(This songgg)
Stepping out of the hotel, Teller felt a little light-headed. Thankfully, Sahn-Re hadn't let go of his hand the entire walk down, so when he stopped to catch his balance, he had him to lean on for support.
"Are you alright?" Sahn-Re asked, drawing En-Ti to a stop since he was close enough to hear the question. He turned around, watching them with a questioning stare.
Nodding, Teller straightened back up and grinned. "Yes. I guess I'm just in shock a little bit." He said as he slowly started walking toward the car again.
Sahn-Re returned his smile as he swung their arms, clearly trying to release a bit of the tension he probably couldn't hide. "Don't worry, things will work out." He said as they slid into the company's van after En-Ti.
"Hey, kid."
Looking behind him into the back seat, Teller noticed Tay-Yun holding his phone out to him. Knew he had it. He thought as he took the device and turned it on. Unsurprisingly, there were over twenty calls from Mr. Canzoni and a few from Ike and the other band members.
Ignoring all of them, Teller scrolled through his call list, relieved that his grandmother's number hadn't come up. He quickly pulled up her number and pressed it, then held the phone up to his ear.
When his grandmother's nurse picked up the phone instead of her, Teller felt his stomach drop. "Um, hey." He said, his voice barely a whisper.
"You must be Ms. Zan's grandson?" She asked, earning a nod from Teller. When he realized that she wouldn't see it, he hurried to stutter out a "Yes."
"Wonderful!" She chimed, making Teller scrunch his eyebrows in confusion.
"What?" He asked, wondering why the nurse answering his grandmother's phone could be anything but bad news.
He caught Sahn-Re staring at him with a curious look from where he sat across the tiny isle from him, but he just gave the guy a smile as the woman on the other end began to reply. "She's signing her release paperwork right now and going over things with the doctor. There was some man who was calling her nonstop a few minutes ago but she wanted to get the paperwork done so that she could call you, first."
Wait, she's being released?
"I'm really glad to get that information, but why do you have her phone?" He asked.
"Oh, right! There are no phones allowed when patients are doing their final meeting with their doctor and handling the paperwork, but she was so worried she might miss a call from you so I said I would watch her phone since I'm on break at the moment."
Oh, well, that explains it I suppose.
"Can I speak with her by chance? Is she almost done?" He asked.
The woman told him to wait just a moment so that she could check. A minute later his grandmother's ecstatic voice came over the phone. "Oh my little Teller! Let me tell you something!"
Unable to help himself, Teller let out his first real laugh since landing in Korea. His smile was genuine and made his eyes shine. "Please do, grandma. I was wondering why you had someone else picking up your phone. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
His grandmother's trademark cackle came through the phone loud and clear, drawing a quiet chuckle from Sahn-Re. "Well, the doctor said that I'd had an infection in my lungs after they finally got the result back on the last test last night, but it's all cleared up and I'm healthier than an ox now so long as I take the last few doses of my medicine."
"Does that mean I've got to feed you grass from now on? That stuff can be expensive in large amounts." Teller replied, earning a scolding that made him laugh again, though he tried to stifle it behind his hand as to not bother the others in the van.
"So, how is my Teller doing? Are you enjoying your time? Your friend has been calling me a lot, especially in the last half hour, but I didn't want to pick up because of what happened last time. I didn't want a misunderstanding, so I decided to get the information from you." She said.
I love you, grandma.
"Actually, I ended up leaving the group I came here with."
The gasp on the other end of the phone made him a little worried that she might be mad at him, but when she replied, he felt himself relax. "Oh, thank heavens. That man was driving me crazy and I couldn't imagine how frustrating he was to deal with in person. He always pretended to be so sweet, but he reminded me of your great uncle Jeremy. That guy... Well, we won't get into his story. Let's just say that I'm glad you went on your way."
Teller shook his head, then leaned it against the window. "So then, who are your new friends? I know you're not crazy enough to face that whole country on your own."
I'm glad I never told her about my singing, but now that she's doing better, her social security could go to what it was intended instead of hospital bills.
The idea of not having to pay them anymore was also a huge relief that Teller let relax his stressed heart. He wouldn't have to sing now, he could get a normal job when he got back. "Would you believe me if I told you who they were, grandma?"
There were a few muffled sounds, likely from his grandmother heading out of the building, before she replied. "Well, why not have them tell me, then? Better I hear their voice, at least, in case they kidnap you and I have to come rescue you... after this week's book club, of course." She said.
Okay, grandma. Whatever you say.
Raising his eyebrows at Sahn-Re, he offered the guy the phone. "My grandma wants to know who's kidnapping me, just in case she needs to come to the rescue after her book club ends Thursday."
Sahn-Re took the phone eagerly and pinched his nose with the biggest grin Teller had seen on the guy so far. "Hello, my name is Sahn-Re and I'm the main orchestrater of this kidnapping. Nice to meet you, grandma." He said in a deep, mumbled voice that didn't suit him in the least, which made it that much funnier.
En-Ti reached between them and tapped Sahn-Re on the shoulder, gesturing to the phone. When it was handed to him, he put it up to his ear. "Hello, my name is En-Ti and I'm the dangerous, yet oddly reliable one in this heist. Good evening, grandma."
Tay-Yun snagged the phone from him right after he'd finished speaking. "Your grandson's a pain in the ass but at least he doesn't snore loudly. Hello, grandma, from the band Ello."
He reached over Teller's head and dropped the phone back into his hands, letting Teller lift it back up to his ear to hear his grandmother's hearty laughter. "You are hanging out with Ello!" His grandmother all-but screamed into the receiver. "I'm so glad you got to meet them! They seem like an interesting bunch. I almost don't mind that they're kidnapping you."
"They are, I like them... wait, you approve of me being kidnapped?" He replied as Sahn-Re leaned over and gave him a side hug, then messed up his hair with a laugh. "I'm sure they're all sweet guys, they sound like it. I'm going to get going since I drive slowly enough to make people mad. I don't need to go even slower because I'm trying to talk on the phone, too."
Always to the point.
"Alright. Love you, grandma. I'm glad you're finally out of there, and don't worry, I'll send the last bill payment so we won't have anything to worry about after today." He said.
"Thank you, sweetheart. Behave, Tell, and I'll talk to you later. And don't worry, I'll add that man that keeps calling me to my block list. The nurse showed me how to do it."
"Perfect." Teller said before they both hung up and he sank back against his chair. What a relief.
Not wanting to accidentally forget, Teller leaned forward and tapped Wan-Nu on the shoulder. "Could we stop by an international bank by chance?" He asked.
"Sure, we are close to one now." He said as he went through a few short lights, then pulled into a large parking lot.
"We go get food. Meet us?" Wan-Nu said as everyone began getting out of the van.
Teller followed where he was pointing and nodded before turning and running into the bank. Thankfully, one of the people knew English decently well and he managed to get everything dealt with easily concerning the money he'd earned at the arcade and getting it transferred for the hospital bill.
Once he was done, he thanked the bank teller and turned, only to see Tay-Yun leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at him.
Has he been staring at me this entire time? And waiting for me?
Awkwardly, Teller walked over, only to be taken by the hand and hurried from the bank. He nearly had to run the first few steps before he managed to set his pace to Tay-Yun's, only to be suddenly jerked back when a car flew in front of them.
"Pay attention." Tay-Yun said, drawing a blush from Teller. He'd been so focused on keeping up that he hadn't seen the crazy driver.
This is a parking lot. Crazy people should slow down, or at least watch where they're going.
Sighing, he let Tay-Yun pull him and didn't bother trying to keep up, deciding to just run intermittently until they got to the restaurant. He was panting quietly when they finally stepped inside. The air conditioner was definitely working well and he felt his body give a shiver as he followed Tay-Yun to the table the others were already sitting at.
Oh, he left his special jacket in the car. He realized as they sat down and he ordered warm tea. Teller couldn't blame him, he'd want to wash it before he wore it again, too. Besides, he had one already on.
Picking up the menu, Teller squinted at all the writing. He could read it, but it was taking him a while, especially with the descriptions of the dishes.
The waitress was back with their tea and asking if they were ready to order before he'd even gotten to the third page.
"A few more minutes." Wan-Nu said as En-Ti leaned over and began pointing at dishes on the list and explaining each one with basic English. When he described the Japchae, sweet potato noodle dish, Teller knew he wanted to try it.
The waitress returned soon after he made his decision and they all ordered. He finished off his tea right as their food arrived and accepted a refill from the waitress. He had warmed up a bit, but it felt like they were under the air conditioner, even though it was a few tables away blowing down from the ceiling.
Another shiver ran down his spine as he reached for the pair of chopsticks in front of him. His hands shook as he tried to reach for a bite of his food, only to have the chopsticks taken from his hand and set back down.
Blinking, Teller looked up at the same time Tay-Yun slipped his jacket from his shoulders and draped it over his. It was warm from his body heat, making him eagerly slip his arms inside and settle it correctly over his body.
"Thank you." He said, knowing that the guy would probably be more upset if he tried to decline his hospitality.
Tay-Yun just nodded as he leaned over to start eating his own dish that looked something akin to sweet and salty beef stir fry, or from what he remembered from the menu, it was likely Bulgogi. It smelled delicious, but so did his own food.
Warmer, and with much less shaky fingers, Teller reached for his chopsticks again and began digging in. He didn't have to worry about being hurt to the point of throwing up anymore, so he didn't hesitate to enjoy his meal.
He felt eyes on him as he got down to the last few bites. Teller was just glancing up, curious, when he saw chopsticks set a few pieces of pork and vegetables onto his plate. He looked up at En-Ti, unable to hide his smile as the guy gave him a small smile of his own before going back to his meal.
"Thank you." Teller said as he turned his attention back to his own plate, only to see another couple of pieces of food there, this time it was a few dumplings that he knew Sahn-Re had ordered.
He'd really wanted to try as much different food as he could while visiting the country, so he was very grateful for the chance to taste both of theirs. "Thank you, Sahn-Re." He said before taking one of the dumplings and trying a bite.
Wow.
The pork inside was spicy and mixed with garlic, soy sauce and onions. It was absolutely delicious! With a big grin, he tried what En-Ti had set on his plate. It was a bit sweeter, but still amazing. In minutes, he had everything cleared from his plate, and was doing his best holding back from licking it clean.
"Hey." Tay-Yun said from his right, drawing his attention to him right as a pair of chopsticks nudged a small piece of warm beef between his slightly parted lips.
Feeling his face heat, Teller bowed his head slightly in thanks, but then bit down on the chopsticks, earning a scowl from Tay-Yun as he grinned around the utensil. Not wanting to cause trouble, however, Teller released them and chewed the piece of meat he'd been given. It was also spicy, but had a nice bit of soy mixed in for the salty flavor.
"Waitress, can we please have two orders of hotteok?" Sahn-Re said, making Teller wonder what he'd ordered. He understood that much, that he'd gotten something else, but he wasn't too sure what hotteok was.
He didn't have to wait long to find out. Two plates of pancake-looking donuts were set down in front of them. Sahn-Re and En-Ti grabbed one right away, while Tay-Yun just sipped at the tea that he'd been drinking throughout the meal.
Come to think of it.
Narrowing his eyes on the guy's hand, Teller bit back a frown when he noticed it shaking ever so slightly.
He's cold.
"Teller, try it. They are very good!" Sahn-Re said with an enthusiasm that made Teller's lips quirk up as he turned his attention to the dessert.
They did look delicious... Reaching over, he carefully picked up one of the warm sweets and took a tentative bite. The filling was a bit too hot, but he fought through it for the delicious flavor.
"Wow. These are great." He said as he finished off his first one, then reached for a second.
When he was finished with his second one and realized that Tay-Yun still hadn't even touched them, he looked over at him. "You don't want any?" He asked.
"Tay-Yun doesn't like sweets very much." Sahn-Re said, drawing a frown from Teller's, as well as his attention.
"Oh, that's odd." He said, earning a look from Tay-Yun that made him turn his full attention to the next pancake he grabbed.
When he didn't feel the man's eyes leave him, he hesitantly glanced up at him, the pancake still in his mouth as he held it much like a squirrel would.
"What is so odd about it?" Tay-Yun said, leaning a little closer.
Before Teller could respond, Sahn-Re chimed in. "He used to love these."
Oh? What changed?
The glare Tay-Yun sent Sahn-Re silenced the hyper boy, ending the present conversation as everyone quietly finished off the dessert. He was offered to take the last one back to their place for later, as everyone else was already full, so he agreed.
Once they got home, it was decided that he would stay on the sofa for at least a day or two, until things got sorted out. He'd been offered Tay-Yun's bed again, but that was his personal space, and he didn't want to invade it again so soon.
He did, however, slip inside the room and leave the small bag with the last hotteok in it, on Tay-Yun's nightstand, along with his folded jacket, before heading off to the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed.