" ᴄᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴍᴇ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ? "
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A couple of days had passed since Soo-Ho found out what happened to Yeong-Ja and Dong-Yul and his sister had come back to the studio that night with a small smile on their faces. Dajoon and his aunt had happily offered their spare rooms for the twins to stay in for as long as they needed. Yeong-Ja had given the twins more money before they left the studio and had even offered Dong-Yul a part-time job at the convenience store if he needed it, the younger man gratefully accepted the offer.
Today, a couple of hours ago, Soo-Ho's grandmother had stopped by the convenience store and as Yeong-Ja checked, the elderly woman had asked, moreso, demanded that Yeong-Ja join her and Soo-Ho for dinner at their home. Yeong-Ja froze and choked on her saliva causing her to cough and stare at the older woman with wide eyes, not believing she heard the older woman correctly. Yet here Yeong-Ja stood, nervously running a hand through her loose hair and biting her bottom lip as she stared at the dark wooden door. The teenager rang the bell and she could faintly hear Soo-Ho's grandmother yelling from inside causing Yeong-Ja to let out a little breathy laugh, seconds went by before the door opened. Yeong-Ja's eyes flickered up to meet Soo-Ho's gaze, his eyes pinning her to the spot and Yeong-Ja didn't know why, but his gaze made her heart skip a beat.
"Good evening Yeong-Ja." He greeted her after a moment of silence as he took her in. The sight of her caused butterflies to swarm his stomach. She was dressed in a nice pair of beige dress pants and long sleeve black turtleneck shirt, but what caught Soo-Ho's eyes was her hair that cascaded down past her shoulders. She looks pretty, really pretty.
"Good evening Soo-Ho." She quietly responded, her eyes darting away from his stare. Soo-Ho cleared his throat and quickly moved to the side to let her through, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Yeong-Ja couldn't help but let a quiet chuckle pass her lips as she stepped into their home and slipped her shoes off, Soo-Ho lead her to the kitchen where Yeong-Ja saw his grandmother cooking away as jazz music played through the room.
"Yeong-Ja! Oh my, you look lovely!" Yeong-Ja smiled shyly at the older woman's compliment and softly hugged her back. Soo-Ho smiled brightly at the two as he stood in the kitchen doorway watching them.
"I made this before I came here." Yeong-Ja handed the older woman the bag she held in her hand with a small smile, she had made a box of bibimbap after her shift. Soo-Ho's grandmother grinned and happily took the box and set it on the bench before turning to the young teenagers.
"Everything is almost done, you two can sit at the table. Everything is already set." Yeong-Ja bowed her head and turned to Soo-Ho who smiled at her as he made his way to the table. Soo-Ho pulled out the chair for Yeong-Ja, the young woman smiled at him and sat down. Soo-Ho sat in the seat opposite Yeong-Ja, his gaze always finding it's way back to her.
"Your hair." Soo-Ho spoke, Yeong-Ja's gaze snapped to up to him as her fingers instinctively went to fiddle with her hair.
"I-Is it bad? I don't really wear it down." Soo-Ho smirked and leaned back in his seat, he shook his head softly and stared at her softly.
"I like it down. It's pretty." Soo-Ho said softly and Yeong-Ja felt her cheeks flare up, she shifted in her seat and cleared her throat awkwardly. Soo-Ho chuckled at her flustered state with a large smile on his face, his smile faltered when his eyes glanced down at her covered neck.
"How's it healing?" He asked quietly, Yeong-Ja smiled slightly at the concern in his voice. It was still weird for her, for someone to care enough about her to be concerned.
"It's healing a lot faster than I thought." She replied back softly, Soo-Ho nodded his head. Neither of them were able to say anything else as Soo-Ho's grandmother came and started placing the food on the table, Soo-Ho had stood up to help her and Yeong-Ja watched them talk and laugh with one another. It warmed her heart to see such a loving family, Soo-Ho glanced back at Yeong-Ja as he chatted with his grandmother in the kitchen, the young woman sent him a small smile when she caught his gaze. Soo-Ho smiled back at her, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer before he looked back at his grandmother, who was smirking knowingly at Soo-Ho but said nothing. Once the food was all set on the table, Yeong-Ja turned to the older woman with a soft grin.
"Thank you for the food." The elderly woman grinned back at Yeong-Ja and gestured the young woman to start eating.
"You're welcome dear, now eat!" Yeong-Ja laughed quietly and nodded her head as all three started eating. Soo-Ho glanced at Yeong-Ja with a smile on his lips as he also started eating, Yeong-Ja hummed in delight as she ate, her eyes sparkling causing both Soo-Ho and his grandmother to grin at her reaction.
"I forgot to ask, but how was school Soo-Ho?" The teen boy looked at his grandmother and shrugged his shoulders softly as he finished chewing his food.
"It was a normal day, I've got mock exams coming up." Yeong-Ja silently listened as she ate her food, she was envious that Soo-Ho was able to go to school. She knew a lot of kids her age would rather be like her and not have to go to school, but in Yeong-Ja's case, she wasn't given a choice considering her deadbeat parents stopped paying her school fees and spent it on drugs, gambling and alcohol instead. So, here she was working, not only to afford her own place but to get back into her education at some point.
Yeong-Ja didn't notice that Soo-Ho had asked her a question until the young woman felt her foot being nudged from under the table. Her eyes snapped up to Soo-Ho, who raised a brow at her startled expression.
"I-I'm sorry, I got lost in my thoughts." Yeong-Ja stuttered, her cheeks flaring pink in embarrassment. Soo-Ho shook his head with a smile twitching on his lips.
"It's okay. I...I just wanted to ask why you don't go to school...Of course, you don't have to answer!" The young man hesitantly asked, but hurried to reassure her that he wouldn't pressure her into answering. His panicked expression caused Yeong-Ja's lips to twitch upwards, she was silent for a moment, she didn't want to tell them the full reason, but she was comfortable with Soo-Ho and his grandmother to let them in, past her walls, just a little bit.
"My parents were not the...Greatest parents. Some things happened and I had to drop out of school, and because of what had happened...I had to move here and start working." Yeong-Ja answered vaguely and Soo-Ho nodded silently and sent her a soft smile. His grandmother glanced from Yeong-Ja to Soo-Ho, before her eyes found themselves back on Yeong-Ja with a knowing glint.
"Well, had you not come to this neighbourhood, we wouldn't have met you, so I think it has turned out pretty well." The older woman replied, Yeong-Ja lets out a little laugh and nodded her head softly. As rough as her life has been, she was grateful she has been able to meet people like Soo-Ho, his grandmother, Mr Kim and of course, all her students.
The three continued to eat and share some stories, Yeong-Ja opting to listen more than talk while Soo-Ho's grandmother took it upon herself to tell Yeong-Ja embarrassing stories of Soo-Ho. Leaving the young man with a permanent grimace on his face and red ears as Yeong-Ja grinned and laughed at the stories.
An hour went by before they had finished eating, Yeong-Ja stood up and helped gather the dishes, she turned to the older woman that was behind her and smiled.
"I can do the dishes. It's the least I can do." The older woman was about to argue but she saw the look on Yeong-Ja's face and sighed with her own smile before nodding.
"Very well, after you've finished we can continue to chat in the lounge." Yeong-Ja grinned and nodded firmly, Soo-Ho leaned the side of his body against the doorframe and remained there even after his grandmother had passed him. He stared at Yeong-Ja for a few moments before he moved to stand next to her and grabbed a towel to dry the dishes as she washed them, Yeong-Ja turned to look at him and raised a brow.
"You don't have to help, It's okay." Soo-Ho shook his head and took the plate from her hand.
"I want to." He stated, Yeong-Ja turned her head and looked down at the soapy water to hide the smile on her lips. As Yeong-Ja continued to wash the dishes, she glanced at Soo-Ho then back at the water, a small devilish smile making it's way onto her lips and without looking away from the sink, Yeong-Ja flicked water towards Soo-Ho. The young man flinched when he felt water hit him on the face and snapped his gaze to Yeong-Ja who stared at him with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry, that was an accident." She muttered, keeping the Cheshire grin off her face. Soo-Ho blinked at her before turning away, Yeong-Ja smirked to herself and couldn't hold herself back from splashing a bigger amount of water at him. Soo-Ho jumped as he felt water hit him once again, wetting his face, neck and shirt. Yeong-Ja tried to stifle her laughter and grinned as she stared at him as he looked at her in shock.
"Oh sorry, my hand slipped-" Her fake apology was instantly cut off by her loud gasp as she felt the soapy water hit her face, Soo-Ho grinned as he saw soap on her cheek and her nose. Yeong-Ja playfully glared at him before splashing him back, laughing loudly when it hit him right in the nose. Soo-Ho raised a challenging brow and grabbed a handful of the water and threw it at her causing her to squeal as he laughed at her reaction, both of them continued to splash each other with water, laughing loudly.
"Okay! Okay! I surrender!" Yeong-Ja said through her laughs, covering her face with her arm. Soo-Ho grinned as he tried to calm down his own laughter as he stopped, Yeong-Ja let her arm drop and grinned at the sight of Soo-Ho's hair and face drenched and soap sticking to his skin and hair. Yeong-Ja knew she was in a similar state, parts of her now wet hair sticking to her face and she wiped the soap from her face, the large smile still plastered on her face, she looked back at Soo-Ho who had dried his face with the towel and let out a chuckle when she spotted the soap in his hair.
"Soo-Ho, you've got soap in your hair." She pointed out, Soo-Ho ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to get it out but Yeong-Ja huffed out a laugh when he completely missed it. Without much thought, Yeong-Ja stepped closer to Soo-Ho and placed her hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she leaned up on her toes and slowly ran her fingers through his hair. Soo-Ho froze as he stared at her, she was close enough that he could see a faint scar just below her eyebrow, close enough that her sweet perfume invaded his senses, close enough that he could just spot the specks of light brown in her dark eyes, close enough that he could lean in and he'd be able to feel if her lips were as soft as they looked.
"There, all gone now." Yeong-Ja mused, completely unaware of the effect she was having on Soo-Ho. It was only when she leaned back down on her feet did she meet his eyes, they gazed into her own with an intensity that made butterflies erupt in the pit of her stomach that scared her. All both of them could do was look at each other, neither of them able to look away, it wasn't until Yeong-Ja cleared her throat loudly and stepped back just before Soo-Ho's grandmother walked in and saw the mess the two had made, the elderly woman let out an amused huffed and looked between the two.
"Now here I thought you were supposed to dry the dishes?" Yeong-Ja let out an embarrassed laugh and bowed her head.
"I'm sorry." The older woman laughed and waved Yeong-Ja off with a grin.
"Don't worry dear, I'm happy that I could hear your beautiful laugh." Yeong-Ja's cheeks deepened in colour at the compliment. Soo-Ho was only then able to tear his eyes off of Yeong-Ja to his grandmother, who had turned to look at him.
"Would you be able to show Yeong-Ja where the bathroom is so she can wash off any soap? I'll mop up the water." Soo-Ho nodded and smiled at his grandmother before glancing at Yeong-Ja who had already been looking at him. He silently motions her to follow him and Yeong-Ja silently followed behind Soo-Ho down the hall, he turned on the bathroom light and opened one of the cupboards to take out a small towel and placed it on the basin. Yeong-Ja looked at Soo-Ho.
"Here. Take your time." Soo-Ho softly said as Yeong-Ja bowed her head. Soo-Ho gazed at her for a moment longer before walking out and closing the door behind him softly, he walked into his own room and closed his door before leaning his back against it. He took a deep breath and placed his hand to his chest, above his thumping heart for a moment before running his hand through his hair. Thinking back to how Yeong-Ja's fingers tan through his hair so gently. He knew he was attracted to Yeong-Ja, he's known that since the first time he saw her on the rooftop staring up at the stars, he knew it when he had seen her dance for the first time, and when he had walked her back to the studio as the sun set a couple of days ago. But now, he was beginning to think what he felt was a lot deeper than attraction.
"I'm so fucked if I'm right." He muttered softly to himself, but he couldn't stop the smile that lit up his face and he chuckled to himself.
It only took Yeong-Ja 10 minutes to get the remaining soap from her face and hair before she walked back out, she was glad that her shirt wasn't very wet and was already starting to dry up. The young female walked into the lounge to see Soo-Ho sitting on the couch, his legs spread a little as he slouched against the back of the couch with a cup in his hands. Soo-Ho turned his head and smiled at her.
"Grandma made us tea, she's just taking her medication." Yeong-Ja hummed softly and sat next to him, carefully picking up the cup of tea and taking a small sip, sighing quietly in content at the warmth of it, Soo-Ho smiled and took a sip of his own drink as well. Yeong-Ja glanced back at Soo-Ho and looked down at her hands before looking back at him.
"Soo-Ho...Can I ask you a question?" Soo-Ho turned his attention to the girl beside him and nodded softly as he looked at her apprehensive expression.
"I know that you want to be my friend...But why me? I mean...I'm grateful that you care enough but I just don't understand why you would want me as a...Friend. I'm cold and can come off rude..." Yeong-Ja shrunk into herself by the end of her question, mentally face-palming herself for asking a stupid question like that. But as she was about to wave off her question and ask him to forget she asked, she was cut off by his voice.
"Because you interest me. Because you live a different life than anyone I've ever met. It doesn't take a genius to sense that you've been through a lot, yet, you're still so kind to those around you, you look out for those you care about no matter what and I respect that about you. The way you're able to still smile and laugh so carefree while going through what you have, it's admirable. Your initial coldness and reclusiveness may be off-putting to a lot of people...But for me, it only drew me in, it made me want to know more about you. I still do." Soo-Ho's response left Yeong-Ja speechless, she had never heard someone say anything like that about her. Yeong-Ja's heart warmed at his words and she couldn't control the small gentle smile that appeared on her lips as she looked down at her lap, her hair falling over her face. Yeong-Ja chuckled quietly and slowly trailed her eyes back to his, she stared into his dark warm eyes.
"I'm not the easiest person to get to know...I don't know how good of a friend I can be." She whispered, Soo-Ho only chuckled and smiled at her.
"I'll take the warning. We'll figure it out, you and me." Yeong-Ja smiled and nodded softly, their eyes never breaking away from each other.
"You and me." She repeated softly, barely a whisper but Soo-Ho was able to just hear the words slip from her lips and his heart couldn't contain the skip it did.
A/N
I hope everyone is doing well, I was initially going to post this chapter last week but as most of you would know if you are a K-pop fan, Moonbin from Astro passed away last week. I've been an AROHA since Astro's debut and Moonbin is one of my ult's so the news hit me really hard and to be completely honest, the last week has been really hard for me. I never expected the death of someone I don't know personally to hit me as hard and deeply as his has, it feels like I've lost a friend, it goes to show how music can connect people. But I found the heart and energy to finish writing this chapter today and it has proven to be a good distraction, one that I needed. I hope everyone who knows and is affected by his passing, who is reading this, is doing as okay as they can be. My DM's are always open for anyone who needs to talk. In memory of Moonbin, I am planning on getting a tattoo of a star and moon with the script "My moon met the stars." Very soon, hopefully in the next couple of weeks. But please be kind to one another, keep yourselves and each other safe and make sure to eat and drink lots.
-This is Lyn, Signing off.