

I peeked to him as his eyes down-casted and looked at his palms, nodding slightly, “Although that’s true, you have to at least help those you think can use it.” My eyes slowly found their way to him at his words.

Maybe, accepting a person’s help is okay every now and then.

“Myungsoo,” Myungsoo and I turned at the voice behind us, realizing it was Sunggyu. I blinked at his presence, not sure how to feel. What if he heard everything we were saying? My eyes followed him as he stepped closer to Myungsoo, resting his hands on his shoulders, “Is that why you brought her here?”

Myungsoo bit his lip as he looked down and nodded slightly, “Hyung, she was on the streets…” He whispered softly.

Sunggyu smiled slightly as he then looked to me, “There’s many people living on the streets. What makes Minny so different? What caught your attention of her?”

The younger man took a moment to think before looking up at me and said, “Her stare and her story made me want to help her. Many people are homeless and going hungry, but are capable of working. And most of them got there because of their own poor decision-makings.” Myungsoo turned to Sunggyu as he continued, “Hyung, she’s blind through her left eye and couldn’t hold down a job because of it. We have to take her in… please, Hyung.”

Sunggyu looked at me, but I lowered my sight as I whispered, “I understand that I’m bombarding, but I can earn my stay, Sunggyu-ssi. I can clean and cook, pick up groceries, laundry… anything.”

I heard a chuckle, “Yet you can’t tell the difference between SoJu and water. What happens if you put vinegar in a meal instead of water, eh?”

I bit my lip as Myungsoo stepped out of the older man’s hands, and stood beside me, “Hyung, please…”

Sunggyu sighed, running a hand through his hair, looking out towards the sky and down his neck as he thought, breathing in a sharp air, “At least try to earn a little money on the side. If you try and you can’t, I’ll understand.”

Myungsoo and I both looked up at Sunggyu, eyes wide, “Jinjja?”

Sunggyu nodded, a light smile on his lips, “Ne.”

I fought the urge to pounce him in a hug, but I couldn’t control the happy tears that rolled down my cheeks, making me look down to the floorboards of the porch. The next thing I could feel was a hand ruffling my hair slightly, making me sniffle and look up at Sunggyu, the owner of the hand that rested on my head.

He smiled gently in return to me as he spoke, “Myungsoo, find out who doesn’t have a schedule tomorrow. We’ll go get some proper clothes for our new occupant.”

Myungsoo nodded as he ran into the house, leaving Sunggyu and I alone. I couldn’t help it anymore, I threw my arms around his waist, letting my tears flow onto his chest as he petted my hair soothingly, humming softly in my ear.

We were surrounded by silence and soft sniffles from me as I thought,

Finally… I have a home. A new home…

“You’re safe here, Minny-ah. Now,” He used an index finger to lift my chin up to look up at him, smiling gently as he wiped my tears away, “Tell me where would you like to sleep?”

I blinked at his words, not able to think straight, “E-Eh?”

Sunggyu chuckled as he nodded, repeating himself, “Where would you like to sleep during the night?” I looked through the front window, being greeted with a few pairs of eyes, nodding at Myungsoo’s words, probably explaining the situation to all of them.

“Sunggyu-ssi… I don’t know any of them all that well,” I sighed, “This is all happening so fast. I mean, Myungsoo-ssi and I just met this morning.”

Sunggyu nodded as he looked into the house at the group of boys I was looking at, “I think Hoya and Sungjong might be the best people to room you with. Myungsoo can sleep with Woohyun and I, Dongwoo and Sungyeol can share the smaller room together. Is that okay with you?”

I looked up at him as he smiled at me gently, making me bite my lip, “Will Hoya and Sungjong mind..?”

Sunggyu shrugged, “Hoya is very kind and respectable to women, and Sungjong is pretty much a woman himself, so I don’t think they’d mind too much. Besides, we’re all pretty accustomed to each other. We get along well.“

I nodded in response, “Then, shall we get settled in, hm?” He guided me into the house from behind, into the house and to the group of boys in the middle of the living room.

“Hyung, you can’t be serious!” Sungyeol stood up upon our entrance, obviously angry, “She’s a stranger, we don’t know her! And how about how the rest of us feel? Eh?”

Sunggyu sighed, “Yah, does anyone have a problem with Minny living with us for a while?”

The room was silent as Hoya and Dongwoo looked at each other, shaking their heads, “Ani, she seems really nice,” Hoya started.

“And cute,” Dongwoo finished, making a blush creep onto my cheeks, making him laugh, “Like I said, cute!”

“Hyung, we’ve only had one meal with her,” Woohyun whispered into Sunggyu’s ear, but loud enough I could hear it, but pretended I didn’t.

“Yah, we were all selected as a group and didn’t have a choice and didn’t know each other when we first became trainees. This is the same situation, just not based on singing and talent,” Sunggyu noted, looking around at everyone, making Sungyeol look down to his feet in embarrassment.

“I’m the leader of this group, and what I say goes when it comes to decisions like this,” He placed a hand on my head, my eyes looking up at him as he continued speaking, “Minny is a nice girl, I can tell. If it doesn’t go well, we can find another place, arasso?”

Sungyeol grumbled in agreement as the rest of the boys surrounded me in a swarm, smiling and laughing, “Finally~ someone who can help around the house!” Sungjong exclaimed, making me smile.

“And someone who can cook something besides ramyun,” Dongwoo laughed out, nudging Hoya, making him nod with a smile in agreement.

“Okay, okay, now settle down. Who doesn’t have schedules tomorrow?” Sunggyu took initiative and looked around as three boys answered: Hoya, Dongwoo and Sungjong. Sunggyu nodded as he continued, “Alright, you three will be responsible to take Minny out and get her some proper clothing and necessities.”

All three looked at each other and smiled, nodding, “Ne, hyung~.”

Sunggyu smiled and looked around the room, “As for the sleeping situation, starting tonight, Dongwoo and Sungyeol will be sharing the smaller room, Hoya, Sungjong and Minny will get the bigger bedroom, and Myungsoo will be sleeping with Woohyun and I in our room.”

Sungyeol grumbled again, crossing his arms over his chest, “Ya, Hyung, why are you being so grumpy?” Myungsoo confronted him, “She hasn’t done anything. Why are you so disapproving?”

Sungyeol’s eyes turned to me, “No reason. I’ll just grab my stuff and start moving in with Dongwoo,” He grumbled, nudging through the group of boys and to his room. My eyes followed him as he made his way to his room.

“Sunggyu-ssi,” I looked up at Sunggyu, frowning, “I didn’t mean to make this difficult…”

Sunggyu smiled softly at me and patted my head, “It’s not you, Minny-ah, he’s just been one who doesn’t like change.” I nodded slowly at his response.

“Yeah, don’t worry too much about Sungyeol-ah, he’ll get over it soon,” Dongwoo nodded in reassurance to his own statement, looking at me, “So, what is it you need from the store? We can start making a list tonight to be ready tomorrow.”

I blushed as I began abusing my brain to remember what necessities a girl my age would need, and their corresponding names, looking up at Dongwoo hopelessly; I shrugged slightly, “Erm… Clothes?”

Dongwoo laughed as he nodded, “Arasso, we’ll start making a list now, ne?”

I nodded in response, “Kamsabnida, for everything. You have no idea how appreciative I am of all this…” My eyes looked around the room, “Just a few hours ago, I didn’t know when I’d have my next meal, and now here I am, a full stomach for the first time in almost two years, and clean clothes after taking a shower… I thank every single one of you sincerely,” With that, I kneeled down on the floor and bowed my forehead to the floor, showing how grateful I was to them, “I am in your debt.”

Myungsoo smiled at me when I peeked through my hair, signaling that I had done the right thing. When I sat up on my knees and looked around at each man’s face, they each carried a gentle smile and a soft look in their eyes- the emotion being something I couldn’t identify.

“Yah, come so we can start that list, eh?” Hoya smiled and helped me up with a hand, guiding me to the kitchen where there was a small table and four chairs surrounding it, “Have a seat and I’ll grab some paper and pen.”

I nodded as Sungjong and Dongwoo joined me at the table, “Wah, you’re so Daebak, Minny,” I looked up at his comment, unsure of how to take it, “So respectful to bow and show gratitude like that. It’s admiring,” he smiled his toothy smile, making me smile back at him.

“Noona,” I turned to Sungjong, smiling softly.

“Ne?”

“Will you be with us for a long time?” I raised an eyebrow at his question and bit my lip, shaking my head.

“Molla, Sungjong-ah, but I will, one day, repay you all for your kindness.” Sungjong nodded at my words, looking around before saying,

“You seem really nice, but I think I know the real reason why Sungyeol-hyung is being so sore about you living with us...” This caught my attention, making me look at him curiously, at this moment, Hoya walked in and settling a notebook and a bunch of pens on the table.

“I think I have an idea about what Sungjong is getting at,” Dongwoo agreed, nodding slightly as he leaned his elbows on the table, grabbing the notebook and a pen, opening the notebook and began writing.

“We filmed a show here called: You are my Oppa, and the girl who stayed with us flirted a lot with Sungyeol,” Hoya hummed in agreement to Sungjong’s words and let him continue, “One day, Hyung confessed to her.”

“But she ended up walking out the door only saying that she was flirting with him for the show, and she didn’t really like him,” Hoya continued for Sungjong.

“And I remember her commenting how ugly and annoying Sungyeol was to her, she said he was loud and obnoxious,” Donwoo added on as he wrote, “Sungyeol was heart-broken, but became angry after that. Ever since, he’s been uptight about those who enter the house, especially with girls, afraid he’ll get hurt again."

My eyes went to Sungyeol’s new bedroom door, frowning as I whispered, “I didn’t know…”

Sungjong nodded, “A lot of people don’t know how hard it is to be a choding. To be honest, he has tomorrow off, but he’s too busy hiding behind that wall of his to want to do anything. It’s annoying.”

“Like you said,” Donwoo replied,

 “It’s hard being a choding.”