Unlonely

The Next 100 Days

"Hey! Make sure you watch the pasta. I don't want it to get burned," Yoon Seri ordered her friend, Ji Hae-Soo.

"It's in the oven and you've set the timer!" Hae-Soo protested. "Why are you so worried anyway? Who are you cooking for?"

Seri blushed. "I just want everything to be perfect. It's a long flight and that's his favorite. And then this one he specifically requested," she said, stirring the sardine pasta she was making, while she asked Hae-Soo to watch over the lasagna she was baking.

"OOOOOHHHHH. It's a 'he'! Who's he?"

"A... friend," Seri replied.

"And do we like this friend in a non-wholesome way?" Hae-Soo teased.

Seri's eyes widened. "Omo! I'm not thinking like that. We live together, for crying out loud, I don't want to taint that with nasty thoughts."

"Wait! What? You live together?!" Hae-Soo repeated.

"Yes. Here. Uncle Man Bok asked us to house sit for him," Seri said. "He stays at the south wing, while I'm here at the north."

"Interesting! And is this dining area the DMZ?" Hae-Soo joked.

Seri rolled her eyes. "No. We're not in conflict. I told you, we're friends."

"Who is it? What's his name?"

Seri looked at her and carefully said, "Ri Jeong Hyeok."

Hae-Soo's eyes widened. "Your childhood crush! Omo! It's fate!"

"It's not!" Seri protested. "We've always known each other, Man Bok is my Uncle and his guardian so it's quite normal that we would meet again."

"It's fate!" Hae-Soo insisted. "And living in one house! It's certain that you will fall in love!"

"What? What are you saying?!"

"You're around each other all the time. It's like those Big Brother shows. If you're only exposed to the same people, it's inevitable that you'll fall in love." Seri rolled her eyes at the absurdity. "Besides, you've had the biggest crush on him in high school!"

"No, I did not!" Seri denied but her cheeks had gotten red.

Hae-Soo chased her around the kitchen.

"Can you just set the prosecco on the table?" Seri asked to stop Hae-Soo's absurd ideas.

"Sure! I'll make sure it's perfect for you and your loooooovvvvveeeeeyyyy Jeong Hyeo-- oh!"

Seri turned to check on her friend and was horrified to see Jeong Hyeok standing near the kitchen. "Hi!" He greeted, shyly.

Seri was horrified but tried to cover it and pretend tried not to think that Jeong Hyeok may have heard that. "Hyeoky! I mean, Jeong Hyeok. I didn't realize you were here. Do you remember Hae-Soo? She went to our school," she reminded him. Jeong Hyeok greeted Hae-Soo. "How was your flight?" Seri asked.

"Uneventful, thankfully," he said. "You? I'm sorry I wasn't able to catch you before you left Europe."

"It was fine. No issues." She checked on the main dishes they were having that night. "Why don't you guys sit? The food will be ready in a few minutes."

"Alright," Hae-Soo agreed.

"Oh, by the way. This is for you. They're your favorite chocolates," Jeong Hyeok said shyly.