Mrs. Ahn had told us to come at 5:30, and I made sure my parents knew that and kept reminding them for the past few days. "We can't be late, alright? We just can't. We have to be on time." So we left twenty minutes early in case of traffic. During the car ride, the excitement was building up inside of me. I get to see his house! I get to be IN his house! And I get to sit at his dining room table and eat his mother's cooking~ Then I'll offer to help with the dishes, and he'll be so impressed by my manners and see how great a wife I would be... *sigh*
I got so into my fantasizing that the car ride actually went very quickly, and before I knew it we had stopped.
"Are you sure this is the right one? Are they really that rich?" my dad asked.
"Well... she did say the house number was 907. This has to be it." my mom answered in an astounded voice.
My jaw dropped as I looked out the window. There stood a huge white brick house, practically a mansion, with tons of windows and a big red door. There was a lush green lawn, and in the middle, a white stone walkway. On both sides of the walkway was a gorgeous garden with a bunch of different flowers that I could smell through my open window. Everything looked like it was really well cared for.
As I was looking over every inch of the house, I saw someone peek out the window and then disappear. It was Niel. A huge smile came to my face.
We headed up the walkway, and rang the doorbell. As we stood and waited, I was glad that my ankle didn't hurt as much anymore. It would have been so embarrassing to have to crutch into their glamorous house.
The door opened and we were greeted by a smiling little angel named Niel.
"Please come in~"
Those three words alone could have killed me right then and there, but I decided to compose myself like a lady. I tried to look as elegant as I possibly could whilst stepping into his home, but failed miserably when I caught my foot on the doormat and nearly tripped. Of course... of COURSE.
"Woah, careful there! I trip on that thing all the time. I keep telling my parents to move it." he said while helping me stable myself. I knew he was just trying to make me feel better, but... it worked.
The inside of the house was even more beautiful than the outside. As soon as you walked in, there was a living room on the right with pale hardwood floors and a giant flat screen tv. There was a grand flight of stairs on the left, and at the top I could see there was a sort of balcony that went over the dining room that was straight ahead. There were paintings and expensive looking vases all over. I was afraid to move at all, for fear that I'd break something. Mrs. Ahn was setting the table, but when she saw us she smiled brightly and came over to greet us.
"Welcome, welcome! I hope you found the house okay! Dinner is almost ready, so I hope you're hungry!"
"Well great, we are definitely looking forward to it!" my dad answered.
Then my eyes were drawn to a handsome man coming down the stairs.
"Oh, and this is my husband Daniel." she said gesturing to the man.
I could see where Niel got his good looks from. This man had the same eyes as Niel, and the same facial structure. Only, his face wasn't as bright as Niel's... Instead, it was very stern.
I bowed to him and greeted him with "Annyeonghaseyo!" and a big smile, but he didn't even notice.
Then he spoke in a fairly deep and emotionless voice, "Hello, and welcome to our home. I hope you will enjoy the meal my wife has prepared."
And that's when I realized that other than their faces, these two people had nothing in common. Whenever Niel spoke, he always showed his exact emotion in his voice, even to the point where if he got excited it would crack adorably. But I felt like this man was drained of all his emotions, and it made me uneasy.
The adults made their way into the dining room, but Niel and I hung back a bit. We stood there and smiled stupidly at eachother for a bit, as one usually does when you go over to a friend's house for the first time. All the awkwardness that went away at the store was back again.
"Your house... is freaking amazing." I finally said.
"Ha, thanks! You haven't even seen the best part, though. But I'll show you that later."
Ooo what could he be talking about? Many things flashed through my mind as I wondered what "the best part" could be.
"Oh, is your ankle better?" He asked me hopefully.
"Well, it hurts a little still, but I can walk on it at least~ Working my way up to dancing again."
"That's good. I'm glad. Sooo... Are you... looking forward to eating?"
I laughed at this odd question. "Yes, I always enjoy eating, and I'm anticipating some real homemade Korean food."
"Oh. That reminds me. Be very careful of my mom's special dish... You'll know it when you see it, because it just looks really... mean. Basically it's vegetables soaked in some spicy concoction and topped with some kind of spicy sauce. She keeps the recipe a secret, but I don't know why, because even I have trouble eating it."
I looked at him doubtingly. "Hey, I'm not a kid. I happen to love spicy foods. The spicier the better!" I said while sticking my tongue out.
"Ch, you really think you can eat it? I was just giving you advice! Fine, I bet you can't eat one piece without reaching for your water glass."
"I'll take that bet. What's the punishment?"
He thought a moment. "Loser has to sing and dance to a song for the winner."
"Fine. *Joa. Start picking out a song, then!" (Good)
This will be a piece of cake...
Once the food was ready, we all sat down. The table was filled with different Korean dishes, which made me very excited. My dad wasn't as adventurous as my mom and I, so he stuck mostly to rice cakes and the less spicy stuff.
I spotted the special dish Niel was talking about. It was a bit hard to miss, as the color was 10x redder than the rest of the food. It did look mean, but I was sure I wouldn't fail. The thought of him singing a cute song for me filled my mind.You can do it, Alice!
I was dying to make a good impression on Niel's dad, so I tried to be very polite. Ah, right! I remembered the polite phrase that you say before you eat. "Jal Meogesseumnida!~"
Niel's mom gushed over how polite I was and how good my Korean sounded, but I didn't make a dent in him. Darn.
The dinner conversation was a bit boring. Mom and Mrs. Ahn were talking about recipes and food, while Dad and Mr. Ahn had found some boring thing to talk about... traveling or something. Leaving me and Niel to sit across the table from eachother in silence.
I was eyeing the ~evil-spicy-mean-dish~ and finally curiosity overcame me and I reached for it. Niel mouthed the words "don't do it" to me, but I didn't listen. I braced myself for the worst, put a piece of radish in my mouth and started chewing.
It tastes like regular kimchi to me... I don't know why he made such a fuss.
And then.. as I swallowed... it hit me like a train.
My tongue felt like it was on fire, and when the red pepper hit the back of my throat... I was done for. My eyes filled up with tears, and when I looked up at Niel he was shaking his head at me. As if it couldn't get worse, I started choking and wheezing and hacking and coughing.
The whole table was staring at me, but Mrs. Ahn came over to pat me on the back and handed me my water.
I'm dying. I'm really dying. My mouth is on fire and I'm dying....
FOUR
Is This Real Life?
I was going crazy for the next couple of days. I had Friday stuck in my head the entire time, but not even just that. A thousand questions ran through my head.
What should I wear? How should I do my hair? Should I go with a natural look? What will Niel's dad be like? Will he like me? What will my parents think of Niel?
I felt like pulling my hair out. Great, maybe I'll just go bald.
By the time friday came along, I had decided on my outfit. I carefully picked out a springy, girly, cute floral top, light blue jeans and sparkly flats. It wasn't too formal, but wasn't too casual. I did my hair in two cute little braids, did some natural looking make up, put on my usual vanilla flavored chapstick, and I was all set.
I- ... I surrender.
Finally when I managed to catch my breath, I drank my entire glass of water and flushed the red pepper out of my throat. But the burning... the burning was still there. I ate a few pieces of fruit to try to mellow things out, but in the end I just put my head down on the table and wallowed in my own burning sorrow. I dared not look up at Niel's face. I can only imagine him smirking at me. That beautiful smirk of his...
He won't be singing for me... he won't be dancing for me... This is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me... I won't get to see him dance for me... I... I have failed.
When everyone was finished eating, Mrs. Ahn started clearing the table. You may have lost the bet, but you can still redeem yourself!
I offered my help and she accepted. I still couldn't look Niel in the eye, so I tried to focus on the dishes. I grabbed a bunch of plates trying to show off how much I could carry without dropping anything. Not one of my best ideas, but I was hungry for some way to regain his attention. This night can't get any worse, so why not?
I actually surprised myself when I made it safely to the kitchen on the first round. I went back to the table and there were just a few more dishes. I can make it in one more trip. I picked up the rest of the dishes, and reached for the evil-spicy-ruin my life-dish with a disgusted look. I turned in the direction of the kitchen and I was almost there. Oh yes, I'm good. I have succeeded.
But I spoke too soon. I started to walk past Niel's chair when he whispered to me "You don't have to show off, you know."
Shoot! I've been discovered!
"Hah, why would I-" I spun toward him, but caught my foot in the rug... and down I went. It felt like I was falling in slow motion and as each millisecond went by, the feeling of impending doom was getting stronger and stronger. I watched as the bowl of disgusting-spicy-horrible-mean-evil-ruin my life-horrifyingly RED-stuff slid out of my hands, turned upside-down, and fell straight into the worst possible place it could. His lap. I let out a horrified shriek.
It would have just been bad enough if he was wearing black pants. But no, it couldn't be that bad. It had to be ten-billion times worse. Instead, he was wearing white jeans... which were now splattered with evil. I swear that dish wanted to kill me, and it was succeeding.
Everyone rushed to come help, but it was already done and my life was already over. I looked into his face and it was full of confusion and terror.
"I... I... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so stupid, I'm really really sorry!"
As everyone else watched, Mrs Ahn took control of the situation. "Oh, it's alright, Alice it's not your fault. These things just happen sometimes... Not very often, but sometimes. Niel, you better go change and put some stain remover on that before it soaks in."
I watched him run upstairs, and I felt these random tears coming to my eyes. They were tears of humiliation. I got up and ran, not knowing where I was going. Somehow, I found my way to the bathroom, locked the door and just started sobbing. I- I ruined his paaaaantsssss. And I humiliated m- myseeeelfffff. I'll never be able to show my face to him agaaaainnnnn. I'm s- s- so stupiiiidddd. And now my makeup's gonna be ruiiiiinnnnned.
I stayed like that for about ten minutes, and eventually my tears subsided. But the embarrassment would never go away. Then came a sound that I was hoping I wouldn't hear.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
I rolled my eyes, just wanting to be alone, but got a shock when I heard Niel's voice.
"Alice? You in there? Look, my clothes are fine. I didn't like them anyway, but my mom made me wear them. When you feel like it, can you come out? I want to show you something."
I still felt horrible. But I thought about it for a few minutes. I really can't say no to him, can I? I sighed, cleaned my face up, took a deep breath, and came out. I didn't expect to see him waiting in the hall for me.
"There she is~" he said with a smile, and I couldn't fathom why. I just dumped food on you, how are you still smiling so perfectly?
Before I could say anything, he took my hand and started leading me through the house. He had a determined face as he dragged me along, but I had a stupid smile on my face and couldn't get over the fact that we were holding hands. He opened a door and we went down a flight of stairs into a dark room.
"Are you ready?"
I started to ask him what I should be ready for, but he flicked on a light-switch, and I was blinded by bright lights. My eyes adjusted, and I looked around in amazement. There was a large room with a wood floor. There were mirrors on the walls and a stereo in the corner.
"YOU HAVE YOUR OWN DANCE STUDIO?"
He smiled at the surprised look on my face.
I've always wondered what it would be like to be filthy rich... I thought it wasn't all that great. Boy, was I wrong.
He led me over to the middle of the room and sat down on the floor right in front of me.
"I know that by dumping food on me, you were trying to make me forget about the bet... but it didn't work." He grinned, and it was the first time I was sickened by it.
"What bet? I don't know anything about a bet!" I lied.
"Oh come on. Pick any song and start when you are ready."
"... Any song? How about 2PM's I Hate You?"
He blinked. "YAH! My clothes are stained, you should be happy I'm not punishing you more! *Jugeullae?" (you wanna die?)
Yes. At that point in time I really did want to die.
I glared at him. "Fine. I will make it up to you, then."
I started singing and dancing the chorus of Oh! for him. "Oh Oh Oh Oppareul saranghae! Ah Ah Ah Ah, Manhi manhi hae!"
There was a bit of silence, and he smirked. "Hey, do you really love me Aliseu?"
My face began to feel very hot, and my heart started pounding. "Y- YAH! Of course not. I- It's just a song, anyway... There. Our bet is completed. And I did it, even though my ankle still hurts." I bitterly said while plopping myself down on the floor.
"Hm. Fine. I guess because you performed it so well.. you get a reward." He headed off to a door in the corner and my eyes followed him curiously. The door led to a closet, from which he pulled out a big box. He dropped it down in front of me, and I stared at it.
"Well, open it! Balli balli!" he said with a grin.
I undid the flaps and opened it up. My face lit up and my jaw dropped. Inside were a bunch of different snacks, all my favorites and even a few that I hadn't tried before.
"Hey, what is this for? These are my favorite snacks! Weren't they expensive?"
He shrugged. "Employee discount. You didn't get to buy them the past two times you went to the store, so... I got them for you... Hey, don't think I'll do this for you all the time! This is a one time thing, arasseo?"
I couldn't stop smiling and before I even knew what I was doing, I reached out and threw my arms around him. WHAT THE HECK. I am going crazy. I wished I could have seen his reaction, but I dared not look at his face.
"Thank you." I said embarrassedly and sat back down again, trying to concentrate on opening a package of fish crackers.
"Hey, give me one!" he called. "I bought them, so I should be able to have some."
"Hmmmm... Why should I?"
He reached for them, but I pulled away and covered the box.
"This was a present to ME! You have to sing a song for me now, if you want someee~~" I said while sticking my tongue out.
He scratched his head. "Hey, you are really something. Ch, not even letting me have the snacks that I bought."
"Hurry, or I might eat the whole package myself!"
He glared, and I grinned in anticipation. Then to my utter delight, he started dancing and singing "Alice neomu yeppeo~ Replay, Replay, Replay..."
"Hey, Daniel Ahn. Do you really think I'm pretty?" I said trying to get back at him.
He thought for a minute, smiled, and said "*Ani. It's just a song." (No)
I was furious. I threw a chip at him and he ran away. "YAH! DANIEL AHN! GET BACK HERE!"
He ran upstairs, and I chased after him. Then somehow, he ended up chasing after me trying to get the bag of chips, until I dropped them and they spilled all over the floor.
We cleaned it up, and then it was time for dessert, which went much better than dinner did. This time I didn't offer any "help". The adults talked for a while, and Niel and I hung out a bit more, and soon it got late and was time for us to leave.
"We hope you can all come over again soon." Mrs. Ahn said to us as we were headed for the door.
"If you allowed me to I would love to come over again. I'm really sorry about today... I promise I'll behave next time."
"Oh don't worry about it, Alice. It definitely wasn't a dull night thanks to you." she said kindly. "Will you be coming to the store tomorrow?"
I looked at my mom. "Yes, just like we always do!" she replied, and I was happy.
We said our goodnights and goodbyes, and headed out. My parents said nothing to me, I think they were too embarrassed about earlier. I didn't blame them, because I was too.
It was definitely an unforgettable night... I was feeling so ashamed, but as I glanced at the huge box of snacks on the seat next to me, a thought came to my head... I giggled. "Alice neomu yeppeo~"
So are you, Niel.
Finally when I managed to catch my breath, I drank my entire glass of water and flushed the red pepper out of my throat. But the burning... the burning was still there. I ate a few pieces of fruit to try to mellow things out, but in the end I just put my head down on the table and wallowed in my own burning sorrow. I dared not look up at Niel's face. I can only imagine him smirking at me. That beautiful smirk of his...
He won't be singing for me... he won't be dancing for me... This is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me... I won't get to see him dance for me... I... I have failed.
When everyone was finished eating, Mrs. Ahn started clearing the table. You may have lost the bet, but you can still redeem yourself!
I offered my help and she accepted. I still couldn't look Niel in the eye, so I tried to focus on the dishes. I grabbed a bunch of plates trying to show off how much I could carry without dropping anything. Not one of my best ideas, but I was hungry for some way to regain his attention. This night can't get any worse, so why not?
I actually surprised myself when I made it safely to the kitchen on the first round. I went back to the table and there were just a few more dishes. I can make it in one more trip. I picked up the rest of the dishes, and reached for the evil-spicy-ruin my life-dish with a disgusted look. I turned in the direction of the kitchen and I was almost there. Oh yes, I'm good. I have succeeded.
But I spoke too soon. I started to walk past Niel's chair when he whispered to me "You don't have to show off, you know."
Shoot! I've been discovered!
"Hah, why would I-" I spun toward him, but caught my foot in the rug... and down I went. It felt like I was falling in slow motion and as each millisecond went by, the feeling of impending doom was getting stronger and stronger. I watched as the bowl of disgusting-spicy-horrible-mean-evil-ruin my life-horrifyingly RED-stuff slid out of my hands, turned upside-down, and fell straight into the worst possible place it could. His lap. I let out a horrified shriek.
It would have just been bad enough if he was wearing black pants. But no, it couldn't be that bad. It had to be ten-billion times worse. Instead, he was wearing white jeans... which were now splattered with evil. I swear that dish wanted to kill me, and it was succeeding.
Everyone rushed to come help, but it was already done and my life was already over. I looked into his face and it was full of confusion and terror.
"I... I... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so stupid, I'm really really sorry!"
As everyone else watched, Mrs Ahn took control of the situation. "Oh, it's alright, Alice it's not your fault. These things just happen sometimes... Not very often, but sometimes. Niel, you better go change and put some stain remover on that before it soaks in."
I watched him run upstairs, and I felt these random tears coming to my eyes. They were tears of humiliation. I got up and ran, not knowing where I was going. Somehow, I found my way to the bathroom, locked the door and just started sobbing. I- I ruined his paaaaantsssss. And I humiliated m- myseeeelfffff. I'll never be able to show my face to him agaaaainnnnn. I'm s- s- so stupiiiidddd. And now my makeup's gonna be ruiiiiinnnnned.
I stayed like that for about ten minutes, and eventually my tears subsided. But the embarrassment would never go away. Then came a sound that I was hoping I wouldn't hear.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
I rolled my eyes, just wanting to be alone, but got a shock when I heard Niel's voice.
"Alice? You in there? Look, my clothes are fine. I didn't like them anyway, but my mom made me wear them. When you feel like it, can you come out? I want to show you something."
I still felt horrible. But I thought about it for a few minutes. I really can't say no to him, can I? I sighed, cleaned my face up, took a deep breath, and came out. I didn't expect to see him waiting in the hall for me.
"There she is~" he said with a smile, and I couldn't fathom why. I just dumped food on you, how are you still smiling so perfectly?
Before I could say anything, he took my hand and started leading me through the house. He had a determined face as he dragged me along, but I had a stupid smile on my face and couldn't get over the fact that we were holding hands. He opened a door and we went down a flight of stairs into a dark room.
"Are you ready?"
I started to ask him what I should be ready for, but he flicked on a light-switch, and I was blinded by bright lights. My eyes adjusted, and I looked around in amazement. There was a large room with a wood floor. There were mirrors on the walls and a stereo in the corner.
"YOU HAVE YOUR OWN DANCE STUDIO?"
He smiled at the surprised look on my face.
I've always wondered what it would be like to be filthy rich... I thought it wasn't all that great. Boy, was I wrong.
He led me over to the middle of the room and sat down on the floor right in front of me.
"I know that by dumping food on me, you were trying to make me forget about the bet... but it didn't work." He grinned, and it was the first time I was sickened by it.
"What bet? I don't know anything about a bet!" I lied.
"Oh come on. Pick any song and start when you are ready."
"... Any song? How about 2PM's I Hate You?"
He blinked. "YAH! My clothes are stained, you should be happy I'm not punishing you more! *Jugeullae?" (you wanna die?)
Yes. At that point in time I really did want to die.
I glared at him. "Fine. I will make it up to you, then."
I started singing and dancing the chorus of Oh! for him. "Oh Oh Oh Oppareul saranghae! Ah Ah Ah Ah, Manhi manhi hae!"
There was a bit of silence, and he smirked. "Hey, do you really love me Aliseu?"
My face began to feel very hot, and my heart started pounding. "Y- YAH! Of course not. I- It's just a song, anyway... There. Our bet is completed. And I did it, even though my ankle still hurts." I bitterly said while plopping myself down on the floor.
"Hm. Fine. I guess because you performed it so well.. you get a reward." He headed off to a door in the corner and my eyes followed him curiously. The door led to a closet, from which he pulled out a big box. He dropped it down in front of me, and I stared at it.
"Well, open it! Balli balli!" he said with a grin.
I undid the flaps and opened it up. My face lit up and my jaw dropped. Inside were a bunch of different snacks, all my favorites and even a few that I hadn't tried before.
"Hey, what is this for? These are my favorite snacks! Weren't they expensive?"
He shrugged. "Employee discount. You didn't get to buy them the past two times you went to the store, so... I got them for you... Hey, don't think I'll do this for you all the time! This is a one time thing, arasseo?"
I couldn't stop smiling and before I even knew what I was doing, I reached out and threw my arms around him. WHAT THE HECK. I am going crazy. I wished I could have seen his reaction, but I dared not look at his face.
"Thank you." I said embarrassedly and sat back down again, trying to concentrate on opening a package of fish crackers.
"Hey, give me one!" he called. "I bought them, so I should be able to have some."
"Hmmmm... Why should I?"
He reached for them, but I pulled away and covered the box.
"This was a present to ME! You have to sing a song for me now, if you want someee~~" I said while sticking my tongue out.
He scratched his head. "Hey, you are really something. Ch, not even letting me have the snacks that I bought."
"Hurry, or I might eat the whole package myself!"
He glared, and I grinned in anticipation. Then to my utter delight, he started dancing and singing "Alice neomu yeppeo~ Replay, Replay, Replay..."
"Hey, Daniel Ahn. Do you really think I'm pretty?" I said trying to get back at him.
He thought for a minute, smiled, and said "*Ani. It's just a song." (No)
I was furious. I threw a chip at him and he ran away. "YAH! DANIEL AHN! GET BACK HERE!"
He ran upstairs, and I chased after him. Then somehow, he ended up chasing after me trying to get the bag of chips, until I dropped them and they spilled all over the floor.
We cleaned it up, and then it was time for dessert, which went much better than dinner did. This time I didn't offer any "help". The adults talked for a while, and Niel and I hung out a bit more, and soon it got late and was time for us to leave.
"We hope you can all come over again soon." Mrs. Ahn said to us as we were headed for the door.
"If you allowed me to I would love to come over again. I'm really sorry about today... I promise I'll behave next time."
"Oh don't worry about it, Alice. It definitely wasn't a dull night thanks to you." she said kindly. "Will you be coming to the store tomorrow?"
I looked at my mom. "Yes, just like we always do!" she replied, and I was happy.
We said our goodnights and goodbyes, and headed out. My parents said nothing to me, I think they were too embarrassed about earlier. I didn't blame them, because I was too.
It was definitely an unforgettable night... I was feeling so ashamed, but as I glanced at the huge box of snacks on the seat next to me, a thought came to my head... I giggled. "Alice neomu yeppeo~"
So are you, Niel.
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