Chapter 13

It was raining when Jung Ah and I had gotten back home. She went straight for the bathroom to puke while I went straight to the kitchen to cook something up for us. As I looked in the fridge and listened to her echoing gagging sounds, I realized that there wasn’t much to cook with. I was about to call my mother to tell her that she hasn’t gone grocery shopping, but when I went to the counter, I saw a list already made for me.

“Please get some groceries for us when you can so we can have dinner with everyone, Soo Jin! Love you and see you later when we get off work.”

It was in my mother’s handwriting. I grabbed the list and went over to my purse, which was over on the dining table, and stuffed it into one of the pockets. I headed over to the bathroom and heard Jung Ah still gagging up her life. I knew she probably didn’t even have time to open to talk to me since it was so busy puking out whatever the hell she had last night.

“Hey, Jung Ah, are you alright?” I asked knocking on the door again, a little worried that she might just never make it out of there alive.

“I-I’m fine!” She muttered through another gag. I honestly didn’t want to disrupt her puking, but I didn’t want her to die in my house. Kidding…

“Let me get you a glass of water!” I walked back into the kitchen and grabbed her a glass of water and just as I was about to knock onto the bathroom door again, the door swung open with Jung Ah wiping with the back of her hand disturbingly. “Well then… Looks like you puked all your guts out…”

“I might just die, Soo Jin, and this is what I get?” Jung Ah grabbed the glass from me and gulped it down, only to run into the bathroom to puke it back out. “What the hell? Are you trying to poison me?”

“Yeah. Cos’ that’s what I wanted to do.” I rolled my eyes at her as I walked up to the bathroom door frame and stood there with my arms crossed. Hearing droplets of her puke hitting the water below her somehow didn’t disturb me as much as it should as a human being. “Did you want to go to the grocery store with me? My mom wants me to go grab some things and a helping hand would be lovely.”

Jung Ah looked up at me from the toilet bowl before smiling like a madwoman. “I could go for some fresh fruits right about now.”

“Let’s go… Well… That’s if you’re even able to get away from the toilet, that is.” I chuckled, but she only glared at me.

After another five minutes of letting Jung Ah puke, she finally said she was good to go, but now that she was feeling all better, didn’t stop chattering about the wedding plans and how sorry she was because she practically missed all of it due to puking.

“We should head out to Jae Hyun’s restaurant later tonight or something for drinks after dinner at your place.” Jung Ah suggested while we sat in the backseat of the taxi. “I’ve been craving some things from there.”

I shook my head. “After we buy all these groceries, I don’t think I’m going to want to go sit down and eat elsewhere especially if my mother wants to make dinner tonight with the groceries we’re about to get.”

“Fine, but let’s go another day because my stomach has been crying weeks for it.” She pouted as she looked away from me and out the window.

When the taxi driver dropped us off at the grocery store, Jung Ah and I went down the list my mother gave us and got everything we could fit into the cart. I didn’t know how it was going to be possible for us to get it back to the house since it was only the two of us and I knew our hands were going to be full.

“I’m going to go look at the chips.” I said to Jung Ah while she was drooling over the meat section.

As I walked down the aisle to look for a specific flavor that my mother had written down, my phone started vibrating inside my back jean pocket. I had forgotten about my phone. I haven’t touched it since this morning, so it startled me a little.

I looked at the caller ID and saw Jin Hyuk’s name flashing. “Hello!” I said a little too excitedly, earning a few weird looks from older ladies.

“How can we both be living such a busy life, Soo Jin?” Jin Hyuk cutely groaned on the other line.

“I’m not the one who’s busy, Jin Hyuk.” I pointed out as I stopped walking and stared off to the ground. “You’re the only who’s always doing your business and here I am, all alone at a grocery store –“ I’m not going to mention Jung Ah only because I wanted him to feel a little bit sorry for me. “and I’m picking up things for my mother for dinner.”

“Oh? You’re alone? Did you want me to come get you? I have a little bit of free –“

“No, I don’t need you to.” I honestly wanted to see him so badly, but I knew that if he were to come here just to help us pick up grocery, it’d be a hassle. “Just stay at work and finish whatever you have to do. I’ll at least see you for dinner, right?”

There was a minute of silence and I could hear Jin Hyuk sigh on the other line. I knew he wasn’t going to make it for a dinner. It shouldn’t even have been a question and I shouldn’t have had my hopes up, but for once, I just wanted to hear him say that he was going to come to dinner and that I’d see him because he would make time for me and not because he had time. I didn’t want to admit it, but it was weighing me down lately.

“It’s okay.” I started laughing and realized how forced it sounded. I must’ve looked crazy to the older lady standing beside me. She gave me another weird look and walked off, pretending that she didn’t witness what she had just seen. I looked down at my fiddling fingers and sighed before running my hand through my nappy hair. “I’ve already made plans to eat dinner with Jung Ah later. In fact, I’m with her right now.”

“What? You lied that you were alone at the grocery store?!” He started laughing, but he sounded a little relieved. I didn’t know if that was a good sign or not, but I didn’t want something like that to bother me. “I was worried you’d have a hard time getting back home.”

“It’s okay. With or without her, I would make it home safe and sound.” I said before finding the chips that I’ve been looking for. I reached over and picked it up before heading back towards Jung Ah, who was still standing in the same place. “What are you doing tonight anyway? Do you have a meeting?”

“Something like that, I guess.” He mumbled while it seemed like he was fiddling with a papers. “But you know I’d rather be with you, right?”

I nodded my head unknowingly, but then replied, “It’s okay. You probably wouldn’t see me till later tonight anyway since I’d be with Jung Ah.”

“Ah, you two are you going to have a girl’s night out or what?” He asked laughing.

“I could use that right now.” I found myself saying out loud.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing.” I replied.

“Who are you talking to?” Jung Ah asked looking over at me suddenly. She finally looked like she wasn’t going to devour the meat sitting before her.

“Jin Hyuk.” I mouthed.

“Hey look, Soo Jin, I’ll call you later, okay?” Jin Hyuk brought me back to his attention. “I have to go now, but I’ll make sure to call when I have time again.”

“That’s fine. Don’t worry about it, Jin Hyuk.” I bit my bottom lip and saw Jung Ah rolling her eyes. “I’ll just text you instead.”

“Okay, I love you, Soo Jin.” He said sweetly.

“Yeah, me too.” I replied before stuffing my phone back into my back pocket. I was about to walk off and get some more things on the list, but Jung Ah grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “What are you doing, Jung Ah?”

“What’d you talk to him about?” She asked.

“Nothing much.” I shrugged. “I was just asking if he was coming home for dinner, but then I realized that it was a stupid question.”

Jung Ah raised an eyebrow at me and it was irritating me because she usually spoke up about whatever was on her mind, but this time, she was too quiet for my liking.

“What the hell, Jung Ah? Why do you keep looking at me like that?” I heaved a sigh.

“Are you okay?” Jung Ah asked a question I wasn’t expecting since she had a bigger mouth than that. “I mean, I could see the look in your eye, Soo Jin.”

“The look in my eye?” I literally laughed, but we all knew how dramatic it sounded. “You’re being weird. Anyway, let’s go ring these up. I heard it’s supposed to rain.”

Jung Ah followed after me without another word, but my heart was heavy. I knew what she was referring to, but I just didn’t have the energy to express what I felt at that very moment.

**

“Awh…” I whined as I looked at the grocery list.

Jung Ah and I were standing out in the rain waiting to get a taxi, but they were all passing us by, which was getting her really upset. I wasn’t worried about that at all though. As I looked down the list, I realized my mother had forgotten to put down ice cream and I was somehow craving for it badly.

“Tell me why they want business if they can’t even do their job right…” Jung Ah heaved a sigh. “What the hell is this? They’re letting their customers get sick in the rain!”

“Jung Ah, I’m going to quickly go back and get some ice cream, okay?” I handed her all of the other grocery bags and started running back towards the grocery store.

“What? And what the hell do you want me to do here with all of this?!” Jung Ah yelled loudly.

“GET A TAXI!” I yelled back before walking back into the building.

I patted myself down from the rain and looked back and saw how heavy the rain was getting. The one thing that I wanted the most from that grocery list wasn’t even listed. I went back to the dairy aisle and saw all different kinds of flavors of ice cream. How could my mother forget to put down ice cream out of all of the things that she wanted? I guess she didn’t think about it since I wasn’t living with her anymore.

I walked down the aisle and looked for a good size bucket of green tea ice cream and went up to the cashier, who greeted me with a happy smile. After I paid, I went back outside and saw that it was still raining heavily. It was a shame that I was only wearing a sweater that I had gotten in Canada and my white shirt under was already wet from standing in the rain earlier.

“Appa! Appa!”

My attention turned to a little boy crying in the rain. He looked lost and he was shaking in his own skin. It was a little cold out, but I could tell he was freezing in the rain. I looked around and saw that many people just passed by and didn’t say much to the little boy, so I ran out there and bent down in front of the little crying boy. He didn’t turn to me right away, seeing how I wasn’t the person he wanted.

“Hey, where’s your dad?” I asked as I took my sweater off and threw it over him to cover him from the heavy rain.

The boy didn’t answer me. Instead, he cried even harder. Did I look scary or what? I looked around and was hoping to find someone who would recognize the little boy, but no one did. Only a few people looked over at us and I was beginning to wonder if they thought I was trying to kidnap him. I hugged the boy closer and rubbed his back as friendly as possible, not wanting people to think I was a kidnapper.

“Hey, hey, it’s going to be okay.” I whispered as I started shivering. It was really cold out, but then it was because I didn’t have my sweater on anymore either. “How about we look for your dad together?”

The little boy tried to stop crying, but he was hiccupping and he could barely talk. “I-I c-can’t talk to strangers.”

“It’s okay. I’m not a stranger.” I said pulling my pinky finger out. “I promise you, I’ll take you to your dad and I won’t leave you alone till then, okay?”

“Promise?” The little boy asked.

I nodded. “I promise.”

He reached his little pinky finger over and locked it with mine.

“Where were you?” I asked picking him up, not even remembering that I had my ice cream with me because I left it on the ground. “Do you remember where your dad was when you left?”

The little boy shook his head. He continued to cry, saying that he wasn’t going to be able to find his father, but I assured him that we were going to even in the rain. I was shaking, but I didn’t want to go to the police just yet if his father was actually around here somewhere. It’d make a ruckus and it wouldn’t have made sense since the little boy said he didn’t even actually know what his father’s name was… This was going to be a lot harder than I thought it’d be.

Ah, and I’m sure Jung Ah was going to kill me for making her wait. I looked around to see if she was still where I left her, but that spot was already empty. She wouldn’t have left without me, would she?

“Are you cold?” I asked as we walked around in the rain.

“No, because you gave me your sweater and you’re warm.” The little boy smiled for the first time since we’ve been walking around. He was a cutie. “Thank you.”

I patted the back of his head and pulled him closer to me. I didn’t want his face getting near the rain anymore, so as I walked around, I looked for someone who was also looking for him. It was getting colder the longer I stood in the rain. My shivering legs and arms were starting to become numb due to the cold, but if we sat inside, I’m sure whoever was looking for the little boy was going to probably walk past us.

“What’s your name?” I asked as I stood under a small roof.

“Jin Guk. Oh Jin Guk.” The little boy mumbled.

“Ah, that’s a cute name.” I smiled.

“What’s your name, Noona?” He lifted his head up and looked at me with a goofy smile. “Noona, you’re very pretty.”

I chuckled and reached over and pinch his cheek. “Soo Jin. Ahn. Soo. Jin.”

“Umma?” The little boy’s eyes widened at me.

“W-what?” I asked taken aback with a laugh. “Do you see your mom here?”

The little boy frowned as I turned back and forth to see if there was anyone he recognized, but before I could ask him again, Jin Guk’s eyes widened with glee, but he was now looking past me.

“APPA!!!”

The little boy quickly jumped out of my arms as I lowered him down to the ground. He ran behind me, screaming at his father happily, letting his arms flail around like the little kid he was. I was happy that we finally found his dad since I was shivering like crazy, but the smile that was across my face quickly disappeared as I realized who he had just called his dad.

My eyes were met with a pair of eyes that I often find myself drowning in.

“S-Se Hun?” I heard myself muttering under my breath.

Author's Note: Have a great day, everyone! Enjoy~!