My house was the solitary place that I sincerely loved. I have had many ostensibly homes before, yet to carry those wondrous roots and to decide where you want to grow them seems much more difficult.
Reliable choices were inconspicuous, this friendly neighborhood was brought up first by Seo Inguk who insisted that this would be the only fair option. And believing him made me the invincible winner.
The one-bedroom appartement was compact, solemnly measured till each single meter and everything was exactly for one person. The singular electric toothbrush, sets of utensils and crockery which was just enough for two people to eat and above of all, it made me feel exactly what it was supposed to do.
Enrapturement.
I was happy to eat breakfast with my beloved Ahjussi again, but the droopiness on my face was not hiding the current mood that hijacked my mind at all.
Hearing a sorrowful sigh from the wooden seat in front of me, I woke up from my constant daydreaming and fatigue. 'Kkoma-yah, are you going to tell me what happened at that wedding last Saturday? I have not heard anything so that makes me suspect the worst.'
The dynamic boss loved spilling every moment of my life to Ahjussi, which came with the continuation of talks about my safety and wellbeing. Truthfully speaking, I appreciated the kind effort but worrying the elder about this matter is not something we should consider stable anymore.
Someday, Ahjussi will fall in a cave of poignant.
I poked my silvery chopstick into the leftover beansprout, mumbling a hesitant message. 'I do not know what Seo Inguk has told you, but I am pretty sure that this is not worth telling.'
My mind drifted into retentive memories of the celebratory reception that occurred a couple of days ago, shivers taking over my body as I could still hear that deep voice in the crook of my neck. And not to even begin about the handsome tall groom who apparently knew of my existence from God knows where.
Ahjussi took a note to reassure me from withholding a burden, wanting to speak with direct eye contact which I childishly avoided. 'Everything deserves a chance to be told. And that is why I am here to listen.'
Surely kind from the elder and yet I wanted to dive into another theme for this early morning talk. Taking a single grain of white rice between my metal chopsticks, I poked the tip of the tongue inside my cheek while I peeked up. 'Ahjussi, can I ask you something?'
The elder spooned his cup full of another batch of Kimchi Jjigae, nudging me to go forward with my query. Fair and square, I had been wanting to ask this rhetorical question for years now. 'How come you have never gotten married?'
Worse case scenario would be Ahjussi getting a severe heart attack, the loud groan came in an identical form of a taunting lecture as it made my clawed-up bun looser in one swift of a flinch. 'Yah!'
My lips pouted while I adjusted my messy hairdo, feeling slightly sorry that I intentionally had addressed such a sensitive topic.
Ahjussi met the innocent gleam in my dark brown eyes, breathing out heavily before he let his eating spoon down. Just like that, the elder began staring towards something or in reality, just an empty random spot in the homely space. 'There was this one woman...'
The inner sucker for romantic tales came right out of myself, stopping him with an energetic squeak while I threw my silvery chopsticks onto the dinner table with a clang. 'Oh my god, I cannot believe that you even got a story Ahjussi. Tell me!'
Excitement was definitely evident on my body language, sitting literally on the edge of my seat as I cupped my face with anticipation. Ahjussi could only grin at my behavior, setting his utensils away for the wordsmith portrayal. 'You are getting jumpy way too soon Kkoma-yah.'
Slowly but well-defined is how Ahjussi was describing his lover, my dark brown eyes almost getting teary at the thought of such rare infatuation. 'She was sublimely beautiful, just like a gorgeously growing flower in the middle of an empty bright green grass field. Rosy flushed cheeks, the finely combed short black hair and her sparkling eyes that carried the color of dark blue as they were that dusky in the sunlight. Nevertheless, she was the one who made my heart race like never before.'
If books were indeed authentically romantic, their authors must have experienced the same romance that elderly dreamingly tell their grandchildren.
I gasped to make sure that the elder man in front of me felt being heard. 'That sounds so cute.'
Ahjussi squinted his eyes before the ornamentation in his voice showed no other colors the melancholy grey scale. 'My steps were not halting as I approached her full of hope. After a wildfire romance, her father was not fond of a Korean being her suitor as she was a Japanese refugee. One letter is all it took to make her leave me behind, apologies were only given from her side while I had never gotten the chance to really say my earnest goodbyes.'
Before I could tell that I felt sorry for the elder, Ahjussi let me hear some good advice from his perspective. 'Kkoma-yah, if you ever experience love like that, do not let it go no matter what it takes.'
Anxiety took the function which my throat was developed for over, perceiving a huge aching rock in my voice box. Encountering yearning for someone did go in form of a gift to the wrong person, or did I just want to think that the route was misguided?
Such deep thoughts kept me up for hours at night during the past couple of weeks, my only gateway being a hundred tiring but effective burpees.
My lips mumbled in the tiniest voice that I could produce, still making sure that the elder had heard me clearly. 'Ahjussi, what if I tell you that my heart ran those miles before, but it is highly complicated.'
Ahjussi's sighing was his trademark, basically giving Seo Inguk's cover up in order to make me talk. 'I am not surprised. That is why my lovely gaejasiki (moron) fell onto his knees to make me talk to you about your current way of living. This kid that we are talking about, I have actually known him for an exceptionally long time. He probably does not remember me but...'
And that was my cue to ask something that I should have inquired way earlier. 'And what does his brother have to do with me?'
The silence from Ahjussi's side said a lot more than words could give. Everything exposed naked onto the white canvas, bound to be turning soon into a blackened hell.
Punctuality is what is being valued for over centuries by various authorities, and yet I always manage to be on the borderline of being late. Jaunts of myself were echoing through the large hallway, spotting the familiar girl with perfectly kohled eyes from afar. Although, luck must be behaving like a bastard yet again.
An annoyingly mundane back frame was facing me without any shame. I feared for who was behind the rear of that head right away, immediately confirming my logical suspicions in substantial amounts.
The black-framed glasses were such a big façade, hesitantly stepping next to my best friend while the aftermath from running got out in meagerly audible pants.
Those foxlike eyes send me a precise message. Do not in any circumstance make this awkward for the both of us. Well, you should be the careful one Jeon Wonwoo.
Enthusiasm was exactly what I saw in Eunbi's actions, grabbing my lower arm while she excitingly swung it up and down. 'Dohee-yah, I have been looking for you! Do not tell me that you slept in again? That is the third time this week.'
It was not until I ventured my dark brown eyes towards my front side that I had recognized the other three guys in her half-mooned talking circle.
Jihoon had his eyes widened at my nervous presence, almost wanting to say something before he got halted by the one with slitted eyes and a toothy smile. 'Ah, so you are Do Dohee?'
The taller man with a sharp jawline and droopy eyes fired back without any interference. 'And on what Wikipedia page did you read that Kwon Soonyoung?'
Thank you for the unannounced introduction.
Not knowing whether I should intrude their bickering, Soonyoung bit back with a massive pout suiting his lips. 'Do not call me that Moon. It is Hoshi. Ho-Shi. Horangi shiseon (Eyes of tiger).'
And why in the thunderation would I have to address him voluntarily as another species? Quick as a flash, the warlike duo reflected them for many reasons, Chan and Seungkwan are standing literal parallel with these two.
Rolling his droopy eyes in one go, the taller one rubbed the bridge of his nose while he stated an obvious fact. 'The whole world knows that at this point.'
Maybe I am too fast to judge sometimes, but this self-proclaimed tiger guy is the epitome of moping. 'Why are you always so mean to me Junhui?'
The full name being Moon Junhui let a boisterous yawn leave his mouth, chic short-lasting slaps producing a beat as he punctuated his rebuttal. 'You are asking for it.'
A mundane yet distant deep voice sent trembles over my whole body. Stopping the quarrel between his two friends is what Wonwoo had probably anticipated for ever since it begun. 'Can you guys stop for a second? You are making them uncomfortable.'
That is called an inescapable contradiction is what I genuinely wanted to say but the shimmer of benevolence in his dark orbs blocked my speech completely. Being sympathetic was not supposed to be in his dictionary and up until now I could feel every fiber related to that emotion.
Jihoon held his flinty stare on me while he excused himself with a feeble bow, throwing an adieu in steps to the back. 'Hey guys, I am going to head out to the studios because I do have some work left. Nice to meet you too, Do Dohee.'
From my personal investigation of Jeon Wonwoo's surroundings I did find out that the lion haired guy's major was practical music. Funny that I want to know how he met his friends who are studying something business related which is indeed in the exact opposite direction.
My lip corners dropped a bit at the emphasis he spoke in, flimsy bitterness seizing the taste on my tongue. Something else must be bothering Soonyoung as he screamed behind the speedy walking friend, not realizing that he summoned the majority of people's attention around him with that scream. 'Did he even tell his name? Yah, Jihoon-ah!'
Junhui probably thought that this Hoshi guy had hit his head against a wall when he was younger, affirming it in one self-reflecting question. 'Well, you introduced him now, didn't you?'
Simple presentations about bits and pieces can be given later. God, get my confused self disappear from the sight of his foxlike eyes. Whispers of intoxication grew higher as if the time had stopped its clock again.
Before I could ask for a firm explanation, Eunbi slung her right arm around my neck while there was clear happiness in her voice. 'Since you missed the first period, I am going to tell you what I have arranged. We are all in the same group project!'
Okay, somebody just shoot me, would you?
I know that my best friend had her supreme good intentions, only if this assignment came in a couple of weeks earlier. I would have been screaming howls in my pillow, being freaky in commotion and be overall panicked on how I would appear in front of my college crush.
That doomed jitter is now mostly found in a negative sense, my blood veins were rushing with outrage and hatred. Shrugging her hold of my neck, I turned to stand face-to-face while I murmured my urgent plead. 'Eunbi, we should talk...'
Was I not clear enough? The female best friend ignored the prayer as she challenged herself to be the leader instead of being my only salvation in this situation. 'We should definitely work on this project in the library, don't you all think? Let's get it done now. We have a free period anyway.'
My mouth parted to say something in defense, closing them when she dragged me towards the study place while the other three members of our group were following us like obedient puppies.
I checked if my voice was low enough to prevent any of them from listening in, shaking my head in little saccades of disapproval. 'I am not pleased with this idea.'
Eunbi furrowed her eyebrows, speaking gleefully as if she did something that would get her some kind of satisfaction. 'I am doing you a favor jagi.'
The clenched fists found their place along side my body, the wave of embarrassment swimming in the waters of my subconscious. Telling myself for the umpteenth time that it was a foolish decision to ever develop feelings for the enigmatic man still did not land on a safe ground.
And then I remembered my best friend's initial impression of him, debating it to her with a scoff plastered before it. 'Why are you suddenly approving of Jeon Wonwoo though? You once called him the walking interpretation of boredom.'
Now that I think about it, Hwang Eunbi's deduction was always thus dependable as a newbie car driver. She hummed her unnecessary green light, the urge to tell her that the sign should turn bloody red again expanding. 'Because he seemed honest.'
I could not believe my own ears. Never in the world would I hear Eunbi speak like that about a man except for our friends and especially her boyfriend.
Reality hit me in the face, glaring at the left side of Eunbi's overly happy face as I kissed my teeth. 'You just want me to get me laid.'
The wink and smirk on her lips made me want to strangle her. 'Yes, that too.'
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Probably not the longest chapter that you all have been waiting for, but I had to cut it shorter as always.
And finally my 96 liner guys are completed in this story. Hoshi is so cute that I want to squeeze his cheeks (lmao this is just my inner thoughts in writing).
The story from Ahjussi, it is based on a real life story of my neighbour who was basically my babysitter during my whole childhood. Now that he moved to a nursing home I do not see him as often so yeah this is kind of a tribute to him <3
As we hit a 7k views, thank you so much for all the love and support! Saying it for the umpteenth time now, voting will be appreciated from time to time <3
I watched GoSe today too, and omg the hammer game got me crying lol
Okay, that's it <3
Love,