"I really should have arrived a few days earlier." I complained for upteem times today. Just after I woke up, I started unpacking my luggages and I realized how impossible of a task it was to accomplish.
"Just how did the unni manage to pack of my stuff in one day?" I questioned as I marveled my helper's skills. She was really talented. I started to miss her now.
"Your phone is fully charged already Hae Ri." Yi Eun called out to me and I dashed towards it enthusiastically. I was pretty much addicted to my phone and in my lethargic condition, I had forgotten to charge it before I went to bed yesterday. I switched it on and waited patiently for it to start up. While tapping my finger on my phone, I looked up and focused my attention on Yi Eun. He was still looking through some papers.
"Shouldn't you get some sleep?" I asked him but he simply shook his head," I slept for 2 hours just now. I need to finish this thesis before today. My adviser wants to view it tomorrow."
My mouth formed a 'o' shape as I diverted my attention back to my phone. My eyes widened as I realized the amount of notifications I have on my phone.
137 messages and 85 missed calls. I opened them.
Hae Ri. Why aren't you calling back?
Hae Ri. Did Yi Eun arrive?
Why aren't you picking up the phone?
Hae Ri? Are you alright?
I was in hot soup. They were all from my parents. I simply texted them and had forgotten to give them a call after I had arrived in Miri. I bit my lip and cursed myself under my breath as I dialed my mom's number.
"Outgoing calls have been barred. Please reload your number." I let out an exasperated sigh as I ended the call. I really hate prepaid numbers.
"Yi Eun. Can you lend me your phone?" I asked and Yi Eun took his phone and raised it up to me. I quickly made my way over and grabbed it over.
"Passcode?" I asked.
"0904." He answered and I quickly unlocked his phone. I was greeted by a really cute wallpaper of a dog.
"Cute wallpaper." I commented while clicking into the phone icon. I dialed my mom's number by memory and waited patiently for her to pick up.
"Yobosayo?" My mom's picked up after a few rings.
"Hey omma. It's me Hae Ri." I answered.
"Go Hae Ri. Will it kill you to pick up the phone?" My mom shouted and I put the phone slightly away to keep the volume bearable.
"I'm so sorry mum. My phone battery went dead and I was too tired yesterday with the flights and all the transits. I'm really sorry for worrying you." I apologized and I could hear my mom starting to sob.
"You know how worried your dad and I were? We thought you were kidnapped." She mumbled and I let out a sigh. They really were such worry warts.
"Omma. I'm not a kid anymore. I won't get kidnapped that easily. Plus there's Yi Eun here with me as well. Don't worry." I assured her.
"But-"
"Mum." I gave her the finality tone and she sighed.
"Just take good care of yourself okay?" She said and I reassured her a few more times before she finally put down the phone.
"Thanks." I mumbled as I returned back Yi Eun's phone. He took back the phone and looked at the mess that I had done.
"Stop looking at this. I'll tidy it up soon." My hands stretched out to hide the crime scene as I tried to explain myself. I could see the disapproving look that was forming in his eyes.
"I didn't say anything." He simply retorted and looked back down onto his papers.
"You were going to." My voice went up an octave. That was when my stomach started growling. It was loud and clear. I heard a chuckle break out from Yi Eun.
"Hungry again?" He laughed and looked at me. My face went scarlet red as I bit my lip.
"I didn't eat anything and it's almost lunch already." I complained. Yi Eun let out another laugh as he shook his head and started tidying up his things," Let's go out for lunch then?"
I grinned widely as I nodded my head gingerly and started to move my heap of clothes to the side, hoping it would look neater.
After Yi Eun finished tidying up his stuff, we went out from his apartment and starting making our way to the elevator.
"Oh handsome guy, your girlfriend?" An auntie that was Yi Eun's neighbour asked. She looked at me and Yi Eun with a cheeky smile. Her eyes roaming between the two of us. The elevator arrived just in time. Yi Eun simply returned the auntie a smile as he walked in. I followed suit.
Yi Eun and I kept silent throughout as we wait patienly for the elevator to descend to the first floor.My stomach started rumbling again.
"I'm starving." I complained and Yi Eun laughed,"You can't wait for a few more minutes?"
"I'm going to die soon." I whined exasperatedly. The elevator finally reached and the door opened.
"Hurry up then." Yi Eun said as he walked out from the elevator, walking ahead of me. I hung my head low and started dragging my leg,"I have no chemical energy to convert to kinetic energy right now. Walk slower. You are just taking advantage of those long legs you have."
"You are making no sense at all." Yi Eun stopped and turned around to give the deadpanned look. I smiled cheekily and started hopping my way next to him. At least he stopped walking.
When I finally reached his side, we walked to his car and he unlocked it. We went in and he started driving off. I started to cheer with an idiotic smile on my face,"Food, food ,food."
"Yes, yes. You are getting your food. Now keep quiet." He shut me down and I pouted. He didn't have any sense of humor. I unlocked my phone and started playing some games to kill time and mute the hunger that I was feeling.
"We are here." Yi Eun broke my concentration on trying to solve the new level of the game that I was playing. I broke into a huge grin and cheered," Assa! Finally! I was half way to heaven already."
"You are exaggerating. Even if you are dying, you would be halfway to hell instead of heaven." He shook his head as we got out from his car.
"Yah!" I cursed him mentally under my breath but decided to let it go as he was getting me food. We walked in into the food stall that he brought us to. I settled down into a seat as the waiter gave us a menu. I glanced through it. The cuisine here was really different as compared to Korea.
"What would you like?" He asked and I shrugged my shoulders.
"Aren't you hungry?" He asked again and I nodded my head.
"What's good?" I asked Yi Eun and he pointed to a dish on the menu-butter milk chicken rice.
"I'll trust you then." I smiled and returned the menu back to the waiter. We ended up ordering 2 plates of butter milk chicken rice.
"School starts tomorrow right?" I asked Yi Eun. He nodded his head.
"Are you going to be there?" I continued asking.
"Yes but I will doing research the entire day." He answered.
"Aren't you going to accompany me?" I gave him a puppy face.
"You can manage it yourself." He said and I sulked. Now I was going to be lonely and bored and alone for my first day of school. There won't be anyone that I know. I suddenly don't feel like going to school.
The food finally arrived and I dug in into it, in big bites. I let out a sigh. my hunger was finally satisfied.
"Are we going back home?" I asked and Yi Eun shook his head,"Don't you have to get a phone number?"
"Smart ass." My face beamed and I hopped excitedly in the seat, anticipating our next destination. We went to the mall that was opposite the food stall that we went to. I made Yi Eun buy me a cup of Starbucks just to make me stomach fuller, who knows when I will be able to eat again.
I followed Yi Eun to a phone shop and he started conversing with the shop attendant. He looked into the look through glass and chose a number for me.
"Digi?" I asked as I took up the packaging of the phone number he chose.
"I use this carrier as well." He mumbled and I pursed my lips and looked at it.
"But I don't like the colour."I complained. I wasn't the biggest fan of yellow. He rolled his eyes but ignored me nonetheless. After the shop attendant fitted the card into my phone, I immediately opened my mobile data.
"I missed the internet so much." I let out a cry of joy as I scrolled through my Facebook, Instagram notifications. I wasn't one to update much, but one to stalk more. My Whatsapp didn't have much notifications as well, I wasn't really social active in high school.
"How long were we out from the house? 30 minutes?" Yi Eun questioned as he started walking ahead. What's with him and walking off from me? I walked faster to catch up with him.
"You didn't give me the wifi password and I was too busy unpacking my stuff." I explained as he shook his head," Where are we going anyways?"
"Groceries." He was back to his one word reply. We reached the basement of the mall where the supermarket was. He grabbed a trolley and pushed it in.
"Do you have Facebook?" I asked and he shook his head.
"Instagram?" I asked again and was replied with the same response.
"Woah. You are so lifeless."
"Thank you. But I'm happy, that's all that matters." He mumbled as he took up some apples and started inspecting it before putting it into the translucent plastic bags to be weighed. We bought lots of fruits ( turns out Yi Eun was a health freak) and vegetables and meat (too bad there wasn't much beef available here). I spotted roasted seaweed and tossed a few packets into the trolley.
"A meal wouldn't be complete without this." I stated my claim, making no room for objections. Yi Eun, just like how I expected him to act, didn't react and simply continued strolling through the supermarket.
"Do you have anything that you need?" Yi Eun asked and I shook my head,"I got everything from Korea."
"Clothes? Makeup? Accessories?" He suggested and I continued to shake my head.
"Are you going to cook for dinner though?" I asked with a gleam in my eyes.
"Hungry already?"He teased and I rolled my eyes.
Yi Eun cooked coup soup for dinner and that happened to be my favourite dish in the entire world. As he continued to whip up a few more dishes for dinner, I began setting the table. I took out the seaweed that I bought in the afternoon and ripped out a few packets for Yi Eun and I.
I sat in my seat and waited patiently as I looked at him. I like him for the moment, he gives me food. He finally finished cooking the last dish and began to set them on the table.
"Chaimokeshimida!" I put my hands together and said loudly as I took out my spoon, wanting to try the soup. I had been waiting for so long. But before I was able to take a bite, the door bell started to ring. It wasn't just a ring but it was a constant ringing. I wondered who came to Yi Eun's house at this time.
Yi Eun got out from his seat and went to the door and opened it. I was greeted by the smell of alcohol. I turned around. It was a pretty lady. She was tall, her face was flushed from the alcohol she drank, which was obvious by the smell. She had long black flowing hair that was slightly tousled, and she was wearing a tight mini dress. You might have thought that this would have made her look slightly indecent but no, it only made her look sexier and the red lipstick complemented her looks even more.
"Eun yah..." She broke into a sheepish grin as she collapsed into Yi Eun's arms, falling into deep slumber. The look on Yi Eun's face was priceless. It seemed as though that the cool demeanor he had been pulling off had broken down. But he recovered fast from this shock and he pulled her to the coach nearby and whipped out his phone, dialing a number. A number that he seemed to have called so many times that he already memorized it. The person on the other side picked up after a few rings.
"Athena is at my house right now. She's really drunk. What did you guys fight over again this time?" Yi Eun asked in a calm and low tone, it seemed as though this wasn't the first time this happened.
They were several exchanges between the two on the phone as I marveled over the girl. Athena...What a beautiful name. I wondered how she was able to look as attractive as this even in this drunken stupor. I didn't want to cross there but I still wonder what was the relationship between her and Yi Eun.
It was mostly out of curiosity as I looked over how Yi Eun took the pillows and started to pile it under her head. He took the towels and started to wipe her face and neck, as she tossed and turned around in the sofa. And all of this happened while I was just standing there like a fool, doing nothing. I felt helpless and it was as if I wasn't even there. But I felt relief for a moment there, this moment made me feel that Yi Eun was actually a human.
The doorbell rang again and Yi Eun finally left Athena's side to open it. A very troubled worried stricken man showed as the door opened.
"What did you do to her?" Yi Eun questioned but the man ignore him and simply strode in.
"We fought over our engagement arrangements." The man sighed as he ran his hand over his hair and looked at the elegant lady that was sleeping peacefully on Yi Eun's sofa.
"Again?" Yi Eun raised his eyebrows,"Please fix it, I really can't stand her barging into my house whenever she wants."
"We just cannot seem to agree on anything and you know that she trusts you the most." The man mumbled as he ran his hand through his hair and he finally noticed my presence.
"Who's this?" He asked Yi Eun with a puzzled look," My wife."
"What?" He asked again, unable to believe or comprehend what Yi Eun had just revealed to him.
"My wife. Jeremy, meet Hae Ri, my wife and Hae Ri meet one of my old friends from Korea, Jeremy." Yi Eun walked over to my side and introduced us.
"Annyeonghaesayo." I bowed down to him and he returned the bow, looking more shocked that the worried guy he was just now.
"Dude, how did you get married within a few days?" He asked, not even bothering to ask it behind my back.
"3 weeks. It was my parent's arrangement." Yi Eun replied and a hint of comprehension finally flooded Jeremy's face.
"No wonder. Wouldn't see you as the dating type much less the married type. You are too much of a workaholic. No offence Hae Ri. He's just too stonic." Jeremy commented as he carried Athena up in the princess hug and started walking to the door.
"I'm sorry to bother your couple night out. I'm going now." Jeremy bade his farewell and made his way out.
"She's just a really close friend." Yi Eun explained as he closed the door.
"It's okay. I get it." I shone him a bright smile.
"You don't look like you get it." He commented as he looked over me cautiously. I tried to look as cool as I can. I wouldn't deny that her presence has sparked the curiosity in me.
"Well, I'm guessing. You liked her?" I pulled up a smirk, trying to make tension between us break away.
"She's just like a sister to me." He said and I nodded just to appease him.
"Should I reheat the soup? Aren't you hungry?" Yi Eun walked over to the dining table.
"Nah. It's okay. I'm going to sleep first. I'm tired." I scrunched my face together and resigned to the bed, simply flopping down onto it. I turned my face against the wall.
I don't know why I lost my appetite although everything seemed so scrumptious. I don't know why I felt out of place when I finally felt like I belonged.
Trying to blink away all the thoughts, I closed my eyes, hoping to bring myself out from this weird little hole.