~Chapter eight~

"My tongue feels weird." Jiyong said as he examined the same at the mirror. "I think it's the medicine."

"You're so gross!" Chaerin exclaimed as she watched Jiyong standing in front of the mirror with his tongue jutted out. "Help me with these please?" she asked as she held up colorful envelopes.

"What're those?" Jiyong stepped forward fixing his hair, that'd grown over an inch during his stay here and he liked it.... for a change.

"Cards!" Chaerin beamed as she held one up as a sample. "I made them for the kids. You remember the orphanage I told you about right?"

Jiyong nod as he remembered the conversation they had yesterday when they were 'getting to know each other'.

"I don't really have friends." Chaerin said as she nibbled her bottom lip.

"None?" Jiyong asked in surprise, he couldn't understand why a girl like Chaerin didn't have close friends.

"What about you?" Chaerin crossed her legs and swayed left-right. "Tell me about them."

"Well-- You already met Seunghyun and for your information, he's not really that handsome when he doesn't wear make up." Jiyong said with so much sass that even he surprised himself. "--There's also Youngbae... Daesung and uh-- Seungri."

"All boys?" Chaerin tilt her head to the side. "Don't tell me I'm your only girlfriend."

Jiyong froze as Chaerin said the word 'girlfriend', he knew she didn't mean it that way, but he couldn't help but wonder.

"I do have female acquaintances, but I don't really stay in contact with them." Jiyong stated as he closed his eyes and tried to remember the names. "--there's Hyomin, Seulkyo--no, Seulki!"

"You're a horrible friend!" Chaerin laughed as she watched Jiyong rest his head on his fist, still wondering if he said the name right. "No special ones?"

".... Hyomin. She--she was special." Jiyong admitted as she watched him intently, waiting for him to continue. "We went out when we were very young, I don't think I was serious about any relationship after her."

"That special huh?" Chaerin wiggled her eyebrows which caused Jiyong to chuckle as he ruffled her hair.

"What about you?"

"Not really.... I had an imaginary boyfriend when I was younger." she paused. "....never really had time to meet people. The only boys I know are still kids, the oldest one is 14."

"Oh my God!" Jiyong exclaimed theatrically covering his mouth with his hand. "You're a e."

"Shut up!" Chaerin flung her pillow towards Jiyong who swiftly caught it and raised his hands in defeat. "I was the oldest one at the orphanage." she continued and Jiyong's smile faded. "I wouldn't have survived if it weren't for them."

"--Yeah!" Jiyong nod as he took a seat beside Chaerin and opened the card with messages in it. "What's the occasion?"

"Seriously?" she gawked at the man looking at her innocently. "--I assume you don't know." Chaerin shrugged as she passed a card to Jiyong who folded it neatly into the envelope. "Day after tomorrow is Christmas."

"O-oh!" Jiyong scratched his head. He'd totally forgotten about it, not that he really cared about it before. It was just an unnecessary holiday for him when he could work and earn instead.

"How do you want to celebrate it?" she asked as she grabbed the green glitter pen and drew a small Christmas tree just beside her note.

"I don't know." Jiyong shook his head as he watched her draw a chibi drawing of herself and a small kid, he couldn't make out if it was a boy or a girl "Nothing I suppose."

"Good then." Chaerin clapped her hand happily before returning back to the card. "You can join me"

"What're you going to do? You're going somewhere?" Jiyong picked up the finished card and slid it into the red envelope.

"You'll see."

Jiyong had received yet another bulk of bouquets and gifts which he'd asked Jaehyun to give it away while Chaerin picked out some flowers she liked and placed it in the vase just beside their window.

"Park bought this." Jiyong said as he waved the hard copy of another Taiwanese drama. "Has subtitles too.."

"Does anybody die?" Chaerin said as she swallowed her medicine and turned around to drink the glass of water. "In the drama. It's not sad is it?"

Jiyong squint and mumbled something while he read the contents written in Mandarin  at the back of the DVD cover. "nah--doesn't seem like it"

"Okay then!" Chaerin giddily chortled as she made her way to Jiyong's bed with her pillows.

"I hate him!" Chaerin exclaimed angrily as she watched the heroine's step brother frame the hero with theft. "What does he think of himself?"

Jiyong couldn't help but laugh at how childish yet so effortlessly cute Chaerin looked. He stared at her while the other had her eyes glued to the TV, oblivious of the sparkle in his eyes as he watched her every movement, memorizing everything. Slowly, he s his hand over shoulder but immediately stiffened when she laid her head on his chest, her hand wrapping around his waist.

"Are you okay?" Chaerin asked as she slanted a look at the blushing Jiyong.

"Y-Ye--"

A sudden creak of the door caught their attention and Chaerin watched in confusion while Jiyong stared in horror as a woman walked in, holding a bouquet in her hand, with Jaehyun standing behind her shaking his head at the unfortunate scene before them regretting his sense timing.

 !

Jiyong sat up straight and scrambled out of the bed bowing 90 degrees bow as he cleared his throat one too many times.

Chaerin watched the scene perplexed at why Jiyong was behaving the way he was. Maybe she's some important client. She thought as she passed a smile to the lady who didn't acknowledge it and turned to Jiyong.

"I see you're quite...... Comfortable." the woman said as she headed towards the window and pulled the flowers out of the vase and placed her bouquet instead. "Roses look cheap. These look better." she said as she grazed the white hydrangeas and took a deep breath, taking in the fragrance of the flowers. Chaerin snarled under her breath as she watched the intruder throw the flowers into the bin.

"How impolite of you Jiyonggie." she said as she turned around, standing against the table with poise.

What the woman said next shocked Chaerin so much that she almost wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.

"Will you not greet your mother?"

Author's note:

Hellow~ Sorry for the really short update.. Actually I got into an accident yesterday. -_- Thankfully, there're no critical injuries.

I'm so sorry I couldn't update like I had promised.
:'(
Had a veeeeery busy day yesterday.
Happy belated birthday to my lovely ubbie, PandaEMCEE :)

 

With love~
E