Refund Beach City

Mother Knows Best

Chapter is dedicated to the lovely Blue_221
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Mook quietly walked down the gravel path from the city of Bearon to his village, Gritara. He decided to stop and rest for a little while by some trees. He sat on a stump and opened up his travel bag. He was really grateful for the bag as he ate some snacks in satisfaction. Aru's mother was an amazing cook. Each bite held the love that she had put into preparing the snacks with motherly love. He sighed as he thought of the cafe and of his school. He reflected on his choices and friends. Most importantly, he reflected on Aru. He barely knew her for a semester, but it felt as if they were together for an eternity. He didn't know why, but he felt complete around her. He didn't feel like he was left out when she was with him, he felt genuinely happy. Shaking his thoughts, he got back on his feet and continued down the path to his home.

The village children were ecstatic to see him. They let out little screeches of happiness as they dropped everything and ran to the young adult, throwing themselves on him. Scared to let the children get injured, Mook dropped everything in his hands and let them pile on top of him, eventually making him fall over. He was glad that he decided to put his bag down when he stopped at the village's square. Laughing, he gently got up and sat down on the edge of the village's fountain. He listened as the children whined that they missed him while he was gone. He smiled as they told him of all the adventures they had while he was away. He became flustered when they asked if he had found a girlfriend. It seemed like minutes, but Mook sat there for two hours, listening as the children let their imaginations run wild in the stories they told him. After a while, the parents and elders came by and welcomed Mook home. When all the children had retreated to their homes with their parents, Mook decided that he's been in one spot for too long. Standing up and flinging his bag on, Mook made his way to a small house at the end of one of the gravel roads. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and walked in.

"Mook? You're home! Oh, I missed you so much my precious boy!"

A small woman, just a tad bit taller than Mrs. Kim, hurried over to him. He smiled down at her, happiness filling his heart as she pulled him into a strong hug. He laughed and returned the hug, happy to be in her arms.

"I missed you too Mother."

She pulled away and fawned over how much more mature her son looked.

"Oh, you should have told me you were coming today! I didn't prepare dinner! Maybe the market is still open, I can get you some fis-"

"Mother, its okay. I have dinner with me, I'll warm it up for us."

Mook made his way to the kitchen, not minding the surprised look on his Mother's face. He set his travel bag on the table and opened it up just as his mother walked in. She seemed surprised to see the bag, for she knew that she never bought his that bag before he left for university. She watched as her son took out small containers of food. She slowly walked to the bag and peered in, pulling out two particular looking drinks. They had caps on them. She doesn't recall if she ever showed her son how to open drinks like these, especially since capped drinks were rare in the village. Not many people liked to travel this far out, so the village had limited things catered to it from the surrounding towns and cities.

"Oh, let me open that for you."

She quietly watched in amazement as her son easily opened up the drink, handing it back to her. As she accepted it, he opened his own bottle and took a sip, closing the opening to the bag. He turned his attention back to the meal, not wanting it to burn. A million thoughts were racing through Ms. Lee's head as she saw a squared paper fall to the ground. Not only had he matured physically, but socially too. He had to have, how else had he learned these? Where did he get the tubberware? Who gave him these drinks? Who gave him the travel bag? All these thoughts came to a screeching halt as she picked up the paper and looked at it.

It was a small squared photo. Her son, Mook, was in the photo. He was smiling, a blush forming on his face. He looked content. He radiated happiness. There, in his arms, was a small brunette. She was practically glowing as she held on to Mook, a beautiful smile planted on her face. The two looked so content with each other.

"Mook...is this your girlfriend?"

She heard him choke on his drink and began to have a coughing fit. She smiled as he hurriedly ran over to her, anxiously looking at the picture in her hands.

"Mother, where-"

"It fell out of your bag. Who is she?"

She watched as Mook politely take the photos from her hands, his eyes darting all around the room. He couldn't hide that he was becoming nervous. She could see that this girl in the photo is who made him like this.

"She's just a friend, Mother. Her name is Aru Kim. She's a freshman, like me."

"Is she a good friend?"

Ms. Lee couldn't stop the warmth in her heart that formed as she watched her son. Mook's nervous eyes landed on the photo of Aru, his eyes softening the longer he looked at her. He physically relaxed as a smile formed on his face, unaware that his mother was watching him.

"She's...she's amazing. Aru is sweet and kind. She cares for those around her and puts their needs before herself. She's considerate and funny and warm..."

"Are you sure she's not your girlfriend?"

A huge, red blush formed on Mook's face as he hurriedly shoved the photo into his pocket.

"I'm just teasing you, don't get so worked up Mook."

He let out a half laugh as he relaxed. He grabbed his bag and headed down the hall to his room. He returned after dropping off his things on his bed to clear up the kitchen. When he returned, he served his mother and then himself. They sat to eat their first dinner together since he had left for school.

Ms. Lee was delighted to find out that Aru's mother had made the meal.