Chapter Ten

Lu Han's eyes didn't waver from the road as he sped back to Minseok's house. The whole ride, he forced himself to ignore the incredulous and profound look that Minseo was giving him from the passenger seat. He wished he could tell her she looked like a salamander, but Lu Han doubted that would help matters any. The girl was still drunk out of her mind, but was apparently awake enough to glue her eyeballs onto Lu Han's face. 

When he stopped at the third or fourth stoplight, Minseo lifted a shaky finger and poked it at Lu Han's forearm. "I didn't know you were so...strong," she said softly. Feeling self-conscious, he nudged her finger away and hung his arm low. 

Lu Han gave her a quizzical look, then mumbled something to himself. He still couldn't erase the hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach, as though someone was stomping his organs from inside. The minute he had left the bar, the queasiness had set in, and though he attributed this feeling to not having eaten much other than ice cream all day, Lu Han knew that wasn't it. Perhaps he had finally gotten rid of his anger on someone and felt bad about it. Or he was internally fearful that the girl next to him would find out about his identity. But those options weren't the reason either. 

Why exactly am I feeling so uncomfortably calm? Lu Han thought. Maybe he just needed to get home, eat, and forget about everything that had happened today. Yes, that was the solution. 

Oh, and it probably wouldn't hurt to get a nice clean shower and wear his clothes again...hmm...

And then Minseo just had to choose that exact moment to laugh, starting from a soft, barely audible gasp of air to a hacking cough that reminded Lu Han of his grandma. His happy thoughts quickly dissipated, welcoming the realization that he definitely couldn't leave Minseo alone again, especially not after what had happened this time. And to ditch now would be even worse; she was drunk off her mind. 

Why Lu Han always involved himself in trivial matters with no personal benefit, he didn't know. In fact, the more he snuck glances at the looney girl beside him, the more he was convinced he had probably been a North Korean in his past life. 

"Why are you laughing?" Lu Han asked crossly, not bothering to hide his evident distaste for her drunkenness. 

Minseo doubled over and laughed for a few seconds more before pointing at Lu Han's stomach. "Maybe that's why you got pregnant so quickly. You are strong in the bedroom, aren't you?" 

Lu Han blinked. Then turned his eyes away from the road to blink once again, this time at her. "What...did you just say?" 

Minseo took the liberty to knock her head against the headboard several times, not being able to control her insane laughter. "Minseok must've been the one that couldn't walk haha!" 

Lu Han couldn't help but want to strangle her, right then and there. Her obnoxious behavior was driving him crazy. So of course, out of all the traits that had to be pronounced when Minseo was drunk, it was her inappropriateness. As if that wasn't already bad enough when she was sober. 

Minseo continued, oblivious to Lu Han's stony glare. "So, what was it like when he - "

"Stop talking!"

"No, I'm wondering, did he slap - " 

"Shut up!" 

" - or did he grab - "

"Shut up!" 

"Was it fun?" 

"One more word, and I will feed you poop for the rest of the summer." 

Minseo silenced. 

For ten seconds. 

"So does that mean you keep your - "

Lu Han prayed that he would survive the car ride without becoming a murderer. 

"Sungmi, please help me out. Please. I know it's a big favor but I can't survive the night here," Lu Han pleaded to his cell phone. He was huddled in the corner of the kitchen, far enough away from Minseo so that she would not be able to listen in on his conversation. 

"Lu Han, you're going to be in this situation for an extended period of time. I can't stay over every night until your friend comes back!" Sungmi replied. In the background, Lu Han could hear the cluttering noise of dishes and clanking pans. 

Lu Han ruffled his wig in frustration. "I know, but I'm desperate. At least for tonight. Just so I can go home and get my belongings and come back. Please Sungmi. There is nothing here that is mine and I need clean clothes and underwear and my work." Then a thought struck him. Work! How was he going to go to work?! Lu han hadn't considered this problem until now, and he realized that this setback could potentially dampen his entire summer. That is, if Minseok and his wife took that long to get back to Korea, which Lu Han hoped wasn't the case. He still had to go to the office and finish up the news story that had been delayed due to this incident. But how was he going to get that done and go to work with Minseo on his tail? He couldn't exactly disguise himself at work, and no way was he bringing the girl with him either. 

Sungmi sighed into the phone. "Alright, I feel bad for you. I'll stay over tonight. But just tonight. I have stuff to do and I refuse to babysit for you."

Lu Han whimpered. "Maybe more than once? Maybe twice? Thrice?" 

He could hear Sungmi's denial right through the phone. "Absolutely not," she said adamantly. 

The phone call ended with a blunt "Alright, fine" from both parties and Sungmi's promise to be at the apartment in half an hour. As soon as he threw down his phone, the empty feeling in Lu Han's stomach grew to envelop his chest. Perhaps he was feeling sudden despair, having been too engulfed in his misery in the past two days to realize the depths of the situation he was in. Or was it the unpredictability of everything