Dara~~ Choi has his uses

********************************************

I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die! I couldn’t breathe. In my befuddled mind, I felt like drowning. I knew I had to move but I can’t feel my limbs. Oh my God! I don’t want to die! Move! Move! I chanted in my mind. It took all my will power to raise my arms and kick my feet. I have to move! I have to –

“Ya! Ya! Ya!” Choi was shouting at me. One hand on my arm, shaking me and the other is covering his face. “Are you killing Jiyong in your dreams or what?” 

Shaking away the vestiges of my nightmare, I stopped trying to move and calmed my heart. I’m not drowning. Thank God! I can breathe again, but just barely. I then looked at Choi. He’s scowling and his face is dangerously close to mine. I blinked once, twice, then … I screamed. 

“ert!” I bloody screamed. I tried to move away but my arms and legs are entangled with his. He’s almost on top of me. He has me trapped. “Byuntae! Byuntae! Heeelp!!!”

He tried to put his hand over my mouth to keep me from screaming but I was able to nip his palm making him curse and I managed to wiggle for some room. Giving it my all, I flayed on the bed and managed to kick his shin with my left foot and in his hurry to get away from my kicks; he fell flat down on the floor taking the blanket along with him.

“What the-!” came his muffled voice and then I see his head emerged from the blanket. 

I tried to move again but I couldn’t. My body won’t obey me. My right arm and right leg have fallen asleep. Must be the reason for my dream. I tried to move again but it was useless. I only felt pin prinks of electricity that caused me to let out a pained groan. 

“Weh? Weh? What’s wrong?” asked Choi, still on the floor but he’s now got both of his elbows propped on the bed.

“Can’t … move … I’m paralyzed” I winced.

Choi went back up the bed and gingerly picked my right hand.

“A-Aw!”

“Try to endure it for a while” he admonished and proceeded to massage my arm starting from my palm to my fingertips. He wiggled them one by one and then rotated my wrist. He silently worked his massage slowly up my arm until it no longer felt numb.

“Better?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

He then scooted a bit to reach for my right leg and he placed it across his lap. He proceeded to knead my foot and then massaged the muscles between my knee to ankle over my pajamas. I’ve got to give it to him. The guy knows how to give a good massage.

As soon as I began to feel the blood circulating in my leg again, I pulled away my foot and murmured my thanks. 

Choi remained seated on the bed.

I sat up and checked the time on my phone. It’s already 9AM.  

“What would you like for breakfast?” I asked amiably to show my gratitude with what he did.

“Anything will do” he shrugged.

“Okay. Uhm, why don’t you,” I gestured to the bed “get back to bed while I go prepare something.”

He wrapped the blanket around himself and obediently lay back down as I quietly left the room and head for the kitchen.

I was able to find 3 fresh eggs left from yesterday which I fried, a pack of ramyun and cooked some rice.

I called Jjangme to ask if they have more food supplies and he said that they do and he is going to bring some over.

I then decided to take a bath while waiting for him, careful not to wake up Choi who is still sleeping soundly when I went to my room to get my luggage which contains my change of clothes and toiletries. I dragged it to Choi’s room and rummaged there.

In less than half an hour I was done just in time when I heard the knocks on the door. Tightening the belt of my bathrobe and arranging the towel wrapped around my wet hair, I proceeded to open the door.

Jjangme was holding a basket in one hand and a huge plastic container on the other. I reached for it, opened the lid and just as I suspected, it was kimchi. My stomach immediately let out a growl and my mouth started to water. I told Jjangme to come in and he followed me to the kitchen area. I asked him if he already ate and he said that he did. He helped by taking out the different side dishes from the basket.

I checked the rice cooker and it’s done cooking. I asked Jjangme to go wake up Choi and tell him that breakfast is ready.

He came back looking worried just as I placed a steaming bowl of rice on the table.

“Seunghyun is not there” he said with a creased forehead.

“Are you sure? I just saw him sleeping a few minutes ago …”

He shook his head with a worried frown. “Nope, he’s missing.”

“Ah!” I exclaimed with my palm on my forehead, remembering, I told him’ “I forgot to tell you, he’s sleeping in my room.”

Jjangme nodded and then, his eyes went wide as saucers. He looked at me as if just realizing that I’m in my bathrobe and then looked in the direction of my room and then back at me again. 

I could practically see his brain thinking of adding 1 plus 1 and coming up with 3. 

“Stop! Stop. Stop what you’re thinking” I said, holding my right forefinger in the air. “It’s not what you think …”

Jjangme’s eyes were still wide but waited for my explanation.

I exhaled loudly. “He’s just sleeping there, okay? Nothing happened.”

“Where did you sleep?” he inquired.

“We slept together” I innocently answered which made Jjangme drop his jaw.

“I meant slept slept not slept like had ” I scowled at him. “I didn’t know you had a dirty mind.” I chided him. “I’m gonna go get dressed. Please wake him up.” I huffed as I disappeared into Choi’s room.

Minutes later, I come out fully dressed in blue Adidas track suit and see Choi and Jjangme at the table, both eating. I smiled to myself remembering Jjangme saying that he already ate and yet, here he is, eating deliciously.

 I grabbed my bowl of rice and began to eat without saying a word.

It was Jjangme who kept the conversation flowing with the occasional grunts from Choi. It was only when he mentioned that we may leave the island by tomorrow noon did I join in.

“Can we really leave by tomorrow?” I asked.

He nodded. “Storm’s gone and the locals say that the waves will be calm by tomorrow.”

Choi’s eyes and mine met, revealing nothing. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m happy with the prospect of leaving the island soon. I’m not sure about his thoughts, though.

“The eldest local is having his birthday celebration tonight so everybody’s invited.” Jjangme told us. “It will be held near the community hall. The rest of the staff and crew are helping out in the preparations and cleaning up the mess created by the storm.”

Hearing this made me feel guilty. We should at least help clean the grounds of the house were staying at. “I’ll help too after I’m done cleaning the house,” I said.

“Wake me up when it’s time for dinner.” Choi stated.

I made a sound of disapproval but didn’t lecture him. I suppose he’ll be more of a nuisance if he tried to help out, being the diva that he is.

After eating, Jjangme took his leave and I took care of the kitchen and Choi went back to bed. 

My bed.

********************************************

Seunghyun~~ Park is a problem and a half

********************************************

I squirm in embarrassment as the eldest village elder asked me if I can sing a song for him upon knowing that I am a celebrity and as a favor since it’s his birthday. It was actually the team I came with who volunteered my services telling them that I can sing. I tried to deflect the villager’s requests saying that I’m really a rapper and not a singer to no avail. 

So here I am, standing in the middle of the room, holding a microphone while browsing through the songs that I can sing. There are a lot of elders and they kept shouting names of singers and songs from long ago which I’m not familiar with. I mentally groan while smiling at them. I see some staff taking pictures of me so I let out a warning, “No videos” I half-growled with a smile but my eyes tell a different story.

Feeling my face heat up, I chose a song by Choi Yong-pil, one that my Mom likes. I wish the ground would swallow me up. I can’t believe that this is happening. RIP to my cool image. Aigoo.

After one song, the elders asked for more and to my horror, began dancing and requested for an upbeat song. I wanted to cry.

It seems like everyone was having a very good time except for me. I was the entertainment. My manager, Park, was cackling and egging on the halmonis to get up and dance. She was all pouting earlier because I refused to let her drink a sip of alcohol but as soon as I left her side, she started downing one shot after another. I swear I’ll leave her here in the island tomorrow if she gets drunk.

With a suffering breath, I faced my waiting audience and flashed them a killer smile which made the girls, old and young, shriek and Park roll her eyes.

“Where are you going?!” I asked Park, alarmed at the direction she’s taking.

The celebration is now done and we are heading back home. I let Park walk ahead of me as she walked unsteadily and haphazardly along the narrow trail down the street. Multiple times, I was tempted to scoop her up seeing her almost stumble but she trudged on and waved my arms away. This time though, instead of going straight towards the house we’re staying in, she changed her direction and climbed up the dirt trail where we hiked for the photo shoot the other day.

“I said, where are you going?” I called again, loudly. Park didn’t answer and steadily climbed up the trail, holding on to trees on the way.

I was sorely tempted to let her go alone but being the good guy that I am, my conscience wouldn’t let me so I grudgingly followed. She was only relying on the perfect full moon’s light while I hold an old fashioned gas lamp with me.