"Mom! Dad!" I exclaimed as I saw them sitting at the table with my grandparents.
"Mia!" My mom exclaimed as well and got up to greet me with a hug.
"Why did you not tell me you were coming?"
"We wanted it to be a surprise".
"It really was", I muttered between my teeth.
"How are you doing? We haven't talked like... for a month", that was my dad. And it was a subtle complaint.
"Sorry, I've been busy". Actually, I didn't call them just because I felt like I might cry if I heard their voices on the phone.
"It's fine. At least you've been spending time with your grandpas".
"Of course, she has", jumped in my grandpa. "If it's not because-", my grandma hit him with her elbow. "Honey", he complained.
"Let's sit and order already, shall we?" I swear, my grandma was in charge no matter the situation.
"Ah, there's your brother". I looked around surprised seeing my brother walking toward us.
"I'll kill you", I gesticulated to him as he approached. His face seemed to light up in realization and gave me an apologetic look.
All of us sitting at a restaurant table like that was a rare view, even more since it was the first time we were all together in South Korea.
"Why did you not mention you were coming?" I whispered to my brother next to me.
"I didn't know until last week, I was pretty busy getting permission from my boss too".
"Last week?" I repeated surprised. He nodded.
"What are you whispering over there?", said Mom calling on us already.
"Nothing", we said in unison. She gave us a suspicious look, she always thought we were planning something. I don't blame her, though; when we were kids, we were quite the troublemakers when left alone.
"So, the plan is to go to Ulsan this weekend all together", started my mother. My grandma and I exchanged a look.
"I can't". I stepped in before her. Believe me or not, she had become my accomplice in all the things related to Chan. I think my grandpa kinda knew I had a boyfriend already, but he didn't say anything; Grandma asked me not to tell him either.
"Why? Do you have plans with your friends?"
"Yeah, we're traveling tomorrow morning".
"I told you we should have told her", said my dad.
"What do we do?" Sighed my mother.
"Let's just go without her, I came to visit my grandpas anyway", said my brother as sweet as that can sound turning his back to me and looking at the old couple.
"I don't even know how Mom convinced you to come with them". My dad giggled letting me know it wasn't for the good ones.
"Shut up if you don't want me to say something". He said turning to me again.
"Uh? Do you want to say something?" I stared at him in the eye. If he wanted to say something, I had plenty of things to say too.
"What are you talking about?" He buffed and leaned on his chair.
"You sure haven't grown at all", laughed my grandpa.
After lunch, my grandparents drove my parents to their hotel; and since there was not enough space for me in the car, I left on my own. They wanted me to receive them in my apartment to drink some tea and talk a bit more but I still had to work, and they weren't the type of people that will chill out silently at home while you are busy with your own business.
"By the way, why are you following me?" I asked my brother as we walked to the bus stop.
"I'm meeting a friend".
"Yeah, I heard that part. I don't know how the two things are related though".
"I don't know how to get there".
"What?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Where are you meeting?" I sighed resigned.
"Oh, so you finally got to move around by yourself". He said showing me where he was going on his phone.
"Not really". I typed it in Kakao Maps.
"Are you really working today?"
"Get on the bus with me, it's midway. And yes, I have work to do".
We didn't talk much on the bus. I got off with him and took him to the bar he was meeting his friend. I was leaving already when he asked me to stay with him for a while until his friend arrived. I rolled my eyes but stayed anyway.
"I think something's going on", he said sipping his beer,
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you think it's weird that Mom and Dad have come?"
"Hm... not really. Dad said he wanted to come and meet some friends a couple times since last year".
"Did he?" He asked surprised. I nodded.
"Who are you meeting again?"
"A friend, you know him. Tom, from Uni".
"I don't remember any Tom".
"My friend! The one who was called to serve in the military with me".
"Which one? I remember two".
"High school".
"Ah! Your not-boyfriend". I joked. He and Tom used to be really close back in high school, so close that we thought they were dating, but after his service he stayed in Korea and my brother gave up on his Korean nationality to not serve, so they gradually fall apart.
"He's getting married in a few months".
"Good for him, so I'll see you again in a couple months".
"I don't know, it depends on work". He sipped his beer again. "Are you going back at some point?" I looked at the paper tissue I was playing with.
"I don't know. Not for the time being".
"Am I meeting him? Let me meet him", he started pulling my sweater.
"Gosh, leave me alone". I pulled my arm to free from him. "I don't know, he's busy".
"You've been so reticent to talk about your boyfriend... You haven't even posted a photo of him. Are you sure he's real and you didn't go nuts? Maybe he's too ugly".
"You're one to talk", I side-eyed him. He didn't show up with a girlfriend in 3 years, but it was obvious he was seeing someone during all that time.
"Didn't you have to work?"
"Didn't you ask me to stay with you?" He always changed the topic when he was at loss.
"Tom is here", he pointed with his chin. I turned around.
"I'm leaving then. Don't call me, I'll be in a meeting soon". I stood up and walked out. "Hi, Jun". I greeted my brother's friend. He seemed surprised to see me but I didn't stop walking, I was late. And yes, his name was Jun, not Tom. Tom was his English name.
At home, I finished packing everything and logged in the meeting I had with the team that day.
Things at the office were a mess because two of our main editors quit after they got drunk with Richard and fought with each other. They never got along but nobody thought they would reach that point.
Everyone was worried about all the work they were leaving behind too. Richard told me to divide it among the ones that had their share of work already done or most of it complete, but I thought it was pretty unfair. Why would I give them more work just because they were done with theirs?
Therefore, I said nothing. Some offered to take some of the work that was needed to take over though, and I accepted gratefully since they were offering their help. I didn't want anyone to feel pressured to take more than they should or could do. That meant some sleepless nights for me though, starting that day.
"Hi, did you eat already?" Wrote Chan around 10 p.m.
"Hi", I wrote back with lots of hearts. "Yeah, tuna salad. And you?"
"I'm gonna eat now. Ramen".
"How many?" He sent a photo as an answer. Two huge cups with instant ramen. "Respect", I wrote back.
"What are you doing?"
"Working", I added a crying face and the photo of my laptop's screen.
"That makes the two of us then", he sent me a selfie at the studio.
"I thought you were going out with the members".
"Later, Lino and Lix are still busy". I still don't know where are going either", he sent a laughing face.
"How come?"
"We were still debating between Italian and sushi this morning".
"Oh... that's a tough one. I don't know either... If you're going out you should go for something you can't have at home".
"Hm..."
"And, sorry for changing the topic, but... about tomorrow, are we meeting at the airport or are we going together?"
"Ah! Let's meet there, I'll go there from here".
"Ok!"
"Unless you want me to pick you up. I can".
"Nah, it's ok. My mom wants to meet tomorrow so I'll probably go there from whenever I'm meeting her".
"Wait, your mom?"
"Ah!" I sighed. "I haven't told him yet", I talked to myself. "My parents and my brother got to Seoul today".
"What? Really?"
"Really".
"You didn't mention, did you?"
"No, I didn't. I didn't know about it. They will stay for a week".
"Do you want to postpone our trip? I know you miss them".
"No way! I'll spend time with them when we're back".
"You sure?"
"10000% sure. I know my dad has things to do too, and I'm sure my grandparents want to spend time with them".
"Do I have to greet them?" He sent an anxious emoji. I started to laugh frantically imagining them meeting Chan.
"Naur", I wrote. I wrote it like that whenever I wanted to make the conversation unserious. "Unless you want me to introduce you but they don't mind that type of thing".
"Ah, I see". The conversation died there. I went back to work and I guess he did too.
It was past 3 a.m. when I started to feel my eyes dry as hell because of the screen. I stood and made some tea wondering if Chan was still up.
"Are you sleeping?" I wrote.
I finished my tea while I made the last tasks with the little energy I had left before getting ready to sleep.
Chan didn't reply.
I was already working at 7 again. I had a short meeting with Richard, who was ready to go to sleep, before organizing what needed to be done that morning and getting hands at work.
I sometimes felt that Richard relied too much on me when things like that happened. But it was a never-ending conversation whenever I tried talking about it with him. So, I just had to bear with him moody for a couple of days after I took in just what I could actually do and notified him what he had to cover or get someone else do.
From time to time, I wondered why I dated him. We surely ignore quite a few things when we are teens.
I tried not to think too much about that anyway. Chan replied to the text I sent him the previous night and all I wanted was to be off in Jeju as soon as possible to forget about the world.
Before heading to the airport, I grabbed coffee with Mom to spend some time together.
Guys, you don't know how much I needed it. I just needed a hug from her to get myself together.
"We are planning to take grandpas with us to the US for some time", she said as we shared a piece of chocolate cake. "Do you want to come back with us? There's not much for you to do here without them around".
"Ah, hm... about that, I still have things to do here. I'm not planning on going unless it's urgent, at least for now". She kept silent for a moment before saying anything else.
"We have talked with you Dad", she held my gaze for a sec. I got a bit scared if I'm being honest. "And if you want to stay here, you don't owe us an explanation".
"Thank you".
"I mean... to live here". I looked up to Mom. "Both of us left out homes thinking about what was better for us. Your dad is not very excited about it, but if you want to live here, we will do what we can to help".
"Mom..." I felt my heart full. Everything was still too uncertain though. "I don't know about that".
"You can try if you want. You can always go back with us if things don't work out. We will be there for you".
"Thanks Mom", I struggled to say in a string of voice before started crying.
"Oh, my baby", she hurried to hug me.
It's not like I was sad or feeling bad about something at that moment. I just felt so loved and reassured by my parents that it brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't ask for better parents to be honest, I had got the best of the best with them. And I was truly happy knowing that I was able to spend some time with them after such a long time.
Even if I wanted those days with Chan to last forever, I wanted them to be over to spend time with my family too. It was a weird mixture of feelings.
"Hey, where are you?" I got a message from Chan the moment I was lining for the check-in.
"Checking in, you?"
"I'm already at the other side", I tiptoed trying to see ahead, but I couldn't spot him.
"I don't see you". I waited my turn and the moment I showed my e-ticket, I saw him. I smiled immediately and almost jumped out of the line. Seriously, it was too much happiness in such a short period of time.
"How was your date with your mom?" He asked taking my backpack off my shoulder. I just let him because if not, he would pout until I handed it to him. I sometimes didn't just to see him pout though.
"It was fine. Seems like she thinks I'm her tour guide". I told him while we went to the side, there was still some time until our flight.
"Did you tell her you still get lost?"
"She knows!"
"Well, maybe she can show you around", he started to tease me. But there was something he didn't know.
"My mom is the same as me, it's in the genes", I admitted, and he cracked up. "Stop laughing", I frowned.
"Ok, ok", he said patting my arm as he leaned toward me, still chuckling.
"And what did you have to do today?"
"I can't tell you that", he said with a mischievous smile. That itself was kind of a hint, but he enjoyed teasing me so every now and then he told me random things to get me excited and they were all lies, so I never knew with him.
"Hm...", I gave him a dubious look.
"This time is true", he said innocently tilting his head to the side.
"I don't know", I grabbed his mask that was at his chin and pulled it making it land on his face making his eyes shut in surprise.
"Don't do that".
"Don't do that", I mocked him and he flicked his tongue. "What are we getting for lunch? I'm hungry".
"Pizza".
"Oh! Sounds good".
"We can buy something to eat over there if you want", he said pointing at a corridor.
"Can we?"
"Of course, let's go grab something", he motioned for me to follow him and I did.
Now, it felt like we were going on a trip for real. I don't mean our trip to Busan wasn't a real trip. I mean that up until that moment, I didn't feel real the fact that I was going out with him to Jeju, even after planning it.
I fought him to buy some candies, and I say fight because he had a problem letting me pay, and lined to get on the plain. We were off to Jeju!