Someone to Love

Nine

The wedding reception was okay, I mean, Lucas and I enjoyed each other's company but it would have been better if people actually talked to us not about us. Also, true to his word, Lucas' father had made us leave the place as soon as the wedding ended. So now, Lucas and I are back in our hotel, watching some Korean drama.
Lucas is watching it as if he's watching Stranger Things, but then he realized that I can't understand Korean, so he looked for a channel that had English subtitles. We're watching this drama called-
"What's this drama called?" I asked Lucas
"Oh, uh, somewhere in between Love in Trouble or Suspicious Partner." He said, not even looking at me.
"In between?"
"It doesn't matter, it's a re-run."
"Titles doesn't matter because it's a re-run? What?"
"No, it matters but it depends on the translation. Just call it whatever you want, Love in Trouble or Suspicious Partner."
"The guy sorta looks like you." I said
"Well, he should be, we're related." He said
"Shut the fuck up? Seriously?"
"Yeah, you didn't see him at the wedding a while ago? He was there. Chang Wook and Jae Kyung are pretty close."
"I can't believe I missed out on meeting a TV star. I mean, I've seen Angelina or Meryl but-"
"I should have introduced you two, I didn't know that we'd watch one of his shows today."
"Well, Chang Wook and I are the close ones, he just happened to be closer with Jae Kyung now because he's based in Korea and I'm not."
"Oh! Which reminds me, you told me you'd tell me something private a while ago."
"I just did, I told you I'm related to the man that you're watching on television."
I hit him with a pillow.
"I don't care about that! That's unfair, I told you that Ryan and I used to date, and you tell me that you're related to a guy in TV? Tell me something more!" I said
"No."
I hit him again with the pillow, this time a lot harder.
"Hey!" He said
"Tell me something."
"I already told you I liked you last night, wasn't that enough?"
"Oy! Of course not! That is so not enough. Which reminds me, I need to do some digging with that statement."
"Digging?"
"I need to know when, how and why you like me." I said
"That's your question?"
"Yeah, I need to know."
"And that's what you want to talk about?" He said
I looked at him.
"Yeah."
He took a breath, stood up and got soju from the fridge.
"If we're gonna talk about that we might as well be under the influence." He said
He handed me a bottle.
"You wanna be a bit drunk when you tell me when, how and why?" I said
He nodded as he opened the bottle for me, and then sat back down the bed.
"Um, which one would you want to know first?" He said as he took a big gulp of soju.
"When, maybe?" I said, drinking soju.
"Ah! That one is easy. The day you moved in."
I frowned.
"The day I moved in? I'm pretty sure I'm alone the whole day, I went back and forth from the garage for my things, nobody was in the apartment."
"How about when you were so close to passing out in the living room? Surrounded by a bottle of vodka, a few chips and all my throw pillows?"
I shook my head.
"I don't think that happened."
"How sure are you? Were you drunk or not even drinking that night or was I the sober one, most probably the one who has the reliable story."
I shook my head.
"I might have been drunk but I have a good memory especially when under influence, that didn't happen. You didn't come home that night."
"I did. You were blaring Sia for the first time, my white throw pillows had make up tear stains on them, and cheese stains. And, how do you think you keep on waking up with a clean area?"
That fact had always bothered me. But I assumed that I got so drunk that I decided to clean.
"That was you?"
"I'm always cleaning up after you."
"What happened? I mean, how would you like me in that state?"
"They say that you'd actually get to know people when they are drunk. I got to know you."
"But then you just kept on passing by me for the next days after that."
"Because I felt that we really didn't get to know each other that well. I was sure that you would forget whatever I told you, and what you told me, so I waited for the time that you're actually sober and got to know you."
"What did we talk about?"
"How you felt when your father disowned you."
I almost choked on my drink.
"What?!"
"You told me that he decided that you weren't worth it, and that you started feeling like shit. But then you said that your father always did that so there was nothing new."
I kept silent.
"I assume what you told me is true, yeah?" He said
I nodded.
"He made me leave home that's why I moved in with you, in your apartment."
"That's why I was hesitant to receive the cash that you were giving me. Because I know that you'd be needing it more than I do."
"Well, I do have money but I'm broke compared to what I had before. "
"You talked to me that night about your dad, and I thought that we are going through the same thing. I'm basically exiled from home and as you saw a while ago, nobody seemed welcoming. They didn't like the fact that I came back home."
"Well, I liked the fact that you did. It might not count, but it took guts to come back and face them."
"I got so much guts that at the same time I faced my father again, I told a girl that I liked her."
I smiled.
"That is true. That's some balls, man." I said as I drank up.
"You're not that hard to like, Ara. Even my family likes you." He said
"Really?"
"My mom was pushing for you and I to get married a while ago. That's how much she likes you."
"Ha! What about your dad?"
"He didn't talk to me."
"Oh."
"And he won't ever stop me from doing whatever I want. And in this case, you."
I laughed.
"Nice." I said
"Well, in the case of how I came to the conclusion that I like you, um, I guess it's how spontaneous and at the same time, reserved you are. Let's just say you're different than most girls."
"How different?"
"Most girls would date a doctor because they like to brag that they are dating a doctor or they think that doctors are rich."
I drank my soju again, and then laughed.
"What I'm saying is true, and you know it."
I nodded. That is true, there are some girls in Hamptons that I grew up with that are now even richer because they married a few doctors twice or thrice.
"And from what I saw in the garage and your first drunk night at the apartment, I knew you didn't care about money because I'm pretty sure you make more than what I can make, you're driving a Maserati. And you're from the Hamptons."
"I'm not rich, Lucas. My dad is. And it may seem that I am, but I assure you, I am spending way too much of what I can."
"Well, we have to work on that."
I nodded.
"I'm not asking you to like me back, but could you try at least, to give me a chance?" He said
"Are you drunk?"
He shook his head.
"Give me a chance, and if you feel like I already blew it, then so be it. We'll just stick to being roommates. But I'm praying that you give me at least the slightest chance." He said
I looked at him.
"Can we have those tteokbokki things?" I said
"What?" He looked at me as if I mumbled something crazy.
"I'll think about it, but can we have tteokbokki?" I said
He just nodded.
"Now?" He said
"Do you want my answer today or no?" I said
"You're crazy." He said
"I know, so are you sure that you still want me to give you a chance? I can be a lot crazier than you think."
"I want crazy." He said
I stood up.
"Then let's go get me some tteokbokki and Korean ice cream." I said
We were walking around the streets, hand in hand and a little bit tipsy.
"We can't fall asleep because we'd wake up in jail or worse, dead." Lucas said
"I just want to taste what Koreans eat during winter." I said
"Yeah, well you wouldn't get the full winter experience if you didn't eat tteokbokki or any food that we eat during winter." He said as we stopped by a street food stall.
Lucas started speaking in Korean as he talked to the man who was manning the stall.
"Ara, is it okay for you if I just ordered one of each?" He said
"Oh, yeah. Sure." I said
He went on and paid the man. I also took the opportunity to take photos of the stall, and of candid Lucas buying food. It's a good thing that I took some photography courses in Stanford, my Instagram feed is gorgeous.
When he said one of each, he really did mean one of each and we have to share that one.
"Oh, so we're sharing?" I said as we walked to find a seat.
"Yeah, I figured that you might not like some of them and it would be a waste to throw them out. So, we are gonna have to share." He said as he took a seat.
"Okay then. Educate me with the food." I said
"Okay, this is tteokbokki. It's uh, rice cake rolled into cylindrical things and it's spicy and yet sweet." He said as he put one in my mouth. It actually tastes good. Spicy food never really bothered me.
"I like it." I said
"Good, because it's my favorite."
"Why is that good? I mean, if I like it, I'm gonna eat more, and that means you'll have less-"
"No, because if it's my favorite and you like it, we both get to enjoy eating it and I really like it when I'm with you."
"I like it here in Seoul too. If that counts." I said as I ate.
"It does but I like New York better." He said
After that we ate what he bought and I really didn't like anything else like I liked the tteokbokki.
"Do you still want to have some ice cream?" He said
"Yeah, is that too weird?"
He shook his head and held my hand.
"No, I like weird. And I like you."
"Stop it." I said
"Stop what?"
"I know you like me okay? You've been repeating and repeating it, and it makes me feel a little bit pressured."
"Oh, then I apologize. I think I might be stepping on some boundaries that have been set and I'll minimize it as much as possible." He said, going all formal.
"No, it's not overstepping the boundaries-" I said, touching his arm.
"-it's just that, I've met so many guys that say that they like me out loud and I've gone used to it. I just want this to be different." I said
"So, you want me to stop telling you that I like you? Then, where would that leave you? Expecting? Assuming? Ara, I might go on and kiss a random girl and for sure, you'd hate me for it."
I stopped walking and just looked at him as if he's mumbling in Korean, but the thing is, he is mumbling in English.
"I don't know what to say okay? Thank you for liking me? This is actually the first time, I think, that a guy liked me for who I really am, not for some status or money. This, believe it or not is all new to me, so I really hope that you'd let me savor it and enjoy the moment."
He nodded.
"Then let's go get some ice cream. As roommates, friends or something."
"Let me get this straight first, I am so not friendzoning you and I'm not shutting down the idea that you and I might be a thing or two in the near future." I said
"Thank you."